"Just Acquaintances"

After approaching her, I set down the bags of clothes she bought on the floor in front of her.

“She was very... persistent," Reina muttered, staring intensely at her shoes.

“I wouldn’t blame her," I teased, casually leaning my elbow against the polished armrest of the bench. I looked down at her flushed profile, unable to resist poking the bear just a little. "She was just calling it like she saw it, Princess."

She finally looked up at me. “I told you this is not a date! ” she shouted, now with less energy.

“Okay, okay, got it, not a date,” I sighed, taking a seat right next to her, looking around the mall, trying to find a way to bring her mood up when a bright neon sign caught my eye. “Hey, how about this? You see that bubble tea shop over there?"

Reina stayed quiet, but her eyes followed my gaze.

“How about we go there, and you order whatever you want, my treat," nudging her arm gently.

“Are you sure?” she asked, her voice dropping the royal act. “That konbini practically pays out minimum wage. I’m pretty sure one of their fancy drinks is like... two hours of your life behind a counter.”

I felt a little sting of reality at that, but I just shrugged and gave her a lopsided grin. “It’s fine, Reina. Ever since you took on the debt, I've been able to start saving up. I can afford to splurge a little," I said leaning my head back a little. "Plus seeing you almost tackle a store curtain is worth at least a large milk tea."

“If you insist on being fiscally irresponsible, I won't stop you,” she said, though her tone was way softer than usual. “But don’t complain to me when you’re living on instant noodles for the rest of the week.”

“Worth it,” I laughed, grabbing her bags. ”Well? Let's go before the line gets even longer.”

We finally got into the queue, and I could practically see the gears turning in Reina’s head as she stared at the menu. I could tell that she wasn’t debating on which flavor she could get but on which drink wouldn’t bankrupt me.

When we finally got to the counter, she hesitantly stepped forward. "I’ll just have a small Jasmine tea," she told the cashier, her voice way too casual. "No pearls. No toppings."

"Reina, come on, the Jasmine is the cheapest thing on the board,” I said, whispering beside her. “Get the one you actually want. I've got this."

“No. This is what I want, Kaito. I—"

"Make that a large brown sugar boba with extra pearls," I cut in, turning to the cashier before she could finish protesting. “And I’ll have a taro milk tea. Also a large one."

Reina huffed, crossing her arms as I handed the bills. "I was trying to save you money, Kaito."

"Yeah, well, someone has to make sure you're properly fed."

As I reached into my back to grab my wallet, the cashier tapped a small sign on the register. "Wait! Since you two are such a cute couple, you can actually get those for half-off if you participate in our 'Sweetheart Snap' promo." the cashied said, pointing to the board by the wall filled with pictures of couples.  "We just need a quick photo for our wall."

"I—we're not—" Reina started, her hands already flying up in a frantic 'stop' gesture.

"I would absolutely love to," I cut in, giving the cashier a quick nod.

Reina snapped her head toward me, her eyes wide with total betrayal. "Kaito! What are you doing? We aren't—this isn't—"

“Reina, it’s 50% off,” I whispered, leaning in so the cashier wouldn't hear. “Think about it like this: You get to drink nice bubble tea, and I don’t go broke in doing so when all we have to do is stand next to each other for 3 seconds.”

The girl behind the counter giggled, holding up a Polaroid camera. "Exactly! Just a quick snap and you’ll be the best-looking couple on our board today!"

Reina looked at the drinks, then at my wallet, and then at the camera. Her pride was clearly at war with her saving my money. To my surprise, the money won.

"Fine," she hissed, her face turning a shade of red that practically glowed. "But if this photo ends up anywhere else, you're dead, Kaito."

"Just smile, Reina," I teased, sliding my arm behind her to pull her into the frame.

"One... two... three! Cheese!"

The camera clicked, and a small square of film slid out. The cashier waved it around to dry and then pinned it right in the center of their "Sweetheart Wall," 

"Perfect!" the cashier chirped. "Half-off for the lovebirds."

We moved to the side to wait for our drinks, but Reina didn't walk away. She stood in front of the board, staring at the photo as the colors finished developing. There I was, grinning like a total idiot, and there was Reina looking slightly startled, her eyes wide and soft, with a blush that the camera caught perfectly. 

We actually looked... right together.

I was looking for a table for us to sit, but in the corner of my eye I saw Reina pulling out her phone. She looked around to make sure no one was watching, then snapped a quick picture of the Polaroid on the wall.

If I call her out, she’ll probably say something in the lines of, "It's—It's for the records... another leverage...”

I decided to act like I didn’t see that.

We found a quiet table outside the bubble tea shop, tucked away from the main crowd. Reina took a sip of her drink, and the look of pure bliss that crossed her face for half a second was worth every cent of that shift. She tried to hide it by looking back at her shopping bags, but the damage was done.

“Okay, fine," she muttered, poking at a boba with her straw. "This is... Nice. Thank you."

"See? Worth the two hours of work," I grinned. Taking a sip from my own drink.

Reina suddenly placed her drink down onto her lap, her fingers tightening on the plastic cup as she looked at me. "...Kaito."

“Yeah? What is it, Reina?”

“C-can I... Try yours?” she whispered, the words rushing out so fast they almost blurred together. She immediately looked away, her face burning. “Just a sip, I've... I've never had taro before, so I want to know why it's so popular. T-That's all.”

