Chapter Text
Sugai Yuuka believed in things like fates. Especially after she regained something that other people don't at the age of 8.
No, it's not about her family wealth or anything, but it's something more than that.
It's memories of her previous life.
She first got small glimpses when she was 6. Just like any other kid, 6 year old Yuuka is confused at the flashes of memories that came every time she did something.. that is related to the said memory.
Then she met Watanabe Risa. She is a person who lives close by, and coincidentally, also someone who was part of her life in the past. As Yuuka befriended her, she had regained almost all of her memories.
When she found out about Risa's phobia, Yuuka realized that something like fates does exist, and tried her best to help her. As her friend, back in the past and also present.
When Risa told Yuuka about her decision to move to Tokyo, more of these strange occurences happened. As if the Gods are playing with the strings of their lives.
Soon after she got the news, she met someone who was very important to her past.
"Babe, do you think this coincidences needs to stop? I never thought that she would be here as well."
The woman who sat on the sofa looked up from the magazine she is reading, eyebrows twitched.
"Who are you calling babe?"
Yuuka beamed, "You, of course!"
All she got was a scoff, "Who said I agreed to be your girlfriend, Miss Sugai?"
Yuuka's jaw dropped. Unable to retaliate from the words that came out from the other's mouth.
The girl laughed and put her magazine down, leaning towards Yuuka's face.
"Well, you have to do that again, Sugai. Sweeping me off my feet."
Yuuka pouted, "Hey! It's not fair, Ri-"
"It's Kobayashi Yui now, dummy."
Yuuka sighed, "Yui- fine, I'll make you fall for me in just three weeks."
Yui smiled, she remembers those line very well. It's the very same words that she used in their past. Whether Yuuka said it consciously or not, Yui is very glad that she hasn't really changed.
Well, not really changed since Yuuka still came from a wealthy family, just like how she was a princess of a kingdom back then.
Yuuka is still the same person that she loves anyway.
"So, what happened to her? What's her name again? Harada?" Yui asked.
Yuuka scratched her head, remembering how her first day at school went kind of messy after Harada spots the two of them at the back.
Yuuka herself recognized that small figure, but she wasn't really sure until the teacher called her. When Harada stood in front of them all, Yuuka felt like her head spin from the shock of meeting another person from her past.
— Back in the class. —
The small girl became pale at the sight of both Yuuka and Risa. Her confident posture quickly changed into a nervous, timid-like. This confused the teacher, who quickly approached her.
"Are you okay, Harada?"
The girl replied with a weak nod, and looked back to her classmates, trying her best to avoid looking at the spot on the back of the class.
"My name.. is Harada Aoi, it's a pleasure to meet everyone- I really hope we all can be.."
A quick glance at Yuuka, then Risa,
"..friends."
It was very obvious to Yuuka that Harada also regained her memories, and it wasn't really good when she recalls what happened in the past.
"What's with her? Does she have sixth senses or something? Is there anything behind us that she saw?" Risa innocently asked, which is normal, since Risa doesn't remember anything from the past.
"Maybe?" Yuuka tried her best to pretend not to know anything about the girl, and it's really hard since Yuuka and Harada used to be quite close.
When it was Yuuka's turn to introduce herself, she could see Harada up close. Judging by her face, it seems like Harada doesn't really have a problem with her… probably.
Maybe Yuuka should go talk to her later.. but how can she go and confront Harada without bringing Risa with her?
— Back to Present —
"So.. you're saying that you need a way to talk to her?" Yui has put down her magazine, this time focusing on the other woman who is sitting across her.
"Yeah. I can meet you right now only because she said she needs to take a stroll around, if not, she will stick to me.. at least until she is able to go around by herself."
Yui stood up and smacked Yuuka's head with her magazine, she seemed annoyed at how stupid Yuuka's reasoning is.
"She might have a phobia but she is a big girl. You can't just assume that she will follow you around like a 5 year old, sheesh."
Yuuka rubbed the top of her head then suddenly her phone rings, Risa's name shown on the screen. Yuuka quickly picked up the phone, gesturing to Yui to stay quiet.
"Hello, Risa? What is it?"
"Do you want to grab some food? I'm hungry."
Yuuka glanced at Yui, thinking that this could be a good time to introduce her to Risa.
"Ah, sure. I'll meet you at the school gates? I'm bringing someone!"
"Your girlfriend that you told me before?"
Yuuka's face flushed at the mention of girlfriend. She has to explain to Risa that Yui is not her girlfriend.. yet.
"Er.. well! You can say that-"
Oh she really need to explain about her relationship to Risa, maybe when she introduces Yui to her.
"I'll see you at school, Risa."
She hung up, and Yui stands, quickly picking up her purse.
"Alright, now we should go and meet our lovely general, let's go, Your Highness."
Yuuka smiles, "After you, Young Miss."
Risa felt like she was being watched, really.
She felt uneasy ever since she stood in front of her school gates, it’s like someone is watching her closely.
Shrugging it off, she took out her phone and scrolled through her social media (not that she used it much, but she only did that out of boredom). As she scrolled past pictures of cats, she spotted a girl, her long, black hair swayed as she walked past Risa on the gate.
It was as if the winds are walking with her.
Risa recognized that girl, the one who looked at her as if she had seen a ghost. Harada Aoi.
She is not sure why, have they met before? Did she do something to her that she didn’t know or even remember?
Before she could approach the girl, she saw Yuuka coming towards her, with another person tailing behind her. Risa wonders if that person is her so-called girlfriend?
She was totally distracted by Yuuka when she realized that the girl, Harada, is already gone.
