Chapter 11: Lunch



“Riko… you should probably go to the bathroom real quick. There’s something on your head!” Sayori was giggling at you as you both strolled down the hallways of the school.



“Hm? What is it?” you tried to look up at your forehead. Of course, you couldn’t see it.



“Find out yourself!” Sayori kept on giggling. “I’ll wait.”



“Huh, okay.” You said. You just remembered that your class was giggling at you right after Miss Watanabe caught you sleeping in her class. You took this time to take a detour to the boy’s bathroom to see what caught Sayori’s and everyone else’s attention.



“…” You glared at the mirror. In nice, bold, huge, black marker ink was the word DUMMY with your teacher’s signature on your forehead. “Ah, what the hell! Seriously miss!?” You said to yourself. You spun your head around to see if anyone else was in the bathroom. It was empty. You turned the knob of the sink beneath the mirror to fill your hands with water so you can wash off the prank pulled by your teacher. Realizing that this word was what other students saw, you were completely embarrassed. It was at this moment you knew you were never going to sleep in Miss Watanabe’s class ever again.



You stepped out, sighing.



“Did you see the message Miss Watanabe wrote there?” Sayori asked.



“Yeah… I learned my lesson.” You said.



“Hehe!” It was still funny to Sayori. “You’re a dummy!”



“Not as much as you.” You teased, smirking at her.



“Hey!” Sayori pouted.



You both continued down the hallways.



You and Sayori went to a new location that this update showcased: the school cafeteria. Everything expected to be in a high school cafeteria was there: rows of tables, crowds of students, and most importantly, two lines with lengths that rivaled those found at amusement parks and anime conventions forming by where the food was going to be served. Sunlight trespassed through the windows that the room had, plastering itself over whatever object it came in contact with. Whatever this update was doing, it definitely caught what the mood it was going for.



After you waited in line with Sayori to grab your tray of food, in which the school today was serving microwaved mashed potatoes with oven-baked chicken tenders, you spot Harumi walking around the cafeteria with her tray with her head towering over everyone around her.



“Riko, look! Harumi’s there. Let’s sit with her.” Sayori suggested.



“I don’t see why not.” You said.



You approached Harumi with Sayori. Upon closer inspection, Harumi was carrying food that exceeded the amount everyone was getting. It was about to spill over her tray if she wasn’t careful.



“Hey, Harumi!” Sayori said, greeting her.



“Oh, sup!” Harumi smiled. “How’s it goin’?”



“We’re doing great.” You answered.



Sayori spots the extra food on Harumi’s tray, her eyes widening at the apparent food privileges that the star athlete of the school had. “Jeez Harumi, how come the school let’s you eat two scoops of mash potatoes?”



“Heh! The lunch ladies just know that I’m one of the best athletes in school, that’s all. A big girl’s gotta’ eat, y’know!” Harumi said proudly. “Anyways, is there anythin’ the both of ya’ need?”



“Nah, not really.” You answered.



“We just wanted to come and sit with you.” Sayori said.



“Is that so?” Harumi was more than happy to let it happen. “Then come on in! Yuka and Yuri are there too. I’m sure they won’t mind. The more, the merrier they always say!” Harumi leads the way to the table where her circle of friends would sit at.



The table that Harumi’s friends were sitting at was in the very end of the outdoor section of the school cafeteria, which was in the vicinity of the school boundaries. The table that the update chose to use for this circle of friends almost resembled a quaint picnic area; somewhere that loving parents would take their children to on a sunny Saturday noon. There weren’t many other tables surrounding it, with only three other tables in the image being displayed alongside the one that was already occupied. No one took interest in sitting in those other tables. There was also an enormous tree covering much of the area, letting only some sunlight seep through. It’s a concern for many students that leaves from the behemoth tree would be swayed away by the wind and land in their meal. A crawling critter riding on one of those leaves might as well unleash hell on earth, but apparently, it’s not a worry for the girls already sitting at their remote island.



At the table, Yuka and Yuri can be seen sitting in front of each other, conversing among many things that friends share about, such as moments they have with their family in the near past or gossip about teachers. The screen displayed a scenic moment; a place where memories can be made. Harumi approached the table.



“Yo!” Harumi greets her friends. “Look who I brought.”



“Hey.” You said.



“Hi~!” said Sayori.



“Ah, greetings Harumi.” Yuka greets back. “I see you’ve also brought Riko and Sayori with you.” She didn’t seem to mind.



“Oh—, hello, all of you!” Yuri greets as well. She seems to be startled by the fact that Harumi was bringing more people to the table. It was something she didn’t expect.



