[18th May, Shujin]

After yesterday's infiltration, knowing how much they needed supplies and some rest, the trio ended up with a day off from Mitsuyo's palace. Which, actually let them appreciate the normalness of being a high school student.

And one of the biggest things in high school was having lunch with your friends. That's what Shiho doing right now.

Looking at the bento Shiho brought for her, Ann couldn't help but grin like a young kid. "Thank you, Shiho!" She beamed, opening the bento box with child-like curiosity. "Finally, I can take a day off from Yakisoba Pan!"

"...Please don't tell me you're eating that every day as lunch," The volleyball found her gaze unintentionally moved toward Ann's belly, sweatdropped. "Like, shouldn't you be keeping your physical feature?"

"Ah... well... it's cheap!" The model sheepishly grinned. "And I have to save up some money for this season's new clothes..."

"Then explain those desserts you bought," Crossing her arms, Shiho huffed, trying to do her best impersonation of a stern mother. "I'm sure with you spending money on them every day, it's not only expensive but also makes you fat!"

"Ahh... Modeling costs a lot of energy!"

Narrowing her gaze on Ann, the volleyball player kept her gaze for a few seconds before deciding to let it go. "Fine, I'll let you slide for this one, Ann," She gave out a long breath. "Either way, let's try this out! I want to know how does it taste as well."

With that said, the two friends took the two pairs of chopsticks that came with the bento and started eating. At first, it didn't taste like anything they would try or like, but... somehow, it tasted fantastic. In some way, it reminds them of what they ate at Wilton.

And the two were surprised when they found out how quickly they finished the bento. "Wow, it tasted great!" Ann exclaimed in joy, her eyes darted between Shiho and the empty bento box. "You really improved, Shiho!"

However, the said volleyball player looked away with a lot of awkwardness. "U-uh... Actually, it wasn't by me. Akira made it."

For a few long seconds there, there was only silence between the two, the awkward one.

And finally, it was broken by Ann's yelp. "WAIT WHAT?!" Eyes widened, she took a double-take between Shiho and the bento before her. The sudden surge and input of huge information, somewhat overloaded her mind.

"Well, I wanted to make something for you, but I accidentally overcooked it, and I had to clean it up," Rubbing the back of her neck, the volleyball player looked aside in slight embarrassment. "So I just called Akira to ask him to buy one instead. But he made one instead..."

"And he said yes to that?!"

"Yeah, pretty much instantly," She nodded, feeling a small giggle escaped from her mouth. "He told me that he was already making something to eat when I asked him, so... it didn't bother him too much."

However, Ann was speechless to her response, only giving her widened eyes for another few long moments. "That's not what I'm shocked about, Shiho..."

"Then... What? It wasn't like... anything shocking-"

"Of course it is!" The model interrupted Shiho, holding her shoulder with a wide smile. "Tell me, when did he confess his feeling?"

"...Huh? Wha- what?!" Blinking, it didn't take Shiho long before she realized what she meant. And a wave of crimson washed over her cheeks. "No! He- We're aren't l-like a co-cou- girlfriend and boyfriend thing! W-we're just close friends!"

"Seriously? This again?"

"W-well, I'm telling the truth!" Now in her full-on panic mode, the volleyball player hastily cleared her throat. "J-just let me explain..."


Meanwhile, inside the canteen located on the other side, Kasumi was confused.

"Ichijo-senpai..." Trailing off, she found her gaze kept darting between Akira's face, and the sliced bread in his hand. And the weirder thing was that... he was smiling like a lovestruck boy. "I-is something wrong? I can give you some of my bento if you need to."

Eyes widened in surprise, Akira shook his head in response. "No, I'm fine on my own," He said, giving her a reassuring smile. "I'm perfectly fine with eating sliced bread right now."

Mouth opened with nothing came out, the gymnast could only form an awkward smile. "W-well, that's... I guess as long as you're fine this, it's alright..." Trailing off, she tugged her bangs aside. "But what exactly happened, Senpai? I mean... there should be a reason, right?"

"Yeah, well..." Pausing, the amateur writer took a few moments before continuing his words. "I guess I should start from what happened this morning..."


