Kazuhiko met Ryuu on the school roof pretty much every day during his lunch period. Most of the time, they just slept or talked a little bit. Sometimes, Ryuu smoked, but when offered, Kazu always refused.
"Why do you always refuse?" Ryuu asked. "Don't you trust me? It's not laced or anything. As your friend, I wouldn't try to slip you anything."
"Friend?" Kazu echoed, staring across at Ryuu with something akin to apprehension.
"Yeah, friend, because we're friends. Right, Kazu?" Ryuu said, throwing an arm across Kazu's shoulders.
Kazu opened and closed his mouth before looking away, his dark eyes reflecting his emotions within. "Yeah. Friends." For now. Will you leave me too, Ryuu?
"Why are you acting so weird, Kazu?" Ryuu asked, giving him a light punch on the shoulder. "You don't think I'm one of those guys, right?"
"Those guys?"
"Yeah. Like the friend who wanted you to hook him up with that girl," Ryuu said easily, and Kazu flinched.
"Aw, damn it," Kazu moaned.
"What's up?"
"They made me promise to come with them tomorrow on their date," Kazu said, leaning back and wallowing in misery.
"Don't go," Ryuu said calmly, similarly leaning back and inspecting the sun as though to challenge it to a staring contest.
"I can't. Taro..." He hesitated.
"Isn't your friend if he's just using you like that," Ryuu finished for him, frowning at Kazu. "Do you always let people push you around like that? You've gotta know that just because someone says they're your friend, it doesn't mean they really are."
"Well, what about you? You just told me that we're friends," Kazu said defensively, and Ryuu gave him an angry glance.
"So you'd rather defend some guy who's just using you while you're around instead of a guy who's asked nothing of you and calls you a friend for your pleasure of company?" Ryuu said as he stood up, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Fine, have it your way, you coward," he called out as he stormed off the roof.
"It's just..." Kazu said softly, talking to the wind. "I've never had friends before. How am I supposed to know who to trust?"
***
The next day, Taro dragged Kazu out of bed and hauled him to the nearest shopping center.
"Girls like malls, right?" Taro confirmed, sounding nervous.
Kazu glared at him and rubbed his head. I barely slept at all last night. It's probably because I made Ryuu hate me. Now Taro is the only friend I have left...and yet, according to Ryuu, he's not a friend at all, in which case, I have nobody. He rubbed at the dark circles under his eyes to no avail.
Yuki came along twenty minutes later (actually a half hour after the planned time because Kazu hated waking up in general and Taro had to struggle just to make him change into something suitable). "Sorry," she said, batting her eyelashes as Kazu, who's eyes were still closed anyway as he tried to sleep standing up. "Did you wait long?"
"We only just got here," Taro eagerly replied, clearly the "correct" response, but Kazu flicked his eyes open angrily.
"Yes," he clarified. "We've waited for over twenty minutes. Twenty minutes..." he repeated, narrowing his eyes as he glared at Taro, "that I could have been sleeping."
Yuki just made a pouty face. "I'm sorry. Girls take longer to get ready," she said, clearly trying to draw attention to her outfit, which consisted of a mid-thigh length dress, tall boots, and some kind of sweater.
"You look great," Taro complimented, and Yuki smiled - towards Kazu. "Like you said, I wasted a lot of time..."
"Really, it's no problem. We didn't wait that long," Taro tried again.
"Well, since we're already late, we should really get going," Yuki amended, looking at Kazu. "Where are we going first?"
"I don't know. Ask Taro."
"We're going to the amusement park," Taro supplied, and Yuki flashed another smile at Kazu.
"Great! Let's get going then." She reached to take Kazu's hand, but he was prepared and swiftly gave Taro a push so he intercepted.
Yuki pursed her lips but accepted Taro's hand and let him lead her as she sent flirting glances every fifteen seconds towards Kazu, who had put in earbuds and had his eyelids half closed as he followed slowly behind, still half-asleep.
At the amusement park, Yuki kept trying to drag Kazu on all of the couple-y rides, but he would shove Taro after her instead until she eventually stopped asking. Then she changed tactics and asked Kazu to win her a prize at some random game, and as Kazu ignored her, Taro immediately tried to satisfy her wishes. He lost every time.
Around mid-afternoon, Yuki asked Taro to get her a drink in her sweet voice, and he nodded, already jogging to find something suitable as Yuki sat down on the bench next to Kazu.
"So tell me the truth. Why are you avoiding me?" she asked, dropping her fake cutesy tone.
"Because I don't like girls like you," Kazu said tactlessly.
"That's mean," she complained, scooting closer. "What's wrong? I'm pretty, so there's no problem there. I can even fulfill your standards, which are extremely high based on your own appearance." She grabbed Kazu's arm in her hands.
"Get off of me," Kazu said, trying to shake her off, but she was persistent.
In a sudden surge, she grabbed Kazu's face in both of her arms and brought her lips to his.
It only took a second for Kazu to push her away, horrified by her actions, but one second was one second too long to prevent damage.
Taro was standing only a few feet away, his eyes meeting Kazu's in disbelief and doubt. "Kazu? Why did you...You told me that you didn't like Yuki, so...why? How could you do that to me?"
Kazu didn't say anything, just glared at the ground. He knew what would happen before it played out; he would deny, Yuki would blame everything on him, and Taro, blinded by misplaced love, would believe Yuki. It was pointless for Kazu to defend himself.
In the back of his head, he heard Ryuu. If he was really your friend, he would believe you over Yuki.
For a second, Kazu was tempted to make his case, but deep in his heart, he'd already known that Taro was doing as Ryuu had said - using him while he was there. He wasn't a friend, no more than Yuki was.
Without saying anything, Kazu stood up, prepared to walk away and let Taro hate him, but Yuki's cold voice stopped him.
"Kazu, I don't think you want to walk away from us."
"What do you mean?" Kazu asked, half-turning as he watched her through narrow eyes.
Yuki hit a button on her cell phone and an image of Yuki kissing Kazu appeared on his own.
"What the hell?"
Yuki smiled smugly. "I had someone take a picture."
"How'd you get my number?"
Taro winced. "I'm sorry, Kazu. She asked me for it." After a moment, he looked away, his face hardening. "But after what you did, I don't feel bad any more."
Kazu gritted his teeth. "So what? You got a picture. Great. Frame it for all I care."
"That's not what I had in mind," Yuki said.
"Then what?" Kazu asked, tired of all the games she played.
"I was thinking of sending it to someone."
"Who?" Kazu's voice was tense.
"Nobody really...just Suzume Hayashi."
Kazu's jaw clenched. Not her...please, don't drag her back into all of this..."What do you want?" he asked through gritted teeth.
Yuki grinned, her lips spread thinly into a victorious smile. "Just follow me."