I thought a week wouldn't be bad, but I'd gotten far too used to seeing Mitsukuni daily. I was too used to seeing his bright smile, hearing his laughter, and just enjoying his presence.
Damn it!
I rolled over as the door opened.
"Rika-sama, it's already ten. You should wake up," Azumi said. "I don't want to," I replied.
"Rika-sama, please," she said. I sighed, sitting up. I'd been debating for a while on calling Mitsukuni. It was only day two, though. A week wasn't that long. And, if I called him, wouldn't I come across as a clingy girlfriend?
Ugh, no, I don't want that. Besides, we're emailing each other back and forth. That should be good enough.
"Rika, you're up!" Kimiko said, as I was walking down the hall. "Perfect! Masahiko-kun is coming over today in the afternoon. You'll be here, right?"
"Yeah." I nodded. It's not like I had anywhere better to be. I wandered to the kitchen to try baking an apple pie.
"Rika! He's here!"
"Hang on!" I called from the kitchen as I pulled a cherry pie out of the oven. My apple pie had come out as a success, but I wasn't too sure about this cherry one. I set it down on the counter and tossed the kitchen mitt off. Then I hurried out towards Kimiko's voice.
He was quite tall, with short and light brown hair. His face was a bit round in a cute way, although he was overall skinny and tan. He glanced at me as I came running towards them.
"Rika, this is Kitano Masahiko," Kimiko said, gesturing at her boyfriend with a bright smile. "Masahiko-kun, this is my little sister, Rika."
I bowed. "Pleased to meet you."
"Same," he said, bowing back. Then he gave me a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his head. "You can call me Masa if you'd like."
"Masa?" I said.
"It's what most people call me," he replied.
I glanced at Kimiko. "Why don't you call him that?"
"Cause everyone calls him Masa," she said hotly. "It's no fun to be on the bandwagon." I snickered, and Masahiko joined in with a chuckle.
"Okay, um, Masa-san," I said with a smile. "Please call me Rika. And please continue to take good care of my sister."
"Okay." He nodded. "Please take care of me as well."
Well, he certainly seemed nice. I turned to Kimiko and gave her a thumbs-up. She blushed and then rolled her eyes.
"I'll be in the kitchen then," I said before leaving the two alone. "If you want some pie, come find me!"
It was day four. At least Mom and Dad were extremely busy with work, so I was free to sleep in until ten- thirty before getting nagged at by Azumi.
I still hadn't called Mitsukuni. It was starting to get annoying. I could picture his smiling face in my mind, but it wasn't quite enough. I really wanted to hear his voice. Ugh. Something painful was tugging at my chest, squeezing my stomach around. My heart throbbed when I thought that there were still three more days to go.
"Hey how come you haven't emailed me?" An email from Ryota. "You're even emailing Kenta!"
I frowned at the new message, then began pacing back and forth in the kitchen. I was baking brownie cookies today. How should I respond to this? How could I respond to it? Tease him? I guess being blunt and honest was best. "I don't know what to talk to you about," I wrote back.
His reply came a few moments later: "Have you read VV? It's really good mystery scifi kind of thing." "Oh yeah! I read that like last year. It was good. ^^"
"I liked BJO better by that author."
"Nooo, VV is the best. BJO is just too ugh."
"Is it sad that I know what you mean when you say that?" "No :D"
"Rika-sama, Funaki-sama has come to visit," Azumi called as she entered the kitchen with said demon trailing behind her.
"Dear lord," I typed to Ryota. "I'm being visited by the most obnoxious human being I know!" Azumi left the kitchen quickly, leaving Minoru to stand there with a smile. "Hello, Rika-san." "Hello," I replied barely giving him a glance. I returned my attention to Ryota's reply.
"Who is it? Is there any chance I can meet this obnoxious being?"
"Who is it? Is there any chance I can meet this obnoxious being?"
"Funaki Minoru. And probably not. Unless you come here this instance, lol." "I wish I could."
I bit my lip. I couldn't just forget that Ryota was... Ryota. He was my second best friend - cause Akane came first - and definitely someone I valued. Plus, being an ex-crush, there were still leftover feelings. He was special.
"Hey, are you just going to ignore me?"
