Had Shiori not explained the situation to him the day prior, Ryusei might have had the same look of shock on his face as Shimizu did when the door slid open. As he stared down at his fellow transfer, he couldn't help but wonder why the hell she looked so baffled. Had her cousin not bothered to warn her he would be stopping by? He supposed it couldn't be helped. He tended to elicit negative reactions no matter where he went. At least she wasn't cowering behind the frame or threatening to call the cops or something, especially since he was sure she was privy to that god damn article in the paper. Thankfully, the awkward few seconds didn't linger, as the shorter girl processed what was going on.

"Thanks," He muttered in response as the door slid closed. He could make out a few voices behind it, but he didn't care enough to eavesdrop. It was good enough to know that his partner for the day was on her way to meet him. The sooner they got this over with, the better. When the door opened a second time, he was greeted with a more familiar face.

A face which caused him to fight back a grin. He wasn't the only one who agonized over what to wear, was he? Most girls his age wore at least a little makeup, that was true, but he hadn't caught as much as a hint on Shiori's face throughout the week. That absence made its presence now obvious, even for someone like him. Plus, she had gone out of her way to wear a skirt without the school forcing her. He wanted to make fun of her for it, honestly, but eventually decided against it. Hadn't he brooded over the idea of her doing the same to him just an hour or two prior?

"Hey. Don't worry about it, I don't mind." Her cousin wasn't exactly a priority of his in that moment. After working himself up on what to wear and how to present himself, he was relieved to see she had also put in a little work of her own. It deserved a comment of some kind.

"You look... nice" He eventually decided, his glower having softened just enough to impart some sincerity. He proceeded to lean to the side just a tad, as if to appraise her in her entirety, although he made no attempt to hide where his eyes went. It was a much shorter skirt, after all.

"Real nice. I approve."

He couldn't fight back the devilish grin that tugged at his features if he tried at that crack, even if he was too tall to glance much more than a little thigh. Content that the very implication would fluster her good and proper, he decided to turn back towards the street, his hands finding their way into the pockets of his jacket.

"Let's get going. I have no clue where this place is, so you'll have to lead the way."

Oh boy, Shiori was in trouble. Nice. He said she looked nice. She felt nice, too. For whatever reason, the compliment went to her head. It definitely went to her face, too, if only briefly. Maybe it was just knowing that all her indecision and overthinking had actually resulted in something good for once. Fuck it, she would take the win, even if she had to keep her satisfaction to herself. Should she return the compliment? Or maybe thank him for it? Ah, shit, there was the overthinking again.

Fortunately, Totsuka never failed to disappoint as he tilted his head to...wait, what was he doing? Shiori nearly followed, though it didn't take a rocket scientist to see what he was looking at. She shifted her weight from one leg to the other, crossing her arms as she threw him an unamused look. She should've known it was too good to be true. He would ruin this for her. To think she actually let her heart go aflutter getting a compliment from this absolute horndog.

The worst part had to be how red her face was, though.

Welp, there went her good mood. "Yeah, yeah, follow me, then," She grumbled, sulking a little as she led the way. "And try not to look down at my legs too much, I don't want you walking into a pole."

The walk back to the avenue was relatively peaceful, her face clearing up by the time they reached the cafe. It was relatively rustic all things considered, though it was obvious it was by design and not due to age like many of the other buildings around. The inside brought to mind a cozy warmth with plenty of tables and booths. For the time it was, the place was surprisingly empty; it looked like they had arrived after the lunch rush.

Shiori didn't hesitate to walk over to the counter, eyeing the menu. It looked like the new flavor was almond flavored. Hm, that sounded good. "Mmm...I'm in the mood for some Wagashi," She mused out loud. She looked up at Totsuka. "The stuff here is really good, so don't be afraid to order whatever."

"Don't worry, I'll keep it within regulation."

As much as he would have loved to snark all throughout their journey, it went by quite uneventfully. He was always more of a counter puncher when it came to his little quips, and it seemed Shiori didn't have much in the way to say to him. That was just fine with him, though—her cheeks had nearly matched the hair on her head when they left her place, assuring him his little comment had stuck the landing. Besides, with her focus on their surroundings more than himself, he could sneak a few peaks at her here and there along the way. She did look pretty good outside of that stuffy old uniform.

