58 Chapter Fourteen: A Crack In The Rock

A night's sleep did little to temper Michi's roiling emotions. To say she woke up on the wrong side of the bed would be an understatement. Even before her eyes had fully opened, she remembered everything she had been thinking about the previous day. With it all coming back to mind, she found herself scowling before she had even gotten out from under the sheets.

Quickly, Michi got ready for the day, though most of her routine was done on auto-pilot. Her thoughts were an angry, jumbled mess, and all she could think about was how she'd achieve what she wanted. "I've wasted so much time," she thought. "I need to get Endo-san away from Kana-chan already." In reality, there was no clock, which meant there should've been no need for urgency. But in Michi's head, each day wasted was one day more she had failed.

Her objective was all-too clear, but a crucial element was still lacking: a plan. Because of that fault, there was a part of Michi that knew. Deep, deep within, at the root of her doubts and helping to fuel her regrets, was the knowledge that no matter what she did or how she tried to do it, nothing good would come of it. That fact could not be ignored, but Michi tried anyways. Harder and harder she pushed against it, refusing to fully realize the truth of her predicament.

So what drove Michi to such a state? Sheer anger? Desperation? Or perhaps just simple logic? One could say it was a combination of all of the above and more. She was mad at Haruna for stealing her friend away. She was desperate for Kanako to choose her over anyone else. Logic dictated that her emotions were in the wrong.

However, even if Michi allowed herself to be driven by emotion alone, to take action without thinking... she couldn't. What actions would she take? It wasn't like she could use force. Putting aside the issue of morality with such an approach, she was also pretty sure that Haruna could overpower her, not to mention that if she got caught doing something like that, Michi would at least end up in a juvenile detention center, maybe worse. Even if she ignored all of that, Michi wasn't really a physically aggressive person in the first place. Harsh as her words may be, it truly was a case of all bark and no bite.

Perhaps it was because of this that even Michi felt that her words were pointless. No matter what she said to Haruna or Kanako, neither of them would change their minds. There was most likely more to their mindsets than just Michi's words, but to her, it made enough sense. Simply put, Kanako and Haruna never listened to Michi because her words carried no real weight. That was how she saw it.

It felt uncomfortable. It felt cowardly. These feelings, along with many others, would usually cause someone to do some self-reflecting. Instead, Michi clung more strongly to her own stubbornness. She had to, because if she didn't, it would mean admitting she had been wrong about everything. Wrong about Haruna. Wrong about Kanako. Wrong... about herself.

In the end, the only place that worries, anxieties and failures were piling up was in Michi's brain. On the outside, not much had really changed. A couple new girls had joined their friend group with hers, but that was the only significant change. But change in and of itself was enough to send Michi's mind into a haywire state, leading her to her current condition. She wasn't crazy. She wasn't frayed. She was just... conflicted. Michi was in a state of constant internal conflict and had been ever since Haruna Endo crashed into her life.

Little did she know, or maybe she didn't even realize it herself, that that conflict was coming to an end. The truths she needed to hear were waiting in the wings, and the doubts and worries that had stacked atop one another were threatening to crash down upon her.

She knew. She denied it, but she knew. At the rate she was going, Michi knew that she'd end up doing the exact opposite of what she wanted. It had already been happening. Haruna was taking Kanako. Michi had gotten to understand Chiyo better, but that didn't automatically put the gal on her side. Mayu and Itsuki kept drifting further away. Bit by bit, they were all getting out of reach, and that was why ultimately, Michi was mad. It was the only emotion she could land on that seemed to cover how she felt. Mad at the people around her and herself, along with not completely understanding what was going on inside her.

While walking school, Michi walked alone. At first, she had been confused. She could've sworn that on the way back the other day, she had made progress. Mayu and Itsuki had seemed friendlier in the conversation they had all been having. And yet, that morning it was only Michi. There was no one at the meeting place where they usually met, nor did she ever see the two girls in question along the way. That only further aggravated Michi.

Her mood did not improve when she got to school. It was the same old building, with its fading white walls and simple landscaping surrounding it, but Michi only glared at it. She had nothing against school. In fact, considering her grades and demeanor before her second year of high school, it wouldn't have been strange to say she enjoyed it. But currently, she didn't, for it was home to everything that was pushing her further and further to the brink.

For a moment, Michi stood still, glaring all the while at the building in front of her. Then suddenly, she heard her name. "Mi-chaaaan!" it called happily, and before she knew it, impact arrived. Two arms wrapped around her right and something soft pressed up against her shoulder. Surprised, she turned her head, only to be greeted by another face mere centimeters away from her own.