I looked up at Minoru just as the oven bell rang. I snapped my phone shut and went to the oven, saying, "I'm not ignoring you. I'm just choosing to direct my attention to somewhere else." I pulled the tray out. "Do you want some?"
"What is it?"
"Brownie cookies," I replied. "Basically brownie dough baked as cookies." I set the tray down and turned the oven off.
"Hot!"
Whirling around quickly, I saw Minoru clutching his fingers.
"You touched the cookies?" I asked in disbelief.
He nodded before proceeding to suck on his fingers. I rolled my eyes, then grabbed his arm and towed him to the sink. I turned the faucet on to as cold as it could get and stuck his fingers under.
"I know I asked if you wanted some, but obviously not now. They're really hot right now," I said. "Yeah," he said slowly.
"Feel better?" I asked. I pulled his hand out. His fingers were still red. "Hang on. Stay under the water." I exited the kitchen to grab a nearby maid and told her to get burn medicine. She came back quickly enough and I returned to where Minoru was waiting.
"Here." I splurt some of the medicine onto my finger before spreading it on his fingers. "Do you want a band- aid?"
He nodded quietly.
I sighed. "Who knew the great chess player Funaki Minoru could be such an idiot when it comes to freshly baked desserts? Haven't you ever baked anything before?"
"No," he said.
"No? Even though you're a son of Funaki Cakes? Strange," I muttered as I stuck a band-aid on one finger then the other. "There you go."
"Thanks," he said. Hm. He's actually being just a bit humble.
"You can have some of the cookies in like ten minutes," I said. "Sit down for now. Do you want something to drink? Tea? Water? Juice?"
"I'll just take some water," he replied.
I called a maid over to get us both some cups of water. Then I sat down at the kitchen bar next to him.
"So why did you come over?" I asked.
"I heard you were bored," he said.
"Where'd you hear that?"
"Hm... It's a secret." He smirked. I rolled my eyes.
"It's even more boring with you here. I can't bake like I want to."
"Go ahead. I'll just watch."
"And burn yourself again," I mumbled. He blushed faintly, ears and cheeks turning pink. "So you can blush." "Sh-Shut up!" he yelled, turning away from me.
Ah. He's a tsundere?
I giggled then hopped off the bar stool. "Watch. I'll bake a cake. What kind do you want?"
"It doesn't matter," he grumbled.
"Fine. Let's go with strawberry."
Day seven. An email greeted me in the morning from Mitsukuni, saying, "I'm coming back today! At about one!"
"Finally! I'll see you then!"
I couldn't believe how excited I was for school to start again. It'd mean that I'd definitely be able to see Mitsukuni every day, except the weekends but that could easily be amended. Another email came, this time from Akane: "Rika! Why aren't you here? No one will go to the pool with me. :("
"Why not?"
"Minnie's busy in cram school with Mickey. Tarou's on a trip with his family. Rikuto's busy with his job. And Kenta is too lazy to! Goof is being a dummy and won't come with me. Even Yukari-senpai is busy with her club! Whyyyy?"
I grinned. Poor Akane. "I wish I could go with you. Why don't you just drag Kenta or Goofy with you? They don't seem busy."
"Nooo, that's too tiring. Besides it's not fun to go with disgruntled people." "Are you still living at the same apartment?"
"Yeah why?"
"I'll send something to cheer you up!"
"Okay! :D I'm looking forward to it!"
Since there were a few hours until one, I could surely bake something for Akane. The only problem was
shipping it over...
At twelve-thirty, I began pacing the entire house, walking through the living room, up the stairs, and back down again.
"Rika-sama, is there anything I can do for you?" Azumi asked, stopping me in my path.
I bit my lip and shook my head. Then I stopped. "Actually, can you go mail something for me?" I headed towards the kitchen and snatched a large, white box off the counter. Then I pointed at another one.
"Of course." She took it out of my hands and left me alone in the kitchen.
I sighed. Azumi would definitely check to see what it was. Both were cakes, and both were being sent to Oji- san. There was a letter inside, however, to thank him for teaching me. Then there was a hidden letter with some money to ask him to send one of the boxes to Akane.
If it was like this, Mom shouldn't be able to find out that I sent cake to Akane. Right?
