Enjoy some free time with Yoru and a...special...bonus scene. Beware of suggestive language and poses.

FREE TIME

Before I can make an attempt to head out, I can't help but pick up Toshiya's and Yuyami's conversation. They don't seem to notice me, but I can still hear every word.

"I am…not sure…"

"Come on dude, it'll be fun! I already asked Tomoe and Yoru. It'll be fun!"

Yuyami's enthusiasm is met with more hesitation. "I am unsure how comfortable I will be with such a situation."

The taller boy shrugs. "Hey, it won't hurt to try, ya know? Besides, it will be all guys. No girls allowed!"

"That is not…look, I will need to think about this offer further. I will give you an answer when I am ready."

"If you say so. Just remember to make your answer before 5.00 pm. We're all meeting up in the bathhouse then. See ya!"

Yuyami walks away and after letting out a huge sigh, so does Toshiya.

Huh, so they're planning to do something in the bathhouse then? Might be a good idea to keep that in mind, don't wanna walk…in…

My mind goes a little haywire for a moment. Luckily, I always have a hand to give me a good slap to refocus.

Let's keep that out of my head for now. Now, how shall I spend my free time? Talking wasn't so bad last time. Let's try that. Besides…who knows how long these people will last…

First stop: The Kumachrome Shop. I wander out of the cafeteria and head straight for the neon-lit building. Kumachrome greets me with silence, as usual. I put a coin in the machine and watch as another prize rolls out. I take it and frown.

Manly body deodorant? Great, for once I have a gift that can be used on too many people. I guess I'll just walk around and see whom I meet.

I exit the shop, looking around and thinking about how I can trick Noriko into doing my laundry again. To my surprise, I notice Yoru standing alone in the middle of the field, awkwardly looking around. When, he spots me, he smiles and walks towards me.

"Hey Yurika, how are you?"

"I'm fine, I bet I should be asking you that question."

He just looks at his feet as his smile slowly disappears. "I-it…well…Rea wasn't being very nice. And Mizuki said she wanted to go to her lab again…so, I don't really have anyone to talk to at the moment…"

The way he looks at the ground makes him look like a kicked puppy and it's really hard not to feel bad for him. Should I…try to talk to him?

I do and he immediately cheers up. We spend time chattering away our worries.

Now I should give him a present. Well, might as well try the deodorant.

To my utter surprise, the moment I pull it out, his red eyes sparkle with excitement. "Is that for me? Thank you!"

Huh…okay then.

Yoru's enthusiasm really shines in my conversation with him. By which I mean he does most of the talking.

"I started getting into astronomy when I was five. My parents live quite a bit away from the nearest village, so I didn't have as much hindrance from light pollution as other places. That's why the skies were always so bright and cheerful. A little bit like now."

For some reason, that little tidbit is interesting. "Wait, does that mean you can tell how far we are from the nearest city?"

His smile transforms into a pout, his white hair bouncing as he crosses his arms. "I didn't say that." But then, his pose relaxes as he looks up to the sky as far as he can without blinding himself from the sun. "Although…the night sky here is clearer than when I lived in the city. Not that surprising, the facility is pretty far from the nearest place."

That's interesting…although, come to think of it, I could have figured that out myself.

I nod. "Makes sense. The people in the city probably don't want to be bothered by us. Not to mention, if this place was near even the smallest town, people would have caught on what is going on here. So wherever we are, we're too far from society to get help."

But Yoru cocks his head. "You don't know where the facility is?"

I realize my fuck-up a second too late. Fuck! Can't let him know about my amnesia! "Oh, well, I pretty much slept through the ride and I didn't pay much attention when they told me. Haha, stupid, huh?"

My hasty explanation feels a bit forced, so I really do hope Yoru doesn't catch on. He still eyes my curiously, so I try to divert his attention by changing the topic.

"Wait, you first said you lived near a village, but then you said you lived in the city. Did you move or…"

It seems to work. "Yup, I moved to Kyoto about a year ago. My mom got a better job, so we all moved so she wouldn't have to travel two hours to get to work."

