[IC] The Beauty, The Beast, and Sweets (eRia and Blackened World)

[eRia]

Backstory: Ikari and Misaki are childhood friends. Their friendship started when Misaki protected Ikari from bullies in their kindergarten, and Misaki promised to always be there for him. When someone calls one of them, the other would follow. They were inseparable. Until Misaki had to move away due to her parents' jobs. Alone, Ikari learned to fight and made himself unapproachable to others, scared that he'll hurt them. Now in high school, Misaki returned to her hometown, wishing to find her childhood friend. How will Ikari react when he sees the one who abandoned him?

Misaki

Location: Staff Office
Time: Morning

"Alright Miss Kondo," The gruffy looking middle aged man picked up a stack of papers before putting them into a folder with 'Class 2-3' scribbled in a sharpie on the front. "Welcome to Higashi High. You'll be joining Class 2-3 and I'm your homeroom teacher, Mr. Aida." He introduced himself with the most unenthusiastic voice Misaki has ever heard. She nodded with a smile. "Thank you Mr Aida, I'll be in your care this year." The teacher stood up from his desk, the folder in hand as he acknowledged his new student with a nod. "Follow me." He instructed before heading out of the office. Misaki hastily followed, excited and nervous about her new class. She wondered if her childhood friend, Ri-chan, will be in this school. She hoped so, she moved back and transferred here just so she could see him again. She giggled softly, her hand over her mouth to muffle any excited squeals.

Mr Aida slid the door open just as the first morning bell rang, nonchalantly walking in and facing the class at the podium. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she followed the teacher and the class immediately quietened down. All attention was on her now, she stood next to the podium and faced her fellow students with a smile. "This is Misaki Kondo. She'll be joining us from today. Please introduce yourself Kondo." The homeroom teacher introduced, writing her name on the black board behind him.

"Hello everyone!" She chirped, "My name is Misaki and I grew up in this town but had to move due to my parents' jobs. I'm back now and I hope I can be friends with all of you!" She bowed politely and smiled, glancing at everyone. "Alright, you can have the empty seat in the middle row." Mr Aida dismissed quickly. "Turn your history books to page 48." He followed up immediately, directing it to the entire class. Misaki merrily walked to her assigned seat, returning smiles to her new desk neighbours.

[Blackened World]

IKARI

Location: Higashi high, Class 2-3
Time: Morning

Ikari intentionally diverted his sight of the grossly happy new student alongside his desk, trying to hide his bloodshot eyes from view with his dyed blond bangs. He wanted to puke. He wanted to kill someone. He wanted to do a lot of violent things, just for the sake of calming himself down. Something like this wasn't supposed to happen. Some students even started shivering, knowing full well that an angry Ikari was a dangerous Ikari. The reason of his sudden anger was the smiling girl close to him that was bound to attend the same school for a long, long time.

And that was because he knew this girl. He recognized her almost immediately when she walked through the door. How could he forget his childhood friend, his best friend, which he played with for so many years? Mi-chan, he used to call her. They were inseparable, almost like a family non-related by blood. Or that was, until she decided to move to God-knows where thanks to her parents, and leave him all alone. Days transformed into months, months into years, and his sadness and loneliness changed for wrath and hate. Even now, that happy-go-lucky smile of hers succeeded in warming up the classroom. That only made him angrier. It's like nothing had ever happened between them, and that they were still friends.

"...Mr. Shitsurei!" The teacher called the blond, snapping him out of his thoughts. Mr. Aida started looking nervous, probably because of the scary eyes that the teenager was looking at him with. "C-could you please read page 49?" He said with a lower tone than before, not wanting to provoke the delinquent."...'Kay" Ikari agreed with the most casual voice he could do, and proceeded to open his fresh-looking history book. After all, focusing on the class for the first time in ages was a better option than to remember someone who was dead to him.

