Another: The Class of 1999

Chapter 16 - New Evidence

Yuki was excused from fitness lesson because of a really bad flare of eczema on the inside of her elbows and back of her knees. Clarissa also was excused, for reasons regarding being the class rep and head of countermeasures, which they wouldn't tell anyone.

The boys were at one side of the field playing cricket (lead by Akira, of course), whilst the girls were playing rounders at the other side of the field. I was still excused, so Yuki and I sat on the bench by the steps.

Yuki shuffled the playing cards she had brought and laid them out correctly, so we had seven small piles with the top card turned over. The pile on the left only had one card, the second had two, and so forth. Then the remained cards were placed at the side.

"I love playing solitaire. Tsuki-chan, may I ask you something?" Yuki said shyly.

"Of course, what's up?" I asked, placing the seven of clubs ontop of the eight of diamonds, allowing room for the eight to peak over the top.

"Um... I don't really know how to word this, but what's your relationship with Fujiwara Riku? Are you two going out?"

"No! We're just friends!" I responded hurriedly, not quite believing how confident Yuki was at asking such embarrassing questions. She didn't seem like the kind of person to ask that.

Yuki shrugged, taking the card at the top of the pile, noticed it was the Ace of Hearts, and placed it to the side. "I was just wondering... Do you like him in that way?"

I paused to think. Did I like Riku that way? If Riku asked me to be his girlfriend, what would I say? I had to admit, I loved spending time with him, and he made me happy. But did I want to go out with him?

I did my best not to look in the direction of the boys, although my eyes naturally wanted to gravitate that way.

"I don't know..." I replied honestly. "I don't think so. Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Yuki said hurriedly, taking another card from the pile and studying it. "Let's stop talking about it."

I tilted my head. "Yuki-chan... Do you have a crush on someone?"

"No!" Yuki yelled, horrified, looking as if I had suggested something impossible. "At least... I don't think so... Tsuki-chan, can you keep a secret?"

I nodded, feeling quite pleased that Yuki trusted me. "Of course."

Yuki looked back at the card. "I... I don't know if I just like this person as a friend or as a crush. I've known this person for years, and they're the best person I've ever known. I just... I can't understand what I'm feeling."

"Well, do you want to tell me who it is, or not?" I asked, tilting my head.

"I'd rather not," Yuki said quietly. "I'd end up regretting telling you, and then if my feelings are just friendly feelings, then I don't want you knowing what I was thinking about... I'd be too embarrassed."

"Well, for one thing, you should never feel embarrassed," I told Yuki. "Because feelings can't be helped. Like, when you watch a scary film, you don't choose to be scared, it just happens. When you haven't eaten your lunch yet, you don't choose to be hungry." I leant forwards, making sure Yuki's attention was on me. "Just like love - you don't choose to have these emotions. They just happen."

Yuki smiled sadly. She still looked worried.

"Yuki-chan," I said kindly, "love is a beautiful thing. Yes, you will find it scary, and you'll be distraught if things might not go the way you want, but falling in love is a magical feeling. You need to embrace it. I've had similar thoughts to you before, Yuki. And they're okay, more people have then than you think. It's okay to fall in love, no matter what the gender of the other person is."