Author's note: To clarify something real quick: Both Ren and Kai are the protagonists of the story. Both will face their own problems and their own stories but they revolve around each other.

Chapter 4
Email

"So I see you're in a really good mood today. Anything good happened at school?" Ren looked over his notebook on the living room couch. His cousin was dancing around, humming to himself and doing all kinds of silly poses.

"Ah, I met the most amazing and gorgeous girl in the world!" Kai danced around, his heart fluttering.

"Are you kidding me? I met the most annoying and dumbest boy in the world!" Kei vented at Miyuki, who was caught off guard by her sister rambling randomly when he was in the middle of doing laundry."He's so egocentric and self-centered. I only met him today and I'm already fed him with him."

"Dude, sounds like you found quite the girl." Ren was fairly surprised. He hadn't seen this face of Kai yet so he was intrigued."How did you guys meet?"

"Love at first sight as soon as I walked into that classroom." Kai grabbed his chest, reminiscing of his first sight of Kei."I knew right then and there that I'd make her my girlfriend no matter what."

"Wait, so he was following you around?" Miyuki nearly dropped his basket of laundry."That's...stalking! And what did he do next?"

"I wouldn't go that far as to call it stalking." Kei sighed, leaning against the wall."He just...asked Moeha where I was because he wanted to talk with me. I kept ignoring him though."

"Kai...you're making this sound like she wants nothing to do with you." Ren deadpanned at his cousin."I'm not an expert on girls, but if one keeps shooting you down like that, it means she's probably not into you."

"Right?! I thought the same thing!" Kei grabbed Miyuki's shoulders, shaking him."So tell me why he still persisted?! He even joined the Student Council!"

"I'm sorry, he what?!" Miyuki nearly had a heart attack.

"I joined the Student Council, of course!" Kai picked up the documents he had received to review to get ready for his position as treasurer assistant.

"Honey...are you...you know, sure that's a good idea?" His mom broke her silence, finishing washing the dishes."I mean, joining the Student Council is nothing to scoff at, but if you're only joining to get at a girl you're going about it the wrong way."

"He doesn't care." Kei groaned, hitting her head against the wall."I'm hoping that the workload will be enough to make him quit on his own."

"You'll have to balance schoolwork, student council work, and whatever club you decide to join." Ren pointed at him with his pen."Can you do that?"

"For the sake of love, I'll do anything." Kai responded solemnly."And don't worry. I'll keep everything in check."

"Do you want me to go and talk to him?" Miyuki asked."I'll get him to leave you alone. I won't let him harass you. Tell me his name."

"What?! No way!" Kei shrieked, pushing Miyuki away."You are NOT to get involved with this! Do you know how embarrassing it would be to have my brother solve this type of problem? Plus, you'd just make it worse. I only told you this because I needed someone to vent at. Moeha is on board with this idea! I'm not giving you his name!"

"It's Kei." Kai told his family, twirling around his fingers like a boy in love."It's almost the same as mine. I call it...Kaei."

Ruka nearly choked on her drink, spitting some of her water on the kitchen counter as she began to laugh.

"What?" Kai glanced at his mom, a tickmark on his forehead."It's not funny! It's cute! Right, Onii-chan?"

Ren was trying to contain his life by making a goofy expression, biting his lips while squinting."You...said something?"

"It's not that funny!" Kai groaned, his cheeks flushed."Mean! So mean!"

"Ah, young love. I didn't expect you to be so open about your crush, dear. You caught me by surprise, that's all. But Kai, don't you think it's a little soon to call it true love? I mean, you just met and all."

"Love at first sight, ma."

"But do you know anything about this girl?" Ren asked, hoping to get an answer."Like what she likes? Stuff like that."

"Well...not yet. But I'll find out what she likes as I go. I mean, we are in the same class after all. And now that I'm in the Student Council, I have even more opportunities to get closer to her."

