"Nishikawa! Nishikawa, where are you?"

Takiyo was running across the courtyard now. He knew it was pointless to call out her name. Even if she heard him, there was a very small chance she would actually come out. He had to find her himself.

He wasn't exactly sure how long he looked, but finally, he found her. She was huddled behind a tree, which had a bench going around it. He approached her very, very cautiously. Then when he was close enough, he called out to her quietly, "Nishikawa?"

Yuko suddenly perked up, and looked around. She didn't see him at first because he was leaning around the tree and was behind her. Then she slowly turned and met Takiyo's eyes. She paused for a second, and then her eyes widened. Takiyo knew his words were being repeated in her head.

"Can I talk to you?" Takiyo asked cautiously. Yuko inched away from him, and brought up her knees, burying her head in them.

"Nishikawa–" He took a step closer, but then she inched away again. He took another step, but Yuko moved away again. He finally sighed and sat wherever around the tree he was. This pushed Yuko to retreat to the complete opposite side of him.

Takiyo was deciding how to start.

"I'm sorry." he said.

"I know you're sorry." Yuko replied, voice slightly muffled. Then she waited for a while. "Did you mean everything you said?"

"Of course not," Takiyo replied quickly.

"Then why did you say it?" Yuko asked. Takiyo felt as though he was being lectured. Yuko seemed to sense this. "I'm not mad. I'm just surprised how well you said everything that I've been thinking all the time."

She wasn't mad. She was hurt.

Takiyo got up and walked to the vending machine. He bought two bottles of juice, then came back to the tree, where thankfully she still was. He sat back at his original place, and reached out and placed a bottle on the bench. Yuko glanced at it, then picked it up, and kept it next to her, not drinking.

Takiyo explained everything. What happened at the cultural festival of his second year of junior high. All the resentment that had been piled up. And most importantly, about his anger problem.

The entire explanation coaxed Yuko out, and by the time he was done, Yuko was sitting next to him, hands clutched around the open bottle of juice.

"I really, really didn't mean anything I said. I'm just a really bad friend." Takiyo said.

"You're not a bad friend." Yuko told him.

"If I wasn't, then I wouldn't have taken my anger out on you." Takiyo said, clenching his fists. "You know, I'm really mad at myself for that. I'm terrible."

Yuko suddenly stood up. Her eyes were on fire. "Don't say that!" she yelled. "Don't say you're terrible! Because you're not! That's what I believe."

Takiyo thought Yuko's logic was incredibly flawed. How could she even think that, when he had hurt her with the worst possible weapon? He had just yelled things at her, when he knew it would hurt her, and she says he's not terrible?

"I think it's amazing how you can keep your emotions in check most of the time." Yuko said quietly. "I can't always do that. You don't worry about what other people think of you, but I'm up at day and night worrying about that. Honestly, there are times when I wish I was you!"

Takiyo was unknowingly touched by hearing this. But he needed to tell her.

"I think you're fairly amazing too!" he said loudly. "You don't run away from what has happened to you. Rather, you embrace it and try to build up on it. You think a lot about other people, always taking them into consideration. I think that about you is really good."

Yuko looked moved after hearing this. She sat back down, clutching the bottle in her hands again. They didn't say anything for a while.

"That's the exact opposite of what you told me before," Yuko said, laughing weakly. She gripped her bottle tightly. "Please don't hide things from me, Takiyo-kun. But you know," she said quietly. "I know you didn't mean to say all of that to me. But..." Her voice started to crack. "It still hurts to hear all of that said to my face, you know?"

"I'm sorry." Takiyo said, as Yuko wiped her eyes. He felt absolutely terrible. He had hurt his dear friend so badly. He wanted to lighten the mood, even if it was just a little. Then he added, "You cry way too much."

"I don't cry all the time." Yuko hiccuped. "You just catch me when I do." After some time, she said softly, "I'm really glad I became your friend, Takiyo." Her fist tightened unconsciously. Friend...

"Huh?" Takiyo asked, but Yuko had recovered and stood up.

"Okay!" she said cheerily. "I'm all good now!" Then she looked back at Takiyo. "Come on, rep. We still have work to do."

