[Chapter 3: Yukiko/Chie - Goodnight Kiss]

"Yukiko-san, your mother wants you."

Yukiko looked up from the dishes she was cleaning and nodded. She rushed out of the kitchen and down the hallway to where her mother was resting. She opened the sliding door as quietly as she could, as befitting her role as innkeeper-in-training.

"Yes, Mama?" she asked.

Her mother was in a futon. She was propped up by several pillows and covered in blankets. "Oh, Yuki-chan, I—" She was cut short by a coughing fit.

"Oh, no no, please don't talk," Yukiko said, hastening to her mother's side. "Just rest and get better, okay?"

"It's just..." her mother said when the coughing subsided. "M-my tea's gone cold. Could you...?"

"Oh, of course!"

Without another word, Yukiko grabbed the kettle on the side table and rushed back out into the hall.

Where she collided into someone. "Oof! S-sorry...!" she apologized. Normally she was much more graceful than this!

"Ah, Yuki-chan!" It was Kasai-san, peering down at her with a worried smile. "They're out of towels in the changing room. Could you take care of that?"

Yukiko paused for a second to look down at the kettle in her hands before nodding in determination.

She rushed to the laundry room, where she knew a fresh set of towels had to be in the dryer, only to find soap piled comically-high in front of the washer next to it. Frantically, she set the kettle down on the floor and strode through the suds to turn the washer off.

She was still mopping up the mess when she heard a bell. This one was the front desk, which meant a guest had arrived. She hastened to the front of the inn.

An elderly couple was waiting for her, wanting to check in. She determined that there was a room reserved for them in the east wing. "Please follow me," she told them with a small bow.

When she opened the sliding door, however, she was greeted by a complete mess. Several yukata had been thrown to the floor from the closet, and there were opened snack boxes on the tea table, and the futons were completely unmade.

Yukiko had been sure someone was supposed to have cleaned this room.

She turned to the couple and bowed again. "Please forgive me. I have the wrong room."

She led them down the hall, but was accosted by another client who stuck his head out from his room. "Hey you, I ordered some room service," the man whined, "and no one's brought me my coffee!"

"I will correct this immediately," she replied as calmly as she could manage.

The man seemed mollified, and Yukiko paused a moment to compose herself before leading the couple along to another room. One that was, hopefully, clean.

"You seem... very busy," the old lady observed.

You don't know the half of it, Yukiko thought, trying to remember where she'd left the kettle. Hadn't her mom wanted some tea? "It's all in a day's work," she said with her best disarming smile.

At least she was in luck, for the room was clean and ready for a guest. However, since it wasn't the room she'd planned on giving them, she didn't have the key for it on hand. She promised she'd be right back with it.

She was halfway there when Kasai-san called out to her. "Yuki-chan! Your dad called from his meeting, and he wants you to phone him back as soon as you can."

"R-right," she said, her composure beginning to slip. She shook her head. "Right," she repeated with more confidence, taking out her cell phone.

Which had a text on it from Yosuke.

Hey how r u.

U got the aswr to #3? in math

"I..." she answered out loud.

She clutched the phone almost too tightly with trembling fingers. She hadn't done any of her homework, and her tummy chose that moment to remind her that it was already past her dinner time and she hadn't eaten yet. At this rate, she wouldn't have any time for herself, and...

"Yuki-chan, there's—"

"NO!" Yukiko shouted, startling both herself and Kasai-san, who really hadn't deserved it in the first place. "I can't do anything else!"

Kasai-san just grinned at her. "There's a friend here for you."

The woman stepped aside, and Yukiko's world was suddenly brightened, because it was Chie standing there, looking at her with the most sheepish look on her face.

"I heard you might need some help," Chie said, trying to sound off-hand, "so I thought, y'know, I might have some time to stop by and lend a hand."

"Chie!" Yukiko cried, running up to her and putting her arms around her.

Chie laughed, because this display of affection was quite unlike her friend. "Yeah? So what do you want me to do first?"

"Hmm..." Yukiko drew back, becoming business-like all of a sudden. "I think first you could..."

It took some doing to sort out the past hour or so of Yukiko's life, but by the time night fell, Yukiko and Chie had done everything there was to do. The tea kettle had been recovered, the soap had been contained, the towels had been replaced, the rooms had been cleaned, coffee had been made and served, dads had been called...

And in the end there was a bonus: Chie was allowed to stay the night.

It was time for bed. Yukiko leaned heavily into Chie for support as they headed for her room at the inn. "Th-thank you," she murmured. "For helping out today..."

"Aww, c'mon!" Chie said, blushing. "It was nothing."

"No, really," Yukiko insisted, but her tone was weak; she was too tired to argue much.

Heck, she was too tired even to open the door, so Chie got it for her. "You should've called me yourself. You know I'll always help you."

"I know..." Yukiko sighed.

Chie helped Yukiko into the floor futon. Yukiko immediately closed her eyes, enjoy the softness of her sheets.

Chie continued to kneel by her side. "Tomorrow is another day, you know," she murmured.

Yukiko opened her mouth to answer, but only let out a long yawn.

Chie smiled to herself. Then she bent down and kissed Yukiko's forehead.

Yukiko was already asleep.