Chapter 3 – Secrets & Suspicions
Yui's POV
It's been three tense-filled days since Akari suffered that injury. Everyone was asking if we'd heard any news...only to be told that we haven't heard anything. We figured that it would be best to just leave Akari alone for a while so that she could cope with what's happened to her.
But after three days of nothing, we were starting to get worried.
"*sigh*"
This obviously included me.
"Still thinking about Akari, huh?" Sachiko asked me as she had come over to my apartment to eat breakfast. This being a common thing due to us living next door to each other.
…
She also can't cook if her life depended on it. Which makes it baffling as hell as to why she joined the Baking Club of all things.
"Yeah…pretty much."
"I've never heard of an incident that resulted in someone's eye being removed. Maybe there were sudden complications after we left."
""Sudden complications"? Like what?"
"Well…I don't know. Maybe the other eye got infected and they had remove that one, too. If that's the case…woah…an eye-less human would be pretty freaking creepy."
*BONK*
"Ow! Now what was that there for?!" Sachiko yelled after I bashed her in the head.
"Don't jinx it, you dumbass!" I yelled back. My eyes were on the brink of tears from imagining that possibility.
"Alright, geez. Sorry. Didn't think you cared about Akari THAT much."
"Why wouldn't I?! She's my childhood friend!"
"Really now? Because it's been hard to tell as of late."
I was going to yell at her again. But after taking into thought what she just said, I had an idea about where this was going.
"Y-You mean…the "no presence" thing, right?"
"I really don't understand how that became a thing…but the three of you have being forgetting her a lot more than usual lately."
"W-Well…I'm not sure about Kyoko and Chinatsu…b-but I've been really busy recently. Trying to get into high school, the situation with my parents, and then that third thing…"
"By the way…what's going on with that third thing?"
"Uh…" And as I was about to answer…
*RINGTONE CHIME*
"Hello? Ah! Kunikida-san! Y-Yes…a-about that offer…can I think about it some more? It's still rather sudden. Uh-huh…b-before summer break starts? Uh…sure. I'll have an answer by then. Thank you so much, Kunikida-san. Sayōnara." I then hung up the phone and let out a huge stressed-out sigh.
"You still haven't decided?" Sachiko asked.
"G-Give me a break, will you? Something like THAT isn't easy to decide overnight."
"It's been nearly a month, but I guess that argument's still valid."
"Anyway…if you think that I'm intentional ignoring Akari, then you've got it all wrong. She's one of my dearest friends."
"Then, why don't you just tell her that? It'll certainly make her rethink how she's been treated lately."
"Yeah, it would…" I then went silent for a bit. "…b-but I think it's too late for that now."
"What do you mean?"
"Well…" I went silent again as a single memory of what I was about to reveal replayed in my head. Making me sadder than I already was.
"Yui?"
"S-Sachiko…can you keep a secret?"
"Keep a secret?" Sachiko thought for a moment. "Well, it depends on what this secret is. What's it about?"
…
"It's…It's about Akari." I confessed.
"Should I be worried about where this is going?"
"N-No! I-I mean I guess, but…i-it's not what you think it is!"
"Okay, okay. Then, what is it?"
"Well…" I sighed a little before continuing on. "…the day after we left the hospital, I remembered that I had left my jacket in Akari's room and went back to grab it. But when I got there, I took a glance at Akari's newly redone face. And, honestly…she looked depressed as hell."
"Akari? Depressed? That's definitely not like her."
"I know. Which is why seeing that look of sadness and despair…void of any happiness she had before that day…it was the most disturbing thing I've ever seen in my life. Terrifying, even."
"Worse than spiders, even?"
"H-Hell no! Spiders are the epitome of all evil! I can't STAND those ugly mistakes of a creature!"
"Be glad that Hiro isn't here to hear that…" Sachiko gained a sweatdrop.
I seriously don't understand how Hiro could love spiders! Let alone have one as a pet!
"*sigh* Whatever." I took a second to calm down. "My point is…this is the first time I'm telling this to anyone and I'm hoping that you can keep it a secret for a while longer."
