Ooooh. Do you think Enjou will slip up and accidentally call her that in front of Reika? Well not in front of her but like imagine if he's trying to reference Reika but his classmates have no idea who she is (because they've been calling her 'Makkie' or 'the Kali Goddess') and so he goes- "You know, the girl with princess curls? Makki Makkie?" But like Reika is right behind him just giving him this look? XD That would be entertaining.
I don’t think Enjou would ever slip up like that (since I don’t believe he ever uses the nicknames other than Emperor which is to annoy Masaya) but on the chance he did... Reika would probably assume he started the nickname.
Hi Red Bean, made an account just to tell you you're awesome! Love your work and can't wait for more! o(>∀<)o
Part 14{ Iinchou approached me during afternoon break. Since its been a while since we last spoke to each other, I had him accompany me for a walk around the school halls. We chatted about some mundane topics, learning each other’s recent activities and experiences, school work, and other stuff, until he finally breached the topic he most wanted to talk about. “Would singing to a girl with a song you composed for her be a bad action to take?” “Unless the two of you were very close to begin with, I wouldn’t do that. By the by, how did the poem turn out? Did Honda-san have anything to say about it?” Iinchou smiled as he said dreamily, “She said it was nice.” “Did you tell her it was for her?” “Wha-what?! No!” Iinchou blushed and shook his head wildly. “Its waaaay too early for that! Be-besides, we aren’t even that close. Even Kisshouin-san told me that it was a bad idea to just make a poem for her like that.” “So was passing the chocolates through Kisshouin-san. Which reminds me, how is Kisshouin-san?” I asked as he recovered. He immediately responded, “She’s been helping me with my love journey. But as for her personally, I don’t really know. Ah, earlier, when we were talking, Mizusaki-san went up and asked me if she was doing anything bad to me.” That guy again... “Mizusaki-san seems to have a rather poor impression of Kisshouin-san.” This wasn’t the first time I heard of him assuming the worst of Reika, though I wonder why. Did he happen to have seen Reika use her fan on Tsurahana before? Other than that incident, Reika has a pretty good record in Suiran. Especially for a high-tier member of the Pivoine. “Well, in the end, Kisshouin-san took him away to chat. He left afterwards and she seemed rather dejected. She wouldn’t tell me why, so I guess Mizusaki-san must have said something that had upset her...” “I see...” Well, if their relationship sours, its has nothing to do with me. “Well, that matter aside, Kisshouin-san is a pretty resilient girl, so she’ll be fine.” “Right.” Iinchou smiled. “Oh, right. I almost forgot to mention this, but I heard from my friend, Satomi-san, that Kisshouin-san was under the weather today. I’m worried, so could you go check up on her when you see her?” “She’s sick?” I asked, surprised. “Perhaps? She says the heat has been hard on her, so its been affecting her quite a bit. She’s even lessened the amount of food she consumes.” ... That sounds fake. “I’ll check up on her when I can.” “Thank you!” - I was sitting in the Pivoine before I would go home, when I noticed Reika sitting off in a secluded corner and having a drink. I went up to her and I could see she was only having a drink. Ah, was this because she had been getting a bit fatter? Reika, I think you’re a bit too thin, though? You also look unhappy at having to reject the food. Putting on a smile, I said, “Do your best.” And left. Mhm~ Is it just my imagination or is Reika glaring at me? Why. I just said do your best... - I was enjoying tea in my house while I watched over Yukino when Masaya suddenly called me. “Come with me to my Mom’s tea party.” “What? No, I refuse.” I heard a frustrated sigh on the other end of the line. Amused, I patted Yukino’s head and left his nursery so that I could speak more freely with Masaya. “Why not? Are you busy?” “Not at the moment, but I do enjoy spending some time to myself, you know. Besides, attending your mom’s tea party would be like suffering a strange sort of punishment game. Which reminds me, is this a punishment from Auntie because you tried to fly off to the UK to spend time with Yurie?” When he didn’t reply, I sighed. So it was a punishment from her. “I’m not inclined to suffer your punishments with you, Masaya. Besides, you’ll be fine as long as you just keep up the minimum amount of courtesy.” “Kisshouin will be there.” “Oh, what time is the party again? Should I bring something for Auntie, or would you prefer I get you something to busy yourself with during the party?” I spoke into the phone as I headed downstairs. I stopped in the living room where Mother was drinking some tea with Father. “The party’s at eleven, but probably will start at around twelve. Bring me chocolat.” “Got it.” I ended the call and went straight to Mother. “Mother, Auntie is having a