Yosuke's POV:
"Hey, Yu," I smile.
"Hm? Oh. Hi."
"Sorry, uh... About last night."
He nods slowly. "It's already forgotten."
"I'm... Well, I'm sorry, still. That... wasn't very cool of me."
"Yosuke," he breathes, turning in his seat to face me. "You were only trying to help."
"Yeah, and I made the situation ten times worse in the process."
"You weren't to know."
"All you wanted was to hold your girl, man. Not your lame best friend."
He frowns. "You're not lame, Yosuke."
"H-huh?" I splutter.
"I am thankful," he sighs. "For you taking me in, I suppose. I really didn't want to face Dojima either, to be quite honest."
"I... I'm happy to have helped," I smile briefly as he looks away.
"I just... I really wish I was more like you."
Now, this catches me by suprise.
"Y-you what?" I cough.
"...I'm sorry about what I said. You know, about how you only like girls with nice figures."
"It... P-plays a part, I guess... Y-you weren't all wrong..."
"I still never should have said that," he mutters. "I mean, at least you have the guts to ask someone out, right?"
"And you don't?"
"Ha... I didn't even get the chance," he scoffs. "It just happened, you know? Being rejected indirectly. It stings."
"...Yu," I breathe. "I don't think you're ready to let go of her."
"Yeah..."
"Why not come with me after school? We can do something to help take your mind off her."
He bites his lip. "...Sorry, Yosuke... But, I-"
"You're with Kanji?" I finish.
He holds his breath.
I sigh. "Right, right."
"H-hey, I-"
"You have me," I frown. "Why do you need him?"
"You're both my friends," he shrugs.
"I just want you to be with me."
He swallows hard. "S-stop it... You don't mean that..."
"I do," I say. "Yu, stop pushing me back 'cause you're afraid of embarrassing yourself. Just come to me."
He smiles weakly. "Why don't you go see Rise?"
My face falls. "Rise?" I ask. "Why would I go see Rise? Dude, I literally just told you that I'm gonna be here-"
"I bet she's thinking of you," he says quickly.
"Yu, where's all this coming from...?"
"Go get her those flowers, okay? And chocolates, too. Just like you said you would."
"N-no, I-"
"Go take care of her, yeah? Don't let her go."
~~~
Yu's POV:
I just advised him to do the one thing I never wanted him to do: persue his crush on Rise.
Fuck.
I just blurted out a bunch of shit to make him back off. To try and take any suspicion away from me and Kanji being together.
'Cause I know exactly how he thinks it is. The worst part is that it's true.
Being around Kanji... It's great. It's exhilarating. It makes me feel like I belong.
But I have to tiptoe around Yosuke. I have to be careful of what I say, because any wrong thing could lead to the end of our friendship.
Yosuke's like that.
He takes everything seriously. He overcomplicates things. He has strong opinions.
So that's why I always agree with him. Because I'm scared of upsetting him. Scared of making him run away.
I don't mind living in his shadow. I don't mind it so long as he doesn't hate me.
I glance backwards in class, trying to catch a glimpse of him.
He's slouched down; asleep, no doubt.
It doesn't help looking at him. Because when I look at him, I'm reminded of everything I'm risking by just simply feeling this way.
I feel wrong.
"Yu?" Chie whispers.
"Hm?" I mumble.
"Quit staring."
"R-right."
Fuck. Of course Chie'd notice.
She's one of the only girls that talks to him.
Wait... Does she like him, too?
I swallow hard.
I know I can't accuse everybody of having feelings for Yosuke, but they do spend a lot of time together. It makes my stomach twist.
Not to mention all of Yosuke's not-so-subtle flirting with her. She's probably fallen for him because of that...
No... Just stop. I can't think like that... I can't. It'll just break apart the group if I start making theories.
I sigh, picking up my pen, starting to write again.
~~~
Yosuke's POV:
"Kanji?" I splutter.
"G-geez, Senpai," he breathes. "You scared me."
Great. I turn the corner to see the one guy I don't want to see.
"...You going to see Yu?" I grunt.
"Uh, yeah. Did he tell you?"
"Hm."
"Well," he clears his throat. "If you'll excuse me..."
"Kanji," I frown.
"What's up?"
"Who's the girl?"
He sighs, rubbing his forehead. "...Senpai..."
"Just tell me," I plead. "Yu won't say a thing, and I just want to be more involved in this."
"If Yu hasn't said anything, then I shouldn't either."
"Yu?" I frown. "You're on first name basis?"
"U-uh, yeah..."
I bite my lip.
