In the days following Mei's departure from the apartment, Yuzu's inherent nature as a ray of sunshine became enshrouded, as it were, in a dark cloud of immeasureable sorrow. No Mei, no life, was the notion that continually occupied Yuzu's thoughts. For nights on end, she would suffer herself no sleep, but caressed the pillow on which Mei had formerly laid her head. Tears welled up in Yuzu's eyes in abundance very frequently, and it came to Harumin's notice one day that her eyes were red and swollen. "What's wrong, Yuzucchi?" She asked her friend. "Has something bad happened to you?" "It's not for you to know, Harumin," Yuzu replied, putting her arm around her faithful chum. "It still hurts so much, I wouldn't tell you, even if I could..." Here she broke into sobs as she laid her head on Harumi 's shoulder, as the other gently stroked her back in an attempt to comfort her. "Well, perhaps I might hurt you even more if I ask you, Yuzucchi, but did you just go through a breakup with your crush?" she asked. "That's the only possible reason I can think of that you're this emotional." Yuzu nodded, unable to say more. She couldn't bring up the courage to say it out loud, but she was immensely relieved to hear Harumin supporting her despite the tragic circumstances. Though she was in her friend's confidence, however, Yuzu's spirits did not improve. Everyone in her class noticed that her bright personality had gone out the window. She was often caught staring into blank space during classes, and the persona that had once electrified the room now dampened its mood. Even Momokino was struck in this change in demeanor. She said to Matsuri at lunch one day, "Aihara Yuzu's been anything but her normal self. I wonder what she's been going through lately." Matsuri replied, "Me, too. I've known Yuzu-onee-chan ever since I can remember, but she's never been down such a cliff as this." "Even I'm surprised," added Suzuran. "Never in my most convoluted trend of thought did I dream Yuzupon in such a depressed mood." As each day passed, the self-proclaimed gyaru's mood darkened even more. She had degenerated to the point of not even putting on her makeup, much to Ume's distress. "What in the world is going on, Yuzu?" she asked her daughter as she returned from school one day. "Are you really that despondent about Mei leaving? She implored me not to tell you." Yuzu said nothing, but went straight to her room. In that instant, her mother's words turned her deep sorrow into profound anger. The cloud of misery that had once enshrouded her had become a storm of unthinkable rage. Suddenly, Yuzu lifted her head to reveal an ulterior monster that had yet to manifest itself: A red-eyed, black-haired, dark-browed version of herself, with no bounds to her temper or restraint to her maniacal actions. All her sadness had morphed into a vexation of bone-chilling proportions. Her voice became capable of causing a terrifying psychic necrosis, as her speech was hushed down to a deep whisper almost like a dark priestess muttering incantations. But most of all, she spoke four decisive words of doom: "I AM NOW DEAD." At this, a petrifying aura of gloom surrounded her, and those who dared to look her in the eye were immediately made aware of imaginary tentacles of hate emerging from her backside, rearing themselves like loathsome serpents and oscillating their tips like a cephalopod. THIS BEING WAS NO LONGER YUZU. HER NAME WAS ONLY...

ZU.