Cooking Club Meeting – The Aftermath of Reina’s Rejection

[Scene: Cooking Club Room, After School]

The air in the cooking club room was unusually tense. A group of students sat around a large wooden table, their chatter unusually subdued. Masaki, the club president, sat at the head of the table, his head resting on his arms, groaning dramatically.

Masaki: "I messed up so bad…"

One of the club members, a girl with short, choppy hair and a confident grin, leaned forward and smacked the table.

Rika: "Oh come on, Masaki. How bad could it be? It's not like she threw a knife at you or anything."

Masaki lifted his head, looking utterly defeated.

Masaki: "She didn't have to. Her eyes were sharp enough."

Rika rolled her eyes.

Rika: "You're exaggerating."

Another member, a calm and analytical guy named Daiki, adjusted his glasses and leaned back in his chair.

Daiki: "So, what exactly happened? You went to invite Reina to the club, right? I assume she said no."

Masaki: "She didn't just say no… She shut me down instantly. No hesitation, no consideration—just 'No.' And then when I tried to explain, she hit me with an even colder 'I'm not interested.' I swear, the temperature in that lab dropped by ten degrees."

Rika: "Pfft—sounds like you got owned."

Masaki: "I panicked, okay?! I thought she was mad at me or something, so I started apologizing, and then she just… stared at me. No words. Just that icy stare like she was judging every mistake I've ever made in my life."

Daiki: "…You overreacted."

Masaki: "I overreacted?! Bro, you weren't there. You didn't see how she looked at me. I thought I was done for."

Another club member, a cheerful boy named Tsubasa, snickered.

Tsubasa: "Maybe she wasn't mad. Maybe she was just thinking."

Masaki paused.

Masaki: "Thinking?"

Tsubasa: "Yeah, y'know? Like, some people just look scary when they think. Maybe she was trying to figure out how to respond but didn't know what to say."

Daiki nodded thoughtfully.

Daiki: "That actually makes sense. Reina isn't known for being social. She's extremely intelligent, but from what I've heard, she's also pretty awkward in conversations."

Masaki groaned again, leaning back in his chair.

Masaki: "So… what you're telling me is that I panicked for nothing."

Rika smirked.

Rika: "Yep."

Tsubasa: "Absolutely."

Daiki: "Pretty much."

Masaki sat up straight, his expression filled with regret.

Masaki: "I made myself look like an idiot, didn't I?"

Rika: "Oh, 100%."

Masaki groaned, covering his face.

Masaki: "This is the worst. She probably thinks I'm some fool who can't take a simple rejection."

Daiki: "To be fair, that's exactly what happened."

Masaki: "Not helping."

Rika: "So what now? You gonna try again?"

Masaki shot her an incredulous look.

Masaki: "Are you insane?! After the way I embarrassed myself? No way. She's definitely going to avoid me from now on."

Tsubasa: "Or… maybe she won't even care. You might not be as big of a deal to her as you think."

Masaki: "Great. Now I'm insignificant."

Rika: "Jeez, calm down. Look, if you're really that worried about it, just act normal if you see her again. No begging, no freaking out. Just be cool."

Masaki: "Be cool. Right. Got it."

Rika: "Yeah, except you don't know how to do that, so good luck."

Masaki groaned as the others laughed.

Though he still felt like a complete idiot, a small part of him hoped that maybe, just maybe, Reina hadn't taken it as badly as he thought.