“I knew your parents when they were students here.”

Students here? Yes, almost forgot that.

“They haven't told you yet?” Principal Nakagawa asked, as if he had read her thoughts. “You'll find them in the news club archives.” His face turned serious and sad. “I wish we could have done more for them,” and then he brightened “but I guess they turned out all-right in the end.”

She loved her parents. It made her warm inside knowing other people did as well.

“I was a teacher here during those days, and now I'm nearly done here.”

“Done?”

“Yes, I'm retiring.”

Things will change. The next principal will be, eh, less lenient I guess.

“Off with you. You don't want to miss class.”

Noriko bowed and made to leave the office.

“Give my regards to your parents,” Principal Nakagawa said just as she was about to close the door. “Tell them I'm sorry. I'll apologize properly at a later date.”

After he has retired. When he has severed his connections to the school. What's going on?

She quickly walked to her classroom. Thoughts of worry and wonder danced in her head all the way to her desk.

Inside her classroom the mood was different from the usual, had been so for a week now. Kuri was absent again.

One more month. Kuri, you can't afford staying away from here. But Noriko knew all too well by her friend never came to school. Breaking up with someone you love must hurt. Still, one more month until year's end. Those exams decided whether you passed the year or not, and Kuri wasn't exactly one of Himekaizen's best students.

Noriko threw a glance at Kyoko's seat. The two of them had grown closer in Kuri's absence. You know, you should run to Yukio more often. Much more often, and she would have, Noriko knew that, if it wasn't for 3:1 and 6:1 not being on the best of terms with each other.

In 3:1 Urufu was a loser who had done something bad enough to their celebrated beauty to force her to break up with him. In 6:1 Kuri was the bitch who played with and hurt their hero.

That was it, their hero. Noriko had missed out on what kind of reputation Urufu gained in his class after the cultural festival. They had experienced death among them as well, and only now she learned he'd been there, sitting in his hospital bed, comforting those who couldn't keep silent any longer.

That made Kuri the villain, and Kyoko was Kuri's best friend, and only after Urufu shouted at his own classmates did they agree that Kyoko wasn't bad for Yukio, Urufu's best friend.

When did things get this bad?

Some of that animosity even crept into the club, with the difference that there an overwhelming majority saw Kuri as the evil villain. Noriko could see why. With a third of the members former Red Rose middle schoolers, Urufu could do no wrong.

He tried, Noriko saw that. He told them Kuri hadn't done anything bad, and that she had problems of her own; the members gave him comforting claps on his back – girls even spontaneously hugged him, just like he and Kuri used to do, and they said how strong he was, what a kind and goodhearted man he was, and they despised Kuri even more.

It hurt. Kuri was a good friend, a broken friend who hurt more than Noriko could understand. It hurt, because Urufu hurt. It hurt, because all stacked together what had happened this far during their last term as freshmen made her look at Nao with new eyes.

He'd done nothing wrong neither, but his right choice made them spend time apart rather than together. She loved him, and wanted him for herself, but between studying for the exams, club hours, part time work, all too seldom did the few hours she had free coincide with his. The same way as she did, he studied, spent his club hours and worked his part time job. Difference being he spent very few club hours and an absolutely absurd amount of time modelling.

Noriko sighed and walked over to Kyoko's desk. Their teacher was late and Noriko wanted to know how things went down for Kuri's wingman, abandoned since a week. When she arrived she saw Kyoko with her nose into her phone.

Good girl! The rest of us try to be so smart, but you just solve your problems.

From this distance Noriko could see the phone vibrate when Yukio's mails reached it, and Kyoko didn't waste a second sending him a reply.

I'll leave you two alone. Seeing that made me happy.

A little lighter at heart Noriko took her seat and dug up the books for the class. Just as she was done the teacher walked in through the door opening.

The class representative rose.

“Stand!”

The class rose.

“Bow!”

The class bowed.

“Sit!”

The class sat down again, and the lesson started.

Days grew into a pattern of classes only broken by lunch and club hours.

Noriko saw Yukio and Kyoko grow closer together, and she shared they joy. She saw her brother and Ai-chan playing their game, something that became harder as their exams loomed closer, and she saw Kuri return to class, a hollow shell of her former self.

Why anyone wanted to take photos of the girl was a mystery, and eventually Kuri told her they didn't. When she broke up with Urufu Vogue loosened their inhuman schedule a little. From what Noriko could see, their latest golden hen had been thoroughly potty-trained. She didn't as much as whisper a word of love about Urufu.

As for herself, she tried. Both of them tried. Nao used as much of his free time as possible to date her, but she could see in his haunted face how Vogue pulled in the reins whenever he spent too much time with her.

Days became a week, and one day, at the end of February, neither Yukio nor Kyoko showed up at club hours.

***

Birthday, first his, and a week later, Kyoko's. Both were among the kiddies in their respective class. Today he joined the league of sixteen, and he did so together with his girlfriend.