"Glad I'm happy my boy is growing nice and healthy." Ruka relented, shaking her head."But don't let that get in the way of your studies, got it?"

"Yes, ma. I hear ya." Kai's shoulders slumped, tired of being constantly reminded to do good in school."What about you, Onii-chan? Any hotties in your new school?"

"I'm not really looking out for one, Kai." Ren said without missing a beat."Today was hectic. But thankfully I had some help."

"Unlike you, your cousin isn't making stuff like that his priorities, Kai." Ruka teased him."But if he did, I'd be more than happy for him. By the way Ren, I meant to ask, but by any chance did you happen to meet a boy named Kitakata?"

Ren perked up at that."Kitakata? Kaigaku Kitakata?"

"Yes! He's the Commissioner's son. He told us all about his boy and how he just enrolled in the same school you guys go to. He's younger than you, Ren."

"Wait, ma, you know the Commissioner? Like, personally?" Kai was flabbergasted and this only served to make her giggle.

"Yup. He's very friendly and nice. He often comes down to the station to spend time with us and make sure we're doing okay. He truly looks after us. I assume his son is just as caring as he is."

'That...couldn't be further from the true.' Ren chuckled internally, remembering Kaigaku's pompous attitude."Something like that."

"Man, you met the Commissioner's son? I met a bunch of cool people too. The whole student council is full of awesome people." Kai couldn't hold his excitment."Did you know Vino has a brother named Leonardo? Cause' I didn't! Oh, right! I should probably start reviewing these documents! Ma, mind if I borrow that old laptop you have? I'm going to need it for treasurer business."

"Sure thing. I don't use it anymore so go ahead." Ruka nodded, watching as her son bounced off the couch and rushed to her room."Well, I should probably head out. Tonight will be a long night at work and I'll come back before you boys head to school. Make sure to call me if anything happens and don't do anything too strenuous, Ren. Remember you're still healing."

"Right. I'll hold the ford, aunt Ruka."

"By the way, your parents told me to say hi." She stopped by the door, grabbing her umbrella."You should call them. Well, I understand if you don't want to, of course, but they are still your parents. And their son just came back from being stabbed and then enrolled in a prestigious school. It's a lot for parents to take in. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it myself. But remember that you control your actions and that you make your decisions. You make your own worth and don't let anyone take that away from you. Got it?"

"Yeah..." Ren closed his eyes, a ghost of a smile appearing on his lips."I know."

Never did Kai imagine he would be coming early to school for once. Usually, he'd be a few minutes late or show up just in the nick of time. An empty classroom was a sight he never saw. But today was different. Sort of. There were students by the time he came in, but not that many. And of course, the first person he looked for was Kei, who was chatting away with Moeha.

The pinkette took notice of him first, waving at him with the enthusiasm that Kei lacked, who refused to acknowledge him. The young boy practically skipped over to Kei's desk, giving Moeha a quick bow."Good morning, ladies."

"Morning." Moeha gave him a toothy grin."Oh, that's right! You're officially part of the student council now, isn't that right? We're partners in crime now so if I call you when I need to bury a body you'll be the first one to know."

"That's...nice." Kai nervously chuckled. For some reason, she didn't seem she was joking."So...pleasant day today, Shirogane-chan?"

"It was okay. Until you showed up." Kei glared at him, sending shivers down his spine."Are you ready for your first day as a student council member? It's still not too late to back down. We don't tolerate slackers."

"No way Jose." Kai shook his head."I'm not giving up without trying. I'll give it my all. I promise."

"Actions speak louder than words." Kei didn't seem convinced in the slightest."As long as you don't drag me down."

"Aw, come on Kei, give him a break," Moeha said, stifling a giggle. She was enjoying this far too much."He's got the spirit and determination. Just give him a chance and he'll show you he means business. Right, Chikage-kun?"

"R-right! Thank you, Fujiwara-san." Kai sighed in relief at Moeha sticking up for him."I won't bother you. I'm a fast learner and I'll do any kind of work you want me to. Just say the word."