tea party at the Kaburagi estate. Masaya invited me, so may I go?” Mother looked up from her tea and asked, “Did you already finish your homework?” “Yes.” “You may go. Remember to come back before dark, and say hello to Madame Kaburagi for me.” Mother smiled gently as she gave her permission. With a bright smile, I thanked her then went to my room to prepare. “Oh, get a box of chocolates from that patisserie that just opened.” I ordered one of the servants as I fixed my attire. - I sat down with Masaya and played around on my phone as I waited for the party to start. So annoying~ I should have went and gotten the chocolates myself if I knew it would take a while for the party to start. “Hey, Shuusuke, I know I said she’d show up, but you don’t have to get so grumpy cause she’s not here yet.” “I am not grumpy. Aren’t you the one who lured me here to begin with?” “If getting you to agree to something only takes mentioning her name, then aren’t you the one whose too gullible?” “Oh? Since when have you resorted to calling the kettle black, Mr. Pot?” I smiled at him as I pocketed my phone. Masaya glowered at me as I continued to smile at him. When Auntie returned to our table, she had a cutely dressed Reika trailing behind her, who was carrying a box of chocolates in her arms. After setting down the box, she left our table and went to walk around the venue. Since the majority of attendees here were girls, and because of Reika’s sociability despite her reclusive attitude towards parties, that there would at least be a handful of people that she knew and wanted to converse with before she had to return to our table. “Isn’t that Sarara-san?” “Hm?” Masaya looked over where I was gazing at, and nodded. “Oh, yeah, she is. Dad’s fond of her since she enjoys reading as much as she does, so Mom invited her over.” “Is she included in your fiancee candidates?” “As far as I know, no.” Masaya slumped into his seat as he groaned. Of course, being forced to do nothing but behave for almost an entire half day would be excruciating. Even Masaya, who had to build up his tolerance since childhood, was incapable of tolerating the overwhelming boredom that came with these sort of parties. After conversing with others for a while, Reika returned to our table. She smiled kindly as she chatted with some of the others and drank her tea. She seemed to have been in a good mood, and was happily munching on some chocolates when Auntie returned to the table, accompanied with a girl with short hair with lightly curled ends. “This is Maihama Ema-san from Yurinomiya. Everyone get along with her. Now that everybody is here, we shall begin the tea party!” Thus started one of the most painfully boring parties in my existence. The only saving grace was that Reika was being entertaining, so I often found my gaze floating back to her, even when I was conversing with someone else or drinking tea. Masaya nudged me after the fifth time, then started conversing with me, while forcefully rebutting Maihama from entering our conversation. A while later, Masaya, still being morose, picked up a chocolate and put it into his mouth. His face betrayed faint surprise as he slowly savored the taste. I looked back and noticed that it was a chocolate from one of his favorite French patisseries, and one Reika had brought. Auntie happily pointed that out, and Masaya in turn started asking Reika questions concerning the chocolate. The atmosphere around them was pretty amicable, and definitely more so when you compared it to Masaya’s earlier bluntness and curtness with Maihama. I could see that girl throwing jealous gazes at Reika ever since Masaya’s attention went to her. “Reika-san, the other day you stayed at one of our hotels with your Okaasama, didn’t you? How was it?” “Yes. Your exclusive amenities were excellent. It was almost a shame to use them. I also enjoyed your garden, the way it lit up at night was simply magical.” “My! Thank you! I’m glad that you enjoyed it.” “Kisshouin-san, you stayed at one of the Kaburagi Group’s hotels?” I entered the conversation as I asked curiously. Why would she stay here? Doesn’t she have some grudge against Masaya that makes her avoid anything with Kaburagi on it like the plague? “Well, yes…” “Our hotel had some fasting course. To lose weight.” Masaya dropped those words carelessly and a dark cloud took over Reika’s face. Wow, Masaya, your lack of tact is really something else. I fought down a smile as people began to gather around our table and converse with Reika. It was almost startling how a mere mention of fasting had managed to turn Reika into the star of the party, answering inquiries left and right as she turned the tides of the situation. Sadly, although Auntie tried to make it sound like Reika was only there to accompany her mother, the truth of the matter is that Reika had become a bit chubbier than usual, so she had to diet. Even the senpais from the Pivoine seemed to have realized, but they didn’t dare to open their mouths and refute the Matriarch of the Kaburagi