Reiko Touyama had mostly calmed down from the horrible party. Her friends helped ease some of that. It wasn't great- but it could had ended much worse, she figures. She figures on some karma scale it was a break even-- some bad stuff. Some good stuff.
She /had/ gotten flowers though. A surprise no less to her. She'd asked around school if anyone knew a Haru-san. She was surprised to learn he was an upperclassman! Still, here she was in the middle school section of Seishou.
It was not particularly uncommon or out of place for her to be out and about here. The students sometimes had to pass through here to get to different areas of the school afterall, and right now, it was the free period. She'd be peeking around and looking at lockers.
What did that boy she asked about Haru back at the entrance say? His locker was number...
She turned a corner, reading numbers on the lockers. Hopefully, she could find either his locker, so she could write a quick thank you note and shove it in that vent all typical lockers have.
Or maybe she'd just literarly crash into him coming around the corner!
That might be more likely than Reiko thinks.
Reiko might have gotten a few strange looks from people she'd asked about Haru. Haru Zinoro was known to be kind of weird. His family are florists by trade-- that was probably why. All florists are some degree of weird, right?
But this digresses.
Unbeknownst to Reiko, her search for Haru is matched by a search for her. During the free period, Haru had been asking around for Reiko. He was somewhat surprised to learn she was an underclassman (underclasswoman?) at Seishou Public School. And after getting a small amount of information, he was about to head to his locker to put his books away. That way he could search for her without their weight hindering him.
Haru's not paying attention to where he's going. He's mentally outlining his search grid. And about then?
His only warning is a soft 'ping' from his pocket before...
SMACK!
"Oof!"
Instantly he drops his books. But instead of bending to pick them up, one hand reaches out for the person who knocked into him, while the other flies to prop against the row of lockers to his side. He's trying to steady them both, since with his thin frame, he's no great physical powerhouse.
Reiko Touyama thump! She crashes into Haru suddenly and expectanly and because it was so unexpeted, she doesn't see who's she crashed into yet. Also, those glasses of herself go tumbling off. The clatter to the ground but don't break or crack or anything. They're tough stuff. She does however, stablize herself- with Haru's help and she reaches back out to try to also grab Haru. "A--ah...!"
"S--sorry!" she says. "I wasn't watching where I was going!..." she says.
She blinks. Yeah, without her glasses everything is now fuzzy.
When they're both in no danger of falling over, she kneels down and begins feeling around for her glasses. All she kind sees are 'blobs' at the moment-- not so bad, but she isn't seeing the detail.
She places her hands on her glasses and ahs! She examines them for a moment bringing them close then slips them back on her head. She begins to also gather the books Haru dropped, well some of them and offs- standing back up..."Um... he---"
Then she finally looks up. "O--oh! Haru-san...!" she says with a sudden blush. "I was looking for you! I'm sorry!" she says again. Oh, she was looking for him. huh. "I'd hoped to run into you but--I guess I wished too hard--ahahaehe." yeah that's a nervous laugh!
Haru blinks as he notes who it is. He's so surprised, in fact, that he doesn't register to even move until Reiko's already found her glasses. "Oh, er..." Unusual for Haru, such a break in his composure. He even blushes a bit when he realizes he just bowled into Reiko like that. He's lucky he wasn't walking faster, or that might have been a disaster.
By the time she's got her glasses on though, Haru's composed himself. He offers a smile at her words. "No harm done," he assures her. "Are you all right?"
Hearing that she was looking for him gets a blink. But he chuckles. "By chance, I was looking for you as well," he notes. "I was pulled away from the party... I'm really sorry. Someone told me he'd given you my gift-- did you get it?"
Reiko Touyama helps Haru with his books hurriedly, when everything is back to not be strewn about everywhere and the blush on her face fades away long enough that her head doesn't feel on fire she clears her throat.
"Yes, I'm alright! No harm done and my glasses are fine!" she says. Indeed, they're back on her face!
She blinks. Oh. H--haru-san knows Hunter!? She wonders how much Hunter told Haru. Or did Hunter tell him as an offside? Well. Haru hasn't accused her of being a magical girl unlike that girl she met at the cafe the other day. >,>
"It's fine--! Um, an accident happened anyways so it's good you got tugged away." she says, perhaps a little relived that maybe, he wasn't driven off by the weirdness.
