Yukino Yukinoshita, known as the Ice Cold Queen of Sobu, because of her genuinely usual cold and unfriendly demeanor. It was very rare to see her talk to someone casually.

People are aware of her because of her beauty and her stature, that of average height and build. While lacking in well-developed areas, her appearance and visage of her sleek black hair that spills over her shoulders and dips down all the way to her waist, her bright piercing blue eyes, and her fair skin has given most models a run for their money to some degree.

She's prideful, smart, and talented. What more could you ask from a girl?

However, what dissuades people from attempting to make friends with her is her usual unfriendly attitude, and the way she's often blunt and to the point when speaking, especially to point out the flaws of people, she's often perceived as someone haughty. But then again, that's the prideful aspect of her. Though the current students in class 2-J were perplexed. The lone Ice Queen was currently seen talking casually with the most recent transfer student, Y/N L/N. Such a charming, good looking, brown-haired teen had easily been able to initiate a conversation with the Yukinoshita girl, others who would have a difficult time doing so.

There's a reason behind this. Years ago, both Y/N's and Yukino's fathers had gone to the same high school and eventually the same university. The two were good acquaintances, becoming friends in their last year of university. They would soon eventually work together in some political aspects, Y/N's father endorsing and becoming a sponsor for Yukino's father during the election to get on the Chiba prefectural assembly, and Yukino's father would then promote the business in turn. Because of this little partnership, they would eventually hold little get-togethers and even dinner parties, mainly just to catch up. And it was at these get-togethers and dinner parties where the young Y/N L/N would end up meeting Yukino Yukinoshita.

But still... Who would've thought that they'd meet each other again? In the same high school, no less.

---

"It's quite strange, really. I didn't think you'd come back," Yukino remarked.

"Oh? And pray tell, why did you think I wouldn't come back to Chiba?"

Yukino flipped a page in her book. "Simple, really. Because you have a career path set up for you, don't you?"

Y/N rolled his eyes. "Oh, that. I suppose it has been laid out for me, but that doesn't mean I can't ever come back here."

"Well, I can only think of a few reasons why you'd come back here. Home sick, perhaps? Loneliness while abroad?"

"You could say that."

"Hmm... So, even you are capable of loneliness."

"Anyone is capable of loneliness, Yukinoshita-san," Y/N replied briskly, going back to his book again. "However, there are different types of loneliness, you could say. Some even tend to enjoy basking in it."

She raised her eyebrows, "Oh? And are you implying to me that you are the type to enjoy basking in loneliness? If so, then it wouldn't have made sense to come crawling back here."

"I didn't say that."

"Then why did you come back? I know it's not to come see me again. Aside from your mother, I doubt you have anyone else you care about here."

Y/N sighed. "I can see that you're still the same as ever, Yukinoshita-san."

"It's quite rude to assume that I haven't changed at all, L/N-kun," Yukino snapped. She flipped another page in her novel. "Then, how do you define change in a person? Perhaps it's—"

"Stop." Y/N pinched the bridge of his nose. "With the way you're talking, it seems to me that you haven't made a single friend at all and really stuck to yourself all these years."

At this point, Yukino finally shut her book with a relatively loud sound to it. It was enough to shut up the small chatter people were having and peered their heads over to them. With a somewhat annoyed gaze, the black-haired beauty looked to the brown-haired teen and set her book down, crossing her arms, first flipping her hair a little with her hand.

"Do you intend to say to me that I haven't made a single friend at all? You disappoint me, L/N-kun. To assume as much."

Y/N turned his head toward her and raised his eyebrows.

"Well? Did you make a single friend at all after I left?" Y/N asked.

"Hmm. Let's see. Define 'friend'—"

Y/N interrupts her with a sigh, "Yep, that sentence tells me all that I needed to hear. You haven't made a friend at all, have you?"

Yukino was quiet for a moment. She then looked away. She then whispered something very quietly. Because Y/N couldn't hear, he leaned a little bit over and cupped his ear in order to hear her again.

"What was that? You gotta speak louder."

