Hello, everyone! Here's the last chapter of this twoshot. I hope you all enjoy the story.

I'm sorry for being so late with this update. But it's been one personal emergency after the next for me throughout the entire month of September. I really tried my best with this chapter but I couldn't manage to get it done any earlier. I'm glad to finally be able to release it.

By the way, if you haven't read the manga, there's something I'd like to let you know so that the second part of this chapter doesn't confuse you. Yura is currently working as a maid at Rize's house and so she lives there. Yeah. That's all you need to know.

Last but not least, I have to thank WarpedCognition469. I discussed this story with him before I started writing it and he gave me a lot of ideas. Especially for the jokes in the first chapter. Thanks a lot for your help, buddy!

Disclaimer: I do not own GochiUsa. It belongs to Koi.

The Stalking Conundrum

Chapter 2

Rize hid behind a building and peeked from behind it. Aoyama did the same. A little distance away, Syaro and Yura were standing on the sidewalk talking to each other.

"You really don't need to, Syaro-chan."

"No, I do. You know I do."

"But didn't you spend enough money today already?"

"It's okay. I can afford lunch."

"Well, if you insist." Yura smiled. "I'll let you treat me to lunch today."

Syaro smiled back. "Good."

"But you have to let me treat you to lunch next time, okay?"

"Sure, sure. No problem."

Rize pursed her lips. Next time. She really didn't like that there was going to be a next time. And why was Syaro treating Yura to lunch anyway? She just bought Yura an expensive dress. Shouldn't Yura be the one treating Syaro instead?

Rize creased her eyebrows. None of this made sense. And she couldn't figure out what was going on. She didn't have any choice but to follow Syaro and Yura for a bit longer.

Syaro and Yura set off. As they walked down the streets and took occasional turns, Rize and Aoyama deftly followed after them, careful to remain unseen. This time, Rize took the lead instead of Aoyama. Rize saw the puzzled looks on the faces of everyone walking by her but she didn't let it get to her. She needed to figure out what was happening. No matter what.

Eventually, Syaro and Yura reached an open-air café. As they took their seats at a table for two, Rize and Aoyama hid themselves behind some nearby bushes. Rize scanned the café. She'd never been here before. But it seemed like a cosy place.

Yura propped her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her folded hands. She smiled at Syaro. "You've never been here before, right? Trust me. You're going to love this place."

Syaro looked at the menu. "Everything seems nice. Thanks for recommending this place."

"No worries."

"If I like the food here, I'll bring Rize-senpai with me here someday."

Yura giggled. "I wonder how Rize-chan would feel about that."

Syaro creased her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"She might not like it if she hears you came here with me first."

Rize pursed her lips. Yura was kind of right. If she came to this café with Syaro, she was sure she wouldn't be able to stop thinking about this day. And that would make her upset for sure.

Rize let out a shaky breath. Was she being petty? Why was she getting so worked up about this anyway? Syaro and Yura were just here for lunch. They weren't on a date. It wasn't a date.

No matter how much it might seem like one.

Yura picked up the menu and looked at it for a while. Then her lips curved upward in a smirk. Rize frowned. Yura smirking was never a good thing.

"Hey, Syaro-chan."

Syaro looked up at Yura. "Yes?"

Yura showed Syaro the menu and pointed at a picture on it. "Do you want to try this for dessert?"

Syaro furrowed her eyebrows as she read what was on the menu. "Did you not see what's written above the picture?"

"Of course I saw it."

Syaro let out a sigh. "I'm not sharing a couple's parfait with you."

Rize gritted her teeth. Yura was at it again. A couple's parfait? What was Yura thinking? Did she really want to steal Syaro or something?

But Syaro turned down Yura's offer. Rize smirked. So Syaro was still hers. Hers and hers alone.

Though it wasn't like Rize actually doubted that. Of course Syaro wouldn't cheat on her. The problem here was Yura. Why was she flirting with someone else's girlfriend like that anyway?

Rize narrowed her eyes at Yura. That idiot had some explaining to do. A lot of explaining.

"Oh, come on, Syaro-chan. It's just a parfait."

"You can just buy yourself a regular sized parfait. Why do you want to share one with me?"