household, or further embarrass the Princess of the Kisshouin house. “Gosh, I wish I had a daughter… Sons really aren’t cute at all.” Because of his mom’s words, Masaya ended up feeling dejected as he slumped into his seat more. Ah, it must be hard for this child, who was once the apple of his mother’s eye, to listen to her not dote on him. Such a fragile soul~ Then Maihama cut in. “I know that you have a rule against home-made chocolates, but I’m attending desert school so please try one of mine!” “Don’t want. If I’m going to be eating some amateur’s mistakes, why shouldn’t I eat a professional’s successes instead.” Maihama, shot down and rejected completely. In the end, due to the almost endless amount of people coming over to our table to speak to Reika, it became incredibly lively. She was regaling her experiences and tales to each person who came by, like a great sage imparting wisdom, or in this case, a kindergarten teacher reading stories to her prepubescent students. Since most were stories concerning dieting, many people became interested in the fasting course and decided to join as well, so in the end Reika even managed to act as a real-live, walking billboard for the Kaburagi Hotels. At the end of the day, when it was time to leave, Auntie said, “Today was really lively thanks to you. Come again, okay!” To Reika. I looked at her blankly as I guessed what she wanted. It seems that Reika has become the prime target for Masaya’s marriage partner. Goddamn it...
Lol. 180° turn in four words. Allow me to channel my, probably nonexistent, German ancestry... Your* Poor Enjou, he knows what's coming for them.
Part 15 ”My apologies, but the Pivoine party is for Pivoine members only.” I spoke into the microphone of my phone as clearly as possible. Perhaps it was just bad timing, or maybe she was just much more persistent than I originally thought, but it seemed that the fact I had cancelled some ‘previously arranged’ plans due to needing to attend a Pivoine party had somehow reached her ears. My money was completely on it being Haruki who snitched to her. “But, Shuu...” the voice on the other end called out with a sorrowful voice. “We had already made plans.” I massage my forehead as I held back a groan. What ‘we’? It was only you who had pushed for such things. “I did say I wouldn’t be available around this time. Yuiko-san, wouldn’t this be a good opportunity to meet with Haiyama-san? You did say you were interested in visiting his family’s famous restaurants in the past. I’m sure Haiyama-san would be more than happy to escort you.” “Haiyama-san...? Oh, but I wanted to go there with you.” I glanced out my car window, watching the scenery pass by me as we got closer to our destination. “Well, I am busy from now until the start of school. I’m sure you have someone else who would enjoy accompanying you waiting?” I heard an intake of breath, before she suddenly spoke hurriedly and excitedly, “Ah, Shuu, are you jealous? Please don’t be! I really have no fancy towards them. I really only like-“ “I’ve arrived at my destination. Yuiko-san, have a nice night. It was nice talking with you again.” I spoke quickly as I ended the call. I sighed and got out of the car. My chauffeur looked at me quietly before he returned inside and left. I stood outside the venue for a while, looking up at the clear sky and ignoring the blazing lights that came from inside the party hall as I allowed the exhaustion to take over me for a moment. I sighed heavily and turned around, placed my phone into my pants pocket, and entered the hall. It barely took a minute before the girls noticed my arrival, and quickly swarmed me. It seems Masaya had yet to arrive, so all the attention was focused on me. I couldn’t make one step inside the hall without an obnoxious bevy of girls following as well, so I resorted to standing near the walls and acting as a wallflower. Or, as much as one as I could be when almost a quarter of the entire party’s attendance was crowded around me. It took a half hour before Masaya showed up, and soon half the flock of girls split and went over to gawk at him, who simply went over to me and greeted me. It seems his mood was a little sour, so the girls were farther away more than they normal were- which wasn’t much, mind you- but it did wonders in helping me feel less claustrophobic. We were surrounded by them for almost two hours until I gave up trying to talk with the other attendees inside the hall without the girls trying to crowd around and listen in. I turned and left as soon as I had my chance, leaving Masaya to deal with all the girls left. I escaped to the outdoors and breathed in the fresh, not-perfumed air greedily until I was sure I wouldn’t die from asphyxiation. Feeling the fatigue rear its head, I quickly looked around to find a way to stave it off. It won’t do for me to appear so haggard at such a formal event. Father would be angry if I ended up causing trouble like this. I heard the sound of bells ringing and immediately looked in the direction it came