At home after school that Friday, Haruna sent a text to both Chiyo and Jasmine. She started by saying she was sorry for not talking to them at school and then suggested that they go out tomorrow so she could give a proper explanation. Haruna kept her message short on details, wanting to make sure she'd be able to say everything she wanted to in person. Giving an apology and a full explanation face to face would certainly hold more impact.
A few minutes later, she received a simple reply from Jasmine. All it said was, "sure." With only one word, it was hard to tell exactly how she felt, but Haruna decided to take it as a good sign she agreed anyways. Following that message was Chiyo's response, but that one was easier to understand. First was a sticker with a puffed-up pouting face, then another sticker with what appeared to be a wounded heart, then finally wrapped up with, "U better explain!"
Seeing Chiyo's message made Haruna laugh a little, although part of that was directed at herself. "I understand why she's mad," Haruna thought. "I really shouldn't have dodged her like that..." Over the course of a few hours, guilt had substantially built up in her mind. After everything Chiyo had done for her, Haruna had intentionally left her out and pushed her away. By extension, she had done the same to Jasmine too. A part of Haruna worried that her actions might have caused even more damage on that front than with Chiyo.
In the time that Haruna had known Jasmine, she couldn't really say the two had ever been particularly close. Really, Haruna had only become acquainted with Jasmine because of Chiyo, so it was like a friend-of-a-friend sort of relationship. Even as time had gone on and Haruna got to know Jasmine a little better, it was still hard to say just to what degree they could call each other friends. They never hung out together without Chiyo and rarely exchanged text messages. Haruna knew about all of Jasmine's boyfriends (both past and whichever one was current at the time), but she never asked for details.
Their relationship had always been one that was probably best described with the phrase "we know each other." However, in recent months, the two had started to get closer. Haruna had begun to talk to Jasmine more individually instead of just waiting on her to chime in on the conversation. They had spent time together, just the two of them, and Jasmine had even helped Haruna on multiple occasions with her pursuit of Kanako.
Now, after so blatantly refusing to interact with Chiyo or Jasmine, would those actions hurt the new, fragile closeness Haruna had gained with Jasmine? It was something that caused her worry. "I don't think Jasmine's the kind of person to hold something like that against someone else, but... then again, it's not like we know each other that well," Haruna thought. "For all I know she could have a vengeful side." Although, that felt doubtful considering all of the relationships Jasmine had been in. "I feel like I would've heard a story or two by now if she had gotten back at one of her ex-boyfriends."
Haruna's worry was still unresolved though. Even if there was little evidence to support her vengeful Jasmine theory, there was still Chiyo to think about. Haruna was pretty sure she knew why Chiyo had gotten so upset with her. It went beyond just being dodged and ignored for the day. No, the main issue certainly had deeper roots than that.
For more than a moment or two, Haruna stared at the messages Chiyo had sent her. Obviously they were mostly meant for the current situation, but they could be applied to other times in the past too. Really, how much had the two of them been through? It felt like so much and at the same time, nothing at all. In the context of her current situation, it seemed like there had been plenty of other times that Chiyo had gotten mad at Haruna for one reason or another, although her anger was usually short-lived. "Here's hoping that's still true," Haruna thought.
After scrolling through an internet search for a little bit, Haruna decided on a place for the group to meet up at and sent them all the location, along with the time to be there. With the schedule and venue now taken care of, Haruna let out a long breath. She'd be able to resolve her small conflict with her friends, but the biggest one in her life still remained. Admittedly though, she hesitated to call it a conflict. "It's kinda hard to say we're fighting in any way when I just keep avoiding Kanako and she just keeps looking for me," Haruna thought. Regardless, it was definitely the problem most prominent in her life at the moment. It felt like all she could do was hope that her friends would be able to offer some assistance.
*****
When Saturday afternoon came around, Haruna took a taxi to the cafe that they'd be meeting up at. It was fairly windy outside, causing the air to feel even colder than usual. Even being in it for a few minutes made Haruna shiver quite a bit. Thankfully, the taxi had had the heat on full blast, but perhaps that ended up being a bad thing, because when Haruna got out, it felt colder still than even just a brief moment ago.
