AN: Hello, everyone! I am back to writing about Angel Beats with the promised sequel to Changing Fate, picking up the story from right where we left off! If you've stumbled across this story and haven't read my previous one, I advise that you do so before you start reading this one, as otherwise, a lot of things will not make much sense – as you might expect, what with this being a sequel story and all.

I have been itching to start writing this sequel for a while now, and, having finally finished one of my long-running stories, I now have the chance. I've developed and grown as a writer immensely since the early days of my previous story, and I can't wait to put my new skills to use in writing about Yuzuru and Yuri again!

That being said, this story won't be high on my priority list, so updates will be on the slower side, but you can probably expect a chapter at least once a month. I won't make any promises on that, though, but I'll be trying my best.

Now, without further ado, let's get this sequel started!

Chapter 1 – New Fates, New Plans

Fate

Many dismiss it as nothing but a silly supernatural belief, or a clever plot device in a movie or game, but nothing that should be taken seriously. Others believe in it in varying degrees, some seeing it as an invisible force that guides our actions, but which we can influence, while the most extreme predeterminists believe all past, present and future events to have already been decided, and that we cannot affect them. The majority of people, though, do not believe in fate, and there is no reliable way to prove that something like it exists.

I, however, know that fate exists, and affects our lives. It pulls us together, and makes us drift apart. It is an invisible hand that nudges us forwards, but doesn't have the strength to push us along by itself. Fate is what led me to meet others who were like me, led me to meet her, as our unique, shared experiences linked us all together. But, just because fate guides us on our way, we shouldn't always blindly follow it. For our fates are not predetermined, and we can change them, as well as the fates of those around us, through our own actions – or our inaction. I am proof of this.

The events that transpired in my previous life, and the ones that happened while I was dead, before my reincarnation into my current life, intertwined my fate with the fate of a certain girl. But, through the actions of another, those threads were unravelled, and all three of our fates were changed. We are all still connected to one another, our fates almost irreversibly bound together due to what happened in the Afterlife, but the very nature of those connections has been forever changed. Fate intended one thing, but circumstances lead to another, and a new path has been carved.

There are still many mysteries that are unsolved, and questions that plague my mind. I do not know if our fates could change again in the future, what the truth behind the Afterlife and reincarnation is, or whether there is a higher being that oversees it all, but one thing is for certain.

Fate exists, and we are its masters.

It guides us along our paths, but ultimately, we ourselves shape our fates.

We all build our own futures, our own stories.

And the story I'm writing for myself, together with the person I love the most in this world…

...is just beginning.

"Aaahhh… I'm so happy for you, Onii-chan! Though, I am disappointed that it took you two this long… So, when is the wedding?"

"Don't jump too far ahead, Hatsune. We've… only just begun… dating."

"Y-yeah, Yuzuru's right. And there are some other things we need to focus on as well, like me getting back the rest of my memories..."

"Awww… Don't be a spoil sport, you two! You have to start planning everything early, you know? Ah, but I guess you two should wait until I can walk again, otherwise I might not be able to attend the ceremony. There's no way that I'd miss my Onii-chan's big day!"

I let out a sigh and rubbed my temple, stifling the blush that was creeping to my cheeks as I did so. Marriage… Hatsune is really skipping ahead quite a few steps, there…And we do need to work on getting Yuri to remember everything as well, like she said. I glanced around Hatsune's hospital room while she kept prattling on about how she envisioned mine and Yuri's wedding would be like from her perspective. After spending almost two hours at La Soleil with Kanade, Yuri and I had gone straight to the hospital to tell Hatsune about… well, us, but I hadn't seen any sign of doctor Mikado yet. If we can plan that second meeting with the SSS members, we might make some progress in recovering Yuri's memories, and Mikado-sensei could satisfy her curiosity regarding our "uniqueness" at the same time.

"...Have you seen Mikado-sensei today yet, Hatsune?" I asked from my sister once she paused for a moment, and received a raised eyebrow in return.

"Hm? She was here this morning to do her check-up, but left me alone after that. She said that tomorrow they'd run some tests, or do an x-ray or something, since it will have been a week since the accident… Why do you ask?" Hatsune asked, and Yuri looked at me curiously as well.

