Chapter 12

 

Reiko let out a sleepy yawn, her gaze fixed on her classmates who seemed to be up to something following the Inspection Day. She rested her head on her cousin's shoulder and heard Ryu inquire, "What did you do last night, Reiko?"

 

Ryu squinted and gently prodded a bruise near her lip. She pouted, wincing in pain, and mumbled softly, "It's nothing..." She averted her gaze and snuggled closer to his shoulder. "Just an attempt to relieve some of the stress I've been feeling," she replied, her attention now on Hayato and the others.

 

"I have a bad feeling about this, Ryu-nii," she remarked. Ryu let out a sigh and nodded in agreement.

 

"Me too."

 

As Yamaguchi approached the building, everyone in the room made a hasty exit. Reiko raised an eyebrow when Yamaguchi entered the room, and Ryu and Hayato promptly closed and locked the door. They both peeked through the glass window of the sliding door.

 

"Don't think badly of us," Ryu said, and Hayato nodded in agreement. Hayato then quickly left the door, and Reiko remained standing in the hallway, watching as Hayato approached her.

 

Hayato paused in front of her and gestured to his classmates to carry on, which they did, leaving just the two of them. Reiko looked at him with confusion. "Yes?" she asked, trailing off as Hayato observed her expression.

 

"Can we talk later?" Hayato inquired, and Reiko furrowed her eyebrows. "Hey, don't give me that look... it's kind of awkward."

 

She raised an eyebrow at his comment and shrugged her shoulders. "Sure."

 

"After class, then," Hayato stated, and Reiko nodded. "Let's go."

 

During the Inspection Day at Kurogin Academy, various school representatives and junior high school students were in attendance. As the event began, Reiko stood in a nearby corridor, observing her classmates' antics and chuckling at the simple pranks they played during the English and Science classes. Suddenly, Takeda and Hyuuga dragged her to the central lobby of the school, where the Head Teacher and other faculty members had displayed the Kurogin Academy uniforms.

 

Reiko, accompanied by Hayato and the others, concealed themselves on the right side of the lobby, hidden behind side tables, along with students from two different junior schools and Head Teacher Sawatari.

"After a lengthy discussion, we have reached a decision regarding the student uniforms," Sawatari exclaimed with enthusiasm, nodding at the junior high students. "Here it is, please have a look!" he announced, pulling the rope to unveil what was concealed behind the white curtain.

 

All eyes in the room held expressions of astonishment and confusion when they saw two models wearing punk accessories, with the male model even holding a metal pipe.

 

Yamaguchi entered the room from the door and began, "Head Teacher, my students..." Her voice trailed off as she looked up at the models.

 

"Who did this?"

 

"Do you need to ask?"

 

Reiko and the five young men gradually rose from their hiding position. However, the noise of the pushed table caught the attention of Sawatari and Yamaguchi, who turned to look in their direction.

 

"Hey, you guys!" Yamaguchi exclaimed loudly while Sawatari pointed at them.

 

"Why, I never!"

 

Reiko and her companions now found themselves at the center of attention, with Yamaguchi firmly gripping Hayato and Ryu by their collar shirts. This action brought everyone to a standstill, and Reiko sighed in disappointment as she stood beside Hayato and Hyuuga.

 

"I had a bad feeling about this," she muttered to herself, observing as Sawatari attempted to restrain Yamaguchi.

 

"You've got some nerve deceiving your teacher. You'll pay for that!" Yamaguchi declared sternly, with Sawatari trying to intervene. Reiko rubbed her head and glanced at her cousin and Hayato, who were now the focus of Yamaguchi's anger.

 

"Please, calm down. These are junior high students..." Yamaguchi began to say but then halted, realizing what she was doing to the two boys. She turned around to see the reactions of the students and the two representatives from different schools.

 

Yamaguchi nervously scanned the students before facing her own. "This won't do, you little rascals."

 

"Little rascals?" Reiko couldn't help but chuckle, giving Yamaguchi an amused look. She then turned her attention to the representatives standing in front of them, her eyes widening in surprise and fear when she saw the young representative from one of the invited schools. She had been unaware of the discussions until the other representative noticed Tsuchiya.

 

"You..." she growled, suddenly noticing the presence of the other school's representative, who then led the students out of the lobby.

 

Reiko had never expected to encounter him in such an unlikely place, her new school. The young representative acknowledged her with a smile. "Reiko? Is that you?"

 

The young men and the teachers looked at them with surprise as the young representative approached her. "You know her, Takizawa-sensei?" Sawatari inquired, while Reiko gave him a dangerous glare.

 

"Long time no see, Reiko," the man said, sporting short black hair and expressive brown eyes. He was a 26-year-old teacher from the nearby Daikawa Girl's School, Takizawa Hideaki.

 

The young men observed Reiko with concern, noticing her silence in response to the teacher's greeting. They were also taken aback by the intensity of the glare she directed at him.

 

"It's Masaki to you, Takizawa..." she retorted dangerously, causing Takizawa to maintain a calm smile while glancing at Sawatari and Yamaguchi.

 

"She was my student at Sakuyumi Junior High when I was a new teacher. She's quite intelligent; it's surprising to see her here at a boys' school," Takizawa remarked, leaving Sawatari in awe as he looked at Reiko.

