Ruby Red Threads

#28.5 EXTRA - Rubi

A/N:

Some fluff, because there won't be any for a while after this :)

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"Sayu?" A reluctant voice.
"Sayu." A little louder this time.
"S-Sayu?" One last try.
The little girl grunts without looking up from her mother's phone, only half paying attention.
A sigh of relief.
"A-Are you going to Hana's house to play later?"
"Yes."
A deep breath. "Can I come too?"
The girl looks up, and thinks about the question.
A heart that beats too loud.
"I'll let you come if you finish my homework for me!" she finally says.
A wide smile. "Okay! Leave it to me!"

Small legs that run as fast as they can. Hands that grasp hours' worth of school work. A heart that beats too loud, but this time, with excitement.
"Sayu! I finished! Can we go now?"
The little girl yawns and rubs at her eyes. "It's too late Rubi, we finished playing hours ago!"
Legs that still. A face that droops.
The little girl comes forward and pries her homework out of limp hands. "Don't worry! Nobody missed you!"
A chest that aches.
"But since you did my homework for me, I'll be your best friend, just for tomorrow!"
Eyes that brighten.
Best friend.
An even wider smile.
Best friend!

"Best friend!"

"Wh—What?" I stutter, as I drag my mind back to the present. Sayu...no, Sayori isn't here. Kurumi-senpai is kneeling before me, her hands on my knees as she looks deep into my eyes with a serious look on her face. "Who's your best friend? Is it me, or Irina!?" she asks again, deliberately keeping her voice down because Akito is asleep on my shoulder, breathing softly, and we don't want to accidentally wake him up.

I glance uncertainly at Irina, who's seated to my left, her side pressed close to mine. She has her face slightly angled away from the rest of us, sulking quietly.

"Well?" Senpai presses.

"The train is the only place I get to spend any quality time with Rubi. Why do the lot of you have to be here too," Irina grumbles, finally breaking her silence. I smile apologetically at Senpai, but she doesn't seem to mind at all.

"Oh don't worry, it's just for today. Akito looked tired so I didn't want to make him walk. As for Ren." She twists her upper body to look up at him. He's hovering over our seats, clutching at the hand-holds overhead and frowning for no apparent reason. "He probably just didn't want to go home alone." She grins.

"What, you got a problem with that?" he barks.

We shake our heads.

"So," Senpai resumes, returning her attention to me. "Me or Irina?" Beside me, Irina's eyebrows twitch. I have a distinct impression that Senpai is only doing this to mess with her, and my suspicions are confirmed when a murky smile lights up her face.

"It's not like I want to be her best friend," Irina mutters stiffly. "If anything, I'd rather be her girlfriend. So you can be the best friend, it hardly matters to me." I groan and hide my face in my hands.

"You sure about that?" Senpai teases.

"Yes," Irina says, snapping her eyes back to the front.

"Guys, this isn't a competition," I try, but nobody seems to hear me.

"Fine then! I'm her best friend!"

Irina's jaw hardens. "I've known her longer," she blurts, then continues to look straight at Senpai with a challenge in her eyes.

"That's not important! My time with Rubi was short but meaningful!" Irina rolls her eyes but Senpai persists. "We connected instantly! By the second time we spoke, we were practically besties already!"

"Ssh!" Ren hisses, pressing his forefinger to his lips and looking pointedly at Akito.

"Sorry," Senpai mouths to him, but when she turns around again, the sly smile returns. "How long was it before the two of you properly became friends?" she whispers.

Irina's hands tightly fist around her skirt. "I've been to her house before."

"Please, back in highschool I'd stop by at least once every week," Senpai expertly counters. "I've stayed the night too."

At this, Irina glares at me, like all of that is somehow my fault. "What? Leave me out of this!" I protest, careful not to jerk my shoulder and disturb Akito.

"You can't be her best friend," Irina mutters tightly.

"Why?"

"Because I want to be both."

"Both?"

"Best friend and girlfriend."

Senpai scoffs. "That's not fair!"

Both gazes land on me once again. I raise my hands defensively. "I told you to leave me out of this. I'm not going to pick between the two of you."

"I won't walk you home today if you don't," Irina says.

"I never asked you to walk me home!" I whisper-shout, exasperated.

"Oh, for fucks sake," Ren snaps, frustrated, and now it's our turn to shush him. Akito is still sound asleep. He hasn't budged at all since we got here. He's always so hard on himself, and it makes me worry that he might be neglecting his health, so I feel at ease now, when he's close enough for me to be able to watch over him like this.

"We're all her best friends. End of discussion," Ren awkwardly declares, bringing his voice down.

Senpai lifts an eyebrow at him, curious. "We?"

"What? I'm her friend too!"

"Okay then," Senpai says, her smile resigned. She looks at Irina.

"Fine," Irina grumbles.

Senpai shifts her attention to me now, grabbing hold of my hands, her dozen lovely red strings pooling in my lap. "Well?" she says expectantly. "Can we all be your best friends? We'll treat you like a princess forever if you say yes!"

This isn't a serious discussion. It's a silly little argument that everyone here will probably forget about the second they get off this train. But not me.

Because I will remember it forever.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry so I make a noise that sounds like a little bit of both. "O-Okay."

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