"You mean you're not gonna tell Kyoko and Chinatsu?"
"No. At least not right now. Both of them already feel guilty about letting this happen. If they find out that Akari's depressed about it, then they'll feel even worse."
Especially Kyoko…
"Yeah…you do have a point."
"So, can you keep this a secret for now? At least until we know for sure if Akari really is depressed over her injury."
"Yui…" Sachiko said before going silent on me. I know she isn't the type of person to just blab out secrets without a care in the world. But the fact that she was keeping a secret about a friend away from her friends is what made her concerned about this.
But…I know I can trust her. With this bond we've had since the day we met…I surely know that I can trust her.
…
…
…
"*sigh* Alright. I'll keep your secret, Yui. I won't tell anyone until it feels right to do so, okay?"
"Thanks, Sachiko." I replied with a smile. "I knew I could rely on you."
It's one of the reasons why I fell in love with you…
*RINGTONE CHIME*
"Hm? H-Hey, it's Akane!" I said as I checked my phone for a new message I got. "Akari just got discharged and are heading home now! She said we can come by in an hour."
"Wow…that's nice. It must mean that she's fine then."
"Yeah. Physically, at least." I mumbled to myself. "You wanna tag along?"
"*sigh* Wish I could. But I promised Aoi I would help her with her Literature homework. She, Hiro, and I are making a study group out of it."
"I see…"
Didn't think Aoi cared that much about her homework. Considering that she hangs out with Sakurako a lot…
"Well, I'll tell you how it goes. Hopefully, Akari's back to her usual cheery self."
…
I honestly don't know why I said that. With how Akari lost an eye and how she reacted to finding out…the possibility of her emotionally suffering because of this ON TOP of how we've been treating her lately…
…
Maybe this Yuru Yuri series has made me delusional…
After splitting from Sachiko back at the apartment complex, I was making my way to the Akaza residence. Alongside Chinatsu and Kyoko. I had asked before leaving if they wanted to go together. And Chinastu agreed with no hesitation.
Kyoko, on the other hand...took a bit of convincing. Not because she didn't want to see Akari. In fact…it was more so the opposite.
"You think Akari hates you?"
"Why wouldn't she, Yui?! It's my fault that she only has one eye now! She totally hates me!" Kyoko yelled as she was trying to hold in her tears.
"Come on, Kyoko. It's not entirely your fault." Chinastu said.
"Wh-What do you mean?"
"To be honest...Akari didn't even want to go to the clubroom that day. B-But I pretty much forced her to after saying that she was being paranoid! I'm to blame for this, as well!"
"So, we're BOTH responsible for ruining Akari's life! She definitely hates us for sure!"
"Will you two knock it off?!" I yelled at them both. "*sigh* Look, I know what happened to Akari is tragic. No doubt about it. But we shouldn't be beating ourselves up because of it. Akari wouldn't like that."
…
…
…
"Y-Yeah. You're right, Yui." Chinastu said.
"B-But…"
"Kyoko, everything's going to be fine. I'm sure Akari still wants to be friends with you. Just trust me."
…
...
...
"O-Okay, Yui. If you say so." Kyoko said while still sounding a bit uneasy. I was happy that I was able to convince them that everything was okay...but at the same time, I felt bad for pretty much lying to their faces like that. I just want them to believe that Akari's going to be fine. That's not bad, right?
…
*sigh* There I go being delusional again…
The three of us soon arrived at Akari's house and knocked on the door to have her sister Akane answer it.
"Oh hello, you three. So, you decided to come check-up on Akari?" She asked.
"Yes, we are." I said. "How's she holding up?"
"Well...she's been improving...a little."
"A little?"
"Well, you see...since she only has one eye, her eyesight has dropped dramatically. The doctors recommended that she take part in some rehabilitation courses to help her walk. But she refused them. Saying that she could do it herself. Since we came home, she's been constantly bumping into everything. Walls, doors, furniture...she's already bumped into me 4 times this past hour."
"Oh, geez. Poor Akari." Chinastu said. "You don't help her?"
