Dating Yuri Hyuga got easier as the days went by. Ever since the night they spent together at Rise's house, she hardly saw that nervous side of him again. Yuri was polite, careful with his words and, sometimes, even mischievous. He hardly ever expressed his feelings for Rise in a verbal manner but she could always tell when he wanted to say he loved her.

It could be through an intense gaze from him, or the quickening of his heartbeat when they hugged.

Rise, on the other hand, had no reservations about showing her affections openly. As they spent more time together, Rise got more comfortable with him and she was less likely to get red whenever he smiled at her.

The team was initially surprised at their relationship. But they eventually accepted it when they saw that it wasn't just a fling. Rise was especially appreciative of Souji's mature acceptance of the both of them. From what Rise could gather, he seemed almost relieved that she had finally moved on from him.

One Monday afternoon, after school had ended, Rise packed the books on her desk and she felt a light kiss on the top of her head. She smiled as she turned around in her seat and saw Yuri grinning at her. Rise gave him a quick peck on the lips and said, "I'm ready to go. Just have to pack this up-"

"Ahh..." Yuri knelt on one knee beside her and had an apologetic look on his face. "Actually... I can't hang out today. I have something to do. I'm really sorry but I'll make it up to you, okay?" He tried to give her another kiss but Rise turned away, pouting.

"This is kind of a thing with you, isn't it?"

Yuri frowned. "What do you mean?"

"This isn't the first time you've canceled on me. We make plans and half the time, you're always backing out, saying you have stuff to do and you won't even tell me what." It was true. Rise couldn't shake the feeling that Yuri was hiding something from her.

(Another girl? No... He isn't the sort.)

"I know... But I always make it up to you, don't I? I'll drop by your place in the evening, okay? Don't be mad at me." He squeezed her hand and left the classroom.

Since her plans were canceled, Rise spent her afternoon with Chie and Yukiko at the Samegawa riverbank.

"I don't know, senpai... I mean, I HAVE canceled on him before... When we need to go into the television and stuff. And he never pries, which is nice. But I feel like he's keeping something big from me." Rise bit her lip.

"Hey... Rise-chan," said Yukiko, "You and Yuri-kun haven't... y'know, been intimate, have you?"

Chie's face was a mix of shock and horror. "YUKIKO! You can't just ask her things like that! It's... it's private! You know?"

Rise paused and thought for awhile. Ever since that first night they spent together, Yuri hadn't slept over at her place and nothing intimate had really happened between them, aside from the usual tight hugs and passionate kisses he would give her.

"No... We haven't."

Yukiko then nodded knowingly and said: "I read somewhere that boys only truly open up to their girlfriends after they've been intimate. Wait... Or was that the other way around?"

"Yukiko? Where do you learn these things?"

Rise laughed at Chie and Yukiko senpai as they bickered some more about the risqué things Yukiko had picked up. But then a thought occurred to her.

(He hasn't seen Risette, has he... Maybe he'd tell me what he was hiding if I...)

It seemed like a foolish thought but Yuri did have that cheeky side to him. Maybe he'd like her better as Risette.

That evening, Yuri appeared at Marukyu with a Junes shopping bag.

"Hey I bought... Um. Whoa." Yuri trailed off when he entered Rise's room and saw that she was in a pink two-piece bikini. "Rise... Hey. I... Uh."

"It's Risette!" she said in her sunny superstar pop idol voice as she threw her arms around him. She snatched the bag from his hands and looked inside. "Wow... You bought my albums? I'm soooooo happy!" She gave him her flashiest smile and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"Yeah... I uh... I don't know. I thought we could listen to them together or something. I know I haven't really paid much attention to-"

Yuri got cut off when Rise bit him on the ear in a not-so-playful manner. "Ow! Hey Rise! What's wrong?" He grabbed her wrists and sat her down on the bed, trying to restrain her from hopping all over the place.

Feeling foolish, Rise began sniffling and she started to tear up. "I just *sniff* want you to spend *sniff* time with me... I mean yeah you make it up to me *sniff* and all... But *sniff* are you hiding something from me?" She looked at him pleadingly for an answer.

Yuri looked helpless and Rise tried to cover up her tears by turning away to wipe them off. Before she could, though, Yuri placed a hand on her cheek and wiped the tears himself. He didn't smile, he had that serious look he always wore when he knew it wasn't time to be playing around.

(The look he has when he knows he needs to be a responsible boyfriend.)

Yuri let out a heavy sigh before speaking. "I'm sorry, Rise. I didn't mean to make you worry like that. I just... have a lot on my mind right now. And I'm confused about a lot of it... But I'm not ready to talk about it yet... I-I'm sorry. Just give me some time, okay? Give me time to figure things out. And I promise I'll talk to you about this when I have." He took her hand and clasped it tightly.

Rise was still teary. (Why can't he just talk to me now?)

Yuri must have known what she was thinking because he quickly said: "Trust me, Rise. I... I love you. And I would never do anything to hurt you. I swear it."

She nodded slowly.

"And... Well... I was kinda hoping I could spend the night with you..."

Despite her tears, Rise managed a small smile and threw her arms around him, locking him in a tight hug. She could feel the quickening of his heartbeat when the two made contact.