Yumi woke up to the sound of her alarm. “Ahh, I’m going to be late..”. She got out of bed, ran to the bathroom and got ready for school.

 

“Ohayou onee-chan” She greeted her sister.

 

“Yumi, you’re late”

 

“Gomen gomen, I set my alarm a little late”

 

“Ahh, I see.. hurry up, Ryu-chan is waiting for you”

 

“Ehh? Why?” Yumi asked with a surprised tone.

 

“I don’t know go and ask him, I have to go too. Inoo-kun will be here any minute” Risa said as she blushed.

 

“Okay, ittekimasu~!” Yumi said as she walked out the door.

 

It was the first day back to school after spring break for everyone and it has only been a week since the Sasaki girls found love. Yumi wondered why her boyfriend would be waiting for her in front of their house when they both have to go to school.

 

 

Leaning on the front gate was Ryutaro, all dressed and ready for school. She had never seen him in a uniform before, so she was surprised. He was good looking even in a uniform. He looked like one of those charming boys like from the school themed mangas that she read. The ones that seemed cold but were popular to everyone else, however always caring and kind to the one he loves. Yumi always longed for a person like him.

 

 

“Ah, the sleeping beauty finally woke up” He teased as soon as he saw his girlfriend.

 

“Be quiet~!” Yumi said as she pushed Ryutaro gently, then walked off.

 

“Ittaaai” He shouted as he held onto his arm.

 

“Ehh?! Are you okay? Are you hurt? Gomenn~ I was only playing.. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Let me see!” Yumi said as she tugged on her boyfriends arm to see if he was alright.

 

“Gotcha~!” Ryutaro said with a smile as he hugged her tightly. “I was only faking it~”

 

“Don’t joke around like that” she shouted as she kept walking

 

“If I didn’t do that, how could I hug you freely?” Ryutaro said with a smile on his face

 

Yumi gave up and hugged him as they continued walking.

 

“Ne~ what are you doing here?” She asked curiously

 

“Walking my princess to school” He said happily

 

“huh? Isn’t your school in the opposite direction?”

 

“Nope, I transferred to the Senior Campus of your school”

 

“Ohh, that means you’ll be in the same school as Onee-chan~”

 

“And we’ll be in the same school next year when you’re a high school student”

 

“Hey, you two love birds are still walking so slowly? You’ll be late for the first day back at school after spring break” Said a familiar voice as he ran ahead. “Nii-chan, why are you dating this shortie?”

 

“Oi! Shintaro!” Ryutaro shouted at his little brother as he ran after him and playfully punched him.

 

“Shintaro is transferring too?” Yumi asked

 

“Yeah” Ryutaro replied and let his guard down on Shintaro who pushed his older brother away and ran off.

 

“Ittekimasu!” He said as he ran off.

 

Soon they arrived in front of Yumi’s school and sadly had to part.

 

“I’ll pick you up after school” Ryutaro said as he ruffled Yumi’s hair

 

“Haaai~”

 

“Jaa ne, have a good day at school” said Ryutaro as he leaned in and kissed Yumi’s forehead then walked to his own school.

 

Yumi blushed as she walked into her school and to her classroom.

 

Her class was lively as ever. Everyone was loud and noisy. As she walked to her seat, she noticed someone sitting in her usual seat, a boy, with his head resting on the table and his face covered by his arms.

 

“Uhmmm… exuse me..” she stared, but there was no answer or even a little reaction. “Excuse me, you’re in my seat..” she continued.

 

The boy lifted his head and looked at her.

 

“SHINTARO?!” Yumi yelled

 

It took a while for Shintaro to realise who the girl he thought was annoying for disturbing him was, but when he did, he jumped out of his seat in shock too.

 

“CHIBI?! What are you doing here?!” Shintaro pointed

 

Although Shintaro and Yumi were neighbours, they knew nothing about each other besides the fact that Shintaro is Ryutaro’s brother and Yumi is Ryutaro’s girlfriend. They didn't even know each other's exact age. Shintaro thought Yumi was the same age as his brother even though her appearance seemed to be younger than him, and Yumi thought Shintaro was in the year above her. Both of them never expected to be in the same class.

 

The whole class was now staring at them. They were both shocked and didn't know what to do, so they just froze. 

 

"This is my class..." Yumi answered 

 

"Do you know each other?" asked Keigo curiously

 

"Yeah" answered Shintaro

 

"Oh, we were just about to introduce Shintaro to you, Yumi... guess we don't have to anymore" added Juri

 

"Hmmm, how to you guys know him..?" 

