A/N: I have seen each and every review/comment that comes my way; so yes, I know how eagerly some(?) of you have been waiting for the next chapter. All I can say is, time is a premium when you work; it's just the way it is.
The meeting hadn't gone terribly well. Then again, he'd kind of known from the start that he was practically shooting himself in the foot by not preparing better. Most of the upperclassmen paid little attention to his reasons as to why their budget had to be higher than the quarterly allowance, and in the end, nothing really changed, except he was grumpier and more tired than when he went in. Cathy hadn't said much during their now-daily walk home, and he suspected that she had sensed his less-than-stellar mood.
That was one trait that Takashi really appreciated about her; the ability to empathetically adjust to others. Perhaps it was a side effect of being shy for most of her life, but in any case, he was grateful for her silent support and understanding. "I'm sure the class won't really mind, nya," she'd mentioned quietly as they'd stepped off the campus and onto the road. Their walking-home-together had become so routine now that nobody in the Numbers Club said anything about them when they headed off. In the beginning, Tetsuo had casually brought up the observation that the two of them seemed to be hanging out a lot more often, but nothing more came from that.
"Er, I-I'm not implying anything, I'm just sayin', you two have been walking home a lot lately..."
Well, at least it seemed like nobody was getting the wrong idea (not that he wanted them to), which made it all the easier to deepen their friendship. Ever since that inner argument he'd had with his unconscious, he'd fought to tamp down those feelings whenever they surfaced too close. It wasn't worth it for their friendship to suffer; it had taken so many years for Cathy to finally let go of her innate shyness, and he wouldn't trade the relationship they had now for anything else.
But of course, it would be nice to have his cake and eat it, too.
"U-uh, Takashi, are you okay?" He finally snapped out of his reverie after he realized that Cathy had been trying to get his attention for the past five minutes.
"I'm sorry; I know I shouldn't keep thinking about letting the class down, but in end, I guess I'll always be the type of person who has to do everything right." Takashi sighed and crossed his hands behind his back. What a nuisance those meetings were; sometimes he secretly wanted to just throw everything out the window and say what he wanted, just to see their reactions. What would they think, the usually goody-two shoes class president lose his temper? 'They'd probably think I'd gone crazy or something.'
Just as they passed by the same cafe that first sparked this routine, he noticed Cathy pause for a moment, gazing at the storefront. "What's the matter, Cat-chan? Is there something interesting going on?"
"Huh? Oh, it's...it's nothing, really..." The girl tugged her hair nervously, as was her habit when she was on the verge of revealing something, but too embarrassed to say. Takashi gave her a reassuring smile, as if to say it was okay.
"It's okay Cat-chan, if you want to go take a look, we can go inside. I don't have a lot of homework, since I already finished it at the beginning of the week." Before Cathy could even dismiss his offer, he held the door open and ushered her inside. Once inside, he could see why she had been so absorbed. The entire interior of the store had been decorated in all manner of cat-related items (as if it weren't cat-themed enough already), from the streamers hanging precariously from the ceiling to the free cat-ears and tail accessories that were being offered to patrons.
Maybe he shouldn't have been so hasty, but it was too late for second thoughts.
"Oh, welcome back!" The same friendly waitress as last time led them to the window table, oblivious to the fact that one out of the pair was more reluctant than the other. "To celebrate our café's first anniversary, all patrons today receive free cat accessories!" She dropped off two headbands with cat ears and a matching tail.
"Well, that was nice of them, but I think I'll—" Takashi was about to slide the free gifts into his bag, until he saw Cathy already donning her accessories with glee. "...Nevermind then..." he muttered mostly to himself, and awkwardly attempted to put on the headband. The tail, however, was strictly staying off.
Their waitress came back and took their order (hot chocolate and milk tea) before dashing off to greet another couple. Unlike last time however, Takashi wasn't really sure what to say, since they hadn't exactly planned on stopping anywhere. Fumbling for a topic, he complimented Cathy on how well the ears and tail fit her. She giggled and turned a bit pink, insisting that it was only because of how much time she'd spent around cats that allowed her to emulate their behavior in everyday life. "I know it sounds weird, but I really can understand what they say, and they understand me." She wrinkled her nose a bit at the strong smell of coffee that was wafting from a nearby table, just like one of her kitties would. Takashi found himself resisting the urge to suddenly pet her on the head.