[eRia]

Misaki

"Shitsurei?" Misaki uttered under her breath, she turned slightly, careful not to get caught for not paying attention. The boy had blonde locks and glared at the textbook like it has committed the greatest sin against him. He has the same last name as her childhood friend but looked nothing alike. Did Ri-chan have a twin brother that she never knew about? 'Impossible.' She laughed at herself for the absurd thought that Ikari had somehow hidden the fact that he has a twin for years. She made a mental note to definitely talk to him during the break, relating his annoyance to the fact that Mr Aida had called him out.

Misaki wasn't the studious type, and she definitely didn't find any interest in history. She yawned a good few times, covering her mouth with a hand as she kept looking at the clock. Finally, the teacher dismissed the class and the students immediately started to chatter amongst themselves. She shifted in her seat to face her neighbour with a kind smile. "Looks like we'll be neighbours for the next year. I'll be counting on you to catch up with classes." She chuckled, her nerves getting to her a little. "What's your name, neighbour? And do you by any chance know Ikari? The both of you have the same last name, isn't that such a coincidence?" She chattered on.

[Blackened World]

IKARI

The blond was already packing his history book when a girl's voice resounded through his ears. He was expecting to leave as soon as possible, but it seems that problems won't leave him alone. Visible veins started poping out on Ikari's head, his mood immediately going from bad to worse. He started to clench his fists beneath his desk, drawing small droplets of blood. Now she didn't just leave him alone, but she even forgot how he looked like? Now that is cold, even against a unsociable person such as him. He wasn't getting all buddy-buddy with her anytime soon, that was for sure. A person who forgets you can't be really called a friend, much less a best friend.

"Piss off" He snarled, trying to mask his anger with a rude attitude. "I dunno who you are, and I'm not your goddamn neighbour. Leave me alone" Ikari finished with a last glare, crossing his arms atop his desk and planting his face on them, trying to not face her directly and to fool her into that he was already asleep. Misaki could be naive, but she wasn't dumb. One good look at his face would sell him out, and that's the last thing he wanted right now. If he acted like a douchebag then she would surely leave him alone, like everyone else does. 'Punching someone is easier than this. Go away damnit!'

[Blackened World]

@eRia

[eRia]

Misaki

Misaki was a little stunned by his reaction. “Ah- err,” she stuttered, she was about to put a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him and apologize, but one of the other students called her, “Misaki, right?” She drew her hand back and faced the stranger. The student leaned into her ear, “You should stop talking to him if I were you.” She warned, clearly talking about the boy. Misaki politely smiled, “Why would I? Everyone deserves someone to talk to.” With that, the other student walked back to their seat, not knowing what to say.

She placed her bag on her lap, searching through it. Her eyes gleaming when she found it and pulled it out. It was a packet of her and Ri-chan’s favourite sweets. She took one out, and placed the individually wrapped candy on to Shutsurei’s desk where his arms did not occupy. “Maybe we started on the wrong foot. I’m going to be your friend, neighbour! I don’t give up very easily.” She giggled at the last bit. Standing up and stretching her arms, “I’m sooo hungry!” She states to no one in particular. “Guess I’ll go check out the cafeteria.” Misaki announced, gaining some weird stares. She glanced down towards the blonde, intentionally trying to gain his attention before walking out of the classroom. She quickly hid behind the door, peeking over to see his reaction.

[Blackened World]

IKARI

Ikari got a little too hopeful that she would leave when he acted like that. She started acting even weirder, said some things, and then he felt a small tap on his desk. The girl was persistent, he'll give her that. When the blond was sure that Misaki had left the place, he slowly peeked above his arms, careful to not raise his head too much. Just centimeters ahead of him was a small object. A candy, to be specific. At this sight, Ikari's lips quirked upwards into a creepy smile, between being angry and just slightly pleased. He hoped no one saw that.

