Work Text:
Yukinya: Sayo, I need help.
The message came just as Sayo returned to her room from the communal shower of their college dorm. She still had a towel under her wet hair to keep it from soaking her PJs, but that could wait. She first replied the message.
Hikawa Sayo: What is the matter, Minato-san?
Yukinya: My computer isn’t working.
Sayo respected Yukina. A lot. But like everybody else in Roselia, she knew Yukina was…well…pretty much useless in anything that wasn’t music. It wasn’t the first time when Yukina came texting one of them for help on fixing her computer. At least she had bothered to look at a clock this time and sought help before midnight.
Hikawa Sayo: Have you asked Udagawa-san or Shirokane-san for help yet?
It might’ve sounded like Sayo was diverting responsibility towards the other two Roselia members, but it was true that Ako and Rinko were far better at computers than Sayo was. This was especially true of Ako who was now studying com sci, though still a freshman. They were usually the go-to people for Yukina’s computer problems.
Yukinya: I texted Ako and she said that she’s with Rinko and Lisa at a movie.
All three of them? At a movie? At this hour? Sayo quirked an eyebrow. This sounded suspicious. Lately, those three had been acting weirdly, always disappearing without a word to leave Sayo and Yukina alone. It wasn’t that Sayo disliked spending time with Yukina. Quite the opposite, really. She was just wondering what was going on with the other three.
Anyway…
Hikawa Sayo: Alright, I will try my best to help you, Minato-san.
Hikawa Sayo: So what needs fixing?
Yukinya: I don’t know. It just stopped working.
As with any person who was terrible with computers, Yukina was awfully unspecific about what she was having problems with. Sayo tried to pretend that she was a tech support staff answering a really old lady’s call.
Hikawa Sayo: Have you checked that everything is plugged in correctly?
A minute passed before Yukina replied.
Yukinya: I just checked. The cables are connected properly, I think. Nothing is loose.
Hikawa Sayo: No strange smells coming from the computer?
Yukinya: Strange smells?
Hikawa Sayo: You never put rice in the CD drive, have you?
Yukinya: Sayo…
Yukinya: Who do you think I am?
Okay, maybe Sayo was patronizing Yukina a bit too much here. Imagining Yukina’s unamused face was somewhat funny though. Ahem. Hikawa Sayo wasn’t that kind of character. Making fun of Yukina was Lisa’s job. Sayo straightened herself, getting back down to business.
Hikawa Sayo: I just wanted to make absolutely certain that nothing is physically damaged.
Hikawa Sayo: Is the screen on?
Yukinya: Yes.
Hikawa Sayo: What do you see on it?
Yukinya: The usual.
Sayo might have sighed. She had to try harder.
Hikawa Sayo: Can you describe to me what you see?
Yukinya: Umm…cats.
Hikawa Sayo: Cats?
It took a good minute before Sayo figured out what Yukina was talking about. Those cats. The ones on her wallpaper! She must be on her desktop.
Hikawa Sayo: What else is on the cats?
Yukinya: The usual icons. And that bar on the bottom. It looks the same as always.
Hikawa Sayo: Is there anything changed about the functionality? Is the problem that you click on an icon and nothing happens?
Yukinya: I can’t click.
Okay, what did she exactly mean by that?
Hikawa Sayo: Is your mouse connected to your computer?
Yukinya: Of course.
Hikawa Sayo: What happens when you physically click on the mouse?
Yukinya: Nothing.
Hikawa Sayo: Can you at least move the cursor?
Yukinya: Cursor?
Hikawa Sayo: Yes. The little arrow your mouse usually controls.
Yukinya: Little arrow?
Yukinya: I apologize. I do not think I understand.
Yukinya: …if possible, could you please just come over to take a look for me? Only if you aren’t too busy, of course.
It really might be faster that way, seeing as Yukina’s room was just down the hall. Sayo left a message saying she would stop by in a minute, then made her way over. Yukina’s room was situated on a corner – around the corner was a door that led to a stairwell. As such, there were no more rooms to the left side of Yukina’s, but somehow, there was a large cabinet dumped on the left of Yukina’s door tonight.
Strange.
Sayo knocked on the door first anyway. Yukina answered quickly, gesturing for her to come in.
“Minato-san, is that your cabinet? It shouldn’t be left out in the hall. Could be an obstruction in the case of evacuations.”
