Chapter 9 - Hanging Out After School

"Hey, wanna hang out somewhere?" Yuuki asked me. 

It was after school and I was about to leave, but suddenly Yuuki asked me in front of the locker room.

"Yeah sure, I guess..."

"That's the spirit! Even though you looked like a zombie..." Yuuki looked at me grossly.

"Shut up, I'm always like this." I stare at him.

He just laughed as he took his shoes out from the locker. I was actually free, so that's why I accepted his invitation. But usually, even though I'm free, I don't really like hanging out after school like this. Well, doesn't mean I dislike it, it just... I only have Yuuki and Yuuko as my friends, and I rarely hang out somewhere after school.

I'd usually go home immediately and play videogames or read some manga... But because something has been sticking in my mind, I wanted to ask Yuuki about it.

"So, where are we going?" I asked about the place where we're going, half worried about the distance.

"Mmm... What about Wac?"

"Wac? Sounds good to me." I said as I walked past him.

"Even though we have gone there more than once?" He playfully asked me.

"The more I get familiar with the place, the more comfy it gets, at least for me," I answered shortly.

Yuuki laughed as if wiping my thoughts away. "Whatever you said, at least we're going to have some fun."

———

We arrived at Wac and ordered the same food. Double Wac cheese and some french fries. I didn't order any drink as they somehow had already run out of coffee milk, while Yuuki ordered a glass of cold soda.

"That doesn't seem healthy," I said as I looked at his soda with fear and concern.

Yuuki laughed then said, "It is, but that's if I drank too much of it. I only drink this once or twice a week, so don't worry."

"I wonder what would happen if Yuuko knew about this." I sighed while scratching my hair.

"I'd rather hope she won't find out," Yuuki said. His body is trembling at the moment, so I guess he is indeed scared of her.

But I don't remember Yuuko being scary at all. As I thought about whether Yuuko had once been scary or not, I remembered about the tragedy that happened before at the school garden.

I took one fries and ate it, then Yuuki asked me, "By the way, I'm curious about what had happened before, at the garden."

Did he just read my mind?

I looked at him. "I'd rather not talk about that... but I'm in deep trouble now."

"What problem?" Yuuki asked me as he tossed some fries to his mouth.

"Well, there's this misunderstanding about Akari's best friend towards me. She thought I have some hidden motives—even though I have told her that I'm not, but she didn't believe me."

"Mhm." He nodded.

"And back then at the garden, Akari was trying to explain and convince her that I'm not like that. But, she got upset and left us after saying something kind of cruel to what you have called best friends—I mean to Akari," I explained the event as clearly as I could.

"Oh I see. So that friend of Akari thought you have something hidden behind your nice action? What a pity," he said as he bit into his burger. "So what are you going to do?" Yuuki asked with his full mouth.

"I wanted to help her to clear this... but I don't know how. I mean, she already hates me and there's nothing much I can do." I looked down as I held my burger.

Yuuki nodded as he finished his burger. He didn't say anything after that, only eating his fries until it ran out.

I also didn't try to say anything and just continued to finish my burger. But that's when Yuuki finally said something.

"After giving it some thought... There's indeed nothing much you can do."

"I know that... But I need to do something or their friendship will be destroyed because of me..."

"You're not the one to be blamed for. It's her own fault if their friendship got destroyed in the end," he said angrily, then sipped his soda.

"What do you mean?"

"She's so short minded. If she's really her best friend, then she would accept you as a partner to help Akari. In other words, she's being overprotective."

I looked down at the table. I can't believe he said that, but that sounds rather true. "Are you saying it's not my fault?" I asked.

"Yeah, I thought so."

What Yuuki had said convinced me. But... It's like, I can't really agree to that, I don't know why though.

"But there's still more to it," he stopped, then continued with, "I understand why she is like that, you're just a stranger who suddenly gets close to Akari after all. So I understand why she's mad."

"Yeah, I'm conscious about that too."

He then took one of my fries while saying, "Sure Akari is the one who first talked to you, so it's not your fault at all. But in the end... it's all back at her again, for being overprotective."

I only looked at him while eating my fries. It feels so wrong to blame someone for their own fault, but I know that Shimizu is indeed wrong. Honestly, I don't like Yuuki needing to point it out more than once about it, but it seems like he needed to so I can be more confident.

"Oh... I remembered something."

"What is it?" Yuuki asked.

"I remembered that Akari had said to me that her friend had a bad experience with boys," I said as I tried my best to remember it.

"Bad experience with boys?"

"Akari didn't say it like that though, she only said that Shimizu always thinks bad about us—boys."

"Hee... I see. So that's why she is like that," Yuuki said while taking other fries from my plate. "Wait, did you just say 'Shimizu'?" His eyes then grow wide.

"Yeah, I do." 

Darn it, I accidentally said her name. I really don't want to reveal her name, but I guess I got tired from this conversation and ended up revealing her name. Well, I guess it's not bad that Yuuki seemed to know her.

But still, it's my fault after all.

"Now I got it," he said as he clapped his clenched right hand onto his open left hand. Did Yuuki know her somehow?

"You know her?"

"Yeah, I do. She's from the Running Club, the club I also joined. Now that I know who we're talking about, she is indeed well-known for her unfriendly attitude towards the boys."

I raised my eyebrows in reaction to that information. This is the chance to get to know her more so I can help Akari. "Really? Can you tell me more?"

"Hm? Are you interested? I thought you disliked her?"

"It's not like that, I'm way too short on information. I need as much as I can know and think about the plan," I said briefly.

"Ah, I see, alright." He nodded.

"I'd like to know about what the boys on the Running Club think about her, do they dislike her?"

"Dislikes? That's nonsense, all the boys liked her despite her unfriendly attitude. They even have a nickname for her, what is it again? The 'Ice Queen' if that is right."

The "Ice Queen"? What in the world is that nickname? Well, aside from that, are the boys from the Running Club missing some screw from their head? I mean, I have no right to comment on what they like and what they don't.

If she got that nickname, it must be because of her beauty, I have no other point to say besides that. If she's not that beautiful, she would be disliked by the boys. Well, she is no match with Akari's beauty though.

"For real? I just know that our school have that embarrassing nickname."

"Yeah, right? They're so dumb to fall in love with someone like her."

Yuuki, I think you shouldn't say that. I can feel the danger approaching right at you...

"So, are there any other questions about her you have in mind?" He asked.

"None, honestly, I'm still thinking about her nickname."

"Haha, I know that you would be thinking about that. Well, despite her unfriendly attitude, she is really good among the other runners. She is still no match with me of course, but she can outrun the other boys easily," he said.

"That sure is high confidence you have right there..."

He just laughed it off and took my last fries. Now I have nothing to eat, darn you Yuuki.

"So is that it? I need to go home pretty soon."

"Yeah, I think that would be somehow useful. I still have no plans though, and I'm sure I don't have any chances, but I'll try my best to sort out this misunderstanding."

"Alright then, see you tomorrow," he said as he got up and took his shoulder bag.

"Yeah, thanks for the help too."

"Come on, I didn't do much."

After we both finished our food and our long conversation, we then went home—of course we had paid for it before going home.

I really don't know what I can do to help Akari... but I hope I can do it.