Secrets (1)

While Reiji's thoughts continued to churn in his mind, the three of them kept eating the pizza with some light chatter here and there.

To his surprise, the two girls seemed to get along much better than he had anticipated.

Well, only if you consider the fact that Yui didn't outright ignore Haruna or act extremely rudely, despite the obvious barbs in her words.

To the outside perspective, one would think she hated her, but Reiji knew that Yui simply acknowledging her presence without treating her like air or threatening her was a win.

"Senpai, when did you start learning Taekwondo?"

"....Since I was 10."

"Really? You're almost a black belt in 7 years? I don't know much, but isn't that super rare??"

"Mhm, only about 5 people in the world have done it earlier than me, and that's only because I started late," Yui smirked in response.

Reiji smiled at their interaction.

So far, Haruna had kept her in check without him needing to intervene by focusing on complimenting her, a move that was super effective, maybe even 4x.

"Maybe Senpai can teach me a few moves?" the blonde leaned in pleadingly.

"....Maybe."

Reiji blinked in surprise, Yui's agreement catching him off guard.

'Huh..... I guess her puppy dog eyes even work on women. I need to be extra careful.'

"You two keep talking, I'm going to clear up the plates," he said, taking the two empty plates from them and piling them on his own.

"Oh, let me help," Haruna replied, trying to stand up at the same time.

"Me too!"

Yui moved as well, not wanting to be outdone.

"Oi, I told you I can do it. It's just rinsing them off and putting them in the dishwasher; it'll take less than a minute."

"You have a dishwasher!!?" Haruna shot to her feet and ran into the kitchen with excitement, her small feet toddling on the marble floor.

"Uh.... Yeah?" Reiji asked in confusion.

"Where is it?" she asked, looking around slowly.

He walked up to a row of cabinets in the kitchen and opened the dishwasher. It was one of those that blended in, so she hadn't noticed before.

"Whoa, so cool!"

Haruna studied the contraption with sparkling eyes, while Yui stared at her with a strange expression.

"It's just a dishwasher, what's so cool about that?" she questioned.

"Um, yeah, I guess you're right."

Haruna straightened up, scratching her chin awkwardly, which made Reiji frown.

"Think about it," he said. "It's a small metal box with weird little hooks, where you press a few buttons and it sprays water to clean all the utensils. At least I think that's how it works, I actually have no idea."

"....You're both fucking weird," Yui snorted.

But Haruna chuckled and bumped his shoulder as she walked past him, a grateful look on her face.

'Oooooowwwwwwww!!'

He winced as the contact on the wound made him flinch in agony. He even felt the wrapping shift a little, but he managed to force back the cry of pain that tried to escape his mouth.

The other two were leaving the kitchen with their backs turned towards him, so thankfully, they didn't seem to realize.

Reiji shook his head and loaded the appliance with the dirty dishes before closing it shut, massaging the outsides of the injury.

Combined with the increasingly worsening exhaustion from the fever, it was a wonder he was still standing.

"What're we gonna do now?" The redhead asked, flopping on the sofa and hugging one of the cushions.

"Now? Now we study," Reiji retorted.

"....What?"

***

"This is boring! Let's do something fun!" Yui wailed, rolling around on the couch.

"You're not even studying. Just read a book, or you can even use my computer to watch something," Reiji sighed, leaning back in his chair.

He and Haruna were hard at work, laying out their books and papers on the large dining table, but Yui hadn't brought her own materials to study with.

Not that she'd study even if she had.

"Maybe Senpai can teach us some of these concepts? She went through them in the first year, right?" Haruna chipped in.

"Hell no. Figure it out yourselves."

"Yeah, let's not do that, Haruna. Who knows how she even passed through to the second year?" he chuckled.

"....Urgh, too lazy to reply, I need more sugar. Reiji, bake something," Yui mumbled sleepily.

"Don't be ridiculous. We need to concentrate, so keep quiet."

"Tch."

She propped her head on her hand and watched them silently. With Reiji focusing on explaining a problem to Haruna, he didn't notice the warm smile on Yui's face as she gazed at him.

After a few minutes of her just swinging her legs and staring, she stood up and tottered over to the table to pick up her phone.

"I think I'm gonna go back home. You're probably right, I should start studying too," she muttered.

Reiji looked up blankly.

"Huh? Already?"

'With her already meeting Riku even though I tried to stop it, I don't have a reason to force her to stay....'