from. I noticed the rose arch and two small children, probably from the Petite, ringing the bells loudly as another, youthful but older figure in a pink dress appeared to be urging them on, and held a small camera in her hands as she smiled gently at them. I was hit by a flood of nostalgia as I recalled that scene almost six years ago, back when I was a child and things were certainly less troublesome for me than they were now. Of a girl in a green dress who smiled happily as she danced with her older brother and then went to ring the bells with him, which also happened to have become a kind of fad for the girls of the Pivoine who believed it granted good luck for love. I unconsciously started walking towards the girl in pink before I could stop myself. The two children left and the girl was looking through the pictures in her camera with a smile on her face. A genuine one, not the stiff and forced ones she typically put on when Masaya or I conversed with her. “Good evening, Kisshouin-san,” I greeted as nicely as I could. I saw her jolt as she turned around quickly, eyes slightly wide from surprise before her composure quickly returned, as did that forced smile of hers. “Gokigen’yoh, Enjou-sama.” Reika was giving me a look, as if she was trying to find a way out of this situation, or trying to calculate her answers. It made me feel some guilt as well as irritation at myself, knowing that she had every right to be suspicious of me, considering everything I have done. “You’re not going to ring the bell this time?” I asked as I looked at the rose arch. If I remember correctly, wasn’t this something Aira said that Reika was super-excited about doing when she had her first Pivoine party? “Ehh?” Her face looked dumbfounded as she looked up at me curiously. Oh, since its been a while since we actually talked with each other, it seems I’ve gotten taller than Reika. Was she always this cute? “Didn’t you ring it before? With your Oniisan, if I’m remembering right.” Her face immediately revealed her surprise. Her eyes clearly said ‘Why does he know that!’. “It’s because Masaya looked like he was really envious of you.” Now Reika looked somewhat dissatisfied, a small pout began to tug at her lips and I smiled widely. She’s really so much more honest than those other girls. Much more expressive, too. I looked down and took in her apparel. A layered, light-pink chiffon dress that ended just above her knees. It would have been too cutesy and awkward on any other girl, but on Reika, it just made her seem so much more fragile and sweet. Her mother probably dressed her with the intent to make her adorable daughter even more lovable, and I have to hand it to her, it worked splendidly. “The dress you’re wearing tonight really suits you. It looks like your dieting really paid off.” I said it from the bottom of my heart. Since Reika was so concerned about her weight, maybe this would cheer her up. Her expression had cleared and returned to her typical Ojou-sama mask, and she quietly muttered a “Thank you” back at me. A lot of guys had been glaring at me ever since I approached Reika. It was so much more intense than when I was surrounded by girls earlier. It seems that Reika’s popularity had risen once again. Thinking of her rise in popularity I recalled something unpleasant enough to cause me to impulsively speak, “Masaya’s mum really loves you now, you know. She was talking about how she wanted to invite you to her dinner party too.” A blank expression was on her face as she disinterestedly said, “Hm.” “You don’t look happy to hear that.” “Oh, no, I feel very honoured.” She smiled politely as she gave a typical Reika-ish answer. I half-wanted to ask if she would attend, but after seeing her eyes show traces of disdain, I knew she would reject. “Hmmm.” I looked at her seriously as I tried to figure it all out. Not just the thing with Masaya’s mom, but everything. Reika simply had so many secrets she didn’t seem like she’d ever spill. When I looked into her eyes, it was like I was unable to comprehend something that was just out of reach no matter how much I wanted to understand. It also made me realize one thing. I really like Reika. The idea made me freeze as I realized all the complications that came with. Whether it was as a friend or as a member of the opposite sex, I don’t know exactly how or why, and I don’t think I want to know, either. Reika's presence had an amazing amount of power over my mood, and I didn’t want to turn into a lovesick fool or suffer rejection. “The wind is getting a little strong. I think I shall head back inside.” Reika’s voice snapped me out of my train of thought by dragging me back to reality. I wasn’t able to reply before she turned back and walked away. I ended up chuckling to myself as I decided to bury those feelings deep inside, so deep that I would forget them. Or, at least, they would fade with time. I looked at Reika’s retreating back and absently looked up at the sky once again. Things were so much simpler when we were all children.