"Y--yes, I did, the violets were very pretty, thank you!" she says softly. "That's why I wanted to find you, to thank you!" she says with a softer blush.
"Thank you," Haru replies as Reiko assists him with the dropped books. He accepts her help without complaint. And manages to keep from knocking his head into hers while both of them get the books in some semblance of order. He offers a smile once it's done, to show her there are no hard feelings.
He blinks at her mention of what happened at the party. "An accident?" he asks, feigning ignorance. Yes, he was there, he saw it. But he didn't want her to know he and Hunter were the same person. "You weren't hurt, were you?" He looks her over, as if trying to spot signs of an injury.
As for getting the flowers? Haru smiles. "I'm glad. They didn't get damaged by whatever happened there, did they? I can replace them, if so."
Reiko Touyama is hurt, just not physically. She'd never felt that sad in a long while. She usually is good at not completely losing it all that she just breaks down into a sobbing fit in front of people she cares about. Physically? She looks fine! No casts, no bandages, she isn't walking weird or anything. Her magic does a good job of protecting her usually.
"Yeah accident there was um..."
"Some kind...of gas leak?..." she says. More sounding like a question then-- "Yes, a gas leak!" out in the middle of a park where it doesn't make sense for there to be a gas line even!
Haru knows this is a blatant lie.
"Oh! Um.. I put the flowers in a vase in my room... near the window so they can get some sun. I figured... that'd be the best way to handle caring for them for the moment..." she says.
"That's right, right?" she asks. "I mean.. plants need fresh water right..?" she asks. "And sun!" she says.
"B--but yes, thank you!" she says again.
It takes all of Haru's control not to burst out laughing. 'Gas leak'? That was funny. But he's supposed to be a mundane, so he accepts the explanation at face value. "Goodness! Horrible timing for it to happen right then. Maybe you can hold another party to forget it a little?" he suggests.
As for the flowers? Haru nods. "You can also put them in the refrigerator to make them last longer," he notes. "That's how we keep our flowers fresh at the shop. We have a cooler we keep them in. Put them in the refrigerator at night if you can, and they'll 'go to sleep' and won't wilt as fast. You can get an extra week out of them that way."
Reiko Touyama thinks..."Oh, so cold? Okay...." she says softly. She thinks on this and shakes her head. "I dunno if I'd wanna try another..." she says more silently. "Besides..." she says. "This one was a surprise party and I don't even know who threw it yet!" she says with a soft mutter. No, she does. Just. How do you explain 'the missing girl threw it because she's possessed by a jealous toy'?
She shakes her head.
"--but yeah don't worry about another party or anything." she sighs a little and looks down.
"Just... bad stuff overall, ya know..?" she asks.
The mention of flowers being cold gets a nod. "Just don't put them in the freezer," he warns. "Freezing them will damage the capillaries in the flower's stems and petals. The petals and stems will bruise then."
Though as he notes Reiko's mood, Haru's smile falls, and he tilts his head. "Did something else happen?" he inquires. He raises a hand, intending to put it on her shoulder if she's all right with that. "If you need to talk, I can listen."
Reiko Touyama shakes her head. "I can't really talk about it." she says. "I don't think you'd understand and It'd just probably be weird to you." she says softly. She thinks a bit and taps her chin... she tries to think of a way to put this situation into mundane terms. "Well..." she says thoughfully, searching her head. "Maybe...."
"Well..."
"Um..."
This is taking a moment, it seems as she tries to gather her thoughts.
"...a friend of mine... isn't really acting herself- and I'm trying to make things better. But I can't get through..." she says softly. That seems to be as close as to 'one of my friends is possessed by a creepy doll' as she can get in mundane terms it seems.
"..and I keep trying but..." she sighs a bit and just wilts.
"I'm sorry my mood is probably ruining your day--ahahahha..." she nervously laughs again. Indeed, sitting here being mopey isn't particularly flattering is it?
