Rise walked out of Marukyu into the shopping district's street, stretching in the warm sunlight. She had just finished her shift at the tofu shop and was looking forward to having the rest of the day to do whatever she wanted. Rise scanned the street, trying to decide which way she wanted to wander first. Luckily there wasn't a crowd of fans hanging about at the moment, but it was always a possibility. So she came to the conclusion that, whatever she ended up doing, she didn't want to do it alone. Rise grabbed her phone as a large grin spread across her face. This was as good of a reason as any to get to see her senpai. But, as she was about to dial, she noticed him across the street, walking towards the northern part of the district. And he wasn't alone; Yukiko-senpai was walking with him, holding a large box. They hadn't noticed her yet, so she ducked back into Marukyu until they walked further up the street and then she started to quietly follow them.

Rise tried to stay far enough behind them so that they wouldn't notice her, but still close enough that she didn't lose them. She must've been doing it correctly, because they showed no signs of knowing that she was there the entire way. All those years of hiding from the paparazzi seemed to have helped her develop her sneaking skills. Rise watched as they turned into the shrine and sat down on a bench. She decided to wait just outside of the entrance; she wouldn't be able to hear them, but she could at least watch. They spoke for a bit before Yukiko-senpai opened the box she held and handed it to Narukami-senpai. From what Rise could tell, it seemed like there was food in it. Sure enough, Narukami-senpai started eating from it.

'So, she's cooking for him already.' Rise thought to herself. 'She must really mean business.' She considered for a moment what she could do to top that. She didn't want to just copy Yukiko-senpai by cooking food for him as well, she needed something different to make herself stand out. But before she could put much thought into it, Narukami-senpai stood up from the bench and started to leave the shrine. Rise quickly hid behind one of the pillars as he passed. Once he was down the street, she peeked back into the shrine. Yukiko-senpai was still sitting on the bench, but a few moments later she stood up and started to leave. Rise waited for her at the entrance.

"So that's your plan, huh Yukiko-senpai?" Rise asked as Yukiko passed her.

"Oh! Hello, Rise." Yukiko responded, startled. "What do you mean?"

"Cooking for senpai."

"Oh, that..." Yukiko said, looking at the box in her hand, somewhat embarrassed. "I'm really just using him as a guinea pig so I can practice. Though, now that you put it that way, it is kinda nice cooking for someone. And he seems to enjoy it, even though I'm not very good yet..." Yukiko smiled.

"Well, you may think you're winning now, but I'll catch up. You'll see." Rise told her, oozing with confidence.

"If you say so," Yukiko replied. "I have to get back to the inn. I'll see you later." Rise said goodbye to Yukiko-senpai as she ran off. She stood there for a bit, racking her brain for something she could do for senpai. Just as she was about to give up and return home, Rise looked over at Tatsumi Textiles and smiled as an idea came to her. She quickly walked over to the shop.

"Hello Rise," Mrs. Tatsumi said with a sweet smile. "What can I do for you today?"

"Hi Mrs. Tatsumi. Is Kanji home today?"

Rise and Yukiko feel their relationship has grown yet deeper…

(Make sure you also read the Emperor & Lovers social link from this point to get the whole story! {Coming soon!})