 

"We play soccer together" said Yugo as he put an arm on shintaro's shoulder

 

"How did you know Yumi, Shintaro?" asked Hokuto

 

"She's my neighbour... and my brother's girlfriend" he answered bluntly

 

"GIRLFRIEND ?!" they all yelled. 

 

"Yumi... has a boyfriend ?" said Jesse with a shocked expression on his face which then turned into a disappointed one.

 

"When was this Yumi-chan?" asked Yumi's best friend, Maiyu. 

 

"Ahh, during spring break!" 

 

"Spring break..." Jesse mumbled to himself

 

"Hey, wasn't that when you were going to confess?" Juri whispered to Jesse

 

"Shut up" Jesse said as he pushed Juri and made his way to his seat.

 

Jesse separated himself from the group for the rest of the day. Most of them knew why Jesse became down. All except for Yumi, who was entirely clueless of his feelings and Shintaro who was the newbie. 

 

"Ne~ what's wrong with Jesse today?" Yumi asked cluelessly.

 

"You really don't know do you" Juri said quietly whilst everyone else looked down.

 

"I don't know either! What's going on?!" blurted Shintaro.

 

The boys all stood up and pulled Shintaro to the side to explain to him what was happening.

 

"Hey, what's going on? I don't get it" said Shintaro.

 

"You know when we went to eat after soccer, and we told you Jesse liked someone from our school...?" Hokuto started.

 

"Yeah, you guys said she was really pretty and a really nice person right?" 

 

"Yeah, well she's in our class" Taiga added.

 

"Eh? who is it? Rika? Minori? Karin? They’re quite pretty... but hold on, why is he sad?" asked Shintaro, confused about what was really going on.

 

"Well, the girl he likes.. got a boyfriend when he was meant to confess to her" Hokuto continued.

 

"Oh that's harsh"        

 

"Yup, and the worst part is, the girl he likes is going out with his friend's brother" said Juri.

 

"Ohhh.. double ouch..." said Shintaro.

                                                            

Silence was all that was heard among the group of young boys. 

 

"Hold on....... don't tell me..... HE LIKES THE CHIBI?!" Shintaro exclaimed as the boys tried to cover his mouth. 

 

"oh my....." He said in shock

 

“Chibi? She’s not that short…” said Keigo in disagreement.

 

“And you’ve got to admit she’s pretty” added Juri as Hokuto nodded.

 

“She’s my brother’s girlfriend. I’m not going to say she’s pretty cause that’s just weird.” Said Shintaro.

 

“Oh come on, she’s the prettiest in our class. All the boys think so” said Keigo

 

“I think her sister is prettier” added Taiga.

 

“She is she is. They’re both pretty. I wonder what they’re mother looks like. No body has ever met Sasaki’s mother before. Not even Maiyu” said Yugo whilst they all nodded in agreement to his statement.

 

“That’s because their mother passed away when they were children” Shintaro said bluntly.

 

“EHH?” they all yelled in sync.

 

“I feel bad for Jesse..” said Shintaro.

 

The boys nodded in agreement. After they had finished their chat, they walked back to where the girls were and sat back down. Jesse, of course, was still sitting alone in deep thought. 

 

Jesse had fallen for Yumi during their second year of middle school. Jesse only transferred to their school during the second year, and on his first day, he got lost on his way to school. Luckily he stopped in front of Yumi's house. And at that exact same time, Yumi was getting ready for school too. When Yumi walked out of her house, she noticed a boy who looked completely lost, wearing her school's uniform. She offered help and they walked to school together. 

 

After that, they found out they were in the same class and have been friends since then. 

 

"Where'd you guy go?" asked Maiyu

 

"We...went to the taps for a drink and talked for a bit" said Keigo

 

"Oh, what’d you talk about?" asked Yumi curiously.

 

"Aahh... it was about soccer" Yugo replied.                             

 

The conversations within the group became awkward after a while. Yumi could not stop wondering what was bothering Jesse so much that he had to isolate himself from everyone else and also avoiding her.

 

The bell for home time soon rang. Everyone packed up their things and bid their farewells for the day. 

 

Jesse and Yumi were the only ones left in the classroom still packing up their things. 

 

"Ne, Jesse~" she started.

 

Jesse stood up from his seat, turned around and focused his attention to the one talking to him. 

 

"Are you-" Yumi continued but was distracted by a text message that she just received. 

