A/N: From this point onward, depression, self-harm and other sensitive issues might be shown, portrayed or discussed in this chapter and others to come. Reader discretion is advised for those who are sensitive to such matters.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE – LITTLE STEPS FORWARD (YuKi)

The tension that gripped 3-C after the announcement earlier gradually dissipated, giving way to sighs of relief and cries of joy. As students looked over their returned test papers, it soon became apparent that everyone had come out of the ordeal of the exams relatively unscathed. Naoki leafed through his papers and smiled to himself, seeing that his hard work had definitely paid off with a steady line of A's and only two B's for Mathematics and Science, respectively. Chief among the other celebrators was Kenta, who was practically whooping with glee and yelling "Read 'em and weep!" to some of their other classmates as he leafed through a near-consistent line of B's that was marred by only three C's. The results definitely lightened the mood for everyone, which was a plus as the school festival drew near, and Naoki knew that it was an opportune time to celebrate the results of their reviewing and cramming with his fellow quadrumvirs and their girlfriends.

Admittedly, though, he had been rather worried that the sudden return of their exam papers would once again set off Yuri's anxiety. When the announcement earlier in the morning had been made, Yuri had practically turned pale and could not speak properly to anyone, and it reminded him of how she had reacted during their study session at her house. Not wanting to let her endure this kind of anxiety on her own, Naoki had done his best to talk to her and comfort her with the possibility that she might have done well in the exams with the level of intelligence and diligence she possessed. To his slight relief, Yuri had opted to listen to him and did her best to keep herself under control as they waited for their papers to arrive. It was reassuring for him to see that in spite of her personal problems, Yuri was not succumbing to the pressure this time around. In the end, his reassurances towards her proved true as she looked through her exams and saw that she had managed to do well in each test, only lagging behind Naoki with four B's.

"Looks like our hard work paid off, huh?" he told her, smiling.

"Yes, and y-you were right," said Yuri, giving him a timid grin. "I suppose I was getting stressed out again over nothing. . ."

"Hey, it wasn't like that, okay?" he told her reassuringly. "You were worried for legitimate reasons, just like I was. I just didn't want you to imagine that you messed everything up."

Yuri sighed. "Y-You're right. I'm sorry for that. I just want to do my best in academics, but the pressure just keeps getting the better of me. Sometimes, it becomes too much to the point where I end up distracting myself and failing the tasks at hand."

Upon hearing her words, Naoki's mind once again remembered what he had read about self-harm and anxiety disorders, and he began to wonder what Yuri might have left unsaid. "Like I said, that kind of stuff often happens. Anyway, at least we've gotten past this particular hurdle, hmm? Maybe we can all start getting back on track just in time for the festival."

"Will you be attending the festival, Naoki?" asked Yuri.

"Yep!" replied Naoki. "I'm not that involved with the events and whatnot, but I haven't missed a school festival yet with Daisuke and Kenta. A quiet day at home is always nice, but there's nothing wrong with a bit of fun at the events the student body will be holding, right?"

"I suppose you're right," Yuri stated. "Often times, though, I end up just reading in the library. It's rather easy to slip away because . . . well, I don't have a lot of friends to be around with," she added with a guilty laugh.

"Hey, it's no longer like that, okay?" said Naoki, putting his hand on her arm comfortingly. "I understand how it feels to get away from all the activity every once in a while—an introvert thing, am I right? But at least you're no longer all alone. You have new friends, including me."

Yuri blushed. "Yes, you're right. T-Thank you."

Naoki smiled as he gave her arm a gentle squeeze. "So, if we're gonna be going to the festival, do you have anything in mind? Our classmates pretty much have the planned booths covered, so I don't think we need to add anything more to that."

"Perhaps we can help them with the preparations?"

Naoki thought about the suggestion for a few moments. "You know what? That sounds like a nice idea. I know that participating isn't exactly mandatory, but the booths will undoubtedly take up a lot of work, so it'll be good to lend the class a helping hand."

"I agree," said Yuri. "It would also be nice to have other productive things to do for the next couple of weeks."