She says it again, a little bit louder, but he still couldn't hear it. He grunts in annoyance.

"Again, you have to speak louder than that."

"...Yuigahama-san."

"..."

This time, it was Yukino who looked at him in annoyance. "Why are you staying silent?"

Y/N's eyes were slightly wide. "W-Well... I never thought that a person like you would make friends. Especially with how you were during dinner parties."

"Well, there, now you know that I do have a friend. Don't tell me that you don't have one yourself."

"You underestimate me, Yukinoshita-san," Y/N says with a low laugh. "In fact, a friend that I've known since I was young goes to the school."

"Tsk. Must you always turn things into a competition?" Yukino muttered, although Y/N heard her.

He deadpanned at her. "It's not my fault that you hate losing."

She opens her book up again. "Well, as much as I'd like to continue this chatter, class will be beginning soon. I suppose it was nice to see you again."

Y/N chuckles. "I suppose I can't say 'likewise', but I guess it is nice to see you again, Yukinoshita-san."

"Better you than that boy with eyes dead like a fish."

'I can see that you've already made enemies,' he thought, sweat dropping.

---

With his first class done and getting his introduction over with, the day proceeded onward. He wondered, what were the odds he'd get to see the famed Yukino Yukinoshita again.

She was quite renowned for that ice cold attitude she's always had, an attitude he'd always witness at dinner parties. And he wasn't surprised to see that she had retained that sort of attitude today. The only thing that did surprise him was the fact that she made a friend. Granted, they weren't really friends, just merely acquaintances that were on good terms because their families knew each other, but they never went as far as to say they were buddy-buddy with each other. But even though it was a surprise to see her again, and find out that she made a friend, he did find the little interaction quite swell. Honestly, it was that type of banter and talks that he missed about those dinner parties. Y/N didn't really congregate with others his age during those little events, but he could tell he did hold a small kindred bond with the Yukinoshita girl during those times. He couldn't say much that he held a bond with Yukino's elder sister, but it was nice to know that there was someone to talk to during those times.

At the moment, it was lunch time. Whipping out his phone, he sees his newest notification on his phone was a message from Yumiko. He read it, saying that she wished to meet with him onto the roof so they could have their lunch there.

He felt his heart skip a beat, knowing that he was about to have some alone time with his crush brought a great deal of joy within him. But of course, he couldn't necessarily work up the courage and tell her right then and there. If he were to think about it, it would be best to rekindle a bit more and hang out, deepen the bond again and then confess. That was the plan in his head at the moment.

In the midst of his own thoughts, unbeknownst to him, a certain orange-haired girl had bumped into him. The two of them let out surprised gasps, the orange-haired girl falling onto the floor onto her rear while they both dropped their bentos. Grunting to himself and rubbing his shoulder, where the girl had bumped into him, he opened his eyes and looked down at her. The girl in question had one eye close, rubbing her hind due to the fall, and looking quite disheveled a little. He wasn't going to lie, she looked cute. She had fair skin, her orange hair down to the bottom of her neck and put into a loose side bun, with peach-reddish eyes to accompany her appearance. Her uniform also seemed to follow the "cute" aesthetic, not following the school's dress code at all. While still wearing the school's black blazer, her white collared blouse had the top buttons undone, and she didn't seem to wear the red tie that would usually accompany the female uniforms.

"Owiee..." The girl mumbled.

Y/N knocked himself out of his stare and extended his hand out to her, "Oh, sorry. Was stuck in my thoughts that I didn't know where I was going."

"O-Oh...! I-It's alright," the girl stuttered, taking Y/N's hand. As soon as she stood up, she gasped and grabbed her bento and took off. "Ah...! I forgot! Yukinon's waiting for me!"

"H-Hey, wait! I didn't catch your—" He wasn't able to finish as she had already sped off. "...What a weird girl. ...Huh?"

His phone vibrated, signaling that he had another notification pop up.

It was Yumiko. Obviously. She had sent him quite the aggravated message, telling him to "hurry his ass up here," which was what the message entailed. Y/N couldn't help but chuckle.