His opportunities to admire came to an end when they entered the cafe. It was a homely enough joint, and he imagined that was on purpose, to cultivate the kind of vibe that kept people in seats and ordering coffee all day. He had never been much for this kinds of places; as he said before, they always seemed a tad girly for him, and his palate was more accustomed to fried chicken and cheap noodles than the sweet confections on offer up on the menu. As he scanned the board looking for something to fill the growing hole in his stomach, he eventually landed on sandwiches. That couldn't go wrong, could it? How could you fuck up a ham sandwich?

"Yeah, I think I'll have some sandwiches. Two orders, and whatever the tea of the day is." He eventually declared, figuring they'd probably be on the daintier side. If Shiori gave him shit for getting two, well, she'd have to suck it up. Maybe he'd even share with her. Wouldn't that just be romantic?

Not a date, he reminded himself.

Shiori rocked back and forth on her heels, mind buzzing with the plethora of possibilities. She could follow Totsuka's lead and get an actual lunch, but boba always tasted better with sweets. She tapped her chin as she contemplated her decision, though she remembered that she likely didn't have enough for lunch and dessert. The Wagashi would tragically have to wait until another day, she supposed. Eh, maybe for the better, she'd probably end up starving all day if she just had sweets to eat. Okay, she could be responsible for once.

Totsuka had made up his mind, deciding on two sandwiches. Well, he was a growing boy--actually, if he grew any taller, he wouldn't be able to fit into any buildings. Hm, if she could get him to buy her lunch, she could eat and get her Wagashi. He did owe her, after all.

The cashier patiently waited for Shiori to give her order. Out of the corner of her eye, though she noticed someone looking. Fortunately, they weren't trying to be sneaky, and the girl openly approached the pair. It took longer than it should have to notice, but she was pretty sure that was one of their classmates. She was dressed in a frilly-looking dress, her heels clicking on the floor as she walked over to them.

"Oh, Ariyoshi-san," Shiori said. "Not working today?"

She shook her head, looking at the pair. "I did help out during the rush, but I'm free now," She explained before giving Totsuka a warm smile. "Totsuka-kun, right? I'm so glad you decided to come here!"

Despite it being obvious if one were to connect Ariyoshi Cafe to the Ariyoshi standing in front of them, Shiori decided to elaborate. "Yeah. Uh, this is Totsuka Ryusei, the transfer," She introduced him. "And this is Ariyoshi Harumi-san."

Harumi nodded slowly, looking between the two. She clapped her hands together, smiling. "It's nice to see the two of you out together," She commented airily. "I've always thought this place was perfect for a first date."

As the seconds ticked on, Ryusei found himself growing impatient. How long did it take to figure out what you wanted to order? He knew girls tended to be indecisive, but there was only so much on the menu. Before he could do something stupid and hurry her along, however, another approached the duo. He hadn't formally met her, but he was almost positive he had seen her somewhere around the school. Hell, she was probably in their class, if he managed to recognize her face at all, as he understandably didn't spend much of the week attempting to meet new people. Now that they had been formally introduced, she certainly made an impression; her smile made him uneasy, if only because he was unused to seeing it plastered on the faces of people just meeting him. Not if they weren't trying to work some kind of angle.

"Nice to meet you," He offered, although it was a tad curt compared to how warmly she had welcomed him. Perhaps that curtness was well earned, as no sooner than he had given her his response, she decided to pipe up and mention the damn date thing again. He knew the optics of the situation were obvious enough—why else would he constantly feel the need to remind himself it wasn't one?—but she didn't need to go saying it out loud. Dating meant he was interested in her, interested in setting down roots here. That was not something he was trying to do.

"It's uh, not a date," The youth muttered, suppressing any possible heat in his cheeks through willpower alone. Gramps had already embarrassed him enough that morning, and he didn't need Shiori getting the wrong ideas because he couldn't keep himself in check.

Shiori went from relatively neutral to outright deadpan at Harumi's comment. She supposed she wasn't too surprised at the assumption considering they were out together outside of school hours and in a place that was--by Harumi's own words--'romantic'. Still, it was a pretty big leap to make. They had basically just met and didn't know each other very well and were just going somewhere together and--fuck, okay, it wasn't as big a leap as she initially thought. She simply nodded to confirm that she agreed with Totsuka.

Harumi, on the other hand, seemed disappointed. "That's too bad, I thought you looked good together," She admitted. "Well, as an apology, I'll buy your drinks. And if that is the case, then you wouldn't mind if I joined, would you?"