'Now that's playing dirty, Misaki...' He thought while lowering his head again, his stomach growling a little. The mighty Ikari, who could fight barehanded against entire gangs and come unscathed, had a weakness for sweets. And this wasn't just any sweet. According to him, it was a 'gift from the gods upon humans'. And it just happened to be his favorite flavor, too. Sweat started running down his head in nervousness, his eyes going to a place from another. With a quick movement of his hand he snatched the candy away, unwrapping it at a blinding speed and placing it on his mouth. Ikari planted his face on his arms, cursing himself for being a sweet addict. 'it's all right, she left the candy in my desk. This doesn't mean absolutely anything!' He started tapping impatiently hid fingertips on the desk, trying to convince himself that he didn't have a moment of weakness back there...and miserably failing on it.

[eRia]

Misaki chuckled lowly, her thumb and forefinger upright forming a gun shape and raised it to her chin. A toothy grin on her face. “Looks like he likes candy.” She said to herself, a feeling of achievement in her chest as she got up from her hiding spot and followed the directions to the cafeteria. It wasn’t as crowded as she thought and managed to get two sweet melon buns. She wasn’t sure what she’ll do with a second bun, but she’s sure it will come in handy later. Misaki decided to ask around about Ri-chan. Looking around, group of students were chatting along the corridor. There was two boys and two girls in the group. The boys were tall and skinny with dyed long hair and had their shirts untucked. The girls looked like they were pretty close to the boys, always making some sort of physical contact and giggling. They looked like they were having fun, surely they wouldn’t mind if she were to interrupt them for a short moment.

“Hello,” Misaki greeted with a toothy grin, “Do you know if there’s a student here called Ikari Shitsurei?”

“Ah?” One of the boys answered, eyeing her from head to toe. “You new here? Why would anyone want to find that douche?” He laughed and the rest of the group joined him. Douche? Her eyebrows furrowed as she defended her friend, “Ikari’s my best friend and you’re not allowed to say that about him!”

The boy’s mood turned so quickly, she would have missed it if she blinked. She took a step back, she knew she was the cause of his anger. “And who are you to tell me what I can or can’t say?” He took a long step forward, towering over her. “Best friend huh?” His hands gestured to his friend to follow him. “Let’s bring her to the rooftop. If she’s really close to that brat, she’ll be bait so that we can finally repay him for what he did to me. If she’s not, well...” He smirked, and his friend got the gist of it.

“You know I can hear you, right?” Misaki stated, getting their attention once more. That was probably a bad move. The boys immediately grabbed her arms, her food fell to the floor from the sudden movement. She tried to twist her arms away from them but their grip got tighter, she opened her mouth to scream, but before a sound left her, she felt a sharp pain on the back of her head and lost consciousness.

Misaki’s limp body fell in the boy’s arm, and he threw her over his shoulder. The group hastily ran up the stairs to the rooftop, the girls looking out for teachers. In the corner, a student from Misaki’s class had witnessed the scene and ran back to the classroom to spread the news of what he saw. The thought of reporting to a teacher didn’t enter his mind for one reason or the other, and he told the class first what had happened to the new transfer student.

[Blackened World]

IKARI

After some minutes of just being there, Ikari finally got fed up, so he raised himself from his chair to go and get something from the cafeteria. His seemingly acquired peace didn't last that long, as a fellow student appeared in front of the class's door, sweating like crazy. "T-The new student, Misaki, the guys from 3-3 are dragging her to the rooftop!" He panted out for all to hear. The one who processed the information quicker than any other was the blond, so without wasting any time he shoved away his classmate and started sprinting with destination to the rooftop. He didn't have to think about it twice. Ikari may be a douche on the outside, but he isn't going to let someone get hurt just because of it.

"I can't believe that dumbass. First day of school and she's in more trouble than me...!" He said to himself in exasperation, a feeling of dread filling him. Students and teachers alike looked with curiosity and confusion as he made his way to the rooftop, walking up the stairs in quick and swift motions. Ikari didn't care about them in the slightest. He just wanted to save Misaki from whatever problem she had gotten herself into. He reached the door that led to the place, and just as he was about to open , some voices were heard through it. "Damm, she's good in uniform now that I look closer! Just wait till we undress her..." Laughs accompanied that gross statement, and Ikari gritted his teeth in fury. He slammed the door open, and the sight that greeted him was almost criminal to him. Misaki laying there unconscious, her new uniform a bit of a mess. Alongside her were 2 students he recognized, one of them trying to go under the girl's shirt with his hand. In other place were 2 other bitches, giggling and gossiping like something funny just happened.