Ten minutes to one, I began pacing at the driveway. My stomach began flipping and squeezing. I felt almost sick. Ugh, this could not be good for me. My heart was beating irregularly, skipping around like a child at play.
Five minutes to one. I couldn't sit still. Would they be on time? Oh wait, what if he got caught in an accident? Oh no, that wouldn't be good. No no.
Then a Haninozuka black car came turning down the street. Ah! I must look like a... headless chicken! Running around for nothing. I forced myself to stand still. I played with the rose hairclip that was tucked in my pocket. I usually didn't wear it because I couldn't make it stay in my hair the way Mitsukuni could.
The car pulled up the Haninozuka driveway, and a door flew open. A familiar blond head came out. I tensed, prepared to run over.
But it was Yasuchika.
I almost collapsed on the driveway. Are you kidding me? So anticlimactic. That just like killed my spirit.
I began walking across the lawn calmly as Satoshi hopped out of the car. He spotted me and waved with a bright grin. I smiled, waving back. Then another blond head appeared. That had better be Mitsukuni, or else I will smack something silly!
It was Mitsukuni, and he noticed me almost immediately. He stared at me.
"Mitsukuni!" I called, continuing to walk at a regular pace.
A slow grin spread, lighting up Mitsukuni's face. "Rika!"
Seeing that brilliant smile and hearing his voice, I dropped all pretenses. I flew across the grass, sprinting towards that one person waiting for me with the warmest smiles.
He caught me with a small twirl. "Woah," he said, giggling.
I hugged him tightly. "I missed you."
"Same," he replied, pulling me closer. "Why didn't you call then?"
"Uh, well." I chuckled, feeling embarrassed and silly suddenly. "I... couldn't."
"Uh, well." I chuckled, feeling embarrassed and silly suddenly. "I... couldn't."
Mitsukuni pulled away to stare at me with a curious gaze. "Why not?" he asked.
I shook my head, blushing. I licked my lips. How could I explain this? "I, uh, didn't know how to. Um, I just... uh."
He laughed. "Okay then."
I smiled. "I'm glad you're back."
"Same," he said.
"Did you grow taller?" I asked, squinting at the top of his head. I compared our heights, moving a hand over my head and his.
"Maaaybe," he replied, giggling.
I rolled my eyes but couldn't stop the grin. Or that great, warm feeling.
"Rika, why don't you wear this dress to the party?" Mom had specially stayed here at home for this party. It was a business party, so I suppose they must have some kind of business thing to discuss. A few days after this party, she and Dad were going to leave, to go about on their separate business trips.
She was holding a white dress of mine up. It was sleeveless, with a low cut in the back. "What are you wearing, Mom?" I asked, staring at the dress with uncertainty.
"Well, your other choice is a kimono, but that will make you stand out," she replied. "I'm going in a dress too. Your father's wearing a suit."
"Sayoko!" Dad called from outside of my room. "The tie!"
Mom sighed, handing me the dress. "Change. We'll be heading over in twenty minutes. Do you want makeup?"
I shook my head vigorously. "No thanks."
Mom smiled. "You're right. You don't need makeup." Then she left my room. I stared at the dress. It wasn't bad, it was just... Well, whatever.
I stood in front of my full-length mirror. It fell just a bit past my knees. There were two pastel pink roses at the waist. I smiled. They'd probably match my hairclip. And at least the back wasn't that low.
I grabbed my hairclip as Azumi entered. "May I do your hair, Rika-sama?" "Why can't I just leave it down?" I asked.
She sat me down at that useless vanity and then began brushing my hair. "I'll pull it up into a ponytail, with two small braids on either side. How does that sound?"
I shrugged. "It sounds fine. But can you be quick?" "Very well," she said.
In like five minutes, she was done. I ran a cautious finger. There was one small braid of hair, on each side, that had been pulled into the ponytail, tucked behind my ears. Interesting. I feel like a manga character!
I stood. "I'll be going then."
"There's still time, Rika-sama," Azumi said.
"I know." I opened the door with her behind me. "I'll just go ahead of the rest. Can you tell Mom that?"
She sighed. "Very well."
I pulled on my black flats and walked to Mitsukuni's house through the sidewalk. The party was starting at six and there'd be food.