Walking in, Haruna took a look around the cafe before taking a seat at a table. The interior was fairly typical of what one would expect, with deep-brown wood paneling and bird paintings on the walls. As she sat and waited, a waitress came to take her order. "Um, I'll take a coffee," Haruna said, but as soon as she did, she wished she hadn't. "I don't even like coffee that much," she thought, realizing she had essentially panic-ordered. Haruna was so concerned about what she was going to say to Chiyo and Jasmine that she had ordered one without thinking.
Only a second after a cup was placed in front of Haruna, Jasmine walked in. Seeing the look on her face told Haruna all she needed to know. After a quick glance, Jasmine found Haruna and joined her at the table. "Haru-chi, why'd ya have to pick a day that's so cold out?" Jasmine complained. Haruna could still see her shivering and her body was still tense from the cold air. "Sorry. I didn't really think about it until I went outside today," Haruna admitted.
"So, are we waiting on Chiyo?" Jasmine asked. Haruna nodded. "Yeah. I don't really want to explain this twice." A silence then formed between the two of them, but it was quickly interrupted by the same waitress coming over to take Jasmine's order. "Just get me something warm. I don't care what it is," she said. So, a few moments later, the waitress then returned with what appeared to be some sort of coffee blend with plenty of steam rising from the top.
As her cup was set down, Jasmine noticed the other one on the table. "Huh? Haru-chi, you drink coffee?" "No, not really..." Haruna sighed. "...Tryin' something new?" Jasmine guessed. "...I got it without thinking..." Haruna admitted. "First the weather and now coffee. Your decision-makin' skills are really doing great," Jasmine jabbed, to which Haruna could only sigh again.
A little later, Chiyo arrived and quickly spotted the other two girls. As she walked over, she muttered, "So it's this place, huh?" Neither Haruna nor Jasmine knew what she meant, but to Chiyo, this cafe in particular held significance. As it so happened, it was the cafe that she and Akio would meet at occasionally to discuss their plans to get Haruna and Kanako together. Of course, that also meant it was the place where those meetings and their plan had come to a bitter end as well.
After taking her seat, the waitress came over yet again. Chiyo ordered something that the other two were sure wasn't even on the menu (as neither of them had ever heard of it), but the waitress wrote it down nonetheless. A couple of minutes later, she came back out with what looked like a crimson-colored tea. With all of the required persons present and beverages now served, there was nothing more to delay Haruna's explanation.
"So, uh, thanks for coming," she began awkwardly. "Why so formal? Feels like I'm at a business meeting or something," Jasmine quickly pointed out. "R-Right," Haruna said. "Sorry. I'm just not very good at stuff like this."
"Hey, Haru-chi," Chiyo suddenly said. Her face seemed to tell Haruna that she was in a decent enough mood, but it was clear she wanted answers. "Just tell us whatever's on your mind. It doesn't have to be some big fancy speech." "Yeah, right," Haruna said with a small nod.
She gathered herself. Taking a deep breath, Haruna tried to push away her feelings of worry and doubt. Just before she spoke, she wondered if it would really be okay. Could she tell them? Should she? Would they understand? "It'll be fine," Haruna thought. "Besides, it's too late to go back now."
"...On Christmas," she began slowly. "Kanako and I went out together. We both got dressed up and everything, like it was a real date, although you guys already know that. We went out for dinner, talked, and even saw some Christmas lights together..."
"But," she continued. "Ever since I confessed to Kanako, I've had this weird feeling. I kept thinking 'why isn't she giving me an answer?' and 'do I just make her uncomfortable now?' I wondered if maybe she was trying to put some distance between us, but then there would be times when it almost seemed like she felt the same way I do about her."
"As time went on though, I couldn't help but think she was just stalling. It felt like she wanted to turn me down, and just didn't know how." When Haruna said that, Jasmine winced. She had said something very similar to Haruna not too long ago.
"I wanted to believe that maybe she was just nervous, or maybe she just was trying to figure out her own feelings. But I... it just felt like I couldn't believe that. After all, she had been in love with Miyashita-kun for so long. Could she really fall in love with me? It just seemed so unlikely..."
"So, on Christmas, when Kanako told me she had something to tell me, I panicked. I thought, 'Here it comes. She's going to reject me.' I knew there was a possibility I was wrong, but I was just so doubtful, so... I ran away. I was just too afraid to hear what Kanako might tell me... Honestly, I still am..."
"That's why I've been avoiding her, and that ended up extending to you two too. I'm sorry about that. I should've come to both of you right away instead of just stewing by myself..."
