Chapter 11:

Purpose In Someone’s Life

Unconsciously [SHORT]


“Kyashii…”

“Hmm?” Kyashii glanced at Yuyo with a puzzled look.

It has only been a few minutes since we came back from lunch. Did she leave something out that she needed to come over to my seat?

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to walk home with you again after classes. I have club duties today.” Yuyo had an uncharacteristic smile as she rested her left hand on Kyashii’s desk.

Hmm? So, that’s why... Still, isn’t her behavior a little strange?

“It’s fine. Please don’t worry about it, Yuyo.”

“Oh... Okay, then. Please stay safe later.” Yuyo grinned as she returned to her seat.

That’s it?

“Shibasaki-san is really nice, isn’t she?” Hana made a passing comment with a soft smile.

“No, she isn’t! There’s a bully in her. Nazumi-san, I wish you knew the darkness lurking behind that deceptive personality. Hmph!”

“I still see you smiling even though you said that.”

“Ehh? Am I?”

“Yes... So, what’s up with that? Do you enjoy being the guilty party of her so-called bullying, Mikami-san?” Hana expressed amusement.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Kyashii scowled as she turned towards her desk to avoid Hana’s intriguing eyes.

As she was preparing her notes for the next class, Kyashii noticed something adhered to the top of her desk.

What’s this? A post-it note?

Wait... Isn’t this…. Her eyes widened as she read the message inscribed on it. So this explains why her behavior seemed a little odd a while ago. Kyaah!

Kyashii shot a quick glance in Yuyo’s direction, but Yuyo is perusing her notes at the moment. Thrilled with excitement, she then turned to Hana.

“Nazumi-san! Look! I’ve got a note from Yuyo! It’s a handwritten note!” Kyashii’s eyes are brimming with unbridled joy. It has been more than a month since she has become friends with Yuyo, yet this is the first time Kyashii has gotten notes like this from her.

“Really? What does it say?” Hana smiled at Kyashii’s sunshine and rainbows. The sight of it left her curious if Kyashii realized that she had hearts in her eyes.

“Here… Please read it for yourself~... I’m just so glad she can actually do things like this, though. That’s what I expected of my best friend.” Kyashii handed Hana the note with a big smile on her face.

“Oh, let’s see. Hmm... It says, ‘I’m sorry if you feel bullied. I just like watching your adorable reactions. And to get to the heart of the matter, hold off on making a change if you aren’t ready yet. It’s okay to take your time, Kyashii.’...Ohh! That's really sweet, Mikami-san. You have a darling best friend.” Hana smiled.

“I know, right? There’s a sweet side to her, even if she is a bully. I like her a lot as a person.” With a warm smile, Kyashii channeled an appreciative glance toward Yuyo, who was now staring back at her.

“Yeah… I see what you mean. She even promised to go out of her way to find your lost dignity another time.” Hana grinned.

“Huh?!” The warmth in Kyashii’s smile froze and eventually faded away. “When did she make that derogatory promise??”

“Eh? It’s right here in the note. It was on the back, though. See?” Hana gestured at a phrase written in tiny characters.

“Let me read that. It escaped me... Umm... What did it say? ‘P.S. The next time we walk home together, let’s search for that missing dignity you’ve lost. Surely it hasn’t gone that far.’...Grrr! The heck with that!? Just how is it that she never manages to do anything properly?!”

“Ahaha! I guess she likes you that much, Mikami-san.”

“Like to bully, yes. It’s as if her only purpose in my life is to trick me into thinking I have bipolar disorder or something! It seems that my mood swings have been getting worse since I became best friends with Yuyo! Gaah!” Kyashii’s once-cheerful smile had abruptly transformed into a savage glare aimed at Yuyo.

Right when I was starting to feel absolutely ecstatic with that post-it note scheme, she completely smashed the whole thing with her mocking remarks! And I thought she meant I had no dignity? Now it has gone missing?! 

What a meanie!





“Alright, Mikami-chan. You’ve had your hair done. You look cute as ever.” Kyashii received a kind smile from the hairstylist.

Today is Sunday, and Kyashii decided to visit the beauty salon as she realized her hair could use some attention. “Oooh~... Thank you so much, Kiro-san.” She checked her pristinely trimmed and treated hair. “I like it. Hmm... Hopefully, that jerk will notice my hair tomorrow.” She inadvertently muttered as she examined herself in the mirror. “Thank you again for your service, Kiro-san.”

“I’m delighted to hear that. I think you will catch your boyfriend’s attention with your hair, Mikami-chan. I’m not surprised you’re blooming.”