[Early morning, Akira's apartment]

Even though he never wanted to admit it, but being accompanied by something other than his alarm and nightmare... It felt comforting. Just one thing, if Elizabeth knew that he felt this way, he's going to face an endless wave of teasing.

And of course, today was the same as well... Just with one difference.

"Akira! I can already smell how good the food is!" Feeling a smile uncontrollably crept onto his face, Akira struggled to hold down his laughs as he replied.

"Just hang on for a little more, Liz," He said, grabbing a plate nearby and filled it up with her breakfast. A simple curry with rice he learned from some online tutorial. "And... done! Here it is. Don't forget the time as well, you got a job interview to do. Even though you didn't tell me anything about that job"

"Of course!" Elizabeth said with a cat-like smirk. "And don't worry, it's just some jobs of being a nurse in a school, that's all."

"Well, just don't uh... scared the interviewer," Awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, the amateur writer put the plate in front of her. "Here, enjoy."

Eyes widened in joy, she couldn't help but smile brightly. "W-wow, they look fantastic!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Itadakimasu!"

Watching how Elizabeth ate her breakfast with visible enjoyment, Akira smiled to himself and returned to the kitchen. "Okay, now for my lunch," Stretching his arms, he quickly checked the time with his phone. "6:45... There's still time to make one."

With that said, he wasted no time and started cooking. Usually, it took him about half an hour to make one, and he would still have time to change into the uniform and actually get to Shujin.

However, his train of thought was interrupted as his phone suddenly buzzed. With a raised eye, he took out his phone to check and... it was Shiho out of all people.

Slightly confused, Akira accepted the call and kept the phone between his ear and shoulder. "Hello, Shiho?"

"Hey Akira, I uh..." Even though he could only hear her voice, he could still feel the awkwardness and hesitation from her. "Okay, so... uh..."

"You don't need to be this hesitant, Shiho," The amateur writer said, his confusion only increased with every second passed.

"Y-yeah, you're right. We're friends and partners in heart-stealing, after all," Pausing for a moment, Shiho finally spoke again. "Okay, so I was planning to use today's day-off for a lunch with Ann. And I promised her that I'll make a bento for her."

"Okay, that's fair."

"But well... I kinda... messed it up, like really messed up," Feeling the embarrassment from the other end of the line, Akira couldn't help but widened his eyes in even more confusion.

"Oh... Kay, that sounds kinda bad," He said, shifting his head for comfort. "You didn't start a fire, right?"

"No, of course not. It's just..." Trailing off, Shiho paused for a few moments. "I don't have time to make another one, and I haven't even put on my uniform and have to clean all this mess up..."

"So I know it sounds like I'm just using you as a tool, but can you buy a bento for me? I can pay you back," She finally said, and from the sound from the background, she seemed to be frantically cleaning something.

Which probably is the kitchen equipment.

"You don't need to buy something expensive too! I think something from the convenience store would be alright-"

"No, that might be a bit too insincere for Takamaki," Akira interrupted her, finishing up his cooking. "Actually, I am making a bento for my lunch, I can give you this one instead."

"Wait, that's-"

"I'm fine with it," He interrupted again, putting all the content into a lunch box. "And you don't need to repay me or anything, as long as you're happy, I'm alright with everything."

"W-well, if you say so," Feeling a smile crept on her face, Shiho gave out a breath of relief. "Thank you Akira, I'd never know what should I do if it isn't with you."

"I know, but I only care whether you're happy or not."

For a few moments, there was only silence at both ends of the line. "...O-oh, uh..." Trailing off, Shiho took a few more pauses before continuing. "Well, you used to be one of those who were brave enough to talk with me before... everything. I... I... always liked your company."

"W-wait, why am I tell you this? U-uh... I'll see you at school!" Shuttering, the volleyball player hastily cut the call, and Akira was left with confusion.


Upon hearing the recollection, Kasumi could only stay shocked and silent. And even after a few long seconds, which turned into minutes, no word came out from either of them.

"...So... wait, you two are... a thing now?" She finally asked. And Akira only blinked in response, more from confusion than anything.

"Uh... no, we're still friends," The amateur writer shook his head, a small hint of disappointment could clearly be heard. "I'm still looking for a right moment to uh... confess my feeling, but I was a bit busy with things right now."