When Haruna finished speaking, both Chiyo and Jasmine stared at her in silence. Then, they both looked at each before giving a small nod. "Haru-chi, close your eyes," Chiyo said. "Huh? Why?" Haruna asked, confused. "Just do it," Jasmine said insistently. "Alright..." Haruna said. Doing as she was told, she shut her eyes.
Right after that, an impact hit her forehead.
"Ow!"
Quickly opening her eyes and bringing a hand to her forehead, she saw Chiyo and Jasmine both leaning over the table with their arms outstretched. They had both just flicked her.
"Stuuupid!" They said in sync. "Huh? Wha-..." Haruna began to protest, but she stopped. "...y-yeah..." she muttered. There was no denying that insult. "Honestly, you should've just told us this right away!" Chiyo said with a pout. "Didn't we already do this once before, Haru-chi?"
The gal was referring to when their friendship had come under severe strain thanks to Chiyo keeping it a secret that she had been working with Akio. "We shouldn't keep things from each other..." Chiyo said sadly. "I'm sorry..." Haruna said back quietly. "I guess I was freaking out too much..." "We've always got your back, y'know?" Jasmine said. "If you need help, just ask." "Right," Haruna said with a weak smile.
"So what now?" Jasmine asked after a moment of silence. "What do you mean?" Haruna asked. "You're gonna hear what Kana-chan has to say, aren't'cha?" Jasmine asked. "Ah..." Haruna let out. "W-Well, I want to..." Seeing Haruna dragging her feet, Jasmine sighed. "God, Haru-chi, you can be such a pain sometimes." "Hey!" Haruna shouted. "Am I wrong?" Jasmine shot back. "Nngh..." was all Haruna could offer as a response.
"Hey Haru-chi," Chiyo said, getting the girl's attention. "Why don't you just hear Kana-chan out? It could be good, y'know?" "Look, it's not like I don't want to, it's just... It's scary," Haruna said, feeling a little like a child. "What if she really is rejecting me? If that was true, then... I don't know if I could handle it..." The whole table fell silent.
To Chiyo and Jasmine, who knew how both Kanako and Haruna felt, it seemed like it should be easy. Haruna goes to Kanako, Kanako says she accepts Haruna's confession, they become a couple. However, they also understood that to one of the parties actually in the equation, it didn't seem that simple. When you don't know how someone feels, that's already nerve-wracking enough, so thinking you'll be rejected would only make that worse. No one wants to hear the person they like turning them down.
"Just do your best Haru-chi," Chiyo said kindly. It felt like that was all she could say. "Don't give up, okay?" Jasmine added. "Right..." Haruna said. Overall, she felt better after talking to her friends, but her fear of hearing Kanako's words still remained. However, if the fear were a wall, a crack had certainly formed. Talking to Chiyo and Jasmine had at least allowed Haruna to be reassured that she has people behind her supporting her love. "Maybe with their support, I can get past this stupid fear..." Haruna thought.
After hanging out for a bit longer, the girls began to head their separate ways. Haruna took a taxi back to her house, while Chiyo and Jasmine were going to take one together since they lived closer together. While waiting for their ride, Jasmine looked over at Chiyo. "Y'know, you don't look too happy." "Ya think so?" Chiyo said with little enthusiasm. "Something bothering you?" Jasmine asked. "Yeah actually," Chiyo answered. "Or, no. Well..."
"I'm just frustrated," she finally said. "I just want to tell Haru-chi that Kana-chan loves her so they can go out with each other already!" "Then why don't you?" Jasmine asked. "C'mon, you know why," Chiyo said. "I already stuck my nose in too far before and I really screwed things up. Now, I'm afraid if I push things, that might happen again. Like, I wanted to know sooo bad what happened on Christmas, but I didn't go beyond texts or calls because I didn't wanna be too pushy and somehow mess things up again..."
"I wanna help them out, but I just don't know how anymore," Chiyo said. "Yeah, I guess I understand that," Jasmine said. "It feels like the only thing we can really do for them anymore is cheer them on." "Like, we could just tell them each other's feelings, but then it just wouldn't feel authentic, y'know?" Chiyo said, to which Jasmine nodded. "And with the way Haru-chi is right now, it needs to come straight from Kana-chan. I'm not even sure if she'd believe us if we tried to tell her."