'No Takashi, she is not a cat, she is a person; more importantly, she's your friend...even if that was very cute...' He had never been more relieved when their drinks arrived, giving him an excuse to concentrate on something else.
"Nya, Takashi? ...Can I ask you for your opinion on something?"
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Remember that day...when you encouraged me to reach out other people through dueling? I've been thinking...well, I wouldn't want them to feel obligated, but maybe, if they had another reason to come..." Once again her finger started twisting her locks, and she became very interested in the cup of hot, milky tea.
"So...do you have any ideas? I can always help you out," Takashi prodded gently, wanting Cathy to come into her own.
"Oh, I thought about some ideas, but I'd like to hear your opinion, if you wouldn't mind nyan," those large cat-eyes blinked at him, and he found it hard to look directly at her.
"I don't mind at all. What did you have in mind?"
Cathy scooched her seat closer to the table, as if wanting to keep their conversation private. "I wanted an occasion that wasn't centered around dueling, and given my...hobbies, I thought it might be fun to have...a..."
"...Yes...?" Her voice was a whisper compared to the lively atmosphere around them, and he tipped his chair forward to lean in.
"U-uh...I hope it doesn't sound too weird...but I was planning a tea—oh, watch out!" Cathy shrieked as Takashi's chair toppled over and he crashed into the table. Time seemed to slow as she helplessly watched the cup flip through the air, do a perfect 360 and then dump the entirety of its contents right on top of his head. "Oh no, Takashi, are you all right?!" Ignoring the stares from every other customer in the café, she reached over and started wiping off the hot chocolate as best she could with her napkin, while the waitress rushed back with a mop and some more towels. "You didn't get hurt did you, Inchou? The drinks were still hot, and you could've gotten burned—" she rambled as her mind raced through all kinds of thoughts, ranging from how embarrassed she was to have caused him to tip over, to hoping he was not mad at her, and relief that he hadn't been injured. "I-I'm really, really sorry, Takashi...if I had only spoken up, you wouldn't be in this mess..."
Takashi winced slightly from the the towel. Truth be told the liquid had scaled his skin, but not serious enough to be a burn; at most, he'd just have to put an ice pack on for a few hours when he got home. He did feel quite embarrassed though, crashing into the table like that. 'Boy, I hope Cathy doesn't think this is all her fault; if anything, I should've been more careful.' By this point, most of the spill had been cleaned up, and the other patrons had gone back to their business. "Ah, Cat-chan, you didn't get your clothes wet, did you?"
Cathy shook her head. "No, I was lucky, in a manner of speaking...uum, I think we should probably get you cleaned up a bit before you go home, nyan." She stared at his chocolate-stained uniform and wondered if Philip would have any tips on getting it out before the stain set. "Especially since I was the one who asked you to come with me, and well, I can't let your uniform stay dirty!"
"Cat-chan, it's okay, really, I'll be fine—"
"No buts, Takashi! You're always looking out for others, so, why can't others look out for you?" Takashi attempted to mutter some sort of comeback, but she'd left him with little choice, especially after she paid for their drinks (the waitress brought them in to-go cups this time).
– – – – – –
"Well now Miss Catherine, I do believe this is a first for you," Philip remarked lightly as Cathy ushered in a rather defeated-looking Takashi. It had taken her ten minutes of badgering and 'no excuses' before he finally gave in and reluctantly agreed to have his uniform laundered at her mansion before heading home. Triumphant, she marched them home and explained their predicament to a slightly bewildered Philip, who then nodded sagely and said the uniform would be ready within the hour. "Nothing to it, Master Takashi, you are more than welcome here."
