Chapter Text
Yuri was used to being alone these days. It didn’t bother her anymore. Her parents were always busy with business trips, and she hardly ever saw them.
School wasn't any better. While she wasn’t a social butterfly at her old school, the move to Japan during her second year did not help.
Her lack of basic social skills, crippling anxiety, and bullying from other students quickly gained her the reputation of “The Weird Girl,” “The Bookworm,” and “The Freak”.
What's wrong with her enjoying her own company? She doesn’t need their approval anyway; books give her all the company she needs.
Although late at night, she secretly desires to have a friend to confide in. Someone who would love her for who she is.
It’s just a fantasy, really; she knows no one enjoys her company. It only hurts a little bit.
There is one person she’s friends with, or rather wishes she were. As cliché as it sounds, she was enamored by the girl next door.
Their houses were relatively close together, with only a two-meter space in between. Her window was directly parallel to Yuri’s own room.
Yuri found herself staring from time to time, admiring her rosy pink hair and cute graphic T-shirts. Her room looked just as bubbly, with bright pink walls, white furniture, and a cool white lamp tucked into the corner. Yuri was sure her personality must have been just as lovely as her room suggested.
Yuri's style was such a stark contrast to her neighbor’s, with neutral baggy clothes and violet hair. Her room had plain black walls, brown furniture, and warm white LED lights lining the ceiling.
In another life, their differences might have caused heated arguments, but Yuri wanted to ensure they were friends in this life.
She wasn’t exactly sure how to accomplish this goal, however. Yuri has never been the best at making friends.
One afternoon, she decided to open her window for some fresh air while she brainstormed (and to maybe stare at her neighbor).
The crisp fall air filled her nostrils as she slowly exhaled. Her beige sweater rippled slightly in the wind.
Usually, she’d use this time to sit in her chair, open a lengthy horror novel, and sip a delicious cup of oolong tea.
Unfortunately, Yuri had more important matters to mull over in her head.
Should she just walk up to her door and ring the doorbell?
“No, that's too confrontational,” she thought to herself.
She would end up barely getting five words out as her eyes ping ponged around the room to avoid direct eye contact. Maybe she could write a letter to the girl?
“What would I even say? “Hi, I moved here last year and have been staring at you through your window every chance I get. I think you’re really cute. Lets be friends – Yuri ” Nope. That is just creepy.”
“I could stalk her social media?”
Wait, I don’t even know her name. I doubt “pink-haired girl” is enough to go off of.
“Maybe I could-”
“HEY!”
Yuri jumped at the sudden noise. She must’ve zoned out while brainstorming.
Her neighbor was standing at her open window with her arms crossed. She looked angry (and really adorable).
She was wearing a white t-shirt with pink accents and a fluffy, layered pink skirt to match.
“WHAT ARE YOU STARING AT ME FOR?! Mind your own business, lady!” yelled the rosy pink neighbor.
Yuri‘s face turned red the moment she realized what had happened. She was caught staring. Her life as she knew it was over.
The pink-haired girl will never be her friend now. She’ll probably tell the whole town about this. Will people call her names?
Various names raced into Yuri’s mind as her spiral deepened.
“Yuri the stalker.” “Yuri the creep.”
“They’ll judge me! Hate me! Why can’t I do anything right?”
Yuri was quickly pulled out of her spiral when she realized her neighbor was still speaking to her.
“Hello? Earth to creepy girl?”
Yuri jumped at being called creepy. She started to rub her fingers through a strand of her thick purple hair to calm herself. Yuri shakily responded.
“Um- s- sorry- I didn’t mean to- um. Stare. At you. Sorry.“
The cute neighbor squinted her eyes and tilted her head.
“What did you say?”
“I- I am apologizing for staring. It was very rude of- m- me.”
“What?! SPEAK UP!”
Yuri took a long, deep breath. She rarely raises her voice, but this moment was important. She couldn’t lose her shot.
“I AM SORRY FOR STARING AT YOU! IT- WAS VERY RUDE OF ME!” She screamed, trying to rush through the statement as fast as possible while she still had the energy.
For a few seconds, neither girl made a sound.
“I have no idea what you just said.”
“Oh, right,” Yuri thought to herself.
“My loud volume is a hushed note to most people. Being soft-spoken can really be bothersome sometimes.”
Yuri searched around her room to see other ways to communicate.
Pens. Books. Homework. More books. A spare teacup. Her knife. Nope. None of these will work.
Finally, she noticed a purple pack of Post-It Big Notes on her desk. She quickly grabbed them and slammed her window shut.
Her neighbor threw her arms up in frustration, thinking Yuri had abandoned the argument.
Yuri waved her hands rapidly to show she did not neglect the conflict. She brought her marker up to the pad and scribbled a message quickly.
Yuri stuck the sticky note to her window, pointing her hands at it frantically.
The pink neighbor squinted, mouthing “What?”
Yuri frowned. She thought she was rather polite with her message.
Suddenly, it hit her.
She put the text on the wrong side. It was facing her.
Sighing, Yuri rewrote her message, adding a Post-It beside it.
“Sorry. I am soft-spoken.
Words come better to me
in written form”
“What is your name?”
