A/N: This chapter's also full of social links, but I tried to just put a lot of events in just so the next chapter isn't social links again, which shouldn't be although a day or two is missing from this one. Next chapter would have Rise in it, for sure! Oh, and it's pretty cheesy at the final parts of this little chapter, sooo... anyone want a wedges to go with that cheese?
Guest2 - Well, it was one of the few reasons why I decided to do this story in 3rd POV than 1st... oh well, glad you think that way then. Yeah, poor Ayane... as for Ai, you'll see how she goes with it in this chapter, hehe. Yui's backstory will come into the story in small drops and stuff, but the full course will come in time once the whole team is formed (when Naoto joins, technically) so it'll be a lot longer!
Mr Giraffe (Guest) - Have fun in the cheese 'cause Yui's gonna deal with some stuff by the end of this chapter haahahahah.
The first day of July started off not with the warm, gentle rays of the sun, but rather the cold and bitter downpour of rain. Like usual, no one was in the mood to hang out, so Yu went to the shrine in the shopping district to report to the fox about his success in fulfilling the wish on the ema. He ended up spending time with it for the whole afternoon. Then when evening fell, he wondered for a good moment on what to do. Then he recalled the nurse from the hospital yesterday – does he dare to go back there to see what she meant by something fun?
…Well, this shouldn't be making him so nervous. Better that he go and find out what she would do rather than ponder about it.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
His work in the hospital brought him to wiping the equipment and beds in an empty hospital room… it was recently vacated, which was why he was ordered to clean it up. However, he had the nagging feeling that someone was watching him, but he tried to ignore it the best he could to finish his task in the room. Eventually he did, and was about to leave the room when the same nurse from yesterday entered the room. "Oh, is there someone else here?" She saw him standing there. "Oh, it's you, the student worker. I see you're doing your job." She then approached him, a kind smile on her lips. "I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Sayoko Uehara. Nice to meet you."
Yu nodded, still feeling like he shouldn't let his guard down yet… but Sayoko seems… kind.
"When you're done here, come on by the nurse's station. I'll pour you some hot coffee," Sayoko said to him. She fell silent for a moment before she chuckled. "...Just kidding."
The silver-haired boy raised an eyebrow. What is she…?
Sayoko then got uncomfortably close to Yu, causing him to grow tense at the stare the nurse was giving him. "I hear you're a high schooler..." she whispered as she took a good look at the boy's body. "Hmhm, your skin is so smooth... hey... you know what I'm getting at, don't you?"
She can't be serious!
Yu looked around worriedly, trying to see if there was someone he could call over… to his shoddy luck, there was no one but them in the room. Sayoko smiled deviously. "Don't worry, no one'll see..." she whispered again, teasingly this time.
The silver-haired boy shook his head. "I'm not interested," he told her, his silver-grey eyes staring into the nurse's dark brown ones. He was about the same height as her, but it still didn't deter the nurse from chuckling at his response. "…Oho... how adorable!"
She's serious.
"...I like you." Sayoko giggled at his reaction, saying that. "When's the next time you're coming? I'll adjust my shift. Looks like even a town like this has something fun to do..." Her mischievous affection could be felt by the silver-haired boy… and what he didn't expect to happen was the feeling of something shattering, followed by whispers in his mind began speaking of a bond forming between him and Sayoko, this time of the Devil Social Link of the Devil Arcana… how fitting.
He's playing with the devil.
Kind of.
By the time the whispers faded out, Sayoko turned to leave with a sly smile still on her lips. "I'll see you again." Then she left, leaving Yu blinking a few times, stupefied. He really did just get hit on by a nurse. What the hell was he supposed to do about that?
However, seeing that a Social Link formed between himself and her… maybe there was something behind that flirty act of hers, or he's just too hopeful and she's actually eyeing him. Sighing, he continued his work for the night until he finished before returning home.
After school ended the next day, Yu went to go check the shrine and see if the fox had any more requests it needed fulfilled.
Arriving there, he saw the fox jump off the roof and land right behind him with an ema in its mouth. "What you got for me today, fox?" he asked with a chuckle, kneeling down to take the ema and examine it. The request was written in large, uneven letters, probably by a child… asking that he be given friends. The child's name was Yoshitaka, or at least, what was written on it could be his name. "Hm… friends, huh?" He'll have to look around for this kid. "I'll do it," he told the fox, who yipped at him happily on its hind legs.
Smiling at it, the silver-haired boy soon left the shrine to go back to school.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
On his way through the flood plains, Yu noticed a lonely boy staring at the signboard. He approached him, to which the boy got somewhat defensive. "Wh-what? I don't have any money," he told Yu.
The teenager shook his head – this kid must've been bullied a lot… or was just paranoid. "I don't want your money, kid." Admittedly, it felt ironic to say that. His former gang members usually did the dirty work and used it to buy liquor… sake being the most common drink. It didn't take long for him to get addicted to drinking it, but it felt like eternity to break himself out of that addiction.