"Because it'll be fun!"

Syaro sighed. "Forget about it. Please."

Yura pouted. "You're such a spoilsport."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just order lunch."

Rize watched as the two called the waiter and placed their order. As they waited, Syaro and Yura chatted about nothing in particular. Rize raised an eyebrow. Yura wasn't trying anything funny. Was she done flirting with Syaro for today?

Around fifteen minutes later, the waiter arrived and placed their orders on the table. As the waiter walked away, a smirk formed on Yura's face. Rize frowned. What was Yura planning now?

Yura picked up her fork and cut off a piece of her hamburger steak. Then she held the fork up near Syaro's mouth. "Say ah~"

Syaro creased her eyebrows. "What are you doing?"

"Try this. I've had it before. It's really good."

"Uh... You really don't have to."

Yura held her fork a little closer to Syaro's mouth. "Just one bite."

Syaro stared at the fork for a while before letting out a sigh. She bit off the piece of steak from the fork and a smile formed on her face. "It really is good."

Yura giggled. "It is, isn't it?"

Rize let out a growl. Aoyama jumped at the sound. Rize didn't want to scare Aoyama but she was absolutely fuming right now. Yura just fed her girlfriend. In public. So Yura wasn't done flirting after all, was she?

Well, Yura was in trouble. Big trouble. The next time Rize saw her, she was going to find some way to punish Yura for sure.

With a rather mischievous grin, Yura cut off another piece of her steak. "I'll be having the rest of this, Syaro-chan."

As Syaro gave Yura a nod, something in Rize snapped. Yura was planning to eat with that same fork. The same fork she used to feed Syaro. And Rize knew what that meant.

An indirect kiss.

Rize jumped up and raced to the table. Before Yura could put the fork in her mouth, Rize grabbed her arm to stop her. Yura looked up at her, a mysterious smile on her face.

"What's wrong, Rize-chan?"

Rize narrowed her eyes at Yura. "Drop the fork. Now."

With a chuckle, Yura did as told. "Didn't like the idea of me sharing an indirect kiss with Syaro-chan, did you, Rize-chan?"

Rize let go of Yura's arm with a growl and pointed an accusing finger at her. "Stay away from my girlfriend, you traitor! You know how much I love her. Why are you doing all this?!"

Yura smirked. "How much do you love her exactly? I'd like to hear more about that."

Rize gritted her teeth. "More than you can imagine. More than I can ever say. So. Stay. Away!"

Yura smiled up at Rize before she burst out laughing. Rize frowned. Did she say something funny?

Yura wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry, Rize-chan. I was just messing with you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I was trying to lure you out. That's all."

"...What?"

"I'm honestly impressed you lasted this long."

Rize blinked. "I... don't understand."

Yura laughed. "I knew you were stalking us, Rize-chan. So I was trying to make you jealous on purpose."

Rize's jaw dropped. Seriously? She thought she was being stealthy! How did Yura figure it out?

"You seem shocked, Rize-chan."

"Uh... Well... Since when did you know?"

Yura beamed at Rize. "Since the very beginning."

Rize gulped. Oh, damn. Right from the beginning? And here she thought she was being a skilled and competent stalker. Apparently not.

Yura turned her head to look in front of her. "So, Syaro-chan. Are you surprised?"

Rize froze. Oh, crap. In her rage, she somehow managed to forget that Syaro was here. And now Syaro knew that she had been stalking them from the start. Rize's mouth went dry. Syaro was going to hate her, wasn't she?

Rize slowly turned to look at Syaro, fully expecting to see disappointment on her face. Or maybe anger. Perhaps annoyance.

Damn, it. She shouldn't have come out of hiding!

But as Rize took in the look on Syaro's face, she creased her eyebrows. Wait. That couldn't be right. Were Syaro's eyes sparkling?

"Um... Syaro?"

"You were stalking me, senpai?" Syaro let out a contented sigh. "Today turned out to be more exciting than I thought!"

"...Exciting?"

Syaro gave her an enthusiastic nod. "Of course! This is so fun!"

Rize blinked. Come to think of it, back at that Christmas party, didn't Syaro tell her she could stalk her whenever she wanted to? Huh. Rize didn't think Syaro actually meant that.