"Ris!"
Yuuka waved, and the girl behind her gave her a slight bow. Now that Risa looked at the girl, she is wearing their uniform, topped with a light purple sweater which fits her well.
"Yuuka."
Risa bowed back to the girl, "Watanabe Risa."
"Kobayashi Yui. Yuuka has told me about you before."
Risa glanced at Yuuka, who smiled as a response.
I hope you don't say bad things about me, Yuuka.
Yuuka knows exactly what Risa is thinking, and quickly retaliated, "Don't worry, I only speak the good things."
After their short introduction, the three walked towards the neighbourhood, and Risa knows the way since she and Yuuka has passed through the alleyway before.
"I live here." Yui pointed at a 5-story building, Risa remembered the building.
It was the same building that Yuuka stopped by on their walk together that day, and it's also across the building that made Risa felt goosebumps.
"This whole street is full of apartments, small ones for students like us to live." Yui explained.
Risa nodded, and her eyes went back to the building right across Yui’s. Yuuka noticed her best friend, and nudged Yui.
“Oh, is there anyone you know who live there?” Yui quickly asked.
Risa shook her head, but her eyes still lingers on the apartment building. Even Risa herself is not sure why she keeps looking at the building.
"If you know Koike, she currently lives there with her roommate. Not Habu though." Yui spoke, her lips curved to a smile, it's something that made Yuuka lifted her eyebrows.
"Come on now, Ris. We have to go."
Risa nodded, and walked away.
It was 8 PM when Risa and Yuuka walked Yui back to her apartment.
The three of them mostly talked about their lives before high school as they eat, starting from how Risa and Yuuka met and become friends, and then when Yuuka left. Yuuka then also explained how she and Yui met not too long before they started high school.
After bidding the two goodbyes, Yui walked in to her apartment building.
‘It seems like that Watanabe Risa is still the same stiff girl from what she used to be back then,’ Yui thought.
‘Come to think of it, THAT Watanabe was also quite stiff and airheaded, though she is quite charismatic and charming now?’ Yui thought again as she walked through the stairs to the second floor, where she lived.
She shook her head, ‘Well, not sure if Risa is her descendant or something, gotta look for it more later, and maybe ask Yuuka too about it..’
That’s when she saw Minami walking to the building across hers with another girl, her roommate.
They seemed to be back from buying groceries from the nearest minimarket.
Yui quickly ran down from her apartment, and greets her friend before she went it.
“Miichan!”
Minami and her roommate looked at Yui, and seeing her reactions, it seems like she is not that surprised to see Yui there.
“Yui-chan, you just got home?”
Yui nodded, and looked at Minami’s roommate, she quickly put up her biggest smile, “Hi, you must be Miichan’s roommate. My name is Kobayashi Yui.”
“Harada Aoi. It’s nice to meet you.. Kobayashi-san.”
Yui can clearly see how Harada is troubled with the appearance of the people from her past like this, and she needs to talk with her.
Fate seems to have brought them together coincidentally, not only Harada who is a classmate of Risa and Yuuka’s, now even Yui is able to find a reason to have a chat with Harada, through Minami.
“Do you want to come over? Me and Aoi is going to have a movie night,” Minami asked.
Yui glanced at Harada, who tilted her head as a response, and quickly nodded. She needs to talk to Aoi later after all.
“Great! Come on, let’s go upstairs.”
When Yui enters the shared apartment of the two, she is amazed at how neat the place is, considering how Minami is a klutz, and Yui just assumed that Harada is responsible with the cleanings in the apartment, or maybe they just clean up the place together.
Yui sat on the sofa together with Harada as Minami went to the kitchen to grab some snacks for the three.
“Ricchan,” Harada started first, and Yui glanced at the smaller girl.
“It’s Kobayashi Yui now, Harada-san.”
Harada muttered an apology, before looking at Yui again, “Kobayashi-san. Why are you here?”
Yui snorts.
“Am I not allowed to go to a school that I wanted to go?” She asked, not fully looking at Harada’s direction yet.
Harada clenched her fists, “I don’t mind if it’s just you, but..”
Yui finally looked at her, seemingly surprised at how Harada’s body trembles, struggling to finish her words.
“... but why is she here?!”
Yui quickly put a hand on top of Harada’s trembling ones, trying to calm her down.
“I don’t know that, neither does Yuuka.”
Yui totally understands the smaller girl's anger. Things that happened in the past wasn't something that she can forget easily. Yui wasn't directly involved in the tragic incident, yet she still felt angry at what happened.
She can't even imagine Harada who was a victim of that attack.
“This fate thing sure is cruel, to put us all together like this..” Yui whispered.
“Listen, Harada. I know you are really upset seeing her, but she isn't the same person as she was before."
At this point, Yui knows she is just making excuses, but she needs to tell Harada that Risa didn't have any recollection of the things she did in the past.
"I understand if you don't want to get close to her. So you have to stick with Miichan, always. Okay? I'll give you my contact number, so if you need me you can just call me anytime.”
Harada nodded.
Yui swears, she will punch whoever is responsible with their fates on the face.
Shortly after the girl calms down, she excused herself to her room, not before apologizing for making a commotion, and Yui just shrugged it off.
“We are friends. Don’t feel bad.”
After Harada entered her room, Yui finally steps to the kitchen, she knows that Minami has been waiting for the right time to come out, but seems like she can also feel Harada's anger from the kitchen.
“There you go, Yui-chan.”
Minami still looks confused, which is understandable. Yui felt like she will be interrogated by her after this.
“So, care to explain what actually happened between the two of you?”
She knew it very well.
.