"Geh! What're you doing?! Get off me!" Michi yelled at Chiyo. "Hm? But you don't seem to be as resistant as usual,��� Chiyo commented, then smirked. "Oh I know." The gal leaned in close, nearly putting her lips on Michi's ear as she whispered. "You wanted this to happen didn't you? I can tell you're enjoying the feeling of me pressing up against you. What a naughty girl."

Thoroughly embarrassed by having such words pushed into her ear, Michi reeled away from Chiyo, her face beet-red. "I-I-I did not!" she shrieked. "And get that libido of yours in check!" "Aww, but I can't help it. Ever since Mi-chan asked me to stop having my night-time fun, I have nowhere else to channel my energy," Chiyo said with a wink. "That's not my problem!" Michi yelled back.

"And anyways Mi-chan," Chiyo continued. "It seems like my distracting worked." "Huh?" Michi let out. At first she looked around, thinking Chiyo had somehow been covering for Haruna doing something with Kanako. However, while they were gone, that wasn't it. "It's not good for you to scrunch up your face so much," Chiyo commented. "Ah..." Michi uttered, understanding what Chiyo had meant. The gal had noticed how stressed out Michi looked and in her own way, Chiyo had tried to relieve some of that stress.

Now thinking about their quick exchange, it definitely bothered and annoyed Michi. She hated that Chiyo toyed with her like that. It drove her nuts. But... she couldn't deny that it had helped. During their messing around, Michi had briefly forgotten all about her concerns and anger. When speaking with Chiyo or even yelling at her, Michi just felt... peaceful. Realizing that alone was enough to send Michi spinning in a different manner than she had before. "Come on. I don't want to be late because of you," Michi muttered as she began heading for the doors. "Comiiing," Chiyo called as she skipped behind her, smiling all the while.

*****

That interaction between Michi and Chiyo had not escaped Haruna's sight. Seeing Chiyo run up to Michi wasn't anything new, but the way the rest of that moment had gone had certainly seemed off to Haruna. As she had been walking inside, she missed the very end, but what she had seen had been enough. It was clear that something had changed in the relationship between Michi and Chiyo.

For some unknown reason, Chiyo took a liking to Michi. It happened when the two first met, and ever since, Chiyo was always quick to go to Michi's side. Whether it was because she enjoyed teasing the girl or because she actually enjoyed being around her, Haruna had no idea. When it came to Chiyo and her choices, it was usually anyone's guess as for her reason. But for as much as Chiyo seemed to like Michi, the feelings were not mutual. Any chance she got, Michi insulted Chiyo, calling her all sorts of names and wanting nothing to do with her. If Chiyo grabbed ahold of her, Michi would shriek and scream until Chiyo let go. That was always the regular.

But this time, while there had been yelling, Michi hadn't reacted quite as quickly as Haruna was accustomed to. There had been a few seconds when Michi had simply stood in place and let Chiyo glomp onto her. Haruna wondered if maybe Michi had just been lost in thought and didn't notice, but that theory was thrown out the window as fast as it had appeared. "There's no way she didn't notice. How can you not notice someone like Chiyo?" Haruna thought. Considering that option a bust, Haruna assumed that there could be only one other explanation.

A few days ago, Michi had been the one to go after Chiyo when she had abruptly left the library. Thinking about it, Haruna guessed that the two of them must've had a serious talk. Haruna had noticed something had been off about Chiyo, but she hadn't ever said anything. Instead, Michi was the one who reached out her hand, which had resulted in a shift of her opinion of Chiyo.

Remembering that bothered Haruna. She regretted not being the one to react first to Chiyo's sudden departure. "I should've been the one," Haruna thought, although that scorn was directed more at herself than anyone else. If she could simply swallow her pride and mend her relationship with Chiyo, something as simple as reaching out a hand for help would've been easy. And yet, Haruna allowed her friendship with the gal to hang in a state of purgatory, therefore causing herself to be unable to go after Chiyo.

Adding the events of the morning onto that just made it worse. Seeing Michi and Chiyo now be closer than they were before greatly irritated Haruna. She was annoyed with Michi, but more so with herself. If she hadn't given Michi an opening, chances were nothing would've changed. Haruna sighed. "Why can't I stop being an idiot and just talk to Chiyo?" Surely if they just sat and talked things over, her problems would be solved. Truthfully, while it did irritate Haruna, she wasn't going to go as far as saying Chiyo couldn't be friends with Michi. All she really wanted was her own friendship back.

