CHAPTER TWELVE

Aella

Aella began to stir. Her eyes flutter open as she begins to look around. She lifts herself up from the bed she was lying on. She still had a very comfy blanket on her as she looks around the unfamiliar room. The walls were almost bare, spare for a few volleyball posters. The sheets she was on were very soft and the curtains looked to be high quality. Her eyes drifted to look outside. Darkness had engulfed the campus. She continues to scan the room, and spies the school issued desk in the room. As she looks closer at the desk, she notices Kei sleeping at his desk.

Aella's eyes widens as she begins to piece together what must've happened. The last thing she remembers was doing the calligraphy notes for the team's banner and that was in the Club Room. THE CLUB ROOM. She must've fallen asleep. Did Kei carry her here? Aella felt her cheeks heated.

She slowly lifted herself and brought the blanket that was on her and puts the blanket on the sleeping Kei on his desk. And quickly plants a kiss on Kei's dark brown - olive hair.

The door to Kei's room opens, causing him to stir. Akira sees a standing Aella who puts the blanket on his underclassmen.

"Oh! You're awake Aella-chan!" Akira smiles. Kei's head shoots up and slowly dropping the blanket that Aella puts on him, immediately lands his gaze on Aella.

"Where am I?" Aella began to rub her eyes.

"My dorm, inside my room." Kei answered as Aella became slightly flushed.

"How did I get here? Did dad carry-" Aella was cut off when Kei responded.

"I carried you. We didn't want to dig through your things or wake you." Kei answered flatly. Aella became a little more flushed. Suddenly, the rest of team stumbles in, making Kei furrow his brows since it was his dorm.

"Aella-chan! You're awake!" Shou says excitedly.

The team furrowed their eyebrows as they noticed the sudden change of Shou's attitude. He was becoming more and more close to Aella, like a mother and son relationship.

"Y-Yeah. Are you all here?" Aella asks as she sat back to Kei's comfy bed with a furrowed brows. They all nodded, then Aella flashed a sweet smile. "What time is it?" Aella asks again.

Kei sits beside Aella as he whips his phone and pushes the power button on the side to activate the screen. A picture of him when he was a elementary student, wearing a mushroom headdress and purple stem lights up his background.

"That's cute." She leaned slightly and whispered.

"I know." He answered back. "It's 9:02, we still got 2 hours before dining hall closes." He was waiting for Aella to ask a certain, motherly question.

"Have you all eaten yet?" There it is. All of them sweats. Aella's motherly instincts are nothing short of amazing.

"No, we were waiting for you. Let's go." Kei stands from the bed.

"I'm just gonna change first. I have spare clothes there, where's my bag?" Kei blinked and nodded. Aella looks up at Kei. Her eyes are bursting more like than he's ever seen before. He began to feel restless once again.

Kenji raised one finger as if to say 'hold on' and ducked out of the room.

Aella starts to feel something she forgot something. She quickly started searching in her pockets from her jacket to her jersey shorts. The team notices it, then she faces the boys.

"I left my key to dad." She bluntly announces.

The boys stared at her blankly. They didn't know what to do, as they were scared to tell the R.A that she left her key to her dad. R.A in their dorm was extra strict.

"Do you have food in your fridge?" Aella then looks at Kei who was also staring at her blankly. He quickly nods in response. "Alright then, in exchange for staying in your dorm, I'll just cook meal for you all."

Aella walks out of Kei's room, and opens his mini fridge full of raw vegetables. They were amused by Aella's sudden familiarity in his dorm. Aella was checking the foods, then lists down some recipes in her mind.

"Why don't we eat at the dining hall?" Kei innocently asks. Aella shrugged her shoulder as she closes Kei's mini fridge.

"I was gonna call dad, to call our R.A to tell that he took me home for the weekend. So if the R.A sees me, it'll be trouble, right?" Aella responded on Kei's question. "I'm sorry for causing trouble."

"I guess it might be better if you stay in here. We'll just eat the food that Aella will prepare." They all agreed to it and stayed in the common area of Kei's dorm.