"You're not here for anything else, then, right? I don't have any friends. So nobody ever wants to talk to me…" The boy seemed quite sad… he's probably the one who wrote the ema request since he just said that he didn't have any friends. "Everyone talks about things I don't know about. Right now, they're all collecting stickers… I have a sticker, too, but they all said, 'Everyone has that one…'. If I had a rare sticker, I bet they'd become my friends…"
A rare sticker so he can make friends… checking his pockets, the only sticker Yu had was one of the prize redemption stickers from Tanaka's. The boy noticed it in his hand. "Huh…? Mister, is that a sticker?" he asked him. The silver-haired teenager opened his palm to reveal the sticker to the child, who took a closer look at it. "'Granter of your desires'? If this sticker can do that, then I'm sure to make friends! Mister, can you give me this sticker?" he asked pleadingly.
Yu nodded, giving the boy the sticker. "Sure, here you go."
"Yay! Thank you! I'm sure to have lots of friends now!" The boy then ran off cheerfully. Yu wondered if the kid would make lots of friends with that sticker… he'll have to check on him another day. He then continued his walk to school, planning to hang out with Chie if she was free for the evening.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
So, Yu did do some training with Chie who wasn't busy that afternoon. After they finished, the brunette led him to Souzai Daigaku – this was the place with the steak skewers.
"Have you had the steak skewers? The meat is tender and delicious, and they hardly cost anything!" Chie told him. "...It might not even be cow meat."
…That's a worrying thought, though.
"Just kidding... whoa, thinking about it, that's kinda gross, haha..."
As if on cue, a police officer approached the food stall which shocked Chie. "The police are here... th-then is this place really serving fake meat...?"
The policeman then looked at them. "Excuse me."
Both Yu and Chie straightened up as they faced the man. "Y-Yes? I haven't eaten any of the meat today, I swear!" The brunette said in a tense manner.
That wasn't why the policeman was here, though. "Lately, there's been several incidents with a group of teenagers bullying people around here," he told the two, looking serious. He seemed to glance at the silver-haired boy a few times as well.
"...Bullying?" Chie cocked her head to the side, a bit confused.
"Extortion, if you will. Have you seen anyone suspicious?"
"N-No, no one in particular..."
Yu was starting to feel uncomfortable at where the topic was now going. A group of teenagers bullying people… and the glances the police officer was giving him were unnerving. The policeman then stared at him. "How about you? Seen anyone like that?" he questioned the boy. Shaking his head, the silver-haired boy attempted to keep calm. "No, I haven't, sir."
"Hmmm, I see... well, you two be careful then." The man looked at Yu again. "Don't act up in town like those teenagers, alright?" he advised the pair, but the fact that he was still watching the teenage boy while he said that told multitudes to Yu that this police officer knew his past as well, and was warning him not to go back to his old ways. At this point, he might as well assume that the whole police force of Inaba knew that a former infamous delinquent from the city was in the damn town, and no matter how hard he tried to get rid of that life, it'll come to haunt him in many ways possible.
It sucked.
Once the policeman left, Chie turned to talk to him. "I'm glad it wasn't the meat..." she admitted quietly. Her expression then became furious, however. "...But still, bullying!? What cowards, ganging up on the weak like that!" she commented angrily.
Yu could only nod, feeling much like a hypocrite now. "Exactly." If she knew what he used to do as a delinquent, their friendship might as well shatter into pieces instantly.
…That's a terrifying thought and he didn't want to spend another second thinking about it.
"It's so cruel! And stupid!" Chie was very much outraged at the incident… "We'll grab 'em and make them apologize! Right, Leader?" she said, asking Yu as well. The silver-haired boy nodded once more, putting on a determined smile for her. "Of course."
A happy look appeared on Chie's face for a moment. "I knew you'd say that!" Her expression soon turned serious. "Mowing down villains and saving the weak, a lone female fighter stands... to protect the town's peace, she throws herself into the battlefield, unbeknownst to all...!" She paused, thinking about what she just said… and she ended up smiling at the thought. "Ooh, yeah! That sounds cool!" With a fiery spirit, she looked at Yu with a grin. "Yu-kun, leave it to me!"
Upon getting a smile in response from the silver-haired boy, she blushed a little and lowered her gaze, smiling too. "Though I'd feel better about it if you helped... and it'd make me... kinda happy..." She seemed somewhat embarrassed… but nonetheless, their relationship has grown deeper through this event... and so did the Chariot Social Link. Chie was back to her normal self after a few moments in silence. "Alright, first, let's eat!" She then wondered about something. "'Don't think. Feel...' right? Actually in this case, would it be, 'Don't think. Eat...'?"
Yu just chuckled, shrugging. "Probably."
They both eventually walked back home together, eating steak skewers on the way there.