The blond composed himself, and a murderous smile made its way on his face. "Yo, Kabuki-senpai" He casually called, drawing the group's attention to him while walking towards them. "I didn't knew you were that much of a suicidal, messing with the wrong people. I thought you learned your lesson some time ago..." He indirectly threatened the delinquents, specifically the one who was trying to touch Misaki. They got up while malicious grins were painted on their faces. Some of the girls were cheering them on, saying things like "break his face!" and so on.

"Keep talking big brat. You're going to pay for what you did to me, and your girlfriend here is just perfect for job" The guy known as Kabuki said while cracking his knuckles.

Ikari tilted his head in fake innocence while bringing a hand to his chin "You mean...that time when your car suddenly lost its wheels? Or that other time when I threw your wallet to the river? Sorry, but you're so much of an idiot that I can't help but to bully you constantly. What, yer goin to cry to your daddy about it? The blond provoked, eliciting an instant reaction. Kabuki's lackey had started moving, planning to punch Ikari on the face. The movement was lanky, so a little sidestep was sufficient to let the attacker open. Ikari raised his leg, and delivered a powerful kick on the delinquent's groin, making him fall to all fours. Kabuki started looking nervous, but that stupid grin of his was still on his face. Just as Ikari approached him, the delinquent drew forth a small knife from his shirt, pointing it to him. The bitches weren't cheering him anymore.

"You're not so strong now brat? The senior said with confidence. He ran towards the boy with the intention of stabbing him...but it never reached its objective. When Kabuki looked down, he saw his opponent's hand griping the blade, small trails of blood coming from his palm and staining the floor. They stood like that from some seconds more, until Ikari lifted him by his shirt, and proceeded to head-butt him. He broke his nose, but he wasn't letting him go so easily. "Listen, asshole. You ever touch Misaki again, and I'm going to kick you in your twins so many times that you'll wish you were one of your own bitches" He stated with a dead serious voice. Kabuki made something akin to a nod, glancing at his friends in fear. When he thought it was enough, Ikari let go of him, and the group rapidly got out of there, not wanting to face the wrath of the most violent person on school.

When they finally left the place, he covered his injured hand with the other one, his eyes laying down on the unconscious girl. He let out a sigh of relief, but just as he was about to pick her up, sounds of footsteps resonated in the rooftop.

"Stop right there, Shitsurei!" A new voice invaded Ikari's ears. Teachers and students were there on the door, looking horrified at the scene before them. The blond opened his mouth to explain, but the teachers started grabbing him by the arms with the intention of restraining him. He didn't say anything. He didn't fight back. He knew knew it was futile now. Who could possibly believe that the most problematic student had just saved someone? Not that it bothered him anymore.

He stealed a last glance behind him, blue eyes falling down on his childhood friend, other students sorrounding her to check if she was fine.

[eRia]

Misaki

Location: Nurse's office

A throbbing pain roused Misaki awake. Her eyes blinked away the blurry vision till she saw a white ceiling. She slowly sat up, realising she was on a bed, a thin blanket over her. "Where am I?" She asked aloud. The white curtains were pulled back to reveal a teacher, "You're in the nurse's office. Do you remember anything? Can you tell me your name?" The teacher picked up a clipboard and pulled a chair next to the bed.

"Yes, I'm Misaki Kondo." She nonchalantly replied her question. Then a gasp escaped her lips, "Those students!" Memories of what happened flashed through her mind, she scooted closer to the teacher and pulled the clipboard down to show her concerned eyes, "Where's Ikari? Is he ok? Is he hurt?" It was her turn to bombard the teacher with questions. The staff yanked her clipboard back towards her, "His well-being should not be your concern since you are the victim, Ms Kondo. He is currently in the headmaster's office. Most likely receiving his punishment by now."

