Comment time! Yay!
@rndmn- Gotta have some goodness in her, though she is still the devil we love. And Aika, I admit I'm a little mad at her too (and I'm the writer

)
@22- sorry I didn't reply to you comment at the perv

She will go back to her old friend soon, though not in the way we expect

@amEthystx- I know I told you this already but I love the pix. Thanks for uploading it. I agree that Sayu stands out the most in the pix (sorry Ai-chan

) Wait a minute, you didn't hack into my laptop, did you? Or is this story so predictable? j/k

@Hammy- I would melt too

@Sancho- Yeah Reina is one stubborn girl, isn't she. Aika will not stop being around Reina, for now at least

@kRisZ-

Reina got her own personal reason for being that way
An early update, thanks to a certain katana-wielding
little devil (
you know who you are

). Presenting
chapter 9... *goes back into hiding*
Chapter 9Reina took out her organiser from her drawer. She flipped through the pages, finally stopping when she found the two pieces she was looking for. She saw her parents smiled at her, bringing a sad smile to her face. Lightly tracing the other picture, the memories came flooding back. The three girls beamed at her, reliving the happier times. She frowned at the girl in the middle, wondering if that younger her knew of the stupid decision that she was about to make then. Standing on either side are the two special girls in her life. Reina sighed, frustrated with the her now.
She admitted that she has been harsh with her best friend nowadays, but being around her is hard. Clutching her chest with her free hand, she held back the emotions residing inside her.
“Why did you come for me?”
~~~
Slowly chewing on her expensive steak, she concentrated on finishing her dinner as quick as she dared to without compromising on her etiquettes. She knew the two people sitting in front of her right now are a stickler for rules.
“How are your studies?” A question that caused her to flinch every single time, especially when it came from her father.
“Good,” she hoped her answer is safe enough to appease her parents.
“That’s good. Your office will be ready for you once you graduate,” Her father began talking of the expansion of the business and how she is going to take over the rein of the corporation.
A waiter came to take away her plate. She sighed inwardly in relief. Excusing herself to go to the ladies, she hoped to escape any further conversations, if they can be called same. The occasional dinner with her parents has always been a stressful event; for it is that time of the month that she is reminded of her obligations as a daughter. Not that she hated them; she just wished for once that her parents would care enough to ask about her well-being and her wants instead.
She glared at her pathetic reflection; the mirror mocking her presence. Resigning to the fact that she has to return to her parents soon, she twitched her face to present a happy face, only to fail miserably. She took out her phone, gazing into the image of the girl standing next to her, a smile came naturally to her, knowing that this girl will always make things right.
“Risa…”
~~~
“Reina-channnn~ let’s go on a date~”
“Don’t wanna”
“We can go shopping, and then a romantic dinner, and then attend the Night Boys concert, and then I can walk you home, hand-in ha~”
“Are you even listening to me?” Reina stared at Sayu, more amused than pissed, “Wait, did you just say the Night Boys?”
“Yup,” Sayu beamed, pleased that she got Reina’s attention.
“That’s so cool! I thought their tickets are like, sold out?”
“Well, I know this somebody who knows this somebody who in turn knows this somebody…Anyway I got two tickets. How about it? Tomorrow’s the concert.”
Reina deliberated a little, she did have a massive fangirl crush on the band which she told Sayumi the other day, but she’s a little apprehensive about going on a date with the devilish bunny, even if it is a friendly one.
The inner Sayumi cheered when Reina finally nodded, feeling victorious that her plan is working, and knowing that she is one step closer to Reina.
~~~
Reina checked the time on her mobile phone before slipping same into her pocket. She hoped Sayu will not interpret her earliness as enthusiasm. Seeing that she has ten minutes before the appointed time, she decided to send a text message to Abe-san, thanking her for allowing the time-off from work. Barely sending the message, she saw a pink bunny hopping to where she is standing.
“Reina-channnn~ you’re here. Let’s go honey,” Sayu quickly claimed Reina’s hand causing the younger girl to cringe a little at the overfriendliness.
“Where are we heading to now?” Reina wondered aloud.
“It’s a surprise,” Sayu grinned at Reina. Suddenly, Reina doesn’t so sure about this date after all.
The two girls soon arrive in front of a quaint restaurant hidden in an alleyway. Reina gaped at the charming eatery, appreciating the old-world cute layout being an interior designer student that she is. She wondered how a treasure like this could remain hidden. Sayu greeted the owners affectionately and pulled Reina to a corner booth.