"Okay..." Kei groaned, relenting."I guess I can let you help me. For now. But don't get any funny ideas. You too, Moeha. I know what you're trying to do."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Moeha feigned ignorance, whistling before winking in Kai's direction.

Kai was more than glad to have a wingman in the form of Moeha. Though she was a bit odd in some aspects and perhaps had the wrong motivation to help him, he was going to take whatever he could. Fearing the conversation would go back to being between girls, Kai quickly inspected her desk, trying to find something he could talk about. Until he spotted it."Oh! You like manga too, Shirogane-san?"

"Huh? Oh. Yeah, I do." Kei was perplexed at his sudden observation."You said "too". Does that mean you like them as well?"

"To be honest, I prefer to watch anime than read manga. But yeah, I do." Kai grabbed his chair, setting it in front of her."I mean...I read it occasionally. Like certain animes have a pretty shitty adaptation, so it's best to follow up on the manga instead. Or sometimes you can't just wait to see what's next on your favorite series so you HAVE to go to the manga and spoil yourself."

"Woah...I didn't take you for a manga or anime fan, Chikage-kun." Moeha expressed her surprise."I pegged you as the type of guy that watches sports and action movies. Guess looks can be deceiving, huh?"

"I-I-I totally watch those! Yeah!" Kai quickly interjected."It's just...sometimes I need a change of pace, you know? But I watch sports more than I read manga so don't go telling that to anyone, ok?"

"Why are you so embarrassed?" Moeha tilted her head before a mischievous grin grew on her face."Oh, I get it. You're trying to be the cool and popular guy to impress Kei, aren't you? You certainly go out of your way to look good, I'll give you that."

"He looks like a delinquent to me." Kei nonchalantly said, making Kai feel as if he had been shot in the heart."Makes it look like you're trying to compensate."

"I'm not. Anyway, what kind of manga are you into, Shirogane-san? Hold on, let me guess." Kai took a moment to seize her up, pretending he was reading her when in fact he was entranced by her beautiful eyes.

"So?" Kei asked, breaking the trance and causing him to yelp.

"Right. I'll say...you're into Shonen. You look like the type of girl who likes her sentai and the cool heroes saving the day."

"No. While I enjoy reading the occasional Shonen, I'm more into Shojo." Kei pulled up her manga that showcase a schoolgirl holding hands with a boy."See? I find slice-of-life romances interesting and sometimes tragic. It...makes me shed a tear in some circumstances."

"Oh..." Kai deadpanned, not knowing what to make of the situation."Well...I..."

"Mine!" Moeha snatched his bookbag from him, much to his shock. She began emptying the contents on Kei's table, one of them being a black book with a red mark on it."It says...Berserk. Oh, I heard about this! Isn't this that gore-filled series where the protagonist goes around killing demons and people? So you're into Seinen then?"

"Yeah, I just started reading this a few days ago because the anime sucks but give it back to me!" Kai tried grabbing the manga back, but Moeha was faster and held it towards her chest.

"If you want to take it, you'll have to be a pervert and grab it from my chest, Chikage-kun."

"What?! No! I could never do that!"

"It's...different from the paperback mangas I get." Kei remarked, feeling the hardcover of the book."It must have cost quite a bit."

"Huh? Oh, yeah. The whole allowance that I was saving up for half a year. But it's totally worth it."

"You get an allowance?" Kei rose a brow."Oh, right. I forgot you're here on a scholarship like me. I guess money is difficult to come by. But still...buying this unnecessarily expensive manga when you can buy something cheaper or read it online is completely idiotic."

"What? How come?" Kai began to panic, fearing he had insulted her somehow.

"Because this..." Kei pointed at the manga in front of her."...it's way too much for a simple volume. You should be more mindful about how you spent your money. Unless you have a part-time job and can afford it instead of using the money your parents give you for this stuff."

"But you buy manga too, Kei." Moeha pointed out.

