A/N: Two chapters left after this one. I will be posting them together two weeks from now. We're almost there, folks!
Thoughts and emphasis in italics.
Muse: "All Of This" by Jann Arden
Waiting
By: Leafsdude
Chapter 24: Trust
Thursday, October 5, 2017
I wake up the next morning to silence. I turn over slowly, checking my clock. 7:16.
I turn back over and groan slightly, the lingering fog of sleep keeping me from starting the day. Eyes closed, I hope for an extra couple of minutes of rest. Instead, a ghost of a smell hanging in the air keeps my attention just enough to force me awake.
Eventually, I accept that I'm not getting back to sleep, and slowly force myself out of bed. I grab up my uniform and slowly get dressed, letting my grumbling morning attitude fade as I think about the day to come. Just as I'm ready to head out, my alarm clock comes to life. I pause for a moment, before I turn back and shut it off.
Just one more morning of this, I tell myself, sighing. Then it's the weekend again.
I finally head out to the hallway. The guest room's door is open. Peering in, I see no sign of Natsuki. The blankets on the bed are strewn around haphazardly, not unlike my own. Without another thought, I begin to make my way downstairs. As I do, the smell in the air gets increasingly stronger, though I don't recognize it.
As I reach the bottom of the stairs, I see Natsuki seated at the table, eating.
"Morning," I greet her simply.
"I made myself breakfast with a few things," she replies quickly. "That's okay, right?"
"No worries," I shrug as I head to the fridge. The food she's scarfing down is unfamiliar, but I don't comment on it. I decide on scrambled eggs, placing them on the counter before pulling out a bowl and frying pan, placing the latter on the stove to heat up.
I crack each egg before using a fork to beat them together. A few moments later I pour them into the frying pan.
In the corner of my eye, I see Natsuki looking at me as I work away.
"You're not very good at that," she speaks up suddenly. I withhold the roll of my eye at her critique.
"It's good enough for me," I respond as evenly as I can. Natsuki shrugs in response.
"I could show you a few things," she offers, before flashing her standard proud smile. "I'm a pro, after all."
I take a moment to consider the offer. "I guess you could," I finally say in response.
"Tonight, then," she states more than suggests.
"Okay," I nod, suddenly engaged in the challenge set out by my new housemate. "Sayori can come as well, then."
"I'm not sure how much I could teach her," Natsuki says a moment later, her earlier bravado fading slightly.
"Well," I pause for a second, if for no other reason than to maintain my composure. "She almost burned down her house once when cooking."
Natsuki looks at me in a slight amount of alarm for a moment, before rolling her eyes. "You're lying."
"Ask her yourself," I respond, my tone as bold as hers. Putting my now ready eggs onto a plate, I sit down across from Natsuki.
"Maybe I will," she retorts. I shake my head before digging into my food.
"How did you learn to cook?" I ask, half-way through my breakfast. Natsuki looks at me and shrugs.
"I just did it a lot," she says. "I was really young when I started. I have a natural ability. Though I've learned a few things lately from cookbooks and whatever."
"Is it something you want to do, as a career, or something?" I ask, thinking about the plans for college I had talked to Sayori about. Natsuki looks at me for a second.
"I already am," she says proudly. "I got a job at a bakery last year. I'm their top chef."
"Oh," I pause for a second, her response catching me off-guard. "So when you said you were a pro…"
"Yup," Natsuki cuts me off before I finish, grinning.
"That bakery isn't named David's, is it?" I ask, and she gives me a look for a moment.
"No," she draws out. "It's called The Baker's Dozen. It's downtown."
"Does it pay well?" As the question leaves my lips, I wonder if it's asking too much detail, but Natsuki just shrugs.
"It's enough," she says simply. "It's a family business, just a few of us, so it's nothing huge, especially since I'm not working regular hours, but…" She trails off for a second, before continuing in a more solemn tone. "I've been hoping to move into my own place soon, with what I've saved. But I guess I just kind of had to get out now."
