"Takiyo-kun has been working hard." Yuko commented, as she took away some tablecloths that had just been completed.

"Oh, you're right. He looks very tired, right?" Ren said, also carrying some of the other tablecloths.

"He hasn't been spending time especially with Michi-chan. He's just been working hard." Yuko said thoughtfully.

"Yeah," Ren agreed. "Now people are going to him too. They realised that Takiyo was more organized when it came to this stuff. I swear he's gone up in people's estimations."

"It's nice that he isn't cold anymore." Yuko said. "Honestly I thought he'd be the 'I'd rather die alone' kind of guy."

"Ohhh, I can totally picture that." Ren commented. It was pretty easy to imagine those words coming out of his mouth.

A girl with a long black hair plaited down her back suddenly called out to her. "Nishikawa-san!"

"Yeah?" Yuko turned. Ren smiled. The festival also gave Yuko an opportunity to become more comfortable with her classmates.

"We haven't taken your measurements. We only just realised." the girl said.

"W-why do I need measurements?" Yuko asked nervously. "I'm not serving, therefore I don't need a costume."

"Even so, everybody gets a costume." the girl said, looking her up and down. Her name was Sayua Kagawa, and she was their most prized person for stitching. She manages to complete two dresses in a day.

Yuko wanted no part in this. Sayua looked up at her and grinned. "I think it will look great on you."

"Kagawa-san, don't you have any other dresses to do?" Yuko asked, trying to escape the situation.

"Yes, and that is yours." Sayua told her. "Come on, Nishikawa-san."

"No."

"Please?"

"No. No, don't drag me along. Ren, do something! Save me! SAVE ME!"

"Okay, take off this clip so I can see your style~" Sayua sang, reaching for the clip that was holding Yuko's bangs up.

"Kagawa-san, you're being noisy." Takiyo said, looking around at Yuko's protests. "What are you doing?"

"Well, we have still have almost a week's time, and I forgot the measurements for Nishikawa-san." Sayua explained, trying to pull Yuko along. "So I wanted to take her measurements."

Takiyo stared at Yuko resisting. She shook her head violently, causing a few strands of hair to fall out of her clip. "You can go ahead." he said, and Sayua cheered, and Yuko shouted at his betrayal.

"Emica-san, can you help me out?" Sayua called.

"Costumes are almost completed..." Takiyo muttered, flipping through the papers.

"Takiyo-kun! Everything good?" Michi suddenly asked. She had attacked exactly when his defences were low. Michi giggled. "You've been working very hard, Takiyo-kun. I appreciate it."

"Yeah..." Takiyo said, not looking at her. She leaned on the table beside him.

"You know what, Takiyo-kun?" Michi said, smiling. "This has been very fun."

"There are still about five days, you know." Takiyo said.

"Yeah, but still. I am actually kind of glad that we got to be cultural festival reps together." Michi said.

"Is that so?" Takiyo asked, trembling slightly.

"Yeah, it feels great to see you grow since back when we were 14." Michi giggled.

You didn't see anything since then. A voice full of venom resounded in his head. Any interaction with Michi resulted in the awakening of that voice.

"Actually since we were this small." Michi said, gesturing with her hands. "You were always by my side."

But you left mine. Did you realise that?

"We've always been together, haven't we?" Michi sighed.

Always together? Yeah right.

"But we haven't been hanging out that much lately, right?" Michi said frowning. Then she grinned at Takiyo. "You've found your own friends."

There was only one word for everything that was simmering beneath the surface. Anger. No, frustration. This one event brought all of that up. An emotion he had been denying for as long as he can remember.

"Hey, I have an idea!" Michi said suddenly. "Why don't we make a promise?"

Takiyo's fist tightened. Don't get mad. Don't get mad.

"Let's hang out together for some time during the festival too, okay?"

Stop making promises you won't keep.

"We can have tons of fun together."

What exactly is your goal? You're just going to ditch me again, aren't you? What do you want to do?

No, he shouldn't get mad at Michi. But there she was, so happy and pleased. Does she really not know anything?  Does she really not notice anything? To what extent is her ignorance of him? Does she even care about him anymore? Or....

Did she never care from the start?

"STOP TALKING!!" Takiyo finally yelled, and everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at them.

A crack had appeared in the surface.

Don't get mad, don't get mad, don't get mad. He tried his hardest to seal up the crack. But the truth was, Don't get mad at Michi.

"Hey, Takiyo-kun," Yuko said nervously, reaching out a hand. "Calm down. We're here to make friends, right?"

Arisu saw it coming first, quickly followed by Syo.

"Yu-ch–"

Takiyo slapped her hand away, harder than he had meant to. Yuko looked surprised. There was already a crack in the surface. The anger had already leaked out. The only instruction his brain could have processed was "Don't get mad...at Michi."

So immediately the only other person he could channel his anger to was Yuko, the first person who came into his sight. He instantly felt nothing but hatred towards her. Sure, Ren may had left her, but he had come back for her. She wasn't left alone. She was alone for hardly a year. He had been alone and cold for the three years. And there she was making it a tragic backstory. Her face was visible clearly with no bangs for her to hide behind.

He didn't care about anyone now. The voice of reason was trying to fight through, but only the overwhelming voice of anger could be heard now. And it was listing every reason to be mad at Yuko. Anyway, he felt a certain frustration bubbling beneath the surface every time he saw her.