So all should be sunny and well. Well it wasn't. The last weeks Kyoko's parents, not only her stern father, had looked at him with something akin to pity in their faces. The worst was that sometimes Kyoko joined them as well.

Yukio knew her parents really didn't see him as a proper match for her daughter, but they were more than a little grateful for him trying to save her twice.

So why the pity?

“Careful!”

Yukio hit the brakes, and Kyoko got off the bike. Two on one bike wasn't too smart anyway. The police didn't like it too much. Well, and there was that part of it supposedly being dangerous as well, which normally was the kind of concerns parents had. Problem being both Yukio and Kyoko had good reasons to respect the danger aspect themselves, what with hospitals a common stay-over and all.

“Hang on, I'll lock the bike here,” Yukio said and did so.

Behind him the old mall saluted memories from days gone by, and to be honest neither he nor Urufu spent much time here any longer.

Easier days, Yukio thought. He looked at Kyoko, who seemed to be in a good mood. But I wouldn't say better days. Sorry, man, but Kyoko's the most important one for me.

“Yukio?”

“Yes?”

“This station.”

Huh? Oh, OK. “Sure.” Silently Yukio thanked Kyoko for suggesting they take the train from the closest station. Less risk of meting people they knew, and he really wanted to spend the day alone with her.

This were streets he seldom walked. Urufu used to bike them, and Yukio trudged along enough times not to get lost. Some low rise office buildings, mostly a residential area and the occasional shop. The years hadn't treated the buildings too kindly, and the muted yellowish colour displayed drab lines of blackened dirt. The kind of Tokyo their parents grew up in.

“Where?” he asked when he saw the station ahead of them.

Kyoko smiled and placed a finger on her lips. “Shinjuku. Or rather the park.”

Sure, if she wanted to walk, then walk they would. “Let's see where we change,” Yukio said and sauntered away to a map. For Kyoko, at least sometimes, he wanted to look cool. Usually she just laughed at him, or when she felt considerate, giggled. He loved that part of her as well.

He found the station where they needed to get off, and with her hand in his he navigated the crowd to their platform. Not too many minutes later they left, climbed a few stairs and after that they headed down into the subway area. Trains arrived every ten minutes or so, and shortly after they were at Shinjuku.

The park lay a fair distance away, still in the same range as what they walked to school every day, and Yukio had to agree it was worth it. Entering the park the heavy Tokyo traffics suddenly vanished into the background and gave way to a luxurious greenery.

“We're here. Just walk around, or did you have somewhere in mind?”

“Follow me,” Kyoko said rather than answering him.

Yukio let go of her hand and stretched his arms into the air. “Sure, wherever you go.” Cause I'll follow you wherever you go.

She ran ahead, and Yukio literally had to follow her until she found what she was looking for. A great lawn under the shade of trees. It looked like somewhere where he'd like to take her on a summer's day.

At that time Kyoko dropped her backpack by a tree-trunk and produced a blanket from it.

Picnic?

It turned out one.

Despite the cold Yukio enjoyed his silent meal with her. Compared to everything else that had happened this term this was a luxury he hadn't been awarded earlier, and he drank her presence undisturbed by angry looks from his own classmates, condescending ones from hers or the fearsome and pitiful ones that dominated the club.

At least today I belong to you only. Yukio swallowed the last of his lunch. “Thank you for a wonderful birthday!”

“Lucky.”

“Lucky?”

Kyoko grinned. “I didn't plan anything for rain. So I got lucky.”

“We got lucky. I love you.” So simple. He loved her. Half a year hadn't lessened his feelings at all. After she agreed to be his girlfriend their friendship just grew stronger as well. Urufu, is this what you meant with real love?

“Yukio, what do you like about me?”

Minefield! Tread carefully! Yukio thought about it for a while. He really couldn't find an answer. He just did. “I don't know. I'm in love with you. Do I need a reason?” I hope that was the right thing to say. Right or not, there was nothing else he could say.

She sent him a glance with both happiness and worry in it. “No, no you don't. I never knew you were so strong.” Then Kyoko blushed. “But that's not why I love you, or it is, but not only.”

With his face splitting into a grin Yukio revelled in the feeling of his stomach heating up at her words. “Thank you. I feel the same way.”

Kyoko started packing away their trash. Turned away from him she spoke into the air. “My parents don't think I'm fit for you.”

What?

“You really gave them a good impression in the end. I want you to know that.” Yukio could hear how she choked on her own voice. “They want me to break up with you so I don't steal your future. But they really, really like you.”

What the hell? “Kyoko, I love you. Why would I want you to break up with me?”

A moment of silence stretched out between them. “But children?”

“I said I love you, not the thought of our children. Could you please not decide what I want?”

“But...”

A thought of a much older man ran though his mind. “If that day comes, I promise I'll tell you. Do you still want to be the girlfriend of someone who might change his mind?” This was him gambling everything on one card.

Kyoko nodded. She turned and faced him. There were tears in her face. “I love you so much!”

I'm going to make your birthday the best. I'm going to make your life the best.