"It's nice getting to walk to school together from home," Yusuke told Ema quietly as they arrived at school the first Monday after she'd moved back. "I mean, it was nice picking you up from your apartment too, but—"
"No, I agree with you," Ema said. "It's nice having breakfast and getting ready together before coming to school. I'm glad you don't mind that I've moved back in."
"Of course not!" Yusuke said, "I—"
But whatever he planned to say next was interrupted by a small girl with dyed blond hair throwing herself at Yusuke, knocking Ema back in the process.
"I thought it was you, Sempai!" the girl squealed. "I'm so excited we're going to the same school again!"
"Oh, hey, Akane," Yusuke said, patting the girl's shoulder before pushing her back. "I didn't realize you were attending school here." He turned to Ema. "Ema, this is Akane. She went to my junior high and is two years younger than us. Akane, this is Ema my . . . childhood friend."
"It's nice to meet you," Ema said, giving a little bow. It was hard to imagine anyone—let alone a girl two years younger than Yusuke—being comfortable enough with him to throw themselves at him. He was so surly with everyone. How had these two become friends?
"A childhood friend?" Akane asked, her lip curling as she looked Ema up and down. Ema felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. This wasn't going to be another situation like with Hinata from Ukyo's work, was it? "She didn't go to our junior high."
"Nah, she was living out of the country with her dad," Yusuke said. Then, blushing, added, "B-but she still lives with her dad, of course. They came back to Japan together. Obviously."
"Huh," Akane said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, I want to eat lunch with you. Like we did back in junior high. Remember?" She stressed the last word, as though to prove she'd been with Yusuke while Ema hadn't been around.
"Sure, whatever," Yusuke said, seeming unconcerned. "You can do whatever you want."
"Great!" Akane said, clapping her hands together. "I'm so excited!"
Ema wondered if it was her imagination or if Akane shot her a triumphant look.
~.~
Ema went to their normal table for lunch to find Akane there alone. Akane held out her arm as though to block Ema. "Oh, Yusuke and I want to sit alone so we can catch up. It's been a long time since we've talked, you know? You can join us some other time."
"Did Yusuke say that?" Ema asked. "He didn't mention anything." And she was pretty sure Yusuke would have told her if he didn't want her to join him for lunch. They always ate lunch together.
"Oh, he and I talked about it a few minutes ago when he showed me where your table is."
"Okay," Ema said slowly. Maybe after talking with Akane, Yusuke had agreed it would be nice to eat with just her. "Well, here's his lunch." Ema put down his lunchbox.
Akane's jaw dropped with jealousy before she snapped it shut. "Why do you have his lunch?"
"Because I made it for him," she said, the answer seeming obvious. Akane's eyes burned with rage at the bento box, as though she could melt it through sheer will power. "It's to repay a favor," she half-lied. She originally made lunch for Yusuke to thank him for showing her around school, then she kept doing it to earn his acceptance through her cooking. Now she did it because they were friends.
"Well, if Yusuke wants to sit with his old friend, I'm sure he'd be happy to share her lunch," Fuuto said, suddenly appearing and swiping Yusuke's bento off the table. "Come on Ema, let's find somewhere less crowded to eat." He slipped his arm through hers, ignoring Akane's shocked look as she stared after the idol.
~.~
"Hey, where's Ema?" Yusuke asked when he arrived at Akane's table, looking around for her.
"I told her that we wanted to catch up," Akane pouted. "And Fuuto Asakaura stole your lunch. Did you know that he goes here? Here." She slid her lunch to the side and smiled up at Yusuke. "You can share my lunch."
For a moment, he had too many things running through his mind to say anything. He'd wanted to eat with Ema—he didn't technically need to catch up with her since they'd seen each other the entire time they hadn't lived together, but he wanted to catch up anyway. She'd only been living with them again for two days. And what right did Fuuto have to come along and take his lunch?
"Why did you do that? Why did you tell Ema we wanted to catch up alone?"
"Don't you want to catch up with me?" Akane pouted, pushing out her lower lip and widening her eyes.
"That's fine, but what does that have to do with Ema? You could do it just fine with her here. And why did Fuuto take my lunch?"
"He said that we could share my lunch since we're old friends," she said. "Unless you think my food's not good enough for you." Her eyes brightened. "Hey! I have a great idea! Tell your friend she doesn't need to make lunch for you anymore, okay? I'll make your lunch for you!"
Akane couldn't believe that some girl from Yusuke's past thought she could sneak in and steal him. Akane was the only girl Yusuke had ever eaten with. Or, at least during his third year of middle school she was. It was fate that they'd met up again like this. She wouldn't let some girl come between them. Whatever slop that girl had made for Yusuke, Akane would make something twice as good.