I wince. "Ouch, you pretty much left your friends behind like that. That must have been tough."

For a moment, I expect him to nod and reminisced about his former life. But to my surprise, he just shrugs. "Yeah, it was a lot of change. It came out of nowhere too. My mom just walked in the living room one day and said we were moving. I first thought I was dreaming. But she was very serious. Two days later, we're in Kyoto. It was weird for the first few days, but I adjusted pretty well. I just miss the bright sky we used to have. Kyoto has too much light pollution."

His answer is just a bit too casual for my taste. It's almost as if he doesn't really care that he had to leave his hometown behind.

"Do you miss your old home?" I decide to ask him. He looks away.

"…Sometimes. Like I said, I miss the sky. I couldn't continue astronomy while in the city. I just couldn't get a clear sight. On the other hand…"

A smile curls around his lips. But it is only for a moment, before it fades away again. "No, never mind. You probably don't want to hear all of that. I just gotta focus on the future."

I want to say something. Anything. But he flashes a smile as bright as it is fake at me. "Besides, aside from the 'game', I don't think this is too bad. I can make a whole lot of friends here. I just hope everyone survives…because I want to go out and have fun with everyone."

And I cannot argue with that.

Yoru is surprisingly more mysterious than I thought. He is definitely holding something back. I wonder what it could be. Aside from that, I think I learnt more about Yoru today.

We part ways soon after as I retreat back into my room. I take out my E-Book and read the new entry.

"Yoru lived away from a village and thus had access to a bright sky since the age of five, where he picked up his love for astronomy. However, he moved to Kyoto about a year ago. Despite that, he seems okay with it, despite the fact he can't enjoy a beautiful sky anymore."

After putting away my E-Book, I notice it's already around five.

Tsk, I doubt there is much time to ask anyone to spend time with. After all, it'll be dinnertime soon. Maybe I should go to the library, or boot up the computer, or—

My train of thought is suddenly cut off when I remember another conversation from earlier that day. One I was never supposed to hear.

That's right, Yuyami's hosting a guy-only event in the bathhouse. Does that mean…are they planning…

I'm honestly wondering why I'm still wearing my jacket when it's so hot in the room. Although, it could also be from the…curious…thoughts that are going through my head right now…

Realizing what I'm thinking about, I slap both of my cheeks. No, I can't start thinking like that. It's rude and nasty. But…I'm honestly a bit curious too. Shouldn't I at least be checking if Yuyami's plan isn't a murder attempt in disguise? Or is that just my sorry excuse to be a pervert?

My indecision burns in my body, tearing me in half. I shouldn't be thinking of it, but I want to. It's rude, but is only a small check-in okay? Can I get away with just listening in, or should I go to bed and sleep off these thoughts like I usually do?

And strangely enough, help comes from the most unexpected places. Because for some reason, a strange force compels me to take out the small plastic pink bean that has been sitting in my pocket for a while now.

Huh? The Queen Bean? Why did I keep this? Is it—?

It calls out to me.

It tells me.

It urges me.

It needs me to go.

I need to go.

"I…NEED TO GO!"

-Some time later—

I'm standing in front of the entrance to the bathhouse. I hope no one saw me. I pray Rea didn't saw me.

With my ear to the door, I listen for any sounds in the dressing room. Nothing. They must be inside already.

Carefully, just in case someone is still in there, I gently open the door and peak inside. There are heaps of clothes on the benches.

Looks like my hunch was correct.

For just a moment, I stand still to realize what I'm doing. This isn't right. This is bad. I still have time to get out of here and pretend nothing happened.

And for a second, I actually believe myself.

"H-HEY, WHERE ARE YOU TOUCHING!?"

"Come dude, relax. Don't be so on edge."

…Oh who am I kidding?

The door to the bathhouse itself may be closed, but its thin enough to hear everything. I gently sneak into the dressing room and press my ear against the door.

