Chapter Fourteen: The Night Before

It was several hours later by the time Itsuki woke up. Naturally, Mayu had already left, and now looking out the window, Itsuki saw it was dark outside. Checking her phone, there were several messages and missed calls. "Oops…" she let out. "That's definitely gonna be my parents." So, tapping her contacts list, Itsuki was just about to call when her finger stopped just short of pushing the button.

Mayu's words echoed in her head. "If the nurse had been here, she would've told my parents about me collapsing..." Itsuki remembered. She had no idea if her parents had really noticed her condition or not. Itsuki had felt like she had been doing a good job of hiding it, but based on Mayu and Jasmine's reaction, she wasn't really sure anymore just how well she had been keeping up the act. Now that she had collapsed, it would be even harder to keep it a secret.

Of course, people at school weren't the only ones to know about what had happened last year. Itsuki's parents knew too. If she told them she had collapsed again, there was no telling what kind of reaction they would have. "Last time was bad enough…" Itsuki thought. Her parents, for as kind as they were, could sometimes be a bit overprotective. When they had heard about what had happened, they had very nearly had Itsuki home-schooled for the rest of her academic career so they could have her avoid potentially dangerous events like the cultural festival. "Thank goodness I talked them out of it."

This time though, Itsuki wasn't sure if she'd get so lucky. It was already weird enough to be at school this late now that the festival had started, and on top of that, there was probably a decent chance that Mayu would've told her parents, who would've told Itsuki's parents why their daughter was so late. "And if Mayu-chan did tell them, then there's no way I'm getting out of whatever they have coming," she thought. Trying to avoid the potential punishment for as long as she could, Itsuki set her phone back down and let her mind drift.

Although, it didn't have to drift far. Aside from her parents inevitable reactions, there was another problem creeping up on Itsuki. Upon watching Jasmine and Mayu interact, a stabbing pain had hit her in the heart once again. This pain had started when Jasmine first started talking to Mayu more. In the beginning, Itsuki had just thought she didn't like how things were changing. Then, after talking to Jasmine on the school trip, she had felt better about their situation. As long as they were all friends, that was fine.

However, it was clear to Itsuki that while they may have called each other friends, they weren't all standing on equal ground. Watching Jasmine and Mayu was enough to tell her that much. What exactly it was either of them felt, Itsuki didn't know, but she felt like she couldn't really say they were all evenly friends anymore.

What she did know was her own feelings. She knew they were different from what Jasmine or Mayu were potentially feeling, but they still carried their own weight. And, with that weight came sense of… monopoly? Jealousy? ...Or fear perhaps? It was hard to place exactly which one best fit. Whichever one it was, it kept coming back to Itsuki each time she saw Jasmine and Mayu together. Worse yet, that feeling inside of her seemed to be getting stronger. "I just… don't like seeing them together," she thought.

It was the way they interacted with each other. That was what bothered Itsuki the most. At least, that's what she thought. Of course, if it turned out she was right, and the two of them were falling for each other, that wasn't really an issue. On the contrary, she'd actually be happy for them, or she'd try to be. Rather, Itsuki's qualms had less to do with that aspect and more to do with it feeling like she was being forgotten.

Mayu looked the same to nearly everybody, even Itsuki. And yet, for some reason, whenever she was with Jasmine, she would produce a myriad of expressions no one else ever got to see. It was bewildering, to say the least. Why was it that Jasmine was able to get her to look like that? Why didn't Mayu just act like that all the time? Did Jasmine have something Itsuki didn't?

Even if she left out the expressions, there was also the way they talked. Their conversations always seemed to flow so seamlessly, riding on the perfect edge of flirtatious and simple. When Itsuki watched them, it was like they were in their own little world. So, sitting on the outside, all she could do was look on.

Although, after giving it some thought, Itsuki realized that wasn't quite right either. It wasn't like she wanted to be a part of that world. Instead, it was more like she wished it didn't exist in the first place. "Then the three of us could…" Itsuki began to think, but she knew she was still wrong. "...No, that's not it either. So then what is it? Why am I so bothered by this?"

Was it love? Not quite, but Itsuki could tell it wasn't far off. "I just wish I could figure out what it was…" she thought. Then, before she could go any deeper, her phone buzzed, marking the fourth call from her parents. "Oops…" she let out again. Nervously, she answered it. Immediately, she was greeted by yelling.