There was such an easy solution right in front of her, and yet Haruna just couldn't do it. What was it that was blocking her path? Was it really only pride or was it something more? Was it trivial or something that needed to be faced? Haruna couldn't figure it out. She wanted to, badly. It pained her to be at such a standstill with Chiyo. Worst of all, every day Chiyo kept reaching out her hand, wanting for Haruna to take it. That's what she wanted too, but Haruna's hand never seemed to connect to the one offered to her. "Why is this so hard...?" Haruna thought.

Thinking back, Haruna wondered once again how her life had gotten so complicated. In the past 6 months, she had gone from crushing on a boy she grew up with to falling in love with the girl she called her childhood friend and once claimed to hate. The aforementioned boy also seemed to be pursuing the other girl's heart, though sometimes it felt like he wasn't serious. Then, to top it all off, Haruna couldn't seem to manage reconciliation with her best friend.

So often love is portrayed as something that's fun and fluffy, and even if there's drama, it resolves quickly, giving everyone a happy end. Haruna was by no means a romantic, but she had seen her fair share of movies. They all seemed to follow the same script when it came to relationships, and while the stories were fiction, it was a nice idea to believe that at least some of it was true. As it turned out, the only truth was that emotions were unpredictable.

Haruna had thought she'd feel over the moon any time she fell in love, but when realizing her feelings for Kanako, she cried. When getting help from a friend, instead of it all working out and sending high-fives around, Haruna had felt hurt. Even just being around Kanako brought another girl's wrath and resentment. Sure, there were good times, but Haruna couldn't help but think that the good to bad ratio was greatly skewed in the wrong direction.

Uncertainty and doubts can be the death of most things. They whittle down the heart and make a person wonder if it's all worth it. Whether it be in the pursuit of love or clinging to friendship, they always arrive eventually, challenging one's own determination. This wasn't to say that Haruna was beginning to doubt her feelings. No matter what, Kanako was who she wanted to be with. But, thanks to all of the outside issues, Haruna was quickly learning that love, relationships and feelings were much crueler in reality.

And she wasn't the only one learning this lesson.

*****

After school, in the room/kitchen of the cooking club, Michi glared into a boiling pot of water. The expression on her face had been stuck there since morning, only abating briefly thanks to Chiyo. Throughout the day, she had gazed fiercely upon anything and anyone, causing most to shy away from her. At lunch, Mayu and Itsuki had been nowhere to be found, and it seemed more and more that Kanako kept going missing as well. "They just keep running away from me," Michi thought angrily. The truth was, Mayu and Itsuki had noticed how foul a mood Michi was in, so they had decided it would be best to give her space. As for Kanako, with her relationship with Michi still frayed, she had no problems with going to eat lunch with the group on the roof instead.

However, with Michi's mind and emotions as out of sorts as they were, she perceived her friends' actions as some type of betrayal. That surely, the fact they weren't around must have meant that they were all trying to leave her. Perhaps to an extent, that line of thinking wasn't wrong. After all, there was some truth to the idea that Michi's friends were avoiding her. That was all it was though. There was only some truth, for the entire truth was that none of them knew what to do about Michi and her darkened attitude.

It wasn't like they hadn't known what kind of person Michi was. All those years ago, when the four girls were becoming acquainted with one another, it had become clear that Michi occasionally had a sharp tongue. She could be a little rude, and maybe a little too honest, but her loyalty to her friends made up for all of that. She cared deeply about them and her actions proved it. Presents on birthdays. Suggesting going out when someone was down. Offering words of encouragement when necessary. Helping others study. That was the Michi Mayu, Itsuki and Kanako had come to know.

That was why the recent past felt like such a stark contrast. Michi's actions and words were darker, heavier, angrier than they had been before. She spoke obsessively about getting Haruna away from Kanako, and had even managed to push her own friends away in the process of her constant bad-mouthing. Before anyone had realized it, Michi was alone, as her friends kept making the decision to wait and see if she could right her own ship.

Of course, that decision had only worsened Michi's condition, allowing her to spiral more and more in her own head until finally she had reached her own boiling point. If no one else was going to see it her way, she'd prove it. That was what Michi had decided for herself. Unfortunately, for as much as she told herself that, she never made it further in the process. That was because there was no way to "prove that she was right." This was also something Michi knew, but she refused to acknowledge it.

