Violet Roses | Saiki K

Chapter 13

It had been over a week since Akemi had started working on her garden with Ren. Since then, Akemi had found herself feeling more comfortable around him. She wasn't sure why, but maybe it was because he had gotten her through planting the first batch of flowers. Maybe it was because he had always been easy to talk to, and she felt like a barrier that had been there at first was gone.

Though, since she had been spending so much time with Ren, Teruhashi and Yumehara had started bothering her more than normal. There had been a few times they had tried to follow her home to see where she was going every day, but she had easily lost them. She didn't want the people at her school to know about her garden. It was something she wanted to keep hidden from them. At least for now.

Akemi was pulled out of her thoughts when the teacher walked into the class and started talking.

"Alright everybody, take your seat. I would like you to meet our new transfer student. Come on in."

A boy with purple hair and glasses walked into the room behind the teacher and stood at the front of the class. Akemi glanced at him before going back to staring out the window. She had found it hard to believe there had been another transfer student coming into her class just about a month after she had transferred.

"Go ahead and introduce yourself," the teacher continued.

"My name is Aren Kuboyasu. I moved here from..." Akemi glanced up just in time to see him erase, 'was here' from below his name. "Sorry old habit."

Akemi rolled her eyes as everyone laughed at Kuboyasu's actions. She let out a long sigh as the class took a minute to settle down before the lesson started.

* * *

"My class got a new transfer student," Akemi started, looking around the shop for another type of flower she wanted.

"Oh really?" Ren questioned, leaning on the counter. "What are they like?"

Akemi shrugged, "He's kinda weird. Something's off with him, but I don't know what it is."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know. I just have a weird feeling about him." Akemi said with a sigh. "Though, I don't know if it means much coming from me."

"You sure? Because you seem to be able to judge people pretty well." Ren replied. Akemi shot him a glare. "I'm serious."

"Sure."

"I am!"

Akemi rolled her eyes, "It's just because you see the side of me that isn't always distant."

"Right..."

Silence fell over them. Ren stood up off of the counter and his gaze fell to the floor. Akemi had noticed that Ren was very cautious when talking to her. Especially after she told him about her mother. It was like he was worried he'd say something wrong and Akemi would hate him.

She picked up a potted camellia and set it on the counter, "I just... You're really easy to talk to. And a lot of the people at my school... aren't. They're all so weird. And there's the whole... other thing... and stuff. And I... I don't know... I guess it might be easier because we share the whole, love for flowers thing."

"So I'm just better than the people at your school?" Ren questioned with a smirk.

Akemi smiled, "Definitely."

"Good to know," Ren said, his usual bright smile on his face. Any traces of the serious mood was gone now. That was something else Akemi really liked about Ren. He always tried to keep things light, yet knew how to be serious. "Are you just gonna get this or...?"

Akemi nodded and paid for the plant, "I'm going to get going now. I have a lot of homework to work on."

"Oh, alright. Then I'll see you later?" Ren questioned, earning a nod from Akemi as she picked up the plant. "Alright, bye Akemi."

"Bye, Ren."

Akemi stepped outside, but when she saw who was there, she immediately went back in.

"What's wrong?"

"The new kid is outside with a whole bunch of random people from another school. It looks like they're about to fight." Akemi explained, setting the camellias back on the counter.

"Fight?" Ren questioned, his eyes widening as he looked toward the door. "In front of our shop?"

"Yeah."

Ren let out a sigh and walked around the counter to the door. Akemi watched him through worried eyes as Ren stepped completely outside. She stepped forward and opened the door, watching from the safety of the door frame.

"Why don't you back out of this, flower boy. It's none of your business." One of the three boys who seemed to be trying to fight Kuboyasu growled.

"It's my business if you fight in front of my shop," Ren shot back. Akemi hadn't expected him to be the type of person who would be able to stand up to boys who looked like they were in gangs, but she didn't mind the surprise. "There's, like, ten other places right by here you could fight. But the second you break something that's on display out here, you'll have to deal with my dad."

"Oh, you're gonna run to your daddy, are you?" Another one of the boys teased. Akemi noticed Ren tense up, but he didn't back down.

"Yeah, and he'll kick your ass," Ren snapped. "Now get the hell away from my shop."

"Tch, this is a waste of time. Let's go." The gang boy who seemed to be the leader of the three said before they walked away.

Akemi let out a sigh of relief as Kuboyasu spoke up, "Sorry about that. I didn't mean for... Hey, I know you!"

Akemi tensed as Kuboyasu pointed to her. Then, she stepped completely outside and let the door shut behind her, "We are in the same class."

"Yeah, right... What are you doing at a flower shop?" Kuboyasu questioned.

"Looking at flowers," Akemi stated.

An awkward silence filled the air. Akemi glared at Kuboyasu and he glared back. Then, Ren suddenly spoke up, "So, uh, Akemi, do you-"

"Come on," Akemi interrupted, grabbing Ren's hand and walking back into the shop with him. Once the door closed behind them, Akemi let go of Ren's hand and sighed.

"You do act way different around people from your school," Ren pointed out, glancing at the Akemi then the door then back at Akemi. "You've never been that mean to me, even when we first met."

"It was the flowers," Akemi said simply, grabbing the camellias again before heading back to the door. "Bye Ren."

"Bye Akemi."

The second Akemi stepped outside, she wished she had waited a few minutes before leaving. Kuboyasu was still outside and Akemi had no way of hiding back in the shop without it being weird.

"Hey, don't talk about what you saw today, ok," Kuboyasu said stiffly. "I don't want people to know about this."

Akemi glared at him, "Because then they'll see through your act?"

Kuboyasu tensed, "It's not an act! I'm trying to turn over a new leaf! And I can't have people knowing I used to be a punk if I wanna do that."

Akemi sighed, "If you don't tell anyone I was at this shop then I won't tell them about your little fight."

"Deal!" Kuboyasu said. Akemi started to walk away, but then he asked, "Why don't you want people to know you were here anyway?"

"That's none of your business," Akemi growled, shooting him a glare before carrying the camellias home.