"Oh, well, we were planning on having another meeting with Hinata, Yui and Iwasawa, which would hopefully help Yuri with regaining her memories. Mikado-sensei told me that she was quite interested in what we had to say, so I was thinking of inviting her along – if she can spare the time, that is." I replied to my sister, then looked towards Yuri.

"Hmm… I guess we do owe Hinata and Yui another meeting. I'm sure they'll be ecstatic to hear that you and Kanade have regained your memories, but… I'm still not sure how I'm supposed to get mine back. I mean, when we first met up with them, I didn't remember anything, and I'm not sure what I could do to rouse my memory..." Yuri leaned back in her chair, looking disheartened, and I smiled compassionately at her as I placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure we'll be able to figure out something together. I think Hinata will be a big help, he was with you in the Afterlife right from the beginning, and knew you the longest, after all. And, who knows. Maybe Mikado-sensei will be able to help as well with an outsider's perspective." Yuri kept her gaze glued to mine as I spoke, then narrowed her eyes as I finished.

"You're talking about Mikado-sensei an awful lot… Should I be worried? I have seen the way you ogle at her, Yuzuru..." Yuri's eyes seemed to narrow even further as she scrutinized me. A-ah, well… With the way she dresses… it draws attention, you know? It's not my fault!

"N-no, it's nothing like that, Yuri. I've got you, now. I wouldn't dare to look at other girls like that." I waved my hands in front of my chest defensively, while the two girls in the room with me stared back at me with narrowed eyes.

"Hmmm… You promise that? Even with someone like Mikado-sensei?"

"Of course. As I said, you're the only one for me, Yuri. We… did already promise something along those lines this morning, right?" My eyes briefly flicked downwards, to Yuri's legs. Right now, they were covered by her trousers, but having seen them multiple times already, I could clearly picture her bare legs in my mind. Yuri seriously has some great legs… Wait, no, I shouldn't be thinking about this right now! I saw a slight tinge of red appearing on Yuri's cheeks as she noticed my gaze, moving her legs closer together.

"W-well, yes, we did." Yuri replied and averted her gaze, then suddenly sprang to her feet and leaned close to me, looking me straight in the eyes as our faces almost touched. "Just know that punishment will await you if your eyes stray too far from me~!" Yuri smiled mischievously as she poked my cheek with her index finger. I wonder what kind of punishment she is talking about… Here's hoping it isn't anything like the punishments she would dish out to us in the Afterlife… Suddenly a knock at the door interrupted us, and shortly afterwards, it was opened as a familiar face walked inside.

"Oh, I see that you have visitors. Good day, Otonashi-kun, Nakamura-san." Doctor Mikado greeted us as she entered. "I'll assume that since you're here, you've taken my advice about not resuming going to school quite yet?" Mikado asked from me as she walked up to us.

"Yes, I was planning on returning tomorrow, since there doesn't seem to be any lasting effects from the concussion." I replied, and Mikado gave me a nod accompanied by a smile in return. "It's… fortunate that you happened to come by here now, as..." I glanced at Yuri, meeting her eyes with my own, and she smiled at me before turning to Mikado.

"We were going to see about planning another meeting with the others we know are… like us." Yuri said to her. "You were curious about the whole deal with our memories, so we could try setting it up so you could come with us. I'm sure the others wouldn't mind." I nodded along with Yuri.

"Well, I'll be glad to take that offer. I was looking forward to having coffee with just Otonashi-kun and I, but if there are more people like you… This will be a great opportunity for some studying on the subject." Yuri looked at me with a raised eyebrow as she heard Mikado's response, and I shook my head at her to convey that she didn't need to worry about it. We should probably tell Mikado-sensei about our relationship, though. Yuri probably wouldn't be happy if she started… flirting with me… I-I mean, she was open to the idea, in her own words, and I wouldn't put it past her to do so in a non-work environment. "Once I'm done with your sister here, I'll check my schedule so we can arrange something, alright?" Yuri and I shared a look, then nodded to Mikado.