This chapter is deep, I love it! I don't know if Enjou really realized his feelings to Reika at this time in canon, but I approve of this lol The number of their interaction is going to increase after this. I can't wait to see him regret his decision when he sees how good is the relationship between Reika and Mizusaki later
Part 16 It’s been quite a while since the party. Because of Yuiko telling Mother I had cancelled plans with her, I was forced by Mother to act as Yuiko’s partner to some parties we attended in the past week. My exhaustion must’ve shown through though, because there were quite a few times a conversation partner I was speaking to would comment on my state of health, then follow up with well-wishes and worried warnings not to overwork myself. Ironically, not one asked who was the cause of it. Well, even if they had, I couldn’t just throw Yuiko under the bus, so I probably would’ve lied to throw them off. Between attending classes, sessions with my tutor, helping Yukino with his studies and playing with him or keeping him company, and generally doing damage control and acting as Masaya’s PR manager, it was rare for me to find time to myself these days. In fact, school had become increasingly more of a haven for me than home was. All this time having to spend on others was emotionally draining, and starting to pick on my quickly fading tolerance. Perhaps thats why Mother finally let up and said I could stop having to attend parties as Yuiko’s escort. Okay, maybe me letting it ‘slip’ to Mother that Yuiko was usually surrounded by a throng of men whom actively flirted with her may have had something to do with her decision, but the point stands was that I was finally free of Yuiko. It also seems Yuiko was pretty satisfied too, since she had lessened her calls and visits. I wish she wouldn’t come though. Yukino seemed to have a bad impression of her and she always put him on edge. It was days passing by like this that I lost track of time. It was only when the class rep was asking me what sport did I want to join did I find out that it was only a few days away from one of the school’s biggest events. The athletics festival. Wow. Stress really does mess with your sense of time. I blandly responded that I would join the sprints. As soon as I said that, class rep quickly tried to coerce me into joining the cavalry battle, even going as far as to cite Masaya’s retirement from cavalry battles as the perfect time for my ‘debut’ into the battlegrounds of the cavalry battle. Class rep even mentioned that the two people who squared off with Masaya during the cavalry battles would definitely be joining this year, and I became incredibly tempted. However, when I realized that if word of me joining the cavalry battle reached Masaya, he would definitely try to give me a training regime and pick out my horse for and train us until we reached his standard. Last year I was having fun watching them and drinking in the shade, but to actually be a part of that and undergo Masaya’s brutal training? No. No no no no no. Thanks, but no. Perhaps because I was denying it so hard, the class rep backed off. However, class rep did ask that I participate in the baton relay instead if I wasn’t going to do the cavalry battle. I quickly agreed. It was only after class rep left did I realize what had happened. Damnit! I’ve been tricked! - I was drinking from my water jog when Masaya suddenly approached me. We were on the gym grounds and he was looking incredibly competitive. “Race with me.” With a sigh, I followed Masaya to the tracks as I resigned myself to my fate. There was simply no way to deny his request when he was already this hyped up on competing. “Ready your marks... get set... GO!!!” The moment “go” sounded, Masaya and I left our fellow racers in the dust. Literally. We were running ahead of them by quite a long stretch, it would be really impossible for them to manage a miracle and touch our shadows. The shrill screams of girls sounded as we passed them. I took in my surroundings, and I noticed a girl with doe-like black eyes watching me attentively. Ba-dump. I instantly felt more energized than I had in the past few weeks and focused on my race. My heart was pounding in my head loudly but I ran faster than I did before, finally overtaking Masaya and crossing the finish line. “Shuusuke, one more!” Masaya shouted as he crossed the finish line. He was burning up with competitive spirit, and the girls were busily cheering loudly as humanly possible. “Ehhh...” “C’mon! Again!” My willful best friend shouted and began a slow jog back to the starting line. My heart was still pounding and I was still high on adrenaline, so I ended up following him back. In the end, we competed endlessly without break. Sometimes Masaya won, and sometimes I won. In the end, I lost to Masaya as all the fatigue overtook me and made me slower. With that, I finally managed to get Masaya to stop his challenges. As soon as the adrenaline left my