On Sunday, Yu met up with Ayane who had called him in the morning to ask if he wanted to go somewhere with her. They went to Okina City at the small girl's request…
"Wow, a lot of new shops have opened… I'm almost never here, so I don't keep up with this place very well," Ayane commented, looking amazed at the sights in the city. She then looked at Yu with a smile. "Um… do you have any suggestions?" she asked him. "How about we just walk around, see some stuff?" The silver-haired boy suggested, smiling as well. Ayane nodded, liking that idea. "Okay, let's see all the stores!" She gazed at the rows and rows of stores ahead of them. "Why don't we start from…"
She then noticed someone from the corner of her eye – it was Daisuke from the soccer club Yu joined. "Huh? Isn't that Daisuke-senpai?" she asked, looking at the brunet. Daisuke smiled upon seeing the silver-haired boy next to Ayane. "Hey, what's up, Yu? What a coincidence." He approached the two as Yu smiled back. "Daisuke, good to see you," he greeted his friend from the soccer club. Daisuke glanced at Ayane, wondering who she was. "…Is this your girlfriend?"
Ayane was quite shocked to hear that. "W-well, ah, it-it's not…!" She stuttered, fumbling with her words as she tried to say she wasn't Yu's girlfriend. Daisuke just nodded. "Oh, I get it. It's still a work in progress, right?!" He laughed jokingly.
"P-Please don't tease, Senpai!"
"Senpai…?" It then hit Daisuke that Ayane actually knew him. "Oh, are you from Yasogami High too?" He just ended up laughing more as the small girl grew more embarrassed.
"…We went to the same middle school too, Senpai!" she told him, huffing at the attitude Daisuke had towards her.
The day was pretty exciting as the trio spent some time together in the city before going back to Inaba.
Monday came along with no sign of Rise still.
Yu went to the flood plains to see if the lonely boy from the other day was around, and he did find the kid standing by the signboard again.
The boy noticed him coming towards him. "Oh, you're the one who gave me the Prize Sticker… I showed it to them, but they said a grown-up sticker didn't count…" he told him dejectedly. "Here, you can have it back…" He gave the silver-haired teenager the sticker back. "Where am I supposed to find a rare kid's sticker? I don't know any…"
Guess Yu will have to find a rare sticker that's popular among kids… maybe he should actually ask some kids for ideas… like Nanako. Yeah, he should probably ask her for ideas. Seeing that he couldn't do much to help now, he quietly left the boy to return back to school. He'll probably hang out with Chie again to do some training.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
After they finished their training, they both decided to stop by the Aiya Diner in the shopping district.
"Steak bowl or a combo plate... the ultimate decision..." Chie murmured, wondering on which dish she should eat. However, the pair were alerted to a familiar voice shouting out from nearby.
"S-Stop it...!" That sounded like… that guy who was Chie's friend. They could hear two other voices too.
"Shut up, dumbass."
"Yeah, that's right. We all know it's time to cough up."
There was a moment of silence before the same voice spoke up again. "What? That's it? Quit bullshitting us."
Chie glanced worriedly at Yu. "Th-That voice... it can't be...! Let's go, Yu-kun!"
The silver-haired boy nodded, and they both quickly ran off in the direction of the voices.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
The sight they ran into was Takeshi being cornered into a wall by a gang of three punks.
"Takeshi…?!" Chie was startled to see that her suspicions were right. The punks were just excited to see that they had more people to take money from as she and Yu ran towards them, stopping just short a few feet. "Ch-Chie!" Takeshi ran past the punks, hiding behind the two. "Hey!" One of the punks yelled at him. "Whaddaya runni' for? Gonna hide behind a girl, huh?" The punk leader taunted the guy. Chie ignored their words and looked at Takeshi. "Are you all right?" she asked him.
"I-I'm fine... y-you've always been good at stuff like this! Th-They took all my money. You're gonna get them for me, right!?"
"Well, it does tick me off!" The brunette then glared at the punks. "Hey, cowards! Ganging up on one guy... you oughtta be ashamed!"
Takeshi took the chance to run away. "T-Take care of them for me!"
"Uh, wow, that was fast!" Chie could only stare at the fleeing figure of her friend down the road in surprise. "...Sheesh!" She then looked at the punks and got into a ready stance. "C'mon, what's the matter? Let's throw down!" she taunted them. The punk leader seemed to get aggravated by it. "Huh? What's with this bitch? Y'think you're all that? I ain't afraid to hit a girl... we'll kick your ass!"
This doesn't look good.
Even Yu would have difficulty beating three teenage boys despite having the brawling skills from back when he was a troublemaker to do just that… so he stepped forward and held an arm up in front of Chie to hold her back. "Wha- stop that!" She seemed angry at his act.
"What a pain in the ass..." The punk leader muttered, annoyed at the situation. "Yo, that guy who ran away might call the cops," One of the other punks informed him. At that knowledge, the leader decided that they were better off letting these two go than to get caught by the police. "Screw this. Let's go." They quickly ran off, leaving Yu and Chie behind.
"Hey, hold on! Wait!" Chie tried to run after them, but they were too quick. She fell silent for a few seconds. "…What the heck... running away when you step in." Frustration soon set in, and she turned around to yell at the silver-haired boy. "...Why'd you butt in? What, you thought you couldn't leave it up to me!? I could've handled them myself!" But in truth, she knew that she wouldn't have lasted long. "…Sorry..." she murmured, looking down apologetically. "I charged in by myself... caused you trouble..."
