Always Be There

6

Waiting.

Kaiya wasn't an impatient person for the most part. While she often didn't like being in a situation, Kaiya didn't hate waiting. Maybe it was that reason that Kaiya was sitting outside the student council office, half asleep while hanging around for her friends. As luck would have it, Kanpekina was the vice president, Hiroki were in charge of the sports clubs, and Naoko was allowed inside because some of the other members "didn't mind" (more like they wanted to woe him). Kaiya told her friends that she'd wait outside for them to get finished. Kaiya was going to be a good little girl while waiting, but she ended up almost falling asleep.

"Excuse me... Kaiya-san, correct? Shouldn't you be heading home by now?" A voice startled Kaiya. The girl opened her eyes all the way to see Akihiko Rei standing before her with a kind smile. Right, the son of a famous CEO to a company worth billions, which the son was the heir to, was the president. He seemed eligible for the position considering his maturity and dignified approach to life. He was the kind of charming fellow that would sweep a damsel in distress off her feet if Kaiya was in an otome game based off medieval times. Instead, the fairytale prince was trapped in the modern age, holding onto his chivalrous nature even with the swap of setting.

"Eh... Probably, but I promised my friends I'd wait for them. It won't be much longer. I'm fine!" Kaiya nodded along, rubbing her eyes to get the whispers of a tired feeling out. Kaiya nodded to confirm her words while simultaneously waking herself up. This was the president of her class, she wanted to make a good impression. Not to mention, that he was a conquerable character. Kaiya knew that at least being nice to those people was the best case scenario to make sure she didn't end up dead in a riverbed.

"The meeting is almost over, I promise. Today's meeting took longer than expected. We had some trouble deciding if we should allow a bake sale to raise some extra funding for the school trip. There won't be many volunteers, but we need that money to make this a memorable trip," Rei admitted, rubbing the back of his head with a smile that Kaiya swore was glowing. Like, heavenly light with stars and sparkles floating around it. Not to mention, the hallway suddenly smelt of... Was that ginger? Kaiya wasn't sure.

"Oh, that's too bad. I didn't even know we had a school trip. But I'm sure people will sign up! In fact, maybe I can convince Kanpekina to join with me," Kaiya said, rubbing her chin. If Kanpekina joined the baking team, lots of students would agree just to get closer to the girl. Kanpekina's fan club alone could run a bakery all on their own. If Kaiya could convince either Naoko or Hiroki, heaven forbid both, the bake sale would be a smash hit. That was if Kaiya was convincing enough, because no one would show up with Kaiya there.

"You know how to bake, Kaiya-san?" Rei asked, tilting his head as if this was an unexpected development. Kaiya didn't look like she was or wasn't a baker, and Rei didn't know Kaiya's personal habits. Rei didn't sense that Kaiya would be that kind of person, however, something about her sending a different message than her implications.

"Me? Technically. I don't like baking, but if you think about it, Kanpekina, Naoko, and Hiroki, my friends, won't do it unless one of their friends is doing it. So, I'll sign up, make some mediocre treats that can get thrown out at the end, that way those three will join. Once one of the three popular kids are in, everything will be smooth sailing from then, and you needn't worry anymore," Kaiya explained her plan with a mischievous smirk.

"That actually sounds like a brilliant plan, but I do not believe your treats will be thrown out. Surely someone will recognize the proud creations of an exceptional student," Rei said with another smile. Kaiya never did Rei's route, but she could see why it was a fan favorite, or why Rei was popular in this world. He was a kind hearted individual that naturally made people feel better. His words never seemed forced, so everyone took a genuine compliment as the set in stone truth. Sometimes, the compliments were warranted, but Rei was the kind of person just to hand out "pick me ups" without thought. That's why he could be known as a heartbreaker. People assumed that he was flirting, and would fall for him despite Rei not showing any real affection. Kaiya knew not to take the compliment to heart, fearing that she would also fall for Rei. That would complicate her plans for staying alive, since if Kanpekina fell for Rei, Kaiya could subconsciously become the rival. First and foremost, Kaiya didn't want to hurt Kanpekina, and secondly, she didn't need the troubles that would follow. Kaiya was looking out for the people she cared about, since after spending a two weeks and a half with Kanpekina, Kaiya had grown close to her friends, probably more than the original Chieko could have managed.

