_Chapter 27~ Make It Up To You_

"Miss Reina, take care of me next!"

"No, me! I'm very, very sick!"

"No, it's me who's sick! See? Cough. Cough... Achoo."

Obviously uncomfortable, I forced a smile as all the delinquents bombarded me in the infirmary. "Um—"

"Miss Reina," whined the delinquent seated on the stool in front of me.

"Sorry," I said, seizing bandages and wrapping one around his bare arm. Doing my best to tune out all of their yells, I successfully finished wrapping the gash. "There you go."

The delinquent stared at my work for a while before opening his mouth. "Miss Reina, I don't feel so good."

"Why not? Is it a headache? Nausea?"

"I don't know." Reaching for his dress shirt, he undid the topmost button. "That's why you should check every portion of my body. Just in case."

My jaw fell collapsed as he continued to unlatch his buttons. Pink blossomed across my cheeks. "Huh! B-but I can only help out with small stuff! Go to my dad— U-um! P-put back on your shirt, please!"

I shielded my eyes and ducked my head. After about a second, I opened an eyelid. The delinquent in front of me was already being taken care of by the others.

"Dude, stop making a pass at Miss Reina! You're making her uncomfortable!"

"Yeah, get off the seat already! It's my turn!"

I let out a breath I'd been holding as they dragged the shirtless guy away from my vicinity. From the corner of my eye, I felt a smouldering gaze. I discreetly twisted to see both Dad and Ryu watching me. None of the delinquents here today wanted anything to do with them—only me (sadly)—so they were stuck watching this mass means of chaos that I was left to deal with.

Before I could dare make eye contact, I quickly veered. I'd understand if they were confused. Just the other day, I was still hiding in my usual spot— underneath the primary infirmary bed—and none of the visitors that came to the infirmary seemed to care about me. I still didn't know why this delinquent group had kept their distance from here these past few weeks, and why they suddenly decided to return today, but with everything that was going on right now, I really wish they decided to stop coming altogether.

I meekly returned my focus forward. They were all still arguing. As I scanned the never-ending crowd of boys, I spotted a girl cowering by the doorway. She was a petrified mess, but the lack of colour in her complexion instantly told me that she was either sick and too frightened to come in, or she was too frightened to come in and was in too much shock to remember what her sickness even was.

The poor soul...

Rising to my feet amidst all the madness, I stalked past the delinquents and towards the girl. She was too focused on the raucous energy to realize my presence, so I spoke up first, "Hey, are you feeling all right?"

At first, the girl screeched so loudly she nearly popped an eardrum. I winced but I accepted it was because she assumed I was a delinquent. Only after realizing that I was a normal girl, did she finally calm down.

"O-oh, um, I-I can wait..."

"No, it's all right," I reassured her. So she knew I helped out here? "That line of guys will never end. Plus, I think they're all faking their sicknesses anyway."

She bashfully shuffled from foot to foot, gripping her left arm. "U-um, b-but I can't just cut in front of th-them..."

The colour was returning to her face. She didn't have a fever then? My gaze fell upon her arm. Did she possibly hurt it...?

Smiling slightly, I beckoned her on. "Come with me. I'll help you out before they even realize what happened."

She was reluctant. Understandably. I had no choice but to snag a piece of her sleeve and steer her toward the stool that way. As soon as I got to my seat, I gestured for her to sit down.

It was then that all of them had noticed.

"Whoa!" cried a dude at the front of the group. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" He looked behind him. "Did this chick just butt me?"

"She totally did."

"Yup."

"Where the heck did she even come from?"

Frowning, I stared at them. "Since all of you were too busy arguing, I'm treating her first."

My words obviously didn't appeal to them.

"But we were here before her!"

"No fair, Miss Reina!"

"Take care of me!"

Somebody at the front stomped their foot, leaning down and scaring the living daylights out of the already petrified girl. "Hey, you! Get the hell out of here!"

"Yeah!"

"Go back to where you came from, bitch!"

"Idiots!" I shouted so loudly the girl jolted alongside them. "It's common courtesy for a gentleman to let a lady go first! And which one of you called her a bitch? Huh?"

Every single one of them had gone mute, stiffening immensely. I waited (impatiently, might I add) and soon enough, the sea of boys parted, leaving the culprit out in the open. He had his head hung guiltily and I beckoned him forward. He shuffled his feet, not daring to meet my eyes.

"Apologize," I ordered once he got there.

His head jerked upwards, mouth dropped in disbelief. "But—"

"You had no reason to call her that." I scowled at him. "None. Just because I wouldn't treat you first you guys are acting like whiny babies about it? I don't care if you're hiding behind the petty title of 'delinquents' but just because of that, does that mean you all can't use proper etiquette and manners? How do you expect to get through life if you call everyone around you a bitch? Huh?"

"Sorry, Miss Reina," they all chorused.

"I didn't ask you to apologize to me." I nudged my head towards the girl. "What's your name?"

"S-Sayuri," she stammered almost instantly.

I turned back to the boys. "Say sorry to Sayuri."

At first, none of them said anything.

