Friends, or Not Friends?

Yuta ran as fast as he could to the source of the sound. He paused at the top of the staircase and looked down.

Shiori lay sprawled on the floor. A single meter away from her, a book lay open face down. A few pages had creased, but there appeared to be no other damage to the book.

Hitomura poked his head around the corner and laid eyes on the scene. He jumped into a dramatic pose and deepened his voice. "Oh no! A beautiful maiden has fallen!"

"Ozaki!" Yuta hurried down the stairs and crouched by her side. "Are you okay?"

She grimaced and sat up. Her attention turned toward Yuta and she nodded. "I just wasn't paying attention…" She tried to stand, but her legs collapsed under her.

Yuta caught her before she hit the floor. "Let's get you to the nurse's office." He put her arm around his neck and lifted her up.

A blush crossed her face, though she didn't argue. He walked her down the stairs, heading for the nurse's office.

Hitomura started after them. "No fair, Yuta! I want to be a maiden's hero, too!"

Yuta paused and looked behind him. "This isn't a game, Hitomura. She's actually hurt."

"At least let me come!" Hitomura begged.

Defeated, Yuta sighed. "Alright. Just promise you won't annoy Ozaki." 'And me,'  Yuta added to himself.

Hitomura turned around and pulled his fist down in happiness. He faced Yuta and put his arm on his chest like a butler. "Don't worry. I am at my lady's service."

The corner of Shiori's lip curled up in the beginning of a smile. It vanished almost as fast as it had appeared. "I'm sorry for taking you two out of class…"

Hitomura caught up to the two, walking next to Shiori on the opposite side of Yuta. "I'm sure the gym teacher will understand why we're not in class when we explain the situation."

"Yeah. It's only gym class, so it's not like we're missing out on an important lesson," Yuta added as they walked. "You should be more careful when you're going down the stairs. It's dangerous to take the stairs while your face is in a book."

Shiori looked down. "I'm sorry…"

"Hey, there's no reason to apologize. Just be careful from now on, okay? I don't want you to get hurt."

She nodded slowly, upset at herself for making them late to class.

Hitomura noticed the upset look on her face. "If you're really that upset about it, what do you say we all eat lunch together?"

Yuta and Shiori both gave him a look of surprise.

"What? I'm a simple man. And simple men want to eat lunch with his best friend and a cute girl."

An embarrassed blush came to Shiori's face at being called cute.

Yuta stared, unimpressed, at Hitomura. "I'm pretty sure that's just you…"

The three soon arrived at the nurse's office.

"Excuse us," Yuta called, announcing their presence. He took Shiori inside, and the nurse came to meet them.

Hitomura stared at the nurse, admiring her curvy figure.

She noticed him staring and glared. "What are you looking so smug about?"

He jumped. "N-N-Nothing! I was just thinking how much better people look with glasses!"

"Huh?" She narrowed her eyes, and an intense aura emanated from her. "You've never seen me without glasses, Hitomura." She turned her attention toward Yuta. "Set her down on one of the beds. I'll be there shortly. First…" She grinned as she returned her focus to Hitomura. "I have to have a chat with your pal here…"

Hitomura gulped. He turned to leave, but the nurse grabbed his arm.

"Where do you think you're going? We still have to talk about where you were looking…" She guided Hitomura out of the room.

"Yuta, help me!"

Yuta directed his gaze elsewhere. "Who are you again?"

"Yuuutaaaaaa!" Hitomura cried as he disappeared around the corner with the nurse, leaving the two alone in her office.

Shiori pulled the blue curtain back, revealing a fluffy white bed. She lay down with Yuta's help. "Thank you… for helping me," she mumbled.

"It's not a problem. I wasn't looking forward to P.E. anyway. I'm just glad I was there when it happened." He looked at the chair next to the table, then to the hall, and back to Shiori. "Will you be okay by yourself?"

She nodded. "I just need to rest a little."

Noticing how quiet she spoke, he realized Shiori wasn't comfortable around him yet. "I'll see you later, then." He pivoted and exited the room. He turned right and almost collided with the nurse.

She put a hand out to stop him right before he walked into her. "Ichikawa, please make sure no one is coming before you go."

He straightened himself out and dipped his head in apology. 'We're not on the road…'  he thought to himself. He knew better than to backtalk the nurse. "Sorry, Ms. Sasaki. I'll be more careful next time."

"A well-mannered gentleman," she smiled. "Unlike that friend of yours."

"He's not my–"

"Well, not like it's my business who associates with who. Take care now!" She brushed past him, clearly amused.

Yuta exhaled, shaking his head. Ms. Sasaki was not someone to be messed with. He peeked into the nurse's office, but the curtain had been closed, so he couldn't see Shiori or Ms. Sasaki.

It was time he joined his class outside. The gym teacher would be wondering where he was.

As soon as Yuta showed up, he was scolded by the teacher. He wondered what happened to Hitomura, since he didn't come to class. The "talk" he had with Ms. Sasaki must have been terrifying.

…

The lunch bell rang, and Yuta brought his lunch to the library as usual. Before he could start eating, he heard the door to the library open.

Shiori entered the library. In one hand, she carried a book that she read as she walked. In the other, a small plastic bag filled with food.

Without taking her eyes off her book, she approached the table Yuta was sitting at and took a seat across from him.

The door flung open and Hitomura ran inside. His breathing was heavy, and sweat dripped from his temple. "Sorry I'm late," he breathed, "Ms. Sasaki was making me run errands for her."

"Oh right, you did mention you wanted to have lunch together today," Yuta recalled, finally understanding why Shiori sat at his table.

Hitomura sat next to Yuta and placed his lunch on the table. "That's right. I figured since all of us eat alone, we might as well eat together. After all, we're all friends."

"No we're not," Yuta rejected. "I don't have time for friends." He glanced at Shiori and noticed her uncomfortably looking down at her meager meal.

"Come on, Yuta. Don't be like that. You and Shiori are–"

"Don't," Shiori muttered.

Hitomura blinked, confused. "Huh? Don't…?"

She stood suddenly. "Don't call me by my first name!" She ran out of the library, nearly barreling into a student that was walking in.