Kirari had sent all the cooks out on a break after Doctor Soleste had left the premises. Sayaka had turned on the oven to pre-heat it at the right temperature and tried to teach Kirari how to bake a cake but Kirari had refused to follow in Sayaka's lead even though she had no experience. The kitchen looked like a typhoon had gone through it with all the cupboards and drawers open as Kirari struggled to find where all the utensils they needed were. Sayaka kept to herself and beat the egg whites, sliced the butter, and prepared the pan as well as all the other necessary ingredients. Kirari insisted on being the one to put it all together. And it would have turned out fine except that Kirari kept opening the oven to check up on it and Sayaka was too weak to stop her. The cake was a disaster. It was soggy. Sayaka finally pointed out the mistakes Kirari made. A food fight had erupted in the kitchen as Kirari couldn't accept criticism. She smeared the soggy cake all over Sayaka's neck and cheeks as the other retaliated by throwing a pack of flour and the separated egg yolks to thwart Kirari from licking the cake off her face and body. Ririka tried to separate them both in between grilling the lamb chops, making gravy, frying the mojo potatoes, and making the tomato juice from scratch in the blender. In trying to arbitrate between them, she also got a splattering of food ingredients on her arms, neck, and hair. They ended up eating dinner with flour, battered egg yolks, and chocolate icing on their clothes, faces, hair, and arms. It was Ririka that had saved the night with her culinary abilities as everything she made had turned out right.
They were all seated in the balcony after the rain had stopped and Kirari made it up to Sayaka by slicing all her lamb chops into smaller pieces, dipping it in gravy, and feeding it to her with a fork. Sayaka was relieved. Watching Kirari fail at such a simple task brought the light back in her eyes and the flush in her cheeks. For one night, Kirari and Ririka felt like they had gotten their gorgeous, nerdy secretary back. Kirari was in such a good mood that she refused to take Ririka's elixir and Sayaka allowed Kirari to cuddle her for the night after their evening bath, which they took separately. Ririka had barred the door with her own body, preventing Kirari from trying to sneak in.
This little victory though turned out to be short-lived as the next day, the entire student council had ran into Ryota Suzui, Yumeko Jabami, and Mary Saotome who were also there to enjoy the beach for the weekend, all three of them dressed in casual shorts and shirts. Ririka was quick to spot them and ordered everyone to transfer to the far side of the beach where the lighthouse was. Sayaka, being a keen observer, also spotted them from afar and she had relapsed into her depressed, stoic state. Ririka, wearing her mask and dressed in a two-piece light blue bikini, knew she had to do something to take her attention away and sat with her on their beach towel asking Sayaka if she would allow her to rub sunscreen on her arms and back. Dressed in a dark red bathing suit that Ririka had lent her, Sayaka declined saying that Mary was nearby and would get angry if she saw Ririka doing so. Runa Yomozuki was closeby, dressed in an orange bathing suit, sharing the huge umbrella while playing her Pink Playstation Vita. The rest of the student council took to playing beach volleyball. Kaede Manyuda in a black trunks, Yuriko Nishinotouin in a one-piece floral violet bathing suit, and Midari Ikishima in a hot two-piece purple polka dotted bikini were on one team. Itsuki Sumeragi, dressed in a caramel brown one-piece to match her hair, Yumemi Yumemite, and her secretary Saori dressed in matching hot pink two-piece and one-piece suits altogether made up the other team. Unfortunately, Midari was the only one who could actually play for her team. It was no surprise that they had lost with Midari throwing a fit by kicking sand into an already semi vision-impaired Kaede's eyes as Yuriko tried her best to restrain Midari from pulling at an angry Itsuki's hair. Midari was able to make off with Itsuki's favorite green headband. Saori had pulled Yumemi out of the fray as she didn't want her starlet to be photographed, video recorded, or blogged about this childish incident. They joined Sayaka, Ririka, and Runa, spreading their own towel and umbrella alongside. Saori and Ririka had packed picnic baskets and they all shared food and refreshments amongst themselves. They watched as Midari and Yuriko hit the beach, swimming in their sexy bathing suits. Itsuki was playfully burying Kaede under a pile of sand as she teasingly brought her face closer as if to kiss him then pulled back and made faces instead.
"Sayaka, we didn't realize how much we missed you," Saori remarked, "When you were around, all the gossip in school got centralized into neat reports for the entire council to discuss."
"Who makes reports?" Sayaka replied sullenly.
"Nobody. We barely have any meetings as it is. The president just deals with us on one on one basis or sends us extremely long text messages with instructions and threats."
"Need more time off," Sayaka replied.
"Well, the time off really is doing you some good. Your skin looks healthy and you've maintained your figure. But we really do miss you," Saori replied.
"Speak for yourself," Runa giggled through her lollipop, as she swapped her device with a Nintendo Switch with red and green joycons, "With Sayaka away, we see less and less of the President. Some days I think the Prez just comes in so that she can bat her eyelashes and oogle Sayaka from her presidential chair."
"Excuse me," Sayaka said and stood to get up. Ririka also stood up to follow her, "Just going to wade in water," She said to Ririka.
"I'm not letting you out of my sight," Ririka replied, the mask distorting her voice. Suddenly, Runa, Yumemi, and Saori looked up from what they were doing.
"I don't think I've ever heard the vice president say so much words," Saori remarked.
"Right, the only time we ever hear her speak so much is with Mary Saotome around," Yumemi added.
"Ririka...go see Mary," Sayaka turned her attention to Ririka.
"No."
"For me? Please?"