"It's no trouble, Chie." Yu could somewhat understand why she wanted to do that…
"…Thanks." Chie's stand then relaxed, though she seemed guilty about something. "You're right, huh? I gotta remember I'm not alone... it's always like that. Everyone's doing their best... then I start to worry that it's all up to me... and I've gotta work harder... I worry that someday, I'll end up causing even more trouble, like I did today... haha... I'm so stupid." She regretted her grandstanding… but because of it, Yu could feel the quiet passion she had towards all this.
…The Chariot Social Link grew stronger.
A soft rosy hue appeared on the brunette's cheeks as she smiled at the boy in front of her. "Yu-kun... thank you. Umm..." She began to feel a bit embarrassed… "…N-Never mind!" Shaking her head, her blush toned down a little. "I need to work harder, huh? Why am I moping...? I'll think about it some… though I'm not too smart!"
Yu just smiled with a shake of his head. "You'll get it…" Now he was feeling a little uneasy… it looked like as if Chie was starting to… well… like him. He just hoped that he was wrong the next time they hung out.
Eventually, they both just walked partway home together before parting.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Returning home, Yu then remembered about his plan to ask Nanako if she knew anything about rare stickers. He went ahead to go and ask. "Hey Nanako, do you have any popular children's stickers?"
"A children's sticker? Umm… I'll go look." Nanako then got up to search for one. Once she did, she went back to her cousin. "This is pretty popular. Here you go." She gave the silver-haired boy the sticker she got, which was a Tankiriman sticker... whatever that character is supposed to be. Yu smiled at her either way. "Thank you…" he thanked her, which made the little girl giggle with a happy blush on her cheeks. He should give this to that kid in the flood plains when he has the time.
For a moment, Nanako's smile fell as she acted nervous. "Uhh… umm…" She was hiding something… Yu decided to spend some time with her this time to see what she had to say, to her relief. Once he sat down at the table, she started speaking in an anxious tone. "Ummm... don't tell Dad, but…"
"I won't. I swear to that." Yu nodded, smiling reassuringly at his cousin. Nanako nodded too. "O-okay… they handed this out at school. They said to give it to our parents..." she told him as she got a paper from underneath her cushion, placing in on the table so the silver-haired boy could read it. Yu took a closer look, then noticed that it was a survey for parents regarding the scheduling of parent-teacher interviews… man, he hated those. His parents were almost never around… like his uncle.
"They said to have our parents write down when they can visit the school..." Nanako murmured, her expression crestfallen. "…But Dad's always working, so... he can't come, huh?"
"Don't worry, I'll ask him with you." Yu could at least do that for her. The little brunette smiled in relief at his words. "Really? Thanks, big bro!" She looked at the paper again. "...I'll give this to Dad. I'll ask him to come..." A happy smile now appeared on her youthful face. "I'm glad I asked you!"
Her cheerfulness was infectious - Yu couldn't help but smile back as he felt his cousin's trust for him. The Justice Social Link became stronger with their relationship…
"He'll come, right? ...Since he's my 'real' Dad," Nanako asked her big bro. She then wondered if the teenager had gone through the same thing as her. "Big bro, did you have 'Parent-Teacher Interviews' too? Were you nervous?"
Yu nodded in response to her question. "Mhm… always had them once a year or so." As for being nervous, his high grades didn't bring much reason for him to feel as such… much less when he was a delinquent as he began rebelling against his parents and rules in that time. But that's a story that he will never tell, so he slowly changed the topic by talking about other things with his younger cousin. Eventually it got late, so he put Nanako to bed before going to his own room.
The flood plains were Yu's first stop after school ended. He found the lonely boy who wrote the request on the ema standing near the signboard like the day before and approached him again. He could hear the boy muttering to himself. "Where am I supposed to find a rare kid's sticker? I can't come up with anything…"
"Hey, would this do?" The silver-haired teenager then gave the kid the Tankiriman sticker he got from Nanako.
"…A Tankiriman Sticker? Wow, thank you! This is cool-looking, so I'm sure they'll let me play after I show them this!" The boy smiled before running off cheerfully. Yu wondered if that sticker will help him make lots of friends this time… he'll have to check in tomorrow if it wasn't raining.
With a small smile to himself, he walked back to school with a new plan to join soccer practice.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
It's been a while since Yu attended soccer practice, but feeling the thrill of kicking the ball and stuff was a nice outlet to use his strength in. He watched as Daisuke coached some of the players with passion.
"C'mon guys, you haven't even finished your knee lifts yet!" Daisuke told a group of the soccer players.
They were gasping pretty hard. "I... can't... run anymore..."
"That's when you've gotta push yourself! C'mon, one more lap! I'll run with you!"
"Yes, sir..."
So, Daisuke ran ahead, letting the group follow him from behind as they ran a lap around the field. Yu smiled at the sight, happy to see that his friend was back to his old self again. He went to go and sit at the benches for a small break, watching as the brunet finished one more lap before finishing his coaching. Eventually Daisuke noticed him and grinned, going over to sit next to the silver-haired boy. "Whew, it feels like forever since I've been this exhausted! But damn, it feels good!" He laughed cheerfully.