But Syaro was quite thrilled right now. So...

Rize shook her head to clear her thoughts. She'd have to ask Syaro why she was so... into this later. She had more pressing questions on her mind at the moment. And she wanted answers.

Rize turned to look at Yura. "I get that you were trying to lure me out. That you were flirting with Syaro on purpose. But there's one thing I don't get." Rize turned to look at Syaro, her lips pursed. "Why are you and Yura out together today? And why did you buy her a dress?"

The sparkling in Syaro's eyes vanished and her face fell. As she stared up at Rize, the fear in her eyes became evident. "Senpai, is that why you were stalking us? You... I..." Tears welled up in Syaro's eyes. "I'm not cheating on you, senpai!"

Rize gave Syaro a weak smile. "I know that, Syaro."

"But... But..."

Rize looked away. "It's just that the way you and Yura have been acting today makes it seem like you're a couple." She swallowed thickly. "I know that's not the case but... It still hurts, you know?"

"Senpai!"

Rize heard Syaro's chair scrape against the ground. Rize turned to look at her. Syaro was now standing, the desperation in her eyes as clear as day.

Rize's chest tightened, her throat drying up. Now she was hurting Syaro too. That was not what she wanted. Not at all.

Rize let out a sigh. "Look, Syaro. I trust you. I really do. So please calm down. I just want to know what you're doing with Yura. That's all."

Syaro stared at Rize in silence, her lips trembling. Rize didn't want to make her cry. But what was she supposed to say? She really needed to know.

Rize felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning her head, she found Yura standing next to her. So was Yura going to explain everything? Why couldn't Syaro tell her herself?

Yura's lips curved upward in a small smile. "Rize-chan, I'm sorry. I might have gone a bit too far trying to lure you out. But Syaro-chan is innocent."

Rize frowned. "I'm not blaming her. I really do trust her, you know?"

Yura chuckled. "Yes, I know. You would have come out of hiding a long time ago otherwise." Yura turned to smile at Syaro. "Honestly, Syaro-chan. Don't cry. If Rize-chan didn't trust you, she would have confronted us ages ago."

Rize glanced at Syaro. Syaro's eyes dropped to the ground. As Syaro wiped the tears from her eyes, Rize wondered why Syaro wasn't saying anything. Why was she so upset? Rize just wanted Syaro to tell her the truth. That was all.

It didn't seem like Syaro was going to say anything, though. Rize turned to look at Yura. "So what's happening here? Are you going to tell me?"

Yura smiled. "I'd like to tell you everything, Rize-chan. But I can't. Not now."

Rize creased her eyebrows. "Why not?"

"You'll understand when the time is right. You just have to wait a while."

Rize pursed her lips. "Are you messing with me?"

Yura shook her head. "I'm not. You need to wait a bit. I promise you won't regret it."

Rize frowned. What was with that cryptic answer? How long was she supposed to wait anyway? Rize's eyes darted to Syaro. Wasn't she going to say anything?

Syaro sniffled. "Rize-senpai... She's right. I want you to wait a bit. It won't even be a day. I promise."

Rize's eyes softened at the look on Syaro's face. The poor thing looked so scared. If Syaro wanted her to wait, there must be a reason. So Rize was going to do as told.

With a sigh, Rize nodded. "Okay. I'll wait. I won't bother you two anymore."

Syaro's eyes widened. "That's not what I meant, senpai! You don't have to leave."

Rize chuckled. "You're misunderstanding me, Syaro. I'm not angry. I promise."

"But- Eh? Aoyama-san?!"

Rize turned around to find Aoyama standing behind her. Oh, right. Aoyama was with her. She had completely forgotten about it.

Aoyama smiled. "I'll be leaving now, Rize-san. I got enough story ideas for today."

"Huh? Aoyama-san was with you, senpai?"

Rize could feel her cheeks heat up. "Um... Yes. I kind of ran into her."

"Today was fun, Rize-san. And I'll be able to write a wonderful story now."

"Eh?" Rize frowned. "You're going to use this for a story?"

"Of course! This is perfect inspiration. My next story will have a love triangle in it."

