Chapter Text
The soft rustle of turning pages and Natsuki’s now-steady breathing filled the stairwell. Faint echoes of other students drifted through the halls—laughing, shouting, chatting somewhere far from the abandoned stairwell. But here, the air was still. It felt like, for the moment, it would be a quiet retreat from the burden of society and other friendships. Natsuki closed her eyes and leant further against Yuri, shoulder-to-shoulder. She was beyond grateful that Yuri hadn't decided to leave yet, or act diffferently after her outburst. That was, especially since it saved Natsuki from feeling completely mortified at how hard she cried in front of Yuri – a girl she’d only met not even two weeks ago. She turned her head slightly towards the other girl, watching as her eyes were fixed firmly on the book, completely lost in a different world entirely. Despite meeting only recently, everything that had happened between them, in the club and all made her feel…
“… Hey, Yuri?”
Comfortable, for once.
Yuri blinked and took her eyes off the page to glance at Natsuki over her shoulder,
“Yes?”
“You’re, like, really good at comforting people, you know that?” Natsuki smiled at her, her voice still a little sore from her earlier panic attack. She cleared her throat, wiping the last of her dried tears off her cheek, “It’s like you always know what to say.”
“Ah, well, that’s…” She paused for a moment, “I’m glad. I’m happy I helped you. I often deal with those sorts of feelings, so… it was easier for me to help you through that.”
Natsuki’s eyes softened, gazing curiously at Yuri over her shoulder. However, she decides that she probably shouldn’t pry further, if she isn’t keen to explain it herself. There were a few seconds of silence. Just as Natsuki opened her mouth to say something, the end-of-lunch bell finally rang.
“Aw, seriously?” She slumped against Yuri, while she just responded with a small chuckle, shutting her book and already preparing to leave.
“Well, it’s alright, we have the club later on, don’t we?” She assured, turning her head to her, “I’d be more than happy to continue talking, then.”
Natsuki looked at her as she spoke, “Yeah, I guess…”
She finally straightened up, allowing Yuri to rise to her feet. She reluctantly stood up after her, picking up the plastic container full of neatly decorated cupcakes.
“You can, uh, share these out at the club, if you want.” Natsuki muttered, handing the box over, “But just know, these are for you, so…”
Yuri smiled as she took the box, “I’ll… give one to Sayori and Monika.” She mumbled.
Natsuki grinned in approval, placing her hands on her hips, “Good! It’s good that you like them. I want you to have most of them, I worked hard on them for you.” She gloated, putting away her manga and shouldering on her bag, “Alright, come on, what have you got now?”
Their moment of quiet faded as the noise of the hallway returned. They walked together, chatting until they reached their respective classrooms. Now, both of them had only two more lessons to wait, just for a chance of another moment like that again. The rest of the school day dragged on painfully slow. The teacher droned on, and Natsuki could hardly keep her attention span on the lesson. She was getting impatient. The final manga volume sat open under her desk—read, reread, only glancing up occasionally to make sure the teacher wasn’t looking.
Finally, the clock sluggishly ticked to 3:30, and she was quick to gather her belongings. She hardly said goodbye to the few acquaintances in her class before she was out into the hallway, up the stairs and down the area of school she hardly visited before joining the club. Hiding her anticipation, she swung open the classroom door,
“Hey, I’m here!” She announced, walking in to find only Monika inside, “Where’s everyone else?”
She tilted her head, a quiet chuckle slipping out, “Ahaha, you made it here quick, I only just sat down. I’m sure Sayori and Yuri will be here soon.”
Natsuki scoffed and collapsed into a desk chair, next to Monika’s, “Seriously?”
“You seem restless.” She commented, glancing curiously.
“Huh? No way, just… wanted to be here on time.”
“Well, you are.” She said teasingly, “That’s for sure.”
The classroom was one most often used by 3rd year students and was brightly lit with the early setting sun, casting an amber glow through the windows and leaving streaks of shadow by the curtains. Soon after the silence settled, the door burst open again, and Sayori practically skipped into the classroom.
“Hiii!” She beamed, rushing inside towards Monika with an armful of cans and bottles,“I got some drinks from the vending machine!”
Monika smiled, “Really? That’s so thoughtful…” She looked up to her from her seat as Sayori came over, “Why’d you do that, huh?
She dropped the drinks onto a nearby desk and practically shoved a can of refreshingly cold coffee to Monika, “No reason, no reason, you like this coffee, don’t you? Have it, it’s on me, Moni!”
Monika suspiciously raised an eyebrow, but accepted the coffee appreciatively. “Oh yeah?”
Natsuki glanced over, looking at the options brought over. What was left was a bottle of strawberry milk and green tea. She looked towards the other girl, who was glowing at the other girl's satisfaction.
“… I assume the strawberry milk one is mine.”
“Yep! I wasn’t completely sure what you wanted, so I just chose the cutest option.” She said with a beam, sipping from her own apple juice.
Natsuki scoffed, snatching it and ripping off the bottle cap, “Jeez, don’t say stuff like that. It’s only a coincidence. You’re lucky I happen to like it, you know.”
She giggled, tilting her head, “Aw, I’m sorry. At least my assumption was right!”
She shot a glare towards Sayori as she took a sip, but the sound of the classroom door clattering open quickly softened her gaze as she looked over.
