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i.
"Not you again!" she sighs in disbelief.
They're in April and Daisuke ends up in her class. His seat is right next to hers and she's already waiting for the day they'll be changing places.
"Man, don't act like this will be a tough year! I'm actually pretty happy to have you around." He smiles but she doesn't know if he's serious. "Plus I'm the one who should be sad; Kou is in class 3-1. I feel kinda left behind, you know."
Yumi shrugs and opens her textbook.
ii.
Time goes by and it's already May. Daisuke is nowhere near her; he now sits in the front row while she's stuck at the back of the class. At first she is pleased by the turn of events but by the end of the week, she is already starting to feel lonely.
Daisuke calls her during the weekend. She has no idea how he got her number but she forgets to ask because he wants to know if she's free right now. "I don't know, maybe. Why do you ask?" She doesn't exactly get what he says next because Kou takes the phone.
"Hey, give it back!"
"Geez, man, I'm on the phone, can't you see?" Kou laughs and then greets Yumi. "So, we were wondering if maybe you could help us with the last subjects covered in class."
Since she has nothing better to do, she agrees to meet them at the library. Exams start next Monday after all.
iii.
By the time June arrives, Yumi spends her lunch time with the two boys every single day. She can't see them after school because they have practice but it doesn't matter; she is quite busy herself. Since her father's death, she has decided to help her mother and she tries to stick to it. She has taken a part-time job as a tutor and it doesn't leave her any time to think, which is a good thing.
She still manages to see the boys outside the school every two weekends or so.
iv.
July is a hell of a month between exams and tutoring. Daisuke asks for her help once again and it's hard to say no. Kou doesn't come along this time so it feels kind of like a head-to-head study session. Yumi blushes at the thought but they spend the day brushing up the subjects to be on the Math exam so she doesn't think about it all that much.
"Do you like him?" Kou asks her one day after school.
Yumi opens her eyes wide and the boy grins.
v.
She doesn't see them much afterwards until that August night. It's been two weeks since she's last heard of them and she is bored to death. Since Daisuke doesn't pick up his phone, she tries to reach Kou.
Daisuke is the one to answer.
"Are you sleeping together or what?" she laughs. "You two seem to be together all the time!"
"What? No, of course not! Are you crazy?" Daisuke says and she can hear Kou bursting out laughing.
They meet up a few hours later at the Samegawa Floodplain. The sun is shining so they decide to stay there for a while. Kou is looking for something to drink while Daisuke is lying down on the grass. And it feels really good, Yumi thinks. They talk about this and that and soon the sun sets and it's nighttime. Yumi keeps talking until she notices that Kou has fallen asleep.
"I can't believe it's already that late," she mutters to Daisuke. "I should go home and you should too."
He doesn't answer but the way he looks at her makes her shiver.
"I'm serious, Daisuke. I need to call my mom."
"Can't it wait?" He grabs her hand and she doesn't make a move. "Please."
vi.
Meeting Kou in the shopping district the next day is totally awkward. She doesn't know how to behave and the guy barely speaks to her. It kinda hurts; it's not like Yumi and Daisuke have been making out in front of him. To be honest, they didn't even kiss.
vii.
It's early September and she decides to surprise Daisuke by paying him a visit. His mother is the one to open the door and she kindly greets Yumi before adding that she can climb the stairs; Daisuke's room is the first one to the left.
"It's me," she says and she knows opening a door without being invited to isn't a good idea but she can't help herself. It wouldn't be a surprise otherwise, right?
Of course, seeing Kou sitting on top of Daisuke and kissing him changes everything.
The boys don't even seem to notice her. A lump in her throat, she leaves without making a noise.
viii.
Daisuke gives her a call a few hours later. She picks up the phone after five or six ringtones, almost reluctantly.
"Hey Yumi, mom told me you dropped by. Is everything okay?"
"Yes, don't worry. I remembered I had something else to do, so… But everything's fine, really." It's a lie, of course. She doesn't want to get into an argument on the phone so she offers to see him another day. "I'll call you back," she says. "I promise."
ix.
She doesn't call back because she sees him at school the next day. She spends the entire day trying to avoid him, though, which proves to be surprisingly easy.
Unfortunately, things don't run as smoothly with Kou. She meets him after school near the shoe lockers, grits her teeth.
"So," he says, lacing up his shoes. "What's up?"
Stop pretending nothing happened, she wants to say. She doesn't dare.
"Nothing, really." She tries to smile but it comes out as a wince. "Listen, I'm in a hurry so I don't have time to talk. I'll see you tomorrow, right?"
He's got this puzzled look on his face and it's just too much.
"You kissed him." She comes closer and whispers in his ear. "On his bed, yesterday."
Sure enough, making him know that she knows will at least make him feel uncomfortable. However, he doesn't really meet her expectations.
"Yeah, and?"
"And I don't know. Maybe I thought we were friends!" She raises her voice. "Maybe I thought he liked me. Or that you would show me a little bit of respect by telling me you were, I don't know, dating? Clearly, I was wrong."
He silences her by raising his hand.
"Maybe we could continue this lovely talk outside," he states coldly. "People are beginning to stare."
"I don't give a damn."
It's not entirely true since she leaves the school. Kou follows her, of course. They're not done yet but she wishes they were.
"Geez, Yumi, you can be such a pain sometimes. You let him flirt with you the other night, remember? And I was there. But you don't see me making a fuss about it!"
"Oh, would you please shut up!" She quickens her step and for a moment, she thinks it's over. But then Kou catches up with her and reaches for her hand. He forces her to stop but she doesn't look at him. She doesn't want to.
"… Maybe we could share," he finally says.
She looks up and he kisses her.
x.
At first, it's not easy but they're trying their best to make it work. It's a little awkward and, if they don't get used to it, at least they get a little bit better. Seeing Kou kissing Daisuke doesn't hurt anymore when one grabs her hand and the other turns to look at her. Then she kisses them both, one before the other or both at the same time and she doesn't think anymore. She just feels good and she's fine with it.