I Accidentally Triggered The Erratic Childhood-Friend Route! (Part 8)

I sprint all across the floor, weaving between students, frantically searching for Yuka.

But on a campus over 100,000 square feet, even just one floor feels like searching for a needle in a haystack. If she’s not here…I might have to search the whole place.

Worse still—the longer I take, the less likely I’ll be to find her.

But none of that matters.

I can’t just leave her alone to stew on this until tomorrow. Or worse—have her skip school over it and end up wallowing all on her own for even longer.

That would be far too cruel.

Yet after searching the entire floor, I find nothing.

With no better options, I head for a second opinion and seek out Ota at the Cooking Club.

I quickly explain the situation and ask if she has any ideas.

“Did you try texting her?” Ota asks.

“Yeah. Left on read. I’m trying to narrow down where she could have gone, but there’s way too many places she could be.”

“Hm…what if instead of focusing on where she went, you focus on what she might’ve done on the way there?”

“I don’t follow.”

“I mean…when I’m feeling down, I like to have a snack. Maybe someone could have seen her—”

I grab her shoulders.

“That’s it! A snack! Thank you Ota, you’re a genius!”

Not accustomed to praise, she starts to bashfully stammer.

“Oh, well, I don’t know about geni—oh, good luck!”

By the time she finishes her thought I’m already sprinting out the doorway.

One by one, I check each of the vending machines on the floor, scouring them until—

Jackpot!

I finally find one that stocks cinnamon rolls—and just as I had hoped, the entire slot is empty.

Quickly scanning the surrounding area, I spot a wrapper on the ground.

Then another.

And another.

Soon, I find a trail leading up a stairwell.

For once, I’m actually thankful that Yuka is such a slob.

I reach the bulkhead at the top of the stairs.

The roof access door is unlocked—almost certainly with her student council keycard.

I slip through.

Immediately, I hear it.

Quiet crying.

I round the corner of the bulkhead and find Yuka.

She’s sitting on the ground, back against the wall, knees pulled to her chest, arms wrapped tightly around them, head buried deep.

To see such a jubilant soul so broken, so devastated—it really is heart-wrenching.

“Oh Yuka…”

“Go away…I don’t want to talk…”

Despite her words, I sit down beside her anyway, shoulder to shoulder

“We don’t have to talk if you don’t want to. We can just sit.”

For a moment, nothing changes.

Then it all comes flooding out.

She lifts her head from her knees and breaks into loud, broken sobs before grabbing onto me and burying her face in my shoulder.

I lean my head against hers and simply let her cry it out.

And for a while, we just sit there.

We sit…

And we sit…

Until eventually—

“I love him.”

She wipes her tears, pulls her head away from my shoulder, and sits upright again.

“I know.” I try to reassure her gently.

“It’s just…I love him so much. He’s always been there for me. He makes me happy. I just want him to love me back. But it’s clear now…”

She struggles to finish.

“...he never will”.

Tears begin to spill from her eyes again.

“And…it just hurts…it hurts so much…I can’t take it.”

I shift closer and put my arm around her shoulders, leaning my head against hers again.

“You know…for as long as I can remember, I’ve been hanging out with Haruki almost every day. All day. Nonstop. And like you said…he’s always been there for me too. He makes me happy.

But for these past few weeks…it’s like I don’t even exist to him anymore. And the way things are going…I could see it staying like that for the next three years.

And that pains me.

It terrifies me.

I don’t even want to imagine it. Somehow, I’m in this strange position where I miss my best friend…even though I see him every day.”

“I know what you mean.” she replies with a quiet, melancholic smile.

“You know, you wouldn’t believe how hard I’ve been trying to get his attention. All the things I’ve done just to get a proper conversation with him about all this—and somehow, something always goes wrong.

It’s funny…I set up this whole stupid, elaborate plan today to get him alone. I gave him a drink loaded with caffeine so he’d need to use the bathroom, then paid our treasurer to spread a lie so all the girls waiting for him outside would run off somewhere else.”

Even through tears, I can hear her trying—and failing—to hold back giggles.

I pull my arm off her and sit back up, giving her a sideways glance.

“Unfortunately, it all kind of fell apart when I had Tanaka escort him. Guess I should have gone with Takahashi, huh?”

I turn my head toward her, and she turns hers toward me.

“I’m really sorry about that, Yuka.”

She sniffles, then shakes her head.

“It’s okay, it’s not your fault…”

She turns her head away again.

“…I’m sorry I ruined your plan.”

“Forget about it.” I wave her off.

“I’m sure something else would’ve gone wrong anyway, as usual. Besides, I’ve got plenty of time to try again in the future. Right now, the only thing that matters to me is making sure you’re okay.”

She turns back toward me, giggling through tears, doing her best to wipe them away.

“Tomoya—stooooop—you big dummy…you’re gonna make me cry again”.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I didn’t exactly appreciate what I overheard either. Apparently they think I’m going to be forever single, I believe ‘he’s already in a committed relationship with his paperwork’ were Haruki’s exact words.”

She snorts, quickly covering her mouth as she tries to hold back more giggles while wiping her face.

“...Is it bad that actually does make me feel better?”

I can’t help but laugh.

“Oh man—yeah, that’s definitely bad. But…you know what? Just for today…I think I’ll allow it.”

I bump my shoulder against hers.

“But only because you’re my partner in crime.”

She leans her head against my shoulder again.

“Well…if all else fails, I guess we can at least be lonely together. Keep each other company.”

“Pfft, you already have been, Yuka.”

She sits up slightly, tilting her head at me.

“...What do you mean?”