A butler opened the door for me without a word. "Mitsukuni-sama is in the living room."
I nodded, smiling. "Thank you." I guess I was becoming a regular sight at the Haninozuka residence. I was even getting used to where everything was.
Mitsukuni was sitting on a couch facing me. "Mitsukuni!" I skipped towards him. His eyes lit up and he smiled.
Then I realized there was someone sitting across from him. She was a middle-aged lady, with light-brown hair, pale skin, and rich caramel eyes with a golden glint. She had a rather round face and a kind look.
"Ah, sorry!" I said, cringing at my rudeness. "Did I interrupt something?"
The lady smiled. She stood, and Mitsukuni did too. "I'm Mitsukuni's mother. You must be the Hayashi Rika that I've been hearing about."
that I've been hearing about."
I nodded, bowing at best as I could. "It's pleased to meet you."
She was much taller than I expected. So why was Mitsukuni so short? He should be much taller than me. Mrs. Haninozuka smiled. "You're very pretty."
"Why thank you, ma'm," I said, giving her my best smile. "You look very young yourself."
"Oh, no need to flatter me," she replied. She giggled, placing a hand on her cheek. "I'll leave you two alone now. I have to go prepare for the party. It was nice meeting you."
"Same." I bowed again as Mitsukuni came to stand beside me. His mom left the room, giggling, as if she'd been watching some kind of comedy.
"Hey," Mitsukuni said. I turned to face him and held the hairclip up. "Hey. Can you put this in my hair?"
He grinned, taking the clip out of my hands. "Of course. You look really cute today." I bit my lip as my face turned red.
"Th-Thanks." I smiled.
He slipped the hairclip in and then grinned. "There!"
"It matches right?" I asked, backing away to show him the dress. He nodded. Interestingly enough, his ears and face were turning pink. "Anyway, did you get to try that marble cake?"
"Yeah! It was good. Really good. It tastes a lot like Oji-san's," Mitsukuni said. He took my hand. "I have to change. So let's go to my room for now."
I waited, lying on his bed as he was in the bathroom. "Hey, what did you do on your trip? Did like everyone go?"
"Yeah! We went to Kyoto and trained there. Mom and Dad did a lot of business meetings and stuff. Oh and we saw..." Mitsukuni began talking about the things they saw. They did quite a bit of sightseeing. It was mainly temples, but they also went and ate a ton of food.
"That sounds fun," I said. "The food sounds so good."
He opened the bathroom door, grinning. I flipped over from my back to my stomach. He was wearing a black suit and struggling with the pink tie. I hopped off the bed to go to his side.
"It was fun! We did a lot of training though, so it was tiring," he replied as he tugged on the tie. "I'm glad to be back."
I nodded, watching him struggle with the tie. Finally, I sighed and brushed his hands off the tie. "Let me do it." I quickly pulled it off and then properly wrapped it around his neck.
"You know how to tie a tie?" Mitsukuni asked curiously.
"My mom taught me, cause my dad's hopeless with ties." I dropped the tie with a smile. "Good?" "Mm-hm!"
We walked down to the large hall where the party would be held. The walls were painted a brilliant, rich red, with golden-brown half pillars inserted throughout. Tables covered in food were already set up, and servants bustled about adding finishing touches to the decoration. Along the way, Mitsukuni continued to tell me about the trip. It sounded like fun. He and Takashi's family were quite close with each other. His parents were already in the hall, examining the place.
"Ah, Mitsukuni!" his dad called. He waved us over. "Hello, Hayashi-san!" "Hello, Haninozuka-san!" I bowed. "And, uh..."
His mom smiled. "You can call me Haninozuka-san too, Hayashi-san." "Yes." I bowed at her too.
"She's so polite, Yorihisa," his mom said chuckling. "I think I like her."
"Well if Mitsukuni likes her, then I do too!" Mitsukuni's dad agreed with a grin.
I blushed. "Th-Thank you."
"Mom," I heard Yasuchika call as he came running in. "Oh, Rika-san." He nodded at me briefly before turning back to his mom. "The tie."