Shiori minded.

The redhead raised a hand to her temple as she held back a groan. The thought came instantaneously--she didn't even think it, it just popped up in her head! What was wrong with her today?! It was Totsuka, he had the hair and the cologne and the everything and now she couldn't think straight! She did audibly scoff, crossing her arms as she leveled a look at Harumi.

"Whatever," She muttered in annoyance, turning her attention to the cashier. "Wagashi and an okonomiyaki. And an almond boba tea."

Harumi watched her for a second, seemingly amused, though she looked up at Ryusei. "I have to say, I like seeing classmates outside of school. And you look good, Totsuka-kun," She complimented him politely, though her eyes looked over at Shiori, who had whipped around to glare at her. Harumi didn't seem too fazed by it. "I didn't think you were the type to dress up, Himawari-san, so I'm pleasantly surprised. But you agree with me, don't you? That Totsuka-kun looks good?"

This was probably the first time Shiori wanted to throttle Ariyoshi. What kind of game was she playing at?! Was she trying to make her jealous? There wasn't anything to be jealous, of, idiot. If Ariyoshi wanted him, she could have him! No, wait, maybe she was overthinking again. The way Ariyoshi complimented him so casually sounded completely sincere; if she could do it, Shiori could, too, right?

Shiori turned back to the cashier, looking down determinedly at a spot on the counter. Actually saying it was another matter, though. "...yeah. I agree," She said it as clearly as possible, though she outright refused to look back at the two of them.

So this was what it was like, was it? It didn't exactly take a genius to see what the proprietor's daughter had gotten up to. She was teasing them, though the majority of her comments seemed to be aimed at Shiori, who took to huffing like she normally did when he took a few shots at her. He couldn't say he much liked being on the receiving end of it—though the way his otherwise pale cheeks tinted with the flush of embarrassment said otherwise. How the hell was he supposed to respond to that? It wasn't even anything especially scandalous. She just said that he looked nice. That they both looked nice. Together. Was he so starved for praise that even a simple compliment put him on the back foot like that?

"Thanks, I guess..." The way he muttered his response, scratching at the back of his head as if to distract himself from the comment, was more than answer enough. It was totally understandable to be a little off balance when you had not one, but two girls offering their appreciation. Anybody would be embarrassed if put in that spot!

Deciding he needed to assert some level of control over the situation and wrest the reins back from Ariyoshi, Ryusei scoffed, and turned to glance at the many empty booths on offer. "Why don't we go find somewhere to sit? Don't wanna clog up the counter an' all."

Alright, good, that was an adequate and polite response. Shiori made sure to let out the quietest sigh of relief that she could manage, relaxing immensely. Harumi was going to make this day more difficult than she had anticipated. To think, all she wanted was to have some boba and a snack. Was that the problem? Was she hoping for too much? She blamed Harumi--to think the so-called 'helper' of their grade was this devious. Why was she doing this? What was her angle?

Harumi, on the other hand, was pleased with Ryusei's response, positively beaming at the change of subject. While she had nothing more to say at the moment, she did, however, still possess the smallest hint of mischievousness still in her eyes. The brunette scanned the cafe and decided on a spot, pointing to a booth.

"Let's sit there, I'll have them bring your food to you," She suggested kindly.

Shiori managed to push herself away from the counter, now calm, cool, and collected--she made a mental note to keep her guard up going forward. She nodded at Harumi's suggestion, warily walking past her and glaring at the other girl's smile. She was onto her, there was no way she was getting flustered or embarrassed or any of that. So long as she had that in mind, things would be fine.

The booth was a little on the smaller side, but that wasn't suspect. Shiori settled on one side, her hand on her chin as she watched Harumi like a hawk.

"Is something the matter, Himawari-san?" She asked.

"Nope. I just want some boba," Shiori replied.

"They'll bring it over as soon as it's ready," Harumi assured her. She then looked up at Ryusei. "Did you want to sit next to Himawari-san? Or would you rather sit with me?"

It may have been a testament to Ryusei's suspicious nature that the blinding smile Ariyoshi gave him in response stoked the fires of his unease. The glint in her eye certainly didn't help that, betraying her intentions despite the airy persona she put on. What was the saying? It was always the quiet ones? Their host certainly hadn't been very quiet since their arrival, but she was rather soft spoken, and the disarming way she conducted herself fit the image of a sweet, docile girl. He didn't trust that. Not at all. Especially when he was in such a compromising position. Wasn't tea supposed to be a relaxing thing to have?