Takiyo looked at her for some time, then smiled a little. She really was weird. And yet so lonely. She really was Weird Lonely Girl.

"Don't smile randomly like that. It's creepy." Yuko said, pulling a disgusted face.

"Well, excuse me." Takiyo said, getting up. "Let's go." Yuko was really strong. Stronger than he thought she was.

When they entered the classroom, everyone turned around and looked at them. Uncomfortable, Yuko looked at her feet. Takiyo stared around at them all.

"What are you guys doing? We only have five days left, you know!" he said.

Everyone instantly decided to forget whatever had happened. They seemed to be fine now. They all quickly returned to their work. They made up fast. They were expecting at least a few days of drama, not a few minutes.

"Hey... Takiyo." Ren said, waving at him nervously. "You good?"

"No, I'm pissed." Takiyo replied.

"What? Why?!" Ren asked, jumping back.

"Because of you."

"What did I do?!"

Takiyo pointed a finger at him accusingly. "Because it is so obvious to every human on earth, but you're as dense as a block of wood."

"E-eh?" Ren was confused, but Yuko understood what he meant, and stifled her laugh.

Michi watched them from afar.

"What's wrong?" Yoichi asked her.

"Nothing." Michi said plainly, and then quickly changed her voice back to it's usual, cheerful self. "Nothing! Okay everyone, let's get this show on the road!"

Takiyo suddenly appeared at her shoulder. "Are all the things sorted?"

Michi looked back at him, and saw that he was completely normal. She smiled. "Nope."

"Don't look pleased, we still have lots to do." Takiyo told her, taking the clipboard out if her hands and going through it. "Kagawa-san! Get Nishikawa's measurements!"

"Yessir!!"

"NO!!"

It was fun. The next five days were very fun. Takiyo admitted it to himself.

***

"Haa~ I'm pooped!" Arisu said, stretching her arms.

"It's tomorrow now, isn't it?" Syo asked, hands in his pockets.

"And everything is done. It's great." Yuko said cheerfully.

"I'm sure everything will go smoothly tomorrow." Ren said.

They all were just gathered out in the courtyard, just before home time. Most people had brought their bags with them and had already left. They were currently walking back to class to retrieve their bags. Takiyo hadn't come down with them, because he had to go through some things.

They entered the empty classroom. Or, the nearly empty classroom. Takiyo was hunched over his table.

"Oh? Hey Takin, it's–" Arisu began to say, but Ren gestured for her to be silent. They all froze, and then they could hear slow, deep breathing. They slowly snuck up to Takiyo, and peered at his face.

"He's asleep?" Ren whispered.

"Seems so." Yuko whispered back.

"Wow, he has such a human sleeping face." Syo commented in a low voice. "My sister told me I look like a zombie when I sleep."

It was easy to imagine that. Syo's default expression was of a zombie. He had to force his muscles to look more human. Takiyo was the opposite. His default expression was more human. He forced his muscles to look like a zombie.

The four of them stared at Takiyo, but then they noticed the pen he was holding in his limp hand. Then they saw that he was asleep on the list of things for the cultural festival. Everything had been ticked, and it was written in big letters: 'DONE.'

They all instantly smiled.

"Takiyo really worked hard, didn't he?" Ren said.

"Yup. He got it all off his chest." Yuko said. "And now..."

"We take pictures of him!" Arisu exclaimed, holding up her phone.

"We draw on his face!" Syo suggested, holding up a pen.

"You guys..." Ren and Yuko deadpanned.

Yuko sighed. "No, I was going to say we should wake him up."

"Oh..." Arisu and Syo looked disappointed.

Ren reached, and they all thought he was waking him up. But then he put his hand on Takiyo's head, and patted him. "You did good, Takiyo." he said, smiling.

Arisu joined in. "Good job, Takin." she whispered.

"Yeah," Syo said, also patting his head.

Yuko didn't have anything to say to him. He already knew everything. The gesture was more than enough.

"We're just doing this now because he won't let us when he's awake, right?"

"Yup."

"Syo-kun, put that pen away."

"But..."

"Now."