KiyoxKei (School Reunion!)

School Reunion-8

Shiina Hiyori POV

I am so excited right now!Finally,I get to meet my friends after such a long time.
Well,I never had many, for the record, but the ones I have,I like to treasure them.

Out of all,the one who I consider to be my best friend is Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

Well there's still 1 hour to leave.Let me finish reading a book quickly.I sat down  on the comfy  chair in the garden of our mansion.
The late autumn season made the overall ambience even better.I started reading as I slowly got sucked into the story.
.
.
.
.
.

"Mis...mistress..Mistress!"

I suddenly snapped back into reality.

"Mistress,you will catch a cold if you stay outdoors for so long."

"Huh?"

I saw an old man in his 60's.He is our family butler.
I looked at the sky.It was a cloudless day and the sky already had a reddish orange hue to it.

"Ketsuki,what's the time?"I asked urgently.

"Its 4 pm,mistress"

My eyes grew wide.Did I just read for 6 hours straight?It must have been the extra energy I had for being excited.

Oof.I wouldn't  be surprised if all the fun activities were finished by now.
Well,I could still meet my friends and I hope,Him.

I was ready to leave but ketsuki insisted first I have lunch.Well my stomach was rumbling.So,I quickly devoured the food and left for the reunion.

I jumped in the back of our car and motioned the driver to hit the paddle.On the way,I looked outside the window and recalled the first friend I made in high school.

I always carried a bag with me  and deep inside I always felt that someday,for sure,I would meet someone with the same passion as mine for books.Then I would share him these books of mine.

This was my unreal fantasy.

However,one day it came true.

That day was just like any other day.After the classes ended,I had lunch and entered the library.

I scanned through the mystery genre when I noticed a book not in the correct shelf.For me,the library was my second home and even such small alterations made me feel uneasy.I reached out for that book but my hands could not reach the higher shelves.I sighed and was about to get a stool,when someone took out the book and handed it to me.And the rest is history.

We parked our sedan in front of a lavish hotel and I entered walking briskly.It was already 5 pm by now.It would not surprise me if everyone was tired and had resigned for the day.

I entered the gates where I was met with a waiter.

"Kindly state your name,miss"

"Shiina Hiyori"

He immediately said,

"Please follow me miss,Young Master awaits your presence."

Young Master?
Presence?
Oi,oi I am here for a reunion.Not some formal gathering.
Well,I decided to go with it for now.
I nodded and followed the waiter.
We entered the lift and without even pressing any button,the lift started moving upwards.

At 12th floor,it stopped.I naturally thought we had reached our floor but when the door opened,I was met with 2 familiar faces.

"Yo,Shiina"

I smiled gently to both of them.
Ryuuen and Ibuki.
My classmates.Even though I did not like their way of handling things,it usually produced results.
Since,the class was happy with it,I never had any qualms either.

Looks like they are a couple now.Ibuki always hated Ryuuens underhanded tactics but I always saw her unusually drawn towards him.
Good for her it worked out.

They entered the lift and the doors closed again.We soon crossed 47th floor.I was skeptical as to where we were going.

"Why so out of breath Shiina?"Ibuki asked with concern.
"Kukuku,So excited to meet kiyo?"

I blushed a little but it was the truth.By the end of first year of high school,I started looking forward to the time we spent with each other.
Even though we spoke little,our silence was more than enough to converse.

"No,I was just really late so rushed on the way here."

The doors opened.I was baffled with the scene.
Everyone was eating,drinking,playing.Having the time of their lives.
I saw many familiar faces and eagerly wanted to talk to each one of them but I wanted to see HIM first.

I started feeling anxious.What if he never came to this party?

"Don't worry,he has come for the party.Now join in the fun."
Ryuuen saw right through me.
He patted my back and left with Ibuki.

I was neither hungry nor wanted to join in the fray forcibly.
So I just picked a drink and sat on a nearby recliner.On the way,I had found an interesting  object so I picked it up for the time being.

Besides me,sat a beautiful lady who too was overlooking the party.As soon as she noticed me she smiled towards me and asked,
"Oh,you must be Shiina Hiyori right?"

I was surprised she knew my name.I had never met her before.

"Ara,sorry to startle you.I am Ayanokoji Hina,mother of kiyo."

Kiyo as in kiyotaka!I  suddenly grew nervous.

"N-nice to meet you!I am Shiina Hiyori."

She gave off a vibe that was welcoming and approachable.She was cheerful and showed her expressions  clearly.

In short,she was the complete opposite of Kiyotaka.

"C'mon relax!Kiyo has gone to washroom.He will be back soon."

I nodded and tried to act calm but my heart was beating faster as each second passed.

"Ah,yes by the way I found my student ID underneath the cover of that table.I don't  know how it got here bu-"

Before I knew she gestured towards a waiter and he stopped the music to attract attention.

"We have our first winner of the night.
Miss Shiina Hiyori!"

Ehh?!Maybe they were having some kind of contest and I just coincidently won?

Everyone started cheering and waving their hands.Apparently they wanted to win so I motioned that we will talk afterwards.

Then I turned around to go back to my seat.It was then when I saw him.
He looked around frantically and saw me.
Momentarily,he stood there as it is.
Even I was unsure of what to do.
Do I greet him?But its been such a long time.

Before I could think further,he started walking towards me.With each step his pace was increasing and before I knew it,
he hugged me tightly.

No greetings were needed.No pleasantries were exchanged.

In that moment,it was just the two of us.

Nobody minded us.

That interval of time was enough to convey all our words.

All our feelings.

How much we missed each other.

That hug answered every question I had.

He soon let me go and smiled at me.

All these years,I felt something was off.It looked as if he was trying to force himself.
Like he was always fighting an internal battle against himself.

Although I found him to be an unfathomable existence,his eyes told a different story.

Like he was waiting.

Waiting for someone to save him.

To save him from himself.

But this smile conveyed clearly.There was no doubt.

He had found his someone.