As it was in most schools, the final bell signaled freedom for Nanamori Middle. Students rose from their seats, cutting off the teacher mid-sentence, and exited the room in loose, idle groups. Words blended together into a din of chatter and laughter. At the front of the class, the teacher frowned but did not move to stop anyone from leaving.

Yui Funami felt a little bad for her, but the instructor was partially to blame for not garnering enough respect for herself among the students. Yui got up from her seat and, as she always did, waited beside the desk in front of her own. The girl at the desk, Kyouko Toshinou, was leaning over the table; her golden hair dropped down and formed a curtain around the piece of paper on her desk. The tip of her pencil was scratching at the paper, adding details so fine that they were invisible from a distance.

"Kyouko," Yui said, laying a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Time to go."

Oftentimes, the budding mangaka would become dead to the world while working on her drawings, or she would simply fall asleep during class. Should she sleep through the bell, which was not uncommon, Yui would rouse her—but only at the end of class. Until then, she left Kyouko to her own devices. There was no point in making a scene every time the girl got sidetracked from paying attention to the lesson. That would make her a hypocrite; on occasion, Yui tuned out from the lecture when she was already familiar with the material.

Kyouko mumbled something and continued to work on her sketch. After some final strokes of her instrument, she slid her drawing into a protective sheet and stood up. Yui's hand fell off her shoulder, and she fell in behind her friend as they joined the students heading for the door.

Filled with the lethargy of returning to school after the weekend, students flooded the hallways of Nanamori. Likewise, the halls were awash with sound: mostly the complaints of bored, tired minors. Before heading off to clubs and afterschool activities, a lot of people waited in the halls to find their friends.

Yui stopped to let a few people pass before weaving around a group of girls. Her friend, Kyouko, was standing across the hallway like she had been there for minutes now. Even though it was not extremely crowded—Yui was just not used to traveling through populated areas, and she never enjoyed those types of places for that reason—Kyouko showed her ability to navigate through hordes of people. Yui made a note to invite Kyouko should an opportunity to travel to a big city like Tokyo ever arise; in popular nightlife districts, Shibuya for example, the girl would prove invaluable to survive the scramble crossings.

Kyouko's eyes scanned the crowd and alighted on Yui, who was approaching her. "Yui!" she waved.

Yui did not hesitate to show her relief at having escaped the crowd. She felt very much like she had played a game of Frogger, with herself being the star—the frog. "There are a lot of people today," she muttered as she looked over the sea of students.

Kyouko also took a look around and shrugged. "Doesn't look like it to me."

"Is something going on today?"

Again, Kyouko shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe someone in our class is popular now?"

Yui paused and took a moment to try and figure out the direction of the people swarming around her. Again, it was not incredibly crowded, but there was an unusual amount of people milling about. The doorway to her class was practically hidden behind a throng of students.

"Actually, you may be right," Yui said, pointing to the mass. "Look."

As the crowd started to back away from the door, a girl with a purple ponytail was revealed to be at the center. She was looking side to side and saying something inaudible from Yui's standpoint.

"Hey, that's Ayano!" Kyouko left Yui's side and vanished into the cluster of students. After hesitating for a second, Yui followed after her.

Regardless of the gathering around the student council vice president, Kyouko reached the eye of the storm in seconds. She sidled her way into the wall of people and called out, "Ayano!"

Ayano started and spun around, apparently startled by the sudden appearance. Her hair flew and nearly smacked Kyouko in the face but ultimately hit nothing. Yui knit her eyebrows at the display; long hair required a lot of maintenance, and most of the time, it ended up being nothing but bothersome.

"Toshinou K-Kyouko!" Ayano blurted after realizing who she had almost slapped. "Sorry! I didn't mean to hit you!"

Kyouko shook her head and laughed, reassuring her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Oh, and just call me Kyouko, right?"

Leave it to Kyouko Toshinou to bring up something irrelevant and personal when dozens of strangers were watching. Yui would have put a palm to her forehead if she was not looking for a way to join the two in the middle.

"Oh, um... K-Kyou..."

Yui struggled to escape the confines of the crowd. Kyouko could dodge around everybody, but for Yui, it was a slow and tedious effort to reach the front. Even though she was preoccupied with pathfinding, she could notice the change all around her. The excited and boisterous chatter of the onlookers was replaced by hushed, attentive whispers: the voices of gossips and rumormongers.

"Hey, that girl..."

"... is she?"

"That's Toshinou!"

Yui was already uncomfortable being surrounded by so many people, but the whispers gave rise to an unexplainable tension that crept into every fiber of her being. She forced her way through a thin gap between two students and caught sight of Kyouko tugging at Ayano's hand. Ayano shut her eyes and stuck to Kyouko like a lost child. The pair disappeared back into the crowd.