My look intensified. "Say. Sorry. To. Sayuri."

Sweatdropping, they all relented. "Sorry, Sayuri! Please forgive us!"

Sayuri was gawking, clearly not anticipating such a bold reaction. A content smile found its way onto my face. "See, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

"I'm going to have to wash my mouth with soap," I heard one say.

"I can't believe I said sorry to someone," agreed another.

"What the heck's happening to me?"

Setting my hands to my hips, I frowned. "Hey! Nothing's wrong with apologizing! Only selfish kids or arrogant douchebags don't know when to."

"But I don't like the word!" shouted one from the back.

I scoffed. "And why should I care if you like it or not? Whenever you have to, you all will say it. Understood?"

Only after the words escaped my mouth did I realize my current predicament.

Was I seriously telling off these delinquents? I wasn't in any position to be giving them orders! Think before you talk for once, Reina!

I expected their unnerving infatuation with me to fade. For their typical hostility to ooze out of them as scarily as before. But instead, all that happened was that stared at me like elated puppies.

"Wow, Miss Reina is so condescending."

"Sassy, too."

"I love it."

I inched backwards in my chair, swallowing hard. What the heck! It seemed like whenever I told them off they were as happy as could be. Did delinquents enjoy being pushed around? Delinquents did typically have a banchou* bossing them around. Maybe since they didn't have one, they longed to be submissive? Or could it be because they were masochists?

For some reason, I had a feeling it was the latter.

As if delivered like a punch to the gut, Sayuri came to mind. I swivelled towards her, mouth dropped.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Why are you here, Sayuri?"

She was gawking. Not at the delinquents like earlier, but at me. Bewilderment ripped through me.

Her quivering lips parted, flapping wordlessly, until she finally backed away. Eyes as enlarged as saucers, I blinked slowly, baffled by her reaction.

"Sayuri?" I called. "What is—"

She let out a piercing scream, leaping to her feet and dashing for the doorway. Even after her departure, I sat stock-still, attempting to make sense of what had occurred.

"Wow, that chick was so scared of Miss Reina," murmured one boy, successfully ridding me of my daze.

"I knew she was amazing!"

"I mean, she was scared of us, but Miss Reina frightened her so badly she went running!"

With each and every passing comment, my complexion blanched. Wait... I scared her off? What? That had to be a joke, right? I was defending her from these guys so how could she find me scarier than them?

A sudden clap on the shoulder caught my focus. "Reina, I think you should retire for the day."

I traced the whisper back to Dad.

He put forth a weak smile. '"I'll... handle them from here. Thanks for coming after school despite not having to, but you and Iwasaki can leave for the day."

Although I was still absorbed in my thoughts, at the suggestion of leaving, I gladly sprung to my feet and barrelled towards the doorway.

"Huh, why is Miss Reina leaving?"

"She hasn't even treated me yet!"

"No, she hasn't even looked at me yet!"

"Calm yourself dude. Nobody wants to look at you."

"Hey."

"Settle down, boys," Dad spoke up to calm them down. "I'm the nurse here, not her. If you're in need of attention, I'll be here to give it. Now line up appropriately."

I slid the door shut behind me, letting out a huge breath of relief. If everyday was going to end like today, I didn't even want to show up. Seriously, what had my life become? I used to stay so hidden because I was frightened of these delinquents, and yet lately they were all that'd been in my life...

"It's ironic, right?"

I exhaled again. "Tell me about it. Plus, I still have to deal with Iwasaki considering what happened last Friday. I've been trying my best to ignore him all today but I have to interact with him sooner or later, right? As awkward as that'll be. What should I do, oh conscience of mine?"

"Well first, you should probably stop talking to yourself."

My body went rigid. Robotically, I craned my neck left only to find Ryu leaning against the wall, eyes on me. The corners of my lips twitched, a swell of heat spreading across my cheeks.

"U-uh..."

"You were talking to yourself," Ryu pointed out the obvious, moving away from the wall.

I recoiled, averting my gaze from embarrassment. "I realize that..."

And he heard me...

"Well, this is awkward," I coughed.

"Very," he agreed.

My heart raced, my head swarming with many berating thoughts. "You were supposed to pretend you didn't hear me."

"But I did hear you."

"Yeah, but the correct response would've been to forget what you heard and—"

"Look, I don't care. Come with me."

Startled, my head jerked upwards. "H... Huh?"

"Don't make me repeat myself." He reached out his hand, clasping my arm and nudging me forward. "Let's go."

"Huh?" I cried again, eyebrows high as I followed. "What do you mean 'let's go'? Where are we going?"

Ryu didn't respond. He only continued to gently lead me through the halls, grip tight enough around my arm so that I wouldn't be able to pry free.

"You do have your bag, right?" he asked after we turned a corner.

I barely registered the straps I was holding in my free hand. "Yeah," I said. "But—"

"Good."

"What's good?" I demanded.

"Nothing you need to worry about yet," was his response.

Incredulous, I struggled to match pace with him. Ryu dragged me outside of the school building and into the courtyard. Right as we were about to leave school property, I managed to snap to my senses and screech to a halt. Luckily, Ryu stopped as well.