When the two of them asked around later that day, they found out that their class had officially decided on running four booths; two of which would sell decorative and functional do-it-yourself goods made from recycled materials, and two that would serve snacks and beverages, with the earnings being set aside as class funds. With Yuri's assent, the two of them decided to volunteer for the merchandise booths by helping their classmates craft some of the decorations that they would be selling.

"Mom likes making things out of the spare stuff we have around the house, so I picked up a few pointers from her about DIY stuff," Naoki explained to Yuri as they waited for their next class. "Who knows? Maybe she can even help us make some of the booth merchandise if things start getting hectic for us."

"That's nice to hear," said Yuri. "I'll ask our classmates what other materials we'll need. I think Grandmother still has some of the old decorative materials from her sewing days in the house that we can use."

"Sounds good!"

Later that afternoon, as she was making her way downtown, Yuri was deep in thought. On any other day, she would feel happy at how things were starting to look up; her exams turned up some good marks and she was slowly getting back on track with Naoki. Moreover, she felt rather excited at the prospect of working with him in helping their class's booths for the school festival, sensing that it would be an opportune time to make up for the accident that had transpired when the two of them studied together. All these thoughts did, however, make her feel very ashamed with the new scars she had given herself over the past weeks. She imagined that she could have at least done better by controlling herself and refraining from using her knives, but it was only natural for people to imagine that they could have done better once everything had settled down. It was, after all, a very different feeling when her heart threatened to burst free from her chest from all the worry that she had been enduring, and who could blame her for cutting to keep that under control? Nevertheless, the anxiety had come and gone. Yuri looked forward to recovering from the relapses she had, and she was thankful that Naoki still seemed none the wiser about the cuts on her forearm.

She stopped when she saw that she had accidentally walked past the grocery store she was aiming for. She had gone here to buy some food at her grandmother's behest, along with some extra oolong tea to replenish her stock at home. Quietly, she went inside the store, feeling a bit relieved as the air conditioning cast a cold breeze on her face. It was relatively quiet inside the store as customers walked through the aisles and browsed wares on the shelves in silence. Not having it any other way, Yuri picked up a basket and joined them.

When she had managed to find some of the things her grandmother sought—some vegetable broth, two bottles of seasoning and a small pack of rice noodles—someone caught her eye. Yuri looked up to see, standing just a few feet away, a familiar pink-haired girl wearing a face mask and the same school uniform she had.

Sensing that it would be polite to at least give a greeting, Yuri walked up towards her. "H-Hello there," she said as she got close enough.

The girl looked around. When she laid her eyes on Yuri, a flash of recognition flitted through them. "Oh, hey," she said.

"Natsuki Nakajima, c-correct?" asked Yuri. "From 3-D?"

Natsuki nodded. "And you're that . . . Hoshino girl from the other class, right?"

"Yes," said Yuri, smiling politely. "Yuri Hoshino. Though I'm glad that you remembered my surname, at least."

"Oh, sorry about that," said Natsuki, looking away. "It's just that, well . . ."

"It's okay. We haven't really gotten to talk to each other properly since that study session we had before the exams."

"Yeah, you're right. So . . . what do you want?"

"Oh, I just wanted to say hello. Are you alone, or are you with Naoki's friend Daisuke?"

"No, I'm alone. I'm just here to buy a few things for my aunt. How about you? Are you with your friend?"

"I'm alone as well."

A short silence stretched between them. Natsuki shifted rather uncomfortably where she stood. Yuri emulated her, wondering what else she could say to at least keep this trivial conversation going and growing worried that she might have initiated verbal contact with Natsuki just to leave everything in awkward silence. It was at that moment when she noticed some slight bruising next to Natsuki's eye, just above the lining of her face mask.

"Um, I don't mean to be r-rude," she said, "but what happened to your . . . f-face?"

Natsuki's eyebrows furrowed for a moment. "Oh, you mean this bruise?" she replied. "It's nothing. Just had an accident at home."

"I see," said Yuri, glad that she had at least elicited another response. There was an air of undeniable seriousness around Natsuki that somehow made her hesitant about talking to her so casually. Then again, it was better than simply saying goodbye and leaving without another word.

"If you want, we can keep each other's company for a while," Yuri went on.

Natsuki's brow furrowed once more. "Uh, why?"