"What a scary face. No wonder you can't get a boyfriend," a mean voice said from the side of Michi. It had come from a girl in similar stature to her, although the prominent differences came in the form of a bigger chest and black hair kept in thin pigtails. They were tied up with red and white colored ribbons, and they'd certainly make her look cute if it wasn't for her terrible personality. This was Rina Takano, another member of the cooking club and a constant opponent for Michi.

"At least I'm not desperately trying to come off as some cutesy idol," Michi retorted. "I can't help it if they all want to look like me," Rina said back pompously. "You're so full of it," Michi said. "At least what fills me is better than the stuff that fills you," Rina said. "Just shut up already and leave me alone," Michi muttered. "What? Can't take the heat? Pretty lame, don't you-"

"I said to leave me alone!"

The shout silenced the kitchen, leaving only the sounds of bubbling and sizzling to fill the air. "...Alright, geez," Rina said, walking away with a huff. "Hey, um, Mi-chan, are you okay?" Mayu asked cautiously, coming over to check on her friend. "I'm fine," Michi growled. "Are you sure?" Mayu asked. "God, how many times do I have to repeat myself for you idiots?" Michi spat. "Oh... sorry..." Mayu said softly, then also went back to her own station.

Michi's outburst ended up causing the rest of the club meeting to carry an awkward air. By the time it was done, most of the members seemed to be relieved. They all quickly cleaned up and grabbed their things, and soon enough, the only people that were left in the room were Michi and Kanako.

The two of them said nothing to each other. Kanako wanted to ask Michi if she really was alright, but Kanako was also afraid of getting yelled at too. Despite their fighting, Kanako still wanted to patch things up with Michi. But wanting and actually acting were two separate things. Remembering everything that had happened between them already, Kanako stayed in place, too afraid to say the wrong things and potentially make things worse.

As luck would have it (or perhaps not), Michi and Kanako left at the same time, with one following the other out. When they both exited, they saw a girl standing outside of the room, leaning up against the wall across from them and with her arms folded. With her jet-black hair cascading down the back of her now-long-sleeved winter uniform, she stared at them. "Took you long enough," she said roughly. "S-Sorry Haruna. I ended up using a lot of dishes today, s-so I had to wash them," Kanako explained. "Well whatever. Did you at least bring me some of the food you made?" Haruna asked. "N-No, sorry..." Kanako said apologetically. "I have to save it for tomorrow..." "You know, this waiting would've been made so much more bearable if you'd brought me something," Haruna joked. "If you're that hungry, then maybe you should go beg one of the other clubs for snacks. I hear the literature club serves tea and cookies," Kanako said with a little playful "hmph!", picking up on Haruna's teasing. "Nah, I'll pass. I feel like they'd all judge me for not reading enough or something," Haruna said.

The two stopped for a moment and both laughed at little at their silly exchange. Witness to it all was Michi, trailing behind the two of them as they walked. Seeing them both act so close brought Michi even closer to boiling over. And then, as the three of them got outside, Michi saw the one thing happening that seemed to bother her the most. Slowly, she saw Haruna's hand reaching out to grab Kanako's. Inch by inch, their fingers nearly met when suddenly-

"Hey."

Michi's voice stopped them both. Haruna and Kanako both turned around, facing the girl who had spoken a singular word with so much disgust. "What?" Haruna said back. "Why do you always do that? Holding hands, I mean," Michi said. "Don't you think that's pretty childish?" "Excuse me?" Haruna said back, becoming annoyed. "Come on. Do you not see anything wrong with it? And Kana-chan, you weren't even trying to stop her." "Sh-Should I?" Kanako asked. "Yes! You should! Stop letting her just do whatever she wants with you! I swear, this is what I'm always talking about," Michi fired off.

"Huh? What's your problem Fukuhara-san? I know you don't like me, but isn't this pretty out of nowhere?" Haruna said. Michi frowned. "I don't like you? I don't like you?! What an understatement! I DESPISE you Haruna Endo! I can't stand even to look at you! Now imagine being me and having to watch someone like you lead poor Kana-chan around and make her do everything you want!"

"M-Making me do... huh?" Kanako repeated, confused. "M-Mi-chan, that's not what's going on. Haven't we explained that to you? We're just friends." Hearing, "just friends," stung Haruna's ears, but she appreciated Kanako's defense nonetheless. "I-I'm fine with Haruna holding my hand or walking with me or anything else because I want to do that too." "She wants to hold my hand?" Haruna repeated in her head, somewhat stunned by hearing such a thing.

