An insightful date

Ugh, I actually showed up. - thinks Yuri while indecisively standing in front of the student council room.

No. - she shakes her head. - I’m only here to stop senpai from snooping around Rin and Kei-senpai.

Yuri takes a deep breath and opens the door. She immediately freezes as a surprising scene awaits her:

“Oh, sorry, did you wait long?”

A young woman in a very elegant one piece dress asks Yuri. She was leaning a bit against the table as Yuri opened in, but stood up properly after. She kind of looks like she’s dressed for a date. It feels completely out of place compared to all the other students wearing the regular clothes in the school.

“I just got here myself, hehe.”

She shyly averts her gaze, like she’s a bit embarrassed, then Yuri realises that she’s been just staring at her for a few seconds, but there’s just something familiar about her…

“It took me quite a while to get ready...”

She continues the shy act for a few more moments, like she is waiting for something. Then suddenly her demeanor changes as she lets out a disappointed sigh.

She looks Yuri in the eyes properly for pretty much the first time and says:

“This is the part where you were supposed to compliment my appearance.”

She says as she motions to her body with her hands.

“Ah!”

Yuri suddenly recognises her from this sudden change in personality.

“Yaoi-senpai?” - Yuri asks, still not completely sure about her guess. - “...Why are you dressed like this?”

“For a date of course.”

Yaoi says like it’s the obvious answer, then walks over to her desk, sits down and continues:

“Well, anyway. Let’s talk about the plan.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” - Yuri says, as she still doesn’t understand anything about what just happened.

“What was that about?”

“Oh, well that’s what we’re about to do.” - Yaoi explains. - “Well, kind of. I have it on good authority that Kei and Rin are going on a date today.”

“That doesn’t really answer the question…, but how do you know that?” - Yuri asks.

“Ehm, that doesn’t matter, what does, is that this is a great opportunity to figure out where Kei and Rin stand.” - Yaoi answers.

“What do you mean?”

“Just by looking at their body language during the event we can gather everything we need to know. Let’s take for example the moment they meet up. The most basic interaction would be greeting each other with just words. That means that they are at the very beginning of their relationship. Now a hug would be more intimate, indicating a more developed relationship. And a kiss is the very top.”

Yuri gets more and more embarrassed as Yaoi lists the possibilities.

“But we can get an even better idea of their relationship from the rest of the date. Like how they interact, whether they offer their choice of food to the other for a taste and how they say goodbye at the end.”

“But wait, we shouldn’t spy on them!” - Yuri protests.

“Hmm, I wouldn’t call it spying… more like, we are concerned about our friends, so we are going to make sure nothing happens to them... And anyway don’t tell me you’re not interested.”

Yaoi says as a faint smile creeps across her face.

“I-... it still doesn’t feel right.”

“Okay. Sure. If you don’t want to come along I guess I’ll do it on my own.” - Yaoi says.

“That still-”

“But, if you change your mind, meet me at the cafe in front of the station at 4pm today.” - Yaoi cuts off Yuri as she makes her final offer.

Later, near at the aforementioned meeting place:

“I hope this will do.” - Yuri thinks as she adjusts her clothing while walking.

She is wearing somewhat fancy clothes, but nowhere near as exquisite as the one Yaoi was wearing.

“I think this is the place.” - Yuri stops in front of a building that has a cafe sign in front of it.

“Hmm, I still have like 10 minute left until we’re supposed to meet up.”

There are a number of people on the street right now. Yuri looks around and as she doesn’t see Yaoi anywhere, she stands to the side of the sidewalk to wait for a while. But then there’s a sudden thug on her clothes.

“What are you doing? I’m right here.” - Says the cause of the thug.

Yuri looks over to see Yaoi in completely plain clothing with a black baseball cap on her head. It takes Yuri a few moments to recognise her.

“What? But-” - Yuri finally manages to say something, but Yaoi cuts her off.

“And what are you wearing? We’re on a stakeout!”

“Wait, what?...Then what was the point of that whole thing you did in the student council room?” - Yuri asks, but she doesn't really get an answer.

“Whatever.” - Yaoi says as she sighs a bit while taking off her hoodie and then she gives it to Yuri.

“Here, wear this, it should make you stand out less.”

By now Yuri starts to wonder if there’s a point in questioning Yaoi’s actions. After she puts on the hoodie Yaoi says:

“Come on, let’s go in. Rin’s already here.”

Yuri follows her inside and they go to a side table. As she looks around she indeed notices Rin sitting at a nearby table, seemingly nervous about something.

“Hey, don’t stare too long. We don’t want to be noticed just yet.” - Yaoi warns Yuri.

She turns to Yaoi and says:

“I still don’t know what’s going on senpai... like how did you know they were meeting up?”

