↳ CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:

SILENCE↲

SUNDAY, MAY 15| MORNING

"AND WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" ASKED SAKI WATANABE AS SHE HEARD HER DAUGHTER COME DOWN THE STAIRS.

Kaori flinched as she went down the rest of the stairs. She had hoped that her mother was still sleeping or was out shopping, but no she was in the open living area reading the newspaper and having breakfast.

The brunette placed her bag next to the stairs and put in her shoes, before walking over to were her mother was sitting, "I'm visiting the art exhibition that opened today."

The older woman folded up the newspaper and looked at her daughter with a raised eyebrow, "Oh? How come?"

"I want to go appreciate some fine arts...?" Kaori replied, but it came out more like a question than an answer.

"Where did you get the ticket?"

Kaori blinked a few times, "Oh, that." She paused and thought about a good explanation that didn't involve friends she wasn't suppose to have. "I... got it from Madarame's pupil." So much for a good explanation, well she supposed a half truth was better than a whole lie, "We ran into each other on the street and he... wanted me to be a model for his next piece and then he invited me."

Kaori wanted to hit herself on the head for her last sentence, as if anyone would ever want to draw her willingly.

Nonetheless she waited patiently for her mother to say anything, her anxiety increasing by the second as her mother took a careful sip from her morning coffee, while not even sparing her a glance. "Is that so?" She finally replied.

Kaori immediately nodded, "Y-yes."

A pleased smile formed itself on the older woman's lips, "Well, isn't that just wonderful. That is exactly what I like to hear," she said, "I didn't think you had it in you, but here you are. I do hope you intent to agree to his offer, it's good to have connections at high places."

"I know," The petite brunette replied.

"Good, then have fun. Don't forget to take an umbrella, and don't stay out too late."

───❤︎❤︎❤︎───

By the time Kaori left the house she had realised that she had forgotten to take an umbrella with her. However as she didn't want to go inside again and give her mother a reason to chastise her, the brunette simply opted to getting to the train station as quickly as possible.

She still couldn't believe that her little lie worked, her mother was usually perceptive enough to know when she was lying. Maybe she improved? Or her mother's abilities started to waver? It didn't sit right with her, an underlying feeling of paranoia coming through as always.

The girl let out a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. There was no way her mother knew about any of this. All she had to do was to watch her step, so her mother wouldn't find out, right? Luckily looking over her shoulder had become somewhat of a second nature to her. Before her train of thought could continue, she harshly crashed into someone else.

Mentally she cursed herself over and over again, while pushing herself away with an embarrassed blush on her face, ready to apologise profusely to the person, only to be met by the familiar pale face of her classmate and leader, and the feline face of the one and only Morgana. Kaori's blush deepened, making her quickly hide her face behind her hands. "Morning." She simply said.

Ren and Morgana shared a confused look, before the former spoke, "Morning. You forgot your umbrella?"

The brunette uncovered her face and looked down on herself. Covered in rain drops and somewhat wet she nodded her head with still red cheeks, "Yeah."

Morgana took another look at Kaori, before facing the frizzy haired boy, "The two of you can just share, right?"

Both teen's eyes widened and Kaori looked back and forth between Ren and the umbrella in his hand. She didn't want to make him do something he was uncomfortable with, but at the same time she really didn't want to be wet by the time they arrived by the station.

"I-I mean if you don't mind..." She said, to which Ren shook his head and Morgana grinned in amusement. Quickly the girl got pulled underneath the umbrella, but since it wasn't very big they had to link their arms together and walk together closely.

The trio walked in comfortable silence to the station, Morgana eventually falling asleep in the warm and dry confines of Ren's bag. The two teens melted at the sight of the sleeping cat and decided to let him sleep until they arrived at the exhibition.

Every so often Kaori would sneak glances at her friend and classmate as they walked, not really knowing what to say, but wanting to make some kind of conversation with him. It felt odd to just walk around like this and not talk, but at the same time it was also comfortable.

Being friends with Ryuji and Ann rarely left any breathing room, considering that they talked like a waterfall, so having silent moments between them was rare. The two blondes always found something to talk and gush or fight over, and every so often Morgana would also join it making it even more chaotic. How the five of them weren't thrown out of any shop or restaurant already was a mystery to her.

The frizzy haired boy noticed the small girl next to him smiling, something she ever so rarely has done these past few days. "Why are you smiling?" He asked gently, trying not to startle her too much as he knew how jumpy she could be.

"Just thinking about our friends..." she simply replied with the same smile.

He immediately understood what she was thinking about and nodded, "It's weird that it's so quiet, isn't it?"

Kaori brushed some stray hairs from her face as the wind messed up her perfectly brushed hair, "I guess the two of us just don't have a lot to say..." she said, "But considering who we're friends with I don't think we need to say a lot..."

"True to that," Ren replied, "I'm still curious about how you and Ryuji ended up being friends though."

Kaori thought for a moment, recalling the memory in her mind. "Oh, well, we were in preschool and at lunch he saw me sitting alone on a bench where I was drinking strawberry milk, so he went up to me and showed me this bug he caught on the playground."

She took a small pause, trying to tone down the laughter that was evident in her voice, "I freaked out and dropped my milk on the ground and my dress and was so upset that I started crying. I cried so hard that my dad had to come pick me up and take me home. The next day Ryuji apologised to me and brought me some strawberry milk as a present. We then started playing together, and his mom and my dad got along pretty great so we became friends. The rest is basically history."

"That's sweet," Ren said, "And very in character for both of you."

Kaori simply smiled, "I guess so..."

───❤︎❤︎❤︎───

↳ A/N:

This goddamn chapter has been sitting in my drafts for over two months now I think and has haunted me every time I opened Wattpad. It was originally supposed to be longer and better, but I just never got there because I was too lazy to transcript the game and also depression hit and I have to repeat a school year and yeah. Anyways to ease wait I'll just throw you this sad thin bone I'm sorrry. I really am. I hope the next chapter is going to be longer and there faster.