Feeling rather overwhelmed by her brusqueness, Yuri caressed her forearm. Pain crept through her veins. "W-Well, it's just a friendly invite, that's all," she replied, attempting to smile once again. "I mean, it's always nice to talk to new people, and we haven't really gotten to know each other better and all. . ."

As she finished speaking, she could not help but cringe at her own words. It sounded so damnably awkward that she found herself wishing that she could just slip away and let this conversation fade into obscurity along with her own self. With Natsuki's stare still upon her, Yuri could already imagine the words that she would be saying. Why are you acting all weird and approaching me out of the blue like this? I don't even know you that much. I think you're just wasting my time. Gripping her forearm tighter, Yuri surrendered to the inevitable approach of such statements, wordlessly bemoaning her introversion all the while for making it so difficult to sustain even a simple conversation.

Natsuki's actual reply, however, surprised her. "Yeah, sure, whatever. . ."

Yuri glanced at her. "A-Are you sure?"

"I said 'yes' already, didn't I?" Natsuki stated bluntly. Yuri was slightly taken aback by her sudden seriousness, though Natsuki was quick to soften up. "S-Sorry. I'm just not used to being with new people. Most of the time, it's just me and . . . and Daisuke."

"Ah, I see." Yuri let out a quiet sigh of relief. "That's understandable."

For the next few minutes, the two of them wandered around the store gathering what they needed to buy. Though she thought little of small talk, Yuri did her best to initiate more conversations with Natsuki. However, she only ended up asking about random things, and Natsuki seemed keen to talk only if she was replying to some of her questions. The same staid demeanor that she had displayed last time seemed to be magnified tenfold right now. Yuri wondered if the bruise on her face had anything to do with that.

When the two of them were close to finishing up, Yuri spoke up once again. "Are you going to go home immediately after this?"

"I don't know yet," replied Natsuki. "You?"

"Well, I don't have anywhere else to go. If you want, maybe we can go somewhere to eat after we finish buying here. D-Do you have a place in mind? A café or an eatery, perhaps?"

"Well, not really," Natsuki muttered. She looked at her shrewdly. "Are you asking me out? Is that what's happening here?"

Eyes widening, Yuri felt astounded at the abruptness of the question. "W-What? No, that's not what I m-meant!" she cried out. "I was just inviting you l-like friends would! I mean, I'm n-not—ah, what I meant t-to say is that, u-um—"

She stopped short of her stuttered reply when she heard Natsuki let out a short laugh. "Don't worry, I was just messing with you," she said, her voice momentarily taking on a lighter tone. "I wasn't planning on going anywhere after this, but my dad's not yet at home, so I guess I have some time to spare. I don't know where to go, though. Most of the time I just go to either bookstores or any place where Daisuke and I can eat."

"Oh, same here!" said Yuri, her enthusiasm rising both from her relief that Natsuki's quip was meant in jest and from the idea that she was starting to find some common ground with her. "The Monocle is one of the nicer book cafés I've been to, and there are also the bookstores I tend to frequent for new novels and such."

"Well, let's just wrap things up here and see where we can go, then," said Natsuki shortly.

"Oh!" Surprised at Natsuki's sudden reply to her invitation, Yuri asked anxiously, "Will that be okay with you?"

Natsuki let out an exasperated sigh. "I already agreed to it, right?"

"Ah, y-yes, of course!" said Yuri. "I'm sorry f-for asking again."

"Nah, it's nothing," said Natsuki, waving her hand airily. "Just lead the way."

To Yuri's surprise, Natsuki went along with her choice to go to The Monocle instead of another place that she might be more in line with. Their impromptu hang-out still felt a bit awkward, but Yuri felt glad that she was at least starting to make Natsuki's acquaintance outside of school and without needing to rely on having other people around for it. It felt like a major achievement for her given how severe her introversion was.

When the two of them had finished ordering at the counter, they picked out a table that sat near the café's front windows. Though she wanted to peruse some of the other books that lined the café's shelves, Yuri decided against it, not wanting to keep a guest like Natsuki waiting.

"So, do you hang out with your boyfriend here all the time?" Natsuki inquired as they sat down. "The dark-haired one with the glasses?"

Once again, Yuri was caught off guard by Natsuki's bluntness. "Ah, N-Naoki's not my boyfriend, actually. We're just really good friends."