Kenji enters Kei's room and handed Aella's bag. Aella gestured thanks, then looks at Kei. Kei points at his bathroom in his room. Aella thanks Kei, enters and shuts his bathroom door.

It took Aella a while to change her clothes. When she comes out of Kei's bathroom with her usual black outfits stuffed in her bag. Her casual clothes we just a simple above the knee checkered skirt and a sweater that hung off one of her shoulders. Kei stared at the beauty in front of them, and felt restless once again. He had been feeling restless recently and he didn't know why.

"Wanna do something that interests you all while I cook?" Aella's sweet words were heard in the common area for the boys. The boys nodded, then she puts the paper and the chocolate candy on the island counter. The boys didn't attention to it first.

"You passed out in the Club Room Aella-chan! You must have been really tired." Akira tried to open up a topic.

"There was someone in particular who was draining." Aella pouted slightly.

She then started looking for a stir frying pan, knives, peeler, chopping board and some chopsticks. While she was cooking the boys kept on entertaining her, and she was responding accordingly to their questions.

"Oh yeah, that guy gave you his number, didn't he?" Ouji grimaced along with Hayata.

"Did he? Did you look at it?" Kido interjects. Name was puts the rice grains in the rice cooker after washing it, and cooks it. Aella glances at the back then points at the paper with the chocolate on the island counter.

"Son of his mother actually did it..." Kei gawked. Kenji reached over and made a 'may I?' gesture at the paper. Aella nodded as she then started cooking three meals with a family size.

'He has this family size foods in his fridge since all of them hangs out in his dorm.' Aella thought and that made her smile.

Aella notices that Kei also looked over Kenji's shoulder. The paper was covered in cutesy doodles hearts and stars. Not only was there a phone number, but an email as well.

"Man, I'm tempted to screw this guy." Hiroshi looks at the overly doodled on paper.

"If you want Hiroshi, keep it. Aella-chan was gonna throw it out anyway." Takato said as he scroll on his phone. Hiroshi mischievously smiles and tucks it away in his pocket.

"We're gonna have fun with that number!" Hiroshi and Kensuke said in unison. "Yey!" They aspirer in unison.

"Can't participate, but I'll watch." Daichi smirks. Kei begins fidgeting and trying to see over Kenji's shoulders out of curiosity.

The boys exchanged stories as Aella cooked three different family meals. Aella asked the boys to get their own plates and utensils as Kei only has six plates, utensils and mugs. And most of it are used as the main dishes plates.

Aella individually asked for their plates when she placed Omurice. A Sweet and savory tomato-based fried rice wrapped in a soft thin omelette, this western influenced Japanese dish Omurice or Omelette Rice is popular among Japanese people of all ages. Then she placed in the Island counter their two more main dishes. Stir Fry Vegetables or Yasai Itame; Cooking a healthy meal for your family on a busy weeknight is made possible with this Stir fry Vegetables (Yasai Itame) recipe. Loaded with plenty of vegetables and your choice of protein, everything comes together; and Japanese Pasta with Shrimp and Asparagus; Seasoned with soy sauce and flavorful dashi broth, this Japanese-style Pasta with Shrimp and Asparagus is incredibly delicious.

They were all amazed on how quick Aella was able to cook those meals, even if she's a daughter of rich families, both a mother and father side.

"Just eat, don't ask why I can cook." She said as she sat down on the floor with the boys.

Kei gave up his seat and offered it to Aella. She smiled and did obligated. Seats were sporadically filled and the they were undeniably noisy. The whole team could feel their manager's analytical eyes as she observed everything they ate.

"More of this right?" Shou questioned as he lifted some food.

Aella nodded.

"Thanks, mom!" Shou said as the whole team laughed.

"I guess, you're welcome ... son?" She follows and jokes.

"You don't have to humor him, Aella-chan." Tamotsu pats her shoulder. Kei noticed a twinge inside him.

Aoi and Daisuke noticed on how Kei reacted when someone is near Aella chan. They kept themselves quiet as they eat the food that Aella prepared for them.

It was beyond the expectations. It was very delicious, and they finished the meal at the very last piece. Aella would occasionally laugh with them.

