165 Chapter three, 2016, school festival, madness and glory: 4 (2/2)

He saw a couple of students climbing the gates. They wore the Himekaizen school uniforms and he recognised one of them from 7:2. With a wave Yukio acknowledged their presence and called in their arrival over the radio.

Students would start trickling in from now on, and the need for patrolling came to an end.

He led Kyoko past the bike stands, where she shrunk a little and offered him a guilty stare. ”Sorry,” she said.

Yukio didn't answer. He had no reason reminding her of his first confession to her. It had been spectacular for all the wrong reasons.

They reached the end of the left wing and walked under the walkway between the wings until they stood in front of the main entrance. Normally he would have taken the short-cut diagonally across the gravel, but now stalls blocked the way.

By now any remnant of morning mist was long gone, and above them the overcast sky was thinning out. Mostly sunny the weather reports promised.

He watched the main gates open to let a group of students past. Then the security patrol assigned there had them closed again. Urufu wanted it that way in case of an early invasion.

”Go inside and get some breakfast?” Yukio asked.

Kyoko nodded, and they returned inside the same way they left the building earlier.

In their club room sandwiches Noriko had prepared waited for them together with hot tea.

Anything as elaborate as miso soup, or even something as mundane as rice, was out of the question since they didn't have access to the home economics room. The side dishes associated with that kind of breakfast weren't a problem, but the thought of takuan mixing with bread in his mouth didn't exactly make his mouth water.

Kyoko wolfed down her breakfast and wiped her lips clean from breadcrumbs with a napkin. She certainly was well brought up, but the last month she mixed behaving like a lady with breaking all the rules just because she dared.

To prove the point she pocketed her napkin and kissed his mouth clean of whatever offended her.

More than a few of the club members present glared at them, but they were slowly getting used to her antics.

”Still hungry?” he asked when she was done.

”Have another sandwich and find out for yourself,” she suggested.

Yukio played with the thought of accepting her offer, but in the end he decided against it. He needed to prepare the back gates café, and after that Urufu wanted him for some more black magic of his invention.

'Man, how are we to manage today?' ”Help me prepare?” Yukio said to Kyoko.

She nodded and took his hand.

They left the room together.