"That's good," Yu told him, still smiling at the brunet.
"I'm not gonna screw around anymore. From now on, I'm all business!" Suddenly, Daisuke appeared to be pensive. "…I kept pretending that I was trying my hardest... But the truth is, I was hardly trying. If I managed to do well playing at half my potential, nobody really cared that I wasn't taking it seriously. And if I wasn't doing so hot, I had a copout. All I had to do was say I wasn't trying." He continued to speak his mind, telling Yu of how he really felt. "I was scared of the possibility that things could go wrong, even when I gave it my all. Because if that happened... I would have felt like I had no business even being here... haha... pretty lame, huh?"
Daisuke then shrugged to himself. "Well…" He got up from where he sat and went to stand in front of the silver-haired boy, taking something out. "This is for you." He gave Yu a spike brush. "It's a brush you can use to clean your cleats. I realized I haven't used it in a long time... I just soaked my cleats and let 'em hang dry, like I didn't care... but I used to like cleaning my cleats and soccer balls..." He smiled sheepishly. "I don't know why I'm doing this... it just kinda popped into my head, y'know? It's not super fancy or anything, but it's easy to use. You and I are gonna be running a lot from now on, so..."
Grinning at the brunet, Yu nodded in understanding. "Of course."
"...Come on, let's grab some grub before we go home!"
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
The trio of friends went to eat at their usual spot in the Aiya Diner after practice was over.
"I've been hearing people talk about ya, Daisuke," Kou told his friend. "'He's a new man!', 'A demon awoke inside of him!'. Words to that effect."
Daisuke nodded in response. "Yeah, well, I quit pretending. I was getting pretty bored of not taking things seriously. You give it 110% and sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Not knowing is what makes it fun."
"Ain't that the truth? Lay the charm on thick, get rejected, and cry about it later. That's a woman for you."
The brunet's eyebrows furrowed as he heard that. Kou continued on anyway. "Still, too bad about your ex, though." Now this got him a confused look from Daisuke. "You were kinda hoping she still liked you, right?"
"What? H-Hey, that's not—" Daisuke grew flustered as he tried to deny it.
Kou laughed a bit. "Whoo boy, look at his face. I think I've seen tomatoes less red than that." His comment got Yu to laugh as well, which made the brunet embarrassed.
"Wh-What about you guys, huh!? All that 'What am I to you' shit, you're the ones who should be embarrassed!" he retorted.
Kou gave his best friend a teasing smile. "What, you want us to say it again? Maybe in unison this time?"
"Don't give me that touchy-feely crap!"
…Well, it was a fun time with these two.
"But yeah, uhh... thanks." Daisuke awkwardly thanked the two boys. Kou grinned cheekily at him. "Don't worry, we'll always be here to embarrass you."
"...Gee, thanks." This time, the brunet said it with a big smile.
After all that, Yu could feel a deep bond has formed between him, Kou, and Daisuke… before he knew it, there were whispers in his head that spoke of a genuine bond being established. He now had the ability to fuse a new Persona, Zaou-Gongen, the ultimate form of the Strength Arcana…
Daisuke smiled in relief. "I feel like I can finally move forward again..." he admitted to his friends. Kou smiled as well. "That's good, man."
"So, let's do another group date. Kou, you should call those chicks up again."
That suggestion took the black-haired boy off guard. "Huh!? Now you're gonna pull a 180 on me!? Dude, you really ticked those girls off last time!"
"Oh. I guess you'll have to do some grovelling then."
"ME!?"
Daisuke and Yu just laughed as Kou got all annoyed. The silver-haired boy also took a moment to enjoy the good times with the two, with whom he had just formed a tight bond… although he may regret forming these bonds as well as many other ones in the first place, he won't ever regret the joy it brought him.
The looming reminder that he was only here for a year did not escape his mind, after all.
During lunchtime the next day, Yu had noticed Ai approaching him nervously with her face all flushed… apparently, she was wondering if he had already asked the guy she fell in love with, only to tell him that they should talk later. So once school ended, he told her to give him a short moment as he had something to do outside school – he needed to check on the kid he gave the sticker to.
She reluctantly agreed to wait during that time, thus he was now rushing down the path from school to the flood plains. He found the kid standing by the signboard like yesterday and the many days before. "Hey, kid."
"Oh, mister." The boy seemed a little cheerful today. "Y'know the sticker you gave me? Everyone already knew about it… but I did make friends! I talked to them every time I got a new sticker, and they just kinda became my friends! It's thanks to you! Oh, and also the fox. I wrote my wish at the shrine. They said a fox grants wishes there. I'll go say thanks to the fox later!" he told him.
The silver-haired teenager smiled as he heard that. "That's great. Don't forget to do that, then." He managed to accomplish the request written on the ema… he'll report it to the fox one day.
For now, he had a certain blonde woman to handle first.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Ai yanked him by the arm all the way up to the roof… Yu was sitting on the metal bars that supported the giant solar panels on the roof while Ai began to question him. "S-So, did you ask him... what kind of girl he likes?"