"Uh-huh. I've heard that excuse before," said Natsuki flippantly.

"No, really, we're just good f-friends!" Yuri insisted. Still, she could not help but imagine just how much she liked Naoki, and the words sounded raw in her throat as she blushed.

"Your face is red right now, so I rest my case," Natsuki stated, her eyes twinkling with mirth.

"Well, how about you and Daisuke Matsuda?" Yuri asked. "Naoki mentioned before how you two are really close. I take it h-he's your boyfriend?"

Now it was Natsuki's turn to redden. "Alright, is that how we're doing this right now? Did you ask me to come with you so you can put me in the hot seat?"

"Ah, I'm sorry!" Yuri cried out. "I didn't mean to say anything o-offensive!"

"No, no, it's fine. I'm just not used to being asked stuff like that," said Natsuki dismissively. "Jeez, you like apologizing a lot, don't you?"

Yuri gave her a nervous smile. "Y-Yes. Naoki has told me that before, to be honest."

"I see." Not knowing what else to say, Natsuki glanced around the café's interior. "This seems like a nice place to unwind after school. Should've brought along some reading material—I left mine at my locker."

"Oh, I didn't know y-you were also interested in reading!" said Yuri.

"Yeah, but I don't read a lot of novels and stuff like that," said Natsuki. "It's mostly . . ."

Instead of finishing her sentence, however, she scoffed. "You know what? Never mind."

"What is it?" asked Yuri, confused.

"I said n-never mind!" Natsuki hissed, looking away. "You'll only laugh at me!"

Yuri was taken aback at her sudden crabbiness. Somehow, it amazed her that Natsuki could fluctuate from being serious to being rather flippant to being so defensive in mere moments. "Um, o-okay, if you say so," she relented. "But just to be clear, no matter what you wanted to say, I don't think I would laugh at you for it."

"Really?" said Natsuki with a hint of skepticism.

"Yes," said Yuri earnestly. "I think I'm more used to b-being laughed at, if you ask me."

Natsuki raised her eyebrows. Yuri imagined that she was not expecting such a reply. Glancing at her, she imagined glimpsing a bit of pity mingling with the surprise behind Natsuki's vivid pink eyes.

"Why the heck would anyone laugh at you?" asked Natsuki in a curious tone.

Yuri cast her gaze down. "They find me weird," she replied simply. "I've been told b-before that I'm a know-it-all and a recluse, and I have my introversion to thank f-for that. There are times when I don't even know how to talk to people properly, and my interest in horror novels is often something that not many people can keep up with. There are very few people who have been genuinely nice to me in spite of all this, and Naoki is one of them. As for the rest, it's either they don't care at all or they care enough just to m-make fun of me."

Natsuki stared at her long and seriously for a while. Yuri felt as if she was shrinking beneath her gaze, imagining what could be running through her mind following her somber words. It did not help as well that she had rambled on once again, like she always does when talking to someone who was willing to listen.

"You too, huh?" said Natsuki suddenly.

Her words made Yuri look back at her. "What was that?" she asked, doing a double-take.

Natsuki sighed. "I know how you feel . . . kinda. I know what it's like to be laughed at when people find out what your interests are. Sometimes, they only listen because they feel sorry for me or something. Daisuke might be the only one who didn't do that."

"Natsuki. . ." Yuri muttered, clearly at a loss for words. She had started getting a feel of how unpredictable the pink-haired girl who sat across her from the table was, but she did not expect to find more common ground with her.

"So you like horror books?" Natsuki went on. "I can see why some people would think that's pretty weird. I don't, though. I mean, who the heck has the right to call anyone weird just because they like something like that, right?"

"Yes, Naoki said as much," Yuri mused. "So what is it that you read, Natsuki?"

Natsuki shot her a look. "Alright, I'm gonna tell you, but only if you promise that you're not gonna make fun of me, got it?"

"I won't make fun of you. I promise."

"Okay." Natsuki let out a sigh, as if she was about to divulge a big secret about herself to the entire world. "I read only manga. Shoujo manga, to be exact. I dunno if you're familiar with the genre, but . . . there you go."