"But Ichijo-senpai, you know you can't wait for her to make the move, right?" Giving out a sigh, the gymnast leaned back into her chair. "Or you might just miss the chance..."

"I know, but..." Trailing off, Akira pondered for a moment. "Well, let's make a deadline then."

"Huh? A deadline?" Kasumi blinked, surprised. "T-that's a... surprisingly quick decision."

"Yeah, I guess that's probably the only thing that would motivate me to do something," Smiling sheepishly, he took a sip of the can of cold coffee he bought earlier. "Like, if not for deadlines, I probably wouldn't finish my novel's chapter on time... So it's basically the same thing here."

"I can... somewhat see your point, Ichijo-senpai," She nodded, crossing her arms in thought. "Then... when? After all, you should be the one who decides on it."

"Uh... Before June, I guess?" Akira suggested, finding himself cringed under Kasumi's uncertain gaze.

"That means you only have less than two weeks to confess though, senpai," The said gymnast sweatdropped. "I understand that a confession probably wouldn't take too long, but... would you be ready by then?"

"...It's fifty-fifty," Giving out a small sigh, he looked aside out of nervousness. "But who knows, maybe I'll finally muster up that twenty-second worth of courage. Then everything would be decided by fate."

"That's... reassuring," Kasumi deadpanned. "But it's your decision in the end, senpai."

"I know, and well... I already took too long," Akira leaned back to his chair, letting his gaze drifted to the ceiling. "Naoko already scold me to face it head-on, after all."

"Anyway, so I had to do this in this month, no more excuse."

"Well, if the deadline is set... maybe I should put it on my phone's calendar, just to remind you," Kasumi said with an amused smirk, pulling out her phone before frowned. "Ahh... my phone is acting up again..."

"Hmm?" Eye raised, Akira noticed how beat up her phone was. "Uh... your phone looked like it's about to fall apart, you really should look for a different phone."

"But um... I had too many memories with this phone," Kasumi sighed, handing the phone to him. "And I'm actually still looking for a way to back up everything in this phone, but it's just... impossible for some reason."

Still confused and curious, the amateur writer took the phone from her hand and had a closer look. And... it was a miracle that this phone was still working. At first glance at the screen, he only assumed that it was just a protective layer of glass that was broken. But no, it was the screen itself. A volume button that's literally useless, late response with everything...

How the hell did Kasumi could even put up with this? And... wait, he could see a different girl on the home screen through the cracked screen. But for some reason, he just couldn't make out who exactly was that person, the only thing he could recognize was that...

Instead of the crimson ponytail Kasumi had, she had an auburn ponytail.

Somewhat surprised, Akira awkwardly handed the phone back to her. "Yoshizawa, you really should get a new one," He commented. "I don't think they cost that much either way."

Slightly disappointed that there wasn't any advice or suggestion from him, the gymnast took the phone back with a sigh. "That's what my dad's been telling me too... Maybe I should listen to him."

"Yeah, at least treat yourself a bit better with this."


[After school, front garden]

Why did he always return to meet her?

For a while, Keigo had been asking this question to himself. Even though recently with the palace occupying his mind and time, but for some reason... helping Haru kinda calmed his mind.

Well, one part of it was the gardening itself, but the other part... maybe it was just the fact that Haru was a nice person to be with.

"And that's all for this week..." Placing the final bag of fertilizers onto the cart, Keigo wiped his forehead from sweat. "No wonder you chose to wear the sports uniform instead, Okumura-senpai..."

"Oh, I made this mistake as well, back when I first started gardening," Smiling sheepishly, Haru awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck. "I should've told you about this beforehand..."

"No, it's fine, it's more on me than you," Shaking his head, the half-Frenchman suddenly took out a framed picture and gave it to her. "And oh, I uh... wanted to give it to you."

Raising an eye, Haru took the framed photo from his hand. She instantly recognized that it was a photo of Red carnations, even though the photo was black-and-white in nature. And... that's the photo he took when they first met.

"Thank you, Kamisaki-kun, I really like it," Feeling a smile crept up, she took a closer look at the photo before turning back at Keigo, concern clear on her face. "But... how much did it cost? I can pay you back."