He lead them to what Takashi presumed must have been the laundry room (it had to be), only instead of the crammed space he was used to, this looked more like an industrial cleaning center that would be used at a professional cleaner's, rather than someone's home. Once Philip set the machine to the correct settings, he politely cleared his throat. "Excuse me, Master Takashi, but I can't very well wash your clothes while they are still on you. Unless of course, you would like to join them in the washing machine."
"Oh—er, right, sorry about that..." Takashi blushed a deep red as the butler gave an amused chuckle. While he wasn't exactly bashful, Cathy either hadn't realized what was going on or was not bothered by it. "Uh, is there a place where I could...you know..." he jerked his head towards the door, hoping to get some privacy.
"Nya? O-oh, o-of course, sorry about that...there's a bathroom just outside. And Philip, would you mind fetching something from the special closet?" For a second, Cathy wondered what Takashi would look like taking off his shirt, but she immediately banished that fantasy without a second thought. 'Bad Cat-chan, bad bad bad! Thinking of your friend like that...' Her self-chastising didn't stop the blush that was spreading from her face down her neck, though. Fortunately, Takashi was sequestrated in the bathroom and Philip was busy getting a change of clothes for him.
A few minutes later they re-entered, the butler putting the dirty uniform to soak while Takashi awkwardly shuffled around in his borrowed suit, looking uncomfortable. The outfit had originally belonged to Cathy's father when he was a young boy, and remained in the family as a treasured heirloom; that hadn't stopped her from using it to play dress-up in her younger days, however, and now it seemed there was good reason to keep it around after all.
"Thank you very much for letting me wear this, but are sure it's okay? Philip said it was your father's, right?" Takashi asked discreetly as the two of them climbed the winding staircase up to Cathy's room. Watching his clothes spin around in the machine was not, in their minds, the most entertaining thing in the world, so upon the butler's suggestion, they decided to troop upstairs and kill some time, perhaps with a round or two of duel monsters. "I'd hate to accidentally tear it or something..."
"No, don't worry Takashi, it's fine. Actually, I used to wear them when I was little, pretending I was a rich Victorian gentleman..." Cathy blushed lightly as she spoke, a little embarrassed at revealing her childhood silliness. Since when had her room seemed so far away? She was sure it only took a minute from the bottom of the stairs to the top, but for some reason, it seemed closer to five today.
"Oh really? Somehow I can imagine you doing that..."
"N-nya, it was...just how passed time, I guess..."
"I guess that explains your impeccable fashion sense then," he teased slightly, though he did truly think that she looked quite gorgeous when dolled up in her gothic lolita dresses. As he settled onto a plush ottoman in her enormous bedroom, he realized that Cathy never did finish explaining what her plans were. "Ah, Cat-chan, I guess you never did finish telling me what you were planning, huh?"
Cathy blinked a bit, absentmindedly petting a cat before the words made sense. "Oh! Yes, I guess we did get rather distracted afterwards...well, to summarize, I was thinking of hosting a tea...party...?" She winced slightly, the words somehow sounding flimsier than they had in her head. "You don't...you don't think that's bit, childish, do you?"
A tea party. 'Huh, well leave it to Cathy to think up of something as whimsical as that.' Granted, it wasn't something that he would ever think of doing, but it did fit in well with her image, and really, all parties were just an opportunity to hang out and interact with people. "No—I mean, sure, it's a bit...unusual maybe, but being different's not a bad thing, I think," a calico cat started rubbing the side of arm affectionately, and he cautiously scratched its ears, hoping it wouldn't turn on him.
"...You're not just saying that to be nice, are you?" Cathy peeked at him from behind her mountain of throw pillows, looking very much like a feline herself. "Also, why are you sitting so far away? Are my cats really that scary?"
"Of course not, Cat-chan! I sincerely think it'd be a fun idea," Takashi rushed to repudiate both statements, jumping onto her fluffy bed in the process. The cushions on the bed, coupled with the sudden force of him landing, caused him to sink towards the pillow pile. "Uh, whoa—!"
Luckily, the fall was softened by the surrounding pillows, but that didn't prevent Cathy from being slightly squashed under him. "U-uhm, Takashi...could you please move?" He was rather heavy, especially since she was being fenced in by the cushions. Her face heated up as she realized she could feel his breath fanning her cheek and the faint 'thump' of his heartbeat as he struggled to right himself.
