Eventful Day (3)

The cafeteria buzzed with the usual midday chaos—students laughing, the clatter of trays, and the hum of chatter filling the air. I sat down at our usual table, setting my tray in front of me. The smell of miso soup and rice wafted up, mixing with the scent of freshly baked bread from the other end of the cafeteria.

Across from me, Emma was already there, eagerly waiting with a mischievous grin on her face. Rebecca, Naomi, and Aisha had just arrived, each carrying their trays. Otsuki was the last to join us, hesitating slightly before she took her seat beside me, her cheeks still holding a faint pink tint.

Emma's eyes sparkled with mischief as she leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands. "Well, well, well. If it isn't our favorite storage house lovebirds," she said, dragging out the words with a teasing tone.

Otsuki immediately stiffened, her eyes widening. "I-It's not like that!" she stammered, her cheeks flushing a deeper shade of red.

I sighed, rolling my eyes but unable to suppress a slight grin. "Yeah, very funny, Em. It was just a misunderstanding."

Naomi raised an eyebrow, a sly smile forming on her lips. "Misunderstanding, huh? Like how you accidentally tripped and fell on top of her?" She made a dramatic gesture, pretending to swoon. "Oh, how romantic~!"

"Seriously, it wasn't like that," I said, trying to keep my tone casual, but I could feel the heat creeping up my neck. "I just… stepped on a tennis ball."

"Oooooh, so you slipped your way into her arms?" Emma said, wiggling her eyebrows. She poked at her bento box with her chopsticks, clearly enjoying every second of this.

Otsuki sank a bit lower in her seat, her hands clasped together in her lap. "Can we please not talk about this…?" she mumbled, glancing around nervously as if hoping no one else had overheard.

Aisha chuckled softly and reached over to pat Otsuki's shoulder. "It's okay, Otsuki. We're just having a little fun. It's not every day we find out two of our friends were locked in a storage shed together."

"Exactly!" Rebecca added, smiling warmly. "Besides, we're just glad you two are okay. It would've been awful if you were stuck there all day."

"Awful?" Emma said, raising her eyebrows. "More like an opportunity!"

Emma turned her gaze directly at me, leaning forward even more. "So, tell us, Motosaki. Did you use your time in there wisely? Maybe confessed some feelings? Hmm?"

I nearly choked on my rice, coughing a little before setting my chopsticks down. "Seriously, Emma, nothing happened. We were just trying to figure out how to get out of there."

"Nothing happened?" Naomi echoed, pouting slightly. "Booooring. I was hoping for at least a cute moment or two." She nudged Aisha, who giggled in agreement.

I could tell this wasn't going to end anytime soon, and Otsuki looked like she was ready to melt into the floor. I decided to shift the focus. "You all have really active imaginations, you know that? What about you, Emma? Have you ever been locked in a storage room with someone?"

Emma's smirk widened, and she didn't miss a beat. "Oh, no, no, no. This isn't about me, Motosaki. This is about you two." She pointed between me and Otsuki. "And that juicy story we almost missed out on."

"Juicy? It was more like awkward and cramped," I said, shaking my head. "I mean, seriously. You try being stuck in a tiny room with barely any space to move around."

Otsuki's face brightened up for a moment, and she managed to find her voice. "It… It was awkward, but Motosaki handled it well. He tried to find a way out right away." She smiled shyly, as if trying to divert attention from the teasing.

Emma didn't miss a beat. "Oh, so he's your knight in shining armor, huh?" she said with a laugh. "Trying to save the day and all."

Otsuki's blush deepened, and she quickly busied herself with her lunch, hiding her face behind her cup of tea.

"Alright, that's enough teasing," Rebecca finally said, stepping in to give Otsuki a bit of a break. "Let's eat before the food gets cold."

The others reluctantly eased off, though Emma still had a playful glint in her eye. We all settled into our meals, the conversation shifting to lighter topics. Despite the teasing, I couldn't help but feel a bit relieved. The whole situation had been embarrassing, but seeing Otsuki smile, even just a little, made it worth the awkwardness.

