Acceptance [WMatsui fanfic]

Chapter 7

Jurina leaned her back against the wall and slipped her hand into her vest's pocket to retrieve her phone, letting out a resigned sigh when the screen revealed it was 1 p.m., way past the meeting time. This Sunday, she had gladly agreed to meet Mayu and her girlfriend outside for lunch at the restaurant, and they were already more than thirty minutes late. If there was one person who valued punctuality above all, it was definitely her best friend, yet things had changed categorically when a certain popular college girl named Yuki Kashiwagi had entered her life.

Yuki was a pretty, coquettish girl who took great pride in her looks, not afraid to hog the bathroom for hours until she deemed herself plenty satisfied, applying the same treatment when it came to the clothes and accessories she chose scrupulously. Aside from her visible obsession with her physical appearance, Jurina had to admit she appreciated her human qualities and approved Mayu's choice of a girlfriend. Yuki was kind, friendly and caring, and – even though she proved sometimes to be terribly chatty – surprised her often by her great sense of humor.

However, if there was one personality trait she still had difficulty adapting to, it was her pronounced issue with regularity.

When there was still no sign of the two girls, Jurina pondered seriously calling her best friend to check when they were planning on arriving. This area of Tokyo was not too crowded and the new ramen restaurant they had chosen for the occasion still filled with empty seats, yet the great number of clients that had passed the front door this last half hour began to worry her. Why didn't she think of making a reservation? She should have anticipated Yuki's tardiness; it was not as if she hadn't been confronted to it in the past.

"We're so, so sorry!" A loud, panicked voice that could only belong to the one and only Yuki Kashiwagi jolted her out of her musing and she tilted her head left, noticing the couple approaching. "I hope you haven't been waiting for too long. Please tell me you haven't."

"Don't worry about it," Jurina brushed it off with a smile. "I barely arrived."

It was a shameful lie, one she knew her best friend was not buying at all when she shared a glance with Mayu, and the latter gave her an apologetic smile. What could she say? She simply couldn't help it. Somehow, she didn't wish to make Yuki feel too bad about it, and the small relief spreading across her face told her that – not only she had totally fell for it – she could also afford a white lie once in a while.

"It's my fault..." Yuki conceded, guilt filling her voice. "I couldn't find my favorite bracelet; the one Mayuyu offered me for Christmas." She extended her arm, Jurina recognizing the familiar silver bracelet around Yuki's left wrist. "It had slipped between the wall and the bedside lamp. Thank God, Mayuyu miraculously found it." Her expression changed drastically as she beamed with happiness, placing a spontaneous kiss on her girlfriend's cheek. "I don't know what I would have done without her."

*******

A few minutes later, the three friends occupied a table in the restaurant's back room, Yuki not wasting time to engage a conversation. While checking the menu – astonished by the great number of spicy dishes – Jurina listened as Yuki narrated with overflowing enthusiasm both girls' Saturday evening, from their dinner at a romantic Italian restaurant to their one-hour stay at a karaoke, without forgetting the obligatory stop at Mayu's all-time favorite activity, the arcade games.

At the mention of the latest, Jurina didn't fail to notice the disappointment in Yuki's voice. It appeared Mayu had remained faithful to her reputation and beaten her girlfriend at every single game machine.

The thought made Jurina inevitably smile and, as she heard her best friend mumbling a semblance of an apology – it was common knowledge no one was more competitive than Mayu Watanabe – diverted her attention from the menu to observe the couple. Even if it had taken her a little while to fully accept Yuki's new presence in their circle, there was no denying both girls deeply loved each other.