Truth 2

Now it was the next day. Arata was wondering if there was any point in searching Yuki's place. Sure, it was nice to hang out with the girl, but maybe they were never going to find anything. It was entirely possibly he was the only one in their relationship to have kept entries on their time together.

"So, how's your day been?" He asked her as they started off on their first break. She seemed to be off to another world as the girl failed to respond to his question. "Um, Yuki?"

"Huh!?" She finally responded. He seemed to have popped her thought bubbled as she freaked out a bit in responding to his question. "I'm fine, there's nothing I'm worried about." Well, if she wanted neither him or her cousin, Yogi, to know there was something wrong, then the girl did a horrible job of it.

"Um, is there something on your mind?" He nervously tried to touch on the subject. Though knowing her, she'd certainly try to avoid it as hard as humanly possible.

"No, I just told you I'm fine." Despite their conversation during the election speeches, it seemed that she was still reserved in trying to be open about issues she was facing. "Don't worry about me, it's not big deal."

"Okay…" The two boys both replied in unison. While they were indeed worried over her well being. There was little they could do for now. So they went along with their day as normal. Even lunch time was normal, which surprised Arata considering that something usually came up with at least one person.

Again, after school, there was a familiar sight. "Are you busy after school?" He came up to see Yuki at the lockers. She was switching out her shoes, which always made her tense. It wasn't something she got used to after being in American schools for so long. The girl just felt too bare being in just her socks while in public.

"Ahh!" So that was why she gave the reaction she did this time to his question. Last time she actually was able to get into the safety of some shoes by the time the boy rolled around. Him coming to her at this time wasn't common, so it was weird for her to see him here. "Sorry, but why do you want to know?" Despite wanting to answer yes with all her heart, there was a part of her brain that was suspicious on why he wanted to know. Not to mention that she didn't particularly want to see him more than she needed to during a normal day.

Though from how she was acting today, Arata should be the one suspicious of her. Why was she acting more antsy than usual?

"Well, I know you said not to worry, but both me and Yogi are." He explained. In fact, he was planning on asking the boy the same things for today as well. Though there was another reason for it. "Since my sister's coming home for the weekend, I also wanted to see if you two wanted to see her." Despite not telling most people about their past history, he did want to show Ayami, who his real childhood friend was.

"It's just because you think she might know more about us back then too, right?" Yuki was disappointed this was his reasoning for inviting her over. There were plenty of things she much rather he say to her, but the girl knew that it was just a pipe dream given the relationships he built with everyone else.

"I don't mind being with you, if that's what the problem is." He responded, a little disheartened that she wasn't feeling enthusiastic with the reunion. "In fact, I think it's a lot of fun when we hang out."

"You really feel that way?" She asked with hopeful eyes.

"Of course he does." Yogi cut into their conversation, ruining the mood a title. The boy hung an arm around him as he teased the pair. "It's not everyday he gets excited to talk about the stuff he likes." That was indeed very much the truth. Since most of the people he knew within his core friend group weren't otaku, Arata never felt like he could get passionate about it.

However, there was Yuki who shared in the hobby that he could talk with. Not only that, but they were also online buddies for a longer time than anyone was expecting. So the pair also messaged a lot during long nights. "I bet you even text some real nice things together."

"W-we do not!" Yuki replied, embarrassed from her cousin's teasing. "Everything we chat about is completely innocent." Though she definitely overreacted in assuming that he meant they were doing anything inappropriate.

"Getting back on the topic at hand…" Arata reminded them why he was here in the first place. "Do you two want to hang at my place for when my sister gets home?" They both accepted their offer, and this time it was his house they were headed towards for after school.

Unlike Yuki's house, it was a lot shorter of a walk to get there. He was pretty certainly that there was a high school closer for her, but either her parents, herself, or even both agreed that it would be better to get into the same school as her cousin. "I guess you two can wait in the living room…" Arata opened up the door, expecting that he'd have to pick up his sister at the train station.