As we finished up, I caught Otsuki glancing at me from the corner of her eye. She quickly looked away when our gazes met, but I noticed the small smile playing on her lips. Maybe getting locked in that storage house wasn't the worst thing in the world after all.

{Chapter 12: Eventful Day Part 3}

The bell rang, signalling the end of the lunch period and we all cleaned up our mess and made our way out the cafeteria. I checked my schedule as I made my way to the main building with the girls, seeing what class I had next.

Aisha peeked over at the schedule in my hands, her curious gaze scanning the paper. "What class do you have next, Saki?"

I glanced over at Aisha, a soft smile playing in my face. I turned to look back at the schedule and cleared my throat. "Here it says my next class is Theater."

Naomi let out a noblewoman's laugh, walking forward then stopped in front of me, her gaze meeting mine. "O~hohoho!~ What luck..~ You have the next class with me~"

I gave a dull expression as I looked at Naomi, blinking at her. "Never laugh like that again."

Naomi smirked at me, snapping her fingers. "Hm!~ No time for talk, we must hurry along now~ Mrs. Eika awaits for her beautiful fashion designer to arrive now equipped with an assistant!" She said in a dramatic and elegant tone as she pressed forward toward the club building.

I watched as Naomi pressed forward, rubbing the back of my head then looked back to see anyone else had the same class as me and Naomi. Emma smirked at me, shrugging her shoulders while Rebecca let out a soft and reserved giggle. Otsuki shook her head, an elegant grin slightly spreading on her lips.

Aisha gently pat my back, her lips curling into a soft smile. "Good luck with the Princess~ She's gonna be a whole hand full."

"You ain't gotta tell me twice...well here we go," I said dejectedly, letting out a soft exhale and began to follow being Naomi.

"Hurry along, Motosaki!~ I do not want to wait up the class!" Naomi called out, holding up her hand and snapping her fingers.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," I said as I began to put some hustle in my steps to keep up with Naomi.

Aisha and the others giggled at me then they all split up to head toward their next class. I felt following behind Naomi, the two of us entering into the club building and making our way down the halls. We made it to the very back of the building, where the theater room was, and stepped inside.

Inside the theater room were a few desks set in front of a stage, a few props set up on the stage and ready for a rehearsal of some sort. Ahead, a beautiful, young woman stood at the stage, adjusting the props on the stage. She had long, curly hair, tied in a low bun and wore an elegant turtleneck and jeans.

"Mrs. Eika!~ The best performer has arrived!" Naomi announced, walking ahead with her usual confidence and smiled.

Mrs. Eika turned to face Naomi, a warm, welcoming smile playing on her lips. She let out a soft giggle and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, good afternoon, Naomi. It's always nice to see you in such high spirits."

Mrs. Eika noticed me training behind Naomi, carrying her bag for her. She gave me a warm smile as well, letting out a soft hum. "Ahh, and you must be Motosaki. It's nice to finally meet you and welcome you to my class."

I returned her smile, setting Naomi's bag on the floor and let out a soft huff. "Thank you. It's nice to meet you as well and I'm happy to learn from you," I said, giving Mrs. Eika a formal bow.

Mrs. Eika let out a pleased hum, turning toward her props again. "You two can find your seats for now. Once the others come in, I'll start the class."

Naomi and I nodded and Naomi took off to her desk, patting the desk next to her, where she wanted me to sit. I walked toward the desk, softly murmuring to myself about how I became her servant even though I promised I wouldn't.

Soon, the rest of the students began rolling in, each one of them finding their seats. Amongst the sea of faces walking in, I noticed one of Reiko's friends were also in the class, a Noblewoman like Naomi, except this girl was more smug. She immediately recognized me, shooting me and Naomi a glare.