 

(Text message)

I'm waiting for you 

Hurry up and come out here 

                               -Ryutaro

 

Still focusing his attention on her, Jesse saw Yumi smile to herself as she read the text. Without seeing who the text was from, he could already guess. He could feel his heart ache. 

 

"I have to go now, jaa ne~" Yumi said without finishing what she was saying previously and walked out of the classroom. 

 

Jesse then slouched back into his seat and looked out the window as he let out a sigh. Unfortunately, he was able to see the front gate from where he was sitting and saw something he didn't want to. And that was seeing Yumi happily get picked up by her boyfriend at the school gates. 

 

"Gomen~ have you been waiting long?" Yumi asked.

 

"Only about an hour" Ryutaro responded whilst looking at his watch with a grin on his face.

 

"Gomen Gomen ~" Yumi said feeling really guilty.

 

"It's okay… I was joking" Ryutaro said as he pulled her in for a hug then leaned down to kiss her. 

 

Jesse watched from afar. His heart hurt even more. Watching the girl he loves happily with his friend's brother was surely painful. He kept watching as the couple walked off happily holding hands. 

 

On the way home, Ryutaro and Yumi did not let go of each other’s hands. They walked as slowly as they could to be able to spend time with each other without the disturbance of their families.

 

“Ne~ did you miss me today?” Yumi asked as she smiled cutely.

 

“Hmm….”

 

Yumi’s smile disappeared as she let go of Ryutaro’s hand.

 

“I missed you very much. So much that I couldn’t even concentrate in class” Ryutaro said after looking over at Yumi, who was pouting. Yumi’s pout turned into a smile.

 

Ryutaro turned and wrapped his arms around Yumi. She did the same back to him.

 

After a while, they finally reached the front gate of their houses. And it was sadly time for them to part for the night.

 

“Goodnight Ryu” Yumi mumbled

 

“I hate this. Let’s go for another round!” Ryutaro said as he started to walk. Yumi stopped him.

 

“Our families are waiting for us. I have to go now..” Yumi said as she pouted.

 

“Yumi! Is that you?” said Risa from inside the house.

 

“Haiii~ I’ll be in soon” She responded.

 

“See? I have to go now.. goodnight~” Yumi said, as she kissed Ryutaro on the cheek.

 

“Alright, goodnight” He said with a smile as Yumi opened the gate. Ryutaro pulled Yumi back by the arm and kissed her right on the lips.

 

At that same moment, Shintaro walked out and was about to put out the trash, but he saw what was going on so hid behind a bush instead. He grinned to himself as he pulled out his phone and took a photo of the two, then went back inside like nothing happened.

 

“I love you” Ryutaro said as pulled away and ended the kiss.                                                  

 

“I love you too” Yumi said with a smile as the gate to her house.

 

“Have a good night”

 

“You too” She said as she waved then walked into the house.

 

Ryutaro watched as she walked in, then sighed. He then went to open the gate to his own house but unfortunately it was locked.

 

“Oi! Shintaro! Why’d you lock the gate?!” He yelled as his little brother came running out

 

“Your fault for coming home late” Shintaro said as he opened the gate. Ryutaro walked in and took his shoes off while Shintaro was closing the gate. To his surprise he saw someone familiar standing on the other side of their small street, looking up at the house next door then sighing to himself.

 

“Jesse?”

 

“Oh, Shintaro…” Jesse said quietly        

 

“What are you doing here…..?” Shintaro asked, confused.

 

“I….um…..” Jesse replied nervously as he looked down then looked back up at what he was previously staring at.

 

Shintaro followed Jesse’s gaze which turned out to be Yumi’s window and through the window, they were able to see Yumi, who was studying, clearly.

“Oh…” Shintaro said.

 

“I was picking up something for my mum… I was on my way back..” explained Jesse.

 

“Do you.. live around here or something?” Shintaro curiously asked.

 

“Yeah, I live around the corner” Jesse explained.

 

“Oh, we could walk to school together from now. I don’t want to walk with that chibi and my brother everyday. They’re always holding hands and saying stuff like I love-“ Shintaro blurted then stoped as he realised he was saying too much. “Do you want to come in and hang out for a bit?”

 

“Ah.. sure”

 

They both walked into the house and took their shoes off.

 

“Ah. MAMA~! NII-CHAN BROUGHT IN A STRANGER!” Natsune screamed as she ran to her mother who was in the kitchen.

 

“Eh? Who’s this?” asked Shintaro’s mother, Umi.

