A/N: Sorry for the delay on this part - I was outside for a while doing some yard work. And I wasn't sure whether I should update or not. Slowly getting better brain-wise! No more brain-fog, headaches... no longer burning. Still yucky in terms of throat/chest discomfort, but such is anxiety. C'est la vie. Gettin' better. Zain, I didn't DM you my thanks for last chapter's review. Hehe, love that you appreciated the indirect kiss there! And yes, I'm super pleased to introduce romantic bridge symbolism. Let me know what you think! :D

Today's chapter is a Yuri POV! I might have to do a couple more of these in the future, but we'll see how things pan out.

Enjoy!

[Chapter 20]: Operation Matchmake

A few hallways away, Yuri Nakamura spotted her target and marched toward him with a purpose.

Hejjiguchi stopped in his tracks at first, his mind visibly skipping behind slightly widened eyes, but recovered quickly and met her in the middle of the hall with a pleasant grin.

"Yuri, you beat me to it," he said jovially, arms folded. He checked over her shoulder. "What's up, don't you have a walking buddy today?"

On any other day she appreciated his sense of humor, but as she did in fact want to meet up with Ayato after this, there wasn't much time for his games. "Actually, do you have a second? I need to talk to you about something in private."

"Sure, but—" She snatched his wrist and pulled him into an empty classroom. He startled, but laughed nervously rather than breaking away. "Whoa, firm grip! Gotta tell Ami I found her a new arm wrestling partner…"

Closing the door discreetly behind them, she pressed her back against the wood and eyed him thoughtfully as he leaned on the edge of a desk. The space between them was more significant than it would be if they were outside waiting for Ayato. It usually was.

Still, he returned her look with genuine friendliness, albeit with a side of curiosity.

"So, Yuri…" he said tentatively, noting the closed door behind her with a flicked brow, "what did you want to talk to me about again?"

With a sigh, Yuri pushed herself off of the door.

"To tell you something very important," she paused to give him a solemn stare, "that stays between us."

He looked almost flattered, straightening his posture and meeting her eyes with equal earnestness. "Hey, cross my heart. I won't tell a soul."

"Good, because here it is." Taking a deep breath, she crossed the room to him. "I have feelings for Ayato Naoi."

Given the fact that she hadn't allowed herself time to rehearse, it surprised her how naturally her fake confession passed her lips. The pause had been for dramatic effect, but the delivery? No hesitation at all.

She did her best not to smirk, but… damn, maybe she should join the drama club. Ami could probably use her impeccable acting skills.

Hejjiguchi, on the other hand, grinned enough for both of them.

"Yeah, I thought so." He ended on a knowing chuckle, but as he scratched his messy blue hair, his humor back-stepped into ambivalent curiosity. "No offense, but what do you see in him? I figured you'd go for someone who's a little more friendly and gentle, not the spawn of…"

He trailed off for a second; she must have been unconsciously giving him a look.

"I mean, the potter's son?" Hejjiguchi asked, sheepish but sliding back into skepticism. "He's always seemed kind of standoffish."

"Maybe to you," Yuri mused, crossing her arms. "But you don't know him like I do. He's nothing like his dad." She gave him another pointed stare. "Besides, he's only been like that with you because of—"

"Kurimu," he finished for her. "Yeah, you're right."

Yuri had to give him credit. His mischief and judgment weren't his best traits, but there was still some unspoken humility buried there underneath his hotshot spirit. She doubted Kurimu would be friends with him if there wasn't.

In fact, while she may not have known him personally during the time they'd lived in the same neighborhood, the humility seemed to be more evident this year. As if he'd gained some sorely needed self-awareness.

"But why are you telling me all of this, anyway?" Hejjiguchi asked, and then sweated the thought. "If it's because I've been flirting with you, I swear I've only been doing it to mess with his head—"

"I know, I just…" Yuri smiled nervously. "I wanted to tell someone I could trust, you know? I haven't been really close with anyone these days. You're the only person I feel comfortable talking to about this besides Naoi, and obviously I couldn't say it to him."

Hejjiguchi regarded her oddly for a moment, then relaxed.

"Okay," he said, noticeably relieved. Then he added, with a boyish little snort, "At first I thought you were looking for advice."

Yuri made a point of scoffing at the thought.

"Please!" she dismissed him, like even the suggestion amused her. "You're in the same boat as me."

Hejjiguchi froze.

"Huh?" he said dumbly.