“What do you mean, ‘what do you mean’?” I ask, genuinely surprised she hasn’t realized.

“School’s been absolutely brutal! I probably had one of the lowest entrance exam scores of anyone who got in without some special talent. The curriculum here is super intense. And then somehow, I have to balance my coursework with an endless pile of student council work that gets dumped on me every day, without even so much as a please or thank you. And that’s not even getting started on Haruki and all the chaos that comes with him and his entourage. And honestly…that’s not even the half of it.

But every day, without fail, you know who still always takes the time to come see me?

You.

You know who always tries to cheer me up when I’m in a bad mood?

You.

You know who always makes time to talk when I need someone?

You.

It’s always been you, Yuka. You’ve always been there for me.”

Suddenly feeling bashful, she averts my gaze.

“I-I mean…it’s not like I’m doing it on purpose. I just…like hanging out with you.”

“And that’s precisely my point.”

She turns toward me once more.

“Haruki’s a great guy. I highly doubt he’s trying to make either of us feel bad, you know? It’s just…he’s a little dense. Not to mention, he’s gotta balance his time between like a gajillion different people who all want his attention now.”

She lets out a small chuckle.

“Yeah…dozens of girls fawning over him. His life sure sucks, huh? I don’t even know how he goes on!”

We both laugh.

“My point is, despite all that, here we are. The three of us. No matter what, we always end up back together—because that’s just how strong our bond is.

So maybe he doesn’t see you romantically. And yeah…it hurts when something like that is out of your control. But even so—you’ll always have a lifelong friend in him.

And he will always be a part of your life.”

Yuka looks off into the distance, smiling faintly.

“...I know.”

“And you know what else?”

She looks back over.

“You’ll always have me too.”

In response, she gives me a bright, genuine smile.

“I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth, Yuka. Just leave a trail of wrappers for me to find you. And I promise I’ll always be there to cheer you up.”

As I stand, I grab her hands and pull her up with me.

“Thank you, Tomoya,” she says softly, blushing.

“I never really thought about it before…but now that I am, all those years…all those memories…it was never just Haruki. You’ve always been by my side too.”

“Well, I’m glad you’ve finally realized how awesome I am,” I say with a wink.

“Yeah…”

She looks away, bashful and blushing again, fidgeting with her hair.

Given how hard a situation this must be for her and wanting to ensure she’s able to rebound from Haruki’s rejection, I continue to encourage her as we make our way down the stairwell, picking up the trail of wrappers she left, eventually throwing them away.

“Besides, I wouldn’t worry about us being lonely forever. Trust me—I know you better than anyone, and I promise you there’s someone out there for you.”

“...what do you mean?” she asks.

“Oh, come on.” I wave her off.

But she just stands there with a puzzled look on her face.

I grab her shoulders and kneel slightly so we’re eye-level.

“Yuka, you’re like the sweetest person I’ve ever met. You’re filled with so much energy and joy that everybody around you can’t help but to feel the same way. Everywhere you go, you spread smiles. I’m honestly a bit surprised you’ve never realized that about yourself.”

“Wow, Tomoya…I…I don’t know what to say.” she replies, looking down bashfully.

“Like every guy in our grade thinks you’re one of the cutest girls in school—if not the cutest. It’s like every action you take is perfectly calculated to make people adore you. The way you prance around, the way you talk, the way you act towards others—it’s all so cute.”

“Wait...every guy?”

“Of course!”

She blushes.

“So, you’re saying there’s someone at this school for me?”

“I know there is”

“Like…this very building?”

“I don’t see why not!”

“...could they even be on this floor?”

“For all we know, they could be nearby right this very moment.”

I pat her head and give her a reassuring smile.

And in that moment, her eyes light up with passion I’ve never seen before.

I think it’s finally safe to say I’ve successfully cheered up my friend and boosted her confidence.

Mission accomplished!

“Oh Tomoya, I don’t know…what else do you think they’d like about me?” she says averting my gaze with a bashful smile, continuing to fidget around.

Fishing for compliments, huh? Well…after the day she’s had, I think she deserves it.

“You mean besides your amazing personality and adorable looks? Where do I even begin? Maybe they'd like that great sense of humor of yours, or that special giggle you do anytime you find something funny. And don’t even get me started on that cute little snort when someone catches you off guard with a joke.”

She puts her hands on her cheeks, squirming even harder.

“Oh Tomoya, stop it.”

Oh, now you want me to stop? Sorry girlie, but you’re the one who asked for it!

“Maybe they’d like the endearing way your face lights up anytime someone shows you a video of puppies or babies…or heaven forbid, both.”

“Heh heh…alright, I said you can stop now.”

Maybe understanding a bit more than I’d like to admit why Shinomiya gets a kick out of teasing me, I decide to go for one last compliment before wrapping things up and heading home.

“Maybe they’d even like that insatiable appetite of yours that led me straight to you…”

I pull a move straight out of her playbook, leaning in close with a mischievous smirk and whispering right next to her ear:

“...that’s gotta be one of the things I like about you most.”

…

Airborne.

I suddenly find myself airborne, Yuka swinging me around in circles by the leg like she’s about to do the Olympic hammer throw. Blood rushes to my head as the G-Force kicks in—my body grows heavier, my face flapping uselessly in the wind—until finally she lets go.

Slamming into a wall, the wind is completely knocked out of me.

As I hang there, cratered into the wall, gasping for air, Yuka delivers perhaps the most terrifying line I’ve ever heard:

“It’s not like I like you or anything!”

…

…

No.

…

…

Nooooo.

…

…

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO—