PART THREE

 

As soon as the chimes of break time went off, I bolted to the restroom to avoid Kyashii’s eyes.

The events of yesterday still give me a tight feeling in my chest even after I’ve given this annoying feeling more than a hundred thoughts since last night. 

Yet even after I mulled it all night, I still have no clear answer for myself as to why I don’t want to confront Kyashii. I thought I’d feel better today so I could talk to her, but I guess I’m not quite there yet, huh?

Sigh...

Hmm… It’s clear to me that my current emotional turmoil stems from her keeping me in the dark about her dating someone. And it’s funny because even though I’m her best friend, I don’t know what’s up with her life, whereas Minori seems to know what’s going on.

But even so, I shouldn’t overreact since she’s only dating, so there’s that. That’s all there is to it, right? Teenagers love to date. It’s possible she’s still uncomfortable telling me that since she knows I’m not into that kind of thing.

“. . . .”

But she promised me she’d tell me about it! Arrggh! Exactly how brittle are promises supposed to be?

And in what sense was it even worth making that promise in the first place if she wouldn’t keep it? That’s pretty cruel, isn’t it?

Haah…

At times, I get the feeling Kyashii doesn’t consider me her best friend at all. The more I think about it, the more I realize how little I know about her.

Ugghh... This is so irritating! I find it hard to talk to Kyashii right now that I’m even avoidi–

“Mikami-san? That’s her name, right?”

In an instant, my steps froze when I heard one of the three girls standing near the corner of the stairs mention Kyashii.

“Yes, that’s her. It’s the girl from 2-B. They said they saw her and Kenji-kun walking back together yesterday during lunch break.” The girl with long dark hair and glasses replied.

“Oh, yeah? Are they dating? That girl looks pretty, but I’ve heard she had already turned down a number of guys.” said the blonde bob-haired girl.

“Really?! I bet it must be fun for her to reject boys like that! And she’s not even all that good-looking! I wonder what Kenji-kun sees in her. I still think he doesn’t deserve that girl, though. Hmph!” The short, brown-haired gyaru exclaimed.

What’s with girls making disparaging remarks about other people? Why can’t they just tell them directly?

How mean.

Even worse, they’re talking about Kyashii…

“What gives you the right to talk that way about someone you barely know? Please don’t do that when you don’t know a thing or two.” The next thing I knew, I found myself standing in front of these three girls.

“Haah...?! How rude of you to jump into our conversation!” The gyaru glared furiously at me.

“Ohh... You’re the stoic smart girl from 2-B, right?” The girl with glasses asked. “The one from the student council. I had no idea you had such a rude side. But hmm... At least on the surface, you have a certain amount of coolness. Shibasaki-san, right?”

Huh?!

 What sort of impression am I making on others, exactly?

And these girls are audacious enough to gaslight me?

“Talk about rudeness. Please do not use a word of which you have a limited understanding. You don’t think it’s rude to disparage someone behind their back?” My death stare collided with theirs.

“Wha—!” The bob-haired girl gasped. “How unbearably rude you are!”

Tch!

“How about I bring you a dictionary and have you look up the definition of rude in there? Or, even better, look it up on the web. As far as I can tell, that word is completely foreign to you.” I sneered. These girls are pissing me off!

“Haah?! Hey! What we talk about is up to us! You have absolutely no say in the matter! And this is something girls do all the time!” The gyaru almost yelled at me.

“Sorry to burst your bubble, whatever your name may be. Since you’re talking about my best friend, I’ve got a say in this,” I gainsaid. “And are you saying this is a typical girl’s habit? That’s odd… I’m a girl, yet I don’t do this. You might be better off not dragging other girls into this despicable behavior that only the likes of you do.” I pinned a cold glare at the gyaru while crossing my arms.

I’m not intimidated by these people in the least. In more ways than one, they are making me even more irritated than I was earlier.

“So she’s her best friend, huh? No wonder she’s nosy,” the bob-haired girl whispered to the girl with glasses.

Well, if you call that a whisper. I heard it clearly, or maybe I’ve got sharp ears right now since we’re talking about Kyashii here.

“Huh? A fight...?”

“. . . .”

