more than the past ➶ natsuri [ddlc]

★ chapter 28

"Yuri!" Monika said, running up to her stepsister, who was accompanied by Ichika. "Did you hear about Matsumoto-san?"

Ichika stood there, watching the exchange. Her body remained still, as though her feet had planted themselves to the ground. She was afraid that if she moved from Yuri's side, that Yuri would no longer rely on her. I wonder if I could call Tanaka-san by her first name, she mused. As the Tanaka sisters chatted away, she tried mouthing Yuri's name. Yu- Yuuuuu, she couldn't do it.

"That's crazy. Tell her I said to get well soon, okay?" Yuri said politely.

"Okay," Monika answered, leaving Yuri alone with Ichika.

"What's wrong, Yamamoto-san?" Yuri asked.

Ichika shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She had seen Monika call Yuri by her first name so easily. She supposed it made sense, though. After all, they were sisters. "Nothing," she smiled. "I'm just glad it's me by your side."

"Me too," Yuri answered. "I don't think anybody else could handle me so well."

Calling the way Ichika felt about Yuri "love at first sight" was wrong. Ichika did love Yuri, but it certainly didn't come at first sight. She was first intrigued by the tall purple haired girl. She wanted to scope out her competition, only to lose any rivalry she may have had.

Ichika wasn't sure she loved Yuri in the romantic type. She just wanted to be the one Yuri thought of as special. She wanted to be the closest to Yuri-- whatever that meant.

"Hey, Yamamoto-san," Monika said from behind the two. "I haven't seen you in person for a while. I think you've finally caught up to Yuri in height." Her words slurred slightly, and she didn't quite walk in a straight line.

"We've always been similar in height," Ichika said, folding her hands in her lap.

"Yeah, you were a little shorter than Yuri. Maybe a few centimeters?"

"She never grew taller than a centimeter above me!" Ichika pouted. She jumped as she felt something land on her lap. She looked down to see Yuri's hand resting on her thigh.

"Can we go to my room?" Yuri asked tiredly.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Ichika answered, getting up from her seat. The two made their way up the stairs into Yuri's large bedroom.

The second person who had watched Natsuki and Yuri kiss chuckled to himself. "So," he said quietly, observing Natsuki. "It wasn't Yamamoto-san you liked. It was this girl here..." He got up from his crouching position and stepped out of the shadows.

Natsuki's face was still buried in her hands, so he slipped out of the area before she could notice his presence.

_

_

"I forget how loaded you are."

"Not me. My parents. It's not my money, so I try not to be proud of it."

"I think you should at least be proud that someone in your family works hard enough to make you guys rich. I think you should have some pride in whoever is providing for you," Ichika said, sitting on Yuri's soft bed.

Yuri laid down rather than sat. "I'm exhausted."

"It was Monika who planned this party, huh?" Ichika said, scooting up and laying next to Yuri. Her eyes shot straight up to the ceiling. "You were never a fan of big parties." She reached over to mess with Yuri's soft hair. This was always how she comforted her.

Yuri made a sound of agreement. "En. I preferred having just one friend."

"I'm glad I got to be by your side," Ichika said, pausing for a moment. "Yuri. You know, as that one friend."

"Me, too, Ichika." Yuri rolled over on her side to face her friend. "And I'm glad you're still by my side. Must be fate, huh?"

"Fate," Ichika repeated quietly. She rolled the word in her mouth a little. Fate. What was fate, really? Two people, destined to meet? That seemed a little dramatic. Destiny seemed only out of fairy tales, but maybe fate was the right word. "Yeah, it must be fate."

They closed their eyes.

_

_

The next morning came quickly. The sun shone in through the window directly to the girls' faces. Yuri woke up, glancing down at a sleeping Ichika who was laying on her chest. She carefully lifted her best friend's head and laid it on the pillow next to her. She climbed out of the bed as quietly as she could.

As she made her way down the stairs, the smell of cupcakes wafted into her nose. She chuckled. "Of course Natsuki's making cupcakes." How typical of her.

"Good morning, Yuri," Natsuki said, staring at her feet. "Are you hungry? I made cupcakes," she said quietly.

Yuri laughed. "I could tell from the scent of cupcakes." She took one from the plate, taking a small bite. The fluffy cake melted in her mouth as she knew it would. Any cupcake made by Natsuki was sure to melt in your mouth. 

"A-About that thing that happened last night..."

"Forget about it," Yuri said quickly, the shame hitting her. "I was tipsy and being stupid."

That was half a lie, and the shame only burned stronger. Of course she had been tipsy, but she wasn't being stupid, necessarily. She had to know if she would feel anything. That wasn't stupid, was it?

"I should never have forced myself on you, and I'm sorry for doing it. Please just forget about it and we can return to our normal lives--to how it was before that mistake." Yuri glanced down at her sleeve, tugging it down over her palm. 

"Oh," Natsuki mumbled, her face burning. She swallowed down her confession and forced a pained smile to her face. "Okay. I-It's not like I like you or anything anyways. I have a boyfriend," she lied.

"You do?" Yuri asked. "Now I feel even worse for kissing you. I deeply apologize, and I hope I haven't caused any issues between you and your boyfriend."

"Don't worry about it," Natsuki mumbled, crossing her arms. God damn it. Now I have to find a  boyfriend so she doesn't find out I lied to her.