Liar, Liar, the Mage's Desire Vol. 2 (The Oumeno Strikes Back)

Himiko, the New Girl (3)

    "He's a *supreme leader?!*" Himiko whispered incredulously. Rantaro smiled at her and nodded. "Is he actually in charge of a country?!"

  "Haha, well...you'll have to ask him yourself," Rantaro said. 

   "I don't know if I can," Himiko said. "I get nervous when I talk to boys that I like."

  "Kokichi is...interesting," Rantaro said, choosing his words carefully. "He's a bit of a prankster, and he likes to tell fibs, just to mess with people."

  "Nyeh? So, does that mean he really *isn't* a supreme leader?" Himiko asked. Rantaro shrugged.

  "He says he is, but, I dunno..." he replied, mixing the cake batter. "Like I said, you'll have to ask him yourself. He's a bit of a troublemaker, but at least he's approachable...unlike some of the other students here. You take one look at some of them, and you'll wish you were never born. But, Kokichi's not like that; he's easy to walk up to without feeling your life is in danger, haha."

   "Well...I guess that's good," Himiko said with uncertainty as Rantaro poured the batter into the baking pan. Then, he placed it into the oven and gave Himiko a sympathetic smile.

   "I think you should talk to him," he said. "Just so you can see for yourself what he's like." Himiko took a deep breath and nodded. 

   "Nyeh...I'll think about it," she said. "I usually like to admire my crushes from afar because I know they wouldn't want to go out with me." Rantaro gave her a nonchalant shrug.

  "You never know," he said. "It could be different with Kokichi."

  "Maybe," Himiko said. "Well, he did want to see me do magic, so I guess I have an idea of how to strike up a conversation. But...I think I'll wait until he approaches me. If I tried talking to him first, I'd have second thoughts and run away."

   "Hey, whatever gets the job done," Rantaro replied, smiling at her.

   ***

  Later that day, after school, Himiko was struck with a sudden thought: she didn't know where she was going to live. In a panic, she looked around for someone to help her. 

  "Himiko! Himiko!" a voice called from behind her. Himiko turned to see who it was and groaned to herself. It was Tenko, running up to her like some crazed fangirl. "Himiko, how was your day?"

   "Nyeh...it was okay," Himiko mumbled. 

   "Which house are you staying in?" Tenko asked.

   "Um...what do you mean?" Himiko asked. 

   "Here, let me see your schedule," Tenko said. Himiko gave Tenko her schedule. As soon as she looked at it, her eyes lit up. "Oh, my gosh! You'll be living in Casa V3!!"