"…He said he likes 'nice girls'," The silver-haired boy answered her. This got the blonde almost in a panic. "…'Nice'? He didn't say anything about being cute? Not even like, 'a beautiful woman' or anything like that? B-But, every guy wants to be with a pretty girl, right? It's the good-looking girls who find love, isn't it!?" She grew frustrated and huffed. "Forget this, I'm tired of beating around the bush. Just go ask him if he's got a crush on anyone." When Yu didn't move immediately, she yelled at him. "What are you waiting for!? Go!"
"A-alright." Yu really didn't have a choice… he'll have to check downstairs then – Daisuke should be around.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Walking down the stairs, Yu just so happened to bump into Daisuke.
"Yo, Yu. What's up?" The brunet greeted him with a casual smile. "Hey, Daisuke. I'm just wondering if you got a crush on anyone," Yu asked him bluntly, taking his friend off guard. "Huh!? What's gotten into you?" Daisuke then averted his gaze. "Nah... there isn't anyone."
…This is going to be a leap. "Then, do you have any interest in Ai?"
"Ai...? Like our manager, Ai? Not interested." Daisuke answered without a second thought… he then chuckled. "We done playing twenty questions? Haha. See you later." He left the silver-haired boy standing there after saying goodbye. Yu thought of how he was going to tell Ai that Daisuke had no interest in her when his senses suddenly blared at the feeling of someone watching him. Looking towards the stairs, he saw a flash of blonde hair and the sound of quick footsteps running up them – shit, Ai was eavesdropping the whole conversation.
Worry taking over his mind, Yu hurriedly ran up the stairs to catch her before she did anything reckless.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Now Yu found himself facing a sight that brought chills down his spine – Ai was standing on the other side of the wire fence, near the ledge of the roof… it reminded him of his own act in his lowest points in life. He had to stop her, but he knew that she was overwhelmed by the truth that Daisuke didn't like her at all… he had to try and understand her in that way. "Ai, don't do this…!" he called her, worried that she might just let her legs slip over the ledge…
"Don't come any closer! He doesn't like me! He's not interested in the slightest! I...! I..." Ai yelled at him, having lost her composure. She needed to be calmed down before it got any worse. "Hey, try to calm down…" Yu told her, trying his best to be keep a composed state. The blonde kept on shouting. "Guys like pretty girls, don't they!? I'm pretty now! And I had to work hard to become this way! But if I can't be loved, then... then what's the point!?"
"I'll hear you out… just come over here."
Quietly, Ai began to sob… but nonetheless, she stepped down from the ledge and got back on the other side of the wire fence.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
The two of them went a safe distance away from the ledge of the roof so they could talk.
Ai leaned against the wall, staring down at her feet sadly while Yu sat on the giant pipes, patiently waiting for her to gather up the courage to say what was on her mind. She eventually spoke up in a quiet voice. "I... I used to be fat and clumsy... my family was poor, and everyone at school bullied me all the time. They used to surround me and say I was gross, or they called me names like 'Piggy-hara'... the boy I had a crush on even told me not to look at him, because I'd 'give him my germs'. Those awful memories still haunt me in my nightmares..."
She looked at Yu, a sorrowful expression on her face. "About the time I entered middle school, my family came into their money. Everyone got so jealous of us that we ran away... and moved here. I knew this was my chance to start over... it was time to show them all..." Then a fire burned in her eyes. "I dieted, got into shape, and read every fashion or women's magazine I could get my hands on. I studied them like they were textbooks and learned all the secrets - everything from attracting guys to smiling better. But..."
A dejected chuckle left her lips as she wiped her eyes of tears. "Ahaha… looks like... it was all for nothing. I couldn't be loved unless I became pretty, and now that I am, I still can't have it. I guess I'm doomed. I'll never be loved, will I? It's not like I have any other redeeming qualities..."
"Hey… you're still young. You've got a whole other life ahead of you, with many other chances to fall in love and be loved in return…" Yu told her softly, now knowing why she acted so pompous. No one should be treated that way just because of their body size. He's gone through that kind of bullying before – and it hurts.
"You're... so nice to me. I should've fallen in love with you..." The blonde murmured, gazing at him remorsefully. "…Haha, just kidding..." she added when a silence fell between them for a moment. Yu kept silent, not knowing how to respond to that… which gave Ai an idea. "Hey... why don't you and I just go out?" she suggested, a smile appearing on her lips.
Nervousness gripped the silver-haired boy's heart at that moment. Is she seriously suggesting that? "…Are you sure about that?"
The smile on Ai's face fell. "...You're a weird guy. You're right, I'm sorry... I'm still... a little confused," she admitted with a sad smile. The relationship between them has somewhat grown deeper, causing the Moon Social Link to become stronger too. Another moment of silence surrounded them both before Ai spoke up quietly. "I'm going home now..." She paused for a second, staring at Yu. "…Thank you." She then went towards the rooftop door, opening it to walk down the stairs with heavy footsteps.
