Chapter five (segment three), 2016, October, Yukio

“If Ulf says no then I'm not interested.”

Yukio glared at Kuri. Damn you and your stubbornness! Are you Siamese twins or something?

He growled mentally realising the day had come to a bad start. An hour from now he's deliver not one but two negative messages to Principal Nakagawa.

“Is there anything I can do to get your head screwed on right again?” Yukio said to a choir of amazed gasps from her classmates.

“Listen kiddo, you get Ulf to jump on the bandwagon I'll do as well, but I'm joining crap without my boyfriend.”

The high colour in her face had absolutely nothing to do with feelings of embarrassment, and Yukio felt no major need to explore further from whence it came. Instead he sighed and bowed formally.

“I guess I've done my part in convincing you two then,” he said and retreated from her classroom. He even managed to give her a polite smile on his way out. Muttering could wait until the long walk through the long corridor connecting the two wings in the school building.

I think this is bad. Principal Nakagawa shouldn't attempt to influence the student council elections in the first place, so why is he so desperate to get Urufu and Kuri on the council?

Turning left at his wing Yukio made for their club room where Kyoko hopefully waited for him. He slid the door open and went inside.

“Yukio, here!”

She was. Waiting for him that is.

Yukio waved back at her and sat down in the sofa next to her. With an angry shrug he zipped open his bag and fished up the bento box Kyoko had given him on their way to school. Tomorrow he'd make their lunch.

“Grumpy much?” she asked when he slammed his box onto the low table.

“Sorry Kyoko,” Yukio said. He took his chop sticks in one hand and dug for some rice. “It's just that they're so damn stubborn!”

Her face split up in a wide grin. “Tell me about it,” Kyoko said. “Noticed she's seldom here during lunch?” she added.

None of them needed to explain who 'they' or 'she' was.

“Uhum,” Yukio said and got in a hurry to swallow his mouthful. “Why's that?”

Kyoko bit of half a sausage and chewed on it before answering. “She's marking her territory. That's why?”

“Huh?”

“There's hardly a conversation where Kuri doesn't insert boyfriend this or Urufu that.”

Yukio stared at Kyoko. He hadn't thought of that, but then he didn't spend as much time with Kuri as Kyoko did. “How come?” he asked. “Honestly, she can't really be afraid of the competition.”

“Yukio, I love how adorable you are!” Kyoko flashed him a grin that made his heart jump. “But you really don't understand love,” she continued as if their two month long relationship had made her some kind of love expert.

He bit down on a retort and mentally thanked his mother for teaching him to listen before spoke. “How so,” he offered to make Kyoko explain her thoughts.

In the background he heard and saw club members come and go, most of them sitting down in groups and pairs proving that the club had been operating long enough for smaller constellations to come into existence.

“You know, I couldn't believe you wanted to be together with me,” Kyoko began. “It was so obvious you should be interested in Kuri-chan like everyone else.”

Yukio mulled over Kyoko's words before he answered. “I was never interested in her after I saw you, but I understand what you're saying.” Hopefully that was the right thing to say.

“Now that's why I fell for you. I can see how you made an effort not to hurt me without telling me I'm an idiot.”

It had been the right thing to say. “Still, I don't see what that has to do with Kuri,” Yukio said relieved he had navigated the minefield without stepping on something dangerous. “I mean, it's Kuri we're talking about. It's one thing if people like you and me are afraid,” he said and left his real question hanging in the air.

“To begin with she's making it clear she's unavailable. There are still a lot of guys calling her out for confessions.”

“And?” Yukio said.

“And I believe she's afraid Urufu will get angry.”

Yukio could understand that part. He'd felt the same when Rie-sempai followed him around like a lovesick puppy during the cultural festival. “But there's another reason as well, isn't there?” he continued.

“Mmm,” Kyoko said and swallowed some food. She nodded at him. “Yeah. I think she's honestly afraid she'll lose him.”

“What?”

“She's been pretty down since school started, and I think the last thing reminded her she could actually lose him if she's not careful.”

Yukio didn't need a reminder what 'the last thing' was. He'd pay Urufu a visit after school.

“It wasn't her fault,” Yukio said. “She can't possibly believe Urufu would think that.”

Kyoko's smile thinned to a white line. “She can, and she made some fairly bad calls before that, didn't she?”

So you can see she's not without faults, can you now? Yukio nodded back at Kyoko. “Uhum, she stood him up a few times. I can see how he'd be angry for that. But he isn't that way. Trust me!”

“I trust you. But none of us have anything to lose here. Kuri-chan does, and I think that makes her see less clearly.”

Yukio looked at Kyoko. He hadn't thought of it that way. “So she's using the time Urufu isn't here to hammer down the message that Urufu's already taken by the princess of Himekaizen?” he suggested.

“Yes,” Kyoko said, but she didn't smile, “and I believe she's making a huge mistake.”

“A huge mistake? As in Kuri could actually lose?”

Kyoko nodded. “She's famous, and not everyone likes her. Now she's making Urufu famous as well. There are a lot of people who would want to come between them just to make them break up.”

Urufu hardly needed Kuri's help to become famous. Not after the cultural festival, but Yukio understood how people targeting Urufu destroy their relationship if Kuri was the jealous kind.