Simultaneously, Chiyo and Jasmine both let out sighs. "Those two really don't make things easy," Jasmine commented. "For real," Chiyo said with a little laugh. "By the way, that taxi sure is taking a while." "Yeah, you should've told them to be fast," Jasmine said. "Huh? Me? But I thought you called them?" Chiyo said. Jasmine stared at her. "I thought you did..."
Together, they both sighed again.
*****
With their being no more secrets between Chiyo and Haruna anymore, Chiyo was in much better spirits than she had been just a couple of days ago. To most, they wouldn't have noticed a difference. On the outside, Chiyo just seemed to be the same bubbly gal she always was. However, to Michi, she always seemed to be able to tell when something was wrong. On Friday, it had been obvious to her that something was bothering Chiyo. Now on Monday, what that was had apparently been resolved.
"You seem extra loud this morning," Michi commented as she changed her shoes. "Do I?" Chiyo asked with a tilt of her head. "Did... something happen?" Michi asked. "Oh, are you worried about me Mi-chan?" Chiyo teased. "Never mind, I don't care anymore," Michi said, beginning to walk away. "Ah, wait up Mi-chan!"
When Chiyo caught up to her, she continued talking. "Truth is, Haru-chi and I had a little fight, but we're all better now. I guess that's why I'm so happy," Chiyo explained. "How simple," Michi mumbled. Reaching the split-off point, Chiyo gave a wave. "See ya at lunch Mi-chan!" In response, Michi just waved back weakly.
Taking her seat in the classroom, she kept thinking about what Chiyo had said. "Chiyo and Endo-san had a fight, and they already made up... Must be nice..." It made her draw comparisons to her currently fractured relationship with Kanako. "I thought we could make some progress, but after the way things went on Christmas, I'm not so sure..." Michi thought. That night had been a one-sided avalanche from Kanako, and Michi had been powerless to stop it. "Right after I had decided to try to fix our friendship, something like that happens... Just how bad is my luck?"
Ever since Haruna Endo had reappeared into Kanako's life, it had been nonstop chaos for Michi. Of course, in hindsight, she understood that a lot of what had happened was her own fault. Her stubbornness had prevented her from seeing that for a while, but through more encounters with Kanako, talking with Chiyo and a lot of reflecting, Michi had managed to see the truth for what it was.
She hated that it felt like all of her work to help Kanako when she and Haruna had their big fight years ago was seemingly going down the drain. She hated that despite everything Haruna had said and done, Kanako kept taking her side. She hated how it seemed like nothing she said got through to Kanako. It had all felt so futile, and it was only when Kanako delivered her final decision of actively choosing Haruna over her that Michi really began see past her stubbornness and blame on others.
Then, Michi started to look inward. Through that process, she had found two things. The first was that, now that she could think more clearly, she really just wanted to be friends with Kanako again, even if that meant dealing with Haruna. The second was it was now completely undeniable that Chiyo had become nothing short of a friend to her. "As much as I hate to admit it, I'm pretty sure I've spent more time with her than anyone else since last summer," Michi thought.
But where there was once hatred and disgust for the flashy girl, Michi found herself feeling a mix of emotions. Some of them were positive, and some of them were the residual negatives, but there was one out of all of them that stood out the most at the moment. Seeing Chiyo mend her friendships so easily brought about a feeling of jealousy in Michi. "...Who would've thought I'd ever be jealous of her," she commented to herself.
For Chiyo, it always looked so easy. She was naturally a social butterfly and could talk to anyone. Of course, Michi knew that wasn't the full story. The one thing she had known for sure before ever becoming friends with Chiyo was her reputation, which had come to draw out the worst of people.
Guys just saw her as some girl to use for cheap sex.
Girls despised her because of how easily she got the guys and how her looks got her everything (which wasn't true).
Chiyo Wakabayashi, the girl that on the surfaced seemed like she'd be super popular, was the most hated girl in school. And yet, despite that, she had still managed to make friends. Not only that, but when she had fights with them, she got right to figuring out what the problem was and did her best to fix it. The fact that she was able to live that way was something Michi both admired and envied. She didn't want to be hated, but she thought if she could emulate Chiyo even a little, it might benefit her.
"Wow, I can't believe I just thought that," Michi sighed. "How did I go from hating her to wanting to be like her?" She had no desire to wear mini-skirts or put on flashy makeup, but Michi did find herself wishing she was at least a little like Chiyo. "How does she do it?" she wondered. "How can she talk things out like that?"
