CH. 19 - Lucy's Truth

After school, the group parts ways like they always do. Lucy, Chizuru and Ryuji walk together for a little while before Ryuji waves goodbye and goes his own way. He walks alone down a couple of streets and to his home. A modest house. He comes through the door and takes his shoes off. 

“I’m home.” He announces. His mother comes out from the corner.

“Welcome home Ryuji.” Fuyuko gives him a soft smile with tired, worn out eyes. He smiles back. She walks into the kitchen.

“You hungry? Should I make you something to eat?” She offers.

“It’s okay, mom. I can do it.”

“You treat me so well Ryuji, but please. Let me be your mother sometimes.” She places her hand on his cheek and he smiles warmly, then nods. He goes to his room and drops off his things before coming back out and sitting at the table surrounded by four chairs. She places a well-made ham sandwich in front of him, then kisses his head before heading to her room with a sandwich of her own.

As Ryuji takes a bite into the sandwich, he hears a crash in the other room. He quickly gets up and runs to the source of the sound, only to see his mom on her knees coughing intensely, a broken plate and sandwich on the floor next to her. He runs to her bathroom and grabs an inhaler, quickly putting it to her mouth as she breathes in, slowly calming down from the coughing fit. Ryuji helps her stand and brings her to her bed. 

“I’m sorry to bother you, Ryuji.” She squeaks out between sharp gasps with a weak smile. He smiles back.

“It’s not a bother at all, mom. Just rest now, I’ll go make you another one.”

She sits in her bed as he cleans up the mess and brings her another sandwich, this time on a plastic plate they had just for this situation. She thanks him as he leaves. He doesn’t fully shut her door, leaving it open a crack. As he leaves, Fuyuko looks at the sandwich in her lap. She stares for a moment, running her fingers along the edge of the plastic dish, before tears begin to fall. She covers her mouth with her hand and looks to the side as she quietly sobs. 

Later that night, Ryuji sits at the table again and writes down some ideas for a recipe. His father comes through the door.

“Hi dad, how was work?” He asks, looking at him with interested eyes. His father responds blankly.

“It was fine. How is your mother?”

“She’s okay. She had a coughing fit earlier but nothing too intense.”

“You took care of her?”

He nods. Jun looks at him for a moment, then heads to their room. He stops a couple steps from Ryuji and looks back over a bit.

“Uh… Good job.” The tall man says with a low voice as he continues down the hall to their room. Ryuji smiles a bit before going back to what he was doing. 

The weekend comes and Ryuji walks through town, eventually coming to the ramen shop they visited before. Lucy’s dad greets him at the door as he comes in.

“Ryuji! Good to see you!” He pats him on the back. Lucy comes out from the back dressed in a black button up with an apron on.

“I’m sorry to ask you to do this. We wouldn’t have to if it wasn’t for that good-for-nothing staff..” She says, angrily gritting her teeth. Ryuji looks at her coolly, like he always does.

“It’s okay. I don’t mind.”

“Thanks, it means a lot to me. Here.” She hands him the same button up and apron. He changes in the back and comes out.

“Alright, you two. I hope you’re ready. Today’s the busiest day of the week for us.”

They nod as Kenji opens the store. The two of them go to work, helping out where they can, cleaning tables and the like for the morning from 11 a.m. to about 3 p.m. as the late staff begin to come in. They head to the break room in the back once their shift is over.

“Phew! That wasn’t so bad. But it really puts into perspective how much work goes into even this small restaurant.” Lucy says with a big smile on her face as she sits on a bench between a couple of lockers and a shelf. Ryuji nods as he takes off his apron. 

“So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?” She asks.

“I don’t know. Dad’s home today, so I don’t have to be.”

Lucy sits up more attentively. 

“How’s your mom? Is she doing better?”

Ryuji shrugs his shoulders a bit as he folds the apron and puts it on the shelf. Lucy looks a bit concerned for a moment before perking up.

“Why don’t you hangout with me? It’s been a while since it was just us spending time together.”

Ryuji turns to her and smiles a bit before nodding. Lucy smiles widely at him. They get changed and head for the front door.

“Hey dad, Ryuji and I are gonna hangout for a while.”

“Oh okay, be safe and try not to be out too late.” He points his finger at her while closing one eye, giving a smile. She nods as Ryuji waves goodbye as well. They walk down the street on this warm weekend afternoon.