He should've guessed that, even with his small victory of shifting the focus of their little talk elsewhere, there would come another jab. Asking him which one he'd rather sit with? What kind of Machiavellian scheming was this? Why not just stab him in the throat right then and there? Usually, when you went on a date—which this was not, he reminded himself—you just sat across from your partner. That way you could chat with them without feeling too crowded. It stood to reason, then, that sitting across from Shiori would be the correct choice. But, in doing so, he would have to state his intention to sit next to Ariyoshi, which could definitely be taken as him choosing the ginger he just met over the ginger he came in with. Not to mention how small the booth was; it might not have stood out to a normal person, but as someone who had spent the majority of his young life banging his head on door frames and having to squeeze into desks, he was acutely aware of how much space he took up. This was gonna be a tight fit.

He was over redheads, he decided. They were proving to be too much work. Shooting Ariyoshi a glare, the teen decided he would at least try to deny her whatever amusement she was deriving from fucking with him. He placed his hand on the table of the booth, sliding himself into the right side.

"Don't really care either way," He lied, putting on his best disinterested face. Which, considering his general disdain for most people, was usually pretty convincing. "Pick whichever side you want."

Shiori's eyes followed Totsuka as he sat across from her. Probably for the better, she might've gotten crushed if he had chosen to sit with her. She was fully wary of the other girl now, but she didn't understand what she was trying to play at. There was some bizarre thought in her head that she was ultimately trying to make Shiori jealous--of God knows what, who knew--but that would imply that Harumi had some sort of interest in the transfer. Maybe that's what all this was? Shiori squinted at the girl's pleasant smile and demeanor. She couldn't read her or guess what she was thinking.

Harumi herself took a seat next to Shiori, glancing between the two. "You two don't look too happy," She commented.

The redhead had to outright bite down on her tongue to quell her initial response. That said, however, maybe a direct approach was better. She sat up and gave Harumi an unamused look. "Probably because of you," She replied.

Harumi finally frowned, looking concerned. "Oh...I'm sorry, I do tend to tease incessantly..." She admitted with a small sigh. "I'll make sure not to do it again."

Shiori held back her sigh of relief, though she had to push down that slight amount of guilt she had. Stupid Harumi looking so sad. Her fingers tapped the table as she eyed Harumi, but true to her word, she said nothing, instead looking at one of the doors presumably leading to the kitchen.

"What?"

"Mmm...the tea should have come out by now..." She mused, getting up. "I'll go check on it and get your boba while I'm at it. I'll be right back!"

Shiori pursed her lips as she watched Harumi, examining her actions closely. She was probably up to something else, but she had no idea what. She outright pouted, frustrated as she put her chin back on the palm of her hand. Well, at least she'd get to be grumpy with boba. Totsuka probably had a bad impression on Ariyoshi, now that she thought about it. The girl wasn't all bad, she was just being really weird today.

"...she's not usually like this," She muttered out something resembling an explanation. "She's more into tarot cards and fortunetelling."

Even when she was leaving him alone, the Ariyoshi girl managed to make Ryusei feel bad. He definitely shouldn't have felt guilty about her hasty retreat, considering she had butted her way into his not-a-date. Plus, Shiori had been the one to tell her off. But the way her constant, sweet smile faded, in part because of his own dourness, it bothered him. Was it always going to be like this? As nice as they were to look at, the more time he spent with the opposite sex, the more they drove him up a wall. The phrase `girl-crazy` took on a whole new meaning when you spent the better part of an afternoon being teased by them, whether they realized they were doing it or not. But ruminating over things wasn't going to do him any good; this was supposed to be a fun, relaxing outing.

"It's fine," The teen finally piped, waving his hand as if to banish the notion that he held anything against Ariyoshi, "She probably just saw an opportunity and took it. I know I would. Especially with you all dressed up like that."

The comments their host had made were almost certainly warranted, if only to maintain karmic balance, as Ryusei easily fell back into his now almost habitual teasing of the redhead across from him. Really, it was their classmate's fault. If she hadn't decided to put him on blast like that, then he wouldn't have to wrest control of the situation back by trying to fluster his terminally grumpy companion. Of course, he had already tested his karma once that day...

"... You do look nice though. I meant what I said back at your place."

