Yukimura ducked out of sight as he spotted Rika walking down the hallway, while tapping away on her rarely seen phone. Yukimura remembered Akaya griping that his twin had been given a phone because she was mature enough to have one. Their mother had absolutely refused to give her son a phone saying that he would lose it immediately. She was right, Yukimura mused, because Akaya had stolen his sister's phone from her room and lost it at school the next day earning him a harsh scolding from his mother.
Rika passed without noticing Yukimura and the lilac haired boy stepped out of his hiding place.
"Why are you avoiding her?" Yanagi asked and Yukimura jumped nearly a foot in the air.
"Where did you come from?" Yukimura clutched his beating heart.
"From my class a few doors down just in time to see you jump out of sight. Mind answering my question?"
"I'm not avoiding her" Yukimura said, looking away from Renji.
"You've fallen for her and now you don't know what to do. Just go and ask her out. I'm sure Genichirou won't feel betrayed. Well he might, but he'll get over it" Renji said.
"It's a lot more complicated than just Sanada, Renji. There's a lot more people involved in this" Yukimura said.
"Like who?"
Yukimura smirked. He knew very well that Yanagi only poised questions when he wanted to know something. Trusting the data master was a deed many thought twice before doing. Yukimura would not fall for Yanagi's feigned innocence.
"I'll be fine. I need to go. Class cleanup duty" Yukimura walked away from Yanagi who shrugged.
Rika smiled as she pulled out the two bentos from the Home Economics class fridge. She had promised Akaya that she would give him and the tennis team strawberry shortcake that she had made. She tucked the bentos in her bag before heading out to the tennis courts. She got to the clubhouse and then realised that the only ones in were the regulars.
"Rika-chan!" Akaya bounded over like a puppy and Rika ruffled his hair playfully.
"Did you bring it?" Marui asked with a big hopeful grin.
"Yes I did. Two bentos of my homemade strawberry shortcake" Rika replied.
She set her bag down and pulled out the bentos. She handed one to Marui who immediately opened it to gobble it down. She handed the other to Akaya who took a slice and then handed it to the rest. Rika smiled at Sanada who shook his head at Akaya's offer. Rika knew very well that he didn't like sweets. She wondered where Yukimura was. She hadn't seen him all day.
"He had to attend to clean up duties after school" Yanagi replied quietly to Rika's unspoken question. Sanada's eyes narrowed at his answer and Rika handed Yanagi one of the bentos which had a slice of cake left for Yukimura.
"I'll return it tomorrow" Yanagi said placing the bento in his locker and closing the door.
"I'll leave then. Akaya, I'll be waiting out near the gates for you"
Rika slammed right into Yukimura after she exited the locker rooms. She smiled at him but he seemed distracted. He didn't reply but just stepped past her and entered the room. Rika furrowed her eyebrows in confusion but then shrugged. He was probably thinking about Nationals or something. Being a captain of a tennis team and a third year was probably hard.
"Rika-chan!"
Tachibana An waved at Rika at the school gates. Rika could feel the butterflies start a hurricane in her stomach as she approached An at the gates.
"Lets go have ice cream. I don't have tennis practice today" An said.
"My brother's at tennis practice but I guess he won't mind if I leave early" Rika said.
"Then lets go, the bus is here"
Rika grabbed her bag and began running for the bus. An took her hand tightly and helped her along. They boarded the bus just in time. Both panted near the doors and the bus jolted forward causing Rika to fall right onto An. An placed her arms around Rika and set her onto her feet. Rika blushed, despite herself and then smiled in thanks. An dragged her to the back of the bus and they both sat down.
"What flavour should I get today?" An asked as they neared the sweets shop.
"Maybe chocolate? But won't that give you pimples?" Rika smiled shyly up at her.
"You remember? I must have said that in passing"
"Oh" Rika looked away from An.
She felt two hand cup her face and force it upwards. Rika stared into An's kind grey eyes and felt dazed for a few seconds.
"It's fine, Rika-chan. I think it's cute that you remember everything. It means you really care" An said.
Rika nodded and then smiled when An turned her attention back to the flavours. She took a couple of silent breaths to calm her beating heart down before picking out the vanilla flavour. They hung out at the cafe for a bit before An had to leave. Rika walked around the bookstores for a bit before heading home. When she got home, she was rather surprised to find the most of the tennis regulars there.
"Rika, where have you been?" Niou asked.
"I went to have ice cream with a friend. Why?" Rika was confused beyond belief.
"Akaya's going crazy because you left school without him. He thought you were at home but then you weren't here either" Marui replied.
"Rika-chan, you're home! I thought something happened to you!"
Rika hugged her brother and then smiled. "I'm fine, Akaya. I just met a friend and went to have ice cream with her. I thought that you wouldn't be worried"
"Did you know how worried he was? How worried all of us were?" Yukimura tried to hold his anger.
"I just went out for a little bit. I just forgot to tell you guys. It's not a big deal" Rika said calmly.
"It is a big deal. You never do something like this. You never hang out with any friends" Yukimura stopped himself before he could go any further.
"Because I don't have any. Is that what you're trying to say?" Rika's voice was like ice.
"Rika-chan, he didn't mean it like that" Jackal said.
"That is exactly what he meant. I thought that out of all people, Yukimura-san, you would understand me. I don't know why you're making such a big deal out of this. I just went to have ice cream with An-chan. What is so wrong with that?" Rika glared at Yukimura with fury.
"Rika-chan, calm down please" Sanada said.
"Fine. You can order pizza for tonight, Akaya. I'm not going to cook"
Rika turned and slammed the door to the house with such force that the regulars winced.
"She looked almost like you, Akaya. Wild and infuriated" Yagyuu said, adjusting his spectacles.
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