Yuri narrowed her eyes, letting a coy smile spread over her lips.

"You have feelings for Kurimu," she said simply.

Hejjiguchi's eyes bulged; he was a mess of red ears and shrunken pupils as he coughed over his words.

"Whoa, I'm — that's not — you're way off!"

Yuri's smile broadened with each sputtered stammer, each octave his voice jumped. Really? she thought, sizing him up. Because it sounds like I just hit the bulls-eye.

"Am I?" she asked, keeping her tone cool but knowing. "You seem just as bothered as I am at the idea of her and Naoi together."

"Because she's one of my best friends!" Hejjiguchi blurted, increasingly defensive as he avoided her gaze. Agitated, he kicked at the ground. "And because I don't like Ami trying to set her up with someone else just because she wants to have some alone time with me!"

Only the slightest arch of her eyebrows betrayed her consternation, but honestly his outburst threw Yuri for a loop. So that was why Ami was playing her little game of marionettes on strings? She didn't want to use the metaphor of chess, it was too calculated for a thespian.

"Fine, whatever," she muttered. "I just thought maybe you could help me?"

He hesitated, before glancing back up with her with a hint of suspicion. "Help you with what?"

She pursed her lips, eyebrows drawn as she considered him for a moment. "So you don't like the idea of setting someone up with someone else just so you can get a person or people off your back?"

"…I don't think so?" Hejjiguchi said, frowning.

The questioning inflection at the end was useful, so she jumped on it. "Not even if it got Kurimu away from Naoi?" she coaxed.

His features scrunched up, hands fidgeting as he paced restlessly down the desk aisles. Each time he came back around, she saw thoughts warring behind furtive olive green eyes. Finally he pressed his hair back to the scalp. "Aw… okay, fine! I'm listening!"

"Good. Here's what I was thinking," Yuri said automatically, perching herself on a desk across from him. "You know how Naoi doesn't like you, right?"

It must've broken the tension, since he started cracking up. "Yeah, he's made it pretty obvious!"

Yuri nodded, tapping absently at her lap. "I figure, if he saw us together somewhere, looking like a couple or in a romantic situation..."

"It would bug the snot out of him," Hejjiguchi concluded.

"Exactly." Damn, what did girls do when they had a crush? Yuri nibbled shyly at her lip, then twirled at a lock of her hair. "I'm his best friend. He doesn't want to see me spending a bunch of time with some guy he can't stand, especially if it meant I'd have less time with him."

Hejjiguchi nodded thoughtfully, uncrossing his arms. Made sense to him.

"If he saw us somewhere romantic, he'd think something was going on between us," she continued. "That might make him jealous. It might just determine whether or not he has feelings for me too. He'll worry more about spending time with me than having any kind of relationship with Kurimu."

Inwardly, she was praising the inherent tone of sensibility in her voice. After all the years she listened to her parents practice persuasive speeches and interviews while they were home, she'd kind of absorbed it like an accent. Maybe that was the charisma Ayato had been talking about this summer.

Well, at least she was putting it to good use. Hejjiguchi seemed to be buying it, after all.

"I see." He chewed on his cheek, letting the thought settle. "Can't say I'm not tempted, but… wouldn't you rather Naoi come to realize his feelings for you on his own?"

Yuri tilted her head. "Hmm?"

"Like…" he paused, rocking on his palms as he leaned back on the desk, "looking at you one day while you stop to pick a flower, or nuzzle a cat that rubs up against your leg, or laugh at one of your inside jokes… and thinking out of nowhere, 'I love this girl.'"

She blinked a couple of times, dazed. Who knew Hejjiguchi could be such a romantic?

"Well that's cheesy as hell," she replied, to which he gave an unaffected shrug. "But I'm only putting a thought in his mind. Sometimes boys need a little help. No offense."

"Right…" She didn't blame him for the semi-critical look, but she was playing a part here. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Still of two minds about this. And besides, where would he see us?"

"On a walking bridge really close to the Naoi estate. Not that far from my house, or from Midori Hill." She observed the recognition on his face as she mentioned Kurimu's neighborhood, then took a breath as if her next thought made her weary. "Naoi said he wanted to meet up with Kurimu on Saturday to talk to her, so he'd pass by it on his way there—"

Bingo. His eyes narrowed considerably. "So he does want to meet up with her now? What for?"