"Itsuki! Where are you?! Don't tell me you're still at school?" her dad shouted into the speaker. "Y-Yeah, sorry," Itsuki said. "Why didn't you answer any of our calls?" her dad asked. "I didn't hear it?" Itsuki gave her excuse. "Haaah… well, fine. I suppose the festival can get pretty busy, so that would make sense. I'm just glad you seem to be okay," her father said. "Right… yep, totally fine," Itsuki lied. There was no way she was about to tell the truth. Not if it could be avoided.

After talking for a couple more minutes, Itsuki's dad said he would come pick her up. Once she hung up the phone, Itsuki let out a sigh of her own. "Great, now I'm a liar," she muttered to the empty room. "Guess I better get to the front doors. Can't have my dad finding me in the nurse's office." So getting up, Itsuki gathered her things and made her way to the exit.

*****

As she walked along the road, Mayu wondered about what had happened just before. "Itsuki-chan seemed upset…" Thinking about it, Mayu could understand at least part of the reason. After being so insistent that what happened last year wouldn't happen again, it still occurred. She was sure that Itsuki was probably feeling somewhat embarrassed by the ordeal, not to mention a little sad after having been lectured by Mayu.

Though she felt a little bad about it, she just hadn't been able to stop herself. Itsuki meant a lot to her. To see something as scary as her collapsing had already been traumatic enough, so having that happen again had just been too much for Mayu. "After I warned her so many times…" she thought again, though at this point it hardly mattered. The damage had been done, so all Mayu could really hope for was that Itsuki actually learned her lesson this time. "I sincerely hope we don't have to do this again in our third year…"

However, while Mayu understood that Itsuki's mood was partially being influenced by what had happened, she felt like there was more to it than what she had seen. "Itsuki-chan seemed really bothered by Jasmine-chan seeing me cry. But why would that bother her so much?" In Mayu's eyes, the three of them were friends. If one saw the other cry, it wasn't like it made a difference who saw who. "Maybe because we've known each other for so long, she wanted to be the one to comfort me?" Mayu thought. "But that wouldn't have worked. After all, I was crying because of Itsuki-chan…"

Then, there was the moment just before Itsuki had said she was tired. "She was going to ask me something," Mayu remembered. "But what was it? It seemed important, considering the way she was struggling to say it." What could it have been? Mayu really didn't even have a guess. "Did it have something to do with Jasmine-chan?" she wondered. If that was the case, then she really didn't know. Mayu thought of Jasmine as a friend of hers, but it wasn't like she could answer a lot of questions about the gal. "We haven't even known each other that long…" Mayu thought, finding herself a little depressed at that.

It was true. Mayu had only really known Jasmine since summer break. Since then, the two of them had been getting closer, but Mayu still only knew so much. "I wish I knew more about her…" she thought. For some reason, it bothered her. It felt like they spent so much time together, but if Mayu really thought about it, she realized that most of what she knew about Jasmine was stuff anybody would know.

So, when it came to Itsuki possibly asking a question about her, Mayu figured Itsuki should probably know the answer to her own question. "She spends plenty of time with Jasmine-chan too after all," Mayu thought. "If she wanted to know something, then she could've just asked Jasmine-chan before she left."

When Mayu finally arrived home, she was greeted at the door by her mother. Dressed in traditional Japanese clothing and wearing a hairstyle to match, Ai Kawaguchi was the very picture of a traditional woman. "Welcome home dear," she said calmly. "I'm back," Mayu said in response. "Are you hungry? Dinner is almost ready," Ai said. "Yes, thank you," Mayu said back politely. Weirdly though, speaking in that tone stirred a feeling of bitterness inside of her. "What is this?" she wondered.

Before she could get the chance to think about it further, her sister came storming down the hallway. "Big sis is back!" she cried, leaping toward Mayu. "Hi Kanade," the girl said with a smile, catching her little sister. The small girl, still in primary school, kept her black hair in a singular braid, similar to her sister's twin braids. Although, the big difference between them was personality. While Mayu was more calm and serene, Kanade was a ball of energy, even more so than Itsuki. Whenever Itsuki came over, Kanade was able to drag her all around.