system, and the fatigue rolled in, I ended up feeling sore and tired. Ahhhh~ why did I stupidly go along with Masaya? I relaxed on a nearby bench and drank my water. It wasn’t enough to quench my thirst, so I even ended up accepting some of the honeyed lemons the girls were pushing on me. “One, two! One, two!” I heard a girl’s voice yell out. I glanced over and saw two girls who were likely practicing for the three-legged race training themselves by pacing and synchronizing their movements. “Oh, is Kisshouin-san partaking in the three-legged race this year?” I ended up murmuring aloud. Hearing this, the girls immediately went into a frenzy and tried to get my attention again. However, I only listened to this one girl who came from Reika’s class, who was telling me the details in full. “Originally, we wanted Reika-sama to join the quadrille, but she refused it in favor of the three-legged race. That girl beside her is Ikoma-chan, an External.” The girl explained happily as I looked at her. “She’d still be joining ball toss, though.” “Yep~” Some other girls who I assume were her classmates chorused together. I nodded in response as I drank quietly. “Who is your class rep? Besides Kisshouin-san.” “Oh, his name is Satomi Yukinari. Ah, why?” “Nothing really. Thank you for the honeyed lemon.” I smiled gently as I returned the jug to her. She blushed heavily and accepted it back, saying in a squeaky voice, “Anything for you, Enjou-sama!” While the rest of the girls glowered at her. Mhm~ Its been quite a while since I’ve had any friends in Reika’s class. Satomi-san sounds like an interesting person, perhaps he’ll agree to be my friend.
- eh... I wouldnt say he understands his feelings. Enjou strikes me as the type that even if he did know, he’d probably try to ignore it. Especially since he knows Reika doesnt like him cause he’s caused her a bunch of trouble, so his chances of being rejected are rea~lly high. Haha~ Also, remember, his fortune said ‘curse’. He must suffer greatly before anything happens~
Uwaaah, i'm glad i refreshed this page before i log out otherwise i'd miss this new update o(>∀<)o Your Awesome! thanks for writing this amazing fanfic, I really love your story (my 1st time writing here, im a bit nervous ~took me a bit time to think of what to write, sorry~)
Aha~ thank you for reading. Im glad you like it. Its fine, its fine. I’m kinda new here too, so I was understand how its like to be nervous~ its fine~ i’m happy you commented :>
Making a friend of someone from Reika-sama's class? Mhm~ you mean to say be your spy, didn't you Enjou? I think you'll get your wishes done easy enough. Satomi is actually half as black-bellied like you Enjou, just with a bit more sense on how to use Reika silently lol
I honestly think Satomi just likes to mess around, especially now that he knows Reika’s a softy (he even says so himself) so he goes wild with trying to mess with her. The only difference with why Reika doesnt have a bad opinion of him is because his “messes” are far less troublesome than the messes Enjou pushes on her, and none of them ever put her in a position where she has to threaten someone or use the power of the Pivoine to control people. Satomi’s are really harmless (asking her to dress up or just generally messing around) and he would usually apologize and follow it up with giving her food. Enjou on the other hand throws big messes her way then would blackmail (i dont see it as blackmail since its not like he actually has anything to use against her??? The only time he blackmailed her as far as I remember was Ririna’s Incident which led to her becoming class rep for Masaya’s class. After that he hasnt asked her for favors since) and tease her even after apologizing. On that note his teasing can be seen as harmless or maybe slightly mean (talking about the Deer Girl thing, which he did not spread). He compliments her a lot more. To a bystander Enjou can be seen as supportive (he tells Reika good luck when she diets and even gives her words of praise when she gets thin again) and polite, as well as one who seems to pay Reika a LOT more lip service than necessary. honestly I haven’t read of Enjou giving anyone else as much praise as he does Reika. You would definitely find out if he did cause he’s Suiran’s Prince Charming. If he paid a girl as much compliment he did Reika, it would definitely reach her ears and girls would riot over it, and Haruki seems hellbent on threatening Reika and that has to stem from a belief that ReiNjou is possible because one of them has feeings for the other, and Haruki is closer to Enjou and its always Enjou who seeks Reika out. Even if their were rumors, the only ones spreading rn are ones that would probably go on like “Enjou-sama is visiting Reika-sama again.” Enjou is the one in active pursuit, while Reika would be depicted as passive (since no one would believe someone would be neutral or hate Prince Charming Enjou), and that would and should reflect in the rumors.