"He said he was going to confess something to her." Hejjiguchi's jaw tightened, just the reaction she was looking for. "Which means it's also likely he'll pass by again with Kurimu on his way back, since he likes to walk and talk with girls, and then she'll need someone to distract her or give her a bit of a pick-me-up after everything goes down."

As for "everything," she let him fill in the blanks. For him, it was the hypothetical scenario she poured into his head of "fickle Naoi" getting terribly jealous and ditching poor Kurimu to scare off his best friend's evil suitor.

For her, well, she had something else in mind.

"I see…"

Hejjiguchi cut his eyes to the side, no doubt letting the whole thing pan out in his imagination. Letting it run maybe as wildly as he did. When at last he looked to her again, the ratio of uncertainty had diminished.

"Okay, I'm in," he said with conviction, standing up just as she did. "But only because I'm rooting for you. And because I really don't think Naoi is Kurimu's type."

"Great!" Yuri extended her hand, and they shook. "Meet me at the bridge on Saturday at 12:30. I'll text you directions."

With not a drop of reluctance left in his veins, they exchanged cell phones. Yuri barely veiled a smile as she typed herself in as a contact.

Whether he knew it or not, Operation Matchmake was underway.

They had to be fairly quick about this, Yuri knew.

Saturdays were work days, but she and Ayato had planned around that important detail carefully. While the whole idea was to stand the pair up, he didn't want to be away at the store while things transpired. They both fully intended to witness the fruits of their deception.

Good thing she'd known since April when Kimito had him scheduled to take his lunch break. For a full forty-five minutes.

Lots of things could happen in forty-five minutes.

Though, it wasn't like she could risk scheduling it at any other time. Kurimu might've known, or at least heard from someone, that he couldn't possibly meet her during his work hours. Unless her heart was pure and innocent enough that she'd give him the benefit of the doubt, she would've known ahead of time that he was going to stand her up. The whole plan would be in tatters.

Yuri wasn't sure whether she'd peg Hejjiguchi as the fashionably late type or the "right on time" speedster, so she snuck up the trail at just around 12:25. She'd sent Ayato a similar warning last night via walkie-talkie, knowing that Kurimu would anxiously bounce between politely early or right on the dot. Thus, she was more relieved than surprised to find that the careful footsteps she heard was him dodging through the trees.

She cast a wistful glance at the pretty wooden bridge, admiring its curve, before taking him by the wrist and leading him aside.

"Come on," she told him. "We can't be on the premises."

For a moment, she paused to regard the piece of architecture. If they went around and down, she knew there was enough space for them to hide underneath without hitting their heads or getting their shoes wet. To be honest, the thought kind of appealed to her.

As if reading her mind, he tugged her off the path. "Can't be close enough for them to hear us," he warned. "We might slip or splash. Best to hide behind these bushes."

Yuri nodded, giving him the okay. "As long as you keep yourself out of sight."

He smirked as she crouched down next to him. "You'll find that invisibility comes easily to me," he said, and parted the hedges expertly into a spy hole. "Hide and seek used to be my forte."

"Please, I'm a big sister." Yuri lowered her voice while Ayato strained to listen for footsteps. "Play against me, and I'll find you. Always."

If only you were as good of a sister as you were a seeker.

Mentally cursing away the thought, she and Ayato nestled comfortably into the dirt. And they waited.

Hejjiguchi was, surprisingly, the first one to show up. Whistling an unknown melody, he loped over to the bridge and leaned casually against the railing. Then he took out his phone and started tapping at the screen.

Yuri muttered a curse under her breath. As inconspicuously as she could, she wriggled in her spot until she reached the phone in her pocket and quickly muted it. Seconds later, the "I'm here" text would have come with a chirp. She muffled her relief and put her phone away.

Under the shade of the trees, Hejjiguchi's hair looked more green than blue. Maybe teal? Prussian blue? As long as Kurimu would misidentify him until it was too late. By then, Yuri figured, her interest would be piqued.

The three of them didn't have to wait long. Apparently Kurimu was one for compromise, so at 12:28 she padded up the trail in a nice vermilion sundress. She must have been the type to get lost in her own world, because her path took her so close to their hiding spot that Yuri could have reached out and poked her leg.

Well, that was almost an exaggeration. But if Kurimu's eyes had wandered, it might've been dangerous for them.

Instead, she must have spotted the figure on the bridge right as she passed them. Her feet came to a stop. Yuri held her breath and so did Ayato.

Her pace quickened. She scampered onto the bridge, where the figure was just as baffled to see her as she was to see him. Yuri pressed closer to Ayato in order to see through the makeshift spy hole.