"Gentle! Gentle! Isamu, Tomoe, help!"

"Haha, got you there, Toshiya!"

"God, Yuyami, and here I thought you couldn't get even more childish."

"Oh come on, Isamu. Don't be such a party pooper. Join in!"

"The entire reason I'm here is because you told me the bathhouse would be empty now!"

"But we can't this with only three people! Tell him Tomoe!"

"…I could take the both of you on at the same time."

"Tsk, bragger."

"I yield Yuyami, I yield! Stop spraying me!"

"Jeez, you're no fun. All right, it's two versus one now! Isamu, grab yours! We'll take him down together."

"OH FOR FUCKS SAKE! YOU KNOW WHAT YOU CAN DO? YOU CAN STICK THAT THING UP YOUR FUCKING ASS!"

…

…

…Just a peak.

I silently open the door to a gap. My heart is beating fast, but my hand is as still as a mouse. And even if I made a bit of noise, Isamu and Yuyami are arguing so loud, any noise would be drowned out. I count to three in my mind…and look through the gap.

Toshiya is lying defeated on the floor, his slim body pretty much curled up at this point. His hair is wet and a huge mess. Tomoe is shaking his head at the arguing before him. If I thought he was ripped before, now I know even better. Defined muscles show his pure strength; with the abs of a bodybuilder and shoulders so broad I could sit on them. Isamu and Yuyami are arguing in front of him, the former holding onto the towel covering his privates, while the latter is holding…a watergun.

"Goddammit Yuyami, this is a bathhouse, not a playground! Take your stupid waterfight for another time!"

"Dude, waterfights are fun! It's not my fault neither Yoru or Shinri wanted to come and Masato is too unstable to be let near water!"

"Then why me? Why not trick Yoru or Shinri if you're clearly not bothered by tricking someone?"

"…Because tricking a sick guy and a naïve kid is low."

"…Alright, but even then—"

"Yoru…is not…a kid…"

"Well, he looks like one. Aw! Tomoe! What was that for!?"

"You're being an asshole again. Cut it out."

"Oh come on, I go through all the trouble—"

"Hey, watch where you-!"

BANG!

Yuyami loses his footing and slips on the wet floor. He looks surprised as he tries to grab onto Isamu's torso to keep him upright. Unfortunately, he fails to realize Isamu isn't that strong. He wobbles for a moment, but then the full weight of Yuyami's body sends them both crashing to the ground. Tomoe groans in annoyance as he watches them in a tangled heap on the floor. Yuyami slowly rises up, giving a few casual apologies.

Holy shit.

They are definitely positioned like in a yaoi manga. Yuyami is on top of Isamu, one hand near his head and a knee on the ground between his legs. Isamu tries to rise, but Yuyami's heavier body is in the way, so he just verbally chews him out, not realizing how the way they look is…suggestive. They're both even blushing, although for completely different reasons than you'd find in an erotica book. It's a blush more akin to how some people go red in the face when they're angry, or just embarrassed over falling over like that.

Isamu finally manages to push Yuyami far enough to start getting up.

"You know what? Fuck you and fuck off. I'm out of here."

Taking one last moment to admire Yuyami's athletic build and lustrous abs and comparing it to Isamu's skinny physique, I close the door and quickly but silently head out to avoid Isamu's wrath. I quickly head for the staircase and then for the cafeteria, where I try to catch as casual as usual. Despite my terrible blush, nobody in there seems to notice anything out of place. It helps Rea isn't here and Homura and Ekorin are busy cooking.

Wow…that was…something.

My heart is still racing and my mind is cluttered with dirty thoughts. However, I can think straight enough to take out the Queen Bean from my pocket. I take a long look at it, before I dunk it in the trashcan.

Let's forget that ever happened.

Random pervy fanservice scene that adds nothing to the plot? Check!

I apologize for Yoru's short FTE. I'll try to make it a bit longer next time. Up next, Rea's FTE's! Unless I get enough other suggestions...