Yuri dwelt on her words for a while. Like anime, manga was popular throughout Japan, with entire bookstores sometimes dedicated to selling only them. People of all ages tend to have an interest in manga one way or another, which often started at a young age, and creating manga was often a career path that many skilled illustrators take. Sometimes, however, Yuri found that manga tended to be superficial in terms of plot as most of the comics she had seen in the past had shown; slice of life genres and romantic comedies often follow a similar, stereotypical plotline to the point where only the characters seemed different. The illustrations and characterizations made up for the lack of plot in some cases, but Yuri felt that was often the only selling point that manga had most of the time. Perhaps that was why most people grew out of it.

When their cappuccinos and cookies arrived, the two of them settled down and prepared to drink. Naturally, Yuri would have preferred oolong tea over a caffeine beverage, but she had to make do. "So you don't read novels or short stories?" she asked Natsuki.

"I've read a few, but I find manga more immersing," said Natsuki, who was bracing her cup of cappuccino with her small hands. "Each series possesses a different art style, and it's always nice to observe how some of them are drawn and written. It's just like watching cartoons, only that everything's not animated. It's a far cry from novels that only have words."

"Ah, but sometimes words can be more engaging than images, right?" said Yuri earnestly. "It's nice to leave a few things to the imagination—it engages the reader on a whole new level, and sometimes even a simple paragraph can possess a lot more depth than a picture does."

"Hey, that doesn't mean manga doesn't have any depth!" Natsuki stated defensively. "It takes a whole lot of skill to draw what you see in them, and even if you see the imagery immediately instead of thinking it out in your mind, it still leaves a lot to the imagination!"

"O-Oh, of course!" said Yuri, bowled over by Natsuki's fierce opinion. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to say that manga is weaker compared to most forms of literature."

"Good, because manga is literature in its own way," Natsuki stated, "and don't you or anyone else forget that!"

"Don't worry, I won't," said Yuri sincerely. "So, what was that genre that you mentioned? Shoujo, was it?"

"Y-Yeah, shoujo," Natsuki muttered. "It has a bit of slice-of-life and comedy themes, but it's mostly about personal experiences and . . . and r-romance."

"Oh, so that's what shoujo is," Yuri mused. "Is that what you and Daisuke read?"

"Yeah. Wait, how did you know?"

"Naoki told me about how Daisuke often skips lunch with him and their other friend Kenta to be with you. He says that you two eat and read manga together most of the time."

Natsuki's ears turned red. "Oh. Y-Yeah, we read manga during lunchtime. . ."

Yuri smiled. "It's not that far off from what Naoki and I do, then. He eats with Kenta, but afterwards the two of us get together and discuss the horror novels that we've read side by side."

"'Side by side,' huh?" mused Natsuki in a joking tone. Yuri giggled nervously as she turned away, her cheeks turning red again.

As late afternoon transitioned into early evening, the two of them drank their cappuccinos and ate cookies in relative silence. Natsuki would only drink from her cup and nibble on a sugar cookie while facing away from Yuri. Though she found this to be completely odd, Yuri refrained from asking Natsuki about it, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable, and so she ate and drank while looking away as well. At the very least, she was glad that she had managed to form a bond with Natsuki today even if it started out on an awkward and rocky note.

Inspired by her enthusiasm at what had taken place today, Yuri reached into her school bag and took out the notebook where she often wrote her poems. So far, she managed to consistently write random words that she used as writing prompts, and there were even a few lines that she had completed at home, ready to be turned into full-fledged poems. This time, she added some new lines to what she had written thus far:

"To form connections,

To trek down a beaten path with a familiar stranger,

'Tis another chance oft unexpected,

And one of life's innumerable truths."

"What're you writing?"

Startled, Yuri glanced up to see Natsuki gazing curiously at her notebook. For a moment, she fumbled with the idea of whether she should hide what she was writing, but such a prospect seemed to be outright rude. Instead, she decided to simply put down her pen and leave her notebook open.

"Ah, it's j-just . . . just a few lines, that's all," she replied, embarrassed.

"Lines?" asked Natsuki. "What, for homework?"

"N-Not really," said Yuri. "It's more of creative writing. Poetry, if y-you will."