I think of how to respond, but Natsuki stands up before I can, dropping her now finished plate in the sink with a light clang. As I watch her, I notice the clock on the microwave: 7:50. I hurry to finish my eggs before I head to the sink myself.
"Ready to go?" I ask her, and she looks at me in surprise. I hurriedly explain. "I meet up with Sayori around now."
"Oh," her expression still is a little confused, but she nods regardless. "Okay, then."
Heading to the front entrance, we both put on our shoes. Grabbing up my jacket, just in case, I look over at Natsuki.
"Let's get out of here, then," she says, leading the way to the door. All I can do in response is follow her out.
The walk to Sayori's house is quiet, though I find Natsuki's presence alone has completely changed the tone of the trip.
She's rather quick, especially for her size, I think to myself. My thoughts remind me that it's a good idea not to say that out loud to her. She looks over and I wonder if she can tell what I'm thinking.
"How are you and Sayori doing?" She asks after a moment. Nope, can't tell at all, I think with an inward chuckle.
"Pretty good," I respond. "We've both agreed we'd be best off just keeping things as they've always been, and we're both doing good at that."
"You're not, like, going out and whatever?" She asks, a bit surprised. I shrug.
"Naa," my tone is playful. "That's for, you know, strangers. It's more fun just to hang out with each other, really."
She nods, seemingly understanding that perspective. I wonder about the difference about hers and Yuri's ability to accept these things for a moment, but decide against bringing the subject up.
Natsuki's attention returns to the house we're heading towards, which is now just a few steps away. Stopping at the gate, I take my standard holding position. Natsuki looks at me for a moment.
"You're not going to knock?" She questions, unsure.
"Nope," I shake my head. "I've always just let her set her own pace. I don't like to rush her, or whatever. And it's nice to just stand out here, anyway."
"You guys are weird," Natsuki comments simply, though I notice the touch of affection in her voice. I refrain from responding.
Ten minutes later, we're still in the same spot. While I've maintained my patient stance, I've noticed Natsuki's restlessness for a while now. Finally, she voices her thoughts.
"Is she always this slow?" She asks me, annoyance in her voice. "I have half-a-mind to just knock down the door and tell her to get a move-on."
I sigh, taking a moment to think through my response. "She finds it hard to get going in the mornings," I finally speak. "Because of her feelings. She'll make her way out eventually."
Natsuki looks at me for a second, her expression dropping, before speaking softly. "I didn't realize," she pauses. "I shouldn't have said that. You probably hate me now."
I'm taken a bit off guard, but I shake my head swiftly. "Not at all," I say firmly. "Sayori hides it well. It's not like there's any reason why you should have known or anything."
She looks down in thought, but the sound of a door opening prevents her from responding.
"Morning," Sayori greets with a smile, bounding towards us.
"Morning," I respond. Natsuki just gives a contemplative nod in her direction. The three of us look at each other for a second before I take the lead, starting our way down the road towards the path.
The trip to school goes by uneventfully, all of us engaging in idle chatting. Sayori's attitude appears very chipper throughout, giving me piece of mind as we make our way onto school grounds.
"I guess this is where we split," Natsuki comments, pointing in the opposite direct that we're heading.
"Okay," Sayori responds with a nod. "See you at the club."
Natsuki waves as she walks off. I smile at Sayori.
"You did a really good thing for her last night," I comment to her. She looks at me in surprise.
"What do you mean?" She asks genuinely.
"I know you set the whole thing up," I respond simply. "So she would have a place to say, without me bothering her with questions when she came over."
"Oh," she looks down for a second, though I can tell she's fighting a smile. "She was worried. She doesn't like talking about a lot of things."
"Well, I already know she's much happier now, because of you," I state, and I see her finally let herself smile.
"That makes me happy, too," she responds energetically, and I nod knowingly.
Suddenly, I notice just how empty the hallways have gotten, and look over towards my classroom down the hall.