"Alright, alright. I'm coming, 'Your Majesty,'" he says, typing a response in. A notification rang again as he received another message from her, which resulted in another laugh from him. "I'm coming, I'm coming."

---

Yumiko stretched and let out a relieved sound. "Ahh.~ That was good."

Y/N chortled to himself. "Enjoy yourself there, 'Princess'?"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" She looks at him annoyed, crossing her arms. "What are you implying?"

"You seemed to have a good time eating my own lunch that you barely touched your own. Heck, I had to eat it."

She blushed a little, "W-Well, I can't help it...! The way your lunches are prepared are so delicious... Of course I can't help but be a little jealous..."

"Then why don't you learn the skills to cook? And can prove useful for you in the future."

"Out of the question," she instantly refuted.

He deadpanned, "Seriously? Is the excuse of, 'I don't want to get my nails damaged' still going on for you?"

"No, because it is a hassle. Of course it'll damage my nails!"

"Now I wonder if you'll ever get far in life." Y/N groaned.

"What's that supposed to mean, you jerk?"

"Ow! Hey, you didn't have to punch me!"

"Then watch what you say!" Yumiko retorts.

The two of them had just finished having their lunches on the roof.

Although Yumiko ate a majority of Y/N's lunch, the brown-haired boy resorted to eating the lunch that she didn't eat. But he didn't mind. He's eaten the lunch sandwiches that Yumiko's mother had prepared and he quite enjoyed them. In fact, he could tell that they were made with a mother's love. It wasn't very often that his own lunch was made by his mother, considering that it is usually made by the servants and the butlers or she'd leave early in the morning to head to work. Yumiko's mother always acted like a second mother to him, something he was grateful for.

But now that the two were finished, they seated themselves over by the metal railing at the edge. Leaning their backs against the somewhat cold railing, the wind blowing in from behind, they were having a leisure chat. As they talked, Y/N would listen to her intently. The way she smiles whenever she talked about something she enjoyed, he was mesmerized by that feature of hers. Her smile is what he loved about her the most, but even that pompous nature of hers is something he admired too.

Yumiko noticed Y/N's intent gaze, the slight smile he had on his face as he was listening to her. Putting on a curious look, she poked him. It made him hum in surprise and look at her with raised eyebrows.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Yumiko asked. "It's kind of creepy."

Y/N scoffed, but not in a rude way. "Sheesh! You're so rude." But he scratched his cheek. "Well, I guess it's to say that it is great to hear your voice again. We really had no contact whatsoever when we separated. I nearly forgot the sound of your voice. It was just... Nice to hear it again."

The blonde girl wasn't expecting that to be his answer. It caught her off guard that a slight blush made it to her face. Twirling her chest-length curls with her index finger, she looked away, an almost shy expression on her face as her speech began to stutter. Something that usually never happened. Not often, at least.

"Wh-What the hell? Why is that your answer?"

Y/N grew a teasing grin. "Oh? What? Don't tell me you're embarrassed."

She crossed her arms and huffed. "Sh-Shut up! I-In fact, you should be glad you should be listening to my voice! Of course it would be nice to hear! I mean, have you seen me at karaoke?"

"Haha, right. I forgot that you have a beautiful singing voice, too."

"Be quiet already..." She dove her face into her arms, her knees brought up to her chest.

"Sorry, sorry," Y/N laughed. "It's just... It's been a while since I had a hearty talk like this. Especially with a friend."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Yumiko had raised her head up and looked at him with a questioning gaze. "Didn't you have friends back in your previous school?"

Y/N scratched the back of his neck. "Well... Not a lot. I wasn't exactly buddy-buddy with all the students there. And I certainly wasn't popular there, either."

"...You want to talk about it?"

"Not really," he said with a sigh. "I don't really want to remember that place. I'd rather just leave it behind. Especially since I can get a fresh start here."

Yumiko was silent for a while. That didn't sound like the Y/N she remembered.

