The next day, Yuri was greeted by Monika at the school gates.

"Over there, look." Monika motioned to where Sayori and Natsuki were talking. Their conversation seemed slightly odd, as Sayori was more shy seeming.

"Weird... Look how Sayori is acting.." Yuri said aloud, looking over to them also.

"I know right? Almost like.. Like she's hiding something, y'know?." Monika turned back to Yuri. "She's never that compact with herself.. She's usually pretty animated and fluent, kind of like a bright drawing."

"You're not implying she's hiding something from all of us do you? What could Sayori of all people possibly hide?" Yuri asked. She knew what the secret was just by putting the pieces together.

"Maybe I'm wrong anyway, and Sayori was just hiding something else besides her.. Her clear feelings for Natsuki.. Even though she acts shy around Natsuki and has been quite chipper with everyone else, it could be anything! Right?"

"No clue, she's joyful around me like she is any other day. Maybe there's something going on that only Natsuki knows." Monika said.

"Or she had feelings for Sayori.." Yuri couldn't help but feel a weight be placed in her heart as it seemed to sink in her chest. Sayori liked Natsuki, and Natsuki would like her back. Plain and simple story.

"I'll talk to her later about it for you if you'd like. She tends to tell me a lot of information, even stuff I don't necessarily want to hear. Did you know Sayori has-"

"I dont want to hear it." Yuri bluntly said.

"Alright alright.. But how about I talk to her and see what's going on. Yeah?" Monika offered.

"But.. I mean it's rude.. But then I know the truth.. I already know the truth, but still confirmation? Maybe.. Yes. Confirmation. Then I know if I have a chance or not."

"Yes, please. Tell me what happens after lunch." Yuri said, leaving for her way to class without another word.

Seeing Natsuki the rest of the day felt like another hard tug on Yuri's heartstrings. As if it were tug of war between Sayori and her, and whoever won got Natsuki.

"Yuri?"

Yuri's head perked up once she heard her name. It was none other than the teacher.

"What's the answer to number three?" Her tone heavily implied she had been trying to get Yuri's attention for a good five or so seconds beforehand. It was definitely her repeating the question.

"Uh.. T-Three is.."

"Three is an Synecdoche Ma'am." Natsuki piped up.

"Thank you Natsuki. Yuri on the other hand, pay attention next time okay?"

"Yes Ma'am." Yuri looked down at her notebook, only to see she had neatly written Natsuki's name in cursive, dotting the i with a heart. A squiggly line was underlining it, and scattered across the page were stars and hearts.

"Oh this is killing me... I've gotta know sooner than after lunch.."

"Hey, what'cha working on Yuri?" Natsuki leaned over, but Yuri quickly covered the page with her arms.

"N-Nothing! Nothing at all! J-Just note taking Natsuki!" Yuri's face was apple red, her eyes frantically looking down at the paper and back up to Natsuki.

"Is there a problem ladies?" The teacher turned again from the board to the middle row, where Natsuki and Yuri sat.

"Nothing Miss! N-Nothing at a-all!" Yuri's eyes were the definition of panic, and somehow in someday, her face grew redder than before.

"All I'm asking is to see the paper, g-geez.." Natsuki sat back down in her seat, crossing her arms.

"Yuri, show her the paper." The teacher ordered.

"N-No! I.. I shouldn't have to show her anything right?" Yuri could barely comprehend the words that left her lips.

Acting on pure in-the-moment impulse, Yuri tore the piece of paper from the notebook, proceeding to tear the paper into tiny pieces and tossing them onto the floor.

"I-I don't know what to say. Yuri this is very unlike you.. Just.. Let's finish the rest of class children." The teacher was clearly befuddled, but none the less continued the lesson.

Once the bell rang, Yuri slung her bag over her shoulder and walked out of class as fast as she could. Little did she know, Natsuki hung back after she left.

"What could the paper have said that's so bad.." Natsuki asked herself.

As quick as she could as to not be late to the next class, Natsuki tried her best to put the torn pieces of paper together, as if it were a puzzle.

"It's... Oooh... She.. She loves me.." Natsuki whispered to herself, crumbling all the pieces in one hand and throwing them into the trash bin on her way out. She didn't know how exactly to feel about it, but she for sure had it stuck in her head.

Lunch came around not too long later, and once again Yuri planned on sitting behind the same tree as the day before. That is, until..

"Yuri! H-Hey! Wait up, would you?!"

Yuri stopped dead in her tracks on the way to the cafeteria. She knew Nat's voice anywhere.

"N-Natsuki.. What's.. Where's Sayori?"

"Stupid! Gosh darn it Yuri why would you bring her up? The enemy. "

"I.. Who cares right now.. I.. I just.. I-I wanted to have lunch with you today.." Natsuki looked down to her shoes.

"You.. Are.. You're sure..? I.. Maybe we can wait for her right? Y-You've been eating with her lately so.. We could let her-"

Yuri was cut off by Natsuki.

"I want you Yuri!" Natsuki, face as red as a lobster, covered her mouth with her hands at her sudden outburst. "I.. I-I want t-to eat with j-just y-you..."

Yuri couldn't help but foolishly grin.

"W-Well.. Well I can buy you a lunch if you'd like." Yuri, who usually buys her lunch, slowly started walking toward the lunch line.

"I.. I mean I don't really need food.. I left my things in the classroom anyway.." Natsuki grabbed onto her right arm with her left hand, looking slightly helplessly to Yuri.

Yuri examined Natsuki's slim figure. She gave Natsuki a small smile, motioning to follow her with her head.