"We should…" I trail off, though Sayori nods in understanding before heading off in the other direction, both of us waving as we head to class.
I make my way down the hall at lunch purposely today, though the mass of students around me keeps me from hurrying too much. This suits me fine, however, as I go through my plan in my head once more.
Finally turning the corner, I see an open door, just as I expected. I'm careful not to rush my stride as I make my way over.
"Hey Monika," I say casually, causing her to turn towards me. Her surprise disappears quickly as she recognizes me.
"Hey John," she responds in kind, clearly happy to see me.
I look around subtly and see no one in the area.
"You free for lunch today?" I ask casually. Knowing that Natsuki is definitely around to meet me for lunch, I'm feeling a little more hurried than usual. I hold myself back as I wait for Monika's response.
"Sure," she finally says after thinking for a moment.
"No one meeting you today?" I respond curiously, looking around at the lack of company. She shrugs.
"I don't think so," she looks around for a second. "There's only a couple that come by regularly, and I talked to them this morning. Oh, actually…"
She trails off as she hurries into the classroom, grabbing up a pen and piece of paper before quickly scribbling down something. She walks back over, leaving the paper on the desk.
"There," her voice is pleased as she ushers me forward before closing the door. "If they do come, now they'll know where I am."
I nod before we head to the cafeteria.
Having been distracted by Natsuki this morning, I didn't put together a lunch, so I head towards the food area to gather up something. Monika follows as well, apparently not having brought anything, either.
It's a few minutes later when we head to my usual seat, eating our lower-quality cafeteria food slowly as we chat idly.
It's not long before Natsuki walks up behind Monika, a strange expression on her face.
"Hey," she announces hesitantly. Monika turns around and her expression changes to one of confused recognition. "Oh, hi, Monika. I didn't know you had lunch this period."
Monika shrugs, but doesn't respond.
"She tutors people usually," I decide to respond for her. "I just happened to run into her this week, which is apparently a good thing since there aren't all that many people to tutor anymore."
With her own shrug, Natsuki takes her seat next to me. "So, what were you talking about?"
"Nothing, really," I answer honestly, and Monika nods in agreement a moment later.
"Well, are you ready for tonight's cooking lesson?" She asks immediately, her excitement clearly getting the better of her.
"I guess so," I answer with a non-committal tone. "I'm more interested in what you can make out of Sayori's abilities."
"She's not really that bad, is she?" Natsuki asks skeptically. I nod in response. "I thought you were kidding about the 'setting her house on fire' thing."
"Well, it was kind of an exaggeration," I confirm with a shrug. "But she did actually set her oven on fire once while trying to cook. It was a whole thing."
Natsuki and I continue chatting for the rest of lunch with Monika seemingly content to just listen in, which neither of us mind. We're once again interrupted a few times by some of Monika's friends who stop by our table to say hello and make quick chitchat.
With just a few minutes to get to class, I make my way out of the cafeteria with Monika, while Natsuki heads off in the other direction.
"See you after school," Monika says as we head in opposite directions. I wave back to her.
I have a second thought, though, and pause at the corner, glancing at the open door of my next class in consideration. Finally, I turn around, resolved to head back to the cafeteria.
Yuri has lunch this period, I recall, and though I know Sayori does, too, I'm fairly certain they do not spend it together normally. Regardless, I pause at the door for a moment, cautiously peering in to see if I spot either.
It's only a few moments before I spot Yuri, seated near the same area where the three of us had been just a little while previous. On the other hand, I don't see Sayori anywhere.
Deciding to risk it, I head in and make a bee-line for Yuri, keeping calm, but also determined to make my case strongly to her.
I stand in front of her for a second, waiting for her to notice. Finally, she looks up. "Uh…"
Her surprise leads to her looking around nervously. I decide to take it slowly to give her a chance to settle down.
"Mind if I sit?" I ask politely. She looks down, gathering herself, before looking back at me, nodding slightly.