"Why'd you stop?" he asked, spinning to face me.

With one last glance at my arm, I sourly yanked it free. "I'll stop whenever I want to. I didn't agree to go anywhere with you."

Ryu met my gaze, obviously strained. "But—"

"Also," I asserted yet again. "Don't grab me and drag me off like this again. I hate it, and frankly, you don't have the right to."

He opened his mouth to refute, but couldn't seem to muster any words except: "But—"

"No buts, Iwasaki. You do remember what happened the last time you randomly grabbed me like this, right?"

He stiffened almost instantly.

"If you're going to grab my arm and take me somewhere, you need to ask for permission first." Puffing my cheeks, I caressed my limb. "Okay?"

Bashfully, he ducked his head, squaring his shoulders. "Okay..."

Silence lapsed over us.

"So?" I said. "Where are you trying to take me?"

"That's..."

"Is it somewhere that'll put me in danger?"

"N-no way!" His eyes were wide as if startled I would ever think that.

I pursed my mouth. "Okay. So, then...?"

He shifted from foot to foot. Clearly timid, he squeezed the back of his neck, avoiding my gaze entirely. "I... kind of wanted to, uh, treat you... to something."

"Treat me..." I was stunned into silence. "Wait, as in to a dessert?"

He was quiet, though the tinge on his cheeks was visible. He ducked his head to try hiding it. "When... we were heading home sometime last week, you saw a crepe stand and said you wanted to try their newest item... so I thought..."

Utterly speechless, I gawped. My memory takes me back. We were strolling through the city on our way to the bus and I caught sight of the newest item a stand possessed. Lots of people entering and exiting the place, commenting on how delicious it was, which made me want to try it. But since I didn't have money on me, I decided to leave it at that... But...

Ryu hesitantly held my gaze. My reaction had caught him off guard. "Wait, don't tell me you already tried it?"

At first, I couldn't produce the words. "N-no, I haven't." I swallowed hard. "But, why would you bring up something like this now?"

He blushed at my inquiry. With a groan, he ruffled his hair. "This is why I wanted to take you there. This is even more awkward now."

I paused, feeling my own cheeks burn. "Well, yeah. I can't believe you even remember that detail, let alone offer to treat me to it. Why..."

"I wanted to make it up to you."

"For what?"

"Friday."

"Friday? What happened on— Oh." I froze, my body stiffening. "Wait, that's what this is about?"

"I got you mad at me, and it was my fault." He shuffled his feet. "I don't know... Isn't wanting to apologize enough of a reason?"

He seemed uncomfortable at all the questions I sent his way. They may have been a tad rhetorical, but my mind tended to reach the oddest of conclusions so I needed confirmation before letting my imagination do any soaring. Regardless, his words and awkward behaviour right now couldn't help but cause my heart to flutter in a warm, yet fluffy way that made me crack a smile.

"Wow, I really ruined this moment..." I let out a tiny laugh, really coming to terms with the fact that I had made him confess to this whole thing rather than let myself be surprised once he took me there himself. "But just to get this clear, I wasn't mad with you.

"You... weren't?"

"You started yelling at me, so I started yelling back." Now it was my turn to shift my weight from foot to foot. "Honestly, I was a tad bit mad. So, I'm sorry. The reason you freaked out on me was because you were worried for me getting involved with that infamous delinquent, right? Me calling you intimidating really crossed the line. I already know you're actually not that scary, and bad. You can be somewhat considerate too. You also always eat whatever I bake with such a huge smile. And—"

Before I could continue on with my ramble of words, Ryu snorted. I peeked upwards quickly to find him fighting back a smile. "Okay, I get it. Thank you," he said. "And, I'm sorry too. Now, we could both stand here and apologize all day, but I suggest we go before our hours start."

Although knowing he was referring to the community service, I was more occupied with the fact that he had outstretched his hand. "What are you doing?"

"I'm asking for your permission to go," Ryu responded, beckoning his palm.

"Are you doing this to get back at me for what I said?"

Ryu innocently blinked. "Why? You were right. I shouldn't have grabbed you like that. I'll do my best not to anymore. More than anything, I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

Suddenly, it was difficult to breathe—muster any words. His serious answer had successfully flustered me.

I hastened past him, fixated on the ground. "Th-then why are you offering me your hand? Let's j-just go."

"Huh, Kikuchi?"

Ryu jogged after me, but my mind was blotted with embarrassment. To be completely honest, I wasn't expecting this situation at all. I was so sure I'd be the one to take the initiative to mend our relationship. The words I yelled at him and his hurt reaction steered me to that conclusion. And yet...

The corners of my lips curving upwards, my fingers curled around the fabric above my irregularly beating heart.

Seriously... Ryu Iwasaki was such a baffling guy.

________________

Banchou* - refers to the leader of a group of delinquents.

So the delinquents just nonchalantly fanboying over Reina is what I live for ahah. There'll definitely a lot more fun with them in the later chapters.

And Ryu and Reina are such awkward dorks, gosh. I love them dearly.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!

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—Misty