Scoffing, Naomi flipped her hair at the girl, rolling her eyes. "Just ignore Ara, Saki-kun...she's got nothing to offer but trouble."

I couldn't help but blush at the nickname Naomi gave me, but also heeded her words since I didn't want to get caught in between a cat fight from two prestigious women. I kept in my own lane, doing my best to ignore Ara as much as I could.

The bell rang for classes to begin and Mrs. Eika turned to face us with a smile on her face, clapping her hands together. The chattering in the threater room ceased, everyone giving Mrs. Eika their full undivided attention.

"Alright, everyone! I'm glad to see you all back again for another day of Theater! I hope you all are doing well because today we will be doing something rather fun! As you can see, I have the stage set so you know we are doing some Improv today!" Mrs. Eika said with excitement, smiling at each of us.

The class was rather divided in reactions. Some of the students were excited to do some Improv while others let out groans and sighs. I looked around, gauging everyone's reaction then looked at Naomi, who was rather excited to show off her acting skills.

"Hm!~ Perfect, now I can show everyone my superior acting skills and hopefully finally land a part in the upcoming play for the Creative Arts Festival," Naomi said, a look of determination playing on her face.

"That's only IF you get the part before I get it. I know you're aiming for that lead role, but I will be the one to get it just like how Reiko is going to get her artwork posted before your little bratty friend, Emma's," Ara said, her tone a mix of arrogance and condescension.

Naomi glanced over at Ara, glaring at her then scoffed. "Is that so? Well let's hope your acting skills as as good as your talk."

I glanced between the two women, caught in the middle of their cat fight and cleared my throat quietly. I closed my eyes and leaned back in my seat, staying out of the way.

"Alright, everyone settle down..~ I will have a separate activity for those who don't want to partake in today's activities. Today's improv will require three students as we will be improvising a scene dealing with two princesses and a knight. Two female and one male," Mrs. Eika said, her eyes scanning around the room to find potential participants.

She hummed thoughtfully as she looked at each of us then her gaze landed upon Naomi and Ara. "Naomi, Ara, you two come up to the stage and...mmm, Motosaki. How about you come up and give it a try?"

I watched as Naomi and Ara stood up from their seats first before standing myself and making my way onto the stage behind them. Usually, I wasn't nervous with speaking in front of a crowd, but with the tense rivalry between Naomi and Ara, coupled with the watchful eyes of the students, the pressure was really on.

Naomi placed her hand on my arm, smiling at me. "Don't worry, you'll do great, Saki-kun..."

I nodded, her affirmation and encouragement calming my nerves slightly. I let out a soft breath, glancing at Mrs. Eika for the next instructions.

"Alright you three, your screen is as followed: you're taking a midnight stroll together and both Princesses want the Knight, but the Royal Knight must choose who he wants more. The rules are simple, if you break character or stay silent for too long, you're out," Mrs. Eika explained, leaning against the main desk off to the side and crossed her arms with a smile.

Naomi and Ara glanced at each other then Naomi flipped her hair, scoffing lightly and taking her place on the stage. Ara rolled her eyes at Naomi, taking her place while I stood pretty awkwardly in the middle, feeling even more pressure than before.

"And action!" Mrs. Eika called out, clapping her hands.

Naomi cleared her throat and glanced at me, walking toward me with elegant and graceful steps. "It is such a nice day outside, don't you agree Sir Izuna?~"

I glanced at Naomi then took a deep breath and got into my role, calming my nerves. "Yes, I agree, Lady Naomi. The breeze is nice, the birds are singing, and most of all, I am accompanied by two Princesses."

Ara let out a soft scoff as she stepped toward us, holding her arms under her chest. "Sir Izuna, you do realize you can not continue to serve under two kingdoms correct? You have to show us where your loyalties lie.."

I looked over at Ara, noticing her sly, girlish smile on her lips. I glanced between both Naomi and Ara, a look of confusion on my face. "I know, but it's so hard to choose. I don't know who I am to pick as I want to serve you both."