 

“This is Lewis Jesse, he’s a friend from soccer and from school”

 

“Hello, I’m Jesse. Sorry for intruding” Jesse said as he bowed respectfully.

 

“Hello dear. Make yourself at home~”

 

“We’re watching baseball..” said Shintaro leading Jesse to the couch “Natsune, move over”

 

“Ryu, have you finished getting changed? We have guests~” said Umi.

 

“Hello ~!” said a familiar voice

 

“Risa-nee-chan~! Yumi-nee-chan~!” exclaimed Natsuane as she ran to the Sasaki sisters.

 

“Yumi…?” Ryutaro said as he walked down the stairs and realised his girlfriend standing in the kitchen.

 

“Onee-chan made mochi, so I thought we should bring some over to share~” Yumi said happily.

 

Both Jesse and Shintaro stood up like everyone else did. Shintaro kept on looking at Jesse who was looking at Yumi with an unpleasant expression on his face.

 

“Eh? Jesse?” Yumi said, surprised as soon as she realised he was standing there.

 

"Yumi-nee-chan knows this stranger too?" asked Natsune sweetly. "Un, he's in my class and one of my good friends"  "Eh ?! You and Shintaro are in the same class?" asked Umi, surprised. "We only found out today too.." said Shintaro.  "Hmm, Let's have dinner now ~!" said Umi cheerfully to break the silence.  Everybody sat down at the table and was ready to have their meals.  "Itadakimasu~" Umi said as everybody else followed.  “Yummmmm~ as expected aunty's cooking is always the best !" Yumi cheerfully said. "Have some more then" ryutaro said soothingly as he put more food in her bowl. "Thankyou ~" she smiled. The two were showing their love to each other even at the dinner table. Umi and Risa were sure enjoying it, but Jesse on the other hand, who was sitting directly opposite them, felt uncomfortable while eating his meal.  The meal was finally over and every one was able to leave the table to do whatever they wanted.  Ryutaro took Yumi to his room and slightly closed the door behind him leaving a gap.  "Why'd you come? I thought you'd rather study than be with me" he said as he sat on his bed. "I missed you so I came.. why, do you not welcome me? Fine, I'll leave" Yumi said as she stood up from the bed and was about to leave. Ryutaro pulled her back beside him and kissed her. "I was only joking, why would I want you to leave" ryutaro said as he broke the kiss.  "I know, I was just teasing you~" Yumi as she returned his kiss.

 The only thing in their eyes right now, was each other. They never realized there was someone standing outside the door watching.  "Jesse what are you doing?" Shintaro asked as he walked out of his room to where Jesse was standing and could also see what Jesse could see.  Jesse's eyes were filled with pain and sadness. His fists tightened in anger and jealousy.  "Are you okay?" Shintaro said as he put one hand on Jesse's shoulder. "I'm sorry, I need to go home" Jesse said after a long pause and walked down stairs.  "Thankyou for the meal and for having me" He thanked politely before taking his leave.  "Eh? He's going already ?" said Umi. "Un, he...his mum is waiting for him" Shintaro responded whilst watching Jesse walk out the gate. 

“Yumi~!” Risa called from the Morimoto’s kitchen.

“Hai~” Yumi responded as she walked down the stairs.

“We better get going now, it’s getting late~ tou-chan will be home soon and will be worried”

“Eh? But we’re only next door~” Yumi whinned.

“Come on, you’ll see Ryu-chan in the morning”

“Hai~” she answered then turned to Ryutaro and pouted. “I have to go now”

“It’s okay” He said with a smile while patting her on the head “I’ll wait for you tomorrow morning and we’ll walk to school together okay?” 

“Okay ~” 

“Goodnight” Ryutaro said as he kissed her on the forehead. Yumi’s face immediately turned red.

“UWAAHHHH!!” everybody screamed.

“Nii-chan, do you have to do that stuff here?!” said Shintaro, annoyed.

“Why’d you have to do that here?” Yumi said to Ryutaro as she hit him lightly.

“There’s nothing to be shy of, they all know we’re going out”

“Goodnight everyone~” Risa said as she put her shoes on.

“Thankyou for the meal” Yumi smiled as she walked out the gate. 

“Ah~ seems like you really love Yumi” Umi said as she watched the girls enter their house. Ryutaro stayed quiet and just smiled.

“I was really wondering why you were making a big fuss about her until Dai-chan started talking to her. Honestly, you were very harsh on the poor girl, calling her troublemaker and all. Do you know how many times she cried?” 