~.~
"Mm, man this is delicious," Fuuto said as he ate Yusuke's bento. "I can't believe that idiot gets to eat your homemade lunches every day at school. I really missed your cooking when you weren't around, you know? You always made sure there was something for me when you lived with us, but my stingy brothers never saved any of your cooking for me. Thank goodness you're back."
"I'm glad you missed my cooking," Ema said, trying not to be bothered by Akane's attitude. Ema and Yusuke were good friends now. So a jealous girl wouldn't get in the middle of that, right?
Fuuto sighed. "You're not bothered by that stupid girl, are you? Obviously Yusuke never said he didn't want to have lunch with you. She was totally lying."
"You think so?" Ema asked, surprised. It did seem out of character for Yuuske—but so did letting a little blond girl plaster herself all over him. Maybe they had a close relationship that Ema didn't understand.
"Please." Fuuto rolled his eyes. "Yusuke would probably pay to eat lunch with you every day."
"Why do you say that?"
Fuuto stared at her. "You're lucky you're cute, you know that?"
"Really?" she said, giving him a deadpan stare. "You're insulting my intelligence? I thought we were past that."
"I don't mean much by it," Fuuto defended. "In some ways, you're really smart—you're grades prove that—but there are some social things where you're just a bit off."
Ema blushed and stared down at her bento. "Well, that's what happens when you're dragged around various countries as a preteen and teen, climbing mountains and fording rivers. You don't get a lot of social interaction and end up stunted."
"That's not—" Fuuto stopped himself from telling her that wasn't what he meant. She wouldn't get it unless he spelled it out for her, which he didn't feel like doing. Besides, he suspected her epic obliviousness when it came to romance stemmed from trauma with the boy she hadn't told him about and he didn't want to drag up old wounds. So instead he said, "Look, I like you just the way you are, okay? And I'm telling you to trust me on this. That girl was lying."
"Okay," Ema said. "I'll believe you." Though if the girl was lying, that didn't really give Ema much confidence that the girl wouldn't try to ruin Ema's relationship with Yusuke.
~.~
"Hey, I'm sorry about today," Yusuke said as he and Ema walked home. "About lunch, I mean. I didn't give Akane permission to tell you that I didn't want to eat lunch with you. She can be really pushy about what she wants. It's how we became friends, I guess."
"Oh, that's okay," Ema said. "I'm sure she missed you a lot and just wanted a chance to catch up."
"Right," Yusuke agreed, scratching the back of his neck and staring at the ground. "Along those lines—you don't need to make me lunch for a little while. Akane said she wants to."
"Oh." Ema felt a flare of panic. "You don't like my lunches?"
"Whoa, no, that's not what I'm saying at all!" Yusuke said, his hands flailing. "I love your lunches, seriously! I could eat your cooking for every meal for the rest of my life!" He felt his face flame red all the way to the roots of his hair. He was such an idiot sometimes. He was trying to get across that he loved her cooking, not give her a roundabout proposal. "I think Akane is worried about us still being friends, so just wants to do some things for me, that's all."
Ema tried to tell herself that she didn't need to worry about not cooking for Yusuke. She'd originally thought she needed to in order to win Yusuke's acceptance, but at the end of summer, he'd confessed that he'd always cared about her, so it wasn't something she'd needed to do. Their friendship would be fine without it.
Well, it was more accurate to say whether she was making bentos for Yusuke or not wouldn't affect their friendship. But other things might. She hoped that wouldn't be the case.
~.~
Ema still made two bentos the next day morning and Yusuke stood by awkwardly watching. "Um, not that I don't appreciate it, but you remember our conversation yesterday, right?" he asked carefully.
Ema stared at him blankly. Then Fuuto appeared. "The second bento isn't for you, you idiot, it's for me." He sauntered up to Ema, bending down to brush a kiss on her cheek. "Thanks, babe, I really appreciate it."
He turned to smirk at Yusuke as his older brother gawked at him. "I would never eat swill made by some freshman when I could have Ema's first rate cooking, but that's just me. She kindly offered to make my lunch since she won't be making yours anymore."
Yusuke felt his heart breaking at Fuuto's words. Was this punishment for something? For not eating lunch with Ema yesterday? Maybe the universe felt he didn't deserve someone as amazing as her if he wasn't willing to dedicate himself to her whole-heartedly. But just because Ema was making lunch for Fuuto didn't mean those two were growing closer or anything—right?
~.~
"Why don't we eat somewhere else today?" Fuuto asked Ema as she stared at the table where Akane sat. She'd glared at Ema a moment ago, making it clear that Ema wasn't welcome. "I like a quieter atmosphere anyway."
