"Wah, Yatta! I got tempuras!" Ichika gasps upon unboxing her bento. "How about you, Kaimen?"

"I got pork cutlets and shaved cabbage," he presents his bento to her proudly.

The two would always show off each other's lunch together with Louise, but now, the girl sits with them and is unbelievably quiet.

Kaimen notices this, so he asks her, "Where did you disappear to a while ago?"

"Somewhere," she thinks rapidly about all the possible excuses she can come up with. "I got an upset stomach from eating too many enchiladas." She fakes laughter.

"Then where did you get that?" Kaimen nods to her jacket that Ojiro made him wear.

Ayy, too many questions chico!

"Oh, I just found it in Martha's store."

"Really? Because that's rare clothing worn by the winter Olympic team two years ago."

Louise just couldn't help but knit her eyebrow. She swears that the kid will be the reason for her end.

"Wow, I didn't know that. Lucky that I bought it 80% off." She chortled. "Well, anyways. Did I miss something?" she immediately asks, trying to divert the topic as quickly as possible.

"Guess what onee-chan? Tara goes out of the office, together with her coach and Kaede-nee, with a black eye!" Ichika said.

"Oh, really?" Louise lets out a nervous chortle.

"It must be those lady skaters fighting over someone's boyfriend again. Too bad you missed the drama," Kaimen said.

Louise side-eyed Kaimen. She didn't know the kid could also be updated with figure skating dramas like that, and the real reason is even worse.

She didn't understand most of it, but it seemed that Ojiro had talked to Tara's coach and Kaede. He wanted her to sign a legal form agreement that forbids her to tell anyone about what she has seen back in the office.

And according to Ojiro, Kaede's presence is important because Tara's PR team was actually under Kaede's management.

"Kaede and her family runs a business, managing skaters and even celebrities. Tara is Russia's new skating talent, and most of the new skaters were managed under her, so we're in good hands," Ojiro said when they got to talk to each other after the discussion.

Right at the moment, she can still feel how she almost had a panic attack because of what happened.

Someone caught her and Ojiro, and it needs to be this Russian Tiffany.

She didn't expect Ojiro's querida to be that helpful, though.

"Sounds interesting. I wish I saw that black eye. Anyway, let's eat. I'm starving." She's about to open her bento box when the kids gasp in their seats.

Their mouths were hanging open looking at the person in front of them.

"Konichiwa," Kaede greeted, smiling sweetly at them. "Jikkun told me I could find you here. So, can I join you guys?"

Kaimen and Ichika can only nod to her, not believing what they are seeing. Another celebrity skater they're both looking up to is joining them for lunch.

And Louise is just lost for words.

Everything had just happened fast, like a blur, and Kaede was now casually sitting in front of them, getting comfy. She interacted with the kids first, asking about their class.

And she just couldn't help but check her out, and she admits Kaede is even prettier with a closer look. Louise has the average Latina height of 5'2", which is mostly still considered small. But Kaede is way smaller, with an ideal petite frame among female figure skaters and a face of Asian beauty—pale skin and straight long, black hair like Ojiro's—and just like him, she carries a mature and reserved quality of a traditional Japanese person.

She passed the entire beauty standard in the country. In Japan, it was just that everything small was considered beautiful.

One look, and she can definitely tell she has everything Ojiro's type in a girl.

"It's good to be back here in Minato," she heard her saying.

"Wow, so you're training along with Ojiro-nii?" Ichika wondered.

"It seems that was the case," she responded.

Ichika claps in excitement while Kaimen just eats his bento in silence.

Louise kept a smile on her face. Of course she didn't know that, as the Japanese dick of a boyfriend of hers failed to inform her, and everything about this interaction feels weird for her; she just wanted to flee.

"So, when did you come back to Minato?" Louise thinks of inventing a question just to keep the conversation rolling.

"Oh, just right after the challenger series in Italy,"

Louise wanted to pause; her mind was suddenly clouded with racing thoughts, but she kept engaging in the conversation.

Ojiro didn't inform her that he picked the same competition as Kaede, reminding her how he acted cold when he just got back from Italy.

She just couldn't help but overthink that.

Someone taps Kaede's shoulder, and to the children's surprise, it was Ojiro, who looks like he just got off the ice.

"Eating lunch without me? That's no fair!" he teased and sat beside Kaede.

"Jikkun! We're just about to start."

Ji-kyuuun, Louise, mimics sarcastically in her mind.

"Oh, I brought with me a bento," she said, rummaging through her bag.

Of course, you did!

Classic shojou manga plot.

Louise exchanges a casual nod with Ojiro while fighting an urge to kick the shit out of him under the table.

We just got caught.

What the hell are you doing, acting chill about that?

Why am I here?

Why are you here?

And why are we eating lunch with your ex?!

At that moment, Louise just wants to lose it.

"Ah, Louisia-nee. What do you get in there?" Ichika asks, pointing to her bento box.

"Oh, just my fried dumplings. Want some?" she uncovers the dish inside that looks like to be pan-fried; all of them are burned to crisp.

"Ugh, it looks like a pack of dead rats," Kaimen commented.

Louise knits her eye brows, throwing him a look.

"Hey!" Ichika nudges Kaimen.

"You didn't change at all, Kai-kun," Kaede chortled.

"What? I'm being honest here," Kaimen defends.

"Well, I'm going to still eat them," Ichika says, picking one with her chopsticks. "Itadakimasu!" she mumbled, then bit the dumpling.

"Ah, me too," Ojiro said, popping a piece into his mouth. His face made an expression like it's the most delicious dish he's ever tasted.

She glared at him. He's always making that face when she screws up in cooking, but he needs to eat it, and he has no choice because she's looking.

"Here you go," Kaede says, starting to unwrap her bento.

Louise watches her with a smug in the face.

Girls can't be pretty, talented, and good cooks at the same time.

You can't have everything.

Huh, it's ridiculous.

Everyone on the table gasped when they saw the variety of dishes neatly placed inside the box. It looked like it came straight from a picture in a cook book.

Louise's jaw just drops.

"Whoa, you didn't host those cooking shows for no reason, aren't you?" Ojiro said, looking at the dishes with an approving look.

"I brought some fresh eggs too, if you want to whip some tamago kake gohan."

Oh, she's not finished yet.

Louise took note of how Ojiro's face lightened up in delight when she mentioned tamago so she could add it to her collection of secret files in her mind on how many times he actually smiled like a high school boy to his ex for the day.

"Hey Louisia, do you want to try it?" Ojiro asks.

"No, thank you. I'll pass..."

The kids wanted some, so they went to buy hot rice together with him, leaving her and Kaede alone.

Fucking, el diablo.

At that point, she didn't know if she could forgive Ojiro anymore.

She smiles back at Kaede, who turns to her right after the kids and Ojiro left.

Both of their hands are on the table, sitting straight in their chairs. They were silent for a moment.

--Continue Reading in Next Page