“Of course he doesn’t, because onii-chan is a bakaaa~!” said Natsune, who was watching T.V.

“hmm… well that’s the past now. I will never make her cry again” said Ryutaro as he smiled.

“You better treasure her, cause you never know what will happen tomorrow” Shintaro warned.

The next morning, Ryutaro waited for Yumi as he said he would. Shintaro also waited with his brother. Yumi walked out of the house holding three bottles of chocolate milk and gave one to Ryutaro then one to Shintaro. 

“What’s this for?” Shintaro said.

“Baka, what else do you think it’s for? You drink it” Ryutaro replied.

“It’s just a treat” said Yumi.

“Should we go?” Ryutaro asked.

“Un~ let’s go” 

“You go first, I’m waiting for a friend” said Shintaro as he took a sip of his chocolate milk.

A few minutes later, Jesse walked by, also on his way to school.

“Jesse!” Shintaro called out “I was waiting for you”

“Oh, good morning” Jesse said with no energy.

“Woah.. what happened? You looking like you haven’t slept”

“I haven’t” Jesse said as he and shintaro continued to walk. 

“I won’t be able to pick you up today, because I have band practise with JUMP. Gomen ne” Said Ryutaro.

“Ah, it’s okay!” 

“I’ll come over when I’m home” he said as he patted Yumi’s head.

“Okay~” she smiled.

“Well, have a good day at school” Ryutaro said as the arrived at the gate.

“You too” she replied then kissed him on the cheek.

They parted ways and Yumi went into her school. As she walked into her classroom she thought it was unexpectedly quiet, but as soon as she sat in her seat everyone crowded around her.

“Yumi~ we saw him” said Maiyu.

“Eh? Who’s him?” 

“Your boyfriend who else” said Reika

“Ah~ he’s such an ikemen” said Nami

“Let me guess, a complete opposite to Shintaro?” said Juri.

“What did you say?” Shintaro said as he laughed. 

“Ah, talking about that, I hsve something to show everyone!” Shintaro said as he pulled out his phone. “Ta-da! “

“WAAAAHH!” Everybody screamed. It was the photo that Shintaro took of Ryutaro and Yumi the night before when they kissed.

“Yumi-chan~ kiss?” Juri tease while pouting his lips for a kiss. The boys all did the same action.

“Stop teasing me! Go away!” Yumi exclaimed with embarrassment.

School ended in a blink of an eye. The bell rang and everyone was dismissed. 

“Ahhh~ school is finally over” said Shintaro as he stretched.

“Hey, lets go to karaoke” said Juri excitedly.

“Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Lets go!” said Yugo.

“Then it’s settled we’re going to karaoke!” Shintaro decided.

“Jesse, are you coming?” asked Hokuto.

“Hmmm.. Yumi, do you want to come?” Jesse said as he slightly smiled.  

“Hey, did you see that? It’s been a while since I’ve seen Jesse smile...” Taiga whispered to the other boys.

“Okay~” Yumi said as she smiled back.

They all packed their bags and left for karaoke. On the way, they talked, they laughed and played around like no tomorrow. When they arrived, they got a karaoke room and started without hesitation.

“Who’s singing first?” Keigo asked.

“Why don’t the boys sing?” said Maiyu.

“Eh? Really?” Shintaro blurted.

“Okay! What song should we sing?” Taiga said excitedly.

“What about the song we normally sing? Hell No by KAT-TUN?” suggested Juri

“OKAY LET’S GO!” screamed Hokuto.

“And now for the live performance of Hell No by the boys of class 3-C~” said Yumi as she laughed.

“hell no daaaaahm... ready? don't game ….” Juri started to rap.

The boys did a wonderful performance. There was rapping, singing, dancing, there was heaps of laughter. The song was soon over, but more songs followed.

Their karaoke night was soon over. It was getting late and everybody had to go home. They bid their goodbyes for the night and parted ways.

“Ah, Yumi..” Shintaro said as he ran.

“Hmm?” 

“I just called Nii-chan and told him I’ll be over at Juri’s for a while, if mum asks can you tell her I’m at Juri’s house?” 

“Ah, yeah sure”

“You and Jesse go first then. Okay, see ya” said Shintaro then ran to catch up with Juri.

“Ah.. I guess it’s just you and me then, Jesse” Yumi turned to Jesse and smiled.

“Yeah..”

They walked at a normal pace, not rushing to get home. It was dark, but the path way was lit up by street lights. 

“We haven’t walked home together like this for a while huh?” said Jesse as he looked up at the sky.