"Okay," she says, equally polite in her tone. She gives me a curious look in spite of herself. "I thought you didn't have lunch this period."
I shrug in response. "I don't, but," I pause, deciding how to continue. "I knew you did, so I thought I'd come have a talk, if that's okay."
"I thought you said enough yesterday," she responds, the cordial nature of her tone disappearing quickly. I sigh.
"I wasn't really thinking things through then," I admit out loud. "I thought that I should give it another try."
"Why?" She asks me, her curiosity on full display.
"Because I think it's important," I respond earnestly. "For you, and for Sayori, that I try and figure this out between us."
"I thought I've made myself clear," Yuri response tersely, looking at me sharply. "What I think about you."
I pause before responding, wanting to consider my thoughts properly this time. "You have, but I think there's room for you to change that, because I know you better than that."
She tilts her head slightly at me for a moment. "Why don't you just say what you came here to say already?"
I shrug this time, letting myself relax a little for a moment. "I already did, I think. It's important, that you understand that we both really feel this way. That there's no tricks."
"And why should I believe you?" She shoots back instantly. I feel like I've been here before as I shrug.
"I don't know," I respond with the same quickness. "If I did, this would be going to much better."
I let my head drop onto the table in my resignation, my forehead banging on it with a notable thunk.
"Hey Yuri!" I feel myself tense up from the voice. The idea that someone would intrude on this conversation was bad enough, but...I hold my breath as I slowly lift my head to look at my best friend. "Johnny?"
I feel my face contort from the faked tone of surprise before I turn to glance at Yuri, her expression one of triumph as she grins. "Hello Sayori," I say carefully.
"Shouldn't you be in class?" She asks me, disappointment clearly the intent from her tone as she shakes her head.
"I guess, but," I pause as I see Sayori subtly jerk her head towards the door. "I need to talk to Yuri," I finally say pointedly.
I see the smile return to Sayori's face as she sits down next to me, wrapping her arms around me playfully. "Alright, but you could have come see me first."
The tone is lightly suggestive as she leans over to plant a kiss on my cheek, her body language defiant, as if she's not supposed to act like this. I glance at her questioningly, but I see her gaze trained on Yuri, who stares back at us in confusion. Instantly, my mind clicks, and I feel my stomach drop.
"You heard us, didn't you?" I ask. Instead of instantly denying it, Sayori looks at me, contrition just barely noticeable through her smile.
"Yeah," her tone remains playful, as if she's trying to reassure me. "I wanted you to go so I could talk to her alone. She'll listen to me."
"You okay?" I ask, searching her face for any sign of a crack. She shrugs.
"It hurts, in here," she says, pointing to her heart unambiguously. "But that just makes me want to do something about it."
A cough comes from the seat on the other side of the table and we both jump, having forgotten that Yuri was there. I grin sheepishly.
"Sorry, I guess I forgot…" I trail off as I recall the situation we're now in. "Well, look what's happen, huh?" I'm unable to hold back all of my anger, though I relax slightly as Sayori puts her hand on mine.
"Yuri, you trust me, don't you?" She asks, her tone almost begging.
"Yes, but…" Yuri tries to respond, but she's cut off.
"No buts, Yuri," there's a sudden fire in Sayori's eyes as she speaks now, and I can't help but stare in awe at her. I'd never seen that look from her before. "I've known Johnny since we were kids. He might trick me about things sometimes, but only when its stupid stuff. Like me being upset about my friends fighting."
There's a look of shame in Yuri's eyes as she glances back. "You're sure you know him…?"
"Better than anyone in my life," Sayori responds instantly. I take my chance to jump in.
"Just give me a chance, okay?" I practically beg, my eyes softening as Yuri's eyes shift to me. "All I need is for you to trust me."
Taking a moment to answer, Yuri finally sighs. "Alright, but only a chance."
"That's all I need," I nod earnestly. "Probably be good if I get out of here, then. Maybe I can sneak into class. Or just go to the study hall."