Takashi bolted upright, once he realized exactly where he was. "Ah! Uh, sorry, I'm sorry Cat-chan, I did not mean to crush you like that..." Ah, this was bad, very bad; he was already in a rather precarious situation of being at a girl's house, in her room and on her bed, and of course fate had to just have him 'accidentally' fall on top of her. Right. Well, as long as he didn't panic it would be okay...right?
"I'm okay Takashi, don't worry. After all, there are a lot of pillows on my bed...huh, maybe I should put some away, nyan," Cathy arranged them so they would not trip unsuspecting visitors.
"So, I think—"
"—You think they'd—"
Both of them stared at each other for a second, before breaking into a fit of laughter. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off Cat-chan," Takashi leaned back, resting his head on a throw pillow. "What were you saying?"
"It's just...do you think Kotori's friends would be okay with a tea party? I mean, I guess it sounds okay to you, because you've been my friend for a while, but I don't know... What if they think it's too juvenile? I-I mean, what are girls supposed to do at each others' houses anyway?" A slight feeling of panic was starting to rise, as Cathy realized that she hadn't exactly come up with a back-up plan. "Oh no, what if they think I'm...some sort of weirdo?!"
"Err, I think you're over-thinking things a bit, Cat-chan," Takashi sweatdropped slightly as he watched Cathy drum her fingers nervously along the back of a particular siamese, though strangely the cat didn't seem to mind at all. "I really don't think they'll be that—"
"—Takashi, what do girls usually do when they hang out anyway?"
If he had been drinking anything, it would be spat out all over by now, but luckily for both of them this was not the case. Takashi stared at her, dumbfounded that she would ask him such a question. "U-um, I...I don't know...? Ah, I...it's not like I'm a girl, Cat-chan..." he ran a hand through his hair in slight exasperation.
"...But you're so good with everyone, surely you must have some idea, nya..." The cat-girl pouted slightly, hugging the pillow close to her.
Takashi resisted the urge to let out a sigh. "...To be perfectly honest Cat-chan, I think you're doing fine by yourself. It's not as if you have to get my approval for everything, you know." It wasn't that he minded being her confidant, the one who could listen to her problems and help her out in return; on the contrary, he secretly relished the fact that she could put her trust in him, and he genuinely liked helping people out. But of course, there was such a thing as too much dependency, and Takashi wanted Cathy to develop her own confidence as well. "Even if it turns out that Sei and Sachi aren't interested, at least you know that you tried, and frankly, I think it would be their loss if they turned you down."
"...Oh. I guess..." Cathy flopped over all of a sudden, startling Takashi slightly as her head rested on a cushion near his lap, but he figured it was just one of her many feline-like habits that she'd picked up over the years. "...I don't understand, Inchou. How come when I talk to people like you, and the rest of the Numbers Club, the words come out so easily, but whenever I think about anyone else...it seems so scary..."
"There's nothing wrong with taking one step a time," Takashi found himself laying down on his side as well, as his neck was getting rather strained trying to peer down at her all the time. Besides, the bed was pretty comfortable, and the warm room was making him rather drowsy. Cathy must've noticed the change in his voice, because before he knew it, she was draping a soft coverlet over him. "Hey, I don't think a nap is exactly appropriate at a time like this..."
"Well, I don't exactly see you protesting, nyan," she teased back, snuggling underneath the blanket herself. "You know how Napoleon won all those wars without losing any time to sleep? Cat naps, that was his trick." She let out a yawn and he couldn't help but notice how pointy her canines seemed.
'Right. Remind me to never get on her bad side if I can help it.' The whole situation seemed just a tad strange—going over unexpectedly to a girl's house, then taking a nap in her bed with her in it at the same time—but it also felt comforting somehow, as if he was meant to be here. 'All right, I guess a quick nap couldn't hurt...and Philip said he'd let me know when uniform is clean...' Resigning himself the the inevitable, Takashi carefully eased a pillow out from underneath a rather fat persian, who only gave him the slightest of hisses before grudgingly moving to another location. Then, with Cathy already seemingly in a deep sleep, he brushed off the cat hairs and closed his eyes.