"Alright, I'll go give a call to Hinata, then. We'll be waiting outside." I pointed towards the door, and Mikado nodded to me. Leaving Mikado alone with Hatsune, Yuri and I exited out to the hallway, and as Yuri closed the door behind her, I pulled out my phone. "Right, let's see… Hopefully Hinata and Yui won't have to return home quite yet." I said as I dialled Hinata's number and brought the phone up to my ear.

"I'll give Iwasawa a call once we know what Mikado-sensei's schedule is. And Kanade too, as well." I nodded to Yuri in reply, and just a moment after that, the call connected.

"Otonashi-kun! What's up? We haven't talked much since last week." Hinata's energetic voice reached my ears, and I could even hear something in the background that I assumed to be Yui. The two of them managed to find each other in this life, and fulfil their promise in the Afterlife… Well, I guess Hinata's promise of marriage has yet to be fulfilled, but I don't think that will take too long.

"Hey, Hinata. I called to ask if you two were still around, and when you're planning on returning home." I asked from Hinata, leaning against the wall next to the door to Hatsune's hospital room, and Yuri moved to stand next to me.

"Oh, yeah, we'll be here until the end of the week. Yui has to get back to work by Monday. Do you… perhaps want to meet us again, Otonashi-kun?"

"Well, yes. Sorry we had to call the first meeting last week short, and that I haven't been able to talk to you much after that. There were… a lot of things that happened." I glanced at Yuri, who smiled at me and reached for my left hand, taking a hold of it with her right as she leaned against the wall as well. Yuri said her hand was fine, so we didn't bandage it before leaving, but we should still definitely be careful with the wound...

"Don't worry about it. Your sister was in an accident – I can forgive you for not wanting to waste time with lunatics like us, heh." Hinata chuckled a little at the other end of the line, and I heard some grumbling from Yui in the background. "How is she faring, by the way? Iwasawa-san told us that it wasn't anything serious, apparently, but… Oh! Didn't you get sent to the hospital as well, Otonashi-kun? Is everything alright?" One of the doors along the hallway opened, and a middle-aged male doctor walked out, smiling at Yuri and I as he walked past, and I returned the gesture to him.

"Hatsune is doing well. She won't be walking anywhere for a long while, but she's fine otherwise. And, yes, I spent my weekend at the hospital, recovering from a concussion I got on Friday. But, I'm fine now, and I'll be resuming going to Uni tomorrow." I heard a sigh of relief from Hinata. Should I tell him now that Kanade and I have regained our memories? I feel like I should, but it would probably be best to discuss everything face-to-face, rather than in a phone call. "Back to the topic of another meeting, we very much want to meet with you guys again, to see if we can get Yuri to regain her memories. And… well, we ended up telling a doctor here at the hospital about everything, and she wants to meet you two now as well. She was… very intrigued by what we had to tell her."

"Oh? Is that so? Does this doctor… believe you, then? Sorry, it's just that… to a normal person, we must sound crazy. There's no logical explanation for the things we've experienced, after all."

"Doctor Mikado was able to find proof that I have been alive before through the use of old medical files, so she's willing to believe us. And… well, there's a lot to talk about, so it would be best to do it when we meet up. We'll need to wait for Mikado-sensei to confirm her schedule before we set anything into stone, but… When are you two available?" I tried to recall my own university schedule. I don't really have anything going on that would take up my free time, but thinking of the classes I have coming up and the length of the days… I should be able to leave earlier on Thursday and Friday, but Kanade and Yuri will also need to be free, as well as Mikado-sensei.

"If it's for you, Otonashi-kun, I'll be free whenever you want!" There was a slight pause at Hinata's end, during which more background grumbling from Yui reached my ears, before he continued in a more serious tone. "Well, like I said, we'll be heading back by the end of the week, so before that would be ideal, but it's like we have anything holding us back while we're here. You… don't know when this 'Mikado-sensei' will be free, then?"

"Not right now, me and Yuri are waiting for her to get a free moment so she can check her schedule and plan things out with us. But… Hold on a sec." I lowered the phone from my ear and looked towards Yuri, who raised an eyebrow at me questioningly. "When do you have shifts for your part-time job this week, Yuri?"

"I have one tomorrow and the day after, and a longer shift on Friday. I work in the mornings, though, so I'm pretty much always free on afternoons." Yuri replied, and I nodded to her.

