18 Chapter 17 - Old Friends

Eiji Hosegawa and Rikka Hosegawa. A brother and sister duo that used to live in the same neighborhood as Takei until he moved to another house one day. Takei's relationship with them wasn't bad at all, he just stopped talking to them as much when he entered high school.

They were both the same age as him, but they went to a different high school. Eiji was an inch taller than him, while Rikka was a whole head shorter than him.

Eiji had blonde hair with brown eyes, while Rikka had natural black hair with green eyes. They both shared many similar traits, since they were twins from the same parents.

The blonde stud himself, Eiji, was a very athletic person. He played many sports and even worked out after which resulted in his chiseled body. Sadly, he hides his herculean body by wearing baggy clothes. Eiji really hated the attention he got by being passionate about athletics. Girls would go up to him and constantly try to get his attention which made him very irritated.

That's why he decided to change other people's perception of him by using a variety of tricks. He would constantly slouch to fake bad posture and would wear glasses without any lens to give off a nerdy look. Overall, it appeared to work since girls immediately stopped approaching him.

Of course, Takei had known this since he had been friends with Eiji for a long time.

The other sibling, Rikka, had a long slender build similar to Akari, but the main difference was the modest chest she had compared to the goddess. It wasn't a bad size, just not anywhere near the level of the goddess's. She was surprisingly short for a girl who did a variety of sports and extracurriculars. Often, her hair would be tied into a ponytail since Rikka favored a mix between beauty and efficiency.

Most people would say that she had a shy personality, but that could be so much farther than the truth. In reality, Rikka had a very cheerful and easygoing personality which would only be shown to people close to her. Of those people close to her, Takei just so happens to be her number one, but that wasn't always the case though.

Rikka had known Takei for a good number of years, since he would always come over to hang out with her brother. The initial impression she got from him was that Takei was a bit too aloof. He really seemed uninterested in everything. She paid him no mind and kept continuing about her life until one fateful day.

She was walking to school one day with her notebook open in her hands. There was a big math test in her first period, so she was reviewing the content that was most likely going to be on the test.

"It should be this one, the answer is three..."

Rikka was so incredibly stuck in her thoughts that she didn't even realize the lights were turning red in front of her. She kept walking through the road even though the light was red.

A car began to turn the corner as she was walking. It quickly approached her and was about to hit her full on. It was obvious what the outcome would be. She would die.

At least, she would've if she hadn't gotten pulled back by the scruff of her neck.

A boy was breathing heavily next to her. "Haaah, watch out where you're going next time."

Rikka's brain was still trying to keep up. Once it registered that death was a hair's breadth away, she immediately paled and looked at her notebook that was crushed by the car.

Then, she realized she was saved and looked up at her savior. It was only then that she realized that it was her brother's friend, Takei.

Gratitude filled Rikka's heart. She wanted to thank him, but her stuttering messed it up big time. "Th-th-thank you..."

Takei still looked nonchalant even though something serious was going on. "No problem, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Also don't worry, I won't tell Eiji about this."

Rikka was still clearly frightened about this incident, but she was calming down due to Takei's laid back demeanor.

Takei noticed that Rikka was still very shaken about this event. "How about this? I'll walk you to school to make sure nothing else happens."

Rikka's eyes shot wide open. "Eh? I couldn't impose on you anymore than I already have."

Takei grabbed her notebook and handed it back to her. "It's fine, now just grab my hand and let's go. You don't want to be late, right?"

An outstretched hand was aimed towards her. Rikka had no choice but to grab on, since it looked like Takei was not going to budge.

Rikka grabbed the hand and held it tight. As soon as they held hands firmly, Takei pulled her up from the ground.

"Warm..." she muttered.

An indescribable warmth was spreading throughout her body. Takei's hand was warming up her entire body. It felt reassuring and reliable to her. The hand felt like it was saying, "everything's going to be okay." Unfortunately for her, this warmth was not going to last forever.

As soon as she was standing on her own two feet, Takei let go of her hand.

"Ah..." Rikka seemed very disappointed for some reason.

Takei started briskly walking forward without even noticing Rikka's plight. "Alright, let's get a move on."

With her senses returning, Rikka replied as fast as possible. "Oh, okay!"

Rikka started to move forward to ensure that she didn't fall behind. She then looked upwards at the boy who saved her.

Why does he look so dependable now? He looks extremely handsome now once I think about it. Underneath that thick layer of aloofness seems to be a large amount of compassion. It seems I've misjudged him.

Rikka's heart began to pound wildly. She had completely no idea as to what these new feelings were. Luckily, she remembered a similar event happening in a shoujo manga that she read. That manga was a complete guide to love and a young maiden's heart. In the book, it stated that increased heart rate when looking at someone could mean an attraction towards them.

This can't be real.

Rikka glanced over at Takei and felt her heart going into overdrive. The person she once tried to ignore was now the same person she was having trouble looking at. The only answer that Rikka could come up with was that she had fallen in love with him.

Well, this isn't necessarily a bad thing... Takei is a genuinely nice guy with no hidden motives who knows how to comfort girls. He's very compassionate and smart when it comes down to it. His looks aren't bad either. Wait, what have I been doing all of this time? This gem of a person had been in reach the whole time? It would be a crime if I didn't try to make him mine...

And so, a silent crusade was pledged upon without Takei knowing a single thing.

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Rikka's Affection Meter: Wait, she isn't even the main heroine?!