"Yes but I buy the cheapest ones I can get." Kei indignantly huffed."I'm not loaded like you. Our family has to be mindful of how we spend our money. I don't get an allowance and neither does my brother. We have to get our own money."

"I get your point, Shirogane-san." Kai rubbed his nape."I guess I did go overboard paying so much for this. And no, I don't have a part-time job so I have to save up for months before I can afford nice things. Maybe you're right. I should be more mindful of how I spend my cash. After all, I am in a similar situation to you. I hope I can learn more from you, Shirogane-san."

"Huh?" Kei was dumbfounded by his response. He noticed her surprise and simply gave her a goofy smile.

"Hey, maybe we can give each other recommendations." Kai continued, his smile growing wider."I mean, sure, we like different things, but I'm sure we can try out what we like. I think romance would be interesting to read."

"Mmm..." Kei bit her thumb in thought."I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

"If you want, I can take you to a place I know where they have plenty of manga to read and-"

"You're pushing it." Kei narrowed her eyes at him, silencing him.

"Aw, and you were doing so good, Chikage-kun." Moeha sighed, ready to open the manga."I want to take a peek at what a seinen looks like. It can't be all that, right?'

"Wait don't!"

Moeha glanced at the first infamous page of Berserk. Her lack of movement made Kei curious but before she could take a peek, she shut the book and threw it back at Kai's face while still smiling.

"What happened? What did you see?" Kei inquired, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Nothing. But you definitely won't like those types of manga so if you guys ever decide to read something together..." Moeha drew closer to Kai, prompting him to back up slighjtly."...then YOU need to pick something else. Okay~?"

"Y-yes! I swear, it's not what you think It gets better, I promise!"

"Whatever you say." She patted him on the head a little too hard, earning a yelp."Just be grateful I saved you from screwing things up with Kei here."

"Moeha! I can't believe you're actually on board with...whatever this is!" Kei fumed at her best friend."I don't want anything to do with him! Why is he still here?!"

"Come on, Kei, he's not that bad. Besides I'm not doing anything." She stated, batting her eyelashes at her."I'm just helping my new friend to get new friends and feel at ease in his new school."

'Fujiwara-san...you're an angel sent from heaven.' Kai clenched his fists tightly, tears streaming down his face.

"Why is he crying?" Kei rose a brow, a little perturbed.

"Chikage!" Their teacher hollered at him from across the room, holding a piece of paper in his hand."The Principal wants to see you in his office. I hope you haven't gotten yourself in trouble already."

"Me? No, never, sir." Kai stood up, setting his chair back and leaving his bag on it.

"You sure you didn't do something bad?" Moeha asked, her finger against her chin."You can tell us, you know. We're your friends."

"Speak for yourself." Kei folded her arms under her chest."And of course, he probably got in trouble already. He's a delinquent."

"Is that what you think of me, Shirogane-san?" Kai grabbed his chest dramatically."I didn't know love was going to be this complicated."

"Just go already!" Kei threatened to stand up from her seat, causing Kai to rush out of the room."I hope you're enjoying this."

"You're too hard on him." Moeha patted her on the shoulder."He's a good guy. He's just a little socially inept."

"What do you mean? If anything, I'd say he's too social."

"Well, maybe it's just me, but it kinda seems like he's putting up a front." Moeha explained."His responses seem a little too thought out. Like he has a script he's following and when it doesn't work out he digs himself in a hole. Kind of like right now."

"You think so?" Kei's features seem to soften a bit."I wonder why. Maybe he's trying to fit in? Not like it matters. As long as he behaves in the student council he can do whatever he wants."

"It'll be fine. I support the ship by the way."

"It will not sail!"

Chikage was counting his lucky stars the principal's office was located in the main building where the high schoolers were. He was hoping he'd see his cousin, but classes had already started, so most likely that will not be the case.

Once he reached the office and followed the secretary lady to the Principal's private room, he gave a few knocks before hearing a reply, allowing himself inside.