– – – – – –
"Halt! Who goes there?"
"Y-your majesty, please, I'm just passing through the gates, and I'm really about to be late—"
"Excuse me, but did you just talk back to me, nyan?!" The scepter banged onto the floor with a resounding 'thump' and he shrank back even further until he felt the cold steel of the guards' lances digging into his back. "You have exactly three seconds to apologize before it's off with your head! One..."
"But I'm—well, I sincerely apolo—"
"—three! That's it, off with his head nya!" A chill ran down his spine as a giant Monster Cat lumbered in, a pole axe raised above his head...
"NOOO!" The covers flew off and the cats yeowled at the sudden intrusion. It took Takashi all of two seconds to realize that there was no giant cat monster with pole axes and that Philip was very calmly standing at the foot of the bed, his uniform neatly starched and ironed.
"...Well, if you so adamantly insist, Master Takashi, but I strongly urge you to think it through," Philip broke the silence after a few seconds, placing the clean clothes in front of him. Cathy, meanwhile, had woken up after her cats had started making a fuss.
"Huh? ...Takashi? Philip? What's going on..." She rubbed her eyes and yawned, oblivious to the chaos that had occurred only a few seconds earlier.
"Wait, what? I-I'm sorry Philip, I don't think I heard your question...?" Takashi's head was spinning a bit, but at least Cathy hadn't caught him in a moment of extreme embarrassment. Hopefully Philip wouldn't mention it to her...actually, scratch that, he wouldn't put it past the butler to spill the beans the second he walked out of the house. "I was...that is to say, I was dreaming..."
"Of course. Although, it seemed more like a nightmare... As I was asking earlier, seeing as the hour is getting late, would you like to stay for dinner, and then we can chauffeur you home afterwards?"
At this suggestion, Cathy hopped out of the bed and pulled Takashi onto his feet. "You should, Takashi! I-I mean, if you don't need to be home so soon...I wouldn't mind at all if you stayed."
"Uhh..." Thing were moving just a tad too fast for his still-sluggish brain to process fully. So Cathy was asking to stay for dinner. Sure, why hell not, he'd already done his laundry and even taken a nap in her bed, might as well round out the entire set, right? "If it's really all right, I'd definitely appreciate it. Though, I should probably call my mom first, otherwise she'll start wondering why I'm not home..."
Cathy nodded. "Sure nya, I'll be waiting outside." She and Philip stepped out of the room, but not before the butler popped back in one last time.
"Oh, and one more thing, Master Takashi—please feel free keep that suit on. No need to get your uniform all out of sorts again, after all."
And before he could protest, they were gone again, leaving him alone. Unsure of what to make of the situation, he decided to call his mom first before she panicked and dialed the police.
"Hello? Takashi, is that you? Where have you been all this time? Are you all right?" Mrs. Todoroki's worried face appeared right away on his d-gazer.
"Uh yeah, mom, sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but I'm at a friend's house right now..." Takashi was wondering what was the best way to explain his current situation. Not that Cathy was a bad person or anything, but if he let on that she had invited him over to her house, he was bound to be interrogated like a common criminal the second he stepped in his house.
His mom hadn't caught on yet, luckily. "Oh? Whose house? Are you at Tokunosuke's? Did you want me to pick you up?"
"Err, no—I'm at Cathy's house...um, I think you remember Cathy, back from elementary school? Anyway, she accidentally got my uniform dirty, so she insisted on getting it cleaned at her house before I went home."
The line was silent for a few seconds as his mom furrowed her brow, muttering to herself. "Cathy...Cathy...oh, you mean Cat-chan? Is she still as adorable as ever?"
"Y...yes? But to summarize, she asked me to stay for dinner, and they offered to send me home as well. So you don't need to worry about me." Takashi was wary of his mom's suddenly cheerful attitude, but he knew better than to question her.
