4 Yumiko Meets a New Friend, or Doesn't She?

The next sunny day, Ryou didn't show up for class for uncertain reasons. Staring at an empty, vacant desk, Yumiko silently completed her assignments from the book. At this point, during recess, a girl with charming pink hair and reddish eyes walks relaxed into their classroom. Her humble face, which alarmed students all over the school, was full of naivete. She stood beside Yumiko's desk, and the latter turned her attention to the stranger.

"My name is Akiko Akiyama, I'm in the parallel class. Nice to meet you."

A puzzled look flashed through Yumiko's eyes, after which she stopped to write on her notebook.

"Um, Yumiko Sato."

The stranger slightly stuck out and lowered her head toward Yumiko and smiled. She clearly wished to talk to Yumiko longer, and the latter could not refuse. Verbally, Akiko seemed to be an open girl who had no fear in communicating. Yumiko managed to analyze her tone of communication by a mere glance, so openly was Akiko's innocence written all over her face.

"What are you writing?"

"Homework."

"Homework-?!" frightened Akiko shook out her hands, showing her emotionality. "What a shame. I completely forgot to do it."

Yumiko was confused as to who she was and what she had come to see her about. She did not seem to have met this charming girl before, either at school or off campus. Nevertheless, she had heard her name from somewhere, and tried to remember where.

Remembering that Akiko Akiyama was a popular name at school, Yumiko wondered to herself why the local idol had addressed her.

"By the way, Sato-san," Akiko called out, turning back to the dialogue after thinking about her homework, "you look older than me, even though we're the same age."

"I'm hardly older than you at all."

"I see. Then, Sato-chan, will you answer me one question? You're Ryou Hayashi's girlfriend, aren't you?"

"Ah, yes. That's right."

"Oh, I see… Nice."

The study and the hallway were noisy, causing no one to pay attention to their conversation. All the students were busy communicating among themselves, gathering in their camps and mindlessly making gestures that no one but them would see. The two schoolgirls noticed the noise, and assured themselves that they could only hear each other.

"You're pretending to be a couple, aren't you?" the girl whispered quietly in Yumiko's ear. "To be honest, I looked at your faces when you were together, but I didn't notice any affection. You lie to others."

Yumiko was slightly stunned by her assertion, but Akiko hesitated to move further away from her, and continued to whisper in her ear.

"It's called fake love, a reverse effect mostly used by people to ward off influences from the opposite sex. Fake love is unnatural, that's why it's pretend."

"What do you mean by that?"

Akiko took a slight step back, and lifted her smiling head toward Yumiko.

"Give Ryou-kun to me, and I won't say anything about you."

"What would that change?"

"Look, if you refuse, I will reveal your secret. Nothing will come of it to Ryou, but your transgression will not be allowed to go away like that. Your position I will be able to bring you down to the bottom of the plinth."

Yumiko took her blackmail with indignation and rejection, and decided on her note to end the dialogue.

"What a pester. Do what you want, I'm off to the canteen."

As Yumiko was about to leave and stepped over Akiko, she grabbed the gauntlet of her white shirt and raised her peaceful tone slightly with a nervous look.

"What on earth are you getting away with? I can break your life."

"I..." Yumiko half-said, and turned her head in her direction. The carefree and cold face of her appeared to Akiko, whose eyes showed no excitement, "...don't care."

Coldness and indifference arose from the mouth of the girl with the dark brown hair, whereupon the astonished Akiko shuddered and gulped her saliva.

"Even if I get laughed at, I won't get anything out of it. You think because you're worried about your importance among the herd that everyone else is like that, too? Excuse me, but you have the wrong number."

Yumiko turned away from her and withdrew from the office. Akiko couldn't drop a word, and ended up biting her finger irritably. No one but them could hear their conversation, as expected, and Yumiko was able to speak out in her full strength without worrying about what the people not involved would hear.

'Yumiko Sato is a student who is completely unconcerned about her surroundings…! Always sitting at her desk reading books, what's wrong with this girl? And she thinks she has the right to be arrogant. What kind of foolishness is this hypocrite allowing herself? thought Akiko inwardly, biting her lips.'

Akiko hated Yumiko because of her hypocrisy. Before entering the office, she had set up in advance how the blackmail would take place, not at all expecting it to fail.

