It's Not My Fault We're Together!

Chapter 4: I'll Stay With You (As Long as You'll Let Me)

With the ringing of the bell, the day came to a close and Yuri rose to go home. Stretching slightly from the stiff seats of the class, she turned at the sound of scraping from the chair next to hers.

"See ya, Tamura-san!" Hina said, a bright smile on her face. "It was fun to eat lunch with you; let's do it again some time!"

With a blink and a nod, Yuri answered, "Uh... yeah, nice day, Hina."

For half a moment Hina wavered as if waiting for something before shaking her head and walking off with a wave.

Unsure of what to make of this strange little behavior, Yuri began gathering her things she heard someone calling to her. Turning once again, she saw Mako approaching her with a smile.

"Oh, hey, Mako." With a frown, Yuri said, "Sorry I didn't meet you for lunch today."

Waving away her words, Mako answered, "No, it's alright! I ate with Minami; we can just eat together tomorrow."

Considering this proposition, Yuri answered with a small nod before turning to her things, asking, "So... do you want to go home together?"

"Sure!"

...

"So, how did lunch with Hina go?"

Yuri blinked and, shook out of her reverie as she was by Mako's question, only managed to stammer out, "H-huh?"

"Well," Mako began, "you seemed quieter than usual, like you were thinking about something. I just though it might have something to do with your lunch with Hina."

Considering her friend's question, Yuri eventually began, "Yeah, I guess you're right. It went pretty well, though, even if we didn't talk about much."

Mako seemed to consider something for a moment, opening her mouth only to close it a moment later with a shake of her head. Confused by the girl's behavior, Yuri cocked an eyebrow and asked, "What's wrong, Mako?"

Shrugging, Mako answered, "Even considering that, you still seem a bit... melancholy. Like you're missing something."

Surprised at this observation, Yuri began to protest but quickly realized that Mako was entirely right. She did feel... off. She wasn't sure how to put it, certain only that she felt sort of... empty. "Yeah," she began, "You're right."

Pausing to think, Mako eventually rose a finger as she suggested, "Maybe you're sad because Kuroki's still in suspension?"

Considering this, Yuri eventually shook her head, answering, "No.. that's not it." For some reason, the suggestion bothered her. Why did everything have to hinge on Kuroki, anyway? They were all friends, but... sometimes it felt like, without the strange midget, she would be left alone.

"Well then," Mako said, cutting into the unhelpful thoughts jumbling around in Yuri's head, "What if you're sad because you wanted Hina to walk you home?"

This suggestion actually got Yuri to jump. She hadn't even considered it-perhaps because she didn't want to-but, really, it made sense. She wasn't sure why, but over the last day or so, she had grown... attached, perhaps? to Hina. She wanted to walk home with the girl again, and spend even a little bit more time with her if she could.

Stifling a small giggle, Mako said, "I guess that's a yes, isn't it?" Pausing to gaze at the sky, she added, "I'm a bit jealous, but I can't always be your only friend, can I?" Turning once more to Yuri, she finished, "I'm happy for you, Yuri; you're a better person than you think, and you deserve to have friends. Lots of them."

Unsure of how to respond, Yuri merely nodded, and the rest of the trip passed in silence.

...

As she lay on her bed, Yuri considered Mako's words. She hadn't thought much about the value she placed upon her friendship with Hina; they were friends, yes, but what did that mean?

For one, that meant they spoke to each other on a sort-of-regular basis. They were polite and friendly, and made some sort of effort to understand each other. They weren't strangers.

For another, they liked each other-to a point, at least. For now, the fights about Kuroki kept a certain distance between them, but otherwise, they had an interest in each other. They approved of one another's company.

But... Mako was wrong. She didn't really deserve to have friends; Yuri knew she was petty, aloof, irritable, selfish... the list of traits she disliked about herself went on and on. No matter what, she would have to overcome those qualities and honestly? She wasn't sure she could.

Of course, sitting around and moping wouldn't change much at all. It certainly wouldn't help; if she was going to be better friends with Hina, she had to take the first step.

She might not really have a reason to do that, but she knew she wanted to. As she contemplated this, her eyes drifted towards her phone...

...

Sitting at her desk, Hina hummed cheerfully along with the music streaming into her earbuds as she worked through the day's homework. Hearing a sudden ding announcing a notification from line, she turned from her work to check what had come through.

She found herself both happy and surprised to discover that the alert had come from Yuri. Quickly flicking through her phone, she opened the message.

YURI: Hey

With a smile, she began to text back in earnest.

HINA: Hi, Yuri!

HINA: Whatcha Need?

YURI: Nothing

HINA: Oh

HINA: So what're you doing?

YURI: Nothing, just some homework

HINA: Hey, me too! Actually, I was having some trouble with the math homework. Are you any good at math?

YURI: ...

YURI: Sort of

HINA: Hooray! You can help me then!

YURI: Really?

HINA: Yep!

Homework forgotten, Hina began to text back and forth with Yuri.

...

Yawning, Yuri turned to the clock and jolted in surprise as she realized that it was already 9 o'clock. Though she had been messaging Hina on and off for most of the time, it still had snuck up upon her unexpectedly... and she had yet to ask the question she had intended. With a few deep breaths to calm her nerves, she sent Hina yet another message.

YURI: Hey, would you want to walk home together tomorrow?

Stretching out onto her bed, Yuri considered what she had sent and what could happen now.

A few minutes later, a small ding alerted her to Hina's response. Releasing a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, Yuri hesitated for half a moment before picking up her phone.

HINA: Yeah, sure!

A smile split across her face and Yuri relaxed, glad she had received the answer she was hoping for. As she began to type a response, however, another message came across, and she paused to read it.

HINA: I'm soooo sorry! Did you want to walk home together today? △

With a small chuckle to herself, Yuri simply answered back,

YURI: Nah, it's fine, see you tomorrow

HINA: Well, okay...

HINA: See ya!

Placing her phone by her bedside, Yuri drifted off with a smile on her face. Just as she was about to enter dreamland, however, another ding came from her phone. Picking it up curiously, she found that Hina had sent one final message.

HINA: I wanted to walk home with you, too

Clutching her phone to her chest, Yuri returned once more to sleep, a serene expression on her face.

***Chapter 4: Good End***