Chapter Three

Seatmate Phobia

That same night, Yui found herself tossing and turning in bed, failing to get even a single wink of sleep. Despite appearances, this was how her nights typically went after a seat rearrangement in class. Instead of the pleasant nothingness of sleep, Yui’s mind was filled with memories of her childhood, particularly the ones from fourth grade.

“Ugh, I got a seat next to that loner. This is the worst!”

She vividly recalled the words of the boy who sat next to her, as he’d purposefully spoken in a voice too loud to be a whisper.

In the past, Yui mostly kept to herself. She was on the quiet side, not particularly good at holding conversations, and was generally an introverted girl. She was so shy that she couldn’t even properly smile at people. Naturally, she had no friends and consequently spent her free time in class doodling anime and manga characters in her notebook. She immersed herself in anime, manga, and video games on her days off, as well. She could never stand up for herself, and it wasn’t unusual for her to spend most of her days crying when she arrived home from school.

Yui eventually grew to hate seat changes and school altogether. She was invariably afraid of what the person sitting next to her might say or do and lived in constant fear of it all repeating itself with each subsequent seat change. Eventually, she’d reached her wits’ end and had decided to consult the person she considered to be the most dependable and closest to her at the time: her older sister.

“Why don’t you just try being more sociable, then?” her sister suggested.

In retrospect, her sister didn’t really seem to fully understand the situation and hence gave Yui some criminally obvious advice. But at the time, it made all the sense in the world. There was, in fact, a cheerful girl that fit that exact description in her class back then, and she was so popular that everyone was eager to spend time with her.

Yui began researching how to become a fun, outgoing person. The research involved reading gag manga, watching entertainers on streaming websites, and even following stand-up comedians alongside an ample amount of variety shows.

She was intent on changing herself, but the leap from a quiet, timid girl to a funny, interesting one was too great. Before long, she fell into a routine of sitting back and enjoying these shows rather than using them to improve herself.

“I thought you were serious about this thing. At any rate, I don’t care if you’re faking it or not, but just start smiling more at people,” her sister admonished. Yui was unwilling, but would ultimately do as she was told. Luckily enough, things worked out, and the people sitting next to her eventually stopped bad-mouthing her.

Before she realized it, she began cracking jokes around people, a result of all the shows she had watched. She started making friends—a feat she’d never imagined—and grew to become the upbeat person that she was today. Everything was going to plan... until things took an unexpected turn in middle school.

Guys began confessing their love to her, even when all she did was greet them with a smile. At the same time, they all began to shun that other, previously popular, girl.

Yui never took note of how she came off to others and only focused on making sure her seatmate didn’t hate her. However, her happy and friendly behavior backfired consistently, as she became too much for boys to handle. It didn’t take long for her to become extremely popular with the guys of her class—or at least, that was what her friend told her. Yui didn’t think that was possible, though.

Fast-forward a few dozen confessions, and Yui had finally had enough. She wanted nothing more than to engage with people normally. Fate had other plans in store for her, however, and her position in class looked to have been set in stone. She understood the consequences of being overly-friendly, yet still couldn’t help but feel guilty if she avoided talking to her seatmate. She felt pressured to do so, especially when everyone in class was always having fun chatting together. It eventually became an obsession, one she couldn’t get rid of: a seatmate phobia.

At this point, her past introverted self was nothing but a distant memory. A part of her wished to go back to those days; if only she could remember her old self. Her current personality felt like an act, but the personality change was so deep-rooted that she didn’t know how to turn it off anymore.

Nevertheless, it wasn’t as if she hated the way she was now, and she still believed it to be an improvement over her gloomy past. The only true remnant that withstood the test of time was that she still abhorred seat changes in class.

Yui let out a deep sigh and turned over to the other side of the bed. This time around, she couldn’t get any sleep not because of the seat rearrangement itself, but specifically because of who ended up sitting next to her.

“You’re playing a game where you try to make your seatmate fall in love with you!”

His claim from earlier in the day echoed through her head. She couldn’t help but laugh each time she recalled that confident expression of his, as if he had just solved the riddle of the century.

A game of all things? Maybe he is a bit of a dummy, after all... Still funny though, honestly! she thought to herself, a subconscious smile creeping over her face. She didn’t mind that he was a bit of a dunce; it was what happened afterwards that weighed heavily on her mind. As far as she could tell, nobody had ever patted her head before. In other words, Yuuki stole her first time. And when she was least expecting it, no less.

He was unexpectedly good at it too! It felt kinda nice to be honest, and his voice was so gentle, she mulled over it. She suspected that he was some kind of professional, secluding himself deep in the mountains for years on end just so he could perfect his head-patting technique.

He mentioned that he had a little sister as well. Didn’t take him for the older brother type. She never pegged him as someone who would pull that kind of stunt, and it was so unexpected that she couldn’t help but have panicked at the time. Her face turned red just from thinking about how unsightly she must’ve looked. She was certain that Yuuki now thought of her as someone who got embarrassed over the slightest things.

