"Actually… to be honest, I'm…" Silas tried to say the words he had formed in his head, but somewhere, it gets lost. He gulped. What was his excuse again? He needed an excuse. He… "I'm feeling really w-worn out… oh! And, Big Sis told me, before I left, that I should probably… I should probably g-get home before it's too late…"
"Well, in that case…" Yumika started to back off. No sense in intruding on Silas and Hana's date. "I guess I could - "
"B-But - !" Silas swallowed, and put on his best reassuring face. "I… I want you two to go on ahead, anyway, um…" He faced the attendant. "Mister, two tickets for the Eye, please…"
"Wait, Sai-kun…" Hana stepped forward, and Silas spun around, placing one of the tickets in her hand.
"I want you t-to have fun! Both of you," Silas said, forcing himself to keep his breath steady. He looked at Yumika and placed the other ticket in her hand. Yumika opened her mouth to say something - but Silas had the momentum. He had to keep it. "I owe it to both of you. Besides! I'll be uh… w-working. Online, tonight, so I'll make this back, no problem."
"You don't need to do this for us..." Hana tried.
"Do what?" Silas responded, swallowing. Hana blinked, and then she looked confused.
"You... what do you mean, 'do what'? Aren't you..."
"I d-don't really get what you mean..." Silas said hesitantly. "I-I mean, it's nothing, it's just money. H-Here, take it!" He spun around and put the ticket in Yumika's hand.
"Wha - oh. Right! If you say so…" It took a bit, but it finally clicked that Silas actually wanted them to both go on the eye together... Although Yumika wasn't sure if he wanted them to mend the broken bridges that Stupid Yumika had burnt, or if he was just aching to get to Yumika's little gift. Regardless, she decided to play along - and acting was one thing Yumika did better than anyone else she knew.
Hana sighed. She glanced wearily at Silas, before turning away. "Come on. Yumika-san. Let's… let's get this over with, already…"
"I'm following right behind you!" Yumika ran up to her.
"H-Have fun…!" Silas tried to shout, but his voice cracked.
"We will!" Yumika shot back firmly.
"I'll try…" Hana mumbled, her voice just barely rising above the wind. She waved back to Silas, shuffling her feet forward.
Yumika paused at the precipice to the Eye. Abruptly, she spun around, and she surprised Silas by nearly tackling him and grabbing his hand, shaking it firmly. "Oh, and…" her breath formed ice particulates in the air. "Thanks. For bringing us all out. I couldn't have planned something like this better mys - well, um." Okay - so she wasn't quite as good with improv. It didn't help that Sai-kun had this odd expression on his face that kind of made her want to giggle. "Point is, I… probably never would have tried to… do something like this, knowing me. Hana-chan's right. I'm stubborn." She chuckled softly. "See you around, yeah? Oh - and you should read that book." Yumika tilted her head and winked.
Silas smirked. He felt himself gripping the rectangular outline of the paperback through his trenchcoat. "You didn't h-have to be so obvious about it, I was gonna look at it anyway…"
"Ahh… I doubted Master Spy Silas. Forgive me!" Yumika laughed. "Well… time to go face judgement, I guess."
"I uh…" Silas hesitated. "Good luck. See you, Yumika-san. Thanks for coming along with us."
"Nnn." She waved him away. Go, idiot! Read the book!
It wasn't long before she was in the small cart, sat across from Shinohara, who gazed out the window with a melancholic look on her face.
"What~? Did you want to go on the Eye with Sai-kun, Hana-chan?" Yumika said teasingly the minute the attendant shut the door.
Hana pursed her lips, looking far more annoyed by the insinuation than embarrassed. "What are you trying to imply, there?"
"Eeh, the girl who can taste emotions can't tell? Well, I'm not going to spoil it for you." Hana sighed, shaking her head. She turned back to the window as the Eye of Miyao shuddered into motion, slick wheels turning with unfathomable power just to lift the two girls into the sky.
Yumika looked outside too, to the city glistening with a thin sheet of snow. Glittering skyscrapers like ice crystals rose out of the fluffy white haze, glimmering in the late afternoon sun. As the pair rose, they rose above the city, completing the impression of being inside a snowglobe which had been set down, the bottom and all it's surfaces covered in tiny sparkles. A gush of icy wind blew into the compartment, stirring Yumika's face and causing Hana to flinch and cover the side of her face without a shield of hair with one thin gloved hand.
"It's cold..." The Dream-Eater muttered.
"Yeah." Yumika said quietly, putting her chin in one hand. "...I'm sorry about what I did. It was rude of me, and not really good friend-ing."
"Good friend-ing, huh?" Shinohara scoffed slightly, although her grin had no malice in it as she drew her hand away and laid it on her lap. "You're a wizard with words, Yumika-san."