“Cabinet?” Yukina looked confused.
“Is it not yours? The one left outside your door.”
“There is one? I didn’t see it before. Maybe someone left it there just moments ago?”
Probably someone who wanted to toss out the cabinet but couldn’t carry it downstairs to the garbage disposal, so had to get extra help or something. Not really Sayo’s concern at any rate.
“So, where is your computer?”
Sayo walked into the room and followed Yukina’s directions to her computer. Like Yukina said, the screen was on, and the cursor was there, but when Sayo moved the mouse it remained still. Maybe the connection for the mouse was a little faulty? She tried disconnecting and connecting it. Didn’t help. It was still unresponsive. So maybe a driver problem? Or the computer just froze?
As Sayo was thinking about the next steps to take, she heard a sound from outside. Something heavy was being dragged across the carpet. Yukina seemingly heard it too.
“They are taking out the cabinet perhaps?” Yukina suggested.
Being the good Samaritan that Sayo was, she couldn’t help but be concerned by the noise. The girls on their floor weren’t exactly strong. She really hoped they wouldn’t injure themselves.
“If you do not mind, Minato-san, may I go outside to take a peek? Just in case they might need help?”
Yukina nodded. Sayo went to the door and tried to open it, but it wouldn’t bulge. She tried again. The knob was turning, but…
“Whoever is out there, are you blocking the door with the cabinet?” Sayo shouted, banging the door. She was only answered by a pair of giggles, and a much softer voice muttering “…should we really be doing this?” It was Rinko.
“Shirokane-san? Is that you? Who is with you? Why are you blocking the door-”
Then it all dawned upon Sayo. Yukina’s computer had been unresponsive, but nobody other than Sayo could come to help her. Rinko, who should’ve been with Ako and Lisa at a movie, was not at said movie but outside Yukina’s door, helping block it with a cabinet. It couldn’t be a coincidence. Ako must’ve hacked into Yukina’s computer or otherwise did something to it to lure Sayo over. They had prepared the cabinet beforehand and had been camping around the corner, waiting for Sayo to enter Yukina’s room before trapping her inside.
“Imai-san! I don’t know what kind of prank you and Ako are trying to pull, but it isn’t funny!” Sayo banged again on the door. “Shirokane-san too. Why are you going along with their silly jokes? This isn’t like you!”
There was no response. Were they already gone? Sayo shouted their names a couple more times; when even those went unanswered, she fumingly dug out her phone and was going to call them back to take the stupid cabinet out but was stopped by a tug on her sleeve.
Sayo turned back to see Yukina’s pulling on said sleeve, but Yukina wasn’t looking back at her – her gaze was averted and her cheeks dusted mysteriously in pink.
“Minato-san?”
“I…think I figured why they are doing this. It is likely for my sake. I am sorry it has inconvenienced you. In a moment, I will call Lisa back to take out that cabinet.”
How would locking Sayo with Yukina in a room help Yukina…? Oh. Yukina’s awkward, blushing face gave it away. Yukina must’ve wanted some private time with Sayo, and however Lisa figured that out notwithstanding (probably pried the information directly from Yukina, seeing as Yukina figured out Lisa’s motivation), she must’ve recruited Rinko and Ako to help give Yukina this opportunity. And there was probably only one reason why Yukina would look so embarrassed while trying to find her words now that they were alone…
“I like you,” Yukina said, verifying Sayo’s suspicions.
If Sayo hadn’t understood Yukina so well, the confession would’ve seemingly come from nowhere. But Sayo did. The words were blunt and Yukina wasn’t elaborating on them. It might be because she didn’t know how to, or maybe she assumed Sayo already knew her feelings. After all, a confession was more akin a confirmation than a surprise revelation. If the one confessed to couldn’t comprehend where those feelings came from, chances were the feelings would go unreciprocated anyway.
Sayo closed the distance, her heart thudding hard in her chest. She reached out with some hesitation but found Yukina’s hands in the end and held onto them with a solid grip.
“I like you too, Mi…Yukina.”
The way they shared goals for the future, the way they could walk hand in hand towards them, the way they understood and supported each other…those were what Sayo liked about Yukina, and what she knew Yukina liked about her in return. All of this needed not be said, for it was already in both their hearts.
“Umm…so the cabinet?” Yukina asked.
“It can wait till morning.”
Sayo ended the conversation with a kiss.