I grinned. "It must run in the family, huh, Mitsukuni?" He shrugged as his mom adjusted Chika's tie. He was wearing a suit too, just with a dark blue tie.
"Yay! Rika-nee's here!" Satoshi ran up to me with a grin. "I tried some of your cake! It was delicious!" "Cake?" Mitsukuni's mom asked, glancing at me.
"Yes, it was that marble cake I showed you earlier," his dad replied. "The pretty vanilla chocolate one." "Ohh." She nodded, then smiled. "You two are a good match."
"It seems our guests are arriving, Yorihisa," Takashi's dad said, coming over to our growing party. He glanced at me. "Who's this?"
"Our Mitsukuni's girlfriend!" Mitsukuni's dad said proudly. He placed a hand on my shoulder. "Hayashi Rika!"
I bowed. "Nice to meet you, sir."
"We have to go greet the guests now, Yorihisa," Mitsukuni's mom said.
In a second, the party dispersed with the adults heading to the entrance. "Mitsukuni!" his dad called. "Come here and greet our guests!"
Mitsukuni glanced at me. I nodded. "Go on then. I'll just go and hang out with the food." I smiled, and he smiled back.
"Okay. I'll find you once I'm done," he said before strolling to his parents' side. Takashi followed after.
I perused the food. There were entrees for a full dinner, snacks, and then desserts. The last party I'd been to, however, half of the food was left untouched.
I got a plate and began piling up some food. Might as well eat while I wait. My parents filtered in later along with the crowd. Kimiko was with them, wearing a pretty red dress. I watched the people flow in. They all stopped to chat with Mitsukuni's parents.
Hm. Boring.
At least the food was good. Ah, who am I kidding? This is a party hosted by one of the wealthiest families in Japan. Of course their food would be top-notch.
"Fancy meeting you here, Rika-san," a terribly familiar voice said. Minoru walked up to me with a smile. "Good evening."
"Good evening," I replied with a nod.
He stared at my platter of food. "You're the type of girl who eats a lot, huh?"
"No, I just like to eat a lot of good food," I said.
"I'll join you then."
"That's unnecessary." I glanced around. Mitsukuni was still standing by the doors with his parents. People just kept streaming in. "You can leave right now and not talk to me again."
"How harsh," he said with a smile.
I swear he's... impossible! So frustrating! He's a difficult person. "How are your fingers? Better?"
He nodded. "Thanks to you."
Bleh. I forced a smile. "That's good. You should try out the desserts, Funaki-san. There's lots of good cakes." "Really? Are any of them from Hayashi Sweets?" he asked as his gaze swept across the dessert table.
"No."
"Then I don't see how they can be good cakes," he said. "I'm going to get a drink. Is there anything I can-" I shook my head. "No thank you, Funaki-san. Bye now!"
He was back in a few minutes, though, and Mitsukuni was still preoccupied. He was bowing and smiling and waving at all the people that came in. Just how many people did the Haninozuka's invite?!
"So you'll be participating in the chess tournament, correct?" Minoru asked. I nodded. "Good. On our first day back to school, we'll begin our chess boot camp."
"Sounds horrible," I replied.
He smiled. "At least you're being honest. We'll just be doing all sorts of exercises to better our chess skills." "Fine," I said with a shrug. "I'll be there."
"Great. How did your summer go?"
"It was alright. How about you?" I asked.
He smiled. "It would have been lovelier if I'd been able to spend more time with you."
"Please," I said, rolling my eyes. "Please don't flirt with me." I shuddered at the thought. "It's just-"
Minoru grabbed my arm, turning me towards him. We were close, very close. If Mitsukuni saw this...
I jerked away, stepping back quickly. "Don't touch me, Funaki-san. We can have a professional relationship and that is it."
"Oh come on," Minoru said quietly. He took a step closer.
"Rika!" Mitsukuni came dashing to my side. He stared at Minoru.
"Thank goodness you're here," I said, facing Mitsukuni.
"Mm, Rika," Mitsukuni said. He glanced at me briefly before returning to stare at Funaki. "The marble cake is almost all gone, and the kitchen servants were asking if you'd bake another one.
"You always interrupt, don't you, Haninozuka?" Minoru asked.
"Be quiet, Funaki-san," I muttered. "I'll go then. Do you want to..."
