MafiA's Gamble

FOUR

Raito: 

MEET RAITO K. LAST DAY OF PROJECT 

     Sighing, Yuki woke up slightly disappointed. Today would be the last day she got to work with Ley. After that, when their project is submitted, marked and returned, she wouldn't have an excuse to talk nor see him anymore. Exhausted from the activities of last night, she grudgingly pulled herself out of bed, got ready, and headed to school. After miraculously arriving at school in one piece, the school day began. Her classes felt meaningless, and she couldn't concentrate one bit. Several long hours of the same situation, and finally, the bell rang for lunch. The silent classroom began to be filled with random chatter and laughter, and Yuki packed up her things for lunch. She could hear the random gasps around the classroom, but as a frequent occurrence, she simply assumed they were watching some sort of video. As she put her last pencil into her case, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

     At this point, Yuki was so used to the non-greeting, that she automatically associated the finger tap to Ley. She spun around and beamed, her smile faltering when she realized that it wasn't Ley who had approached her, but Raito Kurugiri, one of the most popular boys in her grade. She realized at last, why the class had seemed more rowdier than usual, finally overhearing the excited whispers floating around the room. "Huh? Oh, hi." Yuki turned away, slightly disappointed. At this, Raito clutched his heart and sighed dramatically. "Ah, so cold! I feel hurt." Yuki frowned. "What was this weird guy even doing?" echoed in her thoughts. She soon reached the conclusion that popular kids were all simply like him, and so she dropped the matter. Seeing that Yuki was not reacting, Raito sighed, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Look, I'm not sure if you know, but I happen to be Ley's only friend. I just thought I should introduce myself since you've been hanging around him a lot lately. So, uh, I'm Raito Kurugiri, nice to meet you!" He flashed a dazzling smile her way, causing all the other girls who witnessed it to squeal and blush. Yuki only stared and nodded, shaking off the hand on her shoulder. "I'm Yuki Shirotsuki. I suppose it's nice to meet you as well." Sure he was attractive, but she still preferred Ley. Raito frowned slightly at her indifference, but still smiled brightly and waved her goodbye. "I gotta go now, but I'll see you around, Yuki!" As she watched him leave, she became increasingly puzzled. See you around? What did he mean by that? If anything, she hardly knew the guy. Was there a reason for her to see him again? Yuki sighed and shook her head, ridding it of these answerless questions. Her classes started up once more, and she trudged through them reluctantly.

     At last, classes were over, so Yuki headed over to the library. Along the way, she heard Ley's voice call after her. "Yuki." "Ley, hi!" She exclaimed her greeting as she turned to face him. However, she was disappointed once again when she noticed Raito there, with his arm casually slung around Ley's shoulders. "Hey there, Yuki!" He smiled at her and winked. Yuki replied a simple hello. Argh, damnit, why was his smile so bright? "I'm definitely going to go blind," she thought. Ley sighed as he threw Raito a look. "Yuki, I must apologize. Raito here has requested to tag along with us on our trip to the library." "Heyyy, don't give me that look. You're going to get wrinkles." Raito teased his friend, fussing over his face. "Gosh, you're annoying," complained Ley, but Yuki noticed the smallest hint of a smile as his friend teased him. Her heart skipped a beat. Ley smiling??? She could totally die happy right there and then. Ley finally noticed Yuki still standing there, observing his bickering. "Oh, sorry. Shall we finish up this project then?" Yuki's face fell, as she remembered that this was probably the last time she could hang out with Ley after school. "Yeah, let's go."

     Throughout the working period, Yuki unconsciously sighed miserably, saddened by the constant reminder that this would be the end. Noticing the constant sighs, Raito, who sat across from them, looked up. "Hey Yuki, is something wrong?" "Huh? No, I'm fine. We're almost done anyways." She sighed once again, and continued to work. Just as Ley had predicted, by nightfall, the project was finished. Completely revised and edited, with nothing more to add. Yuki stretched and exhaled, glad that the project was finished at last, but sad that she may never see Ley again. Ley stood up and began to pack his stuff. Looking towards the brown haired girl, Ley tossed his regular offer. "Shall I walk you home again?" Yuki nodded and thanked him once more. Much like the whole day, she frowned when she noticed Raito was accompanying their walk to her home. She had hoped that her last day with Ley would at least just be her and Ley, but nooo, this dude just had to keep interfering. Upon reaching the entrance to her home, Yuki stopped and turned to Ley. "Thank you for walking me home all the time and helping me out with the project. I enjoyed working with you." She bowed her head politely to Ley as she said those words. Ley raised an eyebrow curiously. "Is that so? Well, no need to fret, this likely won't be the last time we meet. I'm sure we'll work together again." With that, Ley walked off, dragging along a Raito, who called back to Yuki. "Let's work together sometime as well, Yuki!"