"Um.." she looks around a bit. "How you'd come to my party anyways...?" she asks soflty. "I mean."
"I don't mind." she says suddenly as if backtracking with a blush! For all she knows, Maeko knows something she didn't!
A trace of something ironic touches Haru's smile. He could tell her. He could tell her he was Hunter. He knows she's magical too. Like Minoke. But he hadn't told Minoke he was Hunter, either... and he felt bad telling Reiko something he didn't even tell Minoke, after as long as he had known Minoke. It feels unfair. But he wants to protect them both. Sure, what they all do is dangerous. But at least nothing could use Reiko or Minoke to hurt him...
He listens, though, as Reiko starts to talk about her friend who isn't herself. She must be talking about the events of the party. His smile gentles, and he pats her shoulder gently. "Maybe she's going through something that she doesn't think you'll understand. Or maybe she doesn't want to get you involved with it," he suggests. "My suggestion is, just let her know you'll still be there when she wants to reach out. Don't abandon her, even if she wants you to. But you can't make her accept your help. All you can really do is be there for her until she's ready."
As for bringing his mood down? "No, I'm glad to listen if you need an ear." And the question of how he got there? "I got an invitation. It said you went to the same school, that your birthday was coming, and that the party would be there at that time."
Reiko Touyama ugh, if Reiko knew this would be so easier because-- she could just say it. Instead, she needs to frame these things in mundane terms and it takes time. She sort of grits her teeth a bit in thought when she hears the next words out of Haru's mouth, trying to place words in the right place.
"It..isn't that simple really, but yeah I just... need to keep trying." she says softly. It's really hard to say 'my friend is being piloted around by a jealous doll spirit and that's not really her inside at the moment'.
She sighs a bit. "I Know but it's no fun if I'm juuuust always whining is it?..." she asks softly.
She head tilts and crosses her arms. "Huh..." she says softly as she taps her chin. "Do you still... have the invitation?" she asks curiously.
Haru remains quiet as Reiko seearches for words, his expression patient. It's hard to hear something like that. Particularly in Reiko's situation. Haru doesn't know the full situation, and she won't tell him like this. She might tell Hunter, though...
An idea begins to form...
"Everyone needs to whine every once in a while," Haru replies with a chuckle. The question of the invitation gets a tilt of his head. "No, not on me. I think I still have it at home, though." A smile. "Do you want to walk home with me after school?" he offers. "We could have a look at the invitation then."
Reiko Touyama sighs a bit and just shrugs. "I know but..it still isn't fair you know?" she smiles a bit. Then she blinks, and blushes. Is--is a guy asking her to his house!? Oh god. Reiko's too young to know if this actually means anything and she seems to be searching her head for knowledge. She decides to settle that it doesn't particularly mean anything because then she'd have to worry about that and she doesn't want to worry right now.
She merely says. "Well, okay!" she says. She doesn't elbaorate on why she wants to see the invitation of course.
Just that she wants to see it. She sighs a bit. to herself.
"I mean, if you even have to uh... 'whine'..." such a lame term for it... so negative, but.. it lightens the mood maybe! "I'm ears too!" she insists.
OH thank god her koi know when to behave.
Haru nods. "Meet me out front after school?" he confirms. "We could stop by there so I can pick it up, and then we could go by a cafe." So if she's not comfortable with being over his house, there's a place she can look at the invitation and still be warm!
He chuckles at her offer. "I'll keep that in mind." Then he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a card. It has the name of his family's shop on it, and their number. "My personal number's on the back," he notes. And sure enough, there's a number scribbled on the back.
Reiko Touyama bows softly as she takes the card and softly slides it into her jacket pocket carefully! Bussiness cards are important, afterall!
She nods. "Alright, I'll meet you after school then out front!" she says with a soft smile.
She looks around. "I should.. get back to class before the bell rings and the free period. She bows again. "T..thanks again." she says as she begins to slowly step away. Step step step--turrrrn.
Haru nods. He should be doing that getting back to class thing too. But before he does, he notes, "It was good to see you again. I'm sorry the party didn't turn out very well. Maybe next year will be better." He offers a smile. "See you after school, Reiko-chan." And then he heads to class himself.