"Umm... There's fruit punch, lemonade, and grape soda. I got an extra for Yoichi, but..."

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Reika began playing eenie meenie miney mo to figure out which drink she would choose between Fruit Punch and Lemonade. She absolutely hated anything grape flavored. It NEVER tasted like actual grapes, ever. She wasn't even sure how they were able to call it grape flavored in the first place when it clearly was not. Why did they even continue making that stuff? Obviously, some people liked it.... but she was not among them. When Yoichi's name came up, she felt her stomach churn. She was immediately reminded that she confessed to him in fear that Kurokawa would not feel the same, in fear that Yoichi would not approve of them as a couple... She did not want to lose either of her friends...

"A-anyway, you can have any one you want. I'm not really all that picky when it comes to drinks, so..."

"Lemonade." She finally replied, taking the drink gently. She stared down at it smiling, realizing it was something that Kurokawa had given her, that he had paid for. Just the thought brought a blush to her face. She retrieved her bento from her bag as well, reopening it. There were only a few bites taken out, as the switch up with Yoichi had interrupted her meal, "That's a good trait. Unfortunately I'm a little picky..." She lightly giggled, wiping her eyes with her free hand to make sure all of the tears were gone. It seemed Kurokawa could always bring a smile to her face, even when she was this upset. The extent of her feelings for him never ceased to amaze her.

"I-itadakimasu,"

It was a bad habit, but Reika peeked over at him to gauge his reaction, not taking a single bite of her own until she knew it wasn't bad. Yoichi hadn't taken a bite, so she wasn't sure if she had done a good job. Normally she did, but there was always a first for everything. She had heard many war stories where someone had accidentally used salt instead of sugar or vice versa. She had not done it yet, but she was always fearful that she may make that same mistake one day.

"It's great,"

Hearing his praise, Reika immediately smiled back brightly. His praise was always the most meaningful, not that she would ever tell anyone that. She couldn't even seem to straighten out this whole bento mix up, "Itadakimasu..." Reika stated softly before taking a bite as well before taking a drink from the lemonade she received from Kazuki. She knew it was only her crush on him making her feel that way, but somehow the lemonade tasted better when it was a gift from him.

"I... I didn't think it was possible, but you've actually gotten even better at cooking over the summer."

Nearly dropping her chopsticks at the compliment, Reika bit her bottom lip as her blush grew, "E-Eh? You think so...?" She asked nervously. She wasn't really sure if she had improved or not, but to hear him say so made her heart want to burst. Senpai had noticed her.... her cooking that is. Sigh. Perhaps it wasn't meant to be? Maybe he just didn't see her that way? She wasn't sure, but she was losing the confidence she built up to give him that bento little by little ever since she realized Yoichi had received it by accident. Despite feeling insecure, she took another drink, "A-Arigato, Kurokawa-Senpai~ I will try to my best to continue to cook tasty food!" she stammered in a speedy manner, a little too happy to be praised by the boy she liked. Normally it would have been obvious she liked him, but neither of them were what most would consider 'normal'. They both were awkward and shy, too naiive to realize they both liked each other. When the wind blew, a magazine slid towards them and she immediately leaned forward to snatch it up like a viper striking, totally disregarding she was in her school uniform which consisted of a skirt. The magazine was the latest issue with her newest modeling shots inside, something she did NOT want Yoichi or Kazuki to see. Kazuki.Was.Not.Allowed. She would do anything she could to prevent him from seeing her like that... It was humiliating. Little did she know, when she sat back, the images were smaller on the back in his line of sight if he looked over.

Reika modeling
Reika modeling with famous Pop Star Yuuta
Reika modeling with Yuuta 2
Reika modeling with Yuuta 3