"Sir? I'm here" He peered from the door shyly, watching as the man in question browse around in one of his cabinets.

"Who?"

"It's Chikage, sir? Kaichi Chikage." Kai clarified, clearing his throat."You sent for me."

"I sent for you? Oh, yes, I did." Adolphe Pescarolo, the principal of Shuchi'in academy, finally addressed him fully, turning his chair towards him and becking him to take a seat."How are you, my boy? I hope you're growing accustomed to the school?"

"I'd like to think so." Kai chuckled sheepishly, sitting down on the chair in front of the headmaster's desk."A lot of rules to learn and follow. Really different from my old school."

"I would hope so, considering this school is a step up from regular schools." The principal gloated, stroking his beard."Anyway, let's cut to the chase. Normally, I wouldn't call a new student here for no reason, even if they come with...different methods as normal students. In this case, your scholarship."

"Wait, so does that mean you...didn't call my cousin down here...?" The horror of the realization had finally begun to settle in."Am I in trouble or something? I didn't do anything, I swear!"

"No, no. Nothing of the sort. Yet, anyway. No, you aren't here because you got into trouble. But..." The principal reached for a file next to him."I do want to have a talk with you about your file. More specifically, about your grades prior to coming to this school."

'Oh, shit.' Kai's eyes dilated. He knew this moment would come.

"While I'm aware you're under pledge to keep your grades up and not fall below the minimum, I want to stress how important it is that you do so. I was getting familiar with your academic performance and...it leaves much to be desired, honestly."

Kai felt himself shrinking the more and more he went on.

"However, there is something odd I noticed. A pattern, to be precise." The principal said, causing Kai to perk up."You were an exemplary student a few years ago. But suddenly, your grades started going down rapidly, almost instantaneously. Normally, when a student starts falling behind, it takes time. First, it's one subject, then another. But with you, it seems like you purposely got bad grades all across the board."

"P-purposely?" Kai felt cold sweat pouring down his forehead."But that can't be."

"Furthermore, it seems like you try to barely pass your classes at the very end. For instance, a year ago you went from having all F's to having C's for all your classes a month before the end of the school year. A regular failing student would just fail. Perhaps I'm making a bold guess, but it seems to be you keep your grades down on purpose. Is that right?"

Kai remained silent, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Listen, I won't lie to your face and say I'm not aware of your circumstances. I know how your brave cousin saved that young girl. I know her father was the one who funded your scholarship here and I know that they pleaded with the school to make sure you got here. Your cousin can easily maintain good grades and his scholarship, you are another matter entirely. I am also aware of your ADHD and as such, we will provide you with the necessities you need. But you are expected to put in your effort and if it's true that you are purposely keeping your grades this low, that will have to stop. Each student starts off with A's in every subject and it is up to them to keep them high. I'm sure you've heard this already but if you fall below a B in more than one subject, you will lose your scholarship. And not only that will look bad for your transcripts, but also for the people vouching for you. Understand?"

"Y-yes..." Kai dropped his gaze, shamefully staring at his hands."I'll do my best."

"Good. I have also high expectations of you. If you apply yourself, you'd be quite the asset for the student council." The principal smiled upon seeing his shocked expression."What, did you think I wasn't informed? There is a procedure for accepting new members. I accepted your addition as a temporary member. But who knows, maybe you'll become a full-fledged member if they see you as a good addition. But I know you can do it. There is a record of students with scholarships becoming presidents of the student council. As a matter of fact, there is one right now in the high school wing. So if he did it, maybe you can do it as well."

"Wow...really? Someone like me becomes the student council president for high school students? That's rad." Kai couldn't help but admire."What's his name?"

"Ah, piqued your interest, did I?" The principal mused."His name is Miyuki Shi-"

Before he could finish saying the name, the phone rang, interrupting their conversation."That must be the call I was waiting for. I guess that's it for now, Chikage. I hope I don't get to see you often unless it's for good things only. And remember, keep your nose clean."

