Triple Dose of Irony

PART TWO

“Uhmm... Are you mad at me?” That was the only question that popped out of my mouth as I stood beside Kyashii.

Seriously, Yuyo? Who needs to ask if the answer is so obvious?

Haaah... Yeah, I can be pretty dense sometimes, huh?

But still, my pounding chest is to blame for asking such a ridiculous question. I didn’t even realize walking up to Kyashii and getting stared at like that would be so nerve-racking.

Uhh… Wait… Exactly when did that start to happen? She had never triggered this kind of emotional response in me before.

“Mad about what?” Her tone was standoffish.

Ah-re? Is that supposed to answer my question? Moreover, she also comes off as cold. This situation is making me feel even more uneasy.

“That’s what I was hoping to find out. Until this point in our conversation, you’re making me feel like you’re about to skin me alive.”

“Ohh? Is that how I look now?”

There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice, but I brushed it off. “That’s right. So I guess I’d better rephrase my question. Would you mind telling me why you’re looking at me like that? Is there something Tomoka said that got you mad?”

“Maybe...”

Huh?

What’s the deal with that curt reply? And did Tomoka actually say something?!

“Maybe what? Hmm... Would it be possible to get a straight answer from you, Kyashii? There’s so much ambiguity in your answers.”

“Oooh… What’s this? So, all of a sudden, you’re not a fan of being ambiguous anymore, Yuyo?”

Wha—! She’s being sarcastic yet again! What’s wrong with her?

“I’m not sure what you mean by that, but what I’m sure of is you’re being snarky. Why are you being so sarcastic?” My patience is wearing thin, and my nervousness run-off now that I’m getting hot under the collar.

“Heeh~... How nice. I’m glad you can still discern right things sometimes, Yuyo.”

Arrggh! Now that’s sarcasm three times over! Threefold!

What on earth is she trying to achieve by dosing me with irony three times over? To the best of my knowledge, I’m asking the right question here.

Sigh…

It’s time to take a deep breath, Yuyo. Let’s not forget that we’re talking about Kyashii here. This is how she usually acts. Yeah… She has always been like this. Keep your wits about you, and steer clear of the heat.

Haaah…

“Why do you even talk to me this way? You see, Kyashii... I’m just asking a reasonable question here, okay?”

“Okay…” She said nothing more than that.

Arrggh! Patience, Yuyo! Patieennccee….

I implore the spirit of patience to stay with me at this moment. I desperately need you to deal with this capricious little devil here.

“Then, I’m asking, did Tomoka say something to make you so upset?”

“To answer your question, I’m not mad because Mizuno-san said something strange. She said nothing unusual, so that’s not it.”

“Uhh, okay. That’s good to know.” Taking a deep breath, I looked up in relief. At least she’s not mad, and Tomoka didn’t make something up.

Hmm... Hold on...

Her answer seemed odd in some way. She said that wasn’t the reason for her temper. Does it mean she’s upset about something else?

As I glanced back at Kyashii, she gave me another vicious stare. “Wh-What? The last thing you said was that you weren’t mad.”

In next to no time, her beautiful face grew utterly frustrated. “I’m not mad!” She was close to yelling at me.

“Your volume suggests otherwise, though.”

“Gosh! You’re a dummy!”

“What?!”

“Yuyo, you’re a dummy!” And she literally repeated the same thing.

“Hey! I heard that, but that’s not what I’m asking. I just heard you say that you weren’t mad; why are you acting so different now? Every time, Kyashii-chan, you amaze me with your inconsistencies.” I’m the one who’s being sarcastic this time.

“Haaah?! Gosh! You’re unbelievably terrible!” I’m still the target of her ire. “ Didn’t you only ask if I was upset because you thought Mizuno-san said something?!”

“Yeah… And so?”

“That hasn’t bothered me one bit! Gaah! This seems so backwards to me!” Kyashii cringed. “Yuyo Shibasaki, you’re sometimes just plain stupid! What upsets me the most is that you’ve been ignoring me for who knows how long!” She lashed out furiously at me.

Huh?!

I went into a flat spin in that split second.

R-right…. The fact that we hadn’t spoken for a while and that I planned to settle things after this trip completely slipped my mind. It’s just that the second I talked to Kyashii, everything just seemed so normal that I forgot we were practically fighting.

How could that be possible?!

Uuhh! I think I lost the rest of my words in a sea of confusion. What to do now?!