"Punishment? What for? He wasn't the one who hurt me! I remember the ones who did very clearly, and they were the ones who threatened him! Ri-chan is not at fault! He wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone me!"

"I need you to calm down, Ms Kondo." The teacher said sternly, "You hit your head pretty hard and there's a small bump at the back of your head. Do you feel any giddiness or headaches?" She clicked her pen, getting irate at Misaki's behaviour. A girl losing consciousness don't normally have this amount of energy the moment they wake up.

Misaki pulled the covers away from her body and swung her legs off the opposite side of the bed. "I'm perfectly fine. Thank you!" Before the teacher could stand and grab her back to the bed, she sprinted off to the principle's office. The bump on her head and the lack of shoes the last thing on her mind right now. She ran past all the curious gazes and shocked gazes of the students and teachers in the corridor, her hair in a mess as it whipped around in her non-stop sprint and skip down a few steps. The office door had a wooden plague with the words "Principle" printed in white. She didn't bother to knock on the door, and burst in exclaiming "Ikari's not the one that hurt me!" before she even saw who was in the room.

The balding man had his clasped hands resting atop his wide desk, a startled expression on his face as he faced the sudden intruder. A blonde boy standing in between Misaki and the headmaster, and another strict-looking teacher stood to the side with his hands behind his back. He was the first one to react to Misaki's intrusion, "Hey! You're not supposed to be here!" He started moving towards her, intending to drag her out of the office. Her eyes widened to see that it was the blonde boy that sat next to her in class. "Ikari? They have the same name?" She was a little confused, but quickly manoeuvred around and slapped her hand agains the principle's desk, "He didn't hurt me. I can show you who did! They're the ones you should punish!" Her determined eyes held the principles'.

[Blackened World]

IKARI

Ikari wasn't really listening to the principal anymore. This was the perfect opportunity to kick him out for good, something that the school's staff was more than happy to agree with. Brute, problem child, those were the only things they saw in him. A waste of space, and a violent kid who was better on his house than in school. Without being willing to listening him, the principal rambled on how he was a constant threat to the other students, and that his true nature was finally shown with the little incident. Kabuki was deemed as a victim of the situation, so they let him go. Tough luck for him, eh?

"...And, given the circumstances Mr. Shitsurei, I can't let this slip off like other incidents. So hereby, you're officially expul-" Just as he was about to dictate the harsh punishment for the boy, the headmaster was cut off by the sound of doors roughly opening. "Ikari's not the one who hurt me!" A voice of a teenager suddenly butted in the conversation. Standing there, looking like a total mess, was Misaki. The blond widened his eyes in surprise. He didn't expect at all that she would show up, just like that. She dodged a teacher that was going to drag her out of the office, and slapped her hands loudly on the desk. "He didn't hurt me. I can show you who did! They're the ones you should punish!" She said with determination, meeting the headmaster's eyes with her own.

Ikari stared at her dumbfounded. This was just like years ago. He would get bullied, and she would stand up for him. Even when he acted like that, she was willing to burst into the headmaster's office just to help him out. "Mi-chan..." He whispered without thinking, realizing what he said just seconds later. He clenched his fists, ignoring the pain of the cut that Kabuki had laid on him when they fought.

"You idiot! This is exactly the reason of why you ended up in such a mess, learn when to shut up a little!" He yelled at Misaki while standing up, ignoring the sudden wariness of the other teacher alongside him. "I don't need your goddamn help, or anyone's!" The blond stated with a determination equal to the girl's own, his grave voice echoing in the room. He saved her, and that was it. He didn't need her pity or help, he could get out of his situation, like he always did since years ago when he was left alone...