Just what was he thinking! she protested, holding her head in her hands and kicking her feet against the bed.

She went over all of the events that occurred throughout the day so that she could better understand how it all reached this point. She was interested in him, and they both happened to sit next to each other. She struck up a conversation as she normally would, and surprisingly enough, they got on pretty well. They happened to go home together after class, which was when it happened: the moment that had been living rent-free in her head ever since.

I gotta snap out of it! That was just the first time we’ve ever even spoken to each other! Even girls you see in harem anime wouldn’t fall for someone so easily! she affirmed herself, insisting that these jumbled feelings of embarrassment were only because he caught her off-guard and nothing more. That guy is gonna get it!

Yui’s anger at Yuuki only grew stronger when she imagined him enjoying a good night’s rest after making her feel so distressed. She had quite a competitive side to her, one that was now fired up and rearing to give him a taste of his own medicine.

If you hurt me, I’ll hurt you twice—no, four times as much! she decided with determination. And with that, the seatmate love game had now begun in full.

The main question was how she was going to manage it. After a long night of pondering it, she finally had her plan. When the first rays of light shone in through the window, she sprang out of bed and scurried to the kitchen. She then proceeded to get to making two lunch boxes for her insidious plan.

Maybe I shouldn’t, after all... This is kinda taking it too far, she hesitated. It was too drastic of a measure, no matter which way she looked at it. It was like she was reaching for the nuclear codes in response to a war that had only just begun.

“But anyway, you sure you're okay? You’re as red as a tomato.”

Yuuki’s words surfaced to the forefront of her mind just as she was about to call the whole thing off. Any doubts she may have had instantly dissipated, and her spirit was ignited once more.

This means war, so let’s set the world on fire, she thought. Then she spoke aloud, her voice full of resolve, “That was the first time that anybody's made fun of me like that.” Yui would make sure that Yuuki regretted ever making an enemy out of her.

“What are you talking about so early in the morning?”

“Eek!”

Yui spun toward the source of the sudden voice. There stood her older sister Maki, still in her pajamas, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Maki was four years older than Yui and was a university student. She had a penchant for going at her own pace with anything she did, and she was the type of beauty that exuded a comfy aura. Maki always had a smile on her face, and Yui loved her as that kind older sister. The reality was worlds apart from this image though, as she was actually a glasses-wearing brute in sheep’s clothing.

“Yaawn, so what are you making there?” she asked in her charming voice.

She had just woken up, as evidenced by her messy, fluffy hair that she was combing with her hand. She squinted to get a better look at her surroundings, being that she had neither her glasses nor her contacts on, and slowly approached Yui.

“Ah, you made so much food. You even made me some too? Aww, you’re such an adorable kid. I love you!”

“You got it all wrong,” Yui quickly declared. She then shifted herself to the side as she tried to hide the lunch boxes she was in the middle of making. This was a solid break from either of their routines, so to Maki, they must have looked very suspicious sitting there on the counter.

“Then who's that other one for? Wait, don't tell me. You finally got yourself a boyfriend?” she joked. Her jab startled Yui so much that she dropped the chopsticks she was holding. Despite this painful blunder, she still did her best to play it cool while she snatched them off the ground and rinsed them off in the sink.

“O-Of course not! You must still be half-asleep! Come on, wake up!”

“Huh? Oh, you definitely got a boyfriend, then. For real? Is he handsome? You got a picture of him?”

Maki’s transformation happened in about the span of a second; it was so quick that it struck fear into poor Yui’s heart. Her older sister’s once-relaxed face tensed up, and her typically laid-back tone became much more frantic. She wasn’t going to let up until she got what she was looking for.

“I-I just told you that I don’t!”

“You’re lying. I can read you like a book. Maybe try working on your poker face a little, kiddo.”

“Like... a book?” Yui parroted as she slapped both of her hands to her puffy cheeks. Try as she might, she wasn’t able to figure out exactly what kind of face she’d been making.

“So you finally found him, huh? Your ideal boyfriend?” Maki asked with an ominous smirk on her face.

“My what?”

“Yui’s ideal boyfriend.” That phrase alone was enough to render Yui motionless. She could do nothing but expect the worst from her sister and the wide grin she bore.

“I-I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Yui claimed unconvincingly.

“Playing dumb, are we? Let me remind you with this old chirp you posted.”

Maki got her smartphone out, tapped around on the screen a bit, then slid her finger across it in one smooth motion. A malicious look appeared on her face as she began to read the post aloud.

“‘My ideal boyfriend: Hates crowds. Doesn’t have many friends. Looks sleepy all the time. Has a poker face more often than not, but still looks cute when smiling. Taller than me, but not too much. Has to have a nice figure. Has to have attractive hands. Has to have black hair, preferably on the curly side. Has beautiful lashes. Has a deep voice. Doesn’t speak much, but his voice must be sexy. He must be cool, but oddly somewhat of a dunce. Has to be honest. Must be an older brother with a younger sibling. Must be caring and have a good relationship with his family. Knows his way around housework. Can cook’—”

“Aaah! S-Stop!”