"Takiyo-k–" Yuko started to say.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN BY 'FRIENDS', HUH?" Takiyo yelled. His eyes were wide and angry. There was no holding back now. "DON'T TALK ABOUT FRIENDS WHEN YOU CAN'T EVEN MAKE THEM!!"

Yuko was shaken, and frozen in that position. She was confused. It just made him more angry.

"You are always going on about making friends. Well eat my crap, but I don't give a sh*t! You're running after people, with that stupid smile, yet you're afraid of them? It makes me sick! You friggin' kissa**!"

Her expression was hurt now. The voice of reason was fighting through.

Think who you are yelling at. It's Nishikawa. Why are you yelling at Nishikawa?

But all that was on his mind was to empty this container full of anger.

"I always have to help you, always have to look out for you! You inconvenience all the people around you! You said so yourself! You want to look out for other people, but I'm sorry to say, but you're in no condition to do that!"

It's Nishikawa. You're hurting her. She knows this. Stop yelling at her.

"Have you ever thought about how selfish all your thinking is?!"

Her thinking isn't selfish at all.

"Do you know how insensitive you are?!"

She isn't insensitive at all.

"I have to look at your lame, pathetic attempts everyday! Yet you look at me and tell me it's all going to be okay! Stop sugarcoating everything, you frickin' hypocrite!"

Why are you yelling at Nishikawa? She didn't do anything.

Why was he yelling at Yuko? He knew exactly why.

"I'm sick of having to deal with your nonsense everyday, so just leave me alone, you depressed piece of sh*t!"

There was pure silence in the room. Takiyo was heaving. Yuko's eyes were brimming with tears. Nobody could think to say anything. Yuko looked down, hugging the tablecloths she was supposed to deposit elsewhere. Then she took a step back. Then another. Slowly, she turned and she ran out of the room altogether.

People started murmuring.

"Hey, what happened?"

"Did Hamasaki yell at Nishikawa?"

"He called her a depressed piece of sh*t."

"What? I thought they were friends."

"I thought they were more than friends."

He wasn't done yet. He still had some left. So his anger turned to the murmuring class.

"Shut up! Don't mutter about things you don't know! Nobody ever gave you any right to mutter about her like that!" he roared.

Wait...he's defending her now?

He was finally empty. But now he was immediately crushed by guilt and realisation. He just yelled pointless things to Yuko. Things she hated about herself. And he had spat them pitilessly in her face. Rather, shamed her for them.

And that too, Yuko of all people. He followed his next instinct. He ran out of the class after her. He had to explain.

Nobody said a word. Nobody had anything to say. Even Arisu didn't have anything to say. She was staring in shock, as though she couldn't believe those words would come out of Takiyo's mouth in the first place.

"What...was that?" Ren breathed finally. Then he saw Michi's face, and she looked grim. She had to know something. "Hey, Iseri-chan, what was that?"

Michi looked at him. "I know. I've seen that before."

Everybody's attention immediately turned to Michi, and there was silence.

"Takiyo-kun doesn't get mad easily."

"What are you talking about? He gets pissed all the time." Ren said.

"No, he may seem short-tempered, but he isn't." Michi said, shaking her head. "He rarely gets seriously mad. He's just blunt. But I've only seen it happen one time before.

"When Takiyo-kun gets mad, he finds it difficult to let loose. But even if slips up just a little, he'll let all of it out. It's very difficult for him to come back under control. He usually needs about an hour alone to calm down. But when he does go out of control, he just starts looking for reasons to be angry. He becomes angry for things he doesn't even give a damn about. Like, he isn't angry very often, and he needs to cherish the feeling until there isn't any left. Those times, Takiyo-kun can be extremely scary. That's why he always had a venting source."

Yoichi, who had also been slightly shaken up by what just happened, suddenly started. So that was what had happened then when Takiyo had gotten angry at him for insulting his friends.

"But this time...his venting source was Yuko?" Ren asked.

"Yes. I didn't even see it coming." Michi said. She looked shaken up.

Ren came over and stood beside her. "So he wanted to make her feel bad, because he was?"

Michi nodded, face buried in her hands. Then she peeked out over her fingers.

"I just wonder...what made him so mad this time?" she whispered.

***

He had to find her and explain. He had to. He ran around as much as he could, mind racing. He had just destroyed Yuko every way he could. He had done something terrible. Suddenly, he slowed down, as he realised more and more.

I've been using her since the day I met her.

First, as a source to vent my frustration over Michi.

Then, as a source to bring me closer to Michi.

Now as a source to keep up my relationship with Michi?

He was panting. He crouched down, weighed by guilt and self-loathing. So this was how Ren felt all the time. This was how Yuko felt all the time. Self-loathing.

I'm terrible.

***

She was running so much already. At last she stopped in front of a tree with a bench going around it. She sat down on the more secluded side, knees up, breathing fast.

He didn't mean it, right? Takiyo-kun didn't mean it. He didn't mean it. It was just...

This voice of reason was pointless. Her throat felt so tight, and her eyes were burning. It felt like her heart was killing her.

Why? Why is it so? Why is it that something that would have hurt so much had somebody else said it, hurt 10 times more when he did?

It happened. It was true. The voice that was trying to convince herself was fading away. She opened her mouth in a chocked cry.

"Yuko, if you don't love yourself, who would ever love you?"

You are someone I will never be proud of.

You are me. I am you.

We are me.