“What do you want to do? We could go to a pool or see a movie?” Ryuji shrugs a bit. Lucy gets a bit of a pouty face. “I always choose. I want you to pick this time.”

He looks at her for a moment, then looks ahead again.

“Alright. Let’s go see a movie then.”

“Really??” Ryuji nods. “Yess! Let me guess, you wanna go see the new Jonathan Wicker 4?” Ryuji smiles and nods again. Lucy punches his arm playfully. “I know you so well.”

They go to the theater and get some popcorn, then head to their seats. As they sit and watch the ads playing before the movie starts, Ryuji eats some popcorn. Lucy sits next to him happily, slightly rocking back and forth for a moment before looking at Ryuji excitedly. She stares for a moment before her expression starts to shift as a blush comes across her cheeks. She looks down at their hands right next to each other’s on the middle armrest.

‘Sitting here, so close to him, waiting to watch a movie together. It’s almost like we’re… on a…’ She slightly lifts her hand and moves it closer to his to hold his hand. But she stops just above his and slowly pulls back.‘No, I can’t.’

She puts her hand at her side, pulling even farther back than before, and makes a slightly embarrassed face. Ryuji looks over slightly at her, noticing.

“You okay?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah I’m fine! Just.. so excited for this movie! You know I’ve been waiting for it to come out since the third one, haha!” She laughs awkwardly. Ryuji pauses for a moment before looking forward again.

“That’s true. You wouldn’t stop talking about it when the first and second came out.”

Lucy’s awkwardness quickly fades as she smiles genuinely before responding.

“I mean, can you blame me? They’re just so good! The third one was a little weird, I admit, but it was still awesome! How do you think this finale is gonna end?”

“Maybe with the…” They trail off as they talk about the movie before it begins. Once the movie ends, they head on out of the theater, both quite pleased with the movie.

“Dude, I can’t believe it ended like that! It was so much better than what I came up with in my mind.” Lucy says with a pleased look.

“It was well worth the wait.” Ryuji responds.

“Yeah it was.” She pulls out her phone to check the time. It’s already almost 7 p.m. “It’s getting pretty late. We should probably head home.”

“Yeah.” He agrees. Lucy looks up at him with a hesitant look.

“... Do you wanna come over? It’s been a while since you spent the night at my place.”

Ryuji pauses for a moment, thinking about it.

“Okay.” He says with a gentle smile and a nod. Lucy smiles at him.

“Well, onward then. To my house we go!" She cheers playfully as they continue down the road.

Once at her house, as they go inside, her mom is putting on a leopard print coat and her shoes.

“Hey mom, where ya off to?” Lucy asks her mother, Yuri.

“Oh, I’m gonna meet your father at the restaurant, then go have a few drinks maybe, so we’ll probably be late. There’s plenty of snacks in the fridge or order yourselves something. You know.” She boops her on the nose and Lucy smiles a bit. She grabs her keys as she opens the door.

“It’s good seeing you, Ryuji. Be nice to Lucy now, she’s fragile.” She says playfully.

“Mom!”

“Okay, okay!” She blows kisses at them as she heads out. The two stand there for a moment before looking at each other.

“Well, I guess we got the place to ourselves. You thinking what I’m thinking?” Lucy asks. Ryuji looks at her, and his eyes sharpen just a bit as he nods. They’re suddenly on the floor in front of the TV playing a coop video game.

“If we stay up all night, we should be able to beat all five games in the series. You gonna be able to last that long?” Lucy says as she excitedly mashes buttons on the controller.

“You’re definitely gonna fall asleep before I am.” Ryuji responds casually.

“No way! I got some energy drinks, so I’m gonna stay awake all night long!”

Ryuji pauses the game as Lucy snores, sleeping against his shoulder. It is now hours later, late or early into the next day. Ryuji looks at her sleeping and slightly drooling on his shoulder. He smiles a bit. He turns the TV off and grabs a blanket from the couch. They were already sitting on the bedding where they were going to sleep, as Ryuji knew she wouldn’t be able to stay up all night like that. He holds her gently as he begins to lean back, then lay down. She stays asleep as she lies on his chest, now more comfortably. Ryuji pulls the blanket onto them and breathes out as he closes his eyes, blushing a bit.

“So cute.” He says softly as they eventually fall asleep.