"Of course. I'll do my best." Kai bowed before leaving the room.'That's right...Onii-chan and Ma are counting on me to succeed. I can't let this opportunity slip and disappoint them!'

"And just when I thought I was out...they pull my back in." Leonardo drew his arms in with a shit-eating grin."Yeah, going to my nana's house was not fun. All those older ladies think of me as their grandson or something like that. Still, it was nice. Got some free cranberry juice. Man, do I love some juice."

"I only asked you for the time." Futaba sighed, removing the wrapper of the lollipop on her desk.

"No, you didn't." Katsu scowled."You asked him what he did yesterday after school, Sakakura."

"Yeah, I know, genius." Futaba groaned at Katsu's obliviousness."I wasn't expecting for him to rant like that."

"Hey, you asked for my day and I gave it to you straight." The one-eyed student chuckled in good heart despite the glare Futaba gave him."Can't blame me for pleasing you."

"I thought you just went home and did some boring stuff!" The student body reporter exclaimed, nearly slamming the keys on her laptop."I was expecting a one-line reply!"

"Sakakura-senpai, why are you about someone's day if you're willing to listen to the whole story?" Kei rhetorically asked. She was sitting next to Kai, who was his own laptop in front of him and was busy booting it up."That's just rude."

"Aw, shut up! I don't wanna hear it!" Futaba pulled at her hair."Why do people have such good and long stories? I can't even give you half a sentence of what I did yesterday!"

"You're selling yourself short." Katsu tried to put her at ease."I'm sure you have great stories considering you're the president of the drama club. What are you working on right now?"

"Club activities don't count, Momomiya." She seethed indignantly."Anyone can boast about how busy they are with their club activities but what about their personal life? At that point, you're just masking your own insecurities!"

"Look, lass, you're overthinking things." Leo sat on her desk, causing her to mutter something about him always doing that without permission that he ignored."Who cares if you don't do much at home? Not everyone can be a social busy bee like Moeha-chan here or a hard worker like Kei-chan. Certainly not a train fan like Katsu. He likes to dress up as a conductor and roleplay."

"That's completely wrong!" Katsu cried out, flushed."I never said that! Stop making things up, Leonardo!"

The girls giggle at his expense, including Kai who enjoyed seeing a flustered side to the first seemingly uptight president.

"In any case, you do you. It can't be that bad, right? Come on, describe to me your every day. I won't judge."

"I...usually just lay in my room and play video games. Like, a lot of video games. Sometimes I forget to shower because I'm too busy leveling up in some of them and I waste a lot of money on them. Yesterday I went straight home and locked myself in my room and played until late at night. Right now I'm working on four hours of sleep."

"Okay." Leo patted her on the shoulder."It's a pretty bad addiction." He said with a straight face.

"You said you wouldn't judge, you asshole!" She hissed, slapping his hand away and causing him to chuckle.

"I think that sounds better than playing around with trains." Moeha voiced her opinion, prompting the president to spit his tea on his shirt.

"Fujiwara, that's not what it is!"

"It's so noisy in here today. More than usual." Kei grumbled under her breath, waiting patiently for Kai to get ready.

"It's not that bad. It's pretty lively and that's good, right?" Kai quirked a brow, giving her a smirk."Don't tell me you're one of those antisocial girls, Shirogane-san."

"And if I am is that a problem?" She challenged, leaning closer to him to intimidate him.

"Not at all." He easily replied, enjoying her reactions."I still love you all the same."

Kei groaned at that, avoiding his gaze as she felt her cheeks burn.'Why does this guy get to say things like that? That's not fair! I don't even like him!'

"I download all the software you told me to get. It took me a while since I'm not a computer expert but my cousin helped me. I have excel open right here."