After thinking about it for a few moments more, Michi decided it would just be easier to ask her. So, when lunch time came around, she met up with Chiyo as planned. "Ready to head to the cafeteria? I heard they have some sort of limited bun today!" Chiyo said excitedly. "Actually... I wanted to talk to you about something," Michi said nervously. "So, could we go somewhere other than the cafeteria? Just the two of us."
"Just the...?" Chiyo repeated under her breath, her eyes widening briefly. Then, she went into a warm smile. "Sure. How about the stairs down the hall? Just the two of us." Hearing her words said back to her in the tone Chiyo used, Michi felt her face get hot. Turning away quickly, she said a quick, "Sure, I'll meet you there," before taking strides so fast it looked like she'd break into a run at any moment.
After Chiyo got her food (sans limited bun), she met back up with Michi where she had suggested. "So what's up Mi-chan? You never call me out like this," Chiyo said, teasing a little. "I had a question for you," Michi said in a serious tone, gaining Chiyo's full attention. "How do you... make up with a friend?" "This is about Kana-chan, yeah?" Chiyo said without missing a beat. "Um... y-yeah..." Michi admitted. "It's just... You said you fought with Endo-san, but you're already back on good terms. How did you do that?"
"Well, it's not like there's some secret technique or anything," Chiyo said bluntly, then she looked at Michi. "I'm guessin' the way you see it is like, way simpler than what it really is." ''What do you mean?" Michi asked. "Haru-chi and I have a lot of history. We haven't known each other long in terms of years, but it feels like we've been friends for forever. But y'know, for all the good times we've had, it's not like it''s always been good. We've fought plenty too. Yelled at each other, called each other names, stuff like that. I think being able to do stuff like that comes from just how our relationship is." "I'm not sure I get it," Michi said, a bit annoyed.
"We started with being honest with each other," Chiyo said point blank. Michi's eyes went wide. "From day one, there wasn't a single thing we kept from each other. Then again, I guess that's a pretty easy thing to do once you've been seen half-naked in a hallway," Chiyo finished with a laugh, drawing a shocked, "What?!" out of Michi, but Chiyo waved it off.
"We've always told each other everything. And then, the one time we didn't, we paid the price for it," Chiyo said with a tinge of regret. Turning to Michi, she continued. "I don't think friends can't have secrets, but there's a difference between keeping a secret and just staying stubborn."
Yet another crack split through Michi. Hearing Chiyo say it, it seemed so obvious, and yet she hadn't been able to figure that out on her own. For as long as Michi could remember, she had always been a blunt person. She said what was on her mind, she confronted those she disagreed with, and she fought for what she thought was right. However, due to events between her, Haruna and Kanako, Michi had begun to shy away from that. Given, her original approach was flawed to begin with, being more confrontational than anything. What Michi had failed to do was just be honest. She didn't need to yell or shout or scream to make a point. As long as she was honest with who she was speaking with and herself, her words would be heard.
Michi's heart had always been in the right place. All it had really needed was a course correction. With her honest mindset put back on the track it should be on, Michi felt like she was finally able to begin truly repairing her broken friendships.
"...Thanks Chiyo," she muttered. "Oh? Is that gratitude I'm hearing?" Chiyo said with a smirk, leaning in close. "Call it whatever you want!" Michi shouted. "Well if you really want to show that gratitude," Chiyo said, lowering her voice. "You could give me a kiss." "...Alright."
Time stopped for Chiyo. "Huh?" she let out. "Sure. I'll give you a kiss," Michi said breezily. "So stop staring at me with that dumb look and close your eyes." Still reeling from the shock, Chiyo did as she was told. She sat and waited, and with her vision unavailable to her, all she could do was prepare herself for the impact that was coming. "Will it be on the cheek? On the lips? How bold will you be Mi-chan?" she wondered. In her chest, she could feel her heartbeat picking up speed. Then,
"Cold!" she yelped, quickly opening her eyes. Turning, she spotted Michi standing up but hunched over so her face was level with Chiyo's. In her hand were a pair of chopsticks holding a raw shrimp. "You get a kiss from this shrimp!" Michi teased, smiling impishly. "That's a little payback for all of the teasing you do to me."
