Solving Cases is My Daily Life Now: Volume 1

Chapter 18

Morning came faster than Rina had anticipated, though she felt she should have expected it by now. What she didn't expect was to be stopped by Suzu that day instead of Yua like she usually was.

"Hey, R-R-Rina." Suzu said with a smile and a meek wave.

"Hey, Suzu." Rina said with an eyebrow raised, "Where's Yua?"

"I ask-asked her to give us some p-p-privacy this morning. I w-wanted to talk to y-you about what happened y-y-yesterday." Suzu said, glancing over at Rina with a worried look.

"You mean in the club room? I'm not upset or anything." Rina said, looking back at her friend.

Suzu wasn't fully convinced, as evidenced by the look on her face.

"W-well...I stayed behind a-and talked to Masaru ab-about it..." she said, continuing her thought, "I t-told him we overheard his t-t-talk with Fuyo..."

Rina widened her eyes, it wasn't exactly something she wanted him to know.

"You...what? Why?" She asked as they entered the classroom.

"I w-wanted him to know h-h-how you were feeling...b-but it seems that he already kn-knew, he could tell b-b-by the way we were acting..." Suzu said, looking like a strange mixture of sad and happy.

It wasn't like Rina didn't understand the feeling, on the one hand it was awkward for him to know that they eavesdropped. But on the other, it was nice thinking that he knew them well enough to tell that something was off.

"Well, what did he say?" Rina asked, admittedly curious.

"H-he said that was his thought p-process when he asked F-F-Fuyo to leave the case to y-you two." Suzu said, sitting down at her desk, "That sh-she would calm down and c-come back, she always d-d-does."

Rina frowned. His lack of understanding a woman's heart aside, he was trying to be thoughtful. She just wished there was a way she and Fuyuko could get along.

"Well...I'm not mad at her. Or at you for talking to him." Rina said with a smile.

Suzu smiled back in relief, and not long after Yua came rushing in late for class. She only had time to wave and stick her tongue out at them before the bell rang, and class began. By the time class was over, Rina grabbed her bento and hurried out, knowing that Masaru was waiting for her in the club room.

When she got there Masaru was already standing up, finishing up sending a message to someone. He was facing the wall, but turned to look at her when she walked in.

"Hey. You ready to go?" Masaru asked, walking up to her.

Rina nodded, her open bento in her hand. Masaru looked down at it like the day before, his curiosity evident on his face.

"Oh yeah...you never did get to try any yesterday." She said, taking a piece and handing him the chopsticks.

Masaru looked at it for a moment before putting it into his mouth. His expression didn't change, but Rina could have sworn she saw a shine in his eye.

"It's...good." Masaru said, sounding slightly surprised.

Rina felt her face heat up and she looked away, she wasn't sure why she felt that way. People had complimented her cooking before, but she never felt so embarrassed about it. She decided it was because Masaru handed out compliments so sparsely, and managed to speak after some thought.

"Thanks." She said with a smile.

Masaru looked to the door.

"All right, let's go." He said, walking out the door with Rina close behind.