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"Bored! Bored! Bored!" Menma punctuates each complaint with a weak thump of her tiny fist into Anaru's back.
"Menma!" Anaru huffs angrily, laying on her stomach with Menma straddling one of her legs. "I'm trying to read my manga! Why don't you go play Nokémon?"
"Ehh?" Menma's eyes get big. "Can I play with a Lickachu?"
Anaru chuckles. "Lickachu? From Nokezori Monster: Gold? That game is so old. But, I think I still have a copy. Let me see."
Anaru digs around in her towering collection of games and comics for a moment, then triumphantly produces the object of her search.
"You're lucky I still have my Gamestyle Advent," Anaru says smugly as she puts the cartridge in the console and hands it over. "Here."
"Wow, Anaru!" Menma beams happily. "You're still so nice, and so cool! You haven't changed one bit!" Menma bounds toward her and hug tackles her, burying her face in Anaru's breasts and squeezing her tight. Then she giggles softly into her boobs. "Well, maybe you have changed a little, ehehe..."
Anaru turns red and shoves Menma off of her. "Would you just take the game and let me read!?"
"Nokémon..." Menma pauses dramatically, then thrusts her fist into the air. "Captured! Let's go, Lickachu!" She sings the theme song and skips in circles around Anaru, then plonks down on a pillow. But before she opens the Gamestyle, she spots the scratched-off-and-taped-back-on sticker on its surface. She stops singing and stares at it for a while.
"Anaru..." Menma says softly. "You didn't like your sticker?"
"Y-Yes I did," Anaru says, burying her face deeper in the manga she's reading upside down.
"Then why did you scratch it off?"
"Because, I..." Anaru swallows and blinks back tears. "Because, I... Grr, why does it matter, anyway? I taped it back on, see? I like the sticker, so don't worry about it!"
Menma smiles sadly. "Could it be because...?"
"No!"
"...You like Jintan?"
"I don't like anybody, especially not Jintan!" Anaru shouts, balling her hands into fists.
Anaru's mother slides open the door to her room. "Anaru? Who are you yelling at?"
"Hello, Anaru's mom!" Menma smiles and waves politely.
"Ahh, nobody!" Anaru frowns. "And stop barging into my room, mom!"
"Well excuse me for checking on my daughter," her mother pouts. "And if you like Jintan so much, why don't you go over and visit him? I'm worried about him, he barely ever leaves his room-"
"I DO NOT! LIKE HIM!"
"Alright, alright!" Her mother slides her door shut and grumbles to herself about puberty or something as she walks back downstars.
"Bye Anaru's mom!" Menma shouts after her with a big smile. "Eh?" She turns around and sees Anaru crumpled to her knees, sobbing quietly. "Anaru?"
"He doesn't like me," Anaru says quietly. "He doesn't even notice me. Even though you're gone, he still only cares about you, Menma."
"Anaru!" Menma's eyes well up. She gets mad and points at Anaru. "Jintan does too notice you, and he likes you! Everyone misses me... but I'm dead! And you're both still alive, and you like each other! But all the two of you ever do is sit in your rooms feeling sad, and I hate it! Hate, hate, hate it!"
"What am I supposed to do? I couldn't possibly make it any more obvious to him how I feel. Why are you really here?"
"I don't know!" Menma shrugs. "Maybe I just want to see my friends getting along well without me. You should ask him on a date!"
"Huh??" Anaru hugs her knees and blushes again. "Isn't that too brazen? Boys are supposed to ask girls out! I know how people talk about me, I'm not 'loose!'"
"I know, but Jintan... maybe... needs a little help, that's all! Please?"
"No."
"Ask Jintan out!"
"No."
"Ask Jintan out!"
"No."
"Ask Jintan out!"
"No, no, no!"
Menma dances around Anaru, chanting her demand, then hugs her from behind, wrapping her arms around her neck and snuggling up against her. Anaru takes her tiny fingers in one of her hands.
"Menma..." she whispers. "How can you want me to be happy after what I... After I..."
"Because we're friends!" Menma says, smiling happily into the hug. "And I love you."
A fresh wave of tears streams down Anaru's face. "Menmaaaaaa!"
"And friends shouldn't fight!" Menma says, voice wavering slightly. "So you have to get along with him! I want you to be happy together, so please will you?"
"...Fine."
"YAY!" Menma bolts to her feet. "Come on, let's go to Jintan's house!"
"Wha- not right now!" Anaru complains, wide-eyed. "I-I'll ask him... tomorrow, alright?"
"Oh, fine," Menma narrows her eyes. "But you better promise!"
"I... promise," Anaru mumbles.
Menma sits on the floor next to her and hugs her arm, resting her head against her shoulder. They sit together in silence for... not very long.
"Will you help me catch a Lickachu?" Menma asks, eyes closed, smiling serenely.
Anaru sighs. "Yeah. Give it here."