"Okay," Ema said quietly. Today they sat with Imai and Sasakura, who both bombarded Fuuto with questions about being an idol. He put up with it well, though she could tell he'd have preferred it if it were just the two of them. She felt bad, but she'd wanted to affirm that Yusuke wasn't her only friend at school. It wasn't like she'd be left in the dust at school if he decided he'd rather spend his time with Akane. And they could still spend time together at home.
~.~
"Hey, so, would you be okay walking home alone today?" Yusuke asked Ema later that week. "Akane wants to go to an arcade with me."
For a moment, Ema was floored, but she told herself she had no reason to be hurt. Yusuke was allowed to have other friends. That was fine. He watched her closely, like he was concerned she wouldn't be okay going home alone. She appreciated how concerned he'd been with her despair over being alone when she moved back in with her dad, but she didn't want him not doing something he wanted to do just because he was concerned for her.
"Yeah, that's fine. Just make sure you still get all your homework done, okay? Or else Ukyo will get mad."
"Right," Yusuke said, a crushing feeling entering his chest. He'd hoped Ema would wait until he got home to do homework so they could still do it together, but it sounded like she didn't plan to. Not that he had a right to expect that. She needed to help with dinner. Obviously she couldn't just wait around for him. "I'll see you later, okay?"
"Yeah, see you," Ema said, waving before walking away.
~.~
"I hope you're not missing Yusuke too much," Akane said, sidling up to Ema at school the next week. "We've just missed each other a lot. I mean, I know that you two were childhood friends and all, but that stuff's just in the past, you know?"
"Is that what Yusuke said?" Ema asked, her mind flashing to her and Yusuke's conversation that last night at the beach house, then flashing to Fuuto promising that Akane was lying. But, even if she was, why would Yusuke be friends with a girl like this? And choose spending time with her over Ema?
Akane hesitated just a moment before flipping her hair behind her shoulder and saying, "Yeah. He said that being childhood friends is kind of a burden sometimes. You know, like feeling like your obligated and such."
Ema didn't say anything more before heading back to class, but when Yusuke waved at her as she walked into class, she ignored him.
~.~
Fuuto invited Ema to eat lunch on the roof. She was relieved to be able to get away from everyone else until she arrived and saw Akane and Yusuke there too.
"What's going on?" Ema asked.
"That's what I would like to know," Yusuke said. "Why did you call us all up here, Fuuto?"
"To get something cleared up," Fuuto said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I really don't care what you do or how you screw up your life, but you're hurting Ema. And that I won't just stand back and watch." He'd been happy at first. Yusuke was possibly the Asahina brother Ema was closest too—he figured it was either Tsubaki or Yusuke—so Yusuke blindly knocking himself out of the running for Ema's affections was just perfect. But Fuuto couldn't stand Ema being depressed. Especially not over an idiot like Yusuke.
"What are you talking about, Fuuto?" Yusuke demanded, throwing Ema a panicked look. She looked just as panicked.
"Fuuto, you don't have to—" she began.
"No, actually, I do," he told her.
Akane rolled her eyes. "Ugh, is the about me and Yusuke? Our relationship isn't any of your business."
"No, this isn't about that," Fuuto said, crossing his arms and staring down at her like she was a bug. "This about you going behind Yusuke's back and telling Ema lies about Yusuke not wanting her around."
All the blood drained from Yusuke's face. He spun around to face Akane. "You did that?"
"I—" she glared at Fuuto. "Maybe, a little, but, like, Ema wouldn't back off. She was with you all the time. I couldn't get close to you! I just wanted to be close to you like when we were in junior high."
"No," Yusuke said, his voice hard. "I'm done. Hurting Ema is unacceptable."
"But I was your friend when she was gone!" Akane cried, putting a hand to her chest. "Doesn't that mean anything?"
"No," Yusuke said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Ema has been my best friend since we were kids—her leaving the country for a few years didn't change that. There's no relationship more important to me than mine with hers. I won't have anything to do with anyone who would even think about hurting Ema."
Then he turned his back on Akane to face Ema and bowed. "I'm so, so sorry. I had no idea she was doing anything like that. I'm an idiot. And an even bigger idiot because Fuuto noticed something was going on and I didn't." He rose from his bow, his eyes full of regret and sincerity. "Will you forgive me?"
"This is the part where you leave," Fuuto stage-whispered to Akane. "Most people at least have the social awareness to understand when they're not wanted."
Akane's face turned red as she clenched her fists. She gave Ema one last glare before spinning on her heel and stalking away.