No need to invite more retribution.

Ah, at least Harumi hadn't made things too weird. Totsuka was all too happy to jump back into their previous status quo--which consisted of him poking fun at her again. Shiori would've been relieved if it hadn't been at her expense. She raised a hand to her face like she was brushing her bangs in a feeble attempt to hide her face, feeling her cheeks burning already. As much as she wanted to blame him, however, it was her own fault for letting her guard down. Or rather, she was so concerned with Harumi that she definitely forgot how much of a goddamn tease Totsuka was.

"Thanks..." She managed to mumble out a word, wishing it wasn't suddenly so warm in this stupid cafe.

Wait a second, she had nothing to be embarrassed about! It wasn't that weird to dress up on the weekends! She was a girl, after all, and eventually, she'd enter the workforce and probably have to wear a nurse's uniform. What she needed to do was go on the offense since he attacked relentlessly, always catching her off guard. Harumi had the right of it; if she wanted him to let up, she needed to attack, too.

Shiori straightened up, hoping most of her blush was gone as she placed both her hands on the table and stared directly at the pompous asshat. She was determined to give him a taste of his own medicine, even if it came after a small gulp. "I also--I meant it, too. Before, I mean," Her bravado hadn't quite reached her words, though as shaky as she was, she stayed the course. "I think the uniform's stuffy, so this is...it's good. Should probably do your hair like that more often. 'Cause I...like it."

Maybe there was something to this karma thing. His little remark seemed to land quite hard with Shiori, who proceeded to poorly hide the flush his words had caused to fill her cheeks. Of course, there was always the chance it had nothing at all to do with karma, and everything to do with his fellow delinquent's unfamiliarity with praise. That was something he could unfortunately relate to. Still, it was pretty cute, seeing how much even the smallest compliment seemed to embarrass her. She had tried to deliver her own in retort, but the way her voice practically trembled, the delivery all but informed him that she was far more flustered by the words she spoke than he could ever be. The redhead showing her nerves only steadied his own, and he found confidence in her lack. If she was this steamed up by a few genuine words of affirmation, why not have a little fun?

"Really? I didn't think you'd like guys with long hair." He asked rhetorically, although the devilish smile starting to tug its way across his features probably betrayed his inquiry as the lead that it was. Hadn't he huffed at his grandfather for an undoubtedly similar grin just hours prior? It didn't matter. The teen placed his elbow on the table, leaning his jaw into the palm of his hand, as if to give his next a casual air.

"So, you're saying, if I put my hair up like this more often, you'll ask me out again? 'Cause, y'know, I might just say yes."

If nothing else, he understood the fun that old geezer must have been having.

He would take it in stride. Shiori wasn't entirely sure why she thought she could get away with her comment if her words were about as shaky as an autumn leaf on a windy day. Well, it was out there, and now he had the wrong idea. That was on her, she should have put more effort into it. It wasn't like it was a total lie, either; he did look good, she did like it. Admitting it was just...difficult. Especially when the recipient seemed to enjoy her struggling.

Crossing her arms, Shiori slouched down in her seat, throwing Totsuka a glare. He really said she was the one to ask him out! You know what? She had nothing to lose. She already embarrassed herself, there was nothing more that could go wrong.

"I can't go asking you out again, it'll give you an ego," She huffed. "Next time, you're going to have to ask me out."

"Planning the second date so soon? How wonderful!"

Shiori outright jumped up in her seat, though she immediately shrunk down, suddenly fascinated with the table. Harumi had returned with a tray of both drinks and the treats Shiori had requested. She placed the tray between them, her smile the same as always.

"Please excuse the wait, it would seem we're still a little busier than usual," She said. "I thought you could have your drinks and snacks in the meantime. But if you need ideas for a second date, I'm happy to make suggestions, Totsuka-kun."

There was something about seeing the usually defiant Himawari Shiori melting back into her seat with a petulant glare on her face that made Ryusei's grin grow ever more. Maybe it was the stark difference between her usual dry, sardonic persona and the embarrassed, defeatist one before him now. Or maybe it was the fact his words were what made her to seemingly come apart at the seams. Hell, it could even have been that she looked pretty cute when she was angry with him that caused his devilish smile continue to tug at the corners of his lips. She huffed out a reply, as if the indignity his words had inflicted on her was too much, and he quickly formulated a reply to keep her on the proverbial ropes. Until Ariyoshi came back, that is.