“Yeah, it has” Yumi answered as she enjoyed the night breeze.

The two talked about the past and about their friends. About memories they shared and about the future. As they reached the corner of Yumi’s street and were about to turn, Jesse stopped.

“Eh? What’s wrong?” Yumi asked with a concerned expression.

“Yumi… I…..”

“Is there something you need to tell me..?” Yumi asked.

“I…I’ve always…” Jesse hesitated “I know you have a boyfriend…” he managed to get out “but…I…. I like you!”

“…what are you saying Jesse..?” Yumi said in shock.

“I ….I just..” Jesse gave up on his words and pulled Yumi in for a kiss. Yumi was so shocked and froze. 

Right at that moment, Ryutaro and Hey!Say!JUMP members Daiki, Inoo, Keito, Yuto, Chinen and Takaki, came back from band practise and saw Jesse kissing Yumi. Ryutaro dropped his bag and jacket and immediately ran over to Jesse, pulled him away from Yumi and punched him.

“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING WITH MY GIRLFRIEND?!” he yelled as he continued punching.

“RYUTARO! STOP!” Yumi cried as she ran over to stop him, but he continued. 

“IF YOU DIDN’T COME ALONG, YUMI AND I WOULD HAVE BEEN A COUPLE!” Jesse screamed as he started to fight back.

“IF SHE LIKED YOU, SHE WOULD HAVE NEVER STARTED GOING OUT WITH ME!” Ryutaro continued to yell as the Hey!Say!JUMP members pulled the two boys apart. Although both Jesse and Ryutaro were being held back, they continued to quarrel with each other. Everyone was telling them to stop including Yumi who was crying.

“YOU TOO! YOU’VE ALREADY GOT A BOYFRIEND, DON’T GO AROUND KISSING OTHER PEOPLE” Ryutaro screamed, not aware of what he was actually saying until he saw Yumi’s shocked expression as she ran away crying. 

“…how could you say that without even listening to an explanation?” Daiki mumbled as he ran off to look for Yumi.

“Ryu-chan… you went a little far..” Chinen said as he ran after Daiki.

Inoo, Keito, Yuto and Takaki, didn’t know what else to say to Ryutaro so they just gave him a pat on the back and joined the others to look for Yumi. Ryutaro stood up from where he was, picked up his bag and jacket and started walking home.

“You are the worst boyfriend… you didn’t even listen to an explanation and just jumped to a conclusion. She didn’t do anything. I was the one made the move, she just stood there in shock” Jesse said as he stood up.

“If you didn’t kiss her as you wished, nothing would have happened” Ryutaro responded without looking at Jesse and continued walking home.

As soon as Ryutaro got home, he went straight into his room without saying anything to his family. After an hour, he received a phone call.

“Hello?” Ryutaro answered the phone.

“Ah, Ryutaro? It’s Chinen! We can’t seem to find Yumi any where…Inoo-chan said she could have ran home”

“Ah, thanks…” Ryutaro said in relief as he hung up.

At 10:00 that night, Ryutaro received a phone call from Risa.                        

“Inoo-kun told me everything. It has been 3 hours since, and Yumi hasn’t come home yet!”

“Eh?!” Ryutaro said in a worried tone.

“My dad has already gone to look for her, I’ll be going too. If you find her, tell me” Risa said before she hung up.

After hearing that, Ryutaro rushed out of the house in search for Yumi. He ran as fast as he could and looked in every corner for her. She was no where to be found. As he ran, he prayed and prayed that she was safe and that they were able to find her soon. 

“Yumi… Where are you?” He said to himself as he ran. “I’m sorry… Yumi… please be safe”         

After a few hours, more and more of their friends got involved and set out to find Yumi. The Sasaki household, the Morimoto household, all of JUMP, and all of Yumi and Shintaro’s friends from class 3-D including, Jesse.

They searched and searched and searched, but there was no sign of Yumi. Over a hundred phone calls were made to her phone, but there was no answer. They all gathered at a local park as they reached sun rise. Although exhausted, they continued to worry and decided to keep searching after a short break.

“My precious daughter, where could she be” said Takeshi, Risa and Yumi’s father, as he put his head in his hands.

“We searched everywhere close to the school… there was no sign of her” said Hokuto as the rest of the boys in their class nodded in agreement.

“We searched the shopping streets we normally go to, we couldn’t find her either” said Maiyu as she began to cry. 

“I hope she’s safe..” said Chinen.