Yuri’s neighbor rolled her eyes and swiftly disappeared from the window’s view.
Moments later, she returned with a pink variant of the same Post-It Big Notes.
Sighing, she applied the notes to her window with the correct side facing Yuri on her first try.
“This is a stupid way
to communicate, but okay”
“I’m Natsuki”
“Yuri”
“Woah Woah!
Get to know me first!”
“Coming on a bit strong, Perv”
Yuri gasped.
This is not the first time someone has poked fun at her name.
Her sharing a name with the slang term for lesbians certainly annoyed her.
Her bullies made sure to remind her of that every chance they got.
She furiously scribbled a new note.
“My NAME is Yuri!”
“PERVERT?”
"I’d never engage
in such disdainful acts”
“Sure”
“You have
been sneaking
glances all year”
“You saw me watching?”
“Duh”
“It was very
obvious”
Yuri was blushing crimson while covering her face. Natsuki knew she was watching the whole time? No wonder she’s being so hostile.
Dejected, Yuri took down her Post-It notes and started to walk away from the window.
She’d messed up another chance at making a friend.
When thinking of it from Natsuki’s point of view, the label of pervert seems applicable.
She always sabotages herself. Maybe it's her punishment for being such a freak. She doesn’t deserve to know someone as captivating as her.
Yuri eyed the knife on her floor.
Maybe she should…
Before Yuri could continue her negative spiral, she heard a loud, muffled knock on Natsuki’s window.
Yuri turned around to see that Natsuki had applied two new notes to her window. Natsuki looked worried.
“WAIT! DON’T GO!”
“Why me?”
Yuri felt a weight lift off her shoulders. She was merely spiraling. She still has a chance to salvage a friendship out of this embarrassment.
Yuri grabbed four Post-It notes. She hesitated for a second before applying them to the window.
“I am lonely”
“I don’t have
friends”
"You look pleasant
to be around"
“I wanted
to be friends”
Natsuki was taken aback.
Yuri noticed Natusiki’s eyes were wide. She started to get nervous.
“Did I come on too strong?” She thought to herself.
“She probably has many friends. I can’t hold a candle to any of them.”
Yuri suddenly noticed Natsuki had responded.
”I am lonely too”
Natsuki held eye contact with Yuri for a split second before darting her eyes to the floor. Vulnerability didn't seem to be her strong suit.
Natsuki quickly ripped down the old one and put up more notes.
“I actually have
tons of friends”
“I’m always busy
hanging out with them”
”I’m very popular”
A faint hint of sadness lingered in the air. Yuri knew she wasn’t exactly being truthful.
Yuri clutched her Post-it note tightly as she thought of a proper response.
This wasn’t exactly how she thought the conversation would go.
“I guess you
don’t need
another
friend”
Natsuki looked offended. She quickly added three more notes.
“I never
said that”
“Besides…”
“You’re pretty
good looking
for a pervert”
Yuri could feel a rush of blood as her ears started to heat up.
Out of the hundreds of fake scenarios she went over in her head to prepare for this confrontation, she never expected to be flirted with.
Yuri was not good at being forward, but she tried her best.
"You look cute”
Natsuki took great offense to Yuri’s note, frantically sticking four notes to her window.
“I”
“AM”
“NOT”
“CUTE”
Yuri tilted her head in confusion. Her whole aesthetic screamed adorable. Why couldn’t she see that?
Natsuki had her hands on her hips with her head tilted to the right in an angry pout. Three new notes had been added to the window.
”THAT MAKES ME SOUND WEAK!”
“I’M TOUGH!”
“I’D PUNCH YOU IF I COULD!”
Yuri doubts that. While Natsuki is trying to look tough, her cute clothes and skinny frame wouldn’t intimidate most.
Yuri ponders the potential message she could write next.
All the voices in her head were screaming at her to apologize and end the interaction before she angered Natsuki even more.
For once, Yuri didn’t listen. Interacting with Natsuki made her feel good, even if their method of communication was rather unconventional.
“Pretty”
“You look
pretty”
When Yuri looked closer, it seemed like Natsuki was flustered.
"I must be imagining things,” she thought.
two minutes passed with neither girl writing. An awkward tension hung in the air as both girls waited for the other to continue the conversation.
Natsuki reluctantly added new Post-It notes to the glass.
“Maybe I can
fit you”
“into my
busy
schedule”
Yuri started to write a response, but was startled by the sound of loud, muffled shouting coming from Natsuki’s house.
Yuri couldn’t make out exactly what was being said, but she could tell the voice was angry.
Yuri turned towards Natsuki, who flinched at the noise. She looked panicked.
Natsuki hastily scribbled 3 Post-It Notes and stuck them on her window.
She quickly pulled the blinds down on her window with a loud SLAM!
Yuri jumped at the noise.
Natsuki’s penmanship was sloppier than the previous messages, but Yuri could still make out the message.
”gotta go”
”lets talk”
”tomorrow 3 pm”
Yuri couldn’t believe what she was reading.
For once, she hadn’t scared a person away.
Natsuki wanted to talk with her again?
Surely it felt like a chore to deal with her, right?
Despite the self-deprecating thoughts circling through her head, she couldn’t help but smile.
She might have made a friend after all.