"Thanks. Could you send a message to Kanade and Iwasawa-san to ask them if they've got any afternoons free this week?" Now it was Yuri's turn to nod, as she took out her own phone, while I lifted my own back to my ear. Without Mikado-sensei, we can't make any plans yet, but if I know when everyone is available beforehand, it'll quicken things. "Yuri says she'll be free in the afternoons, and I've got plenty of free time on both Thursday and Friday, so… Should we pre-emptively decide on Thursday afternoon, maybe something like 3 pm?" I glanced at Yuri and met her eyes with my own, raising an eyebrow. Yuri gave me a smile and flashed me her phone's screen while whispering 'On it', and I gave her a quick nod in reply. "Once we have confirmation from everyone else, I'll be able to contact you again and inform of any changes. We'll probably have to work on the meeting time a little bit with Mikado-sensei, and I suspect Kanade might also have something going on, but we'll see."

"That sounds good to me. Will we meet up at the same place as before?" Hmm… The net cafe did give a nice bit of privacy…

"We'll ask the others if they're fine with that, then inform you. If not there, then… Cafe La Soleil will likely be where we meet up. It's near the University, we can show you the way there." I saw Yuri placing her phone back in her pocket, so I figured she had already sent her messages to both Kanade and Iwasawa. Hopefully they'll be able to reply quickly, then we can just sort things out with Mikado-sensei immediately and inform everyone afterwards.

"I think we should be able to manage – we'll be able to call you if we get lost on the way, heh. But, I'll leave you to sort things out with the others, now. Call me again or send a message when you know for sure when and where we're meeting, Otonashi-kun!"

"Yeah, I will. Talk to again soon, Hinata!"

"And the same to you, Otonashi-kun. Goodbye!" Hinata ended the call, and I lowered the phone from my ear, turning my gaze to Yuri, who was looking at me curiously.

"Hm? What is it?" I asked with a raised eyebrow as I pocketed my own phone. Did I forget something?

"You didn't tell him that you've remembered everything. Or about us, for that matter." Yuri replied to me. Ah, that's what she meant.

"Oh, right, yes. I didn't want to go to too much detail in just a phone call – Kanade and I will be able to tell them that we managed to recover our memories when we meet up. If I had told him over the phone, I don't think I would have been able to ever end that call." I scratched my cheek with my free hand and glanced to the side as a nurse walked past us, her gaze flicking to mine and Yuri's interlocked hands briefly as a smile appeared on her face. "And… we'll be able to tell everyone about us at the same time as well." Yuri kept her gaze locked with mine for a few moments, as if she was trying to peer into the depths of my soul, before she turned away to glance down the hallway.

"I guess it is better to tell everyone while they're all gathered up. Well, Kanade already knows anyway." Yuri said and then leaned her head against my shoulder, closing her eyes as she did. "I just thought you wanted to keep it secret from them for whatever reason." Keep it a secret? What for?

"What makes you think that?" Yuri opened one of her eyes to look at me, then let out a sigh as she closed it again.

"Well, you've got all your memories from the Afterlife. I thought that… maybe there was something from back then that would… make you want to do that. Like… well, you know. You fell in love with Kanade in the Afterlife, and supposedly Hinata and Yui did as well. Maybe there was… something you guys knew that would make you not want to tell the others that we're together, now." I felt Yuri's grip on my hand tighten slightly as she mentioned my feelings towards Kanade. I… see. So because she herself can't remember anything from back then, but we can… Hinata and Yuri were quite close in the Afterlife, if Hinata is to be believed, even more so before I arrived there… And because they knew each other the longest, there would definitely be things that Hinata knows about Yuri that others don't.

"Don't worry, it's nothing like that." I leaned my head to the side to rest it atop Yuri's, her scent invading my nostrils as I did. "And even if there was something that I remembered from the Afterlife that would make me hesitant about telling the others about our relationship, I would do so anyway. Because who we are and where we are right now is what matters, and the me right now wants to be together with you, Yuri." Yuri's grip on my hand tightened again, and I saw her cheeks becoming flushed. It… is kind of a cheesy line, but… It's the truth.