Yuri shakes her head at me, but doesn't respond as I get up and leave. I look back to see the two of them chatting amicably and I feel a touch of hope that Sayori can fix this. I know that might be asking too much, so I resolve to think through some ideas as I make my way down the hall.
How do I use this chance?
The walk to the club with Natsuki is quiet today. Even so, I notice her more relaxed attitude compared to the past week.
As we enter the clubroom, we all make our way to our usual seats while Yuri stands ready for the day's discussion in front of the chalkboard, the pattern of this week now feeling natural.
"Today, I hope you all brought your poems, as I asked," she looks around the room as each of us nod in response, including Natsuki. "With all we talked about the past week, you should all be able to find ways to improve what you've worked on now."
"Umm," Sayori cuts her off a little worriedly, her hand raised while looking down at the poem she had pulled out. "We're not going to have to talk about it in front of everyone are we?"
Yuri shakes her head, slightly amused, though there's a touch of awkwardness, too. "No, I think our own critique will be more than enough in this case. We're all our own worst critics, after all. Just edit anything you think would make it better, and maybe sometime later you'll be able to use it knowing it's better than it originally was."
With that said, Yuri leaves us to our own devices for the day. Having brought my first poem, I find I'm making a lot of changes that I feel improves it immensely. The process takes a while, although it doesn't feel like it, and just as I decide there's not a lot more to go over, I see Monika walk to the front of the room. Yuri, meanwhile, is now seated at her regular desk.
"I think we all learned a lot this week, Yuri," she says, and when Yuri responds shyly, Monika's quick to continue. "With last week's voting, I think it's probably fair to decide between John and Sayori's ideas for next week. Yuri, Natsuki and I will take part, as the deciding vote would be between the three of us anyway."
The process goes as fast as it did last week, and soon we're all standing around Monika.
"That's one for non-fiction," she says as she pulls out the first ballot. She pauses for a moment before grabbing up a second one. "One for feghoots."
Sayori and I look at each other, both of us clearly enjoying the tension. Finally, Monika pulls out the last one, looking at it for a moment before laying it down.
"Feghoots it is," she says.
"Yay," Sayori exclaims next to me, and I frown at her playfully. "I mean, I want to do your topic, too, but…"
I smile lightly as I give her hand a reassuring squeeze. She looks at me, relieved. As she does, I catch Yuri's conflicted gaze out of the corner of my eye and fight back a frown.
"And we will, next week," Monika says before turning to Sayori. "If you need a hand, I'm here to help, alright?"
Sayori nods with a smile. "Yeah, I've been thinking about it all week, though, and I already got some ideas," she responds confidently.
"You have?" I can't hold my surprise, and she looks at me with a grin. "I can't wait, then."
"Okay everyone," Monika cuts in. "That should be all for today. I look forward to tomorrow as well, Sayori."
It's a few minutes later when we're all ready to go. As we head to the front door, Sayori glances over at Natsuki, who is just finishing putting her things away.
"You coming with us today?" She asks gently. Natsuki looks up sharply but then softens her gaze.
"Yeah, just give me a moment," she says, carefully putting a couple pieces of paper into her bag and throwing it over her shoulder before walking over to us. "Let's go, then."
The walk home today is lively, with Natsuki and Sayori chatting up a storm around me. Every now and then I throw in my own thoughts on whatever they're talking about, but mostly I just listen in, enjoying their banter.
Eventually, we reach Sayori's house.
"I guess this is my stop," she says with a light frown. "I'll head over in a little while, okay?"
"Sure," I respond casually as she gives me a soft hug. "Say hi to your mom for me."
We all wave before Natsuki follows me down the road.
"Alright, ready to have your socks knocked off?" She asks me excitedly. Off my blank stare, she rolls her eyes. "Cooking, remember?"
"Oh, right," I respond, surprised at myself for forgetting. Considering everything that's happened since lunch, I probably shouldn't be… "Maybe we could wait for Sayori?" I suggest as I look up to see my house in the distance. "I think she'd enjoy having something like that to keep her occupied."