"Well then, sounds like you've got everything taken care of! Remember your manners dear, and say hi to Cat-chan for me!" With that, his mom hung up, and Takashi breathed a small sigh of relief, glad that she hadn't probed any deeper. There was no guarantee that would be the case when he got home, though.
The grand staircase seemed to stretch before him as he stepped down, the scent of a delicious meal already wafting up. To his surprise, Cathy had changed into another outfit, this one a long-sleeved, one-piece black dress with a lacy black overskirt. When she had actually changed, or where even was beyond him, but she did look awfully pretty, and he nearly missed his footing on the last step because he couldn't. Stop. Staring. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Cat-chan." Philip mysteriously appeared just as he approached the table and pulled his chair out for him, all in a perfect symphony of movements.
"No worries Takashi, it's your mom, after all. You should let her know you're okay," Cathy signaled Philip, who reappeared with the first course, soup. She hoped Takashi would be all right with a more Western-style menu; not content to travel all over the world, her parents (when they were actually in residence) attempted to bring the continent of Europe to their abode, hence her growing up on meals that included French onion soup, Beef Wellington, and soufflé. To her slight horror, she noticed Takashi poking at the dish, rather than breaking into it as she had already done. 'Oh no, I should've asked him first if he would've preferred a more traditional Japanese meal!' She had been so keen on trying to impress him that it had completely slipped her mind that, despite their friendship, the two of them came from very different backgrounds. "I'm sorry Inchou, did you want something else for dinner instead?"
He had not been expecting that question at all; no, Takashi had been, at the moment, busying himself with trying to figure out just how one was supposed to eat this soup...pastry...thing? The simple answer was to just ask Cathy, but he didn't want to look like a fool, and besides, weren't class presidents supposed to be well-versed in the ways of other cultures? Apparently not. Unfortunately, Cathy had mistaken his lack of knowledge with lack of appetite, which was certainly not the case. "Oh no no, that's not it Cat-chan, it's just...ah, I guess to summarize, this is the first time I've seen this type of dish..."
Oh. Oh. Cathy felt rather silly as she realized his problem. Although, whether it was worse than him not liking the food, she wasn't sure. "Nya! That was so foolish of me... Here, I can show you how. You just take your spoon, and break open the pastry on top. Then you spoon in the soup, and eat them together."
"Ah, of course, that makes sense now...hmm, it's quite savory! I like this quite a bit—ah, what is it called?"
"French onion soup. It's my personal favorite...I always have it when I'm sick, or if I've had a bad day...kind of like comfort food, nyan."
"So, do you always have these types of dishes? Or do you like Japanese cuisine too?"
"When my parents are home, it's almost always European or American...but I like all types of food too, from around the world. Oh, speaking of which, if I do host the tea party, would you...would you mind helping me plan it? Not all of it of course, but I'd feel better if I could ask someone for ideas..." The finished dishes were replaced by two parfait glasses at this time, all taken care of by a stream of white-jacketed servants moving to some invisible conductor.
"Sure, I'd be more than happy to. After all, I was the one who suggested that you try and make some more friends outside our circle...? Uh, Cat-chan, are you all right?" Takashi dropped the sentence midway as he realized that Cathy's eyes had taken on a strangely glazed look, as if she was contemplating some grand masterpiece.
"...Oh. Sorry, I'm fine...more than fine, actually, because it just occurred to me how we got into this plan in the first place... It was all so I could tell Yuma how I felt, and since we never did come up with a good plan for that, either, maybe I can combine them together..." Her voice grew higher and the words started spilling out a little faster, now that she was on a roll. "I can't believe I didn't see it earlier, but the tea party—that's how I'll achieve my goal!" Funny how easily she had forgotten that—wasn't it because of Yuma that she had become closer to Takashi in the first place? And now it had become more than just proving herself to Yuma; she was going to teach Kotori and her friends to duel, of all things, and hopefully get to know them better as well. 'How uncanny, that all these things eventually lead back to Yuma. Even if he doesn't return my feelings, I'll still always be grateful to him for bringing me out of my own isolation...'