"How about you come fully serve for me and leave this rotten, barbaric Princess alone? I could treat you better than any other royal could," Naomi said, holding my arm and gently pulling me toward her.

A few students let out soft "oohs" as they watched, a few students softly laughing and whispering among themselves. Mrs. Eika smiled and turned toward the students, gently shushing them.

Ara's face was hot with slight anger, knowing Naomi's insult was more than for the improv. She quickly calmed herself, knowing she had to stay in character. "Me? Rotten? Barbaric? Don't get strong will confused with barbaric. Not that I would expect a primal beast to understand. Your kingdom is only filled with insidious monsters you call humans, especially your king."

A few students couldn't help but to laugh at Ara's line, their eyes shifting to Naomi, waiting her rebuttal. Mrs. Eika kept watching, enjoying the show and genuinely believing into their words as they acted out a real rivalry.

Little did Mrs. Eika know, this rivalry was real and I felt like I was actually caught in the middle of a real feud.

"1,512,000 Gold down the drain from your kingdom due to a rouge noble amongst your ranks, and you think you'll be able to even come close to supporting Sir Izuna? You can barely even keep your ranks in line," Naomi retorted, smirking smugly at Ara.

Ara's cheeks flushed with anger, knowing Naomi was talking about a real incident that happened with her family. She scoffed, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward her. "I can support my family, you should worry more about that scandal between your mother and that butler. Doesn't seem like your bloodline has it all together either."

A few students began getting riled up, a few laughs sounding out from Ara's comeback. Mrs. Eika had to shush the students again, but knew this improv was getting rather spicy now. This felt more like an actual dispute than an acting session, but they hid the truths within their lines so well it was hard to tell what they were mentioning.

Naomi stammered over her words slightly but quickly recovered, letting out her signature noblewoman's laugh, a smug grin playing on her face. "At least my royal family can actually support Sir Izuna~ My father didn't feel the need to Great Gatsby himself over a small scandal unlike yours."

'Oh shit...it's getting real personal now. I genuinely can't tell if this is even within the context of the improv anymore,' I thought, glancing between Ara and Naomi.

Ara stammered, her mouth opening to say something, anything. She tried to find something to say, but couldn't and knew Naomi had gotten the one up on her.

"Ahh, it seems that Ara can't come up with the next line so she's out!~" Mrs. Eika giggled, clapping her hands.

Naomi gave Ara a taunting wave as she walked off the stage. "Good riddance, Princess~"

"Alright, let's close out this improv scene with a bang~" Mrs. Eika said, clapping her hand for the next scene to start.

Naomi turned her attention toward me, a soft smile playing on her lips as she held my hands in hers. "Sir Izuna, with only me left to choose from...will you take my offer and become my Knight for today and the rest of eternity?"

I locked eyes with Naomi, a soft smile curling onto my lips. "I will..."

"Then let's make it official..~" Naomi said softly, stepping forward and leaning into me to capture my lips into a soft kiss.

I grunted softly, her soft lips slowly captivating me and I decided to kiss back, the crowd cheering and clapping. Even Mrs. Eika clapped for such a stellar performance, smiling at the two of us.

"Bravo!~ That was such a great performance from you all!~ You really sold your parts!" Mrs. Eika praised, smiling at me and Naomi with proud eyes.

Naomi broke the kiss finally then turned toward Mrs. Eika, bowing elegantly toward her and giggled. "I am pleased to know you enjoyed such a performance, but rest assured I will be at my best at the festival..~"

Mrs. Eika nodded, smiling at Naomi. "I'm sure you will!"

With that, Naomi and I began to make our way to our seats, Naomi sitting down with a pleased expression on her face. The kiss still lingered on my lips and my mind, the taste of her strawberry lipgloss still evident on my lips. I couldn't help but to smile and leaned back in my chair.

'Man...I love this school already,' I thought to myself, closing my eyes.