“‘Understands references to anime. Reads difficult books. Doesn’t seem interested in relationships, but warms up to it once we start dating. Pats my head. Has a rough past that he doesn’t speak about.’ My god, got goosebumps just reading that. Better keep your yucky fetishes in check, Yui.”

“H-How do you know about that?!”

“You left your laptop open that one time, so I just took the liberty of following you,” she explained and gave an overly enthusiastic thumbs up to Yui.

“Aaah! I gotta lock it! I really gotta lock my screen!”

“You are already followed.”

Yui tried to close the distance and nearly leapt over the counter to try and snatch Maki’s smartphone away. Unfortunately, Maki raised her arm up way high out of Yui’s reach. Yui, eventually realizing that she’d accomplished nothing other than rubbing her breasts against the counter, took a hesitant step back.

“So basically, you’re lustin’ for a guy who’s some creepy, pretentious loner? And by the way, you sorta start contradicting yourself halfway through... Nobody like this exists in real life. All those girly manga must’ve fried your brain.”

“Th-That’s not true! I met someone who’s almost exactly like that!”

“Really now? But you just said you didn’t have a boyfriend.”

“J-Just shut up! Leave me alone! Ahhh!”

“Great reactions as always, Yui. You’re so cute, I could just eat you up!”

“Wh-What are you doing now? Stop this! Ugh!” she protested as Maki began to grope her butt. WIth some effort, she wiggled away from her sister’s tyrannical grasp.

Maki looked dejected as her gaze fell to Yui’s hips, but she suddenly put on a serious face and said, “You’ll be doing much more than just touching if you get yourself a boyfriend, you know? You can’t be getting this embarrassed right out the gate.”

“That serious tone doesn’t help your case as much as you think it does.”

“Aww, I can’t believe my little sister that I spent years lookin’ after is gonna end up getting snatched away by some random dude off the streets! But I guess it makes sense for someone to have their eyes on you. Did you know that the Yu in Yui comes from the word ‘cyute’? You’re practically irresistible!”

“I didn’t, actually,” she clarified, hurling hostile glances in response to Maki’s cheesy joke. Her glares did nothing to hinder Maki’s wide smile.

“They do say that the quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach and all, but...” she paused as she gave the kitchen another once-over, “I personally think you can get him in the palm of your hand if you—” she leaned her body uncomfortably close to Yui and breathily whispered her next words into her ear, “—told him that you loved him.”

Yui trembled and let out an involuntary yelp as a chill ran down her spine.

“See? Works like a charm,” Maki teased, completely satisfied with Yui’s reaction.

“Y-You... You witch!”

“Though that does tend to complicate things, so I wouldn’t try it, personally.”

“I would never do something so gross, either!”

“Don’t be like that. Let’s have a bit of fun with that naughty body of yours, missy,” she said. She extended her hands toward Yui’s chest with wicked intentions, leaving Yui no choice but to cover herself with both arms.

“I don’t think it’s a matter of never doing it or not,” Maki said with a sigh. “It’s just impossible for you. Too embarrassing for little ol’ Yui.”

“Th-That’s what you think! I’m sure I can pull it off if I really felt like it... You hear me?!”

“Haha,” Maki sneered. Yui was helpless against her and could only give in to her fate as being naught more than a toy for Maki, who knew her inside and out. “More importantly, I’m worried that you’re gonna get tamed by some weirdo... But I guess I’m a bit too late, what with how you’re acting and everything...”

“O-Of course I won’t! What does that even mean? Can we not make weird innuendos so early in the morning, please?”

“Big words coming from someone as red as a tomato right now.”

“... Tomato?”

Yui had managed to grow accustomed to smiling more, but she was never able to overcome her bashfulness. Her smile was a honed and formidable weapon that would instakill any man that was unfortunate enough to be in her line of sight. As a result, none of the guys ever retaliated, and Yui never had to work on conquering her shyness.

“W-We’ll see who gets flustered when I have him wrapped around my finger!”

“Hmmm? So you haven’t even told him your feelings yet? I like that set-up! You’re getting your sister all jealous!”

“Ah, no, no, forget I said anything. It was just a joke! Haha! There was no guy to begin with!”

“Of course there wasn’t. So anyways, what’s he like? I’m excited to hear all about him!”

“... Are your ears clogged or something?” her voice trailed off as her sister ran off giggling. Yui stood in the kitchen with her head drooped, succumbing to the fact that her sister had now acquired brand-new material she could tease her with.

This is all his fault. All of it! she thought to herself. I won’t pull my punches anymore. He’s definitely gonna pay now! As these thoughts continued to bolster her confidence, she finished putting the final touches on the lunch boxes, a daring smile plastered on her face.