Friends

I sat at an arbitrary table in the cafeteria.

There was a pout on my face while my chopsticks dejectedly poked at the food in front of me.

"Mm... where are you, Natsuki?"

I twirled a few strands of my hair in distress.

...

*Natsuki's POV

The school bell rang a few moments earlier, signaling the start of lunch. I was hurrying down a set of stairs to make it to the cafeteria a little faster.

I was excited... for no particular reason.

I hastily turned the corner of one set of stairs...

"Kyah!"

...only to collide with a purple-haired girl sitting on the steps.

Despite the fact I was standing up and this girl was sitting down, my chest hit her head, causing me to stumble backward.

I puffed up my cheeks and shook my fist.

"What are you doing here? You're in the way!"

The girl stood up in a fluster and sheepishly held her hands close to her chest.

"S-Sor... I'll get out of the way!"

The girl was really tall and had long purple hair to match.

...The length of her purple hair nearly reached my height.

Not that I was short! People can be at a variety of heights and be completely normal!

The girl tried to leave, but something about her irked me.

"Stop!"

The girl froze in place, shivering slightly. She slowly turned around to me.

"U-Um... yes?"

I put my hands on my sides and stuck out my elbows.

"Why are you here sitting on the steps anyway? Are you not going to the cafeteria?"

The purple-haired girl covered her face with her long hair.

"I-I... don't have a place there."

I furrowed my brows.

"Hah? How does that make any sense?"

The girl smiled bitterly.

"Well... I don't have any friends."

My eyebrow twitched. For some reason, I felt angry.

"That still doesn't make any sense!"

The girl tensed up.

"E-Eh?"

I puffed my cheeks.

"Who cares if you don't have friends?"

The girl looked down to the floor.

"B-But... It's not right for me to take up a table when I'm the only one sitting there."

I walked up to the girl and pointed my finger at her face accusingly.

"Everyone has the right to use the cafeteria! Got that?"

The girl blinked a few times with confusion.

"U-Um... ok?"

I huffed.

"...Seriously. How do you expect to make friends if you're so reclusive!"

The girl bit the bottom of her lip.

"I just... was never likable."

She pulled out a book and held it close to her chest.

"I've already accepted that I won't have many friends. As long as I have my books, that's all I need."

A sad smile spread out on the girl's face. I could feel the heat rush to my head. I raised my fists up high in the sky.

"That's dumb!"

The girl took a step back and stumbled. She began falling off the stairs. In a fluster, I hurriedly reached out for her hand and pulled her up.

As I did so, I furrowed my brows.

"...Why are you so heavy!"

The girl stumbled back up the steps with my help.

"A-Ah!"

She caught her breath while holding a hand close to her chest.

"S-So... Thank you."

A small pout formed on my face.

"No problem..."

I looked to the side and crossed my arms.

"It's really my fault that happened anyway."

The girl smiled sheepishly.

"Hehe..."

I huffed.

"But I still stand by what I said!"

The girl tensed up in surprise.

"Eh?"

I walked up to the girl and attempted to put my hand on her shoulder...

...but she was too tall for me to do so comfortably.

After a few minutes of awkward fidgeting, I held her hand in mine. My voice unconsciously softened.

"I don't have many friends either... not real ones anyway."

The girl's lips parted slightly, like she was at a loss.

"Ah..."

I puffed up my cheeks.

"But that doesn't matter!"

I tightened my grip on the girl's hand.

"I... I only have one person I can really call my friend."

Memories of Sayori filled my mind, especially her heart-warming smile. They made me blush uncontrollably. I shifted my gaze to the floor.

"But she's all I could ever ask for! She's worth more than a hundred friends, or even a thousand!"

The girl gasped in awe, then she smiled bitterly.

"Wow... she sounds amazing. Hehe, I wish I had a friend like that."

The girl looked down at the floor despondently.

I got on my toes and poked the girl's nose.

"Then I'll be your friend!"

The girl blinked a few times in confusion. Then, she gasped, as though she just realized what I was saying.

"R-Really?"

This girl... reminded me of myself. The kind of person I was before meeting Sayori.

A small smile appeared on my face.

"Of course. My name is Natsuki, what is yours?"

The girl covered her face with her long hair.

"U-Um, my name is Yuri."

She smiled bitterly.

"I'm not a very interesting person though... Are you sure you want to be my friend?"

I put my hands on my sides and stuck out my elbows.

"Whether or not I want to be your friend is my decision! Not yours!"

I puffed up my cheeks.

"And I've already decided I'm going to be your friend!"

A faint blush appeared on Yuri's face.

"A-Ah... It's just that I like things that most people don't. I have weird hobbies like reading books, so you may be judged if you stay around me."

I furrowed my brows.

"So what? I don't care if you have weird hobbies."

I cleared my throat and mumbled.

"...I have some weird hobbies too."

Yuri blinked a few times, like she was in disbelief.

"E-Eh?..."

I hummed with annoyance.

"Look. The point is, I don't care how weird you are. Being friends with someone shouldn't be based on if they are normal or not."

I huffed.

"That's stupid."

An enchanting smile appeared on Yuri's face. She bowed to me.

"Thank you."