Citrus: Mei's Story vol. 10 - Resolute Heart

IV. The Final Nail in the Coffin

It had backfired. Maruta's plan had backfired in some way. Or rather, it had worked but not as expected. Something must have happened in the weeks since I convinced Haji to shutter his restaurant early and avoid Matsuri, but it wasn't at all what any of us had planned for. That was all that was going through my head as I watched Yuzu. It was Valentine's Day and the rest of the school was quietly thrumming with the secretive romances of the students. It was also a year to the day since Yuzu confessed to me at the love shrine in Kyoto. I had dared to dream that she would make her move today, but then I saw her from the window in the student council offices.
She was with Harumi, Matsuri, and Nene. From the looks of it, she was trying to tell her fan something. It could have been an intervention for the girl's constant stalking and insistence on her fantasy of Yuzu and Harumi being together which also included the idea that Yuzu was the submissive one in the relationship. That more than the rest had been enough to assure me that it was all in the girl's head. My Yuzu was too natural at being the dominant one. So it was all too possible that Yuzu and Harumi had decided to finally say something to stop the girl's concerning behaviour. It even looked like that might be the case as the tiny girl suddenly grew pale with shock and seemed to short circuit. I wasn't positive about what was happening because from my spot they were too far to hear. But that didn't stop me from noticing the way they all were acting.
It was all very normal and expected of them. Not of how they had been since I disappeared, but of how they had been before everything happened. It was relaxed and casual in a way that only occurred around Yuzu. Even Matsuri seemed to have lost her dour slump for a more relaxed look of ennui that seemed closer to her happier new normal. Harumi seemed less stressed from trying to maintain the appearance that she wasn't concerned about how Matsuri had been acting or about the front Yuzu had been putting up. But while all of that was signs of something good and desired for those two— especially if they were heading towards the possibility of dating each other like Mitsuko and I were hoping for— it was all thrown off when I saw Yuzu's face as she turned to Harumi. She was smiling. She was laughing again. She had done both since I had been taken, but not like this. Before it had been an obvious fabrication to hide her overwhelming pain. It had been a mask like the ones I was so used to wearing. However now she wasn't putting on a mask. She shone as brightly as ever. I even saw a return of her blushing a little when she was smiling out of mild embarrassment due to her more romantic feelings leaking out. Seeing her smile return shattered me.
No!! Don't tell me she's just giving up on us!
From my perspective, we were still waiting to see her act. There was no signs of dashing and idiotic reckless determination in the girl. Instead, she looked content and ready for something. All I could imagine was that she was starting to let go of me. I quickly turned around and looked at what I still had to do for the day. It was just more busywork. Just signing off on reports and making packets for the board out of the most relevant data as well as looking over the latest applicants for the special exemption status that Matsuri and Yuzu both automatically received due to my clever wording of their goals. None of it was necessarily work that I had to do. I could leave it for others if I wanted. Maya must have noticed my face, because she walked over to glance out the window herself.
"Madam president, are you feeling alright?"
"What?"
I looked towards her and only then did I understand what she was doing. She didn't even look my way. She kept her eyes on the scene outside. Yet her voice was surprisingly clear in her implications.
"You look like you're getting sick. You should go home for the day and rest."
"Maya you don't have to—"
"You've been pushing yourself too much lately."
I shook my head. I was currently doing less strenuous work than I had during my entire first year. But Maya wouldn't be dissuaded. She turned to me with a soft sympathetic smile. Almost as though she had some knowledge of what she had witnessed.
"Plus the entire student council has heard that the chairman's health is declining. And your engagement has also required a lot of your attention. Maybe you should go home and rest so you can be ready."
"But that would leave a lot of work left undone."
At my words, she shrugged and took a step towards the desk to look at what I had left to do.
"The council can take care of all this, Madam president. All you need to do is ask."
"Then..."
I took a deep breath and nodded before giving her a desperate look.
"Maya, can I count on you to stay late tonight and help Himeko with closing? There might be some last minute work as well so please be ready for me to call if necessary."
"Of course, Lady Mei. It's been a pleasure to work alongside you."
As she spoke, she bowed gracefully as though she was addressing royalty. I returned the bow and gave her a grateful smile.
"Thank you, Ms Kisato. I'll see you tomorrow."
I left the offices and quickly made my way to the administration offices to let them know I was leaving because I was feeling ill. On my way out I stopped in what seemed like an empty hallway. I let out a sigh and decided to test a theory.
"Tell your boss: Mei says be ready to mobilise. Yuzu will either make her move tonight or Mei is going to do something drastic and will need people close to get her to Yuzu and then both of them to the nearest international airport."
I waited for a moment and listened. It took a little patience but I was rewarded by the sound of someone quickly walking away from closer behind me than looking around would have indicated. I had been right. Maruta had people following me. She probably had since she created her network, but them being this close was probably a more recent development in case she needed me to be stopped from doing something. I straightened my posture and strode out of the school as quickly as I could.