"O-oh. Is that so? Good, that saves me some trouble." Kei cleared her voice."We're going to be taking a look at the budget for the drama club. That's Sakakura-senpai's club. They are planning a big play for Halloween in a few months and it's going to require a lot to pull it off successfully. We'll go over what supplies they need and what will be the best possible way to save the school as much money as possible. I'll be sending you the details now?"

"You can send them to me on Line!" Kai pulled out his phone, showing his Line profile. He had a picture of himself with a penguin plushy in an arcade.

"Just...send me your email." Kei fought the urge to facepalm.

"Fine. It's theberserkerdisaster_0620 "

Kei was about to start typing the email before she paused, slowly turning towards him."What? You can't be serious."

"Sure am!" He puffed his chest proudly."A badass email, right? My online friends like it."

"No! It's childish and inappropriate!" Kei chastised him."Don't you have something more professional than this? How do you send your resume with this and expect a reply? Or submit homework to one of your teachers?!"

"I...don't really have another email though."

Kai has been reprimanded numerous times by his teachers to follow school protocol and create a professional email instead of the goofy ones he has. This is the main reason why his resumes are never taken seriously as well.

"Unbelievable." Kei scooted closer to him, bumping arms with him and grabbing his computer."Let's make you an actual email, okay? Is Gmail good?"

"Fine by me." Kai shrugged.

"Good." Kei proceeded to write down Kai's basic information."Chikage, what's your first name again?"

"Come on, love. It's literally the same as yours. Almost."

"Give me your stupid name." Kei glared at him, sending chills down his spine."Or else."

"Kai."

"Your FULL first name."

"Okay, okay. Sheez." Kai relented."It's Kaichi."

"There's a good boy." Kei haughtily smile."And your date of birth?"

"June fourth, 2002."

"Oh, hey. You're younger than me by two months." Kei noted in surprise."Could have fooled me."

"Hey, what does that mean?" Kai narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"You're very short for a guy your age." Kei bluntly stated."I mean, I'm literally almost taller than you by a few inches. And I'm a girl."

"I just haven't hit my growth spurt yet, that's all." Kai nervously fidgeted on his chair."I'm drinking plenty of milk and that'll help me get so tall I might be able to join the basketball club!"

To his surprise, that earned a giggle from Kei. How he wished he can remember the sweet sound of her laugh for years to come."I didn't know you were insecure about your height. But that's okay. Maybe you'll grow taller. But I highly doubt it'll be as tall as you think."

"We'll see!" Kai accepted the challenge."I'll get taller than you by the time we get to high school. Then you'll have no choice but to reciprocate my love!"

"How does that correlate with anything?!" Kei fumed."Look, let's just go back to finishing this up. Now type what you want your new email to be." She pushed the laptop closer to him."And remember..." She held her index finger high."Make it professional."

"Okay...how do I make it professional? Any pointers?"

"I guess you could just copy mine. It's keishirogane0801 ."

"Huh. That's awfully bland, don't you think?" Kai furrowed his brow."Wait, so you really are older than me?!"

"What, you didn't know?" Moeha approached the duo."You're the baby of the group, Chikage-kun. Quite literally. My birthday is on June 26."

"What?!" Kai was flabergasted at the revelation.'This is bad...would Kei have something against dating younger guys than her?'

"Back to the topic at hand, yeah it's simple but effective. At the end of the day, emails aren't meant to be flashy but a way to contact you and send you things. Save all your creative ideas for things like Line and Instagram. And before you ask no I'm not going to add you in either of those."

"I will!" Moeha grabbed Kai's phone and proceeded to follow him on every social media possible while he contemplated what his email could be.

"I think...chikagekai. No. Chikage_Kai. Kaichi_Chikage."

"Why the underscore?" Kei asked in curiosity.

"Just in case someone has a similar email to mine."

"Huh. Good point. But I don't think there are many Kaichis whose surname is Chikage...wait a minute, do that instead! Use your full name instead of your nickname."

"So Kaichi? Well...I was hoping we could match emails but I guess you're right." He deflated, retyping his email."So it'll be kaichi_chikage123 ."