Akira side eyed Kei. He began to observe the subtle facial expression that he had as he stared at Aella-chan. Akira smiled. Kei was allowing himself to be read like a book, and he probably had no idea.

"Kei-kun," her gentle voice cut through his thoughts and all kept quiet, digesting the scene in front of them. Kei looks up at her concerned purple galaxy and becomes restless again. "Is everything alright?" Akira gave a mischievous smile. All of them noticed the smile that Akira gave. All except the two; the aces.

"I'm fine. Thank you for your concern, and for once again delicious meal."

__

Aella volunteered to wash the dishes and the other things used to cook. The whole group was still there and they were playing Drinking Roulette. Aella can hear the naughty questions from the third years then they'll ask it to the second years. If it is a yes, they'll drink, if no, then they won't.

They're not drinking alcohol, but they're drinking blue lemonade that Aella made for them. She was just laughing when the first years whine about the naughtiness that the third years had.

After Aella washed the dishes, she drank water from Kei's fridge. After that, she walked and sat in between Kei and Takato. They were currently asking stupid questions to the third years, and Akira was the only one guilty so he drinks up a glass of blue lemonade.

"Why don't you join us, Aella-chan?" Ouji looks at Aella who was studying on her phone.

"I-uhm-studying." She showed her phone, studying about their advance lessons. "I'll join next time."

"There's no next time! C'mon, join us!" Takato puts his hand around Aella's shoulder. Everyone noticed this but no one dared to pull his hands away from her. No one, except Kei.

"Alright." She puts down her phone. "But, we have to rewrite the assumptions. Don't include inappropriate assumptions." Everyone agrees on her condition then was about to start their game when they heard a knock from the door.

"Kids! Curfew! Go back to your dorms!" Kei quickly pulls Aella up and leads her to his room. By the time he closed the door, the R.A entered his dorm, and the boys are startled by this. "Go back to your dorms now."

They nodded, then started picking up themselves. They gave Kei a meaningful look, before leaving his door with their washed plates and utensils, the only unwashed their was their mugs.

As they left Kei's dorm and was sure that the R.A was out of the hearing range, he locked his dorm now from the inside. Kei carefully knocked on his room. Aella opened the door, and he just stared on the beautiful girl inside his room.

"Are you alright?" He asked. Aella nodded and gestured that she'll call her father for a minute, Kei has to stay outside his room for a while. He obligated, and gave the young lady a personal space.

Kei cleaned the coffee table that the group used, with the scratch papers, colored markers and the box where they'll anonymously pick a paper then they'll answer it by drinking or nah.

He turned his head when he heard the door knob from his turned and opened revealing Aella's shy face. She was kinda distant from him than the first time they were alone in her dorm. Maybe that was because, they had formality and now, she was easy to read than before.

"You sleep on the bed, I'll sleep on the couch." Kei said as he continued what he was doing. He heard some few words from Aella but he wasn't sure about what it was.

"No. I'll sleep on the couch."

"I would look like a bad gentleman, letting a young lady sleep on the couch." He defended himself.

Aella stared at him, before nodding like a meek kitten. Kei can tell that she was awkward with him, but she was trying her best not to show it.

"How about we play Drinking Roulette, for you to loosen up?" Kei suggested as he showed her the blank papers, colored markers and the box.

Aella slowly walked towards the coffee table there and sat on the opposite position of Kei. Kei handed her the blank papers, and colored marker. Aella chose a pink marker, indicating that it was her assumption, while the green one belongs to Kei. They each wrote 20 assumptions to each other, and as they finished it, they put all together their 20 assumptions making it 40.

Kei stood up go get his hidden shot glasses, and prepares 2 large pitchers of blue lemonade. He puts it on the mini chair, and then pours both of them their shot glass with their drink.

"Rock-Paper-Scissors." They gestured it. Aella did the scissor while Kei did paper. Aella can choose if she goes first with the assumption or Kei will go first. She points at Kei, indicating that he'll do the assumption first, before her.

