Ficcikirjasto

Ryoutei Academy, corridor

(Uuh… I didn’t get any sleep… There too much to think about and then I had to make the takoyaki. How am I going to manage this night…?)

Yuriko walks to the school and tries to spot Ayato while holding a box of Takoyaki. She yawns and has hard time to keep her eyes open. Her legs are heavy.

(This… is… I can’t… even think… So sleepy…)

Yuriko yawns again but then she spots Ayato and forges her eyes to stay open. She made a promise, and she wants to keep it no matter what. Yet she yawns once more when she stops in front of Ayato. She tries to smile to him either way.

Yuriko: “As I promised yesterday, I made Takoyaki for you, Ayato-kun. I hope you’ll like them!”

Ayato stared for a moment before grabbing the takoyaki box from Yuriko.

Ayato: “…! Takoyaki!”

Ayato licks his lips as he opens the lid of the box. Meanwhile Yuriko fights to keep her eyes still open and tries to hide yet another yawn.

(… so… tired… must… stop… yawning…)

Ayato turns his gaze to yawning her in front of him.

Ayato: “Nice pictures last night, Chichinashi…”

Yuriko blushes and averts her gaze.

Ayato: “… but calling Yours Truly odd. It’s unforgivable!”

Yuriko: ”I know! I’m sorry, Ayato-kun.”

Ayato: ”Ayato-sama, you mean. ‘I’m sorry, Ayato-sama. I let you suck my blood, please forgive me!’ That’s what you are saying, right, Chichinashi?”

Yuriko: ”Excuse me?”

Ayato: ”Don’t make me repeating myself!”

Yuriko: ”I know that calling you odd was very rude of me and I am sorry. But there is no way I’m saying those kinds of things.”

(Sucking my blood? What does he even mean? Is he playing a vampire or some such? We are in high school for goodness sake!)

Yuriko turns around.

Yuriko: “I think I need… to get to the class now… See you around, Ayato-kun!”

(That is, if I don’t fall asleep before I get there…)

Yuriko starts running to her class even though her legs are a bit wobbly. After while she looks behind her but she doesn’t see Ayato anymore. She stops before stairs leading to upper level where her class is but they look too much trouble right now.

(Eh… running has exhausted me… I need to get some rest…)

(I think there was a storeroom nearby. I just fall asleep in the class if I go there and that’s way worse than skipping all together. And it’s not like I don’t have experience of skipping classes… I just use some of my old excuses if teacher asks something later. Just this once…)

Yuriko glances around her. Nobody is watching her, so she opens the door of the storeroom and slips inside. There is a pile of exercise mats in the corner and someone already napping on the pile.

(Why has someone brought mats here? Should those kinds of mats be in the PE storage? … And is that Shuu-san?)

Even though Yuriko is tired, her heart starts to beat fast. She remembers the photo she posted online before. Now she definitely not going to make same mistake again.

(I should go… Shuu-san might be mad to me for what I did… like Ayato-kun was…)

But Yuriko’s legs are even heavier than earlier. It’s like she is going to fall asleep any moment.

(There is no way I can go to class or anywhere for that matter…)

Yuriko walks to the mat pile. Shuu opens his blue eyes and looks her lazily without saying anything. It’s impossible to tell what he is thinking.

Yuriko: “Shuu-san… hi there… Mind if I doze off right next to you?”

Yuriko sits down to the pile and yawns.

Yuriko: “I was up all day and… now… I’m… just so tired that I cannot keep… my eyes open…”

(Oh my… I don’t stay awake…)

Yuriko: “There is no way I can go to the class… I… just… need… Zzzzzz… so… sleepy… zzzZzzz…”

Yuriko falls to her back eyes closed sleeping heavily while Shuu is still staring her.

Shuu: “You ask permission, then you go ahead and do whatever you want without receiving an answer? So troublesome…”

Shuu turns on his side and pulls Yuriko closer to his chest. Her fragrance brings forest into his mind, but she is soft and warm. And it would be too much trouble to wake her up. Also at least now she isn’t taking his pictures and upload them wherever with bothersome confessions.

Shuu: “But, you’re warm, at least… So, just this once, I’ll suppose I don’t mind sharing my napping spot with someone else.”

Shuu closes his eyes and falls back asleep next to Yuriko.

I’m running… running… running. My paws beat the floor of the forest as the moon rises to the sky.

I’m finally free from the pain. I can be me, and nobody is hurting me.

My white tail is swing in the rhythm of my running. This is happiness…