The Scent of Raspberry

Minamo stared straight down at the paperwork on her desk, eyes running down a list of proficiency items for her upcoming class but none of the meaning making it up to her brain. Her face felt numb, and it occurred to her that she probably hadn't moved a muscle in a good half hour or so, but the realization didn't motivate her to get up or change position. Instead she turned her eyes back to the paperwork on her desk, seeing, not understanding, repeating the same cycle she'd been stuck on ever since she heard the news.

She heard Yukari's voice coming down the hallway outside the faculty office, yammering out some nonsense chant about... steak? or juice? Maybe it was both... and then another realization hit her.

Yukari doesn't know.

The thought hung there for a moment, before it was replaced with an even worse one.

I've got to tell her.

The lead weight that had been settled in Minamo's stomach turned red hot and started to climb up her throat for a moment, but she swallowed and breathed deeply, closing her eyes until the nausea passed.

Yukari opened the door to the office, her song climaxing with the lyric "...and I like it RARE!" as Minamo brushed tears from her eyes and looked up at her friend entering the room.

"Yukari, I've got some bad news..."

"Steak! My homeroom versus yours in an all-day decathlon, and the winner has to buy the loser a steak dinner! Or at least a soda! Sounds great, right? We'll start at lunchtime..."

"Yukari, listen, I've got to tell you..."

"Now, I think we should make the dinner for tonight, because that's when I'll want the steak, unless of course your side wins in which case it'll have to be after Friday because that's payday and I'm pretty much broke until then..."

"Yukari!"

"If you have another date set up with your fiancee, I'm sure you can cancel it, or maybe we can get him to come along and he can buy both of us steaks, that would be great, and then I could save my steak dinner from you for another time..."

"Yukari, listen to me!" Minamo stood up and grabbed her friend's arms, staring her right in the eyes, watching as it finally broke through Yukari's bulldozer momentum that something was out of the ordinary today.

"Yukari, there's been an accident. Some of the girls from the school are... they didn't..." Minamo stopped to choke back a sob.

"Nyamo... what girls? What happened? Did someone get hurt?"

"Yukari..." But Minamo was shut down again by another sob. She took a deep breath, followed by another, and tried again, only to be cut off by the school intercom system.

"Students, teachers and staff, this is the principal. It is with deep regret that I must inform you that a great tragedy has befallen our school."

Minamo sank back into her chair, and put her face in her hands. Yukari looked at the intercom speaker, and then back at Minamo as the announcement continued.

"This weekend, an accident claimed the lives of seven of our senior students. Please bow your heads in silence as I read the following names."

"Chiyo Mihama..."