"Was the cultural festival fun?" she asked excitedly. "Well, it was, but…" Mayu trailed off. "But what dear?" Ai asked. "…It's nothing," Mayu said, covering up her troubles. Inside, she felt the need to do so. "If I told my parents about what happened to Itsuki-chan, they'd probably tell her parents… I don't want to get her in any trouble, or…"

Last year, Mayu had told her parents, and they had told Itsuki's. She had felt bad about getting her friend in trouble, so that was related to how she was feeling now. However, there was more to it. More than avoiding potential guilt, Mayu wanted to avoid making Itsuki mad at her. "I assumed that she might've been in a bad mood because of what happened, but it might actually have something to do with me too…" Mayu thought. And, if that was the case, Mayu didn't want to risk making the situation worse.

Seeing that her daughter wouldn't say anymore, Ai decided to go with a different topic of conversation. "By the way Mayu," she said. "I heard that there was quite a performance today." "Performance?" Mayu repeated. "Like at the talent show?" Ai nodded in response. "Yes. Apparently, a girl at your school went on stage wearing very questionable clothing and sang a song with graphic lyrics." "Huh?" Mayu let out. "Who would do something like that?" "I believe the person telling me said the girl's name was Chiyo Wakabayashi. You're acquainted with her, aren't you?"

Hearing the gal's name, Mayu went stiff. She knew what was coming. "Honestly, when I first met that girl, I really wasn't sure about her. Now that I'm hearing this, it just confirms my suspicions. Girls like that should be avoided. They'll be nothing but a bad influence on you Mayu."

Girls like that, she said. Girls that are gyarus, who dress flashy, wear heavier-than-usual makeup and live by their own set of rules. Girls like Chiyo Wakabayashi. Girls like Jasmine Hiraoka. And now, Mayu's mother was telling her daughter to stay away from people like that.

For most of her life, Mayu had lived according to what her mother said. Never questioning it, she had done as she had been told and lived properly. But, within the last half year or so, Mayu had begun to question it. Really, she didn't have any issues with her quality of life. Rather, it was moments like these that made her wonder.

There had been the time when Ai had called girls liking girls unseemly. Back then, Mayu hadn't given it much thought, but after learning about how Haruna felt about Kanako, she had kept coming back to that statement. She found that over time, it bothered her more and more. What exactly was unseemly about it? Mayu didn't understand. Now, yet another moment was occurring. Because these girls Mayu knew didn't fit into her mother's ideal mold, she was telling her daughter to not associate with them.

It bothered her. No, it angered her. Perhaps Mayu wasn't as close with Chiyo as she maybe would've liked, but there was also Jasmine. Over the course of the past few months, she had been getting closer with her. Sure, the information she knew still only felt surface-deep, but that just made Mayu want to know more. She felt like there was so much more to learn about the gal.

Jasmine acted cool and indifferent, but she cared deeply. Her words could be a little sharp, but she was usually just teasing. When they talked together, there was a joy that Mayu felt in her heart. This was the gal that Mayu had come to call her friend. Now, her mother was telling her to cut that out of her life.

"With all due respect mother," Mayu said in a low voice. "I will associate with whomever I please." Surprise came across Ai's face. "Oh?" she let out. "If I'm not mistaken, that sounds like a bit of defiance. You do remember that I taught you to listen to your parents don't you?" "Perhaps it would do you some good to remember not to judge a book by its cover," Mayu shot back. Then, before Ai could get her bearings again, Mayu walked off. "I'm not hungry anymore," she said as she breezed past her mother.

Shutting herself in her room, Mayu laid down on the floor. Her chest felt tight, and her nerves were sky-high. "I can't believe I just spoke to my mother like that…" she mumbled. "Only a few months ago, I never would've…" As she muttered to herself, Mayu realized she knew why she had gotten the courage to say such a thing. "Jasmine-chan… she really is an influence on me, huh?"

Before she had even noticed, Mayu had changed. She was still the calm, gentle girl people knew, but thanks to a certain gal, it was as if her emotions had been unlocked. Mayu felt more than she used to, the control over her demeanor seeming to lessen the more she spent time with Jasmine. "Why is it she's able to mess with me so easily?" Mayu wondered, but she quickly switched to another question. "Actually, why is she able to change me at all?"