Not too much later, Lucy’s parents come through the door quietly. They are a bit tipsy but not terribly drunk. They see them on the ground sleeping and shush each other before giggling, making their way upstairs.

“Look at them. Sleeping together like when they were just six years old. So cute!” Kenji adores quietly.

“I remember when we were still in that awkward phase, not sure if you liked me or what.” Yuri adds.

“Oh, to be young like that again, heh.” They happily hold on to each other as they walk and stumble down the hall to their room.

Back at school, a new day.

“Aw man! Why don’t we get any fun classes like cooking, or acting, or crafting or anything?” Haru complains.

“Cause we’re first years. First years don’t get clubs, sports or extracurriculars. We get the main academic classes and if we do well enough, then we get to do more.” Shiori responds matter-of-factly.

“Yeah, but I crave excitement! Action! Something more interesting to do!”

Suddenly, a paper is slammed on his desk. He hunches up and slowly turns to face an angry Samuel.

“Maybe you should be more interested in your academics. You’re hardly on the path to earning those interesting classes you crave so much.”

He looks at his paper at the C- grade on it. He deflates a bit. Samuel then puts Shiori’s paper on her desk.

“As usual, very good job, Shiori.” She gives Shiori a smile of approval. She turns to Hikigaya, who waits nervously. 

“As for you… Well, certainly an improvement, I guess.” She says reluctantly as she places his paper down, which has a B on it. Hikigaya cheers with happiness.

“Yes! Not a C this time!”

Shiori smiles at him and his joy in getting the grade he did. Then Chizuru taps her shoulder softly. She turns and looks at her.

“So when are we gonna talk about… you know…” She whispers with an excited smile. Shiori blushes a bit.

“We’re not gonna talk about it..” She whispers back, lowering her head on her desk, a bit embarrassed.

“Oh, come on! We have to! You having a crush on anyone is so interesting!”

“What was that about a crush?” Lucy butts in from behind. Shiori jumps in reaction.

“Nothing! No one is talking about crushes!”

Lucy gives her an amused look. Chizuru’s face then lights up.

“Oh, I know! Let’s have a girls' night!”

“Wha?” Lucy looks unamused.

“Just us talking about crushes and things! What do you say?” Chizuru says excitedly. Shiori holds her head in her arms as she looks embarrassed and unsure how to respond.

“Mmm… Fine, I guess I’ll come…”

“Yay! Let’s bring Sugawara along too!”

“Huh?” He voices, looking at them, confused why they said his name.

Come the end of school, Lucy and Chizuru grab Sugawara and drag him out of class with mischievous smiles on their faces.

“No! I want to stay with the boys!” He screams as they take him away. Shiori sighs as she watches before turning to Hikigaya. 

“I’ll see you at home later?” She says as he nods happily. She waves as she follows the others out of the class. Hikigaya watches and smiles, then Haru throws his arms around both him and Ryuji.

“Well, since they’re having a night of their own, what do you say we have a night out on the town?” He offers excitedly. 

“I don’t know. I really should study the section.” Hikigaya says.

“Yeah, same.” Ryuji agrees.

“Aw come on, guys! Let’s go have some fun! O-” Suddenly, a hand grabs onto the top of his head. He shakily turns to look at Samuel, who is angrily holding onto him.

“You should listen to your friends, Mr. Tanaka. In fact, I have the perfect place where you can study.”

Haru laughs nervously a bit before trying to run out of the classroom. Before he can, however, Ryuji and Hikigaya grab him and drag him back in.

“No! I want to have fun! No!” The door slams shut, muffling his pleas.

Later that night at Chizuru’s house again, they come through the door, take their shoes off, then head straight upstairs to her room.

“Hey dad! We’re gonna hangout in my room tonight so don’t worry about us, we’ll order some food later! Love you!” She says quickly as she drags the others behind her. Her father stepping into the room as they blur by.

“O-oh, okay. Be safe..” He stutters before she slams the door to her room. Henry is a nervous-looking man with brown hair and glasses. He sweats a bit as he turns around back into the kitchen. The others are panting as Chizuru hops onto her bed, excited to get the tea started.

“Where’s your mom? If you don’t mind me asking.” Sugawara asks between breaths.

“Oh, she works late most days. Big CEO of a business and such.”

“Oh.” He says, intrigued, caught off guard by her job.