"...What the heck was up with that line?" Yuri said with a giggle after a few moments of silence. "Well, I feel the same way. Even if I can't recover my memories, I'm happy with just staying with you like this for the rest of my life." Yuri looked up at me with a wide smile, reaching up with her free hand to stroke my face, which was now beginning to heat up. "Maybe we'll be lucky enough to meet again in the next life after that."

"Let's just focus on this one right now, shall we?" I gave Yuri a quick kiss on the forehead, and she nodded at me in return.

A few minutes passed as we waited for Doctor Mikado to finish, during which Yuri received a reply from Iwasawa, where she informed us that she would be free whenever, with the exception of the weekend. And shortly after her, Kanade replied as well with a long text describing her schedule for the week, from which we were able to pick out that she had free time tomorrow and on Friday. Thus far, Yuri and I agreed that one of those two dates would work best, with Friday being the best candidate, as even with her longer shift at work, she would be free before mine and Kanade's lectures ended. Still, our plans relied on Mikado's schedule, so we patiently stood outside Hatsune's room for her to finish up. A few more hospital employees and a patients walked past us, each of them smiling at us once they noticed our interlocked hands and close proximity. I could tell Yuri was getting a little embarrassed at being seen like this, but she kept close to me nonetheless. Her embarrassment only caused me to become embarrassed as well, but I knew that I would get teased endlessly if I let it show, so I sat tight and endured it instead.

It didn't take too long for the door to Hatsune's hospital room to open, and Doctor Mikado stepped outside, turning to us with a smile as she closed the door behind her.

"Ah, so you quite literally waited out here. You could have gone down and gotten yourself a cup of coffee from downstairs or something, I wouldn't have blamed you." Mikado said and pointed in the direction of the lift with her thumb. Well, I guess we could have, but I didn't know how long my phone call would take, or how long she would take with Hatsune. "Well, anyway, we were going to plan a meeting with your friends, yes? Were you able to get a hold of this 'Hinata'?"

"Yes, I was. He told us that he and his girlfriend, Yui, would be able to meet us again at any point during the week, with the exception of Sunday, when they have to return to Chiba. Yuri was also able to contact Iwasawa-san, who has something going on in the weekend, but is otherwise free, as well as Kanade, who has free time tomorrow and on Friday." I explained to Mikado as she took out a small notebook – which I suspected was a personal calendar of some kind – and she nodded at me in reply.

"We pre-emptively decided on Thursday afternoon with Hinata and Yui, but we waited to hear from you before setting anything into stone." Yuri continued after me, making gestures with her free hand while her right still held onto my left one. Has… Mikado-sensei not noticed, or is she not bringing attention to it..? I mean, the implications of us holding hands are quite obvious… "Lining up everyone's schedules so far, Friday seems to be the day that fits the best." Mikado flipped through her notebook while hmmmmmm-ing to herself, before stopping on a specific page, her eyes rapidly reading through its contents.

"Friday… should work for me. When are you planning on meeting? Some time in the afternoon?" Mikado asked from us with a raised eyebrow.

"My classes end at two in the afternoon, so at some point after that." I replied and looked to Yuri.

"I'll get from work at around half past one, and Kanade said her last lecture would end at three. Depending on where we meet and how quickly Kanade can get from the University to there… Somewhere around half past three, maybe?" Mikado looked back down at her notebook, then closed it with a smile.

"That works for me. The last few days have been a bit packed for me, what with suddenly getting Otonashi-kun and his little sister as patients, but another doctor will be assigned to look after Hatsune-chan with me starting from tomorrow, so I don't have to work overtime any more. You have my number, so you can text me the details of where you'll be meeting when you've decided that." Mikado shifted her gaze to me, and I gave her a nod in reply. "Great, thank you. I'm getting a little excited here – I'm looking forward to hearing your and your friends' stories. I'll need to remember to bring something to write with to mark down everything I learn. But, I'll have to leave you two now, as there are other matters and patients I must attend."