"Oh, you write poems?" said Natsuki. She paused for a moment before shrugging. "Then again, I guess I should've expected something like that."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you're an avid reader, so it makes sense that you'd be interested in writing as well, right? It's the vibe that your boyfriend gives off too."

Yuri decided to let the boyfriend remark slide. "I suppose that d-does make sense," she acquiesced with a grin. "How about you? Do you write in your spare time?"

"Not really," replied Natsuki. "I've never thought about writing stuff. I've only done it before for homework."

"Well, why don't you try it as a hobby? It can be rather fulfilling, and even cathartic in some cases," said Yuri. "It gives people an outlet for their thoughts and emotions, like how a diary or a journal works, but in a more artful manner."

"Huh, I've never thought of it that way. . . Reading manga is often enough for me as a hobby."

"I see. To each their own, I suppose."

The city's noise level had increased considerably by the time they left The Monocle. Carrying their schoolbags and their groceries, the two of them braced themselves against the autumn chill. Natsuki was hissing under her breath as she wrapped her school jacket tighter around herself. Yuri could not blame her; it wouldn't be long before the first few snowflakes would start to fall over some of Japan's prefectures, and though Kanto did not receive quite a lot of snow compared to other regions, it was still enough to give the air an icier bite as the days passed.

Yuri turned to Natsuki. "It was nice spending time with you, Natsuki," she said cordially. "T-Thank you for coming along with me."

"It's nothing," said Natsuki. After a moment, she let out a sigh. "I'm sorry if I was messing with you a couple of times earlier, and if I seemed . . . you know, pretty grouchy. I just have a lot on my mind, and I'm trying to distract myself in any way that I can. I'll admit, it was kind of weird when you asked me to go with you out of the blue, but I appreciate the invitation and your company."

Yuri grinned, inclining her head. "It's okay, I understand. I hope we get to do this again in the future."

Natsuki shrugged. "We'll see. Are you gonna be tagging along at the next get-together with Daisuke and the others?"

"Yes. Naoki told me that the others just need a bit of time to confirm when it'll be. Monika's grown busy, from what I've heard."

"Yeah, Daisuke told me that too. Alright, see you around, I guess."

"You too."

Naoki could not stop himself from smiling as he listened to Yuri's story over the phone, of how she had coincidentally run into Natsuki at a grocery store and how the two of them spent time together at The Monocle afterwards. Yuri had called her out of the blue to tell him about it all, and she sounded rather enthusiastic as she relayed her story. Naoki sensed that it was because of her own amazement at how good things had turned out; introversion was often a considerable hurdle to overcome when it came to socializing, and from what he had heard about Natsuki from Daisuke, the small pink-haired girl could be difficult to read at times.

"Did she actually say that you seemed to be hitting on her?" he asked amusedly.

"Y-Yes. It caught me off guard, to be honest," said Yuri with a nervous giggle. "I thought she was being really serious for a moment."

Naoki laughed with her. "Your little encounter sounds really nice," he said. "I'm glad that you had a good time."

"I was actually surprised that Natsuki also had a good time too. She did admit that she found it w-weird when I asked her rather suddenly if she wanted to spend a bit of time together. I figured that it would be a nice time to actually start establishing a new friendship with her. When we were all together at Monika's house, I was afraid that we would only treat each other as casual friends, and that we'd go back to being strangers. You and the other boys don't have that kind of problem, based on w-what you've told me."

Naoki's mind wandered back to what happened earlier in the week; Kenta had asked him and Daisuke to gather for a short after-school hangout with Akihiro, being seemingly worried that something was up with the two of them due to their increasing absences at lunchtime. What happened then had stunned everyone in the triumvirate; Kenta had shared his own fears about Monika and her impending move to Osaka with her parents, while Daisuke had everyone gripped with news of his father's sudden visit and the truth behind Natsuki's home situation. Even now, the news still shook Naoki as he thought about it, and he wondered if Natsuki could be hiding something beneath her face mask in the same way that Yuri hid something beneath the sleeves of her clothes. Between this news and Tsuru Kobayashi's attempted suicide, Naoki's heart felt truly heavy. At the very least, Kenta's impromptu get-together was something that brought the quadrumvirate even closer together, even though it took a great swerve and caught everyone off guard. On the other hand, it also made Naoki conscious of the fact that he decided not to share his own worries and musings like his best friends had done. So far, he had told only Akihiro that something was also up regarding Yuri, but he had been quick to add that he didn't want to share what exactly it was until he managed to see if his hunch was either just a mistaken guess or a horrible truth.

