Fading Past and Erased Future

Chapter 3

 "So basically, they lectured me the whole night because I still have the job I hate." Yua groaned. "Anyways, what've you done this past week, Hitoka?"

"Nothing interesting, then again, it's always boring." She chuckled, grabbing her chopsticks and taking a bite of her katsudon. "Oh, something did happen this week! I forgot."

"What happened?" Yua's eyes went wide with anticipation.

"Well-" Hitoka stopped and looked over to the side.

"W-what?" Yua followed her gaze. "T-TOORU?!"

"OIKWA-SAN?!"

"Setocchi! Yachi-chan! Yahoo!" Tooru was running towards them. Hitoka looked back at Yua.

"He remembers me?!"

"W-well, apparently he sees us every time we meet up. We-" Once again, Tooru cut her off.

"-Have dinner every Saturday at the same Italian restaurant and I kinda interrogated her about you. Hi Yachi! It's been so long since I last saw you." He grabbed her hand and shook it.

"Uh, y-yeah."

"Tooru. What the hell are you doing?" Yua gave him a death glare. Tooru felt chills up his spine. Her glare and Hajime's were way too similar for comfort.

"I wanted to meet your little friend in person!"

"Why are you here? Why are you always here when we are?"

"It's a little thing called, 'strolling about the city' thank you very much." He pouted. Yua groaned. "Admit it, you enjoy my company."

"Yeah." Yua mumbled under her breath. Tooru gasped delightedly and hugged Yua so hard he might as well have been choking her. Yua looked at Hitoka with a nervous grin. "Tooru," Yua started, breathlessly. "Please let me go. You're choking me." Hitoka giggled at the sight.

"You two must be very close, huh!"

"Yup!" Tooru ruffled Yua's hair. "Setocchi and I have been best friends since the day we were born! Well, since the day I was born. I'm a little younger than her." Tooru pulled up a chair and sat with the duo.

"Anyways, so what was it you were gonna tell me?"

"Oh, right," Hitoka took a sip from her drink. "One of my co-workers decided to quit his job so now there's an open spot. You told me earlier that you don't really like your job so I thought you might wanna know."

"Wow. That's amazing. I can finally, maybe, get a good job that I'll actually enjoy." Yua looked down into her cup with a small smile.

"I never knew you were into ad design, Setocchi." Tooru tilted his head.

"What do you mean? I've told you about it before." Tooru let out a sheepish chuckle while rubbing his neck. Yua huffed out a laugh. "It's fine." The trio sat silent for a bit. "Uh, Hitoka?" Hitoka hummed in response. "There's something I wanted to tell you. I was gonna tell Tooru and Hajime too but I kinda forgot yesterday."

"Haji... me?"

"Oh, Iwaizumi."

"Oh, right! Him. So you guys are friends too?"

"We've been a trio ever since we were born." Tooru added. "But what was it that you forgot to tell us?"

"Uhm..." She hesitated. "I'm struggling to pay rent again. I don't know why or how that information would be relevant to you guys but I thought you guys would wanna know."

"You can't pay rent? Again? Why didn't you tell us?"

"I'm sorry! I forgot to tell you guys."

"But I thought your job paid well. That's why you stayed."

"Well... I'm not sure why I stayed. I just... I don't know." Tooru sighed.

"Why can't you pay rent anymore?"

"I was never able to. When Hajime was my roommate, I was able to pay because he paid half of the rent. Now, I have to pay full."

"I'd hate to interrupt but, I definitely think you could get the job! The job pays great and you'd love it. It wouldn't even feel like you're working! And plus," Hitoka looked up from her food with a shy smile. "You could always move in with me. I-if you want to," Tooru looked at Hitoka and Yua back and forth.

"You'd do that? You'd let me live with you?"

"Well, I mean, yeah. You need help with rent and I'm pretty lonely so." Yua got up quickly and ran over to Hitoka, hugging her tight.

"Thank you, Hitoka! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She let go and put Hitoka at arms length. "You have no idea how much this means to me." Hitoka gave a warm smile causing a slight blush to fill Yua's cheeks.

"Yay! So you're finally gonna quit that job?" Tooru chimed in.

"Probably. Only if I get the job. Don't wanna be jobless if I don't get it." Yua let go of Hitoka's shoulders and sat back down.

"I like you Yachi-chan. Do you think Iwa-chan would let her come to our weekly dinners?"

"You're inviting me..?" Hitoka's jaw dropped slightly.

"Well of course! Any friend of Setocchi's is a friend of ours! Unless they don't deserve her and is huge a d*ck." Tooru rolled his eyes, obviously referring to Yua's ex-boyfriend. Yua grinned. She always appreciated the fact that she had two best friends that would be there for her always. And now, a third one was coming into her life.