[eRia]

Misaki

Misaki spun around on her heels, her eyebrows furrowed, she felt something in her that she had not felt in a long time- Anger. "I just want the people who did this to be rightfully punished so that this would never happen again. They need to learn that if they do bad things, there will be consequences. It just so happens that this is helping you too!" She was breathing heavily after that. Her fists clenched at her sides, and squeezed her eyes shut for a few seconds in an attempt to calm down. When she opened them, they were downcast, and fell to Ikari's fists. She noticed that a hand had red liquid dripping from his knuckles. She closed the distance between them and grabbed it to clarify her suspicions. She couldn't help but get worried, "You're hurt... How did no one notice this? You need to get medical attention immediately." She glared at both teachers accusingly.

The principle cleared his throat, "If what you say is true, this needs more investigating. But, I am aware that you are a new student and I have no reason to trust your words."

"But sir-" Misaki tried to rebut, but got cut off as the principle held his forefinger up to silence her. "Considering your record from your previous school, I don't have any reason not to trust you. However, Mr Shitsurei will not go unpunished. He is suspended for 3 days and will need to hand in a self-reflection at the end of the suspension period. This is your last warning, the next time you enter my office, you will be expelled. As for you, Ms Kondo. You will be punished for your rude behaviour. You will be on school-wide cleaning duty for 2 weeks and will be required to assist in further investigation. Now both of you, head to the nurses office to get your wounds checked, you can go home after. Both of your parents will be getting a call from me about today." The principle sighed at the end of his verdict and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Misaki bowed, still pretty annoyed. She held on to Ikari's hand and left the office, heading back to the nurse's office. She had a few words she wanted to say to the blonde in private.

[Blackened World]

IKARI

After barely managing to not get expelled from school, Ikari was being led by Misaki to the nurse's office, her smooth and smaller hand tightly holding his own, like making sure that he didn't escape from her this time. He could only sigh, as her persistence was bigger than his own annoyance, so going to house directly was a no-no for him right now. The duo entered without uttering a single word into the infirmary, Ikari sitting on a free bed while Misaki grabbed some bandages to patch his hand. There was no nurse or teacher in the room, so they had to heal their own injuries.

Ikari avoided to look at her directly, while she patched his hand with a pout. She looked almost cute like that. Almost. The blond was still pissed by the events that had transpired just some time ago, and he wasn't in the whole hormonal teenager mood. He glanced a little at her. She looked concentrated. Or angry. It didn't really matter.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" He stated like a matter of fact, not caring that it could offend her. "If you just acted like the perfect student you're supposed to be, I would be the only one that got punished. Yer too much of a goody-two-shoes for your own good" Ikari kept expressing his thoughts, not missing a beat as words instantly slipped off of his mouth. They weren't little kids anymore. Consequences could be even harsher than just a little scolding, and the blond couldn't even begin to comprehend what was pushing this girl to stand up for him. Hell, he was sure she didn't really knew if he was the real Ikari or not...so why? He wanted to be enlightened in the why of such behavior, to know why she would help some stranger she just met a few hours ago.

That was Misaki for ya. Not your everyday hero, but a hero of her own choosing nonetheless.

[eRia]

Misaki

Misaki finished bandaging up his hand and tied it a little too tightly on purpose. She put away the remaining bandages and mediation in the first aid box before retorting, “If you can call your neighbor an idiot, then you are too.” She huffed like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum. “You could have gotten a teacher instead of getting involved and we wouldn't be here right now.”

Misaki sighed, and locked eyes with him, “You remind me so much of my childhood friend. I know you aren’t the same person. But you both have the same name, you both need need someone to stand up for you. If not, you’ll just take the beating like you deserve it.” Tears started to well up in her eyes and she quickly looked away, not so subtly wiping them dry, and putting up a fake laugh.

“Sorry, I can’t help myself but to butt into situations like these. So just let ‘older sister’ take care of you, ok?” Misaki turned back to face him with a cheeky grin. She promised something similar to Ri-Chan too when she was younger. She hasn’t forgot about it, she felt sorry that she couldn’t be with him all the time like she promised. She’s finally back now, and hope to find him to ask for his forgiveness and hopefully be friends again.