“Come, take a seat.” Yuka offered the seats that were empty at the table.



Everyone who just arrived took their seat.



“We’re glad to welcome new people to our table.” Yuka said.



“We sure are!” Harumi reassured while biting into a chicken tender.



“Ah, thank you!” Sayori smiled.



“We were discussing about our favorite novels, care to add?” Yuka asked.



Before any discussion could be made on the topic, however…



“Wait, what made you feel like coming here?” Yuri asked. She was curious and it appeared that something was bothering her. “Not a lot of people come to this part of the school at lunch.”



“We thought you could use more company…” Sayori answered. “Aren’t we all friends here?”



“Yes… but…” Yuri didn’t know how to put into words.



“Is there something bothering you, Yuri?” Yuka asked her.



Yuri stayed silent. She didn’t want to answer.



“We can leave if that makes you feel better… come on, Sayori—” but before you could stand up, Sayori asked another question.



“I heard that there was something troubling you. What’s wrong, Yuri?” Sayori asked.



Yuri felt like there was pressure going against her. Sayori was trying to make her express the truth that she was hiding.



Harumi ate silently, knowing very well that she was part of the reason for Sayori asking the question.



Yuka glanced at Harumi for a moment before looking back at Sayori. “You’re making her uncomfortable.” She said with a tone of anger. “Stop asking these questions.”



“Sayori, don’t.” You said, trying to discourage her as well.



“No, please! Hear me out.” Sayori wasn’t to contain herself from asking. “Yuri, I heard that there was a secret you were hiding. If it’s troubling you, then please share it to me. Riko and I want to help you.” She continued, offering a deal. “If it helps… I can share a secret I’ve been hiding from everyone too.”



You sighed, reluctantly joining in. “Yes, we want to help. Give us a chance.” You felt like this was the right thing to do.



Yuri still stayed silent.



Yuka just about had it with the conversation. “You two, get out. Now.” She stood up, asserting her authority. “You know too much.”



“Yuka, please! We’re just trying to help—” Sayori was interrupted by the stern voice of the girl with wealth.



Yuka stepped her foot down towards you and Sayori. “Leave.” She stared straight down into your eyes, looking at the soul that lived behind those windows. It was that very same glare that she gave you just a few days ago. It was frigid cold stare, and the cruelty that was building up in the tone of her voice intensified the anger she felt towards you and Sayori. You were compelled to look away by the fear it radiates. It was as if you were before the angel of death.



Even then, Sayori still insisted. “Please!”



Then Harumi stepped in. “Just get the hell outta’ here! Didn’tja’ listen? Refuse and I’ll just have to knock ya’ out cold.” Then she muttered. “I shouldn’t have brought ‘em here...”



Sayori was visibly hurt by this. Her frown showed that she was on the verge of tears.



“…come on, let’s go. We’re not welcome here.” You said, standing up. You lead Sayori away from the table.



When you made a considerable distance, you glanced back at the table. Yuka appeared to be speaking down at Harumi while Yuri was looking down aimlessly at her meal. It appeared that Harumi wasn’t safe from her wrath either. Yuka then looked up at your direction, once again giving you that glare, in which you turned away, not wanting to see her upset any longer.



“…I guess our friendship with them is already over, huh?” Sayori sighed. “I guess I’m useless like that.”



You tried to comfort her. “No… don’t say that about yourself. You tried your best, and I believe we’re doing the right thing.”



“But… it’s over, isn’t it?” She asked.



“No… it’s just awkward tension. I think your idea was good, and perhaps Yuri thinks so as well. She just has to… think this through. Once she does, we’ll all be glad to be together again.” You answered.



“But… Yuka…” she points out.



“Remember, she is her childhood friend. She knows Yuri more than us and even more than Harumi. She’ll do whatever it takes for her.” You said.



Sayori remained quiet to that answer.



You reassured. “Once Yuri says it’s okay, then we’re all going to be okay. We’ll just have to put our hopes into the decisions she’ll make. We have to trust her.”



Sayori then smiled a little. “You’re right, Riko. Thanks for standing with me.” She sighed. “We’ll just have to wait and see then.”



You nodded in agreement.



You find a table far from the table that Yuri and friends sat at and sat there with Sayori. There wasn’t much talk before the bell rang for the second half of the day. You weren’t looking forward to seeing Yuri and friends at the literature club, and there was a deep aroma of uncertainty thickening the air. Despite that, you were holding onto a threshold of hope that this situation just might have.