 

"Masaki-san is a trial student for our co-education program next semester, having been accepted through a recommendations," Sawatari explained, prompting Takizawa to pause and turn his attention back to Reiko.

 

Hayato shifted his gaze toward Takizawa, then to Reiko, who appeared uneasy in the presence of the man before them. He sensed the dangerous energy emanating from the girl and knew it could lead to trouble if they didn't leave the area.

 

Suddenly, Takizawa noticed a bruise near Reiko's lips and inquired, "Did you get into another fight?"

 

"The fvc-" Hayato quickly silenced Reiko by placing his hand over , his other hand gently patting her head. Reiko narrowed her eyes and shot Hayato a threatening glare.

 

"What's it to you? She's not your student anymore, so don't bother her," Hayato declared seriously, causing Reiko to cease her struggles and regard Hayato with surprise. He withdrew his hands from her and turned to Ryu, nodding before taking her hand and briskly leading her away from the scene. "Let's go."

 

"Yabuki!" Yamaguchi exclaimed, her attention shifting from Reiko's back to Hayato's, and she maintained a smile throughout.

 

"I apologize for their impolite behavior," Sawatari expressed, while Takizawa offered an understanding smile.

 

"No need to worry, Head Teacher."

 

She sighed as they made their way towards Shinta Temple. Tsuchiya, Hyuuga, and Takeda were engaged in a conversation about Tsuchiya's former homeroom teacher, Ishikawa. Hayato still held Reiko's hand, as the girl remained unusually quiet. Ryu glanced at Hayato and Reiko, sighing when he saw how different Reiko had been at school earlier.

 

"Why don't you let out your frustration and tell them about Takizawa?" Ryu suddenly spoke up, causing Reiko and Hayato to stop walking, with the other three following suit.

 

Reiko looked at her cousin in silence, furrowing her brow as anger welled up inside her. Hearing that name brought back memories of a time when her life had been filled with misery and hatred. "Don't you know how hard I've tried not to think about that guy anymore?" she softly replied, sighing as she turned her gaze away from their inquiring looks. "Let's just forget it; I don't want to talk about it."

 

Hayato glanced at Ryu and said, "It's okay, Ryu; don't push her to talk about it." Ryu nodded in understanding. Hayato then noticed a Takoyaki Stand near the temple, and Takeda paused at the store, prompting the others to do the same.

 

"One, please," Takeda requested, addressing the black-haired man with a mustache who ran the stand. He nodded in response.

 

"Coming right up."

 

Hayato, still holding Reiko's hand, led her toward the stand, which surprised her. "W-Wait," she stammered.

 

"Are you planning to share it among all of you?" the man inquired as everyone nodded.

 

"Yeah, we don't have much money," Hayato explained, leaning against the stand.

 

"In that case, I'll give you one more on the house," the Takoyaki vendor generously offered, leaving the six of them surprised.

 

"Are you serious?" Ryu asked, while Reiko smiled at the unexpected treat, suddenly feeling better than she had in a while.

 

"He's not joking!" Hyuuga exclaimed as two Takoyaki balls were placed in front of them. They shared the food with each other.

 

Hayato poked a Takoyaki and offered it to Reiko, who looked surprised. "Here... just try it," he urged. Tsuchiya, Hyuuga, and Takeda cheered them on jokingly, causing Reiko to blush in embarrassment. Hayato rolled his eyes at his friends' antics as he continued to offer her the food. Eventually, Reiko accepted it.

 

"It's delicious," Reiko said, munching on the food as she looked at her cousin. "Hey, Ryu-nii, come here; the food is delicious!"

 

"This Takoyaki is amazing!"

 

They devoured the food in just seconds before they all left. Reiko shouted her thanks to the Takoyaki vendor. "Thanks for the free treat!"

 

Meanwhile, Tsuchiya lingered behind, offering his gratitude to the Takoyaki guy. "Thank you for the food. It was really tasty."

 

 

It was almost five in the afternoon, and Hyuuga and Takeda bid farewell to the others. Tsuchiya also went his separate way. Ryu and Hayato, with no specific plans in mind, decided to head to the game center. They turned their attention to Reiko.

 

"What about you?" Hayato inquired, prompting Reiko to offer a sheepish smile.

 

"Oh, I'm meeting up with Mizuo and the others," Reiko replied, causing Ryu to silently regard her.

 

"Again?!" Hayato exclaimed, clearly bewildered. He sighed in frustration as Reiko looked at him apologetically. Hayato turned away, expressing his disappointment with a resigned "Tch."

 

Reiko blinked at his reaction, puzzled. "Why, Hayato?"

 

"You're..." he began to murmur, and Reiko leaned in slightly, her curiosity piqued. Hayato smirked and leaned in as well. Meanwhile, Ryu rolled his eyes at Hayato's antics. When Reiko noticed Hayato getting closer, she leaned away.

 

"W-wait..." Reiko stammered, and Hayato chuckled, patting her head gently as he withdrew his face.

 

"Call me..." Reiko furrowed her brow but eventually nodded, though she seemed uncertain.

 

"Well, Ryu and I will head to the game center if you need anything," Hayato announced, and Reiko nodded quietly.

 

"Yeah... so, later," Reiko murmured, waving to them as she hurried off toward her café.