“Well you know, I just-”

The door opens and Yaoi notices that Kei got here too.

“Ah, and now we have the other participant as well. I was starting to worry that she- Kei forgot about this.”

The two of them watch Kei look around the interior and then it seems like she notices Rin. She then quickly walks over to the table Rin is sitting at. It looks like they exchange greetings, but only by using words.

“Eh? That was the most boring option.” - Yaoi says a bit disheartened.

“Well anyway, it could get interesting in the later stages.” - She pauses for a moment to think. - “Now, it’s time to get our inside man.”

Yaoi stops for a moment to look around. Yuri has just been trying to process everything, but that last part piqued her interest:

“Wait, inside man?” - She asks.

“Ah there he is!” - Yaoi seemingly made eye contact with someone and he is walking over to the table.

“Ah prez, it’s nice to see you. So, what brings you here? Wanna try the new cake?” - asks a boy in a waiter uniform, who looks to be around their age.

“Thanks, maybe a bit later. But I have a favor to ask you. Could you keep an eye on that table?” - Yaoi asks as she motions towards Kei and Rin.

“Yeah, okay.” - he answers.

“Also, when they order something, could you accidentally switch up their orders?”

“Okay, got it. Actually I’ll head on over now, before one of my colleagues takes their order.”

“Thank you.”

As Yuri was watching their conversation she couldn’t help but wonder about just what kind of connections Yaoi has.

“Who was that?” - Yuri asks.

“Oh you didn’t recognise him? He’s the vice president. He works here part time.”

Now that she mentions it, Yuri did see him during that meeting a few days ago.

“Do you do this kind of thing often? I mean he didn’t look surprised by your request.”

Yaoi thinks for a few moments about Yuri’s question, and then answers:

“Not really. But I guess he thinks that I must have my reasons.”

“Then what about the thing you asked him to do? What’s the point in switching their orders?” - Yuri asks.

Yaoi gets excited by the shown interest in her plan and begins to explain:

“If things go perfectly, we can’t get much information from their date and probably nothing interesting would happen. Now if there was some sort of problem, we could learn a lot by watching how they resolve it. Just like the greeting part, there are multiple possibilities, let’s see which one they choose.”

The two of them watch as the vice president brings two drinks to Kei and Rin’s table and presumably puts the drinks in front of them the other way around and then he walks away. It looks like they haven’t noticed the error yet.

A smile creeps across Yaoi’s face, and she gets a bit closer to Yuri, still keeping her eyes on the other two as she explains:

“It went perfectly. They didn’t notice the change, so at any moment now, one of them will taste their drink and realise that it’s not the right flavor. What do you think will happen then?”

Yuri takes a moment to think.

“Well, the obvious solution would be to just tell the other person about it, right?”

“Yes and then what happens?”

Yuri is a bit confused by this question and begins to say:

“They switch back their drinks?...Oh.” - Yuri suddenly realises what that entails and her face goes red.

“Yes! Exactly. An indirect kiss. One of the most used clishés in a romance story. And their reactions will give us valuable insight into their relationship.”

The two of them are at the edge of their seats watching Rin pick up her drink and take a sip. The anticipation builds up as Rin looks like she is savouring the taste of the drink.

“Hm? Is Rin not going to mention it?” - Yaoi thinks out loud. - “I mean he does look like a quiet person so he might just not want to trouble Kei with it. Eh, it doesn’t matter. I don’t see Kei being able to stand any other drink than the one she ordered. She is very specific about sweet stuff.”

As Yaoi says this Kei begins to reach for her drinks as well. A round of anticipation fills the two of them again. She too looks to be tasting her drink for a while, then her face lights up.

“Ah, here it comes.”

Yaoi says as they can see Kei and Rin conversing about something. They are too far to make out anything, but it seems to be... just a normal conversation? The two of them even look a bit happy.

“Huh? What happened?”

Yaoi says as the other two visibly agreed on something, but nothing ended up happening.

“Wait, let me ask Minato.”

Yaoi calls him over.

“What happened with the two of them?” - She asks as she motions towards Rin and Kei with her head.

“Oh. Ehm, well, they both asked for the same thing, so I guess they didn’t notice anything. Sorry.”

“Ah, no, it’s alright. Thanks anyway.” - Yaoi says, visibly disappointed.

“So… what now?” - Yuri asks, slightly amused by seeing Yaoi’s plot foiled.

Yaoi starts massaging the side of her head and says:

“Hm… The next big thing will be the paying part, until then we can only watch them.”

Half an hour passes without much happening. It just looks like two friends meeting up. Yaoi and Yuri ordered drinks as well, while continuing to observe the other pair, but it didn’t provide much entertainment.

“So, how did you get to know Rin anyway?” - Yaoi asks.