“Chizuru, why are you so excited, anyway?” Shiori asks.

“Isn’t it obvious? You’re my bestest friends! We’re in high school, and it’s the first real time we get to talk about our crushes! Isn’t it so cute, young love? Ah~” She sighs as she falls on her back. The others just stare at her.

“Yeahhh, well, I’m gonna change out of my uniform first. Anyone up for food after that?” Lucy offers.

“Sounds great.” Shiori answers.

“Yes, please.” Sugawara says too. Chizuru sits up quickly. She rubs her head with embarrassment.

“Haha yeah. I’m sorry, guys. I guess I got too excited.”

Lucy pats her on the head.

“Maybe, but we love you for it, anyway.” Lucy says with a smile. After some time and some food. They’re all in pajamas, huddled in a circle on the floor.

“Okay Chizuru, since you're the one who brought us here, how about you go first? Tell us about who you like. I mean, you rejected Haru, so there has to be somebody else you like, right?” Lucy asks, leaning back against the bed with her arms out.

“No way! I don’t like anyone like that. I only rejected him because I knew deep down he didn’t have feelings for me. Call it a hunch, I guess, haha.”

She answers slightly awkwardly about it. She then leans on her arms between her crossed legs with a softly sad look. “I’m glad he’s okay now, but I still feel terrible for hurting his feelings. We’ve been friends for so long, it was scary. I was afraid of losing him…” She says softly.

“Hey, it’s okay, Chizuru. Everything’s all good, so you don’t have to worry about it anymore. Sorry for bringing it up.” Lucy rubs her back, trying to comfort her. Chizuru smiles a bit, then shakes her head.

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to bring things down. We’re here to talk about you all, not me!” She points to them. “What about you, Lucy?”

“Oh no, I’m going last. That’s the only way I’m telling you anything at all.” She says with a cool smirk. “Hmm. Fine. Sugawara then.”

He looks up surprised, then blushes and looks down, embarrassed. He fidgets with his fingers.

“Well… I uh… I… I l-like…” He stutters as the others lean just a bit closer to hear his answer. “I… I like Haru, okay?!” He looks up but with his eyes closed as he yells his answer. “But he would never like someone like me. I’m so sad and always bring the mood down while he is so happy and brightens everyone’s day all the time… I’m sure he just thinks I’m annoying most of the time…”

He opens his eyes as he looks away with a sad look. Chizuru perks up just a smidge.

“Oh, so that’s what I felt.” She says as Shiori hears her.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Suga! What the hell? Why haven’t you told any of us?” Lucy says excitedly.

“Because it’s embarrassing!”

“But that’s so cute!” She shakes him back and forth by the shoulders. Even Shiori is excited about this information.

“I should have honestly realized. I mean, the day you guys met, what he did for you. It all makes sense.”

“Yeah… He’s just so… cute and caring. He makes me feel happy.” He pulls his knees up to his chest while he blushes, thinking about Haru. Then he gets a shocked look and looks at Chizuru. “Ah, I’m sorry if that’s weird! Liking the guy who likes you!” He gets nervous about it as Chizuru giggles.

“You’re okay, Sugawara. I’m actually relieved. And I say go for it! You never know how he feels, so try your best, okay?” She gives him a look of determination. Sugawara blushes and nods. Chizuru sits back down and looks at Shiori. “Let’s take him off the hot seat now. What about you, Shiori? Who is it you have a crush on?” Chizuru leans over, wiggling her eyebrows as she already knows. Shiori sits with a dreadful look on her face. Her heart races as she gently looks at Lucy sitting right across from her.

‘What do I do? Chizuru knows already, Sugawara just said his, but Lucy. What if she likes him? I don’t want to make it weird. I don’t want to lose her either.’ She sweats as she contemplates what she should do next. Overwhelmed, she finally makes a decision with a deep breath. Not wanting to lie anymore to the friends she has slowly come to hold dear, she lowers her head so her bangs cover her eye. “I… I like… Ryuji…” She admits in almost a whisper. Chizuru smiles, excited that she admitted it. Sugawara nods in approval. She slowly lifts her head and looks at Lucy, who stares at her. She stares for a moment before giving a big smile.

“Of course you do. Do you know how many people confess to him every year? At least four.” She holds up her fingers. “People always tend to like him more than the rest of us due to how attractive he is. I’ve seen it with my own eyes for as long as I can remember. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Shiori lifts her head more now, surprised and relieved.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“What made you like him?” Chizuru asks.