"Alright," Natsuki sighs, clearly impatient, but she doesn't argue. "She's so talkative and expressive today. Is she really not doing great?"
"I'm not sure," I shrug, once again thinking back to what happened at lunch today. "She's very good at hiding it, when she is. And it's good to give her something to do, just to put her mind on it for a while instead of other things."
"Other things like what?" She asks, and I sigh. I considering finally bringing up the topic of Yuri to her, but quickly decide against it. Having Sayori involved now probably makes that unnecessary, I tell myself quickly. I decide on something else instead.
"She told her mom about everything on Tuesday, and she's been 'overbearing' since," I say, putting up air quotes with my fingers. "You know how she doesn't like being thought about like that all that much."
"I guess," Natsuki responds uncertainly. I shrug in return.
"Anyway, they're going together on Saturday, so hopefully that helps a little bit," I say. This time the blank stare is directed at me.
"Saturday?" She asks, confused.
"The whole psychologist thing she talked about on Monday, remember?" I try to refresh her memory. It seems to work, as Natsuki nods.
Before she can say anything further, we arrive at my place.
"We can just sit and watch TV for a little bit, then, right?" I ask, hopeful that I've convinced her.
"As long as I get the clicker," Natsuki responds stubbornly. I sigh, but don't object as I open the door and walk inside.
I'm distracted for the most part, my thoughts drifting towards Yuri as we watch the late afternoon anime shows together. Thankfully, Natsuki doesn't seem to notice, too engrossed in the episodes on the TV.
It's a little while later when I hear a knock on the door. I take my time getting up and heading over.
"Good, I was starting to wonder if she was ever going to get here," Natsuki says gruffly, turning the TV off before getting up herself and heading to the kitchen.
I don't worry too much about her as I open the door, happy to see the strong smile on Sayori's face immediately.
"Hey," I greet simply, moving aside quickly to usher her in.
"Hi," she responds simply, before hurriedly taking off her shoes. Looking around, she frowns lightly. "Where's Natsuki?"
"In the kitchen," Natsuki's loud voice booms out.
"Why are you in the kitchen?" Sayori asks curiously, bounding over.
"I'm going to teach you guys how to cook," she responds simply, grinning at Sayori's surprise.
"I'm not sure if you could teach me enough to make me any more than, well," Sayori pauses. "Not good."
"You doubt my abilities?" The responds is prideful, but still kind. "I can teach anyone, trust me."
"It should be fun, at least," I step in quickly, not too concerned, but still wanting to avoid the chance of anything regardless. "No reason not to give it a shot, right?"
Sayori responds with a nod and a smile. "Okay."
As we both walk into the kitchen, I see Natsuki looking around. "Where's the baking flour?"
I frown. "I think I have some, but I'm not sure where," I open a couple cupboards. "A-ha," I announce as I find it behind the third door. "It might be a little old."
Natsuki looks over it quickly, before nodding. "It should be fine. Now, I know you have peanut butter and eggs."
I'm surprised, but I see Sayori's expression shift into recognition.
"We're making cookies, aren't we?" She bounds on her heels excitedly.
"Yup," Natsuki grins in response.
It's a few minutes later before she's grabbed the rest of the ingredients and begins her instructions.
"Now, you need to be careful when picking the amounts, but not too careful," she says. "If you're too careful, they'll just come out bland. It's those slight differences that make them yours, get it?"
Both of us nod obediently before she hands us both a bowl and a list.
It's about 20 minutes later when we're carefully placing our creations into the oven as Natsuki describes how something that simple can make significant changes to the results.
"If you put them too low, you risk burning them," she says as she shifts the trays around for us. "If you put them too high, they'll cook unevenly. Sometimes you just need to trial and error it."