"Kurimu?" Hejjiguchi pushed himself away from the railing, straightening his shoulders. "What are you doing here?"

"Me? What are you doing here?" Kurimu tilted to the side, peering past him.

"Yuri asked me to meet me here," said Hejjiguchi, doing the same weird weaving motion as her. They seemed to notice their strange dance at the same time, and stopped with a sheepish laugh.

"But I was supposed to speak with Naoi here, alone." Kurimu turned back to the path, but finding nothing, she angled more towards Hejjiguchi with a frown. "Why would they both ask us to meet them in this exact place at the same time?"

He shrugged. "Maybe their brains are weirdly in sync."

"Or maybe they both really like this bridge," she considered. Backing up a couple of steps, she took in the intense greenery around her as well as the peaceful sound of the trickling stream. "It's such a pretty spot. Don't you think?"

At this point Hejjiguchi had visibly relaxed. "You know I like anything that keeps me above water," he said with a wink.

Kurimu giggled, brushing a lock of thick honey-brown hair behind her ear. In turn, Hejjiguchi grinned back at her. They unconsciously shifted closer to each other as a comfortable silence fell between them. Meanwhile, Yuri tried to muffle a snort as Ayato's mouth fell open.

When the moment drew out for too long, Hejjiguchi coughed nervously.

"So Naoi was supposed to confess something to you, huh?" he said, running a hand through the back of his hair.

She jumped at his words, inhaling sharply. "Confess… How did you know that?!"

"Eh!" Hejjiguchi visibly realized his mistake. His shade of red was visible from all the way over on Yuri's end. "Well! I mean! If he asked you to meet him in a place like this... maybe he really does like you."

"He was supposed to meet me here…" Kurimu corrected him with a frown, which deepened as she looked him up and down with crossed arms. "Hang on. Why are you meeting Yuri in a place like this?"

His blush deepened as he fumbled for words.

"We were—" He scratched his neck again, and paced around her a few steps. "Ah, just 'cause she asked me to, is all. She said before that she had something important to tell me."

"Hmm," said Kurimu, watching him from the railing. "It must not have been very important if she isn't here yet."

"Well, Naoi isn't here either," he countered.

The jab appeared to have stung. Kurimu's eyes darted here and there, checking their surroundings again as she rubbed her arms in a tight self-hug. Yuri felt kind of bad for making this part of the operation.

From his softened features and lowered shoulders, Hejjiguchi apparently felt some remorse too.

"I knew there was something I didn't like about that guy," he reasoned, stopping in his tracks. He clicked his tongue and wagged a finger in disapproval, shaking his head in arguably performative dismay. "Imagine, standing a lady up like this for a date! Or even being this late. It's bad manners."

Kurimu smiled, relaxing her arms. "Says the boy who talks with his mouth full of beef udon or chili dogs."

He lifted himself onto the handrail ledge and made himself comfortable – in Yuri's experience, an obvious attempt to look cool.

"Hey, at least I was on time!" he said, indignant. "If something or someone is important to me, then come hell or high water, I'll be there when they need me. It's only polite. That's what I'd do if I was your boyfriend."

That last part conjured a blanket of crimson to her cheeks, and apparently a deep interest in her shoes. Despite the thick honey-colored veil that fell over her face, a soft smile peeked through. "Hejjiguchi, you're a busy guy. I bet it takes all kinds of patience to date you."

"I wouldn't keep you waiting," he insisted.

"No, I'd understand. I'd wait as long as it takes." Kurimu raised her chin, her smile turned reassuring and even thoughtful. "Besides, you'd keep me on my toes."

She brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and gave a gentle laugh, which to Yuri wasn't as nervous as it was… happy.

"That's your charm. You're unpredictable and exciting."

"I am?" Forgetting where he was, Hejjiguchi gave a start – one that knocked him off balance and sent him tilting too far back. His frantic windmill motion with his arms was to no avail, and he toppled backwards off the bridge with a yell.

"Hejjiguchi!" she squeaked.

Lucky for the matchmakers, the significant splash Hejjiguchi made on impact was loud enough to overpower Ayato's barely muffled snickers as he completely lost it behind the bushes. Yuri nudged at him to be quiet, but even she bit back a smirk when he surfaced very wet and wide-eyed.

At this point, Kurimu had hurried off the deck and down to the river bank. She waded into the water to help him as he spit out a mouthful of water.

