Chapter Twenty-five.
There are a lot of stupid things we do when we are young.
"Can we just talk… girl-to-girl?"
The last bell has finally rung. Her heart beats faster than it should as the minutes pass by. Before she places the note inside her bag, Yume glances at it one last time. She closes her eyes to take one last deep breath before leaving the classroom.
"You seem troubled, Kazuyoshi-han," Gin observes.
She shakes her head. "I-it's nothing. Just a little headache," she replies as she dumps the note inside her bag. "Nothing much to worry about."
"You've been having headaches frequently, Kazuyoshi-han." He shoves a few books and pen inside his own bag. "Are you sure you're alright?"
She nods meekly. "I've been having sleepless nights lately. I've been kept awake until four in the morning since the past few days. That's probably what has been giving me headaches recently."
"Lack of sleep, huh? Is something bothering you?" he asks worryingly.
She smiles weakly. "The only thing that has been bothering me recently is my… lack of sleep… and my inability to force myself to sleep." Yume hits the back of her head. "It's pretty stupid actually." She waves her hand as if shooing something away. "It'll eventually go away. I'll get back to my normal sleeping patterns soon."
"Is that so?" Gin closes his eyes and crosses his arms across his chest. "Maybe there's something deeper that has been bothering you. You haven't discovered what it is yet."
"I'm pretty sure we've met before. You're Kazuyoshi Yuki-san, right?"
Yume simply nodded. "And you're the so-called… 'Snow White of Shitenhouji' Miyoko-san, right?"
Miyoko smiled as she bowed. "It's a little flattering to be called by that title." She took a deep breath before standing straight and facing the other girl. She places her hands behind her back. The Snow White kept her refine conduct. "You can just call me 'Miyoko.'"
The newcomer blinked. She thought how the innocent-looking girl she saw a week ago seemed to be so full of confidence at that time. There was something about Miyoko that really stroke her heart. Yume noticed the arm-end of the other girl's long sleeves had been discolored as if they were mildly wet. It had been also apparent to her that Miyoko had been crying, seeing her swollen eyes. "Uhm..."
Miyoko gasped. "I-I'm sorry… for calling you out here." She places a hand on the side of her head. "We barely know each other, but I called you out to meet up in here."
It was lunch time. Earlier that day, Miyoko decided to drop a note inside Yume's shoe locker. The latter, barely understanding the reason why someone she barely knew would invite her in the rooftop, decided to show up anyway. Yume had already thought up a few theories, but she couldn't bear to prepare herself for anything that was to come. Her guts were telling her that she wasn't wrong, but in every way she wanted to disprove her theories.
"I-I don't really do this, but y'know… I haven't been feeling myself lately," Miyoko continued.
Yume knew that this girl was Kenya's date. And if anything, she also sensed from the very start that this girl also had feelings for him.
Miyoko bit her lips. "I'm sorry, but…" She was trying her best to prevent a cry from bursting. "… I love Kenya ever since grade school."
The newcomer sighed as she noticed the tears falling from Miyoko's eyes. "Uhm… y-you do know that K- I mean, Oshitari-san and I are just good friends." Her chest felt heavier. "So…" She forces a chuckle to come out. "…I'm not quite sure what you're crying for, Miyoko-san."
The Snow White immediately stopped. "So you're not together?" She looked up at Yume shyly but with hope. "But the rumors are-"
"Rumors?" Yume smiled. "Rumors are just rumors. They may be true sometimes, but there are times that they are not."
"So are they not true? Does that also mean that you're not actually a girl?"
Yume scratched the back of her head. "I won't answer that anyway," she muttered to herself. "If you really like Oshitari-san, then I shouldn't - or, no one should give you any reason to stop pursuing him, right?"
Miyoko shed a few more tears before running towards the other girl. She hugged her tightly. "Thank you so much, Kazuyoshi-san! Please support me for Kenya-san!"
Yume sighs. Three days after her encounter with the Snow White, she receives another note - a note from Kenya. Her senses are tingling and telling her that the boy may confess to her on that day. It isn't just her instincts alone that lead her to that conclusion. Most of the tennis club members have been dropping hints that the speedstar is planning to confess. The biggest hint has been Hikaru's, who bluntly told her that 'Kenya-san is so lovestruck by you that he'd probably confess to you when the situation has given him a chance to be alone with you.'
After class hours, she finally bids her farewell to a worried Gin and leaves for the nearby lake. The meeting place is not that far from school and is only about fifteen minutes of walk. She spots a coffee-haired boy from afar.
"Thank you so much, Kazuyoshi-san!" Miyoko's voice continuously rings inside her head.
Kenya sees her as well and waves a hand in obvious excitement. "Here! Come here, Yume-chan!" he shouts as he jumps happily.
Yume takes a deep breath. She already knows what is going to happen. She knows she has to do. The choice is only between the happiness of a guy she likes and the trust of a friend. The choice has to be made anyway.
He speeds towards her as she puts up a serious look.
~End Chapter~