"Ah, before you leave, Mikado-sensei..." Mikado raised an eyebrow, and I quickly glanced at Yuri, before raising my left hand and Yuri's right one alongside it. "I'm… not sure if you noticed, but… Well, ever since yesterday… Yuri and I are… in a relationship. I-I felt like you needed to know that." I felt a slight heat rising to my cheeks, but fought against the blush. We're still in the early stages of this, so things will be awkward, and it'll be a while before talking about it isn't embarrassing any more… I looked at Yuri again, who now sported a slight grin on her face – which was also slightly flushed.

"Oh, I knew already, Otonashi-kun." Surprised, I looked back at Mikado, who was still smiling warmly at us. "I mean, it only took about fifteen seconds after you two had left the room before Hatsune-chan was excitedly going on and on about it." She continued with a slight chuckle. Oh, Hatsune… Well, I guess that is one way of letting her know… "I suppose congratulations are in order, then? Nakamura-san is a fine catch, Otonashi-kun, so make sure you treasure her." I nodded to Mikado, who shifted her gaze to Yuri, pausing for a moment before continuing. "And you keep a tight hold on him. The moment you slip up, there's going to be someone else trying to grab a hold of him. And I won't deny possibly being one of those people." Mikado winked at Yuri, and I felt my cheeks heating up at her comment.

"Don't worry, Mikado-sensei." Yuri said and suddenly pulled me closer to her, bringing my head down as her arm locked itself around my neck. "I've got an iron grip on Yuzuru, so strong he won't be able to get away from me – whether it's in this life or the next!" Yuri looked at me with a grin, and I couldn't help but smile at my girlfriend's declaration. And she can sure that I won't let go of her easily either.

"Heh, if everything you've told me is to be believed, that might not be far from the truth." Mikado said as Yuri let go of me, though she was quick to snatch my hand back with her own, and Mikado grinned as she looked down at our hands. "Well, I'll leave you two lovebirds for now, but I will be anticipating that text from you, Otonashi-kun." Mikado gave me a wink, then raised her hand for a wave. "If you don't come and see Hatsune-chan again, I'll see you two on Friday!"

"Yeah, see you then." I raised my own hand to wave at Mikado, and Yuri did the same.

"Goodbye for now, Mikado-sensei." With our farewells, Mikado turned around and began to walk down the hallway, and I turned to look at Yuri.

"So… what now? Do you… want to go somewhere, or..?" Yuri looked upwards in thought for a moment. I… guess this could be our first date together…

"I need to do a bit of shopping, so you're free to come along. And afterwards…" Yuri started to fidget a little, her voice becoming quieter as she spoke. "We could… stay at my place… for a bit..." I saw Yuri's cheeks reddening, and felt a blush of my own appearing on my face as well.

"A-ah, well… that sounds… fine to me. So… shall we go?" I asked from my girlfriend with a smile and gestured in the direction of the lift, and she nodded to me with a smile.

With her confirmation, the two of us began to make our out of the hospital, planning our shopping trip as we did. We had only just become a couple, but I knew that being together with Yuri like this was what I wanted. Marriage, huh… That will come eventually, but not right now, Hatsune. But, spending the rest of my life with Yuri?

I will gladly do it. In this life, and the next.

"Good work today, Nakamura-san."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

As the "Employees only" door closed behind me, I stretched and looked up at the sky. It was cloudy, but it luckily wasn't going to rain today, if the forecast was to be believed. Right, I'm starving… Shouldn't Yuzuru be on his lunch break around this time? Maybe we could go eat somewhere together… I reached into my pocket to pull out my phone, sending a quick message to Yuzuru as I made my way out of the alleyway and into the street, my legs automatically taking me towards the nearest train station. Maybe I could head to the library afterwards and work on a bit of self-study… I've been slacking on my University prep lately. Or then visit Hatsune in the hospital, although she was supposed to have that operation today, or something. Feeling my phone vibrate in my pocket, I took it out to see a reply from Yuzuru, where he apologized and said that Kanade had wanted to talk to him today, and so they would be eating lunch together, but promised that we could go on a date after his classes ended. Eating with Kanade, huh..? Well, It's not like I don't trust Yuzuru. He knows that punishment awaits should anything untoward happen. I smirked to myself as I kept walking, the station already within my line of sight. While this is probably the most boring of all my part-time jobs so far, I can't deny that the deal is pretty good. It pays quite well, considering I'm only working for the morning shifts, and the workplace is close to a train station. Still, I should probably start looking for another job soon… If I could get a full-time job that pays as well as this does for a period of time before I start Uni, that would be great.

