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Tears were streaming down the face of the tall girl from Rinmeikan, beside her was her (much shorter) best friend patting her back.
As much as Yuyuko tried, it seemed that simple words of reassurance were not enough to console Rui. It pained her to see someone so important to her in such emotional turmoil, though she still had another idea. Was it worth the risk in both losing her closest friend and complicating the feelings of everyone involved? She had no clue. This was likely her dumbest decision or the smartest decision of the month and she was HEAVILY leaning onto the dumb side.
“I like you, Rui.”
“H-huh?” Confusion was the response that Yuyuko received.
“I don’t know if this was the right thing for you to hear right now but I wanted to tell you because you’re important to me; it also pains me to see you sad like this.” Immediate regret. “But it’s okay if you don’t like me back. I'd be happy if we could continue being friends.”
“Yukko, I-I… You know I like Tamao-senpai, right?” At this time, Rui managed to stop crying long enough to convey her thoughts properly. “You’re important to me too but I just don’t feel the same way. Sorry, Yukko…”
“Mhmm…” Yuyuko nodded. What was she even thinking anyway? She knew how much of a disaster Rui was to Tamao, she never had a chance to begin with. What’s more is that she just attempted to exploit the emotionally vulnerable state of her best friend. There’s a time and place for a confession and Yuyuko failed at everything, but at least Rui calmed down a bit after that. The guilt and awkwardness wouldn’t leave Yuyuko’s mind and heart for a while.
That was all a week ago.
Yuyuko entered the dorm past midnight. She had just finished a quick stroll and might’ve gone to a slight detour to see if a certain place was still open at this time (it wasn’t); she had unfortunately returned empty handed. As she closed the door quietly to avoid waking the rest of her dormmates, she heard the voice of someone that awaited her return this entire time.
“Yukko.” Rui was sitting in the living area. A bead of sweat formed on Yuyuko, despite how cold the night was, and rolled down her face. “I’d like to talk for a bit.”
Uh-oh. Did Yuyuko do something bad this time? Despite her desire to attempt to avoid any conflict, she still sat down by Rui. Though her face didn’t show anything, her mind searched for anything that she might’ve done in recent times. As she went through her memories, there was only one event that she could think of. Just when she was already starting to move on…
“I don’t know if this isn’t a good time but… remember what you told me about how you felt about me?” Rui spoke.
Yep. Yuyuko resigned to her fate. Will this be a temporary lapse in their relationship or will she lose a friend completely? Nevertheless, she broke her silence. “What is it, Rui?”
“I’ve been sorting through my feelings and all that and…”
Here it comes. Yuyuko braced for impact.
“...I think… I think I’d be happy to be with you, Yukko.”
Shocked would be an understatement to how Yuyuko felt at that moment. Her wide-open jaw and loss of words signified to Rui that she needed more clarification.
“I still have feelings for Tamao-senpai but I’ve thought about it for a bit, I realized how important you are to me as well. You’ve been there for me when even Tamao-senpai couldn’t. You’re the one that makes me feel happy every day and—”
“Rui…” Yuyuko was red.
“There’s still a part in my heart that yearns for Tamao-senpai that I hope you’ll still be okay with, but I want to try things out at the very least! I even asked for advice from Fumi-senpai and she told me what I needed to hear. I do, truly, love you too, Yuyuko.” Rui was equally red. “If we don’t work out, that’s fine! We’d still continue to be close friends!”
“I don’t mind the yearning, I can understand how beautiful and nice Tamao-senpai is. A-and I’d like to try things out too.” Yuyuko closed her eyes and pinched herself. The moment that she still saw a smiling Rui in front of her upon opening her eyes indeed confirmed that this wasn’t a dream. It was real. It was finally real. “So, does this mean we’re dating now?”
“You didn’t think you’d get this far?” Rui raised an eyebrow.
Yuyuko turned away. Her face was brighter than her hoodie and she was NOT willing to admit to being as much of a disaster as her now girlfriend. Despite how much she tried though, a small sound still squeaked through her mouth. “...no…”
An equally sudden surprise came in the form of two arms that wrapped around her from behind. Rui was hugging Yuyuko, which made the smaller one lean into it. They were together now. The two enjoyed each other’s presence in silence, but it was Yuyuko who broke it.
“Do we tell everyone about us now?”
“W-well, maybe when it’s morning time. We wouldn’t want to wake them up, after all! A-and Ichie-senpai would waste no time before she'll start teasing us...” Rui replied, with another question to follow-up. “By the way, do you already have any thoughts on having our first date?”
“There’s a Rakugo performance that’s happening this weekend. I think my second favorite artist will be a guest.” Yuyuko suggested.
“That sounds lovely…” Rui hugged Yuyuko closer. “Who's your favorite Rakugo artist anyway?”
“You, Rui, back when you did your rendition during my last birthday.”
“H-hey! I did my best, alright?” Rui frowned with a blushing face while Yuyuko laughed. Silence filled the room once more but it was quickly dispelled by Rui this time. “Yukko?”
“Hai?”
“I love you…”
“I love you too…”