The Disconsolate Maiden

Chapter Thirty-Four

"W-What do you need to tell me...?" Homura stuttered nervously as they began to walk again. She had never seen Jyushimatsu look so serious in her entire life.

"It's very important," he said, taking her hand again, beginning to run. "But for now, let's enjoy our night together!"

"Running towards the school in the evening like this..." Homura thought to herself, looking at Jyushimatsu as he turned and looked back at Homura, though he was holding her hand. He always checked to make sure she was able to keep up. Always. "It's almost like there's nothing wrong in this world..."

"Come on Homura! This night isn't going to last forever!" Jyushimatsu laughed a little as they ran up the school's steps.

"The air...it's not humid tonight...it's the perfect weather...there's not a cloud in the sky...stars are everywhere...even the city's lights can't block out the beauty of our galaxy..." Homura thought to herself.

"Homura, what are you doing?" Yuka's voice seemed to whisper inside of Homura. "Why are you with Jyushimatsu? How could you?"

"Yuka..." Homura replied back in her thoughts, grimacing to herself. "I never meant for things to be this way..."

"Why did you try to forget me?" Yuka asked, a cold wind wrapping around Homura's ankles. The girl shuddered, a single strand of her brown, pinned up hair, falling in her face. "Did you really hate me that much?"

"I would gladly trade places with you, Yuka. Father favored you, and so did Mother. You were always the happy one...so why...why..." Homura replied back again.

"That's the past. What you're doing now is in the present. Jyushimatsu's heart doesn't belong to you, and you know that. He's been confused this whole time. But, it's alright...I don't think he would like me as I am now anyways," Yuka said.

"You were always beautiful, Yuka. I'm sure..."

"Homura, are you alright?" Jyushimatsu asked, resting both of his hands on the girl's shoulders, shaking her a little. "You just stopped walking!"

"S-Sorry!" Homura gasped, breaking away from her thoughts. "I didn't mean to..."

"You seem really down today," Jyushimatsu said gently, taking her by the hand once again as they entered the school gym. Lights were flashing everywhere as loud techno music blasted through several huge speakers. "I wish I could cheer you up!"

"D-Don't worry about it, Jyushimatsu!" Homura said, forcing out a laugh. "I'm fine, really..."

Later on in the evening...

After having awkwardly danced with Jyushimatsu for nearly two hours, Homura decided to sit down at one of the tables off to the side in the gym.

Pulling out her phone, Homura stared at the screen as it illuminated her face in the dark.

Jyushimatsu, being the kind boy he was, had offered to go get refreshments for the both of them. This obviously left Homura alone for quite a few moments.

Going through her phone, which she had been using much more now that she was friends with Jyushimatsu (and a little with his brothers), she noticed she had a missed call from the idol manager.

"Crap..." Homura whispered to herself as she looked at when the call was.

The phone screen read, "one minute ago."

"If I don't call back as soon as possible I could get in trouble..." Homura thought to herself. At that moment, her phone began to buzz again, the manager trying to get her for the second time.

Jyushimatsu ran back up to their table with two small plates filled with little goodies, a wide smile on his face.

"Homura I need to te-" Jyushimatsu stopped talking when Homura waved her hand a little to silence him. She quickly pushed away from the table, her hand over one ear, her phone up to the other.

"Just a minute, Jyushimatsu," she mouthed to him, taking off out of the gym as fast as she could.