Was it a good thing? Mayu couldn't really tell. She had always believed in the way she lived, but that was mostly because nothing had ever challenged that belief. With Jasmine in her life now, it felt like that belief was being challenged on a daily basis. "Is that really for the best?" Mayu wondered. She wanted to question it. To have change suddenly come upon you was something worth questioning, at least she believed so. But, for as much as she wanted to, she also found that she didn't want to. Something told her these changes were good, and that she shouldn't fight against it. "Which one is right…?"

To accept change or not. That was the question Mayu was dealing with. However, deep inside her, she already knew the answer. The changes she was worried about had already begun to occur. Acceptance had already happened, whether she had wanted it to or not. Of course, she could try to go back, but would that even be possible?

"No," she decided. "There's no way I could. Jasmine-chan has already done so much for me." And that was why Ai's words had bothered her so much. Jasmine was a dear friend of Mayu's. She was a person that had already made a difference in her life, and Mayu was sure it was a difference for the better. To hear her mother say that she should just cut that part of her life out was unthinkable.

Before she knew it, Mayu's phone was up to her ear. "What's up Mayu-chi?" Jasmine's voice suddenly said. "Eh? Jasmine-chan?" Mayu said. "Uh, yeah, that's me. Why do ya sound so surprised?" Jasmine asked. "No, um, I-I guess I didn't realize I called you," Mayu explained. "Oh yeah? What, did ya make a subconscious effort to call me? Did ya miss me that much already?" Jasmine teased. "I guess… I just wanted to talk to you," Mayu said quietly. "Talk about what?" Jasmine asked. "...Nothing, really…" Mayu said even more quietly. "Uh, Mayu-chi?" Jasmine said. "Y'know, when ya put it like that, it kinda sounds like ya just wanted to like, hear my voice or somethin'."

"…"

"…"

Mayu could feel her face heating up during their awkward pause. "...Is that really what ya wanted?" Jasmine asked, surprise in her voice. "...M-Maybe…" Mayu mumbled. "Did somethin' happen Mayu-chi?" Jasmine asked. "Well, it's just…" Mayu began. "My mother tried to tell me to stay away from you." "...Ah," Jasmine let out after a moment of silence. "I knew it. We really are similar." "Jasmine-chan?" Mayu said. "Nah, forget it. Anyways, just do whatever ya want Mayu-chi. It's not like your mom can actually control who you hang out with." "That's true," Mayu agreed.

Just talking to the gal made her feel better. "Yeah, there's no way I could stay away from you," Mayu said somewhat absentmindedly, her tone sounding almost loving. "...Eh?" Jasmine let out on the other end. "Ah!" Mayu exclaimed, realizing what she had said. "N-No! Um, I mean, I just meant-!" "Same here," Jasmine said, cutting Mayu off. "What?" the girl said. "I couldn't stay away from you either," Jasmine said. "You're just way too much fun Mayu-chi."

Mayu's heart felt like it was soaring. "T-Thanks," she said happily. "So was there anything else, or did ya just wanna hear me whisper in your ear some more?" Jasmine teased. "No, I'm fine now. I'll see you tomorrow," Mayu said calmly. "Alright. See ya tomorrow," Jasmine said, and with that, the call ended.

"Whisper in my ear…" Mayu repeated, her cheeks turning red. "Um, big sis?" Kanade suddenly called. "Y-Yes?!" Mayu shrieked. Her little sister had opened the door without Mayu noticing. "Um, I was gonna check on you to see if you were okay, but now you seem really happy," Kanade said. "Do I?" Mayu said bashfully. "Mhm. And your face is all rosy too," Kanade pointed out. "Is that because of who you were talking to on the phone?" "W-Well, maybe," Mayu said, trying to dodge the question. "Oh, did you get a boyfriend?! I've heard that's how girls act when they fall in love!" Kanade squealed. "N-No! No boyfriend!" Mayu shouted. "Hmm... Then, a girlfriend?" Kanade guessed innocently with a tilt of her head.

"G-G-Girl-?!" Mayu shrieked even higher, her voice giving out partway through her speech. "Huh? What's with that reaction?" Kanade asked. "Am I right?!" "K-Kanade, why do you even know about stuff like that?" Mayu asked. "One of the girls in my class said she was dating another girl," Kanade said simply. "Is that bad?" "Well, n-no," Mayu said. "I was just surprised that you knew about something like that." "It's not like it's a big secret," Kanade said. "Stuff like that happens all the time now, right?"