"Arata!" However, he was in for a surprise as his older sister rushed up to him and tightly the hugged the boy. She had come back early this time, so the girl planned on giving him a surprise. Though it was her who got embarrassed as she saw that he brought along guests as well. One of which just happening to be her crush, Yogi. "O-oh, hi."

"Hello." Yuki politely bowed down her head as she greeted and was formally introduced to the girl.

"It's nice seeing you again." Said Yogi, who paid the display little mind. This was not a boy who was against getting close physical contact with Arata at all. "We haven't seen each other in forever. There's so much we gotta catch up on."

So the group sat around the living room to chat. There was the usual chatter of getting to know what had happened recently since the last time they met. Ayami certainly got tense when they brought up the time he got hit by a car not too long ago. Sure she was aware since her parents informed her of the incident, but having it recounted by the boy himself made her realize just how close she was to becoming an only child.

"Yuki." Ayami spoke up as they sipped on some tea. "You're Yogi's cousin, correct?"

"Yes." Yuki responded, nervous as if this were an interrogation. "Um, I moved in about half a year ago now."

"Not only that, but she used to be friends with Arata before she moved when they were little." Yogi had no care in keeping the secret, but it only served to give his cousin anxiety as well as bringing on a disappointed glare from his friend.

"I was hoping that she'd be the one to bring it up." Arata sipped on his tea as he made his remarks. "But, uh, yeah she's my old friend."

"Old friend…" Ayami slowly spoke as she tried to follow along. "Wait, you're Y?" Yuki didn't speak. Instead, her only response and answer to his question was a subtle nod. "Oh my gosh, it's so nice to finally meet you!" His sister was more than happy with this revelation. She immediately rushed the girl and began to touch and hug her. It seemed she was really curious as to what type of girl her brother would try to hide away from them.

"Ayami, you're scaring her." Arata sighed as he came to understand that he was somehow the only normal person in his friend group.

"Ah, sorry." She apologized and gave the girl space once more. "It's just nice to see you for the first time. He really liked you back then."

"We were just kids…" Yuki downplayed it, which the two boy got used to as her simply trying to direct special attention away from herself. "I'm sure we only did normal children things back then."

"When we were younger, it didn't sound that way from him." Ayami giggled. "You were just his special little friend back then. I think he was just scared that someone else would come along and take you away from him."

"When you put it like that..." Arata was embarrassed that his sister was speaking so boldly about this matter in front of the two. Now he understood how Yuki felt when Yogi brought out that old family album. "It makes me sound like a clingy lover." While the boy loved yanderes in anime and manga, he never considered himself to be one in real life. For starters, most of them seemed to be the violent type, and he'd never hurt a fly.

"It did really upset you when she moved away." Ayami told him. "In fact, you-"

"Yeah, yeah, I cried for an entire week." He begrudgingly said since she was already bringing it up. Though that was what she said was what happened. For whatever the reason why he didn't seem to have any recollection on why, it made no sense.

"You really cried?" Yuki asked, her voice full of guilt. "I mean, you moved on though, right?"

"Obviously." He replied. Seeing as he turned out to be a mostly normal teenager, Arata would say that it wasn't a traumatic event. Well, he might know it, but it did have an impact on his eventual decision to become reclusive later on. "But I guess anyone would get sad if their best friend was leaving their lives for what seems like forever." The boy assumed that their last conversation was probably about talking how they'd never see each other again. "Too bad I never wrote anything about it."

"Too… Bad…" Yuki's voice broke as she tried to replied.

"Is everything all right?" Yogi asked, taking note of his cousin beginning to tear up. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"It's…" She suddenly got up, trying to wipe away the tears and hide them away from the others. "It's nothing. I just need to go go home now." With that, she quickly ran away from them out towards the door.

"Yuki!" Arata tried to call out and stop her, but it was futile as she was already outside. "What's wrong?"