"This isn't a love triangle!" Syaro shouted. "There's nothing going on between me and Yura-senpai!"

Aoyama giggled. "I know that. And Rize-san knows that too."

Rize pinched the bridge of her nose. "Aoyama-san, are you seriously going to base a story off of this?"

Aoyama nodded. "I should get to work right away. I'll be heading to Rabbit House then. Bye!"

With that, Aoyama ran off. Rize wearily stared at her receding form. She let out a long sigh. There was no way she could stop Aoyama, was there?

"Senpai..." Syaro's voice cracked. "Please..."

Rize whirled around in alarm. Why was Syaro crying again? The look on her face simply made Rize's heart break.

All Rize wanted to do right now was hug Syaro with all her might. Kiss her and tell her to stop crying. Tell her that she had no reason to cry in the first place. Because even though Rize still had no idea what was going on, Rize knew Syaro wasn't cheating on her.

But Rize couldn't do all that right now. They were in public. But she had to do something.

So Rize took a step forward and placed a hand on Syaro's head. As Syaro looked up at her with wide eyes, a warm smile spread across Rize's face. A sudden sense of calm spread through Rize's body. She knew what she had to do.

"Syaro, I believe you. I trust you. I really do. So I'm going to go home right now. And then I'll wait until the time is right. Just like you want me to."

Syaro sniffled. "S-So you're not mad at me?"

Rize shook her head. "Of course not. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm confident about that."

"But... You're leaving?"

Rize chuckled. "I should let you two have your lunch in peace." She looked over her shoulder at Yura. "Just use another fork, okay?"

Yura giggled. "Of course."

With a nod, Rize spun on her heel and walked away. She was going to be patient and wait. She was sure there was a perfectly reasonable explanation for everything that happened today. So she was going to put her faith in Syaro and wait.

As she walked away, she heard Yura's voice. "Don't worry, Syaro-chan. Rize-chan really does trust you. She wouldn't have left the two of us alone if she didn't."

Rize's lips curved upward in a smirk. Yura wasn't a bad friend after all.

Rize leaned back into the couch in her room and stared up at the ceiling. Today hadn't gone as planned at all. She was supposed to buy some new clothes for herself but that didn't happen. Instead, she spent her morning stalking her girlfriend.

Rize pursed her lips. She really shouldn't have done that. Syaro could hang out with whoever she wanted to. Rize had no right to say anything about that.

But she had seen what she had seen. And right now, the curiosity was killing her. She really wanted to know what exactly happened today. She also wanted to know why Syaro wouldn't just tell her. Why Syaro wanted her to wait.

Rize let out a sigh. Syaro told her she wouldn't even have to wait for a day. So she might as well stay patient.

A knock sounded on the door. As Rize turned her head to look at it, the door opened to reveal Yura. Rize sat up straight. What did Yura want?

"Rize-chan, I'm going to do the laundry. So could you give me the clothes you need washed?"

Rize furrowed her eyebrows. "You're doing the laundry now? In the evening?"

Yura nodded. "It's not like I need to dry the clothes out in the sun."

"Oh. Okay."

Rize got off the couch and walked over to her wardrobe. With a tug, she opened the doors to see what she could give to Yura. Rize knitted her eyebrows at what she saw. There was a paper bag lying on the shelf right in front of her. Where did that come from?

As Rize picked up the bag, she grew even more confused. This bag looked familiar. But where had she seen it? She was sure she wasn't the one who put it here.

Rize's eyes widened as she suddenly remembered where she'd seen the bag before. This bag looked exactly like the one Syaro gave to Yura today. But why? What was going on?

Rize took a look inside the bag. Inside was a neatly folded purple dress. A white envelope was lying on top of it. Rize took out the envelope and placed it on the shelf. Then she pulled out the dress.

Unfolding the dress, Rize frowned. This was the same dress Syaro had bought for Yura, wasn't it? What was it doing in her wardrobe?

Rize looked over her shoulder at Yura and threw her a weary look. "Why did you keep this here, Yura?"

Yura giggled. "Take a look at what's in that envelope. You'll have your answer."

Rize creased her eyebrows. Today was turning out to be one of the strangest days ever. Oh, well. She might as well take a look at the envelope.

