Transition and Restart 436 Chapter two, 2018, field trip: 10

Right now, however, Noriko had yet to experience any of those, and she reeled from handling what Urufu suggested an hour earlier.

Right now the three of them sat freezing over cups of coffee and tea, watching what had to be a gorgeous view come spring. Now the river felt naked somehow, lacking the greenery that was to come later.

"So, no I don't have any plans to break up with Ryu. You taught me the hard way what an awful thing it is to give up just because it's hard," Kuri said between sips of coffee. She had said that several times, but this was the first time she added something akin to regret for breaking up with Urufu a year earlier.

Noriko clenched her fists in her lap and pretended she hadn't understood. Kuri was a good friend, but she was also an eternal rival. She was one Noriko needed and yet was scared of. Without Kuri she herself would never have been given a chance with Urufu, because without Kuri and Urufu being an item he'd have stayed forever in that black world of his where he lost wife and children.

Urufu allowed an almost smile to curve his lips and stared down at his coffee. Almost regretfully he lifted it and drank a little. The cup hid his eyes and Noriko wondered what passed his mind. A gust of wind that played in his hair later he let the cup down again and it met the table with a brittle sound.

"Fine, you're not breaking up," he said and looked up.

Noriko noticed how his eyes met Kuri's, but that little something that had her worried wasn't there. Love for certain, but neither the kind of needy greed of someone staring at his crush nor one half of the shared happiness of one in a relationship.

"Say something!"

Urufu shot Kuri another glance after her outburst. With a cup of lukewarm coffee once again in his hand he smirked and studied the sky. "What about you make up? What about you apologise even though it wasn't your fault?"

"But I didn't do anything..."

"Isn't he worth it?"
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Noriko stared in fascination at the exchange of words. Silently she felt grateful the both of them had chosen Japanese rather than the sing song Swedish they used when the rest of the world was best kept in the dark.

"What do you mean with worth it?"

Urufu sighed and put his cup on the table. This time for the last time. There was nothing left in it. "Do you love him enough to make use of a white lie occasionally, even one that hurts you a little?"

"One that hurts me?"

"We're the same, you and me. Too damn proud when it doesn't matter." Urufu shot her a bashful smile. "There's a difference between integrity and stupidity you know."

'What, Urufu admitting a fault of his own?' That was a novel thought. 'It's almost as if he's ready to learn something new.' Which was grossly unfair, but he was rigid enough to merit being that unfair from time to time.

"I'll get something warm," Noriko said and rose from her seat. "Please talk things over!"

Kuri gave her a worried look when she left for the entrance. "A tea for me," Kuri said rather than ask her not to leave.

'You need to talk anyway. I need you to talk, or else I'll always be afraid of you taking him from me.' "Don't worry. I won't be long." Noriko gave Kuri a smile that maybe wasn't entirely honest and went inside.

A waitress behind the counter gave her a curious look when Noriko beelined directly for her, and with a self-conscious smile Noriko realised she had grown too used to the Haven where you either ordered at your table or by the counter depending on your mood. Or on the mood of whoever worked the tables that day for that matter.

Ordering something warm was quick business and she spent the short respite looking out the windows. Just outside Urufu and Kuri were busy talking about Ryu. Noriko didn't need to hear their conversation to know. Behind them a street with more pedestrians than cars separated café from river. Walking the river upstream with her eyes she saw the famous Togetsukyo Bridge, the main reason for anyone being here in the first place.

'Should have been the four of us.' That was wishful thinking. More wishful thinking had her and Urufu alone here. Still, this was better than the circus back home in Tokyo. If she asked him discreetly maybe they'd share the rest of the afternoon together.

She barely registered a group of four girls from their school who passed outside the window until one of them returned and stopped by the table Urufu and Kuri shared. Even from inside the café Noriko saw how the glare Kuri received was anything but friendly.

'What the…'

With the door closed Noriko couldn't hear anything, but she saw a mouth moving in agitation and Kuri reeling from the verbal onslaught.

'That's strange. Kuri hasn't been up to any of her usual stunts where she turns strangers into enemies.' Noriko quickly went to the counter and picked up her order. Once again the waitress gave her a perplexed stare, but Noriko decided that right now wasn't the time to remember that orders were served at the tables.

With a small tray in her hands she pushed the door open and went for their table. Whoever the angry girl had been she had rejoined her friends, and Noriko stared at her receding backside. So did Urufu and Kuri.

"What's up?" Noriko wondered and put the tray on he table.

Urufu guffawed and Kuri frowned, but she didn't look angry.

"Fine, I'll make up with him," she said.

"OK, fill me in," Noriko said and sat down on the chair she had occupied until she went for refreshments.

"I just got told off for not treating Ryu well enough. She told me she'd take him from me if I didn't shape up."

Noriko stared at Kuri. "That, eh… that sounds unlikely," she finished.

Urufu just kept on laughing.

Chapter end