"What just happened?"

"Did you see that?"

"Toshinou and Sugiura..."

Kyouko was a regular at packed doujinshi conventions, and Ayano was right behind her. Yui knew she had no chance of catching up, but she steeled herself and increased her pace. Treading the fine line between remaining unobtrusive and disregarding those around her, she muddled off in pursuit of her elusive, blonde friend.

Bottled Hearts

On her way to the Amusement Club's room, Yui checked the student council headquarters. Neither Kyouko nor Ayano were there, although the rest of the student council was present. When Yui appeared in the doorway, Himawari was the first to greet her.

"You look worried, Funami-san. Are you looking for someone?" Himawari looked around the room. "The vice president and secretary aren't here," she informed.

"Yeah, Kyouko ran off with your vice president in tow. I'd tell you more, but I actually have to find her right now."

Himawari drew her brows together and stuck out her lip. "Oh?" she hummed. "Okay. Have you seen Chitose? She hasn't been around either."

Chitose shared the same homeroom as Ayano, as well as Kyouko and Yui, so it was more common than not to find the girls as a pair. Owing to the abnormal popularity of the vice president today, it was likely that Chitose was held back by sheer inability to keep up with her. Yui herself had almost fallen prey to being swept away.

She told them what she knew about Chitose, which was not much other than the flock of students surrounding her class. She had not seen Chitose when Kyouko made her daring escape, leaving the student council to conclude that she would turn up eventually.

Two minutes later, Yui came to a stop in front of the abandoned tearoom. The door was open all the way, like someone had flung it open in a hurry. There was no question who was responsible. Yui closed the door on her way in. If Kyouko's goal had been to shake off any unwanted pursuers, leaving the door wide open was counterproductive; she may as well have written Ayano's full name on the wall of the building.

Thankfully, the massing students had seemed perturbed by what had happened, but nobody followed the girls all the way to the club. Yui was glad to be inside the secluded club building; the crowd and the whispering voices could not track her here.

The scene she walked into was exactly what she expected it to be: Kyouko, Ayano, and the two other members of the Amusement Club were sitting at the table in the middle of the room. Kyouko was talking animatedly about something or other.

"Yui-senpai!" Chinatsu Yoshikawa stood up. "Welcome back!"

Her presence announced, and four pairs of eyes on her, Yui sat down at the table in her usual casual manner. After she gave her greeting and explained why she was late, Kyouko related the events that led up to Ayano joining them at the table. Since Yui had been witness to the whole thing but did not feel like taking over as story teller, she simply sat back and played the observer, jumping in whenever Kyouko diverged from the truth.

Once Kyouko was finished recounting everything that had happened, Akari spoke to the guest visitor, Ayano. "Were there really that many people around you, Ayano-senpai?"

Ayano nodded. "It was a mess. I was scared, just a bit."

"Then I, Kyouko, came in and saved the day!" laughed none other than Kyouko herself. "Reminds you of a certain heroine of love and justice, huh?" she boasted and puffed out her chest.

Chinatsu looked at Yui, then back at Ayano. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Why was everyone trying to get to you? Did you do something?"

"I don't think so," the purple-haired girl shook her head. She confirmed that she, to her knowledge, did not do anything to draw attention to herself. Ayano was popular in her own right, but there had to be a reason behind the sudden interest in her person. Yui had a hunch that she already knew what it was, but she decided to keep quiet for the time being.

Snippets of conversations and muttered asides resurfaced in her memory, the most notable having been said after Kyouko made her appearance. What particularly stood out to Yui was that the students, nearly all of whom she did not know, showed recognition at Kyouko's name.

"Toshinou and Sugiura..."

As much as she wanted to perish the thought, Yui was sure it was the reason so many people were clamoring to talk to Ayano. Rumors spread like wildfire, but they had a habit of avoiding whoever was in the spotlight.

Just before she opened her mouth to bring it up, she saw that Kyouko had pulled Ayano aside. They talked for a couple seconds. Ayano shook her head and said something in a hesitant, inaudible voice.

Kyouko released her grip on the girl's sleeve and scooted back to her seat. Ayano did the same. Yui saw the two youngest members of the Amusement Club share a confused look. To her knowledge, Akari and Chinatsu were unaware of the experimental relationship between their club's founder and the student council vice president. Because of that, Yui refrained from speaking her mind. Kyouko and Ayano had not revealed their relationship yet, and Yui respected that. Even if they were just rumors, they stemmed from the truth.