It was astounding how quickly the first smile he had honestly displayed since arriving in Utsubyo disappeared. He could practically feel his cheeks burning with the shame, and his eyes followed Shiori's down to the table below. The hell kind of timing did this girl have? He had been so focused on Shiori, he hadn't seen her sneaking up on them until it was too late, and now she had all kinds of ideas in her head. The last thing he needed were more rumors swirling around the school's zeitgeist about him. He needed to dispel that kind of thing now, or he was never going to hear the end of it.

"I'm—I'm fine," He eventually managed, reaching out to take the cup of tea closest to himself, "There's not gonna be a second date. There's not even a first one."

Not even he could deny just how pathetic he sounded in that moment, and to try and distract himself from the mortification as much as to give himself an excuse not to talk, he readily began to suck on the straw before him, drinking down the contents of his boba with record speed.

He did look better with a smile.

Tragically, the pair were in the same boat for Harumi's timely arrival. There was some odd thought in the back of Shiori's head that thought it was karma coming for Totsuka, but she wasn't thrilled by the girl's return, either. And especially not after her comment. At least it hadn't been aimed at her this time, and watching Totsuka deflate was a little amusing. It did, however, weirdly annoy her how he denied that this was a date--not that it was. But if it was, saying there would be no second date would be kinda rude. But it wasn't, so no harm, no foul.

She grabbed one of the snacks and promptly chomped it down. "What he shaid," Shiori mumbled, chewing.

Harumi frowned, but she recovered quickly. "If you're sure about that, then I won't bring it up again," She said as she dug into her apron pocket. "While you wait, here's a little card game you can play in the meantime."

She brought out a well-loved pack of cards. The back had a surprisingly intricate design, an assortment of different colors forming a heart. "This is the deck I usually use for my compatibility tests, but they're perfectly serviceable as a regular deck, too," She said as she shuffled them expertly. "Now, what I usually do is tell each person to draw one card and place it down. The closer the numbers, the better the friendship. Then, they draw two more; the farther these numbers are, the more romantic potential they have. And the last time relies on the symbol, with two symbols meaning--"

She stopped herself, letting out a gasp. "Wait, no, you're not interested in that sort of thing! Sorry, I'm so used to explaining the rules," She placed the deck down between them and took back the tray. "I'll make sure to have the kitchen take care of your order as quickly as possible, so I'm sure a game of goldfish could be fun."

Giving the pair a bow, Harumi was off. Shiori almost couldn't believe it, her mouth open the entire time their classmate was talking. As if she wasn't being obvious! She angrily sipped her boba, staring at the cards. Still, it was a really dumb tactic. It wasn't like they couldn't just ignore the cards and choose to sit in awkward silence instead. At least her other attempts were more respectable if obvious what her intentions are.

There was, however, the smallest, tiniest shred of curiosity in the back of her head, however.

Letting out a sigh, she looked at Totsuka. If she admitted she was curious, he'd definitely make fun of her. Her stare unintentionally got more intense as she deliberated on what she should do, chewing angrily on a snack.

Ryusei wasn't entirely certain whether or not to be offended; did Ariyoshi really think he was so dumb as to not see what she was stabbing at? Or did she just enjoy playing dumb to fuck with them? Rather than give the girl the satisfaction of humoring her deck of cards, he simply passed his gaze towards the wall, staring idly as he sipped at his tea. By the time their 'waitress' had excused herself, he had near enough sucked down half the cup, and had more than a few pearls stored in his cheek. His eyes slowly crept their way back to Shiori as he rolled the tapioca balls one by one to the other side of his mouth to chew them, unsure whether or not he enjoyed the sticky sweetness. It seemed as though his companion had gotten a similar idea to himself.

Only her gaze was much more intense. He stared back at the redhead for what felt like an eternity, until it seemed like she was like to burn a hole through his forehead. Did she really want to do this? Of all the dumb shit to fall for, fortune telling cards? Not to mention it would be playing right into the Ariyoshi's hands. He had half a mind to deny her just for the everlasting glare she had decided to level at him. She'd have to learn to ask for the things she wanted, like a big girl.

Pausing his chewing for only a moment, the teen reached out with a single hand and plucked a card off the top of the deck, laying it face-up before him. He punctuated it with a nonchalant sip, washing down the pearls as his gaze drifted back off to an unimportant section of the restaurant. She was lucky she was cute when she glared. Next time he'd make her ask.

