Rooftop Repose
Theme https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kF9d99qRVs
"There you are! You could've at least texted me if you were going to sneak off on your own!"
Nene steps out onto Shiketsu's roof, her expression filled with a mix of worry and relief as she approaches a certain recovering delinquent. There, with her head cushioned by her bag and her limbs spread out, Yui lies down while staring at the sky. Her eyes only move to acknowledge her new company when a shadow is cast over her and Nene's form blocks the view.
The catgirl looms over her with a slightly annoyed expression, her tail swishing as she waits for a response.
"Sorry. Phone's off. Didn't think it mattered."
"Of course it matters! With everything that's going on, the last I want is something to happen to you."
"Said sorry, didn't I? Did ya need something or just felt like nagging me?"
Yui averts her gaze as she picks herself up and stretches. Doing nothing but lying down had gotten her a bit stiff and, if she was being honest, she was trying to buy time before she had to deal with Nene. Unfortunately for her, the sudden feeling of softness and warmth enveloping her as Nene hugs the delinquent from behind signifies that her time is up.
"Do I need a reason to see you? Sometimes a curious cat just wants to check up on her friends. Besides, it is White Day~"
A box of chocolates finds its way into Yui's hands as Nene rests her head on the other girl's shoulder. Yui doesn't respond. Instead, she looks at the chocolates slightly bewildered as she struggles to come up with words. She hadn't exactly forgotten what day it was. That was almost impossible for her. She had hoped that everyone else did forget, but Nene hadn't let the doom and gloom infesting the school distract her from something so important. If anything, it had never been more important to keep things light.
"Right, uh, thanks and stuff."
Although Yui tries to hide it, her clear discomfort doesn't go unnoticed by the catgirl. It wasn't like some sudden shyness or even feigned anger wasn't expected — that much was a normal response from her. However, this felt different. Rather than her face lighting up to match the color of her threads, the delinquent looked pale as a ghost. Without letting Yui free of her grasp, Nene repositions herself so that the two are face-to-face.
"What's wrong?"
"I just-"
"I'm not letting you go until you tell me, and you're a terrible liar, so you should just cough it up. Unless you want to stay with me like this~"
Nene snuggles in closer to Yui while letting out a purr, earning the usual blushing and groaning as the delinquent accepts that she's not getting out of this easily.
"Okay, okay! I get it. I just...I know I'm being an idiot, but I can't help it."
"That's exactly why we need to talk it out."
"I know. I just need a minute to think."
Yui's "minute" goes on for a fair bit longer as she gathers her thoughts. She makes several attempts to speak only to choke her words and get frustrated with herself each time. Eventually, she lets out a sigh and finally arranges the words she wants into something acceptable to her.
"Do you think I should leave?"
"Yui..."
"I know. It's dumb. It's just— Everything's going wrong n' I got this feeling it ain't getting better anytime soon. Bunch a other kids are talking about pulling out and I doubt anyone would n-"
Nene brings her hands to the sides of Yui's head, squishing her face together to keep her from talking. She stares at Yui with eyes full of concern as she studies her.
"Do you want to leave?"
Without even needing to consider the question, Yui shakes her head. How could she? She'd let herself get too tangled up to just run away.
"Then why are you even asking? 2-D is already looking pretty drab and you know I don't want you going anywhere~"
She smiles and frees the delinquent's cheeks so that she can speak. Yui huffs and rolls her eyes. It was almost annoying the good Nene had gotten at shutting her down, but she was thankful.
"Yeah, you've made that clear. I guess I just needed to hear you say it."
"Mmm~ You know exactly what a girl wants to hear, but that doesn't answer my question. It doesn't feel like it's just recent events that have you down."
"Uh, this gonna sound dumb, but the timing of everything just feels weird."
"It has been a bit of a mood killer for the holiday, but I didn't think you'd get worked up over that. Last year you acted like you hated it."
"I— It's not like that. It's just not a great time for me."
"And that's because~?"
Yui clams up again and looks back up at the sky as she awkwardly rubs her neck. It was already embarrassing that she was feeling shaken up over a coincidence. More than that, it made her feel dirty for making everything about herself, but she couldn't just stop feeling some way about it. She glances at Nene uneasily and sucks a breath in through clenched teeth before finally relenting.
"Maybe it wouldn't bother me so much if it happened any other year. I mean, it would bother me, but not like this. Not like I planned anything special. Just got it in my head that maybe things would work out differently than usual. Couldn't get much worse than this, though. Usually, I'd get some cake and screw around, but right now I think I'd puke."
"I get it. I wanted today to be special too, but it'd feel a little weird to pretend everything's fine, huh?"
"Yeah, I'd have to be a real jerk."
"But it's not a reason to beat yourself up. It's OK to feel disappointed."
"Maybe. I'm not really the spiritual type or whatever, but I can't help thinkin' it's a bad sign. It just— It feels shitty for everything to come crashin' down around your birthday."
"Things might not be great right now, but that just means we have to work a little to make them better. We can still— Wait, birthday!?"
Nene's tail stands straight up and her eyes widen in shock. She practically pounces at Yui as she grabs the delinquent's hand and starts dragging her towards the stairs. They only get halfway in the door before Yui yanks herself free, prompting Nene to spin around and shoot her a glare.
"Hey, what gives?"
"I'm not going to let you spend your birthday moping around. It shouldn't be too hard to get some people together after school, but this is super short notice. You should've told me before! Like way before!"
"Wait wait, slow down. You don't gotta babysit me just because I'm feelin' a little moody. And I was gonna tell you...things just didn't work out."
"Well, we have to do something. That's two things we need to celebrate."
"It's not a big deal. Er, my birthday I mean. No reason to get everyone else involved. We, uh, we can do the other one if you want."
"Of course it's a big deal!
The catgirl's tail starts to swish furiously and she crosses her arms. Yui struggles to make sense of the expression on her face. All she can do is awkwardly fidget until Nene lets out a long sigh, letting her know that she screwed up.
"Don't you want to?"
"Y-Yeah, I do. Didn't mean to make it sound like I didn't care. Just didn't want it all to be about me, ya know?"
"I can't believe my precious Yui-chan is still this dense...I don't want to be lonely today when I could be with you instead. I think both of us could use the distraction."
"Right. Yeah, that makes sense."
Having received sufficient assurance, Yui takes the initiative and grabs Nene's hand. The catgirl happily wraps herself around Yui's arm and the pair make their way towards the stairs again. At least until the delinquent stops, earning a look from Nene. Before she can question whether her partner's gotten cold feet, a bundle of thread shoots out of Yui's free hand and pulls her forgotten bag onto her shoulder.
"Jeez, I thought you were going to make me beg you to come."
"Ugh. I'm not that bad...right?"
"Don't worry about it~ I don't mind convincing you~"
"A-Anyway, you got anything in mind or are we just wingin' it?"
"Mmm~ I have some ideas, but it's your birthday. We can do whatever you feel like."
"Uh, I trust you. Besides, this is for you too."
"Great~! School's almost done, so I'll get ready while you talk with Rosethorn."
"Do I gotta? Getting chewed out for skipping class ain't exactly the sorta present I was hoping for."
"She's probably just as worried about you as I was. Besides, I should have some cake to share by the time you're done~"