"Alright, first: Ever sang a song out loud and messed the lyrics. Looks like this is from yours, since it's pink." Kei noticed a very neat and printed like handwriting of their manager. He clears his throat, and says it without even laughing, but when Aella chugs down a shot glass of blue lemonade. "Seriously, you did?"

"Well, yeah. When I was young, I mean younger than now. I used to sing a lot in Okinawa, then one time I messed up in public. It was embarrassing, but yeah." Kei lets out a small laugh, since he wasn't expecting a perfect lady like her would mess up in singing.

Aella then picks from the box, then picks a paper with a green pen. Aella noticed a very cute penmanship that this gentleman has, and as for a boy, his handwriting is already nice to read.

"Ever watched SpongeBob SquarePants? What's SpongeBob SquarePants?" Kei chugs his own drink, then stares at the confused young lady.

"You don't know SpongeBob SquarePants?!" He harshly whispers, since he was bothered that the R.A would suddenly barge into his room. Aella innocently shakes her head, as her answer. "Wow, you amaze me."

It was now Kei's turn to ask, and he picks a paper with a green color indicating that it's his.

"Ever daydreamed about being on a talk show and what I'd talk about." This time, both of them chugs the blue lemonade in their shot glasses. They both let out a small laugh. "What did you talk about in the talk show?"

"On how Amazing I am, as a Volleyball player and if ever I want my child to become a volleyball player." She honestly answered as she stares on the shot glass she was holding. "You?"

"They'd interview me, since I'm an Amazing Volleyball plater and how come I'm single." They both laughed on Kei's answer, especially when he emphasized that he was single.

"Whatever." She now picks from the box, and she got a green colored pen once again. "Ever sang in the shower."

The once again chugs on the juice. Then explains it throughout the night.

"Ever had a nightmare about zombies chasing me." Kei asks then he drinks as Aella stared at him.

"Ever pretended to laugh at a joke I didn't get." Aella chugs down her shot glass as she finishes saying the paper she got.

"Ever thought a cartoon character was hot." Kei states then Aella chugs another shot of blue lemonade.

"Don't blame me, they're way hot that those real guys. Especially those who had a very good body and deep voice." Aella defends her answer and Kei was just there - staring at the beauty who defended a cartoon.

"Ever faked being sick so I could play video games." Aella said then he chugs down a shot of blue lemonade. "It's understandable."

"Ever looked out the car's passenger seat window and imagined it was a scene from a music video." Kei was guilty so he chugs it down then waited for Aella to drink, but she didn't. "What, don't tell me you didn't." Aella just gave him a warm smile then shakes her head as a response that she didn't.

"Ever Googled my own name to see what comes up." They both chug the blue lemonade since they were guilty. "Well, it was obvious for me since I made my name when I was young." Aella explained.

"Oh right, Kisaragi Mizuki." Kei gave Aella a teasing smile before explaining his side. "Well yeah, I am included in top 5 aces, and was planning to do better so that I can be one of the top 3 aces."

Aella rolls her eyes on the young man and continued doing the assumptions. There were times that both of them would chug together, there are times that they'd just laugh it off.

"Ever sent a text to the wrong person." Aella said as she pulls out a pink paper. It was Kei's turn to answer. He didn't drink his juice. "So, you've never done this before?"

"No." Kei answered honestly. "But there was this time, I messaged someone and that person never replied. Should I consider it a message sent to a wrong person?" He was pertaining to the time where he texted Aella, but she never replied.

"No. You messaged it with a purpose, and you are not accountable on why that person didn't reply." She answered and gave him a reassuring facial expression.

"Okay," he now then picks a paper from the box, and it was in green ink. "Ever called the wrong person, but pretended I meant to call them." Kei then drinks from his shot glass.

Aella stared at Kei, for couple of minutes before apologizing for her actions, for she knew it was rude to stare at someone.

They made another 20 assumptions since they were having a wholesome night, just getting to know themselves. When they ran out of assumptions, they started talking in personal ways. Aella insisted to tell Kei what kind of family he has, since they all know about Aella's dark past.

Kei was still hesitant, so Aella confessed something again and it was something that made Kei's heart thump louder than before. It was something, very special that no one knew even her own family. Aella gestured a 'shh' sign to Kei, indicating that he was the only one to know it.