However, while Haruna was distracted, Michi continued to fume. "Bullshit," she spat. "There's no way that's true. You always look so anxious around her!" "That's how she always looks," Haruna said with a sigh. "I'm not talking to you!" Michi yelled. "Alright, I've had enough of this. Kanako, let's go," Haruna said, going to reach for Kanako's hand once more.

"See?! There it is!! Demanding Kana-chan comes with you! You treat her like a dog!" Michi said, pointing with an accusing finger. "D-Dog?!" Kanako repeated, surprised to hear herself described as an animal. While Kanako was in shock, Haruna dropped her hand away from the girl next to her, turning her full attention to Michi. "A dog, huh? Well, I guess I must be a pretty good owner if my pet is this happy," Haruna said smugly, while also eliciting a "P-Pet?!" from Kanako.

That one comment was enough to send Michi into a rage. "What is wrong with you?!" she screamed. "Are you seriously agreeing with me?! Is that how you see Kana-chan?! You disgust me!!" "Are you serious right now? Do you not know a joke when you hear one?! Besides, you're the one that called your friend a dog in the first place!" Haruna shouted back. "It was just a comparison!" Michi screamed.

Caught in the middle, all Kanako could do was stand and panic. "D-Don't fight... W-We're still at school... if a teacher sees... oh no..." she muttered, failing in her meager effort to stop the argument in front of her.

"What's your problem today anyways? Attacking both me and Kanako like this. Did you have today circled on your calendar as 'pick a fight day' or something?" Haruna said. "Hah! Like I need a day! I'll take you on any time! After all, I'm doing this for the good of everyone, so obviously I can't let an opportunity slip by!" Michi said. Haruna sighed. "Okay, not only did that barely make sense, but you seriously sounded like a comic book character..." "Whatever! The point is..." Michi paused, taking a moment before making her declaration. "I'll prove here and now how bad you are for Kanako!"

"Eh? Bad... for me...? Haruna is...?" Kanako said, baffled by Michi's statement. "That's right! She's awful for you Kana-chan! She forces you to do things, right? She insults you all the time, right?! You have no choice to but to listen to her because who knows what she'll do to you otherwise! Endo-san is villainous! Cruel! Evil! She's a poison and a disease to you Kana-chan! Can't you see that?! You do, right?!"

Proof. Michi had said she'd prove her claims. However, because there was no real evidence and because deep down, she knew she was wrong, all Michi could do was spew non-sensical insults. She hurled them at Haruna one after the other while claiming they were for Kanako's benefit to hear. That surely, if she took in those words, she'd understand Michi's point of view. All of the thinking Michi had done up until now had led to this moment. Her certainty was shaken, but not broken. Her doubts were creeping up, but they hadn't reached her heart just yet. Michi believed, truly, if she just kept going, Kanako would believe her.

"...Apologize."

That one word, and the force it gave off, sent chills down Michi's spine. When she looked directly at Kanako, she saw a change had occurred, but it was not the one she was hoping to see. Serious Kanako had come to the surface. It was the side of her rarely seen, but now, the side that was strong enough to cow even Haruna into silence, was baring its full brunt onto Michi. The two of them had had an exchange like this once before on the camping trip, but Michi had managed to stop Kanako before she had had the chance to gain momentum. This time however, instinctively, Michi took a step back, but it did little to affect the power of Kanako's words.

"Apologize to Haruna," she said sternly. "The things you said just now were very mean. Not only that, but you're just saying a bunch of stuff without actually proving any of it like you said you would. I'm being forced to do what Haruna says? Show me how she's doing that. Haruna's threatening me? What threats? All you're doing is speaking false accusations. On top of that, you're just being plain rude. Calling Haruna a disease, calling her evil... I understand not everyone can get along. Not everyone is meant to be friends with each other... but honestly Mi-chan, what the hell's your problem with her?"

They were words spoken with such intensity and accuracy that for a moment, Michi could say nothing. Her jaw was frozen open, and even when it thawed, all it could do was move up and down wordlessly. She had no counterargument. In one fell swoop, Kanako had pointed out every flaw in Michi's claims. She had taken it and shredded it while simultaneously defending her friend's honor. This was what this rarely seen side of Kanako could do, and now that it had struck, Michi was left with little ground to stand on. She fell to her knees. All of her options went no further than her own shadow beneath her. And so, with nothing else, Michi chose one, opting for the bizarre mix of honesty and digging for pity.