“Yumi is very weak… she’s been that way since she was little…She has a heart condition! What if she fainted on the streets? What if she had a heart attack?!” Risa said as she broke into tears. Ryutaro stayed quiet the whole time. Although he said nothing, everybody knew that he was also incredibly worried.

“I’m sure she’ll be fine..” Inoo said as he hugged and comforted Risa.

“Yumi also has asthma, so she might have difficulty breathing..” said Reika.

They discussed with each other where they’ve looked and where they haven’t, where Yumi would normally go and where Yumi likes most. After discussing these things, they split up into groups and started looking for Yumi once again.

Ryutaro refused to join anybody and ran off on his own. He thought about all the places they had been together and searched non-stop. Whilst desperately looking for Yumi, he remembered there was one place that nobody had thought of and a place Yumi incredibly loved; The manga store where they met for the first time.

He ran as fast as he could to the street the manga store was located. He looked left and right  in empty street and eventually got to the manga store. Although it was already morning, it was still very dark to see clearly compared to when it is light. Only slight shadows were seen, and there, at the entrance of the closed manga store, lay a figure of a girl. He walked closer to the frail figure laying on the floor, hoping that he had finally found his beloved girlfriend. As he came closer, it was confirmed that his hopes and prayers were answered, it was indeed Yumi. He rushed over to her and clutched her tightly in his embrace.

“Thank god you’re safe..!” Ryutaro sighed in relief until he realized there was another problem. Yumi was breathing was heavy yet incredibly short. She was having difficulty breathing and tears were constantly flowing out of her eyes.

“Yumi … what’s wrong” Ryutaro panicked.

“I…..i…..” Yumi started as she her breathing became more unstable.

“What is it?” He panicked has he removed her dampened fringe from her face

“I…I…..C-can’t..br-breathe…” She managed to get out before falling completely unconscious.

“Yumi..? YUMI!” Ryutaro screamed as he immediately lifted her into his arms and ran to the hospital that was close by.

Yumi was rushed into the emergency unit and the curtains closed behind her not allowing Ryutaro to see anything that was happening on the inside. Everyone who helped search for Yumi also rushed into the hospital after hearing the news. 

They waited and waited for an update, but there was no update. Some stood and some sat down, but none of these positions were maintained as each and every one of them were anxious about Yumi’s health. Ryutaro could not sit still and kept walking back and forth in front of the room. His body was constantly shaking and when he sat down, he remained silent and kept his head down.

The curtains opened and the doctor finally came out. Everyone immediately crowded around the doctor and asked many questions. The doctor quietened everyone down before saying anything.

“We did our best and fortunately, she is no longer in danger..” The doctor started. Yumi’s family and friends finally flashed a smile and sighed in relief.

“Though, if she had arrived any later, she would have lost her life due to lack of oxygen and low blood pressure” he continued.

“Thank god!” Takeshi breathed out.

“Uhm, when would we be able to visit her?” Risa asked.

“You may visit her now if you like, thought she may still be sleeping. She has been moved to room 246 on level 4”

“Thankyou” they all said with respect. They began to gather their belongings and go to visit Yumi. Ryutaro ran ahead of everybody else and rushed to Yumi.

When he entered the room, Yumi was laying on a white hospital bed in a set of clothes the hospital had given her. Her eyes were closed and there was a gas mask covering  and nose. Her heart rate was constantly being monitored as she slept soundly.

Ryutaro slowly approached her and sat next to her on the bed. He softly caressed her pale cheek and took hold of her hand. He slowly pulled her hand up to his face and buried his face into it. Tears flowed out of his eyes and landed on the blanket as he constantly apologized to her and blamed himself.

“I’m sorry Yumi… it’s all my fault that you’re laying here” He said in sorrow and regret

The others stood outside the door and witnessed everything Ryutaro had said. They decided to come inside to comfort him and wait for Yumi to wake up.

“Please wake up, Yumi.. It’s all my fault.. if you hate me, it’s okay.. as long as you’re alive and well… anything is okay..”

“You’re right…. it is your fault..” Risa snapped “If you didn’t say such nasty things to her, she would have never ended up in here! You know she almost lost her life?!” 

There was silence within the room. The constant beeping from the machines were the only things that were heard.

“Why didn’t you listen to what she has to say?” Risa said as tears started to fill her eyes. “You’re…You’re really the worst!” She lifted up her hand and Ryutaro was prepared to get slapped right across the face.

“Ryu-ryutaro… Ryutaro…” Yumi  murmured in her sleep. He immediately went back to her side and held her hand up to his cheek once again.