[Blackened World]

IKARI

Ikari looked at her with an amused expression, before letting out a small laugh of his own. "Pff, ya still with neighbor thing? Just who the hell do you think I am? He said while standing up, still facing her. "Well, suit yourself princess. But try to not get yourself killed too often, I like my hand unharmed" He teased her with a grin that screamed "punch me right now" while massaging his injured hand. He was sure that the bandages were a little too tight.

If she wanted to protect him, then so be it. Arguing with her about what to do and what not is like trying to stop a meteor barehanded. Better leave her do what she wanted. Or make her think that she was doing it in the first place. The way she said that she was going to protect him certainly struck a nerve, and bad memories were resurfacing, so the sooner he left that place the better. "If you want to protect me so much, then I won't stop you, 'sis'. But just so you know, getting involved with me is bad business, and there are things worse than what was going to happen today" He said with a serious face. He could still remember how they were talking about her. What could've happened if he didn't stop them? Ikari certainly didn't want to know.

He started walking towards the door, before a even more annoying thought struck him down. "Aaah, fuck the principal. Now I'll have to catch up 3 days of school!" The blond yelled to no one, scratching his head in anger. Problems seem to love him a little too much. First it was an asshole with a knife, and now it was suspension. A normal day on good ol' Ikari's life.

[eRia]

Misaki followed suit, she exaggerated a gasp as she covered her open mouth with a hand before playfully slapping Ikari on his back. "That foul mouth of yours is probably what gets you into bad business." She teased. "Be thankful that you just got suspended, though that's not really something to be happy about. Huh." She tapped her chin lightly as her lips pursed. She skipped ahead in front of him before turning round to propose a silly idea of hers.

"Since we got the rest of the day free, do you want to go do something fun? I heard there's a new cafe around town that has good reviews for their sweets!" Excitement clearly on her face now, there was no point in brooding about their punishment. If anything some desserts would cheer them up- at least for Misaki. Her eyes gleamed with anticipation and hoped that Ikari would accompany her, albeit an odd place for a boy like him to go. Maybe he needed more incentive to go with her, he did get injured and suspended because of her. "Then I'll follow you, where ever you want to go! Please?" She clasped her hands in front of her in a pleading gesture and attempted to pull off a puppy-eye look.

[Blackened World]

At the mention of sweets, Ikari's characteristic creepy smile of being angry and happy returned to his face. The puppy eyes weren't helping, making him blush a little. "W-Well, just a few sweets can't be that bad..." As he finished that line, his stomach made a loud growl, the red on his face suddenly being more brilliant. Damn his body for being so weak to food. "Ugh...okay, fine! Let's go to that new cafe you're so happy about." He was still pissed about the idea of going to any place that it wasn't his home, but sweets makes things better. Sweets always makes things better.

"But first we have to grab our things. I won't go anywhere empty-handed" Suddenly, Ikari grabbed Misaki's hand without thinking, and started walking outside the nurse's office and towards their classroom. He tried to act as calm as possible, but his face was as red as a tomato. Misaki would tease him forever if he spun around while looking like that. And why the hell was he getting embarrassed in the first place?! Hand holding isn't that meaningful, is it? 'How is it that I can fight thugs almost every day, but I'm still nervous around a girl?! Damn her for this...' He thought while trying to act as cool as possible.

[eRia]

Misaki fist bumped the air in victory, "Yay!" She exclaimed a little too loudly. It was still the middle of the day and classes were going on. She quickly covered her mouth in shock of how loud it was, before giggling uncontrollably. Ikari dragging her along didn't help her calm her laughter especially when she saw that the back of his ears were red. They soon reached their classroom. They were in the middle of math period and she tried sneaking in through the back door to her table. Her mission failed miserably since she was seated in the middle of the classroom. Students saw her coming in from the back and started whispering when they saw Ikari with her, gaining the teacher's attention. The teacher crossed her arms in front of her, a scowl on her face. While the students were laughing silently when Misaki made a lame joke about transfer students, a hand at the back of her neck in embarrassment. Before she could make any more of a fool of herself, she quickly grabbed her bag by her table and left with a "See you tomorrow!"