Rize put the dress on the shelf and picked up the envelope. Only now was she noticing that something was written on top of it. The handwriting was neat and elegant.

And it was Syaro's handwriting.

To The Love of My Life

Rize bit her lip, tears springing to her eyes. She knew Syaro loved her but this... It meant a lot to her. A lot.

Rize opened the envelope and pulled out the piece of paper inside it. Unfolding the paper, she read what was written on it.

Dear Rize-senpai,

This dress is a gift for you. As a thank you for everything you do for me. For helping me with my studies. For always protecting me. For caring about me. For loving me. And for being the best girlfriend I could ever ask for.

Thank you, Rize-senpai. I love you more than anyone else in the world. And I will love you forever. Always remember that. No matter what, you will have me by your side.

With love,

Syaro.

Tears threatened to spill from Rize's eyes. This dress was for her? That's what Syaro was doing today? Syaro was trying her best to find the perfect gift for her?

Rize wiped the tears from her eyes. She needed to talk to Syaro. Right now.

Rize turned around to find Yura smiling at her. "Yura, can you do the laundry a little later? I need to call Syaro first."

Yura giggled. "That won't be necessary, Rize-chan."

Rize knitted her brow. "What do you mean?"

Yura didn't answer. Instead, she walked over to the door and slowly opened it. Rize's eyes widened as she saw who was standing in the hallway.

"Syaro? What are you doing here?"

Syaro stepped into the room, a nervous look on her face. "I didn't originally plan to come here. I wanted Yura-senpai to hide the dress and then I'd talk to you on the phone when you found it. But since you saw the two of us today... I thought it would be better if I came here myself."

Rize turned to look at Yura. "You hid the dress here? Is that why Syaro gave it to you today?"

Yura nodded. "Of course, Rize-chan. I can't believe you thought Syaro-chan would buy a dress for me. It was for you, silly!"

Rize's eyes dropped to the floor. She was too ashamed to look at Syaro. So that's what was going on today. Syaro wanted to buy a dress for her today. Not Yura. She only gave the dress to Yura so that she could hide it in her room.

Rize glanced up at Yura. "When did you hide the dress?"

"It's not like you're always in your room. Hiding it was easy."

"Right..."

Rize's gaze dropped to the floor again. She still couldn't bring herself to look Syaro in the eyes. What was she even supposed to say?

Yura giggled. "I'll be taking my leave now. You two should talk."

Rize glanced up to see Yura walk out of the room with a wave. As Yura shut the door behind her, Syaro looked up at Rize. With a gulp, Rize looked away.

A few moments passed in silence. Then Rize felt a warm and soft hand on her cheek. She slowly turned her head to look at Syaro. Her eyes widened as she took in the look on Syaro's face.

"Syaro! Why are you crying?"

Syaro wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this in the afternoon. I know I hurt you. But I didn't want to ruin the surprise."

A small smile made its way to Rize's face. "It's a lovely surprise. Thank you."

"So you like the dress?"

Rize nodded. "Very much." She chuckled. "I actually wanted it for myself when I saw Yura wearing it."

"Really?"

"It's the truth."

Syaro smiled. "That's a relief. I was worried you wouldn't like it."

"I love it. I really do." Rize brushed a strand of hair off Syaro's forehead. "But why buy me such an expensive gift all of a sudden?"

"You've done so much for me, Rize-senpai. Especially with how much you've been helping me study recently. I had to do something to thank you."

"Well, you're welcome. But I don't mind helping you out, you know?"

Syaro's smile grew wider. "I know. And that's what makes you even more perfect."

"Eh?" Rize averted her eyes, her cheeks flaming. "I'm not perfect."

Syaro giggled. "You're perfect to me, Rize-senpai."

Rize bit her lip. She seriously didn't understand how Syaro could ignore all her flaws and call her perfect. It was ridiculous. She even spent a huge portion of her day stalking Syaro. And yet Syaro called her perfect.

Rize scratched her cheek as she glanced at Syaro. "So... Why exactly did you take Yura with you to help choose the dress? Because she's the only one who could hide it in my room?"

"That's part of the reason."