"Why 123...actually, never mind. That'll do." Kei was fed up with wasting time on a single email.

"Woah, look at you, Chikage-kun." Moeha commented as she look at his Instagram."You post a lot of pictures. Hold on...who is this guy?!"

Kai looked up at her phone momentarily before going back to his email."That's my cousin."

"He's so handsome! You don't look alike at all!"

"Hey! That's mean!" Kai's left eye twitched at her remark."I'm pretty handsome myself. Right, Shirogane-san?"

Kei chose not to dignify that with a response and went back to her work.

"Should I follow him? Would that be weird?" Moeha asked him."What do you think?"

"Huh? Follow him if you want."

"Maybe I should ask my sister first to see if she knows him. Then we'll have a common person we know and it wouldn't be weird...right?"

"He goes to our school too, right? Maybe my stupid brother knows him. But can that wait until we're done with this, Moeha? I'm trying to train him?" Kei was exasperated, resting her chin on her palm.

"Okay, fine." She pouted, hands on her hips as she walked away.

"Finally..." Kei loudly pressed the key on her laptop, sending the email to Kaichi's laptop."There. You should be able to see it now."

"Oh. Yeah, I got it." Kai responded, taking a look at the document he received. For the rest of the day the two of them proceeded to go over the details of the upcoming play in order to plan for the next meeting. While all this was happening, the childhood friends continued arguing amongst themselves and not getting any work done.

Later that night, Kai sat in front of his computer at home, pulling at his hair. After taking his work home and doing the revisions Kei requested from him, he now had to send it back to her.

"What are you waiting for? Just send it and that's it." Ren said, laying down on his cousin's bed and playing on his switch.

"Yeah, but what do I say? How can I initiate a conversation?" Kai frowned, typing something for the tenth time only to delete it."I can't just send her this file without a word. What if she doesn't know who it's from."

"Your name is in the email and she helped you make it, right? Plus, I don't think you should begin a casual convo with her over council work. Not with how you make her sound."

"But she helped me and she was so kind." Kai giggled in a goofy manner."She's so smart and dependable and caring."

"You're overcomplicating things." Ren facepalmed."You have to be the only person who overthinks stuff like this."

"Nah. When someone is in love, everything is complicated." Kai said with a smile, typing away."Love is war. But I'd fight any war for love."

"Sheez. That came out of nowhere." Ren couldn't help but be amazed."Sounded poetic. Maybe you have a chance after all. So anyway, what did you send?"

Clearing his throat, he recited."Dear Kei, here are the files you told me to check over and I'm proud to announce I did all the necessary revisions. I hope it's adequate for your standards and if you have any critiques then do let me know. With love, yours truly, Kaichi Chikage."

"I can't believe you just said, "with love." You're crazy!"

"What?!"

"The email was okay until you dropped that. Now she'll think you're hitting on her or something."

"Noooo." Kai scoffed at the implication. But just to be sure, he took a picture of the email he sent and texted Moeha on Line.

Kai: Fujiwara-san! I sent this email to Shirogane-san! What do u think?

Moeha: LOL! Kei is soooo going to be upset. Didn't she tell you to not email her so casually? You're moving too fast! I'm trying to help you silly! I'm trying!

Kai: I'm sorry! I got a little carried away.

Before he could spam emojis, a notification popped out in his inbox. He set his phone down and stared at the screen dumbfounded. Ren stood next to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. With a firm nod, he reassured his cousin that everything would be okay.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Kai carefully moved his mouse over the email. His body trembled and sweat was pouring down his face. This was it. No going back from this. Mustering all his courage, he doubled clicks the email and held his breath.

"Thanks for the hard work. Keep it up." Ren read aloud, deadpanning."Well, I guess this worked out after all, huh? Right, Kai? Kai?"

Kai fell out of his chair, frozen as a statue and foaming from the mouth."She replied..."

Today's results: Kai wins?