As I passed through the ticket gate at the station, the grumbling of my stomach made my aware of my hunger again. Right, food. Well, I guess since I won't be eating with Yuzuru… I could just head home and whip something up with what we bought yesterday. I'll need to scrape off the rust off my cooking skills so I can surprise him later. Smiling to myself, I adjusted the strap of my bag on my shoulder and checked the time, confirming that the train due to arrive in eight minutes would take me closest to home. Buying a drink from a vending machine, I sat down to wait on one of the benches at the station. After swallowing the first gulp of my drink, I placed the can next to me and began to examine my right hand, peeling away the bandages that Yuzuru had reapplied to it yesterday to check on the wound. Yuzuru had applied some ointment on the wound which was supposed to help it heal, and it seems to have worked… Though it did sting when he put it on. Well, it's not like it was a super serious injury in the first place, so it should heal relatively quickly. Wrapping up the bandages again, I picked up my can and took another swig, when I noticed that a girl, standing a little ways away from me, was staring at me. She looked younger than me, perhaps high school aged, but something about her black hair and facial features seemed familiar to me. Hm? Who is she, and why is she looking at me like that..? Wait, is she someone… I knew from the Afterlife? I… don't feel any Déjà-vu, though… As I was thinking, the girl started to walk towards me, stopping just in front of me.

"Uh… hey." The girl greeted me, and I raised an eyebrow in question at her. I feel like I've seen her before, but… "Nakamura… Yuri, right? Did I remember that correctly?" As she said my name, realization struck me.

"Ah! You're that one emo girl from the train! On Monday? Reimi, was it?" The girl nodded to me with a small smile. Right, that's why she felt familiar… We only interacted briefly, so I didn't recognize her at first.

"Yeah, Nakano Reimi, but you can just call me Reimi." She replied, then raised up a hand to move a strand of her jet-black hair behind her ear, revealing a piercing on her earlobe. "Though… I'm not really an… 'emo girl', like you put it."

"Oh, sorry. That's just what came to my mind when I first you saw you in those all-black clothes and stuff on Monday." I said with an awkward laugh and rubbed the back of my neck with my right hand.

"It's fine, I can kinda get why you would assume that. I'm not really one for flashy clothes, and I… am kinda quiet, so, yeah." Reimi smiled at me again, then gestured at my bandaged hand. "Did… Yoshikage do that? I wanna apologize for what he did again, since he is kinda my friend, I guess." I flinched slightly at her question. Crap. Well, she seems like the understanding type, so it's probably fine if I just tell her.

"No, I got this before that scuffle with him." I replied and looked down at my hand, clenching it into a fist and then unclenching it. "This is really embarrassing to say, but… I was drinking with a friend last Friday, and got so drunk that I accidentally broke an empty bottle, cutting open my palm in the process." I lowered my hand and looked back up at Reimi. "So, take it from me: never drink more than you know you can handle. Oh, right, you were going to a bar on Monday, weren't you? But… you're still in High School, right?"

"Ah, well, yeah, we are. I'm in my third year currently. And… well, Yoshikage likes to flaunt and talk big, but… The only times he's actually drank anything was when his older bro gave him some sake without their parents knowing, and… he can't really handle alcohol." Reimi said with an amused smile, telling me that she had been there to witness the event. Well, I'm not super good with alcohol either, so I can't really judge other people. "Where we were going could hardly be called a bar anyway, they don't serve alcoholic drinks there. And, after your… intervention on Monday, Koichi ended up escorting Yoshikage back home anyway, though the rest of us still went with our original plans. Ah, Koichi is the blonde guy you saw with us, by the way." I took another sip of my drink as Reimi talked. Heh, good for him. Hopefully he learned not to mess with girls who are way out of his league.

"Hmmm… I see. Say, shouldn't you be in school? You said you were a third-year." I asked and looked over at the clock situated on a pillar to my right. My train home will be here soon. When I returned my gaze to Reimi, she was looking away from me, and I raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Today… is a day off." Reimi said, a little quieter than previously, then looked back at me. "How about you? Do you… go to University, or..?" I feel like there was something odd about her there… I tried to read her expression, but, as I didn't know her well at all, it yielded no results.