"I try to...but she keeps pushing me away. Saying that she can handle it herself. She says it with a smile, too. But it looks…off."
Crap. She's starting to hide it now…
"You girls can come in. I'm sure she'll be happy to see her friends checking up on her."
"Thank you. Pardon the intrusion." We all said as we entered the house.
We took our shoes off and headed upstairs to Akari's room. Knocking on the door gently and waiting for a response.
"Yeah?" We heard her voice on the other side and I opened the door slowly.
"Hey, Akari." We all said.
"Oh. Hey, guys. I didn't think you would come to see m-WAAAH!"
*THUD*
"Akari!"
Akari was trying to get off her bed...but misjudged how close she was to the edge. And ended up rolling off.
"Ow..."
"You okay, Akari?" Chinastu asked as we all helped her up.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine...*phew* It's not the first time today I've done that."
"Y-You've done this more than once?" I asked.
"Well, I've gotta use the bathroom, don't I?"
"Yeah, but rolling off the bed to do so is not safe at all."
"It doesn't hurt…that much."
"Akari…" Chinastu sounded worried.
"Guys, I'm fine. Really, I am. Just because I only have one eye now doesn't mean anything. Sure, I fall off the bed every time I try to get out of it. And I've run into almost every wall and piece of furniture in the house. And when I was coming home from the hospital, everyone kept staring at me with looks of discomfort and disgust. But other than that, I'm fine. Really…I am."
I wasn't sure about the others, but I can tell she was faking being okay with this. Losing your eye is not something you can just push to the side and be okay with like normal. And she knows it. But I bet she's covering it up so we don't blame ourselves.
Geez, Akari. This selfless trait of yours is hurting you more than it's helping us...
Throughout the whole ordeal, I didn't hear Kyoko say anything since we got here. She must have those thoughts from earlier still in her head. And seeing Akari falling off the bed and claiming that she's used to it already...plus the other problems she listed...she must be going insane with guilt.
"H-Hey...A-Akari…" She suddenly spoke.
"Yeah, Kyoko? What's up?"
"B-Be honest with me…"
Kyoko went silent for a second as she dropped her head down. She then did a nervous sigh and brought her head back up the face Akari and asked:
"D…D-Do you…D-Do you hate me?"
"Kyoko!" I yelled.
"No, Yui! I need to know this! This guilt is eating me alive! And it's gonna continue to do so unless I get some kind of closer!"
I went silent after hearing that. I've never seen Kyoko be so serious with anything that wasn't Mirakurun or Rum Raisin. It honestly took me by surprise.
"Do I hate you? Of course not." Akari answered.
"Y-You don't?!" Kyoko sounded surprised.
Was she expecting the opposite?
"No. Why would I hate you?"
"Akari…it was MY toy that stabbed you in the eye."
"Yeah, true. But it wasn't your fault."
"See, Kyoko? You're just overreacting." I said.
"Yeah. Because in a way, I blame myself."
"What?" The three of us asked.
"Well when you think about it, it really is my fault. For believing such a lie that this couldn't happen to me. That I could've avoided this fated path that was already decided for me.
I mean…it makes sense. All those times I was ignored, forgotten, left behind without a care in the world…you know how they say the weak are the first to die off? Well…all of that PLUS the injury I got…it's obvious that it's the universe's way of saying "take a hint, dumbass".
…
And honestly…I'm okay with that."
The three of us had looks of disbelief after hearing that. Me, specifically…I had tears ready to fall from my eyes. Those words...coming out of Akari's mouth. I was starting to believe that I was in some kind of nightmare. This was not the Akari I grew up with. She's clearly hurting…but her selflessness is making her stubborn to admit it.
This was exactly what I was worried about…
"A-Akari…" I stuttered.
*KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK*
"Come in." Akari said.
"Hey, I made snacks for you girls if you want them." Akane said as she came into the room. "I just need help carrying them over here."
"Sure, Sis. I'll help you."
"N-No wait, Akari! I'll help Akane. You just sit here and rest." I said after stopping Akari from getting off her bed again.