"I don't understand..." she mumbled. "Why...? Why is it her...? Why do you keep choosing her? Why can't you just..." Kanako stared, tilting her head in confusion. "Choose?" she repeated. Whipping her distraught face up from the ground, Michi stared, pleading into Kanako's eyes.

"WHY CAN'T YOU JUST CHOOSE ME?!"

Tears formed in the corners of her eyes, but Michi refused to let them fall. She was determined to hold Kanako's gaze, not through wet eyes, but through anguished ones. "After everything we've been through, after everything I've done for you, why?! Why, why, why?! Why is it always Endo-san over me!!!!!!"

Kanako stared back, dumbfounded. "Mi-chan..." she finally said. "...do you really think it's a choice?" All Michi could do was stare back. "I want to be friends with both of you. I want the two of you to get along... but... the way you keep acting Mi-chan... that's not the Mi-chan I know. I don't like that Mi-chan. When you keep insulting Haruna, when you keep lashing out at me, Mayu and Itsuki... is it really so surprising I'd want to be around Haruna more than you?"

Michi was silent. She had nothing left to say. The little ground she had left crumbled beneath her, and she just sat still, not speaking a word. She knew Kanako was right, and after having the words she hadn't wanted to accept thrown into her face, there was no way she could ignore them anymore. Then, seeing that the argument was over, Kanako turned to walk away.

"Um, Kanako?" Haruna said, hesitantly calling out to her. "I know it's weird for me to say this, but should you leave her like that?" "It's fine," Kanako said back, turning her head to look at Haruna. "After all, she won't be alone." "Huh? What do you-" Haruna began to ask, but with a slight tilt of her head, Kanako motioned in a direction ahead of her. Walking into view was Chiyo.

She was some distance away, but as she got nearer to where Michi sat, she gave a brief glance and a gentle nod toward Kanako and Haruna. "How did she..." Haruna said, wondering how Chiyo knew that Michi was in such a bad state at the moment. "I don't know either. Just as I was about to walk away, I saw her," Kanako said with a smile. "Come on. It'll be better if we leave Mi-chan to Chiyo." "Yeah... sure..." Haruna said. Then the two of them began heading home, leaving the two other girls alone.

*****

Step by step, Chiyo got closer to Michi. As for the small girl on the ground, she didn't move an inch. She didn't shake, she didn't flail about. All she did was sit still on her knees, frozen. When Chiyo got within a couple feet of her, she stopped. There were several things she could've said. "What are you doing on the ground Mi-chan?" or "Y'know, your skirt will get dirty sitting like that." But she didn't. Instead, Chiyo waited in silence.

After several long moments, Michi slowly stood up. Her face was downcast and Chiyo was unable to see her eyes. Then, in a couple of steps, Michi walked over to Chiyo and in one fluid motion, planted her face into Chiyo's breasts. In most instances, this would be considered comedic or ridiculous. Most of the time, something like someone putting their face into a girl's breasts wouldn't be allowed. But Michi did this not to get laughs nor to get scolded for indecency. Due to the height difference, Michi's head was the only thing that sat higher than Chiyo's chest. And yet, she had made the motion to bury her face in a place that was usually forbidden.

In a word (or perhaps a few), Michi was looking for comfort. With all else stripped away from her, with Kanako choosing Haruna over her, with Mayu and Itsuki growing more and more distant, Michi sought out the one individual who had continuously come to her side. She had entrusted Michi with her past, and now in turn, Michi was entrusting her shredded heart to Chiyo.

"...These lumps of fat are so stupid..." Michi muttered into the aforementioned lumps. "Yeah..." Chiyo said, and nothing more. "I mean seriously, why do you even have these?" Michi kept muttering, her voice growing weaker. "I don't know," Chiyo said simply. "It's just... not fair... it's really... it's not..." Michi said, her voice halting and beginning to shake.

"W...hy?... Why her...? W-hic-...Why... hnk... gnh..." With each attempt at a sentence, sounds struggled out of Michi's throat. Just as desperately as she had tried to find a way to separate Haruna from Kanako, she now put that effort into holding back her tears. "...I...snf...I just...unh..." Her hand reached out and gripped Chiyo's skirt, holding tightly to anything she could. In response, Chiyo began to stroke Michi's head.

It had only been days ago when their roles had been reversed. Now, it was Chiyo's turn to console the broken Michi. With each fragmented word, another sob was expelled. It was a pattern that went on for what felt like a long time. The entire time, Chiyo's only words were through her actions as Michi cried into her.

End of Chapter Fourteen.