Perhaps due to awkwardness, or merely a lack of ideas, the discussion stalled. Silence did not last long in the Amusement Club though, mainly due to a particular blue-eyed individual. As always, Kyouko was the one to revive the conversation by introducing something unrelated. Kyouko was dependable in that way, though Yui began to question that nation as her friend's behavior became increasingly random and melodramatic.

The next ten minutes of the conversation were uninteresting, until there was a knock on the door. The thin wooden frame creaked, and the visitor turned out to be the missing secretary, Chitose. When she saw Ayano, she exclaimed happily.

"I've been looking for you!" she said, taking a seat next to her friend. "It was so chaotic today. Everyone was asking me about you."

At this, Chitose had the girls' undivided attention. Since Chitose was close to Ayano, it only made sense that she would become a secondary target. When Ayano prompted her to continue, Yui could have sworn she saw sparks fly in the second-year's eyes.

"Ayano-chan, Toshinou-san, have you gotten together?"

For obvious reasons, the words came as a shock rather than a surprise. It was not the question per se that was a cause for concern but how Chitose got the idea that the two were dating. Undoubtedly, she had heard rumors from curious students, but the source of the half-truths was still unknown.

Yui was not surprised when Ayano recovered from her shock and gave a yell. "D-d-dating?" she stammered, hands flailing about. "No, no, nooo! We aren't!"

That was another cause for concern: Ayano's adamant denial coupled with the obvious fact that she was lying. She and Kyouko were in a relationship. Kyouko herself had confided in Yui about it!

Speaking of Kyouko, she reacted minimally. Her dull blue eyes were wide, but she looked to be more focused on her supposed girlfriend than herself. If she was confused by Ayano's contradiction, she did not show it.

"Um, Ayano?" Kyouko's voice wavered. She drew her lips together then opened them, but no words followed.

"What? What is it?!"

The student council president was frantic and impossible to approach. It took nearly a minute for her to calm down enough to respond without snapping. Yui knit her eyebrows and flexed her fingers as she watched the painful interaction between the two. Ayano was awkward, and Kyouko seemed to be at a loss.

Seeing Kyouko speechless reminded Yui of what had happened a few nights ago. She remembered the conversation she had shared with her best friend, the distance between them in both body and mind, and the slew of words from a confused girl who had never loved or been in love before.

Ayano's gaze flitted around the room. Every few seconds, her eyes landed on Kyouko's only to flit away a moment later, refusing to make contact for more than a moment. Yui cleared her throat with the intention of warning Ayano to stop being a nervous wreck.

Something poked Yui in the side. She looked away from the stuttering mess and saw Chinatsu leaning toward her to speak in an undertone. "Yui-senpai, what's going on?" she asked. Her voice was low and sounded different than usual, maybe because Yui almost never heard her pink-haired friend whisper before.

"Just..." she hesitated and glanced at the pair sitting across from her. "Just wait. Those two will explain everything."

Unsatisfied by the response, Chinatsu sat back and frowned. "Oh. If you say so..."

Behind her, Akari also appeared to be let down, but she smiled and whispered, "We'll all find out together, huh?"

Yui stifled a pang of guilt. She already knew all the details, but that was because Kyouko chose her as a confidant. It was not her place to spill secrets that were not her own, but she did not enjoy leaving her friends in the dark. Whether it was bending the truth or pretending to be something she was not, deceit was an act that she did not feel comfortable committing. She shut out Akari and Chinatsu and focused on the crux of the matter.

While Yui had been talking to the other two, Kyouko and Ayano had reached some sort of agreement. Their private conference over, Kyouko was smiling at the purple-haired girl, who was hunching her shoulders and staring at her lap. Chitose, oblivious to her friend's internal conflict, had not removed her glasses, but she was holding a partially blood-stained tissue to her face.

"Uh, I... We have an a-announcement"—Ayano stumbled and swallowed her words—"to make?" she mumbled, doubt creeping into her voice. Kyouko gave her support, putting a hand on her shoulder, and crooned softly. It was a strange feeling to see Kyouko acting so gentle and controlled. An unpleasant emotion tugged at Yui's heart, but she ignored it.

"Me and Toshinou Kyouko are d... going out," Ayano finished quietly. Kyouko smiled again. Yui busied herself by gauging the reactions of the others in the room.

Akari was easily the most surprised; her exclamation of shock was a tell-all. Chinatsu was lost for words, though her face was neutral at most. Yui thought the girl was indifferent, a feeling only intensified by the blank stare she received from the girl.

Yui did not know how she herself was supposed to react. Was she to be shocked, pleased, surprised, or relieved? Would it be too much to feign surprise, or should she have done so out of courtesy?

Never mind Chitose, who was practically squirming with delight.

As if to seal the contract, Kyouko let out a cheer and hugged her blushing friend. Ayano squirmed, maybe for the same reason as Chitose, and muttered some unconvincing protest.

