“And what about this one?”
The following morning, as Yuuki walked into the classroom, he saw none other than the ill-tempered girl from yesterday morning-- Rio.
Notebook in hand, she stood by Yui’s desk, answering every one of her questions with a delighted giggle. It appeared Yui was in the middle of utilizing her secret weapon.
Yuuki sat down at his desk and, as payback for yesterday, said, “Hard at work, I see.”
“Hmph.”
“Hmm?”
“Hmmmph!” She chanted some kind of weird spell, averting her gaze.
Is she still mad about yesterday? What a sore loser. Rio shot him an intense glare, moving in between Yuuki’s and Yui’s desks as if partitioning the two. Boy, do they hate my guts. Yuuki muttered to himself as he transferred the contents of his bag onto his desk. Might as well get some studying done myself while it’s still nice and quiet. He thought, just as a tiny piece of eraser came flying toward his desk.
Yuuki looked over to his side, only to see Yui poking her head out from behind Rio. “What?”
“Distract the enemy.” She said, retreating behind cover.
Yuuki couldn’t even give her a piece of his mind as the wall (Rio) standing in between would just stare at him, menacingly.
I could retaliate but I feel like whatever I throw would just come flying back at me.
Rio would remain there until the homeroom bell rang.
✦ ✦ ✦
Lunch break.
Yuuki had bought himself an onigiri and some stuffed bread on his way to school.
As he went to grab the grocery bag out of his backpack, girls started pulling their chairs up to Yui’s desk in ones and twos.
A ladies lunch began soon after, and with it, seemingly endless gossip. Even Yuuki wasn’t sure if he could endure this all lunch break long.
He gazed out the window, attempting to distance himself from the noise. Sunlight pierced through the rifts in the clouds.
The weather was lovely, the wind nice and refreshing. It almost felt a bit wasteful to spend the whole day cooped up inside.
Might as well eat outside. Have to go down to the first floor to get myself something to drink anyway.
Grocery bag in hand, Yuuki got up from his seat.
After buying himself a bottle from a vending machine by the cafeteria and stuffing it inside his bag, he went outside. It was quite hot in the direct sunlight, even if the temperature itself wasn’t that high.
Yuuki looked around, only to find that all the benches in the shade were already taken. Figures.
And yet, there was no going back now; Yuuki’s desk had likely been encroached upon by one of Yui’s tag-alongs.
In search of respite, Yuuki first wandered the courtyard, then the backyard.
He went down a gravel path, passing by the incinerator, then the school staff car parking area, as he looked for somewhere sittable.
No shot anyone comes out all the way out here. He thought, only to find a happy couple sitting on the brick flower bed.
He continued journeying deeper and deeper, down some narrow walkway. He considered turning back as he rounded a corner, when he suddenly sensed a nearby presence.
Yuuki shifted his gaze toward said presence, spotting a girl sitting inside a small niche in a building wall. “Ah.” He exclaimed.
The girl lifted her head, surprise plastered on her face as their gazes met. She looked awfully familiar to a certain individual who shot daggers at him earlier that morning.
It can’t be her. Why would she be here? Avoiding eye contact as much as possible, Yuuki bowed and tried to casually walk away.
“Hold it!” She exclaimed, physically whipping him around by the shoulders. He was met with a menacing glare and a pink face. With how similar their voices were, she was, without a doubt, none other than Rio Hanashiro herself. “Y-You!”
“Me?”
Rio dropped her gaze for a second before resuming her scheduled glare. “You just gave me the ’omg I can’t believe this loser is eating out here all by herself’ eyes!”
“No I didn’t?”
“Then what’s with the ’I’ll pretend I didn’t see that’ reaction!”
“I’m not a very reactive person.”
“That’s not the issue here!”
In sharp contrast to Yuuki’s usual nonchalant self, Rio had completely lost it, her hair disheveled, her cool image nowhere to be seen.
“What’re you doing here?”
“Wha-What’re you doing here?”