They both left campus, heading towards the center of town. "Sweets, sweets, I can't wait for sweets," Misaki sang in a tune she came up with, constantly twirling around with a smile on her face. Soon enough, they entered the cafe. It had a nice family-friendly atmosphere indoors with a white modern counter with a wide variety of sweets and pastries behind a glass display. There were several booths in the cafe that matched the colour scheme. It was pretty empty as expected, there was a family with a young child and a few other older couples besides them. The waitress brought them to a window booth and handed them a menu each.

Misaki's eyes were immediately glued to the cute pictures of parfaits, "Woah, there's so many flavours!" If she could, she would get all of them. She pulled the menu down from her face, giggling again when she saw Ikari sitting opposite her. So many things happened in her first day and she somehow ended up in a cafe with a boy she just met. The realisation suddenly hit her, is she on a date?! Her face suddenly flushed a bright red and quickly hid behind the menu again. "Er- erm... What are you going to get, Ikari?" She stuttered, patting the area above her chest to quell the rapid beating of her heart.

[Blackened World]

Ikari cackled in laughter as he and Misaki left the school. He had never seen the math teacher so damn angry, and the super lame joke from Misaki was pure gold. They fortunately made it out of there, and moved to the center of their town, looking for that new cafe that the girl wouldn't stop talking about. She looked like a kid going to the toy's store, but he was equally excited about it. An empty stomach and sweets was a good combo if you asked him. They rapidly reached the place. It was a bit fancy, but still held that simple touch on it. He liked it.

Misaki looked at this and that, saying something about reclaiming all the flavours. Some of the staff and people glanced at him a bit. It was expected, given his not very good reputation. They sat down opposite of each other, and menus for the 2 of them were handed. There was a lot of things he wanted to devour, so many things he wanted to taste. Just as he was about to talk first, Misaki had beaten him to it. "Er-erm... What are you going to get, Ikari?" She said behind her menu. Now they were with the first name thing instead of 'neighbor'? He didn't certainly mind, as long as she didn't call him Ri-chan. "Hmmm, there's a chocolate cake with strawberries that I like, but it won't be enough for me. Wanna choose another thing for me? Don't worry, I have the money. Ikari asked a little uncertainly.

As he waited for her answer, he pondered around a little. This was just like them when they were children. Together they would do a lot of stupid things that they would laugh off the next day. After she left, he didn't expect those days to return out of the blue. But it was ok to a certain extent. He wasn't the weak, clingy Ikari. He was the strong one, who could face head on any challenge without the help of anyone. She still didn't know about it, and it was better like that. If she wanted to have fun, then ok, but she would have fun with the Ikari of today, not yesterday.

[eRia]

Misaki thought that Ikari was pretty smooth with girls, 'maybe he's gone on dates before.' She thought or maybe he just didn't notice her suddenly blushing. 'Stop overthinking this, Misaki!' She scolded herself.

When Ikari asked what else he should have, Misaki pictured the table full of cute desserts in front of the rough blonde boy and she couldn't help but burst into a hysterical laughter, earning a few stares from customers and staff. "Sorry," She said in between fits of giggles, her cheeks sore from laughing pretty hard. Slowly calming herself, her cheeks now rosy from giggling and not embarrassment, she looked through the menu once more. "How about the mix berry waffles?" She placed the menu onto the table and leaned forward, pointing at the image of two stacked waffles with fresh cream and drizzled with honey topped with blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries.

"Oh and don't worry about money, I can pay for it too." She offered, "We could share the sweets." She stuck her tongue out playfully. That would mean she gets too try more sweets from the cafe today.