177 Chapter four, 2016, the long, long night: 5 (1/2)

With the dance over, and most of the school empty of students, Yukio did a last round to their club room. It had to be a quick one as he'd left Kyoko waiting by the gates.

Karaoke bars all around Himekaizen were filling up with celebrating students, and both Ryu and Noriko promised to organise the club's outing this evening.

He and Kyoko had other plans though.

They failed to pressure Principal Nakagawa into disclosing which hospital Urufu had been sent to, but Rie-sempai was easier to convince, and she soon buckled under the verbal assault from Ryu and Noriko. Maybe he had helped a little himself when he gave her puppy eyes to the best of his ability. Good enough to have Kyoko frown at him at least.

Yukio opened the doors to their club room, went inside and retrieved the cell phone he'd left recharging there. With his phone in his pocket he quickly ran down the stairs, switched to loafers and sprinted across the gravel in the darkness, until he saw Kyoko's shadow under the lamplight by the gates.

”Hi,” Yukio said and waved to her.

She waved back, and with a step her dark silhouette broke loose from the gate post, and he could see her features when the street light gained access to her face.

'She's beautiful, and she's all mine.' Surprised at his own possessiveness, Yukio wiped off the thin smile that had begun to spread over his face.

”Shall we?” he asked.

”Uhum. Tell the guys in Haven?”

Yukio thought about it. ”Why not. It's on the way anyway.” Urufu would growl at him if he learned Yukio hadn't dropped a last 'good work' and 'I love working with you guys' before the evening ended.

Thinking of Urufu washed away the last remnants of his smile from earlier.

”Good,” Kyoko said. ”Do we tell them?”

Yukio didn't need her to specify what they would tell or not tell. Neither of them had any business dropping by the Haven café and continuing towards the station. That was in the opposite direction from their homes.

”We have to. Not all of it and not all of it the truth.” The thought of lying to the club members didn't sit too well with him.

”Call it an accident?”

He looked at Kyoko. Her suggestion sounded more callous than anything he had expected.

For a while he bit on his lower lip as he listened to the sounds of their footsteps and the occasional car passing.

”Yukio?” Kyoko said when he didn't answer.

He tugged his blazer tighter around himself and silently cursed his stupidity for not bringing a coat. ”Yeah, accident sounds good,” he finally said. Accident was probably as good a lie as any other.

”Without Noriko we can't call it a mishap,” Kyoko added.

'A mishap. Yeah, that would be Noriko.' ”Think he'll make it?” Yukio asked the night.

”He has to,” Kyoko answered. ”Kuri-chan will break if he doesn't.” She fell silent but he could see her lips moving again. ”As will you, and I don't want that,” she murmured.