It's written as friend, but it's read as spy. It's written as interesting, but it's read as useful. It's written as agree, but it's read as be coerced.
XD I love how fast he changes his tune when it comes to Reika. (´ ∀ ` *) REIKA-SAMA!!! You're absolutely beautiful and people acknowledge it. Reika has a skewed view of herself and frankly, a low self eestem so I'm happy that people fawn over her. Especially with the Jealous!Enjou added into the mix. (*≧ω≦*) ＼(≧▽≦)／ I don't really get what he meant by I am really like Reika. Does he mean he can see himself in her? Or is it just a typo? I'm freaking out, he's in denial guys. Denial, denial, denial and I can smellthepotentialang- I'm screaming. Yes. Love-sick!Enjou is second only to Jealous!Enjou. (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ Does anyone else want to see more Enjou inwardly fawning over Reika? Because I'm craving it. Actually.. how do y'all feel about angst?
Whoa I didn't notice the "am" when I read it, and I remember reading that the same day it was posted. Guess I had my shipping glasses on too tight to automatically interpret it as "I really like Reika" YES. I'm sure everyone watching this thread feels the same way Angst, huh? I hate the feeling, but I love watching people suffer from it...
Part 17 A run down on how the athletics carnival was going so far. Firstly and unsurprisingly, the guys in Masaya’s class dominated the baton relays. Their movements were fluid- almost like clockwork. Well, since Masaya was frustrated over being unable to join cavalry battles, he probably channeled all of his energy into the relays. Why did he even say he would retire? Till now, he refuses to answer me. My guess was that it was an attempt to curb the Emperor nickname, which only backfired horribly. Still, a lot of people were happily joining this year now that the Emperor of Cavalry Battles was retired, so I guess there was a silver lining to his retirement after all. My class faired only slightly better than the rest. After my sports were done, I headed to the Pivoine’s garden near the Salon, and stayed in the shade for the majority of the festival. Also, there were two incidents that happened, and both were apparently caused by Takamichi. The first one I heard about after my return was that Takamichi had tripped Reika and stole first place. Because she tripped, Reika went crashing down into the ground while Takamichi gloated her win in front of her. When I heard about this, I was taken aback. Seriously? I mean, Takamichi really doesn’t seem like the type to purposely do something like that. Still, a majority of people were saying the same thing, but that might be because Reika was far too loved at school, so everyone would side with her instead of an External. The second was that she had thrown a ball at Dite’s hand. Apparently it had caused quite a fiasco because Dite kept proclaiming that his hand was broken and his life as a violinist was ruined. Well... from my experiences with him, I think Dite was likely overreacting. Its because of this that Takamichi’s class ended in last place. After listening to these stories, I asked my companions for the time and we realized it was time for the costume race. We all shared a laugh as we talked about the contestants, particularly the burly and giant Iwamuro who would be playing as Cinderella, running in the event. Some of them started talking about how Iwamuro showed up with really clear and pretty skin today, so they all began to gossip over if Iwamuro was like that. Well, whether Iwamuro was interested in crossdressing or not, it wasn’t my problem. In fact, they were saying Reika was having tons of fun helping turn him into a ‘pretty girl’, so soon the whole class became amped up to prettify him. However, I certainly didn’t expect to see what I did when the race started. - Earlier, I had been trying to find Reika to invite her to sit with Masaya and myself, but I wasn’t able to find her before the event started, so I gave up. It was odd though. Satomi, the class rep from Reika’s class, said that Reika was very busy preparing for her event. I was rather surprised since I only remembered her joining the ball toss and the three-legged race