"A-are you sure you want to end that friendship?" Ema asked, surprised by Yusuke's frank apology. When he said her relationship with him was the most important to him, he meant outside his family right? She hadn't realized he considered her his best friend, but it made her happy. So long as he wasn't doing this just because he was worried about her loneliness.
"Yes," Yusuke said, his gaze steady. "Completely sure."
"You can still keep old friends and be friends with me," she said.
"I don't want any friend who would hurt you," he said, raising his voice. "I don't care if you're my only friend." He felt his face heat up. "I mean—I'm just focusing on what's important to me, that's all. I don't want to make another stupid mistake with you like I did when we were kids."
Ema felt bad Yusuke had just lost an old friend, but couldn't deny she was happy over Yusuke so clearly choosing her.
"So . . ." Yusuke began, peering fearfully into Ema's eyes, "do you forgive me? I'm really, really sorry I wasn't paying enough attention to notice what Akane was doing and that you were upset. I swear it won't happen again."
"Yes, of course," Ema said. "I've missed you."
Yusuke's shoulders relaxed as he blew out a breath. "Thank goodness," he murmured, then he blushed as he gave Ema a side-eyed glance. "Um, if you wouldn't mind . . . I've really missed your lunches . . . I'd appreciate it if you made them for me again. If you'd be okay with that."
He felt like such an idiot. How could he have hurt Ema? Even unintentionally, how could he have let that happen? And now here he was like an idiot, begging her to let him eat her lunches again. His school life had been perfect and, like Fuuto said, he'd been screwing things up.
"Sure," Ema agreed. "I can make lunch for all three of us."
Yusuke felt his stomach sink. But he had no one to blame for Ema making Fuuto lunch except himself. It never would have happened if he hadn't been such an idiot.
"Hey, Ema?" Fuuto broke in. "Can I talk to you after school? Let this idiot walk home alone and I'll give you a ride back after we talk."
"Sure," Ema agreed, ignoring Yusuke's sputtering as she wondered what Fuuto wanted that he couldn't tell her now.
~.~
Fuuto worked to unclench his jaw as he waited for Ema in the library after school. He couldn't believe how cool Yusuke had been. Well, he'd been an idiot because he was Yusuke, but it was a little cool how easily he'd blown off that girl in favor of Ema. And he'd probably gained points for saying that his relationship with Ema was the most important one to him.
Not that the whole debacle should have happened in the first place. But after Fuuto intervened—because Yusuke was too stupid to notice Ema's pain—Yusuke had handled the situation well. Not that Fuuto would let Yusuke take Ema. And he'd make that clear to him tonight.
"Hey, Fuuto," Ema said as she appeared, keeping her voice down. "What did you need?"
He decided the best thing was to put her off guard. Yusuke had been sweet today, so Fuuto would accentuate his charms that went in the opposite direction—being direct and alluring.
"Are you ready to date yet?"
"What?" she asked, blinking at him. "Why would you ask that?"
"Isn't it obvious?" He stepped closer and she unconsciously backed up into a book shelf. "And isn't it obvious why I would come to this dump of a school rather than the school for idols I was attending?"
He stopped a few inches away, running his finger up her neck and tilting her chin toward him. "I came here for you. I'm waiting for you to be ready to date, but I warn you that I already told you—I don't believe a guy should dilly dally over what he wants. He should go after it with everything he has." He lowered his face until his breath blew across Ema's lips. He remembered what it felt like to have her soft lips against his and hoped she was remembering the same thing.
He smiled slowly as he added, "I hope you're preparing yourself because once you're ready to day, no other guy will stand a chance against me."
~.~
That night, Fuuto waited for Yusuke inside Yusuke's room.
Yusuke jumped when he opened the door, then glared. "What are you doing inside my room, you punk?"
Fuuto smiled. "Making a declaration, big brother. I may have helped you out today, but that was for Ema's sake, not yours. Make no mistake, idiot, she will be mine."
"Wh-what?" Yusuke asked, his mouth gaping.
"You asked me before if I was interested in Ema, remember? The answer, clearly, is yes. And today you proved that you're not good enough for her. As though that wasn't already obvious. Anyway, I just came to warn you to back off. She's mine."
"Like hell she is," Yusuke said, gripping the back of Fuuto's shirt as he tried to leave. "You don't get to decide that on your own. That's up to Ema."
"Sure it is," Fuuto said, smirking. "And you really think she'd choose an idiot like you?"
"You really think she'd want to be with an arrogant jerk like you?" he shot back.
Fuuto shrugged out of his hold. "One of us is a national popstar with looks and charm and one of us chose to hang out with a stupid, lying freshman over the supposed girl of his dreams. Which one would you choose?" He smirked. "Good night, big brother."
