I led Ryota through the halls silently, back down to the first floor to an area slightly concealed by the staircase. "This should be alright."
"Did you really have to walk this far?" Ryota asked with a disbelieving smile. "This school is huge, man, like a mansion."
"Yup, and this is only the high school building too." We faced each other. Suddenly I was nervous and unsure of what to do. "Um. You-You go first!"
He shuffled his feet for a bit, glancing around wildly. "Well, um, you've really changed, huh?" "How?"
He stared at me and then gestured. "I mean, like, look at what you're wearing! A skirt? I swear I've only seen you in the school uniform's skirt."
I smiled at the memories. "Yeah cause it's really impractical to wear a skirt when fighting. We could have gotten ambushed at any moment. Besides, Mom kinda took away all my jeans. This hoodie is actually my sister's. I had to sneak it out." I tugged on the bottom of the hoodie.
"You really... We really don't know anything about you. You didn't tell us anything." Ryota said. His face seem contorted with mixed emotions: pain, confusion, regret. "I didn't even know you were the heir to Hayashi Sweets until this year. I've seen Hayashi Sweets stores before, and all my life, they've been this luxurious shop selling sweets that I could never imagine to eat. A-And, all along, you were the heir to it? You'd be the- the owner of every Hayashi Sweets store in this world! I mean, how bizarre is that?"
I was pretty sure that was a rhetorical question. But what he was saying didn't make any sense. "What do you mean I'm the heir, Ryota? I'm not the heir. My sister is."
He looked up and blinked in thought. "But Akane said you were the heir."
"Huh? How is that possible? I-I'm the youngest one. My sis would have to die or something for me to inherit the company."
"Ugh, who cares?" He ran a hand through his hair, looking frustrated with his eyebrows furrowed. He wouldn't meet my eyes. "What I was trying to say, Rika, was that.. you didn't tell us anything. Those rich brats back there probably know more about you than we do. And they've only known you for less than half a year! A few months at most."
"They're not brats! And I've known Kyoya since I was a little kid. And they didn't know a thing about middle school until I told them this morning." I said incredulously. He was being ridiculous and rude.
"The school has three million yen couches! They all own limos! How are they not rich brats?" "Okay, so they're rich. But they're good people-"
"You say that about everyone!" Ryota said.
"No I don't!"
"Yes, you do!"
"No-" I closed and opened my mouth a few times. The two of us had always argued quite often. I sighed. "Ryota, you..."
He sighed. "Fine, sorry."
He wasn't sorry at all, but saying that wouldn't help the situation. Even after all these years, he was a button-pusher. Well, what had I expected him to say in the first place?
