Later that day something was still troubling Yukio . He brought his lunch to their classroom and approached Urufu-kun . They seated themselves on opposite sides of Yukio's desk, making good use of their status as geek and loner friend . Chances were they wouldn't get disturbed . After all, geekiness might be contagious .
"Isn't this a bit too underhanded for you?" Yukio asked, referring to their conversation that morning . "The club and Ageruman-san," he added to make Urufu-kun get the connection .
They sat in silence while he allowed his friend to muse over the question . Scattered sounds of conversations in the classroom reached him while he waited for an answer . It was, he noted absent-mindedly, emptier here than at the start of the year . Wakayamsan, and later, Ageruman-san were the obvious reasons for their classmates to be elsewhere . 3:1 was probably crammed beyond capacity .
"Underhanded, yes, wrong, no . No one gets hurt," Urufu-kun finally answered . "Club or no club, guys will make passes at Christina anyway . "
After making sure no one had noticed whom they were talking about, Yukio shot Urufu-kun a long glare .
"Sure, I'm selfish . I admit that . Still it's not wrong . I'm planning to make this a club for the benefit of its members . I'm honest about that part . " Urufu-kun removed his glasses and played with them in his hands .
"And," Yukio said, fishing for more .
"And," Urufu-kun agreed, "I want to find out what happened to me . Some kind of anchor in Sweden could help me with that . So you're right about that part . "
"Look, you went hiking in what passes for the Alps in Sweden, got caught in a freak snowstorm and wound up in our Alps . "
Yukio watched the glasses pass from hand to hand in front of him . They served no purpose other than giving Urufu-kun the occasional headache . He had perfect eyesight . Well, they helped keep up the illusion of membership in geek squad, Yukio thought as Urufu-kun returned them over his nose .
"About sums it up, disregarding a sudden loss of 35 years, and the fact that the older version of me has never existed in this world . " Urufu-kun grinned back .
The conversation had been interspersed with English whenever Urufu-kun's Japanese was too poor to convey some concepts . You're changing, and in doing so, you're changing me, Yukio thought while he waited for Urufu-kun to continue .
"And how can a club help me to understand? That's your real question, isn't it?"
Yukio nodded
"I don't know, but I have to do something," Urufu-kun continued . "Look, it even gives her a way to speak Swedish if it comes to that . "
"If it comes to what?" Yukio teased .
This time Urufu-kun's face went all the way to a deep tomato red . Yukio knew the reason wasn't any ulterior motives but rather the thought of ulterior motives . Urufu-kun was funny that way . One reason why he made such a good friend .
A right way and a wrong one . No simple truths, because truth was relative . Still, a right way and a wrong one . Urufu-kun, a contradiction in terms walking on two legs .
In the end, after school, they agreed upon one week . If in one week Ageruman-san still hadn't joined a club, and Yukio had gathered enough courage to approach Takeidsan, he would venture over to 3:1 and ask not one, but two questions .
"Be honest with your feelings," Urufu-kun had said, "but suggest starting out as friends . That's the lesser commitment . Still, she should know where your real interests lie . She'll know what you want, but it'll be less awkward this way, and you can let things proceed from there . "
After that promise they parted ways . Urufu-kun unlocked his bike and wheeled down the street .
Yukio watched as Urufu-kun's back vanished behind an office building .
'I wonder what's on your mind . '
Chapter end
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