what were you doing?

Reina's gaze returned to Futoshi once more as she let a small, albeit disappointed, sigh from her lungs. 

"So, are you going to stand there looking all smug, or are you going to help me clean this up?" Reina said snarkily as her arms drifted to her side. 

Reina was known to be a piece of work, but for some reason, she would often glare at Futoshi. He was often on the receiving end of her snarky gaze, so this wasn't anything out of the ordinary for how they usually acted.

Futoshi grimaced at the sight of the snark remark as he looked toward what was left in the locker. The locker was covered in milk, and club supplies had been left in ruin; if this was blood, it'd look like a full-on crime scene.

"What happened in there?" Futoshi asked, still bewildered by how the locker got in the state it was in.

Reina's head dropped to the ground beneath her, as her fists tensed up.

"hello-"

Just then, Futoshi's stomach met Reina's fiery rage.  In one fell swoop, Futoshi dropped to his knees. The impact, as small as Reina was, sent a wave of emotions through Futoshi's body. It was likely that his body didn't know what to do, so it fired off all signals at once.

Holding onto his stomach with one hand and pointing at Reina with the other, Futoshi desperately exclaimed, 

"What..." His being winded from the impact really started to take a toll on his ability to speak; it was as if the blast sucked all life out of his body.   

"...was that for?" With that, Futoshi slowly stood up after regaining a bit of stability in his body. The pain slowly faded as his tone sharpened.

"You could at least acknowledge my question!" Reina bit back. After all, the only reason she did what she did was that he brushed her question off; so in the same vein, why should she answer his? 

Yep. She's a real piece of work. First, she calls me a perv, now this? ...At least she treats me normally, though.

The conversation started sailing off course, so with a clap of his hands, Futoshi brought the conversation back on track. In response to this, Reina cocked her head as her finger touched her lip.

"What was that for?" Reina questioned, still not sure about what that gesture was for. 

Before she could conclude, Futoshi flashed a wry smile in response to her quizzical gaze.

"You said you wanted help, did you not?" Futoshi asked pliotley, as his eyes beamed with determination.

"hmph" 

Reina turned her nose up at his kind gesture; her cheeks were on fire.

He-hes so cool.

As much as she would want to deny,  Reina's thoughts told a different story.

"...Fine, you can help, but it's not like I want your help or anything! I made an offer, and you brushed it off!" Reina said as she stuck out her tongue. 

She was cute. But she was really klutzy when the moment counted for it; despite her efforts to feign independence, she missed one key detail. The milk was still dripping atop her head. 

In that moment, Futoshi let out an awkward gust of air from his lungs.

"Uh... I didn't want to mention it, just to see if you would notice, but- there's still milk in your hair..." Futoshi said as he scratched his cheek with his finger. 

Reina's voice softened before her head lowered. Futoshi braced for impact, as if replaying the last altercation in his head. He tightened his stomach muscles as he braced himself for impact...

"..."

Her tiny, slender hand grasped the collar of Futoshi's shirt. They both just stood there.

"What-"

"Thank you, Akutami-kun, that was seriously scary. "

With that, Futoshi felt his chest tighten as he forced a wry smile.   As much as he wanted to enjoy the moment, his awkwardness wouldn't let him. In times like these, Futoshi often resorted to the only way he knew how...

"There's still milk in your hair. You go clean yourself up while I do the locker."

Just then, Futoshi placed his hands on Reina's shoulders before pushing her away. With Reina gone, he could focus on cleaning the locker. There was a pair of yellow cleaning gloves sitting idly inside it. It was a lifesaver. After all, doing this was better than stepping beyond those doors; being subject to all those heartfelt gazes was a burden Futoshi was sick of dealing with. To be honest, you can't really blame him for that. 

With that, he put on the lemon-dyed gloves and began the task he had set forth to complete. The milk was honestly a pain to clear out; he wasn't obligated to this at all, and he knew that. Who would wan't want to willingly do this knowing the amount of effort it took? Futoshi did. The way her gaze pleaded for help when he opened it gave him his answer; whatever Reina was doing must have been really important. He didn't want to tarnish any expectations he had set for himself.

As much as I hate to admit it, I can't ever ignore a face like that. 

                                                                                           ***

After what felt like an eternity of cleaning, he had finally done it - the Locker was back to its usual o self again. Futoshi let out a relieved sigh from his lungs. In one fell swoop, Futoshi's legs refused to move, his hands disobeyed any order to holster himself upright, and all he could do was lie on the ground, basking in his glory.

"This is nice-"

"What are you doing on the floor, Akutami-kun? If you're here to help, help. If you can't, can you take your stupidity elsewhere?"

She was back. Stood in front of the doorway, hands folded into her sides as her cheeks puffed out. Honestly, the scene in front of him was cuter than anything else. Due to her size, Reina failed at ever seeming menacing. 

"Looks like the milk's gone," he said, as his voice carried teasing intent.

Just then, Reina's arms folded as her gaze softened.

"yeah...Well, I guess I should thank you for offering to help."

Her face was as red as a tomato; she wasn't used to getting help like this, so it was hard for her to convey her gratitude. witnessing the heartwarming attempt at gratification playing out in front of him, Futoshi couldn't help but crack a wry smile.

                                                                                   ***

With that, Futoshi cocked his head as his finger touched his lip. One question remained without an answer:

What was she doing in that locker? 

"Anyway, Reina, what were you doing in that locker?" Futoshi asked, quizically. 

His gaze was strong, too strong. In response to that glaring gaze, Reina's head sank to her feet. The pressure, it was too much to bear; having your crush stare at you so intently was like a one-way ticket towards a blush overload. 

"L-love...letter." 

Her voice softened as it cracked between breaths. To any girl in love, they'd understand the sheer determination it took to confess to the one you love most; that was just a level of determination Reina didn't show.