"I'll watch her," Saori said. But Ririka refused to move and suddenly, it was awkward. Sayaka left to walk towards the shoreline and Ririka followed behind her. The student council officers looked at one another and suddenly looked away, having thought the same thing but were too shy to say it out loud. They shot each other darting glances though.
Ririka observed something strange as Sayaka walked the beach. It seemed like the water kept getting closer and closer to her feet with every wave rolling into the shoreline.
"Sayaka, I have read your personal file. I know you drowned and Midari Ikishima pulled you out and resuscitated you. I also know most of your relatives have died by drowning. I'm not letting you out of my sight. So don't push me away just because you think I want to be with Mary. I want to be with you."
She stopped walking, turned around to look directly into Ririka's eyes, "When get better, you go to Mary?"
"I'm waiting for Mary to come to me, instead."
"So Mary is Kirari and you are like me?"
It took a while for Ririka to put it together, "Are you thinking butch and femme? I don't see all lesbians that way, Sayaka. Eveyrone's relationship is different."
"Only understand power in couples," Sayaka replied.
"So you're saying that Mary has power over me?"
"Weak for her," Sayaka replied, "Only way it works out."
"That's not true, Sayaka. That's very unfair. Some relationships are both interdependent and codependent. You see how Kirari and I are. You've lived with us for two years. At home, she and I can balance our power. But when we step out of home, Kirari holds all the power. We are Kirari. There is only one made of two. You must learn to separate between relationships and work."
"Kirari everything to me. Work. More than work. Same thing," Sayaka said and started walking the shoreline, letting the water lap at her feet. Ririka reached out and held her hand. She pulled Sayaka near.
"Sayaka...if I have power in both home and school...will you want me?"
Her eyes opened up in surprise, her expression had changed from depressed to confusion, "Ririka, hold power at home. Kirari, school."
"Is that how you see us?"
"How it feels."
"What if I were to run for President? Would you like me better than Kirari?"
"Like you both, Vice President. Not complete without you," Sayaka answered directly, her eyes penetrating Ririka with a clarity she hadn't seen in a while.
"Are you saying you love us both?"
She looked at the horizon then back at Ririka, "Can't lie. Yes."
"But what if I want you all to myself, like Kirari does?"
"No. Not work either. I leave," She answered and all the nape hairs on Ririka stood up.
"Where would you go?"
"Find Damien," She replied, referring to Damien Inbami who was Kirari's favorite cousin. Then, Sayaka pulled her hand away from Ririka. Just as she did, Mary, Ryota, and Yumeko walked up behind her.
"Yumeko Jabami!!!" Sayaka suddenly shouted, the fire was back in her eyes. Ririka quickly pulled Sayaka to her but she stubbornly turned to look back at Yumeko, "Siren on the rocks! You have some nerve challenging the President!" Ririka was able to put some distance between them after pulling at Sayaka. But she was astonished at how Sayaka had suddenly re-emerged, fuelled by anger. Her eyes had returned to their normal expression.
"Mary, help me here. Take Yumeko away, please?" Ririka called out to her.
Mary gave her a cold stare before reaching out to hold Yumeko's hand, "Come on Yumeko, lets not spoil the mood."
"Tasteless. I would have thought we'd be over this by now, Igarashi-san," Yumeko returned fire before she let Mary and Ryota pull her away and the three of them walked in the direction of the ice cream stand where most of the cars were parked.
Ririka pulled Sayaka to her, holding her.
"She's right, Sayaka. You shouldn't start a fight. You would embarrass me, too."
"You're embarrassed, but Kirari gets flattered whenever I fight for her."
Ririka bent her head and took Sayaka's face in her hands, "Sayaka? Are you back? You're starting to sound like yourself."
She turned away from Ririka to look in the direction of Yumeko. Ririka knew that she was so close to the turning point now. Ririka wanted to creatively redirect the anger in Sayaka so that she wouldn't fall back into depression.
Ririka took off her mask, letting it drop in the sand. Then, she put her hands on Sayaka's cheeks. Her fingertips were hot to the touch and Sayaka flinched from it, "Sayaka, I've missed you so much. Don't hide inside yourself. Don't hide yourself from me. I need you."
"Mary...Mary needs you too," she replied and slowly, the light in her eyes started to dim once more. She retreated back into her sadness. She pulled Ririka's hands off her face, turned around and continued walking the shoreline, the waves lapping at her feet. Ririka looked down and quickly picked up her mask before the water would destroy the voice scrambler. She didn't put it back on but switched to hold it with her left hand. She followed behind Sayaka closely, feeling just as sad and dejected. Sayaka stopped and let Ririka fall in step beside her.
"Sayaka? Can I hold your hand?"
She glanced back at the ice cream stand and Yumeko, Mary, and Ryota were no longer there.
"Can," Sayaka answered simply and Ririka intertwined her fingers in Sayaka's. It felt so good. She could feel the undercurrent between them...warm, electric, but in Sayaka's state of mind, it was nothing else for her but comfort. They walked a good distance enjoying the breeze from the sea and each other's company. Ririka felt happy. The rest of the student council members watched them both quietly from where they were near the lighthouse but Ririka and Sayaka were too lost in each other's companionship that they didn't realize Runa had taken a stolen shot of them both holding hands. Sayaka looked at the horizon where the sun was slowly moving away. Ririka tugged at her hand and Sayaka turned to face her. Ririka smiled and winked at her teasingly. Sayaka slowly returned her smile, her sad eyes shining. So many things that Ririka wanted to say and do but couldn't. Love is the loudest sound. Yet it always goes unheard.
[Next chapter--Behind Closed Door #15]