Just Look into It

53. Hopes

Ryo moved over to a table and pulled out her laptop, sitting down to write up a report of what had gone down regarding Kasanoda. She was serious about making sure that he stopped receiving any negative attention from other students. Not only could it cause problems between students and families if left unnoticed, but it could also make students feel like they could get away with the improper treatment of others. 

Luckily most of the Ouran students seemed too innocent to do anything like that. 

She paused in her work, feeling an odd sort of itch on her ankle. It hurt somewhat, leaving her confused. She reached down, eyes widening as she found a spot in the bottom of her slacks that was cut open. 

"Is everything alright?" Kyouya asked, noticing the odd expression on her face. She glanced up at him before turning away from the table to pull up her pant leg and check. "What is-"

Ryo blinked, a bit startled to see a small gash on her ankle. "What in the..."

It must have been from the flower pot earlier that day, though she was a bit surprised to have only noticed it now. Even more surprising was how Kasanoda was suddenly kneeling down next to her, brow furrowed as he looked at the cut. 

"What happened?" he demanded, looking up. She shot him a look, wondering if she was imagining the anger in his tone. 

"I assume it was from the flower pot earlier today," she replied, letting her pant leg fall down over it again.

He tensed up slightly at her words. "You got hurt because of me..."

Ryo scoffed, already turning back to her laptop. "Yeah, no."

Kasanoda shot her an unamused look. "You did-" 

"Listen, it's small enough that I didn't even notice until now," she argued, shooting him a quick glance as she typed away. It was such a small cut, it would probably scab over before the end of the day. Nothing to worry about. "There's no point in blaming yourself for the actions of others, Kasanoda."

"You're hurt?!" Tamaki exclaimed, rushing over. In an instant, she found herself facing a worried crowd of hosts as they had turned her chair away from her work. She glared at the blond second year but reluctantly nodded. 

"It's a cut," she hissed. "Can I please do my work?"

"Pardon me," Kyouya piped up, pushing his way to her side with a small first aid kit. He handed it over, giving her a smile. "I must demand that you ensure it doesn't get infected before you continue."

Ryo sighed, "I'm certain it can wait a few minutes until after I have finished the report for Kasanoda."

"Report?" Kasanoda echoed. 

Her green eyes glanced over. "Yes, to ensure that you no longer receive any negative treatment from those two based on your familial relationships."

Kyouya clapped his hands together. "Give her some space to finish, since that's likely the only way Miss Ryouka will give in to treating herself in the near future."

She smirked at the dark-haired boy. "You know me so well."

He smirked back. "The pleasures of extended business."

Ryo ignored the eyes on her once they finally backed off, putting her focus into wrapping up the final details of the report and sending it off to the proper recipients in order to make sure that things would be properly taken care of. Thankfully and unfortunately, Kasanoda was the only student this far to need such help. The idle chatter of the hosts in the background caused her to smile slightly as she ran a hand through her hair, glancing over to where they were all seated. 

She noticed how frequently Kasanoda was glancing at Haruhi, trying not to laugh when he realized he had been caught once they made eye contact. 

She wondered if Haruhi was aware of just how many boys had fallen for her yet. It was certainly amusing to watch, the poor girl.

"You finished?" 

The brunette glanced over to where Kyouya had been patiently waiting nearby. She nodded and reached for the kit, frowning when he snatched it from her. A bit confused, she watched as he knelt at her side and carefully rolled up her pant leg, swiftly opening the kit. 

"Uh, Kyouya, I can take care of-"

"It would be an awkward angle for you to take care of it yourself," he interrupted, glancing over the top of his glasses at her. "Besides, would you rather I pass this over to Tamaki or one of the twins?"

She sighed, knowing he was right. With a smug look, he turned his attention back to her ankle, carefully cleaning the bit of dried blood that had started to drip down her skin before drying. She watched his movements carefully, wondering if her heart was beating louder than normal. 

A hiss slipped past her lips as he cleaned the wound. His eyes instantly whipped up, concern on his features. After a moment, he continued. 

"There you are," he muttered, standing up. 

It took Ryo a moment to gather herself, a bit thrown off by the gentle way he had treated such a minor cut. She was certain that he would have just handed the kit to anyone else. She didn't want to get her hopes up, but he was making it harder each day.

"Thank you," she blurted, still staring down at the ground. She glanced up in time to catch the ghost of a smile on his face, barely catching the slight tint to his face before he adjusted his glasses and turned away.