With that done, she sets the timer, before turning to both of us and grinning. "And now for the most important part: the leftovers," she says as she picks up the different batter-covered utensils sitting around us. Neither of us has to be told twice as we all treat ourselves to the remnants of our work.
It's a few checks of the oven, and a number of minutes later when the timer goes off, and Natsuki carefully removes our work, impressed with the results.
"See, I'm a pro at this thing," she smiles at us. "Now you guys are, too. No need to thank me, right?"
Both of us are too enamored with the peanut butter cookies to respond.
"Now for the easy bit," she says as she pulls out a plate and drops the cookies onto them. "Eating!"
We all enjoy this part the most, and it's not long before we're all unable to eat any more.
"I don't think I could have another bite," Sayori moans playfully. I give her a mock-frown.
"Something's wrong," I say with as much concern as I can muster. "Sayori's not hungry. The end of the world is nigh."
Sayori gives me a light whack on the shoulder while giggling. "Meanie."
Looking over, I see Natsuki shoot us a curious expression before struggling to hold in a grin.
"I'm gonna go take a shower," she announces suddenly, and I give her a surprised look as she gets up. "Have fun," she whispers to me as she walks past, and I see her subtle look towards Sayori. I roll my eyes as I realize her intentions, though I still feel a blush rise on my cheek as I look at my best friend. She appears non-the-wiser as she watches Natsuki head upstairs. As she disappears from view, Sayori turns to me with a somber look.
"I think we need to talk," she says slowly. "About Yuri."
I sigh, but nod reluctantly. "Yeah. I guess we need to figure out a way to get through to her, huh?"
"I'm not worried about her," the response is flippant as Sayori shakes her head.
"What?" My response is ripe with surprise. "But she's your friend."
"Exactly," she nods, seemingly without concern. "We'll talk to her until she comes around, because she will. I trust her, just like I need you to trust me."
I give her a look of confusion. "But I d-", she holds a finger up, stopping me.
"The past few weeks have been hard," Sayori pauses as she looks at me with a smile. "But you've helped me through it. All of you have. And I'm better because of it. But what does that matter, if you won't let me be that person? I can handle the pain of my friends fighting, because I can help them, too. But I need to know about it. I need you to trust me enough to tell me."
My smile in response is full of pride. "Okay," I say.
"Yeah?" She responds, holding up her pinkie, which I quickly grasp with my own.
"Promise," I nod as we shake on it.
"Good," Sayori nods as she turns back towards the table, grabbing up another cookie and biting down on it. My eyes narrow.
"I thought you weren't hungry anymore," I deadpan, and she smirks at me once more.
"I lied," she giggles as I playfully try to steal it from her. Somehow managing to dodge my arms, she pops the rest of into her mouth, chewing it triumphantly. Seeing my pout, she swallows the rest before leaning forward, giving me a kiss that takes like peanuts. "Better?" She asks, and I can only manage a dull nod as an answer.
We hear the shower turn off upstairs before Sayori glances over at the clock and frowns.
"I should maybe go home," she says, her mood shifting quickly into disappointment. I see that it's a little past 9:00, and I nod.
"Yeah, probably," I respond, feeling a bit downcast myself. "I'll put some of these into a bin for you and your mom, okay?"
She perks up quite a bit at that. "Yeah, I'd like that. I'll wait until Natsuki gets back so I can say goodbye."
It's a few minutes later when Natsuki and I are both waving as Sayori makes her way down the road to her house. I sigh lightly as I close the door.
"That took a lot out of me," I say, a little surprised.
"You're a lightweight," Natsuki responds in disappointment, her hair still covered by a pink towel. She clearly thinks I'm referencing something else, and I decide to keep it that way.
"Well, you're welcome to stay up as late as you want," I tell her cordially, heading towards the stairs. "I'm going to bed."
I see Natsuki shrug before heading back to the couch as I watch her over my shoulder. I climb up to my room slowly, taking my time getting ready before sliding into bed just before my clock hits 10:00. True to my word, it's not long before I'm asleep.