events, but he persisted on keeping her whereabouts hidden. So I sat with Masaya and a few friends, creating a barrier of sorts between us and the fangirls who tried to get close. We all commented on the racers’s costumes and laughed over the more funnily dressed ones. Well, I was commenting, but Masaya was criticizing every animal-costumed racer heavily. Geez, Masaya. Calm down, won’t you? It was around this time that the racers from Reika’s class emerged. First it was Cinderella, then a girl in a really vague costume came out. The once boisterously loud cheers of the arena turned into noisy chatter. I went wide-eyed at the appearance of incredibly familiar curls. Satomi told me I would want to bring my phone to take pictures, but I didn’t listen since it would only be a hassle to run back to my locker and back. Now I regret it. “Is that... Is that Kisshouin-san?” I ended up saying in surprise. Masaya was stunned silent beside me. “Reika-sama! You’re so dignified!” “Do your best, Kisshouin-san!” I turned my head in the direction of the cheers and found Reika’s posse and Iinchou cheering for Reika loudly. So it IS Reika. “What the heck is she supposed to even be...?” Masaya asked as he looked at her. Wow does she run slow. “She’s still as cute as ever.” Said one of our companions. When I looked over at him, he immediately said, “I mean, her costume is cute!” “So you’re saying Kisshouin-sama isn’t cute?” Another companion of ours asked with a teasing grin. I smiled at the guy while I spoke, “I think she looks plenty cute, don’t you?” The guy responded with a strained smile, “Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Enjou-sama.” I looked away and returned my attention to the race. Meanwhile, the guys took turns teasing the despondent guy and Masaya returned to criticizing costumes. In the end, Reika’s class didn’t win, but they were definitely the most surprising of the racers today. Hm, I can easily see this becoming the talk of the school tomorrow. - After a lot of other events, it was finally time for the cavalry battle. There were a lot of popular teams this year. Every time one of them entered through the gate, the cheers would get louder and louder. The most popular team from the first years was Mizusaki Arima, the newest member of the Student Council, and the cheers from his fans beat all the former excitement into dust. However, the one who gained the most cheers though was Tomoe Senju-senpai, the ex-Student Council President. If I thought Mizusaki’s was bad, Tomoe’s fan’s caused the seats to shake from the force of their cheering. I could also see Reika clapping enthusiastically from her seat. Again, she was watching him with a blush on her face. I felt my face twitch as I turned away, the uncomfortable feeling coming back and irritation bubbling up. She still hasn't gotten over him? I focused my attention on the battlefield in front of me. The battle was even more intense than in middle school. Probably due to the huge difference in physique and power. Despite that, Mizusaki’s group was battling evenly with the seniors, and snatching headbands from everyone who crossed his path. As the groups dwindled, it meant the battle for the King of Cavalry drew ever closer. Mizusaki turned and his group came into conflict with Tomoe’s group. Their horses rushed each other and their riders grappled for their opponents headband. They were locked in stalemate until Tomoe made a feint and Mizusaki fell for it. The opening allowed Tomoe to steal the headband from Mizusaki. I heard someone curse and I turned to look at them. It was Masaya. His expression was both mortified and irritated. No doubt the idea that he was staying out of such an intense cavalry battle made him want to recant his decision to retire. At the end, Tomoe squared off with another 3rd year team and won, becoming the king of this year’s cavalry. I noticed he was looking into the crowds of his fans. Suddenly, he revealed a smile and thumbs up, then winked in their direction. His fans went wild. He was grinning widely as he waved to someone from within the crowd, then departed with his friends. I looked into the crowd and saw a beet-red Reika. What the heck is your relationship with him!