'There was no point in continuing the blackmail because I have nothing else to hold on to. What bad luck, and it used to work with everyone… Yumiko Sato, who are you, and why aren't you worried about your dignity?'

***

The end of another school day was always accompanied by a sunny sunset and a tired mood of students after a difficult day. As a student of the last grade, Yumiko finished her lessons and patiently headed back home. Although, if she had been allowed to stay in the classroom all night, the girl would have chosen better to sleep at school than at home, alone with her disgusting mother.

Yumiko went outside, and unnoticed by the other students, she headed toward the front gate. Suddenly, she heard a call behind her, followed by intense running. It was Akiko, running towards her with all her might, with the intention of catching up. Even if she could run sloppily, Akiko's slender legs were not lost in her movements, and she reached Yumiko.

"Wait…!" she declared with a panting tone, and paused to rest.

Yumiko waited patiently until the girl finally lifted her head.

"In that case, help me… Please!"

"Help… with what?"

"The thing is, I love Hayashi-kun," she declared blushing. "Help me be his love! I promise I won't tell anyone anything!"

"You're just like everyone else," disappointed Yumiko, sighing. "What do you demand of me?"

"I only want you to tell me about him sometimes, so that I can get to know him better, and that way it will be easier for me to make him fall in love with me. No, wait, I'm not asking you to waste your time on me! I'll come to you myself."

"What's in it for me? I don't see any benefit."

"Hmm, try to find a benefit in it, any way you can!"

Realizing that she had heard these words somewhere before, she sighed wearily and thought for a brief moment, then opened her humble eyes.

"Help gets me nowhere. Helping won't get me anything in return."

"What a bore! In that case, I ask you in all sincerity!" stated Akiko pitifully, and bowed. "Please-please-please, Yumiko-chan!"

"Yumiko-chan?" thought the girl, astonished at the familiarity of the pink-haired schoolgirl who bowed her head. "But on second thought…"

Yumiko, putting her finger to her chin, looked in the direction of her interlocutor and pondered. Akiko, on the other hand, waited patiently for an answer, not moving an inch. And then, after a brief pause, Yumiko's fragile lips moved.

"Okay, I agree."

Gratuitously, after her answer, Akiko was abruptly pleased and her eyes seemed to glaze over.

"Thank you~! I knew I could count on you, Yumiko-chan!"

'And I heard those words from someone else's mouth.'

Unexpectedly for Yumiko, Akiko hugged him hard and pressed her face against her shoulders. Akiko's height was slightly shorter than her peer's. There was no shortage of happiness on her face.

"Hey, enough already."

"Let me hold you longer! You're my savior."

Soon, the surprised Yumiko stopped persisting. Something in her subconscious shook and sparked, and in a way she even enjoyed being hugged.

For a first encounter, Akiko Akiyama seemed like a strange girl to Yumiko. Having initially shown her bad side, she decided to ask her directly. She's really driven by something, Yumiko thought, maybe she even wants to hurt her. Does she wish to use her?"

"In that case, let me be clear, Akiyama-san."

Akiko slowly let go of her hands and modestly took a step back.

"You won't succeed if you have bad intentions underneath your words. I won't let anyone get hurt."

"Of course not! I apologize for what happened 'to us' this afternoon. It all turned out wrong…!"

"A man can find common ground with even his worst enemy, I understand."

"Good. I have to go now."

"Well," Akiko said peacefully, and crossed her legs and gently fixed her hair, "see you soon, Yumiko-chan."

Nodding, Yumiko turned away and left her seat. Akiko had achieved what she wanted. With Yumiko's help, she was able to rise up in front of Ryou and get close to him. With this conversation, she revealed her secret love for a young man who doesn't even know she exists.

However, Akiko also had other intentions toward Yumiko. She hated the brown-haired girl because of her inner reasons, which she doesn't tell anyone about. Maybe she would hurt Yumiko the next time she saw her, and maybe not — Akiko herself didn't know what she would do next. Not deciding to guess, she also withdrew in search of her friends.

At this time, in the empty hallway, a tall student was looking out the window. Huddled against the window, he peered out with an unflappable smile. It seemed that his patient gaze could shatter any solid thing with a single glance of his dark-colored eyes.

As the sun fell over the horizon, the students left the school as well. Thus, by evening, there was no one left on the school grounds.