"Listen, Senpai," he says. "He's gonna be fine. We just need him to get over... her."
I swallow. "Yeah?"
"Yeah," he smiles. "Just let me help him. Then he'll be all yours."
"...Aren't friends supposed to help each other in dark times, though?"
"This time is a little different," he nods slowly. "Can you give him space? Can you do this for him, Senpai?"
I breathe. "...I guess."
He smiles, patting me on the shoulder. "Don't worry about him."
Kanji walks past me, headed to the second floor.
What the hell?
Now I'm being bossed around by an underclassman!?
What the fuck...
~~~
Yu's POV:
"Did I tell you?" Kanji laughs. "That kid said his friend loved that bunny I made him... Ha... Made me smile."
I nod slowly.
"Stop pretendin' you're listening," he sighs.
"I- I am..." I mutter.
"Oh, yeah? Then what was I just talking about?"
"I... uh..."
"Stop thinking about him."
"What else am I supposed to do, Kanji?" I snap. "It's not like I can just forget him. He's everywhere."
"Man up."
"...What?" I splutter.
"I said, man up," he says sternly. "How can you be so fragile like this, man? How can you let this get to you? You're gonna get your heart broken a bunch of times before you find the right person. But if you keep actin' like this everytime it happens, you won't survive."
"Kanji," I groan.
"He's no different than any other guy in our school."
"I discovered the TV World with him. I saw his Shadow; he and I made a promise to find the killer. That's not like any other guy, Kanji."
"Hoping and hanging on to him won't make him change," he frowns. "He's always gonna like girls, Senpai. That's just how he is."
"But... But what if he doesn't? What if-"
"Stop," he frowns. "All he wants is to be friends. You should honor that."
I squeeze my eyes shut. "I just..."
"The more you think, the harder the feeling hits you."
"...So, what?" I shrug.
"Move on."
"Like it's that simple."
"I'll tell you what," he says. "We'll head down to Okina after school tomorrow. Then we'll get you talking to some guys."
"I don't want to."
"It doesn't have to be immediate," he says. "Just start slow. See what happens."
"...I... I thought you said we could just...?" I whisper.
"We can," he shrugs. "But... You want more, don't you? You want a relationship."
"...I don't know what I want."
"You'll figure it out."
"All I know is that I don't want to stop this with you."
He smiles a little. "You sure?"
"You're the only one who knows, Kanji. You're special to me."
He blushes a little. "Uh... How about we go back to my place?"
~~~
Yosuke's POV:
I just want him to be okay...
Shit. I'm sounding real sappy here.
Kanji'll take care of him... right?
So long as he returns to the old Yu, I'll be happy. I miss our leader.
"Hanamura-kun," Rise's grandmother greets me with a smile. "What can I do for you today?"
"U-um, is Rise in?" I ask.
She gasps slightly. "Are those for her?"
The old lady points to the bundle of flowers and chocolates in my hand.
"Y-yeah..."
"Oh, my," she sighs. "You're so sweet, Hanamura-chan!"
"You... you think?"
"She's just upstairs," she explains. "Go on up. I'm sure she'll be happy to see you."
~~~
Yu's POV:
"Kanji! There's someone here to see you!"
"Jesus..." He groans, pushing me away. "Coming, Mom!" He yells back.
"That was better," I chuckle.
"Yeah," he smiles. "It is better when you're in control, huh?"
"Easier to enjoy," I shrug. "A smoother experience?"
"...You should take lead more often, Yu..."
"Hm," I smirk.
"Kanji!" His mother calls. "I won't ask you again!"
"Geez..." He groans. "C'mon, Senpai."
~~~
"N-Naoto!?" He splutters.
"Good evening." The boy detective tips his hat slightly.
"M-Mom... Th-the hell's he doin' here!?"
"Do not yell at your mother, please," Naoto sighs. "I wanted to talk with you."
"...Me?"
Kanji turns back for a moment, waiting to see the look on my face. I shrug, urging him to turn back.
"U-uh... What's up...?" He stammers.
"It's about the most recent case-"
"Oh, I get it." Kanji's tone has suddenly become harsh. "You just wanna use me, don't ya?"
"Pardon me?" He frowns.
"I ain't doin' shit for you," he scoffs. "I ain't being some sort of... golden goose."
"Kanji," I mutter. "Take a step back."
"All I wish to do is return peace to this town," he sighs. "And to do that, I need your cooperation."
"Well, look somewhere else," he spits.
"Don't be so rude, Kanji," his mother scolds.
"I ain't doing this, you know," he says. "We're not friends, are we? So, get lost, kid."
