49-2. Practically a married woman

                                    

                                          


CHAPTER 49 (PART 2)
          Was I speechless? Sure. Was my mind wreaking havoc like some kind of tornado—definitely. But nothing could amount to the amount of shock that repeatedly socked in the gut time and time again.
          From behind her flowing blonde hair, the girl's creamy skin was finished off with full pink lips. She wore a stylish gown; sleek black from the torso up then fading into a brilliant red that travelled down her slender body until brushing against her tall heels.
          Regardless of my shout, Ueda Kiyoko didn't spare a look in my direction. Instead, her warm brown eyes settled upon Wannabe who happened to be the only one not gawping at her appearance, gaze glued to the food in front of him.
          Her mouth tilted higher, as if in amusement to his reaction. For the life in me, I couldn't comprehend why.
          But I did know one thing: this wasn't the first time the Hayashi family had interacted with her.
          I swallowed hard, not even bothering to savour the remaining flavour on my tongue. Did Wannabe know Kiyo this entire time?
          "Wait, Mi-chan." Saki latched onto my shoulder, worriedly raking me over. "That old friend from middle school, Kiyo, you told me about was rich? And from the Ueda Enterprise? That group is almost as big as the Hayashi Enterprise!"
          It was somewhat difficult to muster my voice amidst my spiralling thoughts. "Kiyo never used to talk about her family," I said. "Besides, we always were too busy fangirling about animes to really care about anything else."
          "That girl is actually an otaku?" Yuji demanded with his cheeks full. He only continued to pile more and more food inside of his mouth. Obviously this situation hadn't grazed him and his giant stomach in the slightest.
          "She was," I responded. It'd been three years since I last saw her and she'd become so much prettier in that amount of time. Who knew if her immense love for anime faded along with it.
          After sharing a couple more pleasantries with Wannabe's father, Kiyo was escorted to her seat and handed a glass of water by the nearby butler. He dished out a serving for her to receive to which she kindly thanked him.
          From beside me, Hibiki's hand had shot to the side of his mouth. "Hey, Kiyo!" The girl perked, eyes swimming their way over. I immediately ducked my head, hoping to play it off with an 'I dropped my utensil' excuse. That idiot! "Kiyo!" Hibiki went on, beaming when they finally locked eyes. "Remember me?"
          "Hibi...ki?" Kiyo dropped everything, her lips stretching back to ears. "No way, is it really you, Hibiki? It's been so long!"
          Hibiki returned a good-natured grin. "Did I get so handsome you couldn't recognize me?"
          "Yeah right, you flirt," Kiyo countered with a laugh. "I didn't realize you knew the Hayashi's."
          Hibiki shrugged in response. "So what's happening with you?" he asked instead. "What high school do you go to?"
          "Scheherazade," she responded. "In the southside."
          "Wow, you're super smart then."
          "Says you," she snorted. "You were the top scorer all throughout middle school."
          "I was in the top three," he corrected. "And that was middle school. High school's way more unforgiving. Let alone the genius academy Scheherazade."
          Kiyo laughed. "It's not that bad." Though discreet, everyone was paying all ears to their conversation as she reached for the chopsticks. "If you know Kazuya-san, you go to Seisein, right? How's it like there?"