Yu did the same thing a moment later, deciding to go home after what happened. Yet his heart felt heavy…
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
To get his mind off the events during the evening, Yu decided to make lunch for tomorrow after Nanako had told him that she went shopping today. He saw a bunch of sweet potatoes in the fridge… which are perfect to make daigaku-imo. He first prepared the sweet sauce, then deep fried the sweet potatoes before stirring the sweet sauce into the fried sweet potato. He tried one to see the taste and smiled when he got a sweet taste alongside a crispy texture from the daigaku-imo.
As he got a container and began to put the food inside it, he wondered on who to share it with. He shared his food with Ayane and Yosuke before… actually, he shared his food with only those two. Everyone else he knew hasn't had a taste yet. Glancing at the TV, he noticed that it was playing a drama show where the lead protagonist, who was a schoolgirl, had just asked a fellow male student to eat her lunch with him, which Yu assumed was the love interest. At that little scene, a thought crossed his mind – what if he shared his food with Kanji?
…Did he really just think that?
Yu felt his face burn up like a growing fire, and he quickly shook his head to dispel the idea. But it still managed to remain in his mind, stuck like glue to his thoughts. He bit his lower lip as he stared at the container where he had just put tomorrow's lunch into for a long, quiet moment. His own actions were so not helping himself… yet it could be worth the happy look on Kanji's face once he got a taste of the daigaku-imo. Sighing, he gave in to his heart's desire and went to store his lunch.
A small smile somehow made its way onto his lips as he then went upstairs to his room.
As he had promised himself, Yu asked Kanji if he wanted to share his lunch with him when lunchtime rolled around. The blond agreed to it, so they were now at the roof of the school, eating Yu's lunch.
Kanji was amazed at how tasty it was. It was just some daigaku-imo, but it was the most delicious one he had ever tasted. "Wow, this is sooo good! My own mom can't cook this well… mind making my school lunches?" he complimented, even jokingly asking that to his senpai.
Yu just smiled at him with a small laugh, feeling like he was on cloud nine at the underclassman's praise. Yes, it was definitely worth it.
He'll continue to work on getting rid of his crush later…
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
That afternoon, since Yu just spent his lunchtime with Kanji, he chose to spend his time hanging out with the younger boy as well. They were now sitting at a small hut on a hill overlooking town after Kanji took him there.
"I've always liked this place. Being able to see my house and school and everything from up here... it makes me feel small," Kanji told Yu, smiling a little at the sight of the town from afar. His expression turned serious when he fell silent for a few seconds, then he looked at the silver-haired boy. "Uhh... when you met Ma at the hospital... she say anything about me?" he asked him. Yu nodded in response – what Mrs. Tatsumi told him was enough for him to understand the troubles her son went through. "Plenty."
"That's what I thought... well, you already know everything about me. I got nothin' to hide." Kanji had an embarrassed smile on his face as he said that. "Wish I could quit being afraid of hospitals. I gotta get stronger..." He stared at the ground for a moment before glancing to the right of him, noticing a kid sitting at the bench there. "Huh? That kid... he was with Ma at the hospital…"
Yu looked over and saw that it definitely was the child Kanji's mother brought to the hospital. He watched as Kanji got up to sit next to the kid, so he also got up and observed the two from nearby.
"Yo kid, what're you doin' here by yourself?" Kanji asked the young boy. The kid tried to dodge the question. "Uh... ummm... nothing..."
"Then how come you look like you're gonna cry?"
"I... lost a doll... I lost the knit rabbit doll that Sana-chan let me borrow... Taka-kun said it was girly and stomped on it... it got all dirty... and he said, 'If you're a man, then throw it away...'. I... threw the doll in the river... and it got washed away..." The quiet-looking boy began to sniffle… and he began to cry, hiccupping in between sobs. "Waaaaaaaaaaaaah! What should I do!? I hafta give it back to Sana-chan... she liked that bunny... and I... I..."
Kanji was quiet as he heard the young boy's story. "…So why are you here? You ran away?" All he got as an answer were sniffles and hiccups from the kid… "...Ya dumb kid!"
This just made the young boy cry again. "Waaaaaaaaaaah!"
Sighing, Kanji got up from the bench which made the child look up at him when he hasn't moved away. "C'mon! Don't just stand there!" he told the kid. Yu finally realised what the blond was about to do and approached him. Noticing him approaching, Kanji scratched his own head sheepishly with a smile. "Oh, uhh... I'm gonna go now."
The silver-haired boy smiled at him too. "I'll go with you, Kanji," he told him.
This genuinely surprised Kanji, his eyes wide open. "Huh? Really!?" he asked, and the older boy nodded again in response. He's not going to leave the Kanji to do the work just because he was now going to the river to find the doll… hell, he'll go into the water himself to help out.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
The three of them then went down to the flood plains where the river was.
Yu would've offered himself to help out, but Kanji told him to keep the brunet child who wanted to help as well from going into the river, thus he had to stay back and watch the underclassman search the cold river for the bunny doll. If the river was as cold as the river from back in the mountains, then he hoped that Kanji wouldn't fall sick because of the temperature. One could get all chilly if they stayed in ice cold water for too long… and that chilly feeling could develop into a cold or a fever.