"You sure, Yui? You guys are guests. I should be catering you."
"I-It's fine, Akari. Really. Right, guys?" I then turned to Kyoko and Chinatsu and gave them a simple wink of my still teary eye. Hoping they'll get the message.
"Uh…y-yeah, Akari! Let Yui do it!" Chinastu said. "Besides, us three can just sit together and talk. Right, Kyoko?"
"Yep! Anything you want!" Kyoko agreed.
It looks like they caught on to what I was trying to do. Thanks, you guys...
"Well…okay then."
"It won't take long at all. I'll be back." I said as I walked out of the room with Akane.
When we both got to the kitchen, the snacks Akane made were sitting on the counter. But as I tried to grab one of the trays, Akane grabbed me by the hand and said:
"Hey...you notice it too, didn't you?"
It wasn't that hard to figure out what she was talking about. And so, once Akane let go of my hand, I turned around to face her sad worried face.
"Yeah...I did. And it's been on my mind for the past three days, too."
"*sigh* I just...I-I just don't know what to do, Yui. She's been like that ever since she found out what happened. And then Kuuko had to go and make her feel worse about it."
"K-Kuuko?" I was honestly shocked to hear that name again.
"She came by once she heard about Akari's injury. She started spouting nonsense about "fate" and whatnot and I'm betting that got to Akari's mind. Should've kicked her out the moment she got there."
"I see…"
So, Kuuko's still a nutcase. There's just no helping that girl…
"But what do I do? I don't have the slightest idea how to help someone with depression. I've read books, articles, online tips...but none were much help. I'm really starting to get worried, Yui. What if it gets even worse and Akari eventually becomes…becomes…GAAAAAH! I wouldn't know how to live with myself if that happened!"
"A-Akane, calm down!" I yelled at her before calming down myself. "You really shouldn't think of such things. I admit, I've had these same worries in my head. And after talking Akari today, I'm now certain that they're true. But we can't just go into a panic. We need to help Akari overcome this."
"O-Overcome this? B-But how?"
"Well, first…we'll have to get Akari to admit that she's depressed. Then, once that's done, we'll go from there."
"Admit to it? Y-You saw her just now, didn't you? Her selflessness is making her too stubborn to accept it."
"Yeah, that's true."
That was a huge hurdle to get over. Just like Akane, I have no idea how to help someone with depression. I might have to do some research of my own to get at least some understanding of it.
"Well...until we think of something, we'll just have to keep showing Akari that we care for her."
"*sigh* Yeah. That seems like the only option we have right now." Akane said with her sad worried tone still present.
Wow...this has to be the first time I've seen Akane THIS concerned about Akari. It's like she's a normal older sister all of a sudden. Not fantasizing about sleeping with her younger sister…
…
Yes, I knew. All of us knew. There were times when she didn't even try to hide it.
"But for now...let's not be gloomy about it. Akari will notice and will probably feel worse about it. Just don't tell her we had this conversation, okay?"
"Sure, Akane. Your secret's safe with me." I said with a small smile.
How ironic that I told Sachiko the same thing over an hour ago…
As we both grabbed a tray from the table in front of us and made our way to the stairs, we heard a noise coming from upstairs.
*THUD*
"Ow..." Akari whined.
"Akari, you okay?!" I heard Chinastu say.
"I-I'm fine...r-really, I am. I'm just going to the bathroom."
"At least let one of us hold your hand." Kyoko said. "You're gonna get tons of bruises if you keep running into walls like that."
"Guys, I'm telling you I'm fi-"
*THUD*
"Ow..."
This is going to be harder than I thought...
Author's Note: Suspicions grow into worry as Akari is released from the hospital. And with guilt building up in two of her friends, is it right for Yui to keep secrets about Akari from them? Only time will tell.
So, old chapters will receive changes, too. Some of them minor…while others will receive an additional paragraph or two. Like this one.
This should be good enough for a preview. Now that you've seen what I mean, what do you guys think? Is this something you're interested in? I would be interested in hearing your thoughts.
Thanks for reading. Later.