Mitsukuni shook his head. "I'm gonna get something to eat."
I nodded. "Okay then. I'll come find you once I'm done," I said. I shot Minoru a hard stare and then went off towards the kitchen.
3rd POV:
Honey glared at Minoru.
"What is it, Haninozuka?" Minoru asked with a lazy wave of his hand. "In case you've forgotten, Hayashi Rika
is my fiancee. Not yours."
"I don't care," Honey replied, taking a step closer. "You better not hurt Rika. You better not even threaten
her. If you do..."
"If I do what? You'll punch me? You'll flip me over your little shoulder?" Minoru smirked.
Honey frowned. "Just stay away." He turned away to go find Rika when Minoru stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
"That should be my line," Minoru hissed.
Honey shrugged his hand off and then walked away without another word. Funaki Minoru was a difficult person. It would be troublesome to compete against him.
Rika was in the kitchen, throwing the cake into the oven. She set a bowl of icing on the counter and instructed a nearby servant to pull the cake out when the oven timer beeped and to ice it.
"Rika!"
"Hey, I'm done!" she said with a grin, heading over to him. She took the apron off and glanced down at her dress. "Oops, I've got some cake batter on me." She giggled. Her mom would probably throw a fuss if she knew there was cake batter on her dress.
"It's fine. It's not very noticeable," Honey replied as she brushed at it with some paper towels. The two exited the kitchen.
"So what did you eat?"
Oshiro Sayoko sipped her drink, watching her daughter and Haninozuka Mitsukuni interact.
Someone stepped up to her right. "They're so cute together, don't you think?" Haninozuka Yorihisa asked. He smiled at her. "How have you been, Sayoko-san?"
"I wouldn't call them cute together," she replied.
"Look at how happy they are. You should let them be that way, while they're still young," Yorihisa said. He too watched the two younger ones talking and smiling.
"My daughter is absolutely smitten by your son," Sayoko said. "And I don't like that."
"That's my Mitsukuni for you." Yorihisa beamed proudly. "Ah, but it's more like your daughter has my son wrapped up around her finger. The entire time during our trip, he kept watching his phone, waiting for your daughter to call or message him."
"I don't believe it."
"But it's true. Why don't you call off the engagement? Let them be."
"They're young. Their feelings might fall apart. How am I supposed to know they'll survive in a long-term relationship?" Sayoko said. "The engagement is an investment and a promise. And I don't break promises lightly."
"A noble virtue," Yorihisa replied with a nod. "But sometimes our children's feelings and happiness - no matter how temporary and brief - are more important than our pride. Don't you think so too?"
"Oh really?" Sayoko turned to face him.
"Oh really?" Sayoko turned to face him.
"Sayoko!" Hayashi Noboru twirled over to his wife's side, carrying a plate with a cake on it. "Have you tried this cake? It's absolutely deeelicious!"
"No, you know I'm not into sweets," she replied.
"You'll like this one! It's not that sweet!" he said. He held a fork full of the cake in front of her. "Come on! Try it!"
She sighed, taking a bite. Then she nodded. "It's good. You can have the rest now." "Yorihisa-san!" Noboru said, turning to his neighbor. "Who made this cake?" Yorihisa grinned. "Your daughter did."
...
"What?" Sayoko asked incredulously. "Impossible. This tastes as if - her cakes usually don't taste like this." "Why not?" Yorihisa asked.
"Our Rika made this?" Noboru held the plate up for inspection. "Oh! My glorious daughter! Come!" He flew over to where the couple stood by the food table.
"She can create some simple cake designs and ideas, but it never tasted the way our Hayashi Sweets makes it," Sayoko puzzled over this. Something had happened when Rika went on that trip with the younger Haninozuka. Something that had changed their relationship. They seemed much more at ease with each other. And now Rika was baking cakes like this? Just what exactly had happened?
Rika's POV:
"Hey, I can see the twins!" I said, pointing through the crowd. Their auburn hair wasn't hard to spot in the sea of black and brown. "They look bored."
"Haninozuka Mitsukuni?"
I glanced towards the sound of the voice. A rather young couple was standing in front of us, probably in their mid-twenties. The girl smiled. "You've grown, Mitsukuni-kun!"