"I uh... develop and print them myself, so it doesn't cost me anything. But..." Trailing off, Keigo looked away with slight embarrassment. "I thought that you would prefer colored photos more, since the color of a flower is important... And a world that's more vibrant with color, instead of the muted look of black-and-white."

Surprised by his persudo-rambling, the heiress found herself in awe. "U-uh... That's really considerate of you, Kamisaki-kun. I just..."

"...This is the first time anyone gives me gifts since... who knows how long," Hugging the picture in her arms, she glancing away with a faint blush. "Thank you, Kamisaki-kun. I really mean it."

"I can see that," With an amused smile, Keigo grabbed the camera hanging on his chest. "Actually... If you agree, we can take more photos together. I mean like... not just the flowers, but also photos of us as well."

"Of us?" Surprised by Keigo's proposal, Haru tilted her head aside, pondering about this for a moment before nodded. "Of course! Like... this is my last year in Shujin, and maybe having some memories to remember..."

Seeing how her face became a bit downcasted, Keigo put his hand on her shoulder, trying his best to cheer her up. "Then let's make the most out of your last year as a high school student, Okumura-senpai. I'll be there, by your side."

Feeling the silence filled the five-meter radius around them, it took Keigo a few moments to realize the possible implication behind his words. "A-ah... I meant it as platonic friends... Even if I had feelings toward you, it'd be too quick for anything..."

"Wait, that's just making it worse..."

"Kamisaki-kun..." Amused by his uncharacteristic shuttering, the heiress felt giggles slowly slipped out from her lips. "I think you already made this year a much better year than before for me."

And Keigo found himself doing the same as her with a hint of awkwardness, lifting his glasses. "Well, actually..." Trailing off, he reached in his shoulder bag and took out a pocket-sized notebook, the word 'bucket list' clearly written on the cover.

"Before I moved to Tokyo, I made a list of places I wanted to visit and take pictures..." Turning through the pages, he landed on a specific page filled with famous places in Tokyo, with a few places already got crossed out. "So maybe both of us can visit there, and maybe you can be my guide or something like that..."

"O-oh, I would like to!" Haru agreed almost instantly, taking a look at the places listed on the notebook. And... to be frank, she had never been to any place listed on there. "But... I've never been to those places..."

"Then uh... we can explore them together," The half-Frenchman suggested, trying to keep the mood between them light. "It'll be a discovery for both of us, you can say we would start in an even playing field."

"You don't need to be this considerate, Kamisaki-kun," Feeling a bit embarrassed from how much he thinks of her, the heiress fidgeted slightly. "I'll... check whenever I am free, and let you know tomorrow."

"Oh, you don't need to tell me tomorrow, just take your time with it. I can wait-"

"I just wanted to, you can say it's more on me," She interrupted, brushing some hair behind her ears. "And after all, we had lunch together for the last few days... I still can tell you during that."

Seeing the logic within her words, Keigo nodded. "Okay, so lunch then... I'll be there, promised."

"You don't need to say that, I know you would," Amused, Haru felt her mouth's corner perked up into a wide smile.

And Keigo found himself returning the same smile as her.

(To be continued)


Preview:

As the infiltration of Mitsuyo continued, The Fools are faced with more revelation.

An enemy who isn't what it seemed to be.

A surprising puzzle for them to solve.

As the story of Mitsuyo and Mamoru continued.

As they had to bear the risk of bringing an unarmed person into the palace.

Next Chapter:

"A Peek Under The Mask"

Stay Tuned!


So exactly two weeks later, chapter 24 is here! At least it didn't take me a month to finish this XD.

So this chapter is more focused on our trio here, and their relationship with their friends too. You can say this is more a 'break' between the more serious chapters, no matter it's about the infiltration, or the heavy stuff everyone is dealing with.

And well, Akira did say they'll take a 'day off' last chapter XD.

But hey, Haru got more screentime!

Either way, the next few chapters would be the 'building-up' part to the eventual awakening, both for Hifumi and Yusuke. And finally, we can see some action by The Phantoms, after we focusing on The Fools for the majority of the time.

Anyway, I hope you all like the story so far, reviews are definitely welcome!