It is only then that I become aware some students have gathered around us, sensing the tension brewing.

“Huh? Isn’t that Shibasaki-san? Why is she involved in an argument like this?”

“This is the first time I’ve seen Shibasaki-san in a fight like that.”

I overheard some students talking, but that didn’t bother me in the slightest. Quite frankly, this is a hill I’m willing to die on. I won’t let anyone talk about Kyashii in that way. These girls know nothing about her but act as if they do. They should realize what they’re doing isn’t cool at all.

“Don’t be so condescending, Shibasaki-san or whoever you are!!” I got yelled at by the gyaru. “You have no right to tell us what to do! It’s so annoying to deal with someone stickler like you who follows every rule in the book! That’s incredibly boring if you ask me.”

How can this girl not stick to the line of argument? She keeps bouncing from one point to another—what a dummy.

“Don’t stress yourself about what you think of me. Actually, I don’t care what you think about me. The only thing I care about is that you’re making snide remarks about my best friend as if she’s the worst, but clearly, you’re just jealous of her.” I couldn’t help but give her a stone-cold glare.

“Oh my gosh! How dare you! We are not jealous of your best friend! We’re simply stating the facts! The only redeeming quality about her is her good looks!” The gyaru’s green eyes flare in anger. Tch! My nerves might be tingling if those eyes were Kyashii’s.

“It seems you’re just insecure. Please, go to the temple and buy yourselves a good luck charm. There’s at least some comfort in those charms since you don’t have an escape from your insecurities.” I replied sarcastically.

“What the hell!” The gyaru shrieked as if she was about to pounce on me.

“Land your fingers on me, and I’ll assure you I won’t go through suspension alone. It will be my pleasure to drag you and your friends here with me.” My eyes flashed a death glare.

The gyaru froze for a second and looked at her two friends.

“Huh?! W-why am I in this?!” When the girl with glasses heard that she might get suspended, she started to panic.

“I’m not out to harm you, Shibasaki-san! You can’t drag me into this!” The bob-haired girl cried out.

Heeh… What a terrible bunch of backbiters.

I huffed. “Pfft... I see you have a nice friendship here.” I smirked at the gyaru, who had gone silent.

“Yuyo!” Both Minori and Tomoka are sprinting toward me.

“What’s going on here?” Tomoka posed the question as she stood over me, holding my shoulders tightly while staring straight at the other girls.

“I’m just trying to explain to these girls that they shouldn’t be rude to someone they don’t even know, but I don’t think they know what rude means,” I coldly replied.

“What?! You’re such a jerk! We know what rude means because you are it!” The gyaru growled at me again.

I twisted my lips into a sardonic smile as I stared at her.

“Hey, girls... How about we keep our cool? Let’s talk about it, yeah?” Tomoka politely smiled at the girls.

“I’m not sure what’s going on here, but please, ladies, let’s not fight... I’m sure Yuyo isn’t trying to be mean. Maybe we can discuss this in the student council after school. Is that okay with you?” Minori, who’s clutching my left arm, smiles calmly at the girls.

“Haaah?! I don’t care! We’re not going! There’s nothing to talk about here. There’s no doubt Shibasaki-san is out of line here!” The gyaru gave me a dirty look.

“Just which—“

“Yuyo...” Minori pressed my arm, trying to keep me from saying more.

A mocking smirk spread across the face of the gyaru as she looked at me before turning to her friends. “It’s time to go, girls.”

I simply stood there and watched them walk away.

Haaah...

So now what...

I dug myself a hole with that, didn’t I?

“Yuyo! What was that all about?!” Minori frantically asked as other students started to disperse.

“I guess I simply lost it. It was entirely my fault for interfering in their conversation when I overheard them disparaging Kyashii. I’m just trying to get across the idea it’s rude to make such comments about someone you don’t know well.”

“Aah!” Minori and Tomoka gasped in unison.

“Yu-chin, are you all right? They didn’t hurt you, right?” Tomoka asked.

“I’m fine, Tomoka. Thanks. No, they didn’t...” A heavy sigh escaped me. “You see, I can’t stand hearing those things. I found myself already confronting them before I even realized it...” My eyes were fixed on the floor as I took a step back to the classroom.