"Does it?" Mayu wondered. Were girls dating other girls really that common? "Well, then again, there's the case of Endo-san liking Kana-chan, so maybe it's not as uncommon as I thought." In the middle of her wonderings, Kanade continued to press the issue. "So? Was I right? Do you have a girlfriend too big sis?"

For the briefest of moments, Mayu imagined Jasmine as her girlfriend. Then, the next moment, her entire face turned redder than a tomato, and a huge puff of steam exploded from her head. All she could do was flop back onto the floor. "Ah?!" Kanade exclaimed. "Big sis!"

And so, the little sister spent the rest of the night tending to her big sister, who had passed out because of her own imagination.

*****

"...Uh, hey, Chi?" Chitose asked. "Are ya ever gonna stop squealin' or what?" Sitting in the living room of their house, the elder Wakabayashi watched the younger as she continued to squirm on the couch while letting out little "kya!'s"

"I can't help it!' she cried. "I'm just so happy!" "I get that, but you're kinda startin' to get on my nerves," Chi said. "What? Is my success makin' ya feel lonely?" Chiyo joked. "Success? Ya make it sound like you two are dating now or something," Chitose said, sounding a bit disgruntled.

Chiyo sat up. "Hey, this is a big step for me!" "Y'know, for someone with so much, erm, experience, ya sure are actin' like an innocent maiden," Chitose said. "This is different…" Chiyo muttered. "I know, I know," Chitose said, standing up. Walking over to her sister, she rubbed her head, tousling the gal's hair. "Just keep doin' your best, okay?" "Yeah," Chiyo said, though her energy seemed a little lower now. "Want me to make some tea?" Chitose offered. "That'd be nice," Chiyo said.

As Chitose walked away, Chiyo sighed. "Why'd she have to go and say something like that?" she muttered, a bit annoyed. There was no way to erase her past. Chiyo knew that, but she was hoping that her genuine love for Michi would help to overwrite it at the very least.

Putting that aside, she was still over the moon. "I can't believe I kissed her!" she quietly squealed to herself again. "I mean, it was only on the cheek, but still!" For anybody that knew Chiyo, this was a bizarre sight. She had had plenty of kisses before with the guys she had been with, and those kisses had led to plenty more, but there was one big difference between those times and this one. This time, it meant something. Chiyo, the girl who had never really been in love before, was head over heels for Michi. That meant that even the smallest amount of progress became a huge deal.

Then of course, there was another difference to point out. All of those guys Chiyo had kissed had wanted it. They had sought her out, or she had gone for them, and she had shared her lips with all of them. However, Michi was on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. Not only was she not even looking for romance, the last place she would look would be another girl. She just couldn't see it that way. But, little by little, Chiyo was sure she was beginning to change her mind.

"I have to be, right?" she thought. All of Michi's reactions seemed to say that was the case. "And the way she looked after I kissed her cheek… That was so adorable!" Unfortunately, Chiyo hadn't been able to enjoy it for very long. She had felt so embarrassed after doing it that she had to run away. "I've never felt that way before," she thought. "Ahh, being in love is seriously so much fun!"

Once again, she flopped back down on the couch and started wriggling back and forth. At the same time, Chitose came out with the tea. Seeing her sister, she sighed. "Again?" she said. "I can't help it!" Chiyo said with a laugh.

*****

"Geez…" Michi groaned as she stood in front of her bathroom mirror. "That took forever." Setting down the towel she had been using, Michi brought her cheek close to the glass to double-check. "Alright, good," she said. "I finally got that lipstick off." She had tried right after it had happened, but it seemed like no matter how much she scrubbed, it just wouldn't come off. In the end, she had had to go the rest of the day with the mark on her cheek, which drew plenty of attention. "That girl…" Michi muttered angrily. "She put me through way too much today."

She wanted to be angry. She really tried to be, but… "Haaah…" she sighed. "Whatever." Michi just couldn't muster up the feeling. Weirdly enough, for some reason, she almost felt… happy? "...Yeah right," she thought, shaking her head. "Who'd be happy about getting a k-kiss from a girl like her?" Although she told that to herself, there was still no shaking the feeling.