"I mean, I don't want to get in your way, and my midterms are coming up as well," she replied.

"I see.... I'll walk you down then. Can you give me a few minutes, Haruna?" he asked, turning to the other girl.

"Of course! I'll keep working on these problems. It was nice to meet you, Senpai!"

"I can't say the same," Yui snorted.

".....So mean."

***

"So? Why are you leaving so suddenly?"

Reiji crossed his arms and tilted his head at her while they waited for the elevator to arrive.

".....I couldn't bear it," she whispered.

"Bear what?"

"Not being alone with you. Not being able to hug you. Seeing her so close to you. Too many reasons."

*DING*

The elevator doors slid open, and before Yui could step in herself, Reiji pulled her in himself and wrapped his arms around her.

"Wha-!"

She yelped in surprise, but sniffing the oaky fragrance wafting from him made her relax and loosen her body, allowing her to melt into his arms.

She returned the hug by clutching his wide back firmly, rubbing her face against his chest.

"Why did you even keep it a secret anyway? It's not like you," Reiji asked quietly, referring to when she introduced herself as his friend to Haruna.

After a few seconds of no response, where she kept brushing herself against him, he peeled her off of him with a laugh.

"Tch, isn't it obvious?" she snapped irritably, dissatisfied with the short hug.

"Is it?"

"Isn't it more fun and exciting if no one knows?"

She purred in a low tone, tracing her finger along his stomach in a way that made him shudder.

'.....That's a lie.'

Reiji wasn't a hundred percent sure, but he had a good inkling as to why she kept it hidden, and decided to feign ignorance after a bit of hesitation.

*DING*

The elevator reopened on the ground floor, saving him from the atmosphere that was rapidly heating up.

"....How are you getting home?" he asked, changing the subject in haste.

"I'll take a taxi, don't worry. I already booked it and it should be here any second."

As they waited, an awkward but comfortable silence blanketed the two of them as Yui leaned against Reiji's arm.

This time, it was the left side, so he didn't feel anything.

He studied her small but beautiful face, which was free of blemishes and was framed perfectly by her wavy red hair. Her long lashes fluttered, with her eyes crescenting in a relaxed manner that showed how peaceful she felt at the moment.

'....There's no world or scenario in which I could've said no.'

It truly felt like a dream, one he didn't want to wake up from.

So he had to make sure he could stop it from shattering.

'.....Soon.'

But alas, the taxi pulled up to the entrance just as he was thinking that.

"....I'll see you at school," Yui said softly, turning towards the car.

But Reiji reached for her hand and grasped it within his, pulling her back into his arms as he leaned down to take her lips once more.

The kiss was more like a light peck, but both of their feelings were conveyed clearly in that short but sweet moment.

"Yeah.... See you."

***

(A Few Hours Later)

"Phew, just one more chapter for today," Haruna murmured, looking out at the setting sun in the sky.

Reiji rubbed his eyes, feeling the fatigue wash over him once again. It had been doing this ever since they had started studying again, with him feeling colder as the day progressed and waves of tiredness stabbing at him now and then.

The painkillers had worn off a long time ago, and he was too engrossed in the tutoring to take another. He also knew that more would just make him even sleepier, and that wasn't an option.

"Yeah.... this is the last stretch for today," he mumbled.

"Are you okay? You look exhausted. Should we just stop?"

"Nah, this won't take long. For this part, you need to watch out for the traps they'll most likely set by...."

And so, he stubbornly continued, ignoring the worried glances Haruna was giving him.

Another hour passed, and now the sun had already passed the baton to the moon. They hadn't planned to go this long, but Yui's visit had pushed back their start time.

Combined with Reiji's explanations being clouded by his muddled mind, it took longer for him to teach the concepts than initially anticipated.

But they finally finished.

"Hmmm, it's dark outside. I'll drop you off in the taxi," Reiji yawned, stretching his body as much as he could.

"No need for that. You should get into bed and get some rest," Haruna sighed.

"I told you, I'm alright," he smiled, standing up from the chair after he had sat in the same spot for a few hours.

Which was a grave mistake.

The sudden movement made him incredibly dizzy, and his sense of balance was thrown off as he teetered on his feet while furrowing his eyes to regain clarity.

But it didn't help.

"Reiji-tan!"

'Eh? Why is the floor so close to my face?'

*SPLAT*

***

A/N

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