Chapter Text
Natsuki stayed back in the clubroom with Yuri.
She sat down next to Yuri, furrowing her brows and cupping her face with both hands. Yuri glanced over at the shorter girl, “Is something the matter, Natsuki?”
“Yeah, I guess. I’m fine, though.” Natsuki rolled her eyes, letting out a small groan as she spoke once more, “I can’t do this godforsaken calc homework, dude. But um-” She cut herself off before asking, “I was wondering if you could help me. Maybe?”
Yuri smiled bashfully, gently and slowly nodding her head, “Of course I could help. It is getting a bit late, however..” The taller girl trailed off.
Natsuki stood up, putting her hands on her hips and pointing an accusing finger at Yuri, “Are you trying to say that you want us to hang out at your place?”
“Ah- No, um.. That’s- That’s not..” Yuri ended her sentence prematurely, mumbling to herself while playing with a few strands of her hair, “Maybe.. But!-”
“Dude, it’s fine. Look, I’ll do anything I can to get away from home anyway." Natsuki cut Yuri off. She stretched, groaning in the process.
Yuri silently looked Natsuki up and down before noticing what she had been doing. She quickly avoided her gaze, clearing her throat, “Well, would you like to walk home with me? My house is around a kilometer and a half away. It shouldn’t be too awfully bad.”
The short and pink-haired girl nodded, grabbing her bag and waiting by the door. Yuri stood up, popping her back, before following soon after.
---
It was a quiet and awkward walk to Yuri’s house. Neither of them made any noise or conversation besides the occasional cough or clearing of the throat. Once they both entered, Yuri motioned for Natsuki to sit down on the couch.
“I will be back.” Yuri cleared her throat stiffly, walking up the stairs into a room, presumably her bedroom.
Natsuki took this opportunity to get up, looking around at her friend’s abode. Yuri’s house had nice mahogany floors. They shined brightly; maybe they had been cleaned recently? The walls were very Yuri-esque as well, a nice maroon-ish color in the hallways. This was complimented by a few walls being a light blue-gray.
The house itself was nice. Most of the gray walls could be found in rooms where there was not much of anything going on, giving a nice calm and solitary feeling throughout. The maroon walls filled up most of the house, which was very appropriate, especially considering Yuri’s taste in things.
Yuri came back to Natsuki snooping around her living room. Slightly concerned, she decided to speak up, “Natsuki, um.. What are you doing?”
Natsuki was clearly startled, jumping up momentarily before stiffly turning around to face the homeowner. She coughed, “I- I was just looking around, that's all.” Squinting at the violet-haired girl, she spoke up once more, “Do you not trust me or something?”
The sly smirk on Natsuki’s face made Yuri gulp, “No- I mean, I do! Yes! I just-” Yuri jumped on the opportunity to defend herself, but eventually gave up. She fidgeted with one of the long strands of her hair. Her nervousness made her mumble and stutter under her breath. However, Natsuki couldn’t make anything out.
“Are you going to help me with my homework or what?” The short and petite girl looked up at the taller one of the two, rolling her eyes momentarily. Yuri quickly nodded, motioning up the stairs and towards her room.
Natsuki made her way up the stairs. She looked around at the scenery of the house. It was so elegant, almost Victorian in style. Entering Yuri’s room, Natsuki was caught off guard. There were many knives up on display. She gulped. Was she about to get murdered and skinned?
Yuri’s room was painted with the same maroon color as seen throughout most of the house. Her bed had dark brown and red, nearly black, sheets and covers draped over the mattress. The window that lay unshuttered above her bed allowed the evening light of the sunset to shine through and mostly illuminate the room.
Natsuki hated to admit it, but it looked pretty cozy and welcoming. She stood in the middle of the room, reaching her hand out to swirl the reflective dust particles around herself, “Nice place, I guess.”
“Thank you; I greatly appreciate it.”
“Mhm. Sure.” Natsuki mumbled.
Yuri was taken aback, “I do- I really do! It um.. Means a lot coming from you.” Her tone was defensive, yet anxious in nature.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean: ‘Coming from me’?” The pink-haired girl’s face scrunched up, causing harsh wrinkles to form on her otherwise smooth and baby-like face.
“Nothing bad, I swear!” Yuri placed her hand over her heart, “You’re just usually harsh, I guess?”
Natsuki huffed, moving to sit down on a fleece rug that sat in the center of the room. She placed her hands on the soft rug beneath her, caressing it with her soft hands.
“You can sit on the bed. If you want, that is.” Yuri flinched nervously before Natsuki even had the opportunity to speak.
The shorter girl only grunted as a response. After a few long and grueling seconds of silence, Natsuki pulled out some papers from her bag, placing them in front of herself.
Yuri shifted slightly, sitting on her own knees next to her friend, “Well, let us start off easy; do you have the formulas you need?”
“..No.”
“That-” Yuri cut herself off before she could build up a harsh tone. She pinched her nose in slight disappointment, “That’s probably why you are not understanding it, Natsuki.”
Natsuki grumbled. She crossed her arms angrily and stared up at her tall friend, “In my defense, I don’t get how anyone could remember jackshit about the formulas!” She huffed, “Could you, like, write them all down for me?”
“Haha, making me do all the work, eh?” Yuri smiled softly, stifling a giggle. She tried to spark some sort of friendly conversation between the two. Against her own expectations and better judgment, it had worked.
“Pfft, well, yeah! That’s why I’m here, duh! I needed your help.” Natsuki finally cheered up, playfully shoving the taller girl.
Why was she even upset in the first place?