“Huh? Boyfriend? Blooming?”

“Oh!” Kiro-san pressed her palm against her cheek as she stared at Kyashii. “So you don’t have a boyfriend? I thought I heard you mention wanting someone to take notice of your hair. I’m sorry, I must have got the wrong idea.”

“Ahh! No, no. That’s okay.” Kyashii chuckled awkwardly. “I didn’t realize I was saying that out loud. I was talking about my best friend, not a boyfriend.” A shy smile tugged the corners of her mouth.

“Ohh~ What a sweetie... You seem to have a crush on your best friend since you are so eager to show off your new hairstyle to him first, am I right? That’s fine, too. Good luck, Mikami-chan~...” Kiro-san brightened her face with a kind smile.

“Eeh?! No… My best friend is a girl.”

“Huh? Ohh!” Kiro-san had an uneasy laugh. “I apologize if I sound nosy, Mikami-chan. I mistook your best friend for a boy. But of course, that’s fine, too. That’d be adorable.” Kiro-san patted Kyashii on the shoulder before leaving to attend to another client.

“. . . .”

Hmm? What was that? Why does she think I have a crush on my best friend because I wanted Yuyo to see my hair first? Trying to show your newly done hair to your best friend first comes naturally. It doesn’t even have to be someone you like. Kyashii mused as she stepped out of the salon.

Ahh… It’s already 2:00 p.m.! My mom has asked me to do the grocery shopping. I better get to it.

As she walked toward the supermarket, Kyashii picked up a promotional flyer from a leafleter. It didn’t take much of a thought for her to take the leaflet offered and glance at it. Nevertheless, something in it caught her eyes.

Ah! Something is soothing about this botanical garden. What a lovely sight... It might be a good idea to go there with Yuyo. Umm... I should probably ask her about this.

“. . . .”

Ohh! I think I should invite her instead.

At the drop of a hat, Kyashii decided to send a message to Yuyo on LIWE. ‘Yuyo, are you free next Saturday? Do you want to visit this botanical garden with me? I’ll send you the location of it.’ And send. Alrighty! I hope she says yes. There’s something fascinating about this botanical garden.

In the middle of picking up groceries, Kyashii receives a message from Yuyo. Hmm? Okay, what did she say?

‘Fine with me... What’s in there, though? Is it your missing dignity?’

“. . . . .”

Why can’t she simply get over that already?! She still finds a way to squeeze that?! Grr!

Kyashii typed her reply with a tremendous grimace on her face. ‘Yes! I’ve got intel that a jerk named Yuyo Shibasaki will bring my lost dignity to that place on Saturday. So make sure you’re available to return it to me that day!’ And send again.

She heaved a long sigh after dealing with Yuyo’s playful remarks. Hmmph! Subjecting myself to Yuyo’s behavior drained me of energy! She irritates me to no end!

Well, whatever…

At the very least, she agreed to join me. That’s more than enough for me. For the time being, I’ll let those heinous remarks slide!

The thought of spending next weekend with Yuyo has turned Kyashii’s grumpy face soften into a charming grin. Since they started thinking of each other as best friends, this is Kyashii's first time hanging out with Yuyo outside school. She understands her best friend doesn't seem to be much of an outdoor person and prefers to read books instead of doing something outdoor-related.

And now that Yuyo is also involved with the student council and the literature club, it becomes crystal clear that she has little time to hang out with friends.

Everyone seems to be busy these days, even Minori. I guess smart people have always been like that, huh? On the other side of the coin, Yuyo and Minori tend to spend more time together without me. Hmmph! There's almost a sense that they are the actual best of friends now.

Gaah… I'm starting to feel lonely now that I can't hang out with Yuyo as much as other best friends do. Kyashii breathed in dismay as her thoughts continued to grip her.

By all means, I’ll have to make the most of this visit to the botanical garden. Given that this is our first trip outside of school, I want to make sure we have fun together. Although I think I’m gonna get a lot of bullying this time. Hmph!

Oh well... My spirit is strong enough to ignore all of her nasty remarks. All I want from our first outing is to have fun. Her smile gets brighter as she opens another message from Yuyo.

‘Sorry, I don’t have it. There seems to be no dignity in your intel, either. This is what I can expect of Kyashii-chan... Tsk. Anyway, talk me the details tomorrow.’

Wha–! As expected of me?! What does she mean by that?! And where does she even get these attacks?! It’s driving me crazy!

Oh my gosh! She’s living her purpose in my life, isn’t she? One minute I’m happy, and the next I’m mad! Arrggh! 

In less than no time at all, Kyashii felt like bipolarity had become the real deal to her.