“I’m terribly sorry I’m so late, I got caught up with a teacher...” Yuri sighed, delicately stepping inside the classroom. She gave a gentle smile to Natsuki.
“Ah, yay, everyone’s here! Here, Yuri,” Sayori rushed over and put the green tea into her hand, “I got a drink for you, from the vending machine!”
Yuri froze and looked down to the bottle of icy cold green tea, condensation clouding over the bottle, “Oh, you really didn’t have to… we already have tea in the clubroom.”
She waved off her astute comment, “But cold tea is so good! Besides, I wasn't sure what other drinks you would like.”
Yuri smiled slightly and sighed, “Ah, nevermind, I should be saying thank you. It would've paired well with the cupcakes…” She muttered quietly to herself.
But, at that, the girl immediately whipped her head back around to her, “Cupcakes?”
“Ah- that, I mean, Natsuki gave me some cupcakes. You may have one, as well, Sayori, if you want it.” She muttered, opening her bag to retrieve the plastic container.
Natsuki scoffed, raising an eyebrow at Sayori’s obvious and unabashed interest, as she stood up to leant on her desk, watching, “You could at least ask politely for one…”
However, Sayori had already busied herself in eating the cupcake that had basically been snatched out of the container, that she could only manage a muffled and sheepish apology in response.
“Oh, you can have one, too, Monika.” She said, stepping towards where Natsuki and Monika were and handing one over from the box.
Monika smiled up at her and took it gratefully, “Oh? Why’d she make you cupcakes?” She asked nosily, looking towards Natsuki.
“Well-“
“Well, it’s none of your business, Monika. I just wanted to do something nice, 'cause Yuri’s always being nice. It’s not like I ma-“ She glanced to Yuri, and paused in her words. “… I just wanted to, okay? Don’t eat them all, they’re for her, alright?”
She finished speaking with a huff, before pushing herself off the edge of the desk and retreating to the closet in the corner of the room to read. Monika simply thanked Yuri for the offer and took one.
“… Ah, this is green tea flavoured.” She commented, “And so beautifully decorated, at that, for just a gift.” She glanced at the cupcakes still in the container. Each one had a deep sage-green icing, carefully swirled into a floral pattern and dusted with glitter.
“Yes, aren’t they?… No one’s really made anything like this for me. She said that this was just to thank me, but it must take so much skill to make something like this.”
Sayori, now having finished her cupcake and thrown away the wrapper, walked over and nodded enthusiastically. She heavily resisted just helping herself to another one from the box.
“And soo good, too! Seriously, how did she even learn to do this? She could be, like, a professional baker!” She beamed, while Natsuki just further shoved her face into her manga volume and pretended that she couldn’t hear Sayori’s praises.
Yuri smiled and nodded in agreement, taking a cupcake out of the container for herself before closing it and putting it away in her bag. In its place, she took out her book. She left them to happily chat with each other, as Sayori quickly moved to sit in a seat next to Monika, and moved across the clubroom to approach Natsuki, where she was sitting on the floor next to the closet.
“Can I sit next to you?”
“Mhm, ‘course.” She muttered, scooting up a little and glancing sidelong at Yuri as she sat down and unpeeled the cupcake liner.
“… You gonna drink your green tea with it?” She said, with a smile, “Or is it too much green tea for you?”
“No, it’s such a shame… I’m not particularly a fan of cold teas.” Yuri breathed, as if to avoid Sayori hearing her from across the classroom.
“Really? Why? Is it good in the cupcake icing, then?” She asked quickly, looking almost a little dejected, but Yuri panickedly shook her head,
“No- no! I love it in foods, but just… not in drinks. I can’t explain it. I promise I love the cupcakes!”
Natsuki sighed in relief, “Good. It’d suck if you were just pretending to like them.”
Yuri nodded and fell silent as she began to eat her cupcake, placing the unopened bottle of green tea aside next to her. She leant back against the wall and carefully opened her book to begin reading whilst she ate, taking care as to not smudge food onto the fragile pages. Meanwhile, Natsuki herself was already engrossed in her own manga, the spine bent and creased with use. The other girl drifted her eye over to what she was reading, recognising some of the panels, full of eccentric and feminine anime girls.
“… Have you not already read that part?” Yuri asked inquisitively, poking her head into the manga she was reading,
“Huh? Well-“ Natsuki almost tensed to pull away her book, before resisting and allowing her to look, “… Yeah. I finished it in lesson, so I’m just rereading it before I buy a new series. It’s… a really good final volume.”
She hummed in understanding, “When are you going to find a new series?”
“I’unno.”
“Well…” She paused for a few moments, mumbling tacitly “I’m already going to the bookstore after the club to find a new series as well, so…”
Natsuki perked up at her words, “You want me to come?” She asked.
“Yes, of course. That would be… pleasant.” She replied, with a shy upturn of her lips. Natsuki, however, turned her head to grin excitedly, placing aside her manga,
“Yeah! Maybe I'll need to get your insight on what I should read next, that is, if you have good taste…”
“Hey, I do, I have good taste in literature, you know.” Yuri protested sulkily, crossing her arms,
“Then, you’ll just have to prove it. And I’ll give advice on what type of book you should pick up as well, that way we’re even.”
Natsuki giggled, and Yuri couldn’t help but softly smile back, especially at how excited the girl seemed to be at such a simple arrangement.
“I will… do my best to assist you, then, Natsuki.”