No matter how many lines I rehearsed for this specific situation, nothing comes to mind now that it’s time to face her. It’s almost as if I pushed the panic button, giving me an ephemeral memory loss.

“Uhm… Yeah. A-about that, I’m s-sorry.” My voice trailed off.

“What?!”

“I said I’m sorry for—” Wait a minute! What makes me the one who needs to apologize? “Hold it there for a moment. Aren’t you the one who should apologize first?”

“Wha—! Yuyo! I can’t believe you at all!” She cried out in exasperation.

“Hey… I don’t understand why you are so angry at me. Until proven otherwise, I don’t think I’m to blame for not talking to you, Kyashii.”

“Whaatt?! Oh my gosh! Yuyo, you can’t be serious!” Her eyes widen as they stare at me in disbelief. “You’re unbelievable!”

Huh? Unbelievable? …Me?!

“We’re back!” Tomoka’s voice interrupted me before I had a chance to react negatively to Kyashii’s remarks. She and Nazumi-san were clutching snacks on their way over to us.

“Were you able to settle your issues?” Tomoka grinned.

Kyashii and I exchanged glances, but neither of us answered Tomoka’s question.

“No kidding… It hasn’t been put to rest yet?!” Tomoka exclaimed in dismay.

“Ahh… I t-think we g-got back a little too s-soon, Mizuno-san,” Nazumi-san tripped over her words. I could tell how tense she was.

“Nope… We’re not, Hana-chan~… We’ve just got friends here who are so stupid they’re beyond belief.” Tomoka said relentlessly.

Jeez! I hazard a guess that I’ve broken my record for the most times in just a single day in which I’ve been called stupid.

I expelled a whispered sigh. “Well, at least we’re talking, which is a good sign, r-right, Kyashii?” I asked in a stilted voice.

“Whatever...” She channeled a venomous stare at me.

Uhh… She’s clearly still enraged at me. “Ha-ha… See?” I then turned to Tomoka.

“Yu-chin, you’re a lost cause. Tsk!” Tomoka clucks her tongue while shaking her head.

“What?!”

Also, I noticed Nazumi-san trying hard not to laugh.

Arghh! That’s it!

I’ve had enough of these annoying remarks against me! This mend fences with Kyashii ploy serve no purpose except to irritate me.

I knew it... I’d be better off dealing with this myself. Sheesh! I’ll probably talk to Kyashii later. Having others here makes it difficult for me to speak to her.

My eyes quickly glanced around in hopes of finding Minori and the others, but they weren’t in sight. Hmm… What’s taking them so long, anyway? Are they on an hour-long shopping spree?

Come on, Minori. I need to get out of this uncomfortable situation Tomoka has created for me.

“Hey Tomoka, did you happen to spot Minori on your way back?”

“Nope... Is it time for the four of us to go look for them, Yu-chin?”

“No, never mind. I’ll just send her a message on LIWE.” I uttered while typing a message for Minori. Uhmm... Good thing I got a reply after a half minute. “Ah... The yyy shop has them. They’ll be back after getting some sweets.”

Have they already started shopping for souvenirs?

Hmmm... Oh yeah, thinking about it now, I suddenly remember I need to buy some keepsakes for Takashi-san as well.

“Yosh! Alright, Hana-chan, let’s sit on that bench over there and leave these two dummies alone.” Tomoka dragged Nazumi-san yet again.

It was my eyes that followed them as they walked away from us.

Tomoka seems to be giving us another chance to talk again, huh? It’s really thoughtful of her... But it would be even more appreciated if she didn’t throw a wrench in my plan to settle things with Kyashii!

Taking a deep breath, I turned my eyes back to Kyashii, who I expected to keep giving me the evil eyes.

And yep… she does! Maybe if glares could kill, I’d probably have been cremated by now.

Oh well, since we’ve already talked about that incident, we might as well go over the details. Let’s see if we can squeeze it in.

“So, uhm… About earlier.” I tried to go over the issue.

“Why have you avoided me until now, Yuyo?” Kyashii asked, suddenly flashing a tinge of sadness on her face. Even her eyes became moist despite her dour expression.

The melancholy atmosphere struck a chord in me, creating guilt within me. Is she hurting too much from my actions?

But...

Isn’t it ironic that it seems I’m to blame for her pain when it was her who made me feel like somehow I was not making any progress since that day?

“. . . . “

Argh!

I find this fight between best friends to be rather strange! I might even go as far as to say that this argument is almost like one between a couple. Dealing with it isn’t fun at all.