"No, I don't, though I am working on that. Right now, I'm just living off part-time jobs until I can get into Uni. Just finished a shift, and now I'm waiting for the train so I can go home and make some food." I explained to Reimi, and she nodded at me. "I was going to eat with someone, but they were… preoccupied, so I just decided to head home instead." In all fairness, I should have probably planned that with Yuzuru in advance… I'll have to talk to him about that today. I'm his girlfriend now, so I'm allowed to want to spend more time with him, right? Though, I don't want to make it seem like I'm shackling him…

"Oh, I was… actually going to go and eat, myself. Would you… like to join me?" Reimi's question came as a complete surprise to me, and I'm sure my expression at that moment conveyed that perfectly.

"Eh? Where did that come from?" Reimi looked back at me with a surprised expression of her own, before she looked away somewhat shyly.

"Well… I… thought you were like… really cool back then. I mean, Yoshikage is my friend, and I've known him for a long time, but… He's too full of himself nowadays, so I'm kinda glad to have seen you knock some sense into him. So I wanted to like… get to know you, or something. Agh, sorry, I-I know I'm being really awkward, but..." Looking at the younger girl, I felt a smile growing on my face. Heh, she's quite amusing. Well, she doesn't seem too bad of a person, so I guess there's no harm in it. I took a quick swig of my drink, then placed the can on the bench and stood up, which silenced Reimi as I offered my uninjured hand to her. Standing up like this, our difference in height was clear, though Reimi wasn't as short as Kanade was.

"Alright, I'll take you up on that offer. Though you already knew it, Nakamura Yuri is my name, but if I'm going to call you Reimi, then you're free to use my first name as well." I said to the younger girl with a smile, whose blue eyes widened at my reply, her gaze flitting between my face and my hand, before she smiled back at me.

"O-okay… Yuri-san." Reimi somewhat hesitantly took a hold of my hand and shook it, and I noted that her cheeks had a slight tint of red to them. She said she was quiet, so she's probably not super used to being social like this. That, and I am older than her, and she's seemingly gotten a good impression of me already – I'd probably be nervous or awkward if I was in her shoes.

"Right, so, where were you planning on going to eat? I'm starving. Oh, but nothing too expensive, I need to always keep a close eye on my finances, after all." I said once I let go of Reimi's hand, picking up my drink again as I began to down the rest of it.

"Oh, no, I wouldn't go to any expensive places. I know a place nearby where you can get good ramen, though, if that's fine with you?" Reimi asked with a tilt of her head as I finished my drink, taking a few steps to the side to throw the empty can into a trash can.

"Fine by me. It'll be better than anything I've got lying around in the fridge, no doubt." I replied and slung my bag over my shoulder. "I only work here, but I don't really know the area, so… Lead the way." Reimi nodded to me with a smile, then began to walk towards the station exit, and I followed after her.

As we left the station, I felt my phone vibrating, and took it out to see a message sent by Kanade. In the message was a photo taken from the University cafeteria, where Yuzuru was sat with a plate of Mapo Tofu in front of him. He wore a confident expression on his face, while next to him, Kotegawa looked horrified. On his other side, a guy I didn't recognize (but suspected was one of Yuzuru's classmates or friends) was leaning towards him while grinning at the camera. Alongside the picture, Kanade had sent the text "Yuzuru wanted to try Mapo Tofu again today. I will keep you updated on whether he needs to be hospitalized again or not. Oh, and you do not have to worry for your relationship, Yuri. Yuzuru has already informed Kotegawa-san and Takiya-kun.". I smiled to myself as I looked at the picture, only barely noticing that Reimi was looking back at me with intrigue. If all things go well…

At this time next year, I'll be eating there together with Yuzuru and everyone else.

AN: And there's the first chapter done! I'm very happy with how this turned out, and like I said at the beginning, I am very much enjoying writing about Yuzuru and Yuri again. The ship isn't super popular, but it's what I've gone with, and there's no turning back now.

Until the next chapter, I bid you all farewell, and cheerio!