He sputtered again, shaking his hair like a dog. "Agh!"

The spitting and choking was a bit much, Yuri considered, seeing as he was upright in a stream that was only barely deep enough to qualify as a river. But the dramatics seemed to be working in his (or their) favor.

Kurimu hauled him to his feet, placing her hands on his shoulders to steady him. She looked him over, concerned. "Hejjiguchi, are you okay? Did you hit your head? The stream's still a bit shallow here…"

"Nah, I'm fine. I've had worse falls," said Hejjiguchi, a little dazed but still keeping cool. Then he met her eyes and reconsidered. "Not into water, though. I think I'm a little traumatized. Could really use a pick-me-up. Wanna go get ice cream or something?"

His wink for good measure clearly did the trick, since she smiled in return.

"Alright," she said, and then gave him another once-over with a giggle. "What do you say we go let you dry your clothes first?"

He flashed her a dripping thumbs-up. "Sounds good to me."

"It's a date, then!"

Hejjiguchi looked absolutely thrilled. He followed her out of the river, onto the dry banks, then wildly shook himself off again. Kurimu squeaked with laughter and darted out of the way onto the path. Ever the speedster, he caught up with her quickly, and they started up the trail.

And in fact, their shoulders and hands looked very much in danger of bumping.

Their path would take them closely within earshot, so Yuri and Ayato could not audibly celebrate just yet. But still, she relished in the oddly malevolent gleam of delight in his eyes and the rich sneer dimpling his cheeks.

They had orchestrated this. Operation: completed! It gave her a buzz of gleeful triumph that felt oddly familiar. How long had it been since she'd felt victory like this? How long, since…

"Wait," said Kurimu, slowing unnervingly close to their bush. "What about Naoi and Yuri?"

Hejjiguchi gave an uncaring wave, leading her further down the path towards town.

"You know what? Yuri only asked me to meet her here because she wanted to make Naoi jealous by seeing us together. She said she had feelings for him and needed my help." He laughed heartily as they started across the fateful walking bridge, and added with his trademark confidence, "If they're both M.I.A., they're probably just off making out."

And then they were gone.

Their voices faded beyond the trees. The only sounds left were chirping birds, flowing water, and an increased heartbeat. The blood in Yuri's veins burned so hot it went cold.

Damn it! Why did he have to say that?!

Ayato froze.

Yuri froze.

They sat behind the bushes, just staring. Staring into the distance.

"Yuri…" he murmured in disbelief.

She played it cool. "Yeah?"

"That… is brilliant!" Ayato jumped to his feet, turning to her with an earsplitting reverent grin. "You tricked him into thinking he was playing Matchmaker and getting me out of the way? How deliciously shrewd of you."

Relief instantly flushed her system; matching his grin, she stood up to take a bow. "That's me."

He took a moment to shake his head and bask in her benevolent trickery, then sighed and let his shoulders fall. His eyes flicked to the end of the trail, where their matchmaking victims had vanished. "I guess we've gotten that taken care of."

"Yep," Yuri mused, following his gaze. Then, remembering what Hejjiguchi had said, she added thoughtfully, "From what I gather, that's going to effectively shut Ami up."

His scrutinizing stare passed to her. "What do you mean?"

Yuri shrugged. "Apparently Ami was pushing Kurimu on you because she likes Hejjiguchi."

Ayato looked heavily relieved once more, no doubt glad the "Ami likes Naoi" theory had been debunked. Then his forehead wrinkled. "Well… that's certainly going to be weird for their friendship."

The weight of his words sunk in, and she blinked twice. "…Yeah."

That…

Huh. She hadn't thought of that.

Grinning, he grabbed her by the hand before her thoughts dragged her to the depths.

"Not our problem!" he said cheerfully, and started leading her out of the forest.

Operation Matchmake was complete, and the only thing left for them to worry about was him getting back to work on time. Right?

Right.

A/N: Dunno if I'll upload Chapter 21 next week, when 22 has barely been touched (I need abundant preview quotes at the end in order to post a chapter). But depending on how I'm feeling, HC might... just might... be coming up next? Time and healing will tell. Thank you for being patient.

Preview:

"The lovely couple being too lovely?"

"That's too disgusting to think about."

"You know about us?"

"She'll need a distraction."

"Haven't you distanced yourself from people like her?"

"I got them into this mess."

"You could easily play a villain."

[Chapter 21]: Romantic Repercussions.