Summer Dreams

Epilogue - A Small Victory

Friday, 9/1/12, Yasogami High School, Late Afternoon...

"Geez, finally!"

Yukiko blinked, turning to see a vaguely Yosuke-shaped blur dash to the back of the room and frantically rifle through the cubby for his book bag not more than two seconds after the final bell.

"Better hurry, Yosuke! Even I didn't think you were gonna blow it this quick!" Chie snickered at the desk behind Yukiko's, crossing her arms as she watched her fellow 3rd year rush through his actions so quickly he was nearly tripping over himself.

"Sh-shuddup! Someone's gonna get banned from the food court!" Yosuke muttered, finally collecting himself as he threw open the classroom door. "And I mean it this time!" He didn't bother closing the door as he was immediately followed by a small gaggle of similarly dressed students.

"Oh y-yeah!? See if I care about your crappy – okay, he's gone!" Chie grinned, her whole tone changing as she bounced back around to look at Yukiko. "D'ya think we should keep an eye on them? I mean, I trust him, sure, but I wonder if Naoto-kun knows what she's gettin' into..."

Yukiko gave a small snort as she grabbed her book bag off the ground and onto her desk. Chie could be so funny. "I think it's nice that you're so worried about him!"

Predictably, Chie turned a shade of crimson. "Pfft, as if! I just don't want Naoto-kun to haveta deal with him bein' some kinda perv!" Chie had a big space in her heart for all her friends but always got flustered if someone called out her empty braggadocio and bluster. "You're lucky ya know," she continued, leaning in closer so the few classmates huddled around the desk next to them couldn't hear, "Most of these guys are total horndogs! At least Kanji thinks with his heart and not his –"

"Ch-Chie!" Yukiko squeaked, feeling her neck and ears heat up. There were still a little bit too many people hanging out in the classroom for her to feel comfortable talking about...that. Chie knew that as well, judging by her waggling eyebrows and laugh she was trying to muffle. That said, Yukiko didn't disagree with her friend's conclusion. "You are right, though...He can be such a sweetheart."

Chie leaned back in her chair, arms crossed again over her white school blouse with a satisfied look on her face. "Now that's the kinda boyfriend I can deal with!"

While she turned to pack away the last of her books, Yukiko felt the need to reiterate her gratitude toward her friend. "Y-you know, Chie, I...I can never thank you enough for what you did. It sounds silly, but I honestly think there's a chance none of this would have happened if you hadn't have stepped in."

It was the end of a long first day back at school, and more than a week later it still seemed too good to be true: she and Kanji were together. Dating. And not only that, her friends all knew and were so happy for both of them. In a flash Yukiko remembered sitting at the Junes food court with all her friends the previous afternoon, her palms sticky with nervous sweat as she hastily announced to everyone that she and Kanji were dating. As usual her fears were almost immediately debunked; within seconds Rise and Teddie were crushing both of them in a hug and squealing loudly while the rest of the guys showered Kanji with compliments and congratulations. Yu even took a moment afterwards and expressed how happy he was for her, which was the cherry on top of a wonderful day. She had been very anxious to see him, and yet he was a class act, offering up an apology for the iciness of the last few months and hoping they could go back to being friends.

It was one of the happiest days of her life, and like she said, Chie had a lot to do with it. Violent though it may have been, her intervention helped Kanji collect his thoughts and embrace his true feelings, which Yukiko had failed to do at the summer festival. In a way she was sad that she was still relying on Chie so much for emotional support, but seeing her best friend's shy, happy smile made her realize that it wasn't always a bad thing. Sometimes you just needed someone to have your back.