Although, Chiyo's reaction wasn't what Michi had expected. "Huh? Hey, Chiyo, are you okay? Your face is really red." "Huh? Ah! Y-Yeah, I'm fine! Right as rain! Oh, was that the bell better get back to class see you later Mi-chan!" And at top speed, Chiyo dashed off. "...What was that about?" Michi muttered as she put her bento box away. "She's always so weird."
After lunch, class continued like normal, but Michi was hardly paying attention. She kept looking at Kanako, who was seated not too far from her and ahead of her. "Just be honest," she thought, repeating the thought. Then finally, when it came time for class to end, Michi went to make her move. "I'll just tell her that we should hang out or something. I shouldn't sound too confrontational." But, before Michi could even get out of her desk, Kanako was scrambling to put her things in her bag. Thinking back, she had acted that way on the previous Friday too.
"Why is she in such a hurry?" Michi wondered. Watching her, she saw Kanako nearly tear her handle off her bag as she ripped it off the hook. Then she ran out the door, and as she did, Michi swore she heard her shout something. "What did she just say?" she wondered. "It sounded like a name."
As Michi thought about that, she quickly realized that her opportunity had also just ran away. "Ugh... well, I guess I'll try again tomorrow," she thought. In the meantime, there was still something she could do. After all, Kanako wasn't the only person that Michi needed to talk to. So, gathering her own stuff, Michi began to make her way to the cooking club room.
Along the way, she ran into the two she was looking for. One girl, who kept her black hair in twin braids and wore perfectly circular glasses, was Mayu Kawaguchi. She was raised in a traditional household and spoke kindly toward everyone. Looks-wise, she was fairly average. Next to her like always was her childhood friend, Itsuki Yukimura. She was somewhat tomboy-ish, with black hair cut short and tanned skin to match. Compared to her calm counterpart, Itsuki was usually very energetic. Just like Michi expected, they were walking to club together, with Itsuki making all kinds of gestures as she spoke and Mayu offering a few words in response.
Watching them made Michi smile a bit, but she also felt a pain in her chest. It wasn't long ago that she had been standing right by them. Unlike with Kanako, Michi, Mayu and Itsuki had just started to fall out of touch with one another. Michi had done a fair amount of pushing away, so naturally, Mayu and Itsuki had begun to put some distance between themselves and Michi. Truthfully, Michi had hardly spoken to either of them since before the school trip.
"How should I approach them?" Michi wondered, feeling the awkwardness of the situation. "Should I just walk up to them and say hi?" But just as she was trying to come up with an idea, Itsuki happened to turn around. "Oh, it's Mi-chan," she said, surprised. They were in the same club, but even while there the two girls and Michi had maintained some distance between themselves. "Mi-chan?" Mayu said, turning around as well. With both of them staring, Michi brought up a hand and waved. "H-Hey," she said awkwardly.
"Me and Mayu-chan were just talking about this turtle that was on TV last night," Itsuki said. "Turtle?" Michi repeated. "Yeah, it was huge!" Itsuki exclaimed. "I was surprised it could even move!" "I wonder if the turtle would be offended if it heard you say that?" Mayu joked. "Hey, y'know Mayu-chan, your way of talking sure has gotten rougher lately," Itsuki pointed out. "You used to hardly ever tell jokes." "Maybe I'm being influenced by someone," Mayu responded cryptically.
Quick to switch topics, Itsuki shifted her attention back to Michi. "Why're you walking way back there anyways?" she asked, clueless. "Huh?" Michi said. "But I thought..." she paused, but decided to continue. "I thought you guys didn't want to be around me, which I mean, I get it, I've been pretty mean lately, so-"
"Mi-chan," Mayu suddenly said. "It's okay. I think we were probably overreacting a bit too." "Yeah, it just seemed like something was bothering you, and if something was, then we should've just talked to you about it instead of leaving you behind like that. Sorry," Itsuki said. "No, I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn't have taken my frustrations out on you like that," Michi said.
An awkward silence fell over the three. "...Well, let's head to club then," Mayu said. For a moment, she and Itsuki stood still. "Mi-chan?" Mayu said. When Michi looked at them, she noticed they were waiting for her. "I'm coming," she said with a small smile. Finally, it felt like she was making progress in fixing her friendships. "One step at a time," she thought as she met up with Mayu and Itsuki. Together, they entered the club room.
End of Chapter Three.