As summer heated up, so did school . They were uncomfortably close to finals now but the murdering heat made it difficult to concentrate during cla.s.s .

Over a week had pa.s.sed since that peculiar evening at the café . Urufu was absent the next Friday as well but at least this time Kuri-chan hadn't left in anger, which made Yukio feel at least a little better .

'We're growing closer by the day . All six of us are dropping the honorifics from time to time now . Just Kuri-chan (Kuri, Kuritina?) and Kyoko who stick to those between them . '

Yukio waved at Noriko as she left for the cafeteria and looked for where they sat . And calling her 'Noriko' wasn't an option . 'You made it clear I don't get to be that friendly with Ryu and leave you on the outside when it comes to dropping the honorifics . '

He could see them through the windows, and it should be bright enough for them to see him where he sat under the sails .

Ryu came after her, happily chatting with Kyoko while at the same time trying to juggle with the atrocities he had forced the vending machines to vomit out . He failed, and what looked suspiciously like a sub filled with yakisoba fell to the ground . Suspiciously, because the baker needed to suffer from a hangover to produce that… thing that subst.i.tuted for real bread . Whatever ailments the cook creating what pa.s.sed for yakisoba suffered from, that was something Yukio preferred not knowing .

Ryu picked up his wrapped… could it actually be called lunch? Yukio wasn't certain . There should have been laws against it .

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Kyoko laughed and caught up with Noriko just as she went through the cafeteria doors .

"Kuri and Urufu?" Ryu asked from where he stood wiping dirt from his… food .

Yukio sat down on one of the benches under the great sails . "Prep, just as I told them," he answered after he had opened up his bento . He scowled . "In the best of worlds both of them will even believe I spoke the truth when I said the club members wanted them prepared for our activities . "

"In the best of worlds they're snogging," Kyoko countered . That was a surprisingly blunt and improper statement coming from her but Yukio had seen her trying out a wilder side the last weeks . He liked it . She was more alive this way .

Noriko apparently wasn't as used to it as Yukio . At least not if he was to guess from the burst of tea that left her mouth .

"I stand corrected," he said . 'You can correct me any way you want . ' "Snogging, making out, kissing, whatever . As long as they spend some time alone, together . "

"I don't know about 'whatever'," Kyoko said . "That could be bad . " At least she had the decency to blush at that .

"What's bad about making babies?" Ryu suggested .

"Ryu! Idiot bro!"

"Ryu, really!"

"Man, that's awful!" Yukio exclaimed just as he realised that all three of them had reacted in the same way . "It's Urufu we're speaking about," Yukio needed a way to defuse the situation, "and knowing him they're probably actually preparing club activities . "

Those words seemed to work, but now the s.e.xual innuendo was replaced by a subdued silence of discomfort .

Kyoko was the first one to break it . "No!" she said . "I hate that! Kuri-chan loves him . She needs to feel loved back . "

Yukio looked at Kyoko . 'You really care that much for your friend . ' "I'll sneak a look . I left them by the pool . They had their bags open . "

Kyoko groaned but rose from her seat .

The four teenagers left their food by their seats and hugged the left wing wall . Slowly they reached for the corner from where they could see the pool .

"Shus.h.!.+"

"Don't pus.h.!.+"

"I can't see!"

Yukio peered around the corner . He could see Urufu and Kuri . They were snogging . And then some .

All four of them quickly withdrew their heads and looked at each other . Yukio watched three fl.u.s.tered faces and guessed he presented a fourth .

"I think we can take our lunch to the main school yard," he said .

"And tell our members that the president and vice president are currently otherwise occupied," Ryu filled in .

"With the last, ah, touches to their preparation of our activities," Noriko snorted pointedly .

"And snogging," Kyoko finished .

"Kyoko! Idiot girl!"

"Kyoko, really!"

"Man, that's awful!" Yukio laughed, not giving a d.a.m.n that Kyoko very much wasn't a man at all .