Going over to her couch, she sat down. Her head was a mess. Trying to sort out her thoughts, Michi sat in silence, but while she did, something happened. Before she knew it, her hand had raised up and touched the spot where Chiyo's lips had been. Absentmindedly, she softly rubbed it a bit. While the lipstick was gone, the feeling remained, and Michi's mind drifted back to it. "Her lips… were really soft," she thought.

Upon realizing what she was thinking, her face heated up. "No, no, no!" she shouted, violently shaking her head and sending her loose strands whipping back and forth. "Why does it seem like I'm okay with this?!" Michi took a breath to calm herself down. "Seriously, this time, she went too far. K-Kissing someone like that… you should only do that with someone you like…"

Michi fell silent at her own words. "I wonder… if Chiyo has anyone like that," she thought. After all, it couldn't be her. She was a girl, and so was Chiyo. They couldn't be together. "Then again, I doubt she does," Michi thought. "She's done it with at least half the guys in school, and I never see her with any of them. Who knows if that girl is even capable of romance."

As soon as she thought that, Valentine's Day came to mind. "Ugh…" Michi groaned. She knew what she believed. Girls can't date other girls. There was no hope for a real relationship there. So, if any girl were to try something with another girl, it would be completely pointless. That was what Michi believed. A girl wouldn't try to be romantic with another. There was no way. And yet…

The look in Chiyo's eyes when she had given her chocolate to Michi had conveyed something she thought impossible. Consciously, she denied it. There was no way she had seen what she thought she had. It wasn't possible. But, deep, deep inside her, something became aware of the impossible. And slowly, ever so slowly, it was beginning to creep up inside her.

*****

With the first day complete, Kanako was exhausted. As soon as she finished dinner, she had hopped into the bath to wash away all the stress from the day. When she was done, she changed into her pink pajamas before finally flopping down on her bed. "So tired…" she muttered into her pillow.

It had definitely been a busy day for her. The cooking club's booth had had plenty of customers, and in the middle of that she had unfortunately had to deal with Akio. Afterwards, she went to her classroom to help them run their event, a maid cafe. Being the event that it was, there were plenty of customers there too. After cooking and serving so much in one day, Kanako was entirely beat.

Worse yet for her mental state was the fact she hadn't gotten to see Haruna at all during the festival. "I thought she would at least come see me in my class's cafe," Kanako pouted. It wasn't as if she had a burning desire for Haruna to see her in a maid outfit, but she had still wanted to show off a little. "She didn't even come to the yakisoba booth…" Two big opportunities, and neither of them taken advantage of. Kanako couldn't help but feel a little depressed about that.

Despite her current mood though, she did her best to try to look on the bright side of things. "Tomorrow is the big day…" she said quietly to herself. To Kanako, the second day of the festival felt like the biggest day of her life. There was a lot planned. Whether or not it all worked, she could really only hope, but right now, she held nothing but optimism toward the coming day.

*****

"… I can't sleep," Haruna thought as she laid awake in her bed. It seemed like nothing could calm her nerves. "I guess it doesn't matter how much you practice," she thought. With the play being tomorrow, it was nearly the only thing on her mind. That, and her wondering if Kanako would come see her. "I kinda hope she does… but at the same time, I hope she doesn't," Haruna thought indecisively.

It made her feel a little guilty to be wishing for the girl she liked to see her perform when Haruna had run away from the chance to see her. "Maybe it would be better if she didn't come after all…" For a moment, Haruna picked up her phone and considered telling Kanako that, but then she set it back down. "No, I should just let her decide."

Haruna worried that if she knew anything about Kanako's attendance, it would only mess with her nerves more. "I'm already nervous enough as it is," she thought. "I really shouldn't accidentally make it worse." So, for a few minutes, Haruna ran through some of her lines. "...Actually, how is this even helping?" she wondered. "I already know them. How would going over my lines again calm me down at all?"

In the end, Haruna only continued to toss and turn. "Tomorrow is big," she thought. "I really hope we put on a good show." Even if she hadn't really cared in the beginning, after coming this far, Haruna wanted it to be a success more than anyone.

In the minutes and hours that ticked by, Haruna still got little sleep. Before she knew it, the sun was beginning to peak out from the night sky. The day had come. Finally, the curtain would rise.

End of Chapter Fourteen.