"I mean it." Yumika said, trying to flick the little burst of hurt to the back of her head, where she was pretty sure Hana couldn't sense it. Kind of. Emotions were weird.
Either way, she obviously failed, because Hana fiddled with her scarf just long enough to hide a wince. "Sorry. Well, about that. Not about..." Hana sighed. "I'm still mad at you, you know."
"I know. I'm sorry."
Hana glanced at Yumika, her one showing eye glimmering slightly in the blood red light. "I know. I just... I don't have a lot of friends, you know? Especially friends who know about my, er, condition."
"You know Rakuyama-san wouldn't judge you. Nobody in Drama would."
"You say that, but... Maybe they wouldn't knowingly do it, or might even try consciously not to do it, like you and Sai-kun do, but it's still hard."
Yumika flinched slightly. It was true, she tried not to judge Hana, but in a way, that meant she already failed from the start.
"I-it's not that I don't appreciate it. I get it, you know? I think I kind of judge myself about it sometimes; ever since I was ten I've always thought about myself as 'the weird girl who eats emotions'... So, really, I like that you and Sai-kun are so willing to... Change, to accommodate me. But it still hurts, just a little. I don't like bringing it up and calling that sort of thing down."
"Yeah, I guess." Yumika desprately wanted to turn and look out the window, or search for something to say to change the conversation topic - but she fought both urges off. This was something they both needed to do, very badly, and something Silas wanted for his friends. She couldn't fail him.
"But, yeah. I don't have a lot of friends, or even really want a lot of friends. I'm happy with just you two... Actually, I was happy with just you. Sai-kun kind of just made an impact I couldn't ignore."
"By impact, do you mean he fell on you? Was it like in an anime? Am I going to have to get my bat? Poor Sai-kun; to go to heaven, and then have me send him to hell-"
"He didn't fall on me or grope me anywhere inappropriate." Hana snapped. "Stop with that."
"Okay, okay, I'll stop!" Yumika giggled. Hana managed to keep her stern expression for only a second more, before her lips twitched into a smile.
"Man, I'm glad we caught you before you did anything too stupid." Hana said, her smile settling into something small and honest.
"...Me too. I was just so angry. I didn't really think ahead, about how it would effect you guys. I just kind of, saw red and started trying to cause chaos."
"Forget about us, what about your family?"
Yumika winced. "They'd-"
"They'd miss you. We'd all miss you."
"I'm sorry."
"I know you are. I... I forgive you. Again."
"Sheesh, you didn't have to put it that way you know?"
"This is the second time you've nearly gotten yourself killed or worse because you 'see red'."
"It's only the second time! You're too much of a hardass, Hana-chan!"
"H-Hardass?!"
"Hardass! Hardass! How do you even sit down, hardass?!"
"T-there's nothing hard about my ass!"
"Ooh, so that's where Sai-kun fell-"
"Silas Yamigawa has not and never will touch me like that-!"
"Oh no~, Sai-kun is going to be sooooo~ disappointed!"
"That's not what I meant and what do you mean disappointed?!"
"Ne ne, Hana-chan, what does ~LOVE~ taste like?"
"Excuse me, ladies, but your ride is over. You have to get off, or get another tick-Ergh?!"
Hana managed to shoot the lethal glare, meant for Yumika, directly at the unsuspecting Ferris-wheel operator. He recoiled in pure horror for a moment, before evidently reminding himself that it was actually just a young girl making that face and not a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Yumika, having been on the receiving end of that face too many times to count, didn't blame him. Sometimes, with Hana, it was hard to tell.
"Okay, okay, have another ride, sorry to bother you-"
"W-wait, sorry I didn't- We're going to get off thank you very much!"
Yumika couldn't hold it in any more, giggling like mad as she exited the cart behind Hana, who was apologizing and bowing so profusely that Yumika was reminded of those dorky little water-sipping birds one puts on an office desk if they have no personality.
She had to pull the dream-eater away from the poor man, who was still obviously jumpy with adrenaline, before she could even speak for laughing.
"Well, I think we made up, right?"
"God, I'm so embarrassed. Why do you bring out the worst in me?"
"'Cuz you bring out the best in me, and the universe needs to be in balance~?" Yumika said, twirling around to smile widely at her best friend.
"...Honey and Ice Cream." Hana said dully. "Way too sweet."
"You need a better tongue. Honey and Ice Cream sounds yummy."
"I'm more of a savory sort of girl." Hana said, slipping an arm around Yumika's elbow and pulling her lightly away from the heavy crowds.
"Nnn, meat? That's good too. Especially if you're... A... Hardass!" Yumika whispered mischievously, leaning into Hana's ear.
Hana's lips pursed again. "Why are we friends again?"
"Because I won't let you get away~." Yumika said with a smile. "And because I need someone to go to karaoke bars with."
"Oh, no you- S-stop pulling! Hey, Yumika! W-wait-!"