"Hey, Yui," Minami-chan called out to me. She and our other friends seemed to be laughing at something, but I don't know what.
"Huh?"
"Don't you think Okabe-sensei's hot?" At this, the two girls beside Minami-chan snorted.
"A-ah," I blushed, but not for that reason. I didn't think Okabe-sensei was hot. He was a smelly old man who happened to teach us our philosophy subject. "Of course not, Minami-chan."
"Nah, I totally saw you doing googly eyes at him," Minami-chan, of course, denied. She circled her fingers over her eyes and made a weird face. I didn't like it, but I smiled nonetheless.
"Ah, I saw that too!" Rika-chan, of course, agreed with Minami-chan's sentiments, despite my protestations. She twirled her frankly tawdry brunette burn and turned to Kaori-chan.
"Don't you think so too, Kaori?"
"I'm afraid that I did see you make, quote-unquote "googly eyes" at Okabe-sensei once," Kaori-chan muttered, pushing her glasses up her nose. "I'm sorry Yui." She smirked. "The verdict's against you on this one."
"Speaking of verdicts," Minami-chan once again started. "We're kinda pooped after giving some unruly boys lectures on how to conduct themselves properly with teenage girls," she waggled her brows. "So, be a friend, and get us something to drink."
"I kinda have somewhere I need to go." I tried to play it off with a smile. But she just glared at me. "Are you really in a hurry that you'd abandon your friends like this?"
"Sorry, Minami-chan, the usual then?"
Minami-chan just rolled her eyes. "Of course. The big ones, too, don't forget."
I didn't protest this time. It bit into my allowance for sure, but I didn't let it get me down. I was happy today, no, excited; ecstatic. I had somewhere to go.
For the very first time.
With that, I bid the trio farewell and made my way to the vending machines next to the tennis courts.
...
I slipped in two 500-yen coins into the vending machine and ordered the jumbo-sized versions of the drinks my friends liked. Minami-chan usually liked just Dr. Pepper, but Rika-chan and Kaori-chan preferred the fruity drinks more. I gathered them up in my backpack, zipped it up, and made my way back to the stairs.
Only to pause for a moment.
I was nearby the tennis courts, which means I might see Yumiko-chan play. I turned, and sure enough, Yumiko-chan was there, swinging her racket with force as she smashed the tennis ball towards the opposite court. Her opponent for the day couldn't keep up, and she slid down, barely even touching the ball. Yumiko cheered with her fist up the air, and called out, "40-love."
Wow, Yumiko-chan was amazing.
Wow, Yumiko-chan was amazing.
She's what every girl wants to be. Beautiful and fierce, just like her bright blond hair. She just radiated an aura of freedom, like someone who had everything in the world at the palm of their hands. But she was also very kind... I didn't expect her to be someone who cared a lot about other people, but she does... and I feel all-so-warm because of it.
Yesterday, Yumiko-chan called me her friend. And I was so happy about it. She invited me to go on an outing, but...
"Hey, Yui!" She called. I was just about to leave, though, otherwise, the cans would get all hot and Minami-chan might complain. "Hey, Yui!" Yumiko-chan suddenly appeared in front of me, grabbing my shoulders. "I was talking to you, you know."
"A-ah." I flushed, I didn't want to get outed for ignoring someone. Especially not the queen bee of Sobu. "Sorry, Yumiko-chan. I just need to get somewhere quick."
"Hmmm? Where to?" Yumiko-chan just asked nonchalantly. "Don't forget I saw your planner, you don't have much to do."
"Minami-chan just wanted me to get some drinks for her, it's nothing.
Yumiko-chan narrowed her eyes.
"Is Minami making you do things again?" she asked, pointedly.
"Ah, no, I wanted to do this." I lied, as easily as I breathed. "See Minami-chan had to do some nasty things, and so were tired from it. I just wanted to be there and help them, y'know."
At this, Yumiko-chan sighed. "You're too nice for your own good, Yui."
"Hahaha," I laughed. "You're nice too, y'know."
At that, she smiled.
"I guess we're both too nice for our own good." She shrugged, then twirled one of her drills of her bright hair. "Still, same time today?"
"Yeah!" I said. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."
...
I missed it.
Minami-chan lectured me after my talk with Yumiko-chan. She went on and on about how they needed drinks to stay hydrated after all the "lecturing" they do. She and the two others then teased me about Okabe-sensei, which I wasn't making googly eyes at all!
By the end of it all, I missed the meeting time I had with Yumiko-chan, and they still continued on teasing me about dumb, old Okabe-sensei.
"So, I thought, obviously, Yui wouldn't fall for such a smelly old fart," Minami-chan continued on. "But I can't believe it. She was totally in love!"
I wasn't.
"You shouldn't make fun of other's love, Minami," Rika-chan said, "Sometimes, people are fated to be with each other, y'know. Who knows, maybe Yui's dream of becoming a wife will finally come true."
I didn't want to get married to Okabe-sensei.
"Y'know Rika," Kaori-chan started. "Maybe Yui will finally get someone to date for the festival. Too bad it had to be stinky old Okabe-sensei."
I didn't want this.
I wanted to say who I really loved, but I can't. Hikki was in the same league as Okabe-sensei, and I didn't want to be teased so much.
I didn't want this.
I didn't want this at all.
"And-" Minami-chan started.
"Will you three shut up." A new voice interrupted Minami-chan. "Honestly, hearing you three yap about like that about your friends is just shameful. Don't you guys have any tact at all?"
Yumiko-chan stood at the doorway in all her glory.
"Jeez, what's this even. Are you just so bored that you have to make fun of a classmate like this?"
"Y-Yumiko-chan!" I couldn't help but let her name out. At this, she turned to me. "And you, you said you wouldn't miss our outing, yet I found you here, an hour late."
"Sorry, Yumiko-chan" I apologized.
Yumiko-chan just sighed. "We've been over this, Yui." I raised my brows, puzzled. "Call me Yumiko."
"Oh... Then, Yumiko." I tested out her name without the chan. "Sorry for being late."
"Hah, don't be," Yumiko said. "It's because of those three stooges anyway."
"Excuse me-"
"Anyway, we still have the whole day to kill, so what do you say?" Yumiko held out a hand, "Wanna go raise hell in town? Ebina's joining as well."
I looked at the outstretched hand, and at Minami-chan's fuming face.
I've made my decision.
I took the hand. Yumiko smiled at me, and we left the three stooges to fume in anger.
This time I wrote something not Hikigaya-centric. Hope y'all forgive me on this one.