I was totally caught off guard. But seeing her look so shy and flustered over a simple sip of milk tea was just too cute. “Sure. Go ahead. It’s pretty sweet, though.”

I leaned across the small table, sliding my cup toward her. Reina hesitated for a second, her eyes darting from my face to the purple straw. She swallowed nervously, then leaned forward, wrapped her lips around the straw, and took a tiny sip.

After pulling my drink back. I tapped the rim of my cup, leaning across the table with a lazy grin. “So... How did it taste? Like an indirect kiss, or just vanilla?”

She practically choked on her own breath. “I-it tasted like sugar, nothing more!”

I chuckled, “Alright, alright, calm down."

“Your turn," she murmured, placing her drink on the table.

“That’s... I’m fine, Reina; you should enjoy your dri—"

She stood up, placing both hands on the table and leaning in. “Come on, Kaito. Fair is fair. I took a sip from yours, so you should do the same.”

Her dark eyes flashed with that familiar competitiveness. She was still blushing, but she was also doing her best to keep cool, completely burying the shy girl from a few seconds ago.

I couldn’t speak; her sudden burst of confidence took me by surprise.

“You were teasing me about an indirect kiss earlier," a tiny, teasing smirk returning to the corner of her lips despite the blush still warm on her cheeks. "Now you’re the one who’s stunned... Mr. Glass Cannon."

I looked at the brown sugar boba sitting on the table, then up at her face. My heart did a sudden, violent flip against my ribs, but there was no way I was going to back down when she was looking at me like that.

I reached out and picked up her cup. Reina stayed leaning in, her breath hitching slightly as she watched my fingers wrap around the plastic. I didn't break eye contact as I brought the cup up, slowly tilting it until my lips closed directly over the straw, right where hers had been just a moment before.

I took a slow sip, but my entire focus wasn’t on the taste; when the brown sugar hit my tongue, it was on Reina, as her eyes widened, the slight parting of her lips, and the sudden, furious wave of crimson that completely swallowed her smirk.

I set the cup down carefully between us and wiped the corner of my mouth with the back of my hand.

"You're right," I said, leaning back in my chair with a lazy, victorious grin. "Fair is fair. And honestly? It's way sweeter than mine. But that’s probably because of your lip gloss."

She slowly sank back into her seat, her confidence completely evaporating as she snatched her drink back. She took a frantic, flustered gulp through the straw, looking anywhere but at me.

I just sat there, swirling the ice in my tea, a helpless smile plastered on my face while my chest practically hummed. The busy mall was still buzzing all around us, but right then, it felt like we were the only two people in the world.

As we walked back to the station in the sunset, our shoulders kept brushing. She didn't say much, but she had a tiny, genuine smile on her face.

Once we reached the train station, I saw that familiar black sedan waiting at the corner.

“My driver is here," she said, her posture straightening back into its usual "Ice Queen" form. “Get in. We’re dropping you off.”

"Wait, Reina, it’s fine, I can just—"

“No. I insist; the trains are packed at this hour. Get in.”

I didn't argue further. Sliding into the back of a car that probably cost more than my entire apartment building was a weird way to end the day. We sat in a comfortable, slightly charged silence as the city lights blurred past the tinted windows.

“Did you have fun on our little shopping trip, Reina?” I asked softly, breaking the silence.

She paused, the orange light of the sunset catching the silk in her hair. “It was... "Entertaining," she murmured, looking down at her lap. “Th-thank you for accompanying me, Kaito...”

When the sedan finally pulled up in front of my cramped apartment complex, the driver hopped out to open the door, and I stepped out onto the pavement, but Reina lingered in the doorway for a second.

"Goodnight, Kaito," she said quietly, her dark eyes looking at me with an intensity that made my heart do a sudden flip. "Get some rest. We have a busy day tomorrow."

"Yeah. Goodnight, Reina," I smiled, shifting the bags in my arms. "See you at school."

I turned to walk toward the rusty steps of my building, thinking that was the end of it.

"Kaito, wait."

I turned round, thinking I had forgotten something in her sedan. “What is i—"

Before I even finished my sentence, she closed the distance between us. And by the time my brain knew what was happening, she reached up, wrapped her fingers tightly around my uniform tie, and pulled down with a strong yank.

The force completely threw me off balance, forcing me to lean down until our faces were inches apart.

Instead of saying anything, Reina stood on her tiptoes, leaned in, and pressed her lips firmly against my cheek.

It felt like time itself stopped for a brief moment. Her lips were incredibly soft, shockingly warm, and lingering just a second longer than a simple goodbye ever should have.

She didn’t let go immediately after pulling back. She kept me there, leaning in close to my ear. “That’s payback for being a tease all day," she whispered, her voice jumping a little despite her best efforts to sound commanding.

She abruptly let go of my tie, giving it one last little flick before spinning on her heel with a sharp gasp. She practically dove back into the safety of the sedan's leather interior, her tailored skirt twisting elegantly around her.

But through the tinted glass, I could see a vague silhouette of Reina practically rolling around on the leather seats while covering her entire face with both hands.

Without a second's delay, the engine fired up, and the black sedan pulled away into the evening traffic, leaving me standing completely frozen on the cracked pavement.

I raised a trembling hand, my fingers brushing against the exact spot on my cheek where her lips had just been. It was still burning.

I looked down at my slightly crumpled tie, a helpless, totally dazed grin spreading across my face.

Yeah. I was pretty sure neither of us was going to get a single second of sleep tonight.