“We haven’t really talked to each other much. So today I want us to talk a lot,” Sayu cupped her face with both hands and gaze at Reina.
“Cool place, you seem familiar with this place,” Reina looked around her, feasting on the sight.
“But of course, it belongs to my boyfriend” Sayu giggled at the awed Reina. She was glad that Reina liked the place.
“Your boyfriend?” Reina quickly turned to look at Sayu, shocked at what Sayu just uttered. She never heard of Sayu having a boyfriend for as long as she knew the girl.
“Here he comes. Why, thank you, you handsome you,” Sayu winked at the man who just delivered their lunch. Reina resisted the urge to drop her jaw. Did Sayu just flirt with the old man? He’s old enough to be her grandfather!
“Hey cutie, today’s specials only for you girls. You must be the one and only Ms Tanaka Reina. I’ve heard so much about you,” the old man smiled at Reina. Okay, now Reina is really confused. She looked questioningly at Sayu who couldn’t stop laughing.
“Stop teasing them, dear. I apologise for my husband’s playfulness, Ms Tanaka.” An elderly lady soon joined the crowd.
“Hmmm~ way to spoil the fun grandma,” Sayu sulked with her arms crossed, the twinkle in her eyes saying otherwise.
It took some time for Reina to realise what just happened. She quickly got off her chair and bowed to the two owners, remembering her manners to introduce herself properly.
“It’s a pleasure to meet a girl as pretty as you, Ms Tanaka. Everything is on the house. Please enjoy your meal,” Mr Michishige bowed and kissed the back of Reina’s hand. Reina caught a small wink from him. Now she knows where Sayu get her lessons from.
Fed and filled, Sayu and Reina thanked the owners for their hospitality before continuing on their date. Reina rubbed her belly in contentment, musing,
“That was unexpected. You seem quite close to your grandparents”
Sayu just shrugged, “Yeah, they took care of me after my parents passed on.”
“What happened to your parents, erm that is if you don’t mind sharing” Reina asked timidly, afraid if she has crossed the line.
“My parents were working for the Kamei’s company. On one of the overseas business trip, a circuit failure caused their plane to nosedive into the ocean. They couldn’t find any survivors. Eri lost her father in that incident too, didn’t she tell you? Her mum now takes over the company and is now in New York. That’s why Eri is living alone in Japan. That girl wouldn’t stay with me when I asked her to. Strange that she hasn’t invited me to her place, though that can be arranged.” Sayu smirked at the plan forming in her brain.
Reina shook her head. There are so many things she didn’t know about her housemate. It was probably her happy-go-lucky attitude that gave Reina the impression that the girl didn’t have any problem. Reina muttered her apologies for the tragedy.
“It’s okay. That was a long time ago. Both of us were only 3 years old then. Guess the reason I don’t miss them as much as I should is because I don’t have much memories of them.” Reina began to see Sayu in a new light, amazed by how strong she is. She began to understand why Eri treats Sayu as her best friend despite her cheeky nature.
The girls stopped walking before the traffic junction. Reina grinned, “So where to now?”
“Now we go window shopping, then we’ll have a blast at the concert!” Sayu replied excitedly, happy that Reina is finally enjoying the date.
Reina chuckled at Sayu’s enthusiasm. She is having a good time with Sayu, more than she’ll ever admit to the cheeky devil. And she was surprised that she is looking forward to what’s in store for the rest of the day.
~~~
“Ai-chan, are you okay?” Risa looked worriedly at Ai.
“I’m okay, just tired” Ai smiled at her girlfriend.
“We can go home if you want,” Risa couldn’t finish her sentence when she felt Ai’s lips on hers. She instinctively returned the kiss, breaking off only when the need for air arises.
“I want to spend more time with you, Risa” Ai looked longingly at Risa. Risa nodded though she saw something else in her girl’s eyes.
“So you haven’t tell me about your dinner with your parents,” Risa pulled Ai to street bench at the edge of the park. Ai pretended to observe the crowd and murmured,
“It was okay, just the usual” Risa sensed there is more than what Ai is letting on, but decided not to press on the issue. She will let Ai move at her own pace. She felt Ai’s head leaning on her shoulder and she absently stroked her girl’s hair.
“USO!”
Ai stood up, startled by her girlfriend’s outburst. Following the direction that Risa is pointing, Ai saw two familiar figures walking hand-in-hand, talking enthusiastically, across the road. Well, it was more of the raven-haired doing the talking whilst the shorter one just laughed.
Ai watched in amusement, “Well this is definitely interesting.”
Meanwhile, the girls in question were too engrossed in their conversations to notice their personal life being zoomed in.
~~~

~~~