Rize raised an eyebrow. "There's more?"

Syaro chuckled. "Your and Yura-senpai's clothes' sizes are similar. So getting Yura-senpai to try out the dresses seemed like the best idea."

Oh. So that was why Syaro invited Yura of all people. Everything finally made sense. And in all honesty, Rize was so relieved. As much as she trusted Syaro, seeing Syaro spend time with Yura today made her anxious. It felt nice to know that nobody was trying to steal Syaro away from her.

But there was still one thing that was bothering Rize. One thing that she had to know.

"Syaro."

"Yes?"

"I, um..." Rize averted her eyes. "Please don't mind but... There's something I want to know."

"Sure. What is it, Rize-senpai?"

Rize swallowed thickly. "What did Yura tell you in the store today to get you to buy that white dress?"

"Eh?"

Rize looked back at Syaro. And her jaw dropped.

"You're blushing? Again? You were blushing at the store too! Why, Syaro? Why?"

Syaro looked away. "I-It's nothing. Forget about it."

Rize raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't seem like nothing to me."

Syaro bit her lip. "It's nothing serious."

Rize grabbed Syaro by the shoulders causing Syaro to look up at her. Rize stared right into Syaro's eyes, searching for an answer to her question. But all she could see in Syaro's eyes was nervousness.

Rize narrowed her eyes at Syaro. "Please tell me, Syaro. I'd like to know what on earth Yura said to my girlfriend to get her to blush like that."

Syaro blinked. Then she covered her mouth with her hand, a laugh escaping her lips. Rize frowned. Did she say something funny?

Syaro lowered her hand and looked up at Rize with a grin. "You're surprisingly jealous, aren't you?"

Rize pursed her lips. "You probably think I'm going to get embarrassed and deny that but that's not going to happen."

Syaro's eyebrows shot up. "Seriously?"

"Yes. I love you and the way Yura was flirting with you today made me jealous. I admit that."

Syaro stared at Rize in silence, her cheeks reddening. Then she averted her eyes. "Well, that's kind of nice but... You don't have to be jealous. Because..."

"Because?"

Syaro's cheeks grew redder. "I bought that dress because Yura-senpai said that if you saw me in that white dress, then..."

Rize creased her eyebrows. "Then what?"

Syaro buried her face in her hands. "Then you might want to marry me."

"Eh?" Rize's cheeks were on fire in an instant. "You... I... What?"

Syaro slowly lowered her hands and looked up at Rize, her face red. "It's a white dress. And wedding dresses are... Well, you get the point."

"Uh... Yeah, I got that. But... But..." Rize bit her lip. "You want to marry me?"

Syaro's eyes dropped to her feet. "Will you freak out if I say yes?"

"Yes."

Syaro's head snapped up. She looked up at Rize, fear evident in her eyes.

Rize smirked. "In a good way."

"...What?"

Rize pulled Syaro into a sudden, strong embrace. Syaro let out a yelp. With a smile, Rize buried her nose into Syaro's hair. As Syaro slowly returned the embrace, Rize chuckled.

Rize held Syaro tighter. "Scared you, didn't I?"

Syaro nodded into Rize's chest. "But does that mean you don't mind?"

"Of course I don't mind. And here's a little secret, Syaro." Rize moved her head down so that she could whisper into Syaro's ear. "You don't need to wear a white dress to make me want to marry you."

"Wh-What?" Syaro squeaked.

Rize pulled away to look at Syaro, a warm smile spreading across her face. "I told you before, didn't I? I want to spend forever with you."

Syaro stared up at Rize in silence for a few moments. Then a tear rolled down her cheek. Rize closed her eyes and rested her forehead against Syaro's forehead. Syaro laughed.

"Yes, Rize-senpai. We'll be together forever."

So what did you think of this story? Please let me know.

And now for something I'd like to let you all know…

Due to personal issues, I'm a lot busier now that usual. So I probably won't be able to write as much. I intend to continue writing for this ship but the updates probably won't be as fast as they've been. Nonetheless, I love this ship and wish to write more for it. I hope you all enjoy whatever I manage to write in the future.

Read and review, folks! I'm always open to feedback and constructive criticism.