It seemed like they knew each other well. So, while Mitsukuni began chatting with the pair, I slipped through the crowd towards the twins.
"Hey." I tugged at the sleeve of one of the twins' suit jacket.
The two turned. Then they grinned at me. "Rika-senpai!"
"Hi," I said with a smile. "You guys got invited too, huh?"
"Yeah, our mom's talking to Honey-senpai's mom right now," Hikaru said. He pointed with his head at their direction.
"Have you met her yet?" Kaoru asked. "Who? Your mom?" I said.
"No, Honey-senpai's mom!" the twins said in unison. They gave me their duh expression, as if my question was absolutely absurd.
"Of course I have!" I replied, crossing my arms. "And?" the twins asked, leaning over me.
I rolled my eyes. "She's really nice."
They scoffed. "Boooring!"
"Rika-senpai!"
Hm. That was a familiar voice I hadn't heard in a while. I turned just in time to see the girl torpedoing towards me. She lurched to a halt right before me, taking a deep breath, and then grinned at me. "Hello!"
"Chiyo-san!" I smiled. "Hi!"
"So how come you aren't with Honey-senpai?" Hikaru asked curiously. He glanced around. "Oh, hey, he's coming this way."
"I was just with him. He was talking to someone."
"You just ditched him?" Kaoru said. His eyes widened.
"Yeah! Ditch Honey-senpai!" Chiyo yelled, pumping a fist in the air. "What?" Mitsukuni said as he came up behind us.
"Sorry I ditched you," I said immediately, turning towards him. "You're not mad, right? I just wanted to say hi to the twins and I don't know those people. And-"
Mitsukuni giggled, grinning at me. "It's okay." He turned to the rest. "Hi!"
"Hi," the twins said. They slung their arms around each other. "You know Kyoya-senpai is here too."
"Really? Where?" I asked. On my tiptoes, I glanced around but couldn't spot that familiar glasses-wearing second year. A hand tugged on my arm, pulling me down off my toes. "What, Mitsukuni?"
"Where'd you get your dress?" Hikaru asked.
I shrugged. "Mom bought it. Nice suits you guys are wearing."
They grinned, nodding. "Yup! We designed it ourselves!" It looked practically like any other suit, closed up with a single button. Although there were some lines down the middle of their white shirt underneath. Maybe that was what they designed? Well, I'm no fashion guru. They also had matching bright orange ties.
"Rika-senpai! What about me?" Chiyo asked, twirling to show her dress. It was light pink with a v-neck and a short, poofy skirt. Her hair was tied up in some elaborate bun, with curly strands popping out at the side and held up by some pretty red rose.
"Gorgeous, of course!" I said with a thumbs up. "Chiyo-san really does look good in everything."
Chiyo giggled and her arms flittered about in the air in the most strangest way. I'd never seen her do something like that. She stopped and began fiddling with her fingers.
"Do you want to do something, Chiyo-san?" I asked. "Or say something?" She shook her head, biting her lip. "It's obvious you do," Hikaru said.
"Do what?" Mitsukuni asked.
"Ahh! I can't stand it!" Chiyo yelled. She stomped one foot. "I really want to hug you, Rika-senpai!"
"Go ahead," I replied.
She blinked at me. "Really?" Then she glanced at Mitsukuni. "Can I?"
"Um, it-it's Rika's choice," he said, looking away.
"Yay!" Chiyo glomped me happily. She rubbed her cheek against mine. "Rika-senpai is so small and cute and fluffy! It's like hugging a teddy bear!"
"Or a bunny," Hikaru muttered, snickering.
"What does that mean?" I asked.
The twins leaned towards Mitsukuni with leering grins. "You can imagine it, right, Honey-senpai?"
"Oi, don't bully him," I said. Mitsukuni had his head down, and he looked as if he were caught in some huge moral dilemma. His eyes were wide, frozen in shock. Then he shook his head fiercely.
Just what the heck was he thinking? I don't get it at all...
"Excuse me, you're Hayashi Rika, right?" a servant came over. I nodded. "Oh, good. Could you come to the kitchen? If you want to, that is. The cake, um."
"Okay," I said and began following the servant back to the kitchen.