Shiori's chewing came to a halt as she watched Totsuka's hand draw a card from the deck. Holy shit, he was really doing it! She swallowed her snack, hastily occupying her mouth with her straw to prevent her mouth from hanging open, though her eyes never left his hand as he placed it down. Was this a challenge? Could he read her thoughts? No, that last one was impossible, but the former could very much be true. Maybe he wanted her to voice her protest or to back out. Was this some weird game of chicken?

Alternatively, he was indulging her, but she was too hardheaded to think it was that.

Well, too late to back down now. She took in a breath as subtly as she could, trying to play it off as nonchalantly as possible. This was so stupid. Drawing a card from the top of the deck, she placed it face up across from Totsuka's. She had a seven, and he had a two. For whatever reason, it made her laugh a little; considering the most they had in common so far was a love of cigarettes, it didn't surprise her too much.

"Shame, doesn't seem like we have much compatibility when it comes to friendship," She mused out loud, visibly relaxing. As she went to draw another card, however, a thought occurred to her--Ariyoshi had definitely had some sneaky way to shuffling to have the cards come up a certain way. Her outstretched hand quickly snatched up the deck and she reshuffled it.

Placing it down, she drew a card and placed it down--a one. "Your turn," She said as she relaxed in her seat, sipping her boba.

It didn't much surprise him that Shiori took the bait, although the way she laughed following the telltale slap of varnished paper on wood. He allowed his eyes to drift down and take in the cards before them; a two and a seven didn't seem to bode very well for their potential friendship, if one put any amount of stock into fortune telling. Luckily, he did not, although he couldn't help but muse that they had spent most of their time together either trading barbs or bickering back and forth, the current day included. Maybe they just weren't particularly suited for each other. He'd live with that. It wasn't like he was especially unused to being alone.

He quirked a brow when Shiori took up the deck and shuffled it. Had she really distrusted Ariyoshi that much? It was probably for the best; he didn't know the girl nearly as well, but if her mischievous hijinks were anything to go by, rigging the deck to support her vision for Shiori and himself definitely felt like something she would do. He eyed the card she pulled from the deck and the digit printed on it. A one. Knowing his luck, he'd probably pull a two and have to listen to Shiori go on and on about how he wasn't her type anyway, despite the damn-near flirting she had subjected him to just moments earlier at their classmate's behest.

Reaching out again, he plucked another card off the top of the deck and laid it down beside her own. This time, he bothered to actually look at the result, if only to brace himself for the inevitable outcome.

Only, the outcome was quite the contrary to what he had foreseen—a crisp ten stared back at him. He immediately looked up at Shiori, and rather than give her the satisfaction of a response, simply punctuated his contribution with an audible sip. It had been her idea. She'd have to live with the consequences.

Shiori was happily sipping her boba when Totsuka decided to indulge her and draw the card. She couldn't help the slightest bit of smugness from it--he wanted to know just as much as she did! There was nothing wrong with playing a silly game, anyway, and whatever the case was, she would live with it. She sorta hoped for a high number, but a low one would be good to finally get Totsuka off her back for a little bit.

She was taking a sip when Totsuka placed the card on the table: a ten. She made a small noise of confirmation and readied a smart-ass comment, but she stopped and did a double-take. It was a ten?! So then that meant they were romantical--wait, wait, wait! That couldn't be true! They were that romantically compatible?! She could already feel her face burning as several thoughts of domestic bliss played out in her imagination. So he liked to cuddle at night and go out for walks and would kiss her forehead when she was feeling down? But they had just met! How the hell were the cards supposed to know, anyway?!

As she got herself riled up, she refused to speak first and focused more on emptying her boba. Unfortunately, a pearl promptly got stuck in her throat, and Shiori immediately started choking, clapping a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from spilling the contents in her mouth all over the table. Her other hand was pounding on the table as she tried to clear her throat, but after a few seconds, she swallowed hard, finally clearing her throat.

As she gasped for air, she looked over at Totsuka. Her reaction was...less than ideal. Once she managed to get herself back to normal, she stared at him. It's fine, all she had to do was just play it cool. "Somehow, even though I shuffled, I knew that was going to happen," She admitted outright, taking a more conservative sip so she wouldn't nearly kill herself again. "Crazy coincidence right? It's gotta be rigged somehow."