However, despite how hard Kanji tried to search for the doll, he was unable to find it. He eventually came out of the river, his clothes wet from searching in the water… Yu struggled to not stare at the blond's figure as his face flushed slightly. Damn it, he was in much deeper trouble with his emotions than he thought.
The young brunet bowed in apology. "I-I'm sorry... I'm going to apologize to Sana-chan. Even if she's mad, I'll say I'm sorry..." he murmured sadly. Kanji's eyebrows furrowed at his failure to find the bunny doll. "Uh, yeah, well, if you do find the rabbit, make sure you give it to her..." he said to him, trailing off for a moment as an idea hit him. "Yo, hold up. What kind of rabbit was it? Spill it." When the boy gave him a puzzled look, he pushed on. "Just tell me!"
So, the kid told him what kind of doll it was… Kanji nodded once he got the idea. "Alright, I got it. You apologize to this 'Sana-chan'. You're the one who 'threw it away'," he told the boy, who nodded in understanding. He continued to talk. "It might not be the same, but I'll get you a new one... so let it go with that."
"M-Mister..." The young boy called him that, which got the blond a bit agitated.
"Who you callin' mister!?"
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Well, the kid soon left to do what Kanji told him, leaving the two teenagers alone by the river.
"Geez... I'm still in high school. That's the prime of my youth!" Kanji commented, slightly annoyed at being called 'mister'. Then he became quiet as he thought about it for a few seconds. "...Do I really look that old? Maybe it's the eyebrows..." he muttered to himself, which Yu did manage to hear despite the noise from the water flow of the river. The younger boy soon remembered that his senpai was still standing there. "Oh... anyways, sorry 'bout dragging you into this..." he said, apologising. "It's okay… so, you're giving him a new one?" Yu asked him with a small smile, noticing that his junior had told the young boy that he'll get him a new doll.
Kanji seemed embarrassed as he lowered his head. "...So you heard me, huh?" He lifted his head to look at the silver-haired boy as he explained himself. "It was like I understood how he felt. Wanting to be accepted, afraid of being left out, doing stuff that you shouldn't... then taking the one person you shouldn't make cry and making 'em bawl... so... y'know, I thought maybe I could help him. Was I going too easy on him?" He then laughed with an embarrassed smile on his face, and Yu felt like he could understand him a bit more… the Emperor Social Link grew stronger as well.
"Ah... hmmm?" Kanji cringed for a moment. "Guh, I feel like sneezing but it won't come out. This sucks... it looks like I'm catching a cold... I better head home."
"Oh, you should go then. I'll see you another day," Yu told him, concerned for the blond's health now. Guess he was right about getting sick for being in the cold water too long.
Kanji could only nod, starting to feel a little chilly himself. "See ya, Senpai."
The two of them then waved goodbye at each other before parting. Yu was about to start walking home when he felt like he had to say something… so he turned to look at Kanji's moving figure. "Uh, Kanji!" he called out to him. Kanji looked back at him, wondering what he had to say. "Yeah, Yu-senpai?" he asked. The silver-haired boy shifted uneasily on his feet for a few seconds before blurting out what was on his mind. "Y-you don't look old, Kanji. You look great - never doubt that!" he told him with a slightly reddish hue to his cheeks, then he quickly ran off. Kanji ended up blushing as his eyes widened, leaving him stupefied at the sudden compliment. "W-what?!"
…All he could see was Yu's fleeing figure, with a hint of redness on the smaller boy's face.
"Huh…" Blinking a few times, it took Kanji a long while to snap out of his stupor after what just happened. Somehow… it left him feeling all fuzzy inside. Scratching his head awkwardly, he continued to walk back home with a few thoughts running in his head…
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Yui only stopped running after she was in the neighbourhood where her uncle's house was, stopping in her steps and placing her hands on her knees to support herself while she panted. Her mouth felt dry from her practically fleeing the flood plains after those… words… left it. She couldn't believe that she had the guts to say that – what would Kanji think of her now? Would he begin to avoid her? Think oddly of her? Or would their relationship just… break?
That thought made her chest hurt. So much.
Her breath hitched, and she trembled as she straightened herself. Only now did she notice how her actions around the man who caught her eye and attention weeks ago have merely made them both grow closer, and her thoughts about him grow warmer. She was a fool for not keeping her distance... and now she's further dug herself into a state she might never escape from. In a daze, she slowly walked down the road to her uncle's house while she lifted a shaking hand to grip the part of her shirt where her chest was tightly.
She got careless, and lost it.
She lost her heart to him, and he's unaware that he even holds it.
What used to be a crush has blossomed into something more, something bigger… and she's terrified of what's to come of it. How will she face the fact that her feelings would keep growing day by day, added with the reality that she will have to keep meeting him because they are a part of a team that was dealing with a whole other world? She can't run away, nor could she ignore them for so long. It's stupid, it's cheesy, it's ridiculous that she's going through this despite the life she's gone through, and yet, she just can't find it in her heart to deny these emotions any longer.
Because… she's in love. Fallen deeply in love with a man she can never love.
That was the painful truth.