“Haah… So that’s the case. It makes sense why you acted that way.” Minori sighed softly.

“Ahh! Yu-chin, you made the right decision! I would do the same if I heard someone talking ill of my friends. Keep your head up...” Tomoka keeps her arms around my shoulders as we walk.

“Hmm… But our teachers will most likely hear about this.” Minori’s voice had a worried tone to it.

“I’m fully aware of that...” I replied quietly.

However, I don’t regret my actions. If I have to take a hit for it, then that’s fine with me. When someone brings Kyashii up in that manner, I find it infuriating.

Even so, I hope my mom won’t find out about this incident. Well… That’s an entirely different ballgame.

“Is everything okay with you, Shibasaki-san?” One of our classmates asked as soon as we walked into the classroom.

“Yeah... We heard what happened. Those girls are known for being shrewish. It’s no wonder they picked on you.” Another classmate added.

“Things are fine with me, guys. Thank you. And there was nothing scary about those girls. Moreover, I share some blame, so it isn’t just them.” A casual grin appeared on my face as I walked towards my seat. Tomoka was right behind me.

“Shibasaki-san has no trouble handling them! How cool... Even the menacing girls didn’t seem to faze her.” I could hear my classmates before I got into my seat.

Are those girls really that scary?

“Say, Tomoka... Is there anything you know about those girls?”

“Nothing much, Yu-chin. My only knowledge of them is that they have a penchant for spreading rumors. It wasn’t surprising to hear why you got into a fight with them.”

A weak smile slipped from my lips while I slouched. “I see...”

“Yu-chin, are you really fine at this point? It seems you’ve been downhearted since yesterday, and then you got into a fight today.” Tomoka’s eyes welled up with concern.

Heh… I guess I’m looking a little off-kilter right now, huh?

“I’m fine... Don’t worry about it, Tomoka. It isn’t like I’m trying to get into trouble. As I’ve said, it ticks me off when someone says nasty things about my friends.” My eyes were drawn unconsciously to Kyashii. Her eyes met mine the moment my gaze fell on her as if she’d been looking at me for quite some time.

“Aren’t you being a little too nice, Yu-chin? That’s my wife!”

“Yeah... Yeah...” I replied, my eyes glued to Kyashii.

Now that I think about it, given how popular she is with guys, has she always dealt with backbiting over her dating life on her own? If so, why isn’t she telling me? Does she not want to talk about it because it has to do with love or because she doesn’t trust me?

Is there anything else Kyashii’s keeping from me? D-Does she actually mean it when she refers to me as her best friend?

“. . . .”

Gaah! What’s with her?! She’s pretty mean from that angle, isn’t she?!

Argh! She’s triggering a different mood in me this time!

Our staring contest ended once again with me giving up.

Sigh…

I never ended up getting around to all the questions I had for Kyashii.

Come on, Yuyo... How long will you go without talking to Kyashii? Does it have to be me who makes the first move? But why would I, though? This situation isn’t my fault.

This whole thing makes me wonder if I’m just sulking over nothing! Or is it just that I’m too shocked to realize Kyashii is keeping something from me? 

Uhmm... However, it’s also normal for people to hold secrets they don’t want to share with others.

“. . . .”

Ah-re??

My mind keeps asking why she does what she does, yet I keep finding excuses for her, don’t I?

Aahh! I’ve completely lost my mind!

Hmmph! Whatever the case may be, I’m perfectly justified in feeling this way. Yes… I am! She failed to keep her promise. At the very least, I think I deserve an explanation.

Yeah, that’s it… I’ll just wait for her to make the first move.

Huh? Wait a minute...

Kyashii usually makes the first move whenever I am not in the mood to talk. Yet why doesn’t she do that when it’s most needed? I’m sure she realizes I’m not the one at fault here, right?

“. . . .”

Forget it!

Let’s not dwell on it right now.

In the meantime, I have to deal with the reprimand I’m bound to receive any minute now. Aside from that, there’s the school trip the next day. Considering all the personal issues I have on my plate, I don’t think I have the time for these right now.

I’ll try to take care of it once I return from the school trip. Maybe I can make the first move by then.

Yeah…

Maybe…