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There they were again, the two of them slumped down on the grass, leaning against the same old tree.
Yuyuko looked over at Rui, who still had her face buried in her hands, and let out a little sigh. Rui had come within inches of confessing to Tamao again, only for her nerves to get the better of her at the last second. Her face had lit up bright red, and the poor girl turned and ran off with a shouted apology.
Yuyuko, of course, went after her, like she always did, and soon the two of them found themselves tucked away in the shade behind the big old cherry tree.
She let the silence sit for another moment, gave Rui a little bit longer to regain her composure, then spoke. "You still really have it bad, don't you," she teased.
Rui buried her face even more into her hands and groaned. "Yuyuko…"
Yuyuko leaned over and gently elbowed her friend. "Hey, come on. You got really close this time."
She could hear Rui grumbling into her hands. "I just don't think I'm ever going to actually be able to do it." She looked up at Yuyuko, a half-frown on her still beet-red face. "I'm just not able to relax around her."
"Like you can around me?" Yuyuko asked, mentally kicking herself.
Rui blinked at her for a moment, then the beginnings of a smile started to spread across her face. "I guess not." Yuyuko's heart, despite her best efforts, felt like it was about to leap out of her chest. "You really are always here to help, aren't you."
"Of course." Yuyuko placed a hand on Rui's shoulder. "I just want to see you be happy." Even if it means I have to bury how I feel about you, she thought.
Rui smiled, and Yuyuko forced herself to smile back, despite the awful twisting feeling in her heart. She always did her best to keep her feeling under control, but sometimes it just stung, watching Rui try and try and try to get someone else's attention, when she was right there, always quietly hoping that one day Rui would finally look down and actually see her.
It didn't help that feeling, of course, that Tamao was as dense as any stack of bricks you could find. It hurt just as much to see her go through her day not knowing what a fantastic girl she had head over heels for her. How much she was missing out on. How much Yuyuko wished Tamao would notice Rui's affections, so the two of them could really truly be happy together, and Yuyuko could finally put these confusing hopeful feelings to rest for good.
The two sat there a few moments longer, leaning on each other before Rui finally pushed herself to her feet. "Thanks, Yukko. I really mean it." Rui offered her hand to help Yuyuko up, but she politely declined.
"I'm feeling a little sleepy after all that." She smiled up at Rui. "You go on back without me. I think I'll stay here a bit."
Rui looked uncertain for a moment, like she was considering picking up the much shorter girl and carrying her back to the Performance Department's room herself, but she just sighed and shook her head. "Just don't stay out here too long. I'll see you later, alright?"
"Of course, of course." Yuyuko lazily waved Rui on from her position on the ground. "See you later."
As Rui left, Yuyuko settled into the grass and let the little bits of sunlight that snuck through the leaves fall upon her. An outside observer would think it was a very peaceful scene, like something from a storybook, but internally, Yuyuko was feeling anything but peaceful.
I just want to see you be happy? That was halfway to being a confession! Yuyuko's feelings and her logic tossed and turned and pushed against each other in a way that made her heart feel like it could explode at any moment. She thought for sure she had buried her feelings deep enough, and yet here they were, showing up unannounced and unwelcome.
What good were feelings like this? Yuyuko wasn't Tamao, not even close, and she never would be. Rui only had eyes for her dear Tamao-senpai, after all. How could her heart be so cruel as to make her fall in love with a girl so deeply infatuated with someone else? It just wasn't fair, she thought.
She knew that one day, Rui would finally confess her feelings to Tamao. When she did, it was almost certain the two would become a proper couple. Then Yuyuko would know it was over for sure, and she would never have to worry about this love of hers getting in the way again. Unless, of course, Tamao didn't -
Yuyuko did her best to cut that thought short as she felt the uncomfortable feeling in her heart shift into a sickly, heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Yuyuko knew they would be happy together! Maybe there was a chance Tamao wouldn't return Rui's feelings after the confession, but the fact that she had hoped for that, for even a second, made her feel genuinely unwell. She knew how much that rejection would hurt Rui, and then the poor girl would be devastated! Without Tamao to chase after, it would just be her and Yuyuko, and then maybe Yuyuko could -
She stopped herself again. She refused to entertain this horribly selfish line of thinking. Yuyuko rolled over onto her side and groaned, trying very hard to direct her line of thought anywhere else. All I ever wanted was to see her happy, it's true. Yuyuko sighed, trying to release some of the tension in her body. If that means she's with someone else, so be it. I'll always be there as someone to lean on. Steeling herself, Yuyuko opened her eyes.
She was surprised to see Ichie standing above her, and couldn't help but smirk as Ichie squirreled away a marker behind her back as soon as Yuyuko's eyes opened.
"Oh hey, you're finally up! I came to see if you were doing alright, but seems like you were just fast asleep, huh?"
"Sure was," Yuyuko lied. As she stood up from the ground, she yawned. It wasn't fake, of course, but it was conveniently well-timed. "Shall we head back?"
"Sure! I'm sure there'll be something for us to do back there." At that, the two started walking, Ichie visibly restraining her from dashing ahead of the slow moving Yuyuko.
"Oh, one other thing, Ichie?"
"Yeah?"
"That was a temporary marker this time, right?"
Ichie paused for a second, surprised. Then she reached into her sleeve and pulled out the pen, reading the label on the side. "Um…"
"You were going to draw on me with a permanent marker again? Come on."
"Wh-no! I bought a washable marker specifically for this! I must have grabbed the wrong one out of my bag."
Yuyuko sighed. "Well, it's the thought that counts, I guess." Even for how she felt while pretending, at least Yuyuko was glad she wasn't actually asleep.