Yuri's voice rang out after a while. "Naoki? A-Are you still there?"

Naoki snapped to attention as he realized that he had drifted off with his thoughts. "Yeah, sorry about that. I was just cleaning up something here real quick," he lied. "Anyway, it's not just us guys who can bond in and out of school. I think you can make good friends with Natsuki, Monika and Sayori too. It just seems awkward at first because you four still don't know each other that much, but with a bit of time, you can form your own quadrumvirate like ours!"

Yuri laughed again. "We'll s-see. Monika and Kenta do seem keen on bringing us all closer together."

"They're having as much fun as the rest of us are, it seems," said Naoki, smiling to himself. "Kenta always values the importance of friendship and having fun, and Monika probably learned a thing or two from him about letting one's hair down. Then again, I'm certain that Kenta learned a lot of stuff from her as well."

"To be honest, I didn't expect the two of them to be . . . to become a couple of sorts," Yuri mused. "Ah, not that there's anything wrong w-with that, of course!" she quickly added.

"That's alright. If you ask me, Kenta probably didn't expect that, either," said Naoki, laughing. "I guess it's just the 'opposites attract' rule. Either way, I'm also happy for them." As he said those words, however, he remembered Monika possibly moving to Osaka and how Kenta would be severely affected by it. He racked his brain for something else to say, not wanting to let one sad thought lead to another.

"I'm gonna try chatting up Tomohiro later and see when we can start working on the stuff the booths will need for the festival," he said. "He's the one who'll be giving us the funds to buy what we'll need."

"Ah, sure thing," said Yuri. "Where are we going to work, by the way?"

"What do you mean?"

Yuri paused before replying, as if she was hesitating to speak her reply. "Um, w-where are we going to stay while we're working on the wares for the booths?"

"Oh. Hmm . . ." Naoki paused for a moment, thinking. "Well, we can always work in school, but I suppose we'll cover more ground if we work during our free time off of school as well. Plus, it'll give us a safe place to store everything. Um, how about your place?"

"A-Are you sure about that?" asked Yuri anxiously.

"Yes. Will that be okay with you? If not, we can always work here at my place instead."

"No, it's f-fine with me! It's just that . . ."

"What is it?"

There was silence over Naoki's cellphone for a few seconds. Even through a call, Naoki could feel Yuri's nervousness and hesitation palpably.

". . . There might be another accident again," Yuri finally replied in a small voice. "I m-might spill tea again, or w-worse. . ."

"Oh, I see." Though rather trivial in nature, Yuri's fears were justified; to mess up the wares they would be making and selling for the school festival would indeed be a catastrophe. Still, it wasn't as if she was guaranteed to screw up again like she did with his notes last time. "It's okay, Yuri. We just need to be a bit more careful this time around."

"Yes, I'll do my best to make sure that I don't mess things up," said Yuri determinedly. "I'm just scared about the p-possibility that it might happen. . ."

"It's fine. I'll be there helping you all the while, so you don't have to worry," said Naoki in a reassuring tone. "We're in this together, okay?"

Though he did not mean them to, the words brought back the memory of the discussion Naoki had with his fellow quadrumvirs at Big Tom's. In the face of the difficulties that they were encountering, such words rang loud and clear.

"T-Thank you, Naoki," said Yuri. "I truly appreciate that."

When the call ended, Naoki went to his laptop and booted it up. Though they had not been given any new homework earlier, he had some assignments of his own that he had been taking care of for days now. In complete silence, he opened up his internet browser and went back to some of the old links that he had been checking out for the past few days. He and Yuri often wrote down random words to use as writing prompts for new poems and such, hoping to draw inspiration from such simple terms and phrases in order to create something. What he was doing right now felt no different.

Self-harm. Anxiety. Cutting.

"How to help people that practice self-harm." "Stories about self-harm."

Opening the links he had chosen, Naoki went down to business. We're in this together, Yuri.