"R-right, of course..." Takashi quickly covered up his surprise. To be perfectly honest, the plan of helping her confess to Yuma had completely flown out of his mind by this point. It seemed almost arbitrary now, the only reason they were still aiming for it was because that had been the factor that started this entire snowball rolling in the first place. And yet he couldn't explain it, but instead of feeling genuinely happy for her, he was surprised to feel...resentment. Towards Yuma, of all people. 'Is this what they call a thankless job?'
"Actually, I believe it's called jealousy," An unfortunately familiar, sarcastic tone rang out in his head again.
'Oh what the—not you again! Can't you pick a better time to come out? Such as, not when I'm eating with the girl I'm trying to help?!"
"Don't you mean, the girl you're trying to get?"
'I—no—don't you even go there!' The dessert had been neglected for some time now, and Takashi hurriedly spooned in a mouthful, lest Cathy think he was turning into a slack-jawed zombie.
"Too late, I'm your subconscious, remember? I already know what you're thinking before you even realize it. And I always tell the truth." Takashi gritted his teeth and pretended to not be having an inner argument with his own self. He hated to admit it, but even he knew that he could no longer ignore the growing feelings he was having for Cathy. It was easy enough to keep it tucked away during their everyday interactions, but whenever they were alone, he found it harder and harder to keep his fantasies in the purely "friendship" zone.
'...I hate you, you know that?' He stabbed the bottom of the parfait glass to emphasize his point.
"Again, you're just hating yourself; seriously, this is a perfectly common situation—a girl gets caught between two guys, so what do you do? You show her that you're the right one for her, obviously!"
'And pray tell, how would I go about doing that?' Before his subconscious could come back with a snarky retort however, the last few dishes were being cleared into the kitchen and Takashi was forced to pull himself back into reality.
"Oh my, I didn't mean for dinner to go on so late—Philip, could you take Takashi home right away? His mom must be worried to death at this hour!" Cathy scurried up to her room and came bounding down with his backpack and uniform wrapped inside a neat furoshiki. "Let's go Takashi, otherwise we might have trouble getting up tomorrow."
"Right. Um, thank you all for the meal, it was great!" He hastily bowed towards the assembled servants (who apparently all lined up in front whenever their mistress left the house) before dashing out after Cathy, feeling just slightly embarrassed.
– – – – – –
"Well, here we are Master Takashi, right on schedule." Philip effortlessly pulled the black sedan up to the sidewalk. The lights were still on, which meant his mom was no doubt still waiting up for him. He felt slightly guilty, but she did seem rather happy for him, so maybe it would be okay. Cathy stepped out after him, handing the package over.
"Well...thank you very much for your hospitality, Cat-chan. And I don't just mean the dinner—which was fantastic, by the way—but y'know, actually cleaning my uniform and all...oh, but I guess that's technically Philip's handiwork, huh?" He bowed formally towards both of them.
"I should be the one thanking you, Takashi, for being such a good...friend..." her lips quirked and before she could control it, her face lit up in a smile, possibly one of the largest he'd ever seen on her face. "You should definitely come over sometime again; Philip and I could use the company, nyan."
"Yes, Master Takashi, please remember that you are always more than welcome at Miss Catherine's abode." The grey-haired butler smiled with his eyes.
"I...I'd be glad to, Cat-chan. W-well, anyway, you should probably get home and get to bed too, so goodnight, and thank you!" Takashi waved rather haphazardly at the same time he sprinted up the steps. Cathy stayed and waved, until the door opened and he disappeared inside, leaving the front quiet and dark again. Sighing to herself, she sank into the backseat, hardly aware of the vehicle's movement as Philip took them back home.
It was official; she had been holding off on accepting it for as long as she could, but after this night, she knew it was all but confirmed.
Cathy Catherine was falling for the class president, Takashi Todoroki.
And she was falling hard.
A/N: EDIT-okay, I fixed up the typos and added in words that were somehow missed the first time around. Secret word was pretty mundane this time, so you may or may not have noticed it ("smile" chosen by katsu uchiha).