“I’m here…” he said with a soothing voice as he caressed her cheek.

After hearing her unconscious sister call for his name and seeing his reaction, Risa dropped her hand and went back to Inoo, burying her face into his chest and cried.

Ryutaro’s tears continued to flow as he watched over Yumi. A tear then slowly fell from the corner of her eye, though she was not yet awake.

“She’s crying!” Shintaro pointed. Everyone then focused their attention on her and started to crowd around the bed as they slowly watched Yumi leisurely open her eyes.

“I’m going to get her some water in case she wants a drink when she wakes up” Said Umi.

“Ryutaro, you should go and get some fresh air, it’s been tough on you” Takeshi said in a soothing voice as he smiled.

“But.. Yumi..”

“Don’t worry, there’s a whole heap of people here to look after her” Daiki said as he put his  arm on Ryutaro’s shoulder.

“What if she wakes up?” 

“I’ll give you a call” Said Inoo.

Ryutaro then went outside to get some water with his mum. While he was gone, Yumi finally woke up. Her eyes were at last, fully open and she was looking around the room. She looked at each and everyone’s faces. She sat up and took the mask off her face. She saw her family and all of her friends along with Ryutaro’s friends, yet the person she wanted to see most, was not in sight.

“Yumi, you’re finally awake! Onee-chan was so worried!” Risa said as she tighly hugged her sister.” I thought I was never going to see you again!” she continued to cry.

“Onee-chan..” Yumi’s eyes began to tear up. “I’m sorry for making you worry!”

“Tou-chan.. don’t just stand there and cry! You’re precious daughter is alive! Come over here and show some care!” Risa stood up from the bed and pulled her father, who was crying in the corner, over to Yumi.

“Tou-chan… I’m okay…” Yumi smiled optimistically, although her body was still very weak.

“MY PRINCESS! TOU-CHAN THOUGHT HE’D NEVER SEE YOUR BEAUTIFUL SMILE AGAIN!” Takeshi exclaimed as he once again broke into tears and held her tight.

Friends from class 3-C, along with JUMP, crowded around her and asked her about her health. They all gave her hugs and cheered her up, all except for Jesse. He was there with the others, but didn’t say anything. However, he did smile when she did.

“Jesse, why are you staying away?” Yumi asked.

The boys then pushed Jesse closer to Yumi until he was sitting on the bed.

“I’m sorry, Yumi” said Jesse as he kept his head down.

“It’s okay. I’m not angry at you, we’re friends aren’t we?”

“And we always will be” the members of class 3-C shouted as they smiled brightly.

“But, I’m sorry, I can’t return you’re feelings. The is already someone in my heart, and I really love him… though me and you, and everyone else in our class, we’ll always be good friends” Yumi told him.

“I understand” He smiled. They carried on talking and laughing, but Yumi’s mind was constantly focused on Ryutaro and she was continuously looking around the room searching for Ryutaro.

“A~ah! She’s awake!” Umi walked in holding jug of water and gave Yumi a hug. Yumi looked behind Umi, to see if Ryutaro followed, but there was only Natsune.

“Yumi-onee-chan~!” Natsune said as she sat on the bed next to Yumi and her mother. Yumi smiled and patted Natsune’s head.

“Now, I have few questions to ask you” Umi said.

“What is it Aunty?” Yumi said while smiling.

“Do you still love Ryutaro?” Umi asked. Yumi’s smiled dropped as she took a deep breath.

“I do.. I love him with all my heart.. but I don’t know if we would be able to continue..”

“And why is that?”

“After all that happened yesterday, he would probably want to end our relationship.”

“Hmmm.. Ryutaro, do you want to end your relationship?” Umi suddenly yelled out which surprised Yumi. “Because if you do, you should now”

“Of course I don’t!” Ryutaro, who was standing outside the door, quickly ran into the room.

“Ryu…?” Yumi murmured.

“Yumi, I love you. I would never want to end our relationship” Ryutaro said. Yumi’s eyes began to fill with tears. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to your explanation. I just love you so much that when I saw Jesse kissing you, couldn’t handle it. Will you forgive me?”

Tears rolled down Yumi’s cheeks as she nodded then hugged Ryutaro. After a while, Ryutaro pulled away and kissed her passionately.

“UWAAAAAAAHHHHH!” Everybody yelled.

“Natsune, don’t look” Shintaro said whilst covering his sister’s eyes.

The day full of worries, soon turned into a day full of happiness, laughter and love.