Naoto sighs in defeat. "Very well. Thank you for your time, Tatsumi-san."
He delivers a bow to Kanji's mom before leaving.
"Tch." Kanji folds his arms.
"My goodness, Kanji," his mother sighs.
"What!?" He snaps.
"Try to be a little kinder, will you?"
"Whatever."
"I'll be in the back if you need me..." She mutters, leaving us alone.
"Kanji..." I say.
"I know, I know. I was an asshole."
"...Why?"
"He... He made me feel like a damn fool," he grumbles. "I- I mean, why would he be interested in me? The bastard just wanted information, s'all."
"That's not his fault," I shrug.
"...Just seein' him... hurts," he murmurs.
"I get it," I say. "I feel the same when I see Yosuke."
He scoffs.
"What?" I frown.
"There's no point gettin' caught up on those two losers. C'mon, Senpai. Let's head back upstairs."
"... Actually, I think I should go," I admit.
"Huh?" He frowns.
"Sorry, Kanji," I mutter. "I need to get home before my uncle. The last thing Nanako needs is him screaming at me as soon as I walk through the door."
"Must be tough," he sighs.
"...Eh, I deserve it."
"...Senpai..."
"See you tomorrow, Kanji."
~~~
Yosuke's POV:
"Yosuke-san," she smiles at me, watching as I come in.
"Hey, Rise..." I carefully close the door. "Hey, you're supposed to be resting, right?" I frown, watching her on her laptop.
"Just sending a few emails," she chuckles. "I'm almost done."
"I... I hope you don't mind the intrusion..." I say, sitting on her bed. "Your grandma let me up."
Huh... Her room's a whole lot less pink than I had imagined it to be...
"Don't worry about it," she smiles. "I'm just glad to have a friend over."
"...A friend?" I grin.
"Well, yeah," she giggles. "Not, you know, an overbearing fan. I've had one too many of those."
"Sounds annoying," I chuckle.
"You're telling me."
She closes her laptop on her desk, swiveling her chair around before jumping off onto the hard wood.
"Oh..." She says, as she meets my eye. "...Are... Are those for me?"
I look down in my hands, 'cause I had forgotten the whole reason I came here.
"Y-yeah," I laugh awkwardly. "U-um, I bought these for you."
I stand before her, handing her the chocolates.
"Ah..." She says slowly. "...Thank you..."
"...Is something wrong?" I suddenly feel embarrassed.
"I-it's just that... Well... This has nuts in..."
"Yeah?"
"...I have a nut allergy," she grimaces.
Fuck! I was so focussed on Yu that I completely forgot...
"Wh-what about these flowers, then?" I hold the bouquet in front of her, hoping to move the subject along.
"...Um..." She mutters.
"Shit... What's up...?"
Nevermind. I know exactly what's up.
"Right," I nod slowly, mentally hitting myself. "You hate tulips, huh...?"
"It-it's fine," she forces a smile. "It's okay. I'll still take them... It's the thought that counts..."
"No... Dammit, no," I sigh. "I'm... really sorry, Rise-chan, I... I've just had my mind on other things today..."
"Don't even worry about it," she shrugs. "I appreciate the company."
"I'll... come round again tomorrow... Y'know, with stuff you actually like..."
"U-um... How is your friend doing?"
"Huh?"
"...Narukami-san?"
"Yu?" I frown. "How do you know about-"
"When he came to rescue me, he just looked down, I guess. Like he was hurt somewhere."
"...Did he?"
"I was worried about him," she mumbles. "I- I thought he was gonna let his guard down, and-"
"Hey, hey, hey," I coo. "Yu's super careful when it comes to that world. Don't underestimate him."
"Do... Do you think he could come visit me?"
"...What?" I splutter.
"Maybe we could be each other's company," she says softly. "He seemed... lonely."
"...I don't think being with a girl right now is a good idea..."
"Why not?"
"...Some chick broke his heart recently. He's really bummed about it."
I see," she breathes. "Could you try, Yosuke-san?" She asks. "See if he'll talk to me."
I bite my lip. "Sure, Rise."
~~~
What did I expect?
They always fall for Yu. Freaking everyone.
But it feels different. Like I don't care.
...But I really should try to. After all, we both agreed I'd be with Rise, right? He can't go against that.
...The last thing he needs is a girl like her bombarding him. She's a sweet girl - a pretty one, too... But he doesn't need a replacement. He needs the one he loves.
It might be best for all of us if they keep their distance for a while.
Maybe then I could get to know Rise better? Then I'd fall for her properly; I have no doubt about it.
~~~
thanks for reading:)
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