Sanctuary Night (Kaitou Kid X OC)

Chapter 20

When they got to school the next day, all the talk around was just Kaitou Kid and how the police was on a frenzy to catch him. Aoko, Rie, and Kaito walked into their classrooms quietly. Aoko tried to do something about the gloomy auras around her best friends on the way, but whatever they talked about yesterday must have been heavy to have even Kaito down in the dumps. Aoko decided to let the day play out without her interference, hoping something will help the two.
 
"Kaitou-sama hasn't been doing heists lately..."
 
"Well, duh! He's on the run! Of course he's been laying low!"
 
"That's never stopped him before though..."
 
Kaito got on his seat and leaned his chair back, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he subtly grumbled. 'Trust me, I'd be on a streak right now if Jii didn't tell me otherwise. Besides...'  His eyes drifted over to Rie's figure. 'I would give anything to see Naito-chan again.' He thought fondly before blinking and shaking his head to get rid of the thought. But now that he was looking at her, he noticed that she seemed different.
 
Rie was in a mental state wherein her mind was purposely blank. She's on autopilot, at least when class starts. It's a mental state that she learned as an assassin-in-training. Her dark purple irises stared at the notebook in front of her on her desk as she spaced out. As an assassin, her mother would always tell her about the times her father did not hesitate when doing a job. At those times, this mental state is crucial for beginners. But here she is, using an assassin skill to run away from her stress. Fortunately for Kaito, it was merely a beginner skill and Rie wasn't truly aiming to be an assassin, so he was able to easily snap her out of it.
 
"Oi~ Kuro-chan~" Kaito called out, poking her cheek and noticing the small scar he accidentally gave her a few months back. Rie blinked and narrowed her eyes at Kaito from behind her glasses.
 
"What is with you and annoying me, Kuro-kun?" She growled and pushed his hand away from her face, taking a deep breath that she didn't realize she was holding. Aoko took this chance to happily grab onto Rie's shoulders and surprising her from behind. Rie jolted slightly from being caught off-guard. She slowly turned away from Kaito and towards Aoko who was over her shoulder, grinning sweetly.
 
"BaKaito is such a nuisance, isn't he?" Aoko sang, earning a grunt of protest from Kaito.
 
"Not as annoying as you, Ahoko." Kaito retorted sharply. Sparks seemed to start flying in between them and Rie was right in the middle of it. She pinched the bridge of her nose and adjusted her glasses before placing a palm on each of their faces, pushing them away from each other.
 
"That's enough, you two. Class is about to start and- Did you just lick my hand, you disgusting freak of nature?" Rie pulled her hand away from Kaito who had his tongue stuck out impishly. A shiver of disgust ran through Rie's nerves before she reached out and wiped her hand on Kaito's uniform.
 
"Ew-! Kuro-chan, that's gross!" Kaito flinched away and fell back to his seat, taking out a handkerchief and wiping his shirt off, as if that would help. Aoko had a hand over her mouth while she giggled and went back to her desk as well.
 
Rie brought out a handkerchief of her own and wiped her hand again as their homeroom teacher entered the room. The class did the usual routine and went on for the rest of the day.
 
During lunch, the trio sat together and shared their food. Aoko packed Kaito his lunch for him, which was always reason for Kaito to whine. Rie wondered if they knew how people saw them as. Rie watched the two bicker like they usually do while she ate her lunch. When they got up on each other's faces, she couldn't help but feel a sharp pain in her chest. 

Was she feeling jealous? No, it couldn't be. They've already talked about this. He had no romantic feelings for Aoko anymore. She shook her head lightly, placing a hand over her face. She shouldn't be preoccupied with something so teenage and trivial anyway.
 
"Your cooking gets so boring, Ahoko-!"
 
"Well maybe you should cook yourself your own meals, BaKaaaaito~!"
 
Rie thought about how cute they were for having a special nickname for each other. It clearly showed how close their relationship was. She looked down at her food, realizing that Kaito did have a special nickname for her.
 
"Kuro-chan." She whispered absentmindedly, not as quietly as she intended. This made Aoko and Kaito stop and look over at Rie who still seemed to be in her thoughts.
 
"Calling for me, my lady~?" Kaito snickered, teasing Rie with a wink. Rie brought her head up as she realized that she actually said that out loud. Aoko had a grin on her face as well, waiting for Rie's response. Getting put on the spot made even the usually collected Rie fluster. A faint pink appeared on her pale skin while her eyes widened in surprise.
 
"Wha.. what?" She whispered again, a nervous smile tugging on her lips. Her obvious embarrassment from being called out made Kaito snicker even more and Aoko squeal.
 
"Chan is an endearing honorific, but I'll take it~"
 
"N- no..! No! I was just-!"
 
"I didn't think you'd profess your love to me this way, Rie-chan! I can unironically call you Rie-chan now, right?" He leaned in close to put a hand under her chin after he caressed her cheek. It made Rie reel back slightly. A couple of their classmates were now looking over to coo at them.