“Well, I don’t actually know him that well, I only met him at the beginning of the school year.”

“Hmm? Is that so?” - Yaoi asks with an amused smile.

“What?”

“Oh, nothing. I was just wondering whether you found some interest in him...”

“What? No. That kind of thing isn’t really for me.” - Yuri answers, a bit embarrassed.

Yaoi takes a few moments to examine Yuri’s expressions, but without finding what she was searching for, she lets out a sigh:

“Ugh, I thought this would be more interesting. Keep an eye on them, I’ll be back in a few minutes, I’m going to the lady's room.”

Yuri watches Yaoi walk away.

This is not how I thought today would go either. Although in a different sense. - She thinks through the events that lead her to this point.

Why did I even come here?

Then she suddenly remembers the scene she saw behind the gym and she immediately gets embarrassed.

No! It’s none of my business what other people do. I shouldn’t be spying on them even if I am a bit...

A voice suddenly interrupts Yuri’s train of thought.

“Hi! Is it okay if I bother you a bit?”

The source of the voice is the vice president, who is now in his street clothes. His shift probably ended.

Yuri is a bit surprised by the sudden request, but answers:

“Ehm, sure.”

“Thanks.” - he sits down next to her and says:

“My name is Minato Hara by the way, but you call me Minato. Sorry to suddenly call out to you, but I’m really curious about what the situation is.”

“The situation?” - Yuri asks.

“With those two. I mean one of them is my greatest rival, that school prince, Kei. And with Prez observing him I got a bit worried.”

Yuri takes a few moments to process what she heard, then asks:

“Rival? Kei-senpai?”

He looks at her with a confused look, then explains:

“Yes? You must know how close he and Prez are. And with those rumors going around, I just feel like my chances aren’t that great.”

“Your chances with… Yaoi-senpai?” - Yuri asks.

“Of course!” - he exclaims - “I mean, who wouldn’t fall in love with her. She is like the perfect student. Great looks, top of her class, good personality-”

Upon hearing this part Yuri barely stops herself from voicing her disagreement.

“and very competent. I mean as a third-year candidate I lost the election to her, but even I had to admit that she is a much better president than I could have ever hoped to be.”

“Wait, you ran against her?” - Yuri asks.

“Yes, but that doesn’t matter right now. So what’s up with them?”

“Ehm.” - Yuri tries to think of a way to explain the situation in a simplified way. Without much success she opts to go with this:

“Well, let's just say that you have nothing to worry about. Kei and Yaoi-senpai aren’t like that, at least not to my knowledge.”

“Ah, thank god. Thank you, that’s a huge weight off my chest. Especially coming from one of Prez’s friends.”

“Friend? I don’t think...” - Yuri stops herself to think for a bit.

“Well, sure. But I don’t really remember an occasion when Prez went to have fun with someone. I mean I would ask her out of course, if I actually had enough courage for it. Hehe.” - he scratches his head as he looks away, a bit embarrassed by what he just said.

“Well anyway, thank you for the chat. I’ll leave you alone. Oh and about what we talked about… it stays between us right?” - He asks, with a bit more serious look.

“..Yeah, sure.” - Yuri answers.

“Okay, bye.” - he says as he heads for the exit.

Ah, another weirdo. - Yuri thinks as she lets out a sigh.

Then she turns her head towards Kei and Rin.

Hmm? It kind of looks like they are looking this way... Oh wait, no, they really are.

Yuri suddenly starts to panic on the inside as she quickly goes through the possibilities and tries to find the best solution. As her head almost overheats, a sudden, but quiet voice pierces her ears.

“Ah, this is the part where we get noticed.” - Yuri turns to the side and sees Yaoi next to her.

“Heh? What?” - Yuri asks.

“Talking to them is also an option.”

Yaoi says as she motions Yuri to follow her and then starts walking towards Kei and Rin’s table.

Then why didn’t we start with that? - Yuri complains in her head and then hesitantly follows Yaoi.

She gets nervous thinking about what’s going to happen. Kei starts the conversation, seemingly excited to see Yaoi:

“Yaoi! What brings you here?”

Yuri looks to Yaoi in anticipation, curious about what she will answer:

“Ah, you know. Student council related business.”

Eh? So that’s what she’s going with? - Yuri thinks.

“Oh, right. This is Yuri.” - Yaoi says while motioning toward her.

“Ah, nice to meet you, I’m Mikoto Kei.”

She says in a charismatic tone. Her natural prince-like personality shines through and Yuri kind of understands why she has a fanclub, even if she isn’t into it. Then she accidentally makes eye contact with Rin, who is still sitting at the table.