Aella started writing some haiku, or inspirational quotes on the blank papers and patiently waited for Kei's past. She wanted to get to know this person more, as he made Aella be interested in him.

"I never thought that one day, I would open up like this." Aella started while staring at him. Kei suddenly puts his interest in Aella who was talking. "Isn't it coincidence, it was always you - with me, whenever I open up. And at the end, everyone in group will know."

"That-is-yeah, my bad." Kei admitted and apologized to the young lady who gave him a very warm smile.

"I don't mind though, all of you deserve to know who I am." She said as she smiled on the young man, debating himself if he's going to open up to the young lady.

"I live in a Rich and Traditional home at Miyagi. My parents separated each other when I was young, since they said 'They weren't compatible' with each other. They asked me which part of the family should I take, and I chose my grandparents. Ah-It's my dad who lives in Miyagi since it was a mansion that was passed through generations. I took my father's surname." Aella stared at the young man who was telling his life. He was trying his best, to tell everything to her. She just smiled and nodded at him, to tell that she's listening. "My mom is now in Paris, doing her passion as a Fashion Designer. That's why I chose to study in Tokyo, live in a dorm, away from the family so that no one will tell me which is which." He ended.

Aella notices the tears forming in Kei's eyes. He was also fragile as her. She stood up, and transferred seat beside him. Aella held his face, and her thumb wiped his forming tears.

She felt that Kei stiffened on her actions, and couldn't react since his heart was thumping very much, and he felt that his cheeks heated so much.

"Are you sick? You're kinda hot." Aella asked as she puts her bare hand on his forehead. "It's not like you're sick, but somehow your cheeks are hot."

Embarrassment strucked in Aella's face when she realized that their situation was awkward. Aella immediately pulled away, and transferred seats in an opposite direction of Kei.

Aella started wondering in Kei's living room, and Kei noticed it. He stood up and walked in inside his room, and as he opened his cabinet, there was a guitar. He took it and brought it back in the living room where Aella was seating on the settee and staring at the night sky.

"Here," Kei gave Aella the guitar. "You promised to play guitar, but at the moment I would be the first to here you play."

Aella took it, and removed it from it's guitar case. It revealed an acoustic guitar and it has a pick that has a wing design. She gently smiles and puts it carefully on the sofa.

"Let's finish first the remaining assumptions, then I'll sing for you." She sweetly said, as she offered the box to Kei, and once again they started playing again.

Kei shook his head, before seating in front of the cute young lady and picking a paper from the box. The one he got was a pink ink penmanship indicating that it was from Aella.

"Ever smiled at someone when I realize I wasn't listening to what they were saying." Kei was stiffened in place on the assumption that was written. Kei and Aella chug down their juice and stared at each other. "You did that?"

"Yeah, why?" Aella innocently asked Kei.

"Nothing, it was just unexpected from you." Aella just gave a worried smile and waved with disagreement.

"There are times, but not most of the time." She defended herself. She puts her hand in the box and picked one paper. "Green pen. Ever drank alcohol before turning 21." Then Aella chugs down her blue lemonade, and Kei did likewise.

"What did you drink?" Kei asked at Kei.

"Soju, Raspberry Soju. A korean beverage." Aella answered. She was slightly smiling and Kei was just there, staring at the young lady. "You?"

"Likewise, Soju." Kei can see the staring young lady. As she chugs down another blue lemonade juice.

Kei takes the box and he found out there are two remaining papers. He smiled, as he was excited to here the young lady sing for him. Yes, he heard her sing in the music room but this was different since it was only Kei and Aella.

"Ever dated someone." Kei was stunned in the assumption with a pink marker. He smiled and had a crazy thought running in his mind. He didn't drink his, and likewise Aella didn't. "Well, now we both know, we are innocent in love."

"Yeah," Aella puts her hand in the box and took the last piece in green marker. "Ever had a dream about someone I liked." Kei chugs down his blue lemonade, while Aella was staring at him. "So, you have."

"Yeah."

"Well, that's nice."

__

💖