Following that, the two were bombarded by an onslaught of questions from Akari. Though normally passive, the redhead wanted to know everything about her friends' new relationship. Her confidence grew with every answer received, and her inquires gradually became more and more personal, until she was shut down by the more bashful of the pair.

"Alright, that's it!" Ayano stood up without answering Akari's last question. "I think that's enough, there's nothing else to see here, really!"

Disappointment showed on Akari's face, and Kyouko's as well. "Ayanooo, come on!" pouted the blue-eyed girl. "I wanna know how long you've liked me too!"

Yui did not bother to pay attention. She was still stuck on Ayano's behavior throughout the interrogation, if a single question could be called that. It was disturbing, how the girl had been embarrassed and reluctant to a fault. It was understandable to be a little flustered by the attention, because Kyouko was the only one among them capable of acting unaware in the spotlight. However, there was something about Ayano's behavior that made Yui uneasy...

She chastised herself for having those thoughts. Some unsavory feeling must have been acting in judgement's stead: jealousy, maybe, or protective instincts. Yui knew that Ayano was not a bad person, just a little misguided, and she had not done anything wrong. There was nobody at fault—if anything, Yui was the one harboring faithless accusations against her own friends.

Seeing that Ayano looked like she wanted desperately to leave, Yui threw her a bone. "Let's call it for today. We could all use some time, with all that's happened today."

Nobody objected to the suggestion. Gratitude practically shimmered in the eyes of the student council vice president, and her lips parted to say "Thank you" as the occupants of the room slowly fidgeted and started to pack up. Next to Yui, Akari stood up with her bag already in hand. She inclined her head to look at Chinatsu.

"Chinatsu-chan, do you want to come over to my house?" she offered her hand. "I still want to avoid everyone else, since I was sick, but we had the same illness. It should be fine, right?"

Apparently unwilling to refuse such a generous and well-phrased invitation, although she did hesitate, Chinatsu nodded and let Akari help her to her feet. "I guess we're out, then. Sorry Yui-senpai, but I can't let you catch my cold."

Yui nodded gratefully. She, and a million others, did not enjoy being sick; it went without saying. On top of that, Chinatsu's borderline obsessive behavior had started to weigh on her mind whenever they were together. While she did not dislike the girl or her sentient pink hair, it was getting difficult for Yui to breathe while Chinatsu was fawning over her.

Chitose was the next to leave. She stood up in a rush, hastily wadding tissues into a ball. "I-I should get going to. I'm happy for you, Ayano-chan! Go on lots of dates, okay?"

"What an odd thing to say," sighed Yui, after Chitose had left. A funny yet slightly scary idea crossed her mind, that Chitose had a part in spreading the rumors. Yui dismissed it, knowing the girl was close friends with Ayano and would never overstep her boundaries. Still, it was a frightening thought.

Yui put her hands on the ground and slowly stood up. "And then there were three," she said with a glance at her friends. "I'm gonna head home."

Kyouko grinned and scooted closer to Yui. "D'you want me and Ayano to company you?"

"Accompany," Yui corrected automatically. "And no, I'll be fine alone."

"Alone and lonely, huh? Looks like Yui really doesn't want us tagging along, Ayano!"

Yui paused. Kyouko was being considerate in a way that did not match her personality. It was played off well in a joking manner, but the lack of resistance was a clear indicator that something was different.

For her part, Ayano was gaping. She seemed to snap out of it when Kyouko addressed her. "Huh? That's fine," she said without hesitating. It was a typical absentminded answer.

Yui could not help but ask "Something on your mind?"

Ayano looked at her, then at Kyouko, and red flooded into her cheeks. That made it obvious what kind of thoughts she was entertaining. Kyouko noticed as well, and a sly grin formed on her face.

"Oh, is Ayano thinking about our daaate?" she moved closer, her expression frozen on her lips. Ayano backpedaled and gestured incoherently with her hands to make up for her malfunctioning voice box.

Yui ducked her head and strapped her bag over her shoulder. There was nothing else for her to do here. She saw no reason to stick around and wait for someone who was not planning to follow her home. Kyouko was still advancing on her victim, so she would not see Yui wave goodbye.

Even with that in mind, Yui stopped when she reached the door. It was rude to walk out without saying goodbye, but neither Kyouko nor Ayano were watching.

"What? But we have school!" came Ayano's voice in response to something Yui did not hear.

"Oh yeah. How about this weekend? Saturday! No wait, Sunday! I have things to do on Saturday," Kyouko fired off several dates, finally deciding on one she liked.

By that time, Yui was already too far out the door to hear the details of what would happen on Sunday.