The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the streets of Shibuya as Yuki and I made our way home. The familiar chaos of Scramble Crossing had given way to the quieter residential backstreets, where the only sounds were our footsteps and distant trains.
"So," Yuki began, adjusting her bag strap, "you actually managed to get Segawa into the Photography Club."
"You sound surprised."
"I am. Though I'm more surprised you went out of your way to help him." She glanced at me sideways. "The Shirogane Rei I know usually avoids getting involved in other people's problems."
I kicked a stray pebble, watching it skitter across the pavement. "Maybe I'm not as consistent as you think."
"Or maybe," Yuki said thoughtfully, "you saw something of yourself in him."
The observation made me uncomfortable, mostly because it hit too close to home. "What makes you say that?"
"Just thinking about what you said before, about masks and being genuine." She stopped at the vending machine near the local shrine, inserting coins for her usual green tea. "Segawa may be... excessive in how he presents himself, but at least he's honest about his delusions. That's more than most people can say."
The machine hummed as it dispensed her drink. She offered me one, but I shook my head.
"It's not about honesty," I said, leaning against the shrine's outer wall. "It's about belonging. Everyone wants to belong somewhere, even if they have to wear masks to do it. Segawa just wears his mask more dramatically than most."
"And you? What mask are you wearing now?"
I looked up at the orange-tinted sky, considering her question. "Who knows? Maybe I've worn them so long I can't tell the difference anymore."
"That's rather dark, even for you." Yuki sipped her tea. "Though I suppose it explains why you and Suzuki-senpai are friends. She wears her own mask of perfectionism pretty firmly."
"How did you—"
"The way you spoke to her. Nobody argues like that with a stranger." She smiled. "Plus, I saw her name in your phone contacts once."
Sometimes I forgot how observant Yuki could be beneath her quiet demeanor. It was one of the reasons we'd become friends – she saw through masks without trying to tear them off.
"You know," she continued as we resumed walking, "helping Segawa might not be such a bad thing. For either of you."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, he gets to pursue something he's genuinely interested in, even if his reasons are... unique. And you..." She paused at the intersection where our paths usually diverged. "Maybe helping someone else find their place will help you figure out yours."
"Speaking of places," I said, "remember when we first met? At Manga House in Udagawa?"
A rare smile crossed Yuki's face. "How could I forget? You were hogging the entire Urasawa section."
"I was not hogging it. I was conducting important research."
"You were hiding."
I couldn't deny that. Six months ago, I'd discovered that particular manga cafe as my perfect escape spot. Hidden on the third floor of a somewhat shabby building, it was the kind of place you'd only find if you were intentionally trying to avoid being found.
"You were hiding too," I pointed out. "The famous 'Ice Queen' of Class 2-B, reading shoujo manga in secret."
Yuki's cheeks colored slightly. "At least I wasn't building a fortress out of Monster volumes."
"It was a strategic barricade." I grinned at the memory. "Though it didn't stop you from commenting on my reading choices."
"Because you were reading them in the wrong order!" Yuki protested, her usual composure cracking. "Who starts '20th Century Boys' from volume 15?"
"Someone who picked up whatever was available on the shelf?" I leaned against a nearby wall, remembering that day. "You know, before you marched over with that judgmental look, I'd heard all the rumors about you. How the 'Ice Queen' rejected confessions without even looking at the letters. How you made three different boys cry during Valentine's Day."
"Four, actually," Yuki corrected, adjusting her glasses. "Though the fourth one was just allergic to chocolate."
"See? That right there. Everyone thought you were just cold, but you actually have a weird sense of humor."
"And everyone thought you were just antisocial, but you were actually..." She paused, considering. "Well, no, you were pretty antisocial."
We both laughed, the sound echoing off the quiet street walls.
"You know what I realized that day?" I asked, watching the last traces of sunlight fade from the sky. "We were both hiding in plain sight. You behind your 'Ice Queen' reputation, me behind my books. But in that manga cafe, with terrible fluorescent lighting and overpriced coffee..."
"We could just be ourselves," Yuki finished. "No masks needed." She took another sip of her tea. "Though I still think you have terrible taste in manga."
"Says the person who cried over 'Kimi ni Todoke' in the middle of the cafe."
"It was a moving scene! And you promised never to mention that again."
"Just like you promised not to mention how I accidentally called the cafe staff 'sensei' because I was too deep in reading mode?"
Yuki's laugh was interrupted by the chime of her phone. "Ah, I should get going. Mom's making hot pot tonight."
"Sure you don't want to stop by the cafe? For old times' sake?"
She shook her head. "Unlike some people, I actually need to study for tomorrow's math test."
I froze. "What math test?"
"The one Kobayashi-sensei has been reminding us about all week?" Her expression turned knowing. "You forgot, didn't you?"
"I was distracted! There was the whole Segawa situation and—"
"Excuses, excuses." She started walking backward toward her street, grinning. "Better hope your 'strategic barricade' technique works for calculus!"
"Yuki! At least let me take a picture of your notes!"
"Sorry, can't hear you! The Ice Queen has frozen her phone!" She waved, disappearing around the corner.
Standing alone at the intersection, I couldn't help but smile. For someone with such a cold reputation, Yuki had a way of making even impending academic disaster feel a little warmer.