Because Natsuki didn't have the money to pay, Yuri paid for both their lunches despite Natsuki insisting constantly that she didn't need the meal.

"Where do you usually sit?" Natsuki asked Yuri.

Yuri felt a small jab in her heart, realizing Natsuki and Yuri hadn't hung out in so long that she'd forgotten where they used to sit.

"Well.. Usually I sit-"

Yuri's sentence was cut off.

"The tree, but not the one with the bench. Not the one with the flowers either. The normal tree." Natsuki began walking, leaving a flustered Yuri in her dust.

"Guess she did remember.."

Yuri caught up with Natsuki, seating herself beside the small girl who had already started eating her sandwich.

"Been a while since we've sat here huh?" Natsuki spoke through a face full of peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"S-Sure has.. With.. With Sayori being more uh.."

Yuri's sentence was finished by Natsuki, whose mouth was empty this time.

"Present, if you ask me at least. Don't.. D-Dont tell anyone I said this.. But.. But I k-kinda miss having you around.." The longer Natsuki's sentence went on, the harder it got to understand what Natsuki was quietly mumbling at the end of it.

"Hm? W-What was that Natsuki?" Yuri asked, taking another bite of her own sandwich.

"I missed hanging out with you! What are you, deaf?" Natsuki pouted, tossing her sandwich onto the tray and balled her hands into fists.

Everyone around the outdoor lunch area turned their attention to Natsuki and Yuri, also as shocked as Yuri at her sudden outburst.

Yuri looked around anxiously at the people now staring at them, noticing one person standing out in the crowd.

"Sayori.." She said to herself, quiet enough for Natauki not to hear.

"Is this making her jealous? Am I doing this right? Is this.. Is this it? Have I won..?"

"Yuri, can.. Can we go somewhere else?" Natsuki nervously looked to Yuri.

As if on queue, the bell to end lunch rang. Everyone started to toss the remains of their lunches and walked to class. Natsuki stood aside from the crowd against one of the support beams in the lunchroom. Yuri walked over, trying her best to keep her cool.

"I.. I do prefer you over Sayori... And I.. Yuri.. Just.. Don't go anywhere.."

Natsuki practically threw herself at Yuri's chest, gripping onto Yuri's school blazer. Her head was resting right on Yuri's... Er... Melons. Her hands were grasping the sides of Yuri's blazer.

"I-I.. I-I'm not going anywhere.. W-Whats this about N-Natsuki?" Yuri, shocked, looked down at Natsuki. Yuri could only hold her hands up at her own sides.

"Just.. I-"

"Oh, hey guys!"

Yuri and Natsuki split apart immediately. Natsuki jumped backward, but when Yuri jumped back she ran into the support beam.

"Oh, Yuri, are you okay?" Monika asked.

Yuri rubbed the back of her head, feeling the pain in the back of her head and some in her back. Well, more back pain than usual.

"F-Fine.. Just.. What.. What are you doing here? Classes are starting soon aren't they?" Yuri asked, looking at Monika with pure confusion.

"Exactly. I was waiting for you as usual, but you never showed out of the crowd! I was making sure you were okay and.. Well.. I guess I caught you two having an affair huh?" Monika smirked a little.

"A-Affair?! Are you insane Monika?! We were NOT having an affair! I-I like someone anyway!" Natsuki balled her hands into fists, her face growing red.

"She likes someone..."

Yuri felt a knife in her heart. A big, sharp, shiny, and deadly knife. Right through her heart.

"Sayori won... She won.. I let her win.."

"Let's go to class Monika." Yuri's voice was suddenly monotone as she started walking to class. She hung her head a little, trying her best to keep her eyes looking in front of her.

She heard Monika say something to Natsuki, but she didn't care. She wasn't the one. It didn't matter anymore.

Leading up to club was a complete drag. Yuri was the last one there, which seemed to catch everyone's attention as usually she's one of the first. Even Sayori best her there.

"There you are! What happened Yuri? You're never late to club.." Sayori sprang out of her seat and placed herself at Yuri's side.

"I.. I just got mixed up on the way here.. Nothing major." Yuri replied, slowly walking to a desk in the back. She set her bag against the back wall and plopped down at the chair.

"But you're one of the upperclassmen aren't you? Well, at least a higher grade than Natsuki or me. How did you get lost?" Sayori was standing beside the desk.

"Natsuki... Of course you have to bring her up... You of all people too.. The one she chose over me."

"Look, just.. Just let me make us some tea okay?" Yuri stood up and grabbed the tea set from the closet.

"Sounds delightful Yuri!" Monika chimed in.

Yuri carried the kettle down to the bathroom water fountain. Once there, she threw the kettle at the brick walls of the restroom.

"Why... Why was it her..." Yuri said to herself, picking the kettle up once again and throwing it.

"It wasn't me.. I did all I could.. Yet.. Yet I still failed.." Yuri once again picked up the kettle, but this time threw it as far as she could down the hallway.

Yuri sat at the end of the girl's room's stalls, frantically pulling one of her pocket knives out of her blazer's inside pocket.

One cut.

Two cuts.

Four cuts.

Six cuts.

Ten cuts.

Fifteen.

Twenty.

Twenty-two.

"Yuri?"

A/N: so I accidentally made this nearly 2000 words but I hope you all enjoy! Please be safe during this.. I don't even know what to call it. Crazy life turn? Yeah, stay safe during this insane turn if events that's happening right now. Wash your hands and stay inside kiddos! Hope your quarantining is going good so far, and I love ya'll!❤