"I'm not good even if I know the recipes. But the bake sale is a great idea! Don't give up on, Rei-san!" Kaiya replied with a nod of gratitude. It was true, Kaiya was really bad at cooking and baking, really anything in the kitchen, but she did have a few recipes memorized. Kaiya could still make something even if it wasn't good enough to be sold. Kaiya didn't even need to make something good. Protagonist logic would make sure that Kanpekina was a hit at the bake sale. In the game, when the high school was having a bake sale, Kanpekina was convinced to sign up through the efforts of however the player wanted to date, and while everyone appreciated that Kanpekina made something delicious, she was given an extra special treat by whoever was gaining affection points. Even if the player wasn't getting enough skill points, Kanpekina would be held on a pedestal by her classmates for her efforts at saving the school trip. While the game didn't sat anything about previous bake sales, Kaiya couldn't expected Naoko, Rei, Hiroki, or Teruma to invite Kanpekina to participate when Kanpekina had begun trying to get their romantic attention yet. Maybe Kaiya could set Kanpekina up with Naoko or Hiroki, if they agreed to join, which Kaiya wasn't sure if they would.

"Well, since you have so graciously offered to participate, I will accompany you with my own treats that way the bake sale isn't ran by one person. Thank you, Kaiya-san," Rei said, bowing slightly. Kaiya wondered if Rei knew they weren't in a storybook, but she didn't say anything as he walked away. Moments later, Kanpekina came out of the classroom, instantly hugging on Kaiya. Sometimes Kaiya wondered if Kanpekina was a robot that ran on affection because Kanpekina was always hugging on Kaiya when they were together. Next to Kanpekina came out a pumped up Hiroki and a mellow faced Naoko, the two conversing at different volumes about the bake sale.

"Hey, Kina-chan, why don't we sign up for the bake sale? It'd be something fun we could do while being beneficial for the school! I want to do something good, but it'd be so boring doing it alone. I need my favorite person with me," Kaiya said, standing up with Kanpekina hugging her arm still. Kaiya felt a little dirty playing the favorite person card, but Kaiya knew that she couldn't be left alone with Rei, not unless she wanted to shake up the narrative of this interactive ebook in a negative way. With Kaiya alone with Rei, she'd end up getting flustered and ruin the entire bake sale. While Kaiya had no intention of developing a crush, Kaiya knew her own mind for the most part, and flattering attention made her get embarrassed, no matter who it was from.

"As my favorite person, I can't deny you this request! We'll have so much fun! I was actually going to ask you if we could help do a booth for the upcoming fundraiser!" Kanpekina responded with this grin that made Kaiya feel awkward. It was so pure and innocent that Kaiya wondered what an angel like Kanpekina was doing with her. Looking back at Hiroki and Naoko, Kaiya wondered what she was doing. These perfect strangers were treating Kaiya as if she was someone of equal value to them. Kaiya wasn't sure why they were pretending that she deserved them when they looked like gods and were practically good at everything. Even Naoko was rich, and Kaiya grew up poor... Well, in her past life she was poor, in this life she seemed in a better financial situation, but it was drastically lower than Naoko's.

"Would you two care to join us? The more help the better," Kaiya said, trying to shake away the self doubt before it ended up straining her relationships. If she became these guys enemies, it was like she was opening her arms to give the Grim Reaper a hug. Kaiya wasn't going to let this all end in her doom. She would put in all the necessary effort and attachment. It wasn't hard since Kaiya enjoyed being with her new friends.

"Sure-" Naoko started, raising his hand slightly.

"Definitely! This trip is going to be so great!" Hiroki cut him off as he bounded down the street. Kaiya and Kanpekina started laughing, Hiroki seemed unaware of his manners, and Naoko only shrugged it off. Kaiya smiled as they all walked home, thinking that this bake sale would be fun.