“I don’t know. He’s really cute and caring despite how expressionless he can be.” She says while fidgeting a little.

“He’s definitely expressionless, I’ll tell you that haha!” Lucy laughs. Chizuru shifts her attention to Lucy.

“Okay, now cough it up. Who do you like?”

“Me? No one. I have a hard time finding anyone attractive. I’m just doing me.” Lucy responds casually, leaning back with a cool smirk. Chizuru gives her a look of surprise but shrugs, as that is a valid response. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I gotta use the bathroom.” Lucy says with a sigh as she gets up and leaves the room. They watch her leave, Shiori looking intently as Chizuru sweats a bit. 

“I’m gonna… make sure she doesn’t need any help.” She gets up and leaves the room as well. Sugawara looks at Shiori, confused. 

“Need help with… pooping?”

Shiori just shrugs, shifting her attention to him.

“So you really like Haru, huh?”

“Oh, yeah. I do.” He blushes. “Do you honestly think I have a chance with him?”

Shiori nods confidently.

“You both are very cute. I love your dynamic. It inspires me.” She says with a proud smirk. Sugawara lights up.

“Really?”

“Yes. If you actually like him, then I say go for it. Trust me, I know how hard it is to speak your mind, but at least try to let him know somehow.”

Sugawara gives her a somewhat confident smile, as he is still very shy.

Down the hall, Chizuru follows behind Lucy as she goes into the bathroom. Chizuru waits at the door for a moment. She rubs her fingers against her palm, unsure of what to do before knocking. 

“Lucy? Are you okay?”

There is no response for a moment before she opens the door a crack.

“Yeah. I’m fine. What’s up?” Lucy gives her a confused look as she pokes her head around the door. She steps back and opens the door to let Chizuru in. She steps in as Lucy closes the door behind her. Chizuru stands against the wall as Lucy leans against the counter. They stand in silence for a moment.

“Are you sure you’re okay?..”

“I’m fine, Chizuru. What’s got you so worked up right now?”

“I don’t know… I just… I feel like you’re upset about Shiori liking Ryuji…”

Lucy looks down for a moment, but not with a look of sadness. 

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right. I mean, it’s not like I don’t like him or anything.”

Chizuru looks up, surprised and concerned.

“So you are upset??”

“No, no! Haha, that’s not what I meant.” She waves her hand to calm her down a bit while laughing before lowering her hand. She holds onto her arm with her other hand. “I mean, I’ve thought about it. What it’d be like to be with him like that… I like the thought, but… I could never do it.” Lucy admits in a soft voice. Chizuru looks at her, concerned. “If I ever pursued my feelings for him, then that’d mean things could change. What if he said no? What if we break up? Now, what would Shiori think? Too many things could go wrong… I don’t want to risk that.”

They stand in silence as Lucy holds onto her arm tighter now. 

“Lucy…”

“It’s fine though. I like the way things are now. I like being happy the way I am. As a matter of fact, I’m kinda relieved Shiori likes him. She’s a nice girl, and it makes things easier not to worry if he does or doesn't like me if he’s busy liking her, ya know?” She laughs as Chizuru smiles, still looking concerned for her.

“Anyway, I’m okay Chizu, really I am. It’s not like anything’s gonna change. But you have to promise me you won’t tell anyone what I told you.”

Lucy says while pointing her finger at Chizuru. She smiles back but gets a slightly conflicted look.

“I promise.”

“Good.” Lucy smiles at her as Chizuru smiles back a bit. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I do gotta go pee for real.” Lucy says casually.

“Oh! I’m sorry!” She awkwardly giggles as she leaves. Lucy smiles as she watches her but slowly stops smiling once Chizuru closes the door behind her. 

‘It’s okay. As long as things stay the same, everything will be okay. Right?..’

Chizuru heads down the hall back to her room before stopping in the hallway. She holds her head down and has a strained look on her face.

“All these secrets… All these feelings… There’s so much… Will everything be okay?..” Chizuru whispers before she shakes her head and slaps her face gently. “No! I can’t think like that! I have to be there for my friends. I have to support them. As long as we all stick together, everything will work out just fine! It has to!” She gets a confident look and heads back to her room to her friends.