Ahh, I guess it’s my turn to act. - Yuri thinks and prepares to say something, but Yaoi acts faster:

“You’re Hirano Rin, right?” - Yaoi asks, surprising all the other characters.

“Huh, uhm, yes?” - Rin says, confused by the unexpected recognition.

“Yuri just talked about you and I knew I heard your name somewhere before. Now that I see you, I remember, I saw one of your performances.” - Yaoi says.

There’s a sudden look of realisation on Rin’s face.

“Performance?” - Kei asks, looking back and forth between Yaoi and Rin.

Rin looks a bit embarrassed and says:

“Ehm, I kind of played the piano for a while.”

“Wait, really?” - Kei asks, excited by the unanticipated discovery.

“It was a long time ago anyway... I didn’t know you were helping the student council president.” - Kei turns to Yuri as she tries to change the subject as soon as possible.

“Well yeah, I didn’t expect it myself.” - Yuri says.

“Well come on, sit down.” - Kei encourages Yaoi and Yuri as she motions to the empty table next to theirs.

Yuri looks at Yaoi for guidance, but she just winks at her before sitting down.

“I thought you didn’t have time to come here and that’s why you gave me those coupons.” - Kei tells Yaoi.

“Well, we finished sooner than expected, so I asked Yuri to come here with me.”

Huh, coupons? - Yuri thinks. - Is that how she knew they would be here?

“So, how do you two know each other? ” - Yaoi asks.

Yuri immediately looks at Yaoi with a look that could best be described as “What are you doing?”.

“Eh, it’s kind of a funny story.” - Kei says and then looks at Rin. - “Is it okay if I..?”

“Well, sure, it was an accident anyway.” - Rin answers.

Kei begins telling the story after getting Rin’s approval:

“So yesterday I kind of sneaked off to the gym to run for a bit during lunch break. I went to the back of the building, maybe a bit more enthusiastically than I should have, and I ran into Rin, like literally. Ehm, sorry again.” - Kei says as she turns to Rin.

“No, it’s okay. Nobody got hurt.” - Rin says as she looks away.

Huh? What? - Yuri’s inner gears begin to turn. - Has this entire thing been a misunderstanding?

As Yuri is quietly having this realisation, the conversation carries on:

“So I invited Rin out as an apology.”

“Oh, is that so? I hope we aren’t intruding then.” - Yaoi says.

“Oh no. And if you’re already here, you have to try out the new drink flavour. Rin just recommended it to me and it tastes amazing. Here, have a taste.” - Kei says as she offers her cup to Yaoi.

“Oh, no thanks, maybe next time, I’m already full.”

When Kei first made this offer Rin had an interesting look on her face. She has a hard to read face as well, but it showed small, but visible signs of...jealousy maybe? But it didn’t escape Yaoi’s attention.

“Oh, you can soon sign up for the sports day events.” - Yaoi changes the subject as she pretty much got what she wanted from this exchange.

“Really? Can I participate in all of them?” - Kei asks, clearly excited by the idea.

”Well, for individual and two person events it’s up to the class to decide who does what, so probably not all of them.” - Yaoi answers.

“Eh?” - Kei says, a bit disheartened.

After this the four of them continue to chat about some things. Yuri and Rin are a bit more restrained, for different reasons.

After a while it’s time to end the gathering. While everyone gets ready to leave Yuri takes Yaoi aside for a bit.

“So it was just a big misunderstanding?” - Yuri asks, but she is pretty sure about the answer.

“Well kind of. But we’ll need to do some more observation.” - Yaoi answers.

“What? You want to keep going?”

“We’ll talk about it next time.” - Yaoi tells Yuri and then they join the other two as they leave the cafe.

“Well, we are going this way.” -Yaoi says as she points in a direction.

“Okay, bye!” - Yuri says and the four split up into two groups, going in different directions.

Yaoi and Kei live close to each other so they left together. And the other two use the same station to get home. Yuri is deep in thought, as she has been given a lot to think about these past two days.

“So what’s it like to work with the president?” - Rin’s sudden question breaks Yuri’s train of thought.

“Ehm, well she’s got a ...unique personality that’s for sure.” - She says.

“She’s pretty close to Kei-senpai huh?”

Huh? Was Yaoi right after all? - Yuri thinks and decides to pay close attention to Rin’s expressions as she says:

“Well, kind of, but that’s to be expected with childhood friends, but I think that’s all there is to them.”

Rin relaxes a bit as she hears this and says:

“Huh, is that so...” - Rin says as she tries to conceal her happiness after hearing Yuri’s opinion.

However, she didn’t find much success as Yuri noticed her emotions, but Rin doesn't really care about that now.

Eh? She really was right?! - Yuri freaks out in her mind.

The two of them make the rest of their journey in silence, but on the inside a lot of emotions swirled around in the two of them.