For as long as she could remember, Y/N was a bit of a popular kid when they were in grade school together. Not only that, he was generally social and was quite friendly with everyone, so it was easy for him to make friends. So to hear that he barely didn't make any friends at the school overseas was quite the surprise for her. It didn't help that the current expression on his face was a little depressing.

Like before, his eyes were dull. And although he held a smile on his face, it was fake. Nothing more but a facade just to be displayed to show that nothing was wrong. She was able to deduce this because she's been his friend for so long, especially since they were children. But because of that great gap, he had changed. He was... A different person, almost.

With a bit of a small sigh, she soon ended up resting her head onto his shoulder. Y/N didn't look at her, but he relaxed a little and adjusted himself, to make sure that she was comfortable.

"What brought this on?" He asked her.

"Just be quiet and let me have this," she snapped. But she was smiling a little. "The last time we did this was when we were in grade school."

"...That was a long time ago, huh?"

"Yeah. ...Can you play that one song? You know, the one you introduced me to?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure."

Taking out his phone from his pocket with his right hand, he goes to his playlist and began to scroll through the song list. A little bit later, he finds it and taps on it, the song taking a second to actually register the request before playing it.

If all our life is but a dream, fantastic posing greed
Then we should feed our jewelry to the sea
For diamonds do appear to be
Just like broken glass to me
And then she said she can't believe
Genius only comes along in storms of fabled foreign tongues
Tripping eyes and flooded lungs
Northern downpour sends its love

Hey moon, please forget to fall down
Hey moon, don't you go down
Sugarcane in the easy morning
Weathervanes my one and lonely

The ink is running toward the page, it's chasing off the days
Look back at the boat and that winding knee
I missed your skin when you were east
You clicked your heels and wished for me
Through playful lips made of yarn, that fragile Capricorn
Unraveled words like moths upon old scarves
I know the world's a broken bone
But melt your headaches, call it home

Hey moon, please forget to fall down
Hey moon, don't you go down
Sugarcane in the easy morning
Weathervanes my one and lonely

Sugarcane in the easy morning
Weathervanes my one and lonely
Sugarcanes in the easy morning
Weathervanes my one and lonely
Sugarcanes in the easy morning (Hey moon, hey moon...)
Weathervanes my one and lonely (Hey moon, hey moon...)
Sugarcanes in the easy morning (Hey moon, hey moon...)
Weathervanes my one and lonely (Hey moon, hey moon...)

Sugarcane in the easy morning
(Hey moon, please forget to fall down)
Weathervanes my one and lonely
(Hey moon, don't you go down)
Sugarcane in the easy morning
(You are at the top of my lungs)
Weathervanes my one and lonely
(Drawn to the ones who never yawn)

(Sugarcane in the easy morning)
You are at the top of my lungs
(Weathervanes my one and lonely)
Drawn to the ones who never yawn

(A/N): Song - Northern Downpour by Panic! At the Disco

The two would hum and sing along from time to time as the song played. Once it ended, Yumiko let out a content sigh, that smile beginning to become a soft one.

"That's a good song," she mused.

"Yeah... Not bad for a pretty somber one," he remarked.

"I guess. But I love the way the instruments come together. Gives almost a calming aura and atmosphere, you know?"

Y/N laughed a little. "When did you get all deep?" This earned a light punch to the shoulder from her. He simply laughed again. "Yeah, I know what you mean. It's a good song."

[Chapter Five] | Lunch Chat

---

So? How is it so far?

I did plan to include music in this story, but probably not put in lyrics. I then realized that I can increase the word count because of that, so that's a good excuse, lol. But there are specific reasons as to why I choose certain songs.

While, yes, these are songs that I like, there are certain meanings and messages behind them, those being the biggest reasons why as I mentioned them. I suggest you give them a listen, and let me know if you like them. I personally love the songs that I mention in this book, so I do really hope you enjoy them.

In any case, let me know what you guys think so far and I hope you enjoyed it. Until the next one.

Oh, and by the way, for any of you wondering what Eleanor looks like (Y/N's mother), I am using the appearance of Morgan Le Fay from Fate/Grand Order. For her first appearance in last chapter looks a little something like this.

Anyway, until then!