Kuoh Academy

[Apollymi]

As Maiko ate, Takumi once again reassured her about her cooking. Beyond his verbal acknowledgement of her, he also began eating. This was beyond Maiko's understanding but soon enough the lad was even complimenting the whole thing, making it seem as if he was fully enjoying himself. He even went on to begin properly devouring the whole thing, causing a small smile and a blush to appear on the young woman's face as as she ate. "Reactions like that do wonders for a girl's self-esteem!~" she chimed. "Thanks..." she mentioned seeming to be proud of herself in the moment, and happy she could come close to reaching the same level of satisfaction from this meal as she had the breakfast he'd made on the day prior to this one. She had no idea about his personality settling, but she did find him to be generally thoughtful and pretty helpful once he as out of his shell. As such she was more than happy to keep enjoying her meal with him all the way through lunch until the box was empty.

[Bloodedge]

Having made very quick work of this meal, Takumi placed his chopsticks in the box and set the box beside him. Once it was out of his hands, he placed his hands on the roof while leaning his back against the wall behind them. To what he had to say about the food, Maiko thanked him. "Iia," he said in response. He took this time to glance in Maiko's direction while she ate her own portion. In doing so, he soon found his casual glance evolving. Instead of just looking for a fleeting moment, his eyes became locked without him even realizing it was happening.

[Apollymi]

As Maiko finished her meal, it was stated by Takumi himself that he wasn't interested in accepting the thanks she'd offered in response to his compliments. This was fine with the raven haired girl as once she finished her meal she put her chopsticks down and felt content. Strangely though, the entire time she'd been eating she'd felt Takumi's gaze, and by the time she hazarded a glance in his direction she found him staring at her. "Uh... was I... being weird or something?" she asked averting her eyes for a moment only to find herself looking back at the lad immediately after. She'd also find herself watching Takumi with similar intensity, a small blush appearing on her face.

[Bloodedge]

In his period of staring, Takumi eventually found Maiko looking toward him as well. She questioned his stare in some way before averting her gaze, only to end up returning his stare with an expression that mimicked his own... bar one thing: the blood which filled her cheeks. "Iie. I just..." was his only response as the staring continued. 'Is this...' he wondered. Takumi obviously had a situation in which he'd misinterpreted a sign or two quite recently. What could this reddening of the Rook's face mean, though? Was he reading this correctly, or was he wrong yet again? Or... was he perhaps questioning himself too much due to the actions of one other person, and throwing himself off in this moment? In the end, he chose to take the safest route which retained both risk and reward. He leaned forward only slightly, and his hand rose with its only intention being to shift Maiko's hair aside while gently brushing itself along the side of her face as well. All the while, he never stopped staring...

[Apollymi]

Maiko had a very strange reaction to the staring which came from Takumi, and though she'd managed to return the gaze, the blush on her face was bringing heat along with it. She watched as this lad turned towards her, and more so than that found herself frozen as he pushed her hair out of her face. This amount of tenderness was a bit unheard of in Maiko's case, which was something she noted only as his fingers brushed along the side of her face. She was a tomboy, rough and tumble with an attitude problem and a foul mouth. As such, in this moment she wasn't quite sure what this lad was seeing in her, but she was seeing the best of him. His resilience, ability be kind and even to be vulnerable around her, were things which Maiko cherished about him. Perhaps she was placating, taking her desire to look out for someone she saw as a kindred spirit a bit too far. Maybe she was misinterpreting non-violent friendship strangely, regardless of the circumstances... she'd end up leaning in just a bit herself, her body's instincts taking over. "You just..." she asked the question hanging in the air, her lips slightly parted and gently reddened to go along with the blush on her face. This moment felt like an eternity but she still didn't push it one way or another, the scale was balanced in this way, but all signs would show her as open to the advancement.

[Bloodedge]

"I..." Takumi paused again. He was struggling in an immense way trying to figure out the situation without ruining it once again. He felt something... the very vulnerability which Maiko keyed in on as some form of a positive showing. If this was something voiced, he wouldn't understand it either. Another thing he didn't understand was why his hand moved the way it did to move the girl's hair. Either way, this sensation welling up within him was an odd one. Maiko had been the one present when he was at his lowest point, when he couldn't even get a grasp on why it was such a low for him. She'd been some warming presence willing to offer him comfort and companionship as he sat in the darkness of his own subconscious. And yet... he felt as if this was something he'd experienced already. His current mind couldn't process why this was the case, but whatever it was, it made everything feel so much more meaningful.

If he needed anything else to go by that wouldn't be so confusing to him, Takumi witnessed the follow-up to Maiko repeating his former, incomplete statement. Her instinctual reaction to this moment brought her toward Takumi, and his own instincts forced him forward to meet her in the middle. 'Something... something about this is...' His thought would go unfinished. Takumi's eyes honed in on Maiko's slightly-parted lips as they encroached upon each other, and his own mouth partially opened to match hers just before a sudden moment in which they would make contact with one another.

[Apollymi]

Another word, another pause. Takumi seemed to be struggling in some way to deal with whatever he was feeling. In the same light, Maiko seemed to be open and understanding of him in this moment. As it drew closer and closer, it seemed the two were destined to meet in the middle of this space. It was like a massive build up, a huge breath taken and then... exhaled. Expelled even in the form of their mouths finally touching and a kiss finally taking place between them. This hadn't been Maiko's intention in the least, but she couldn't pull back from it either. She'd never kissed a boy before, but in this moment she found that it wasn't an experience she didn't enjoy. She'd leave her mouth pursed against his, until whenever the time came that he pulled away.

[Bloodedge]

Silence fell the moment Takumi's lips met Maiko's. This single gesture was something which he thought could have been well-purposed. Perhaps it was. All he knew for sure though, was the fact that he didn't wish it to end. His eyes closed as his body relaxed. This meant a great deal to Takumi for reasons he didn't even understand. His hand was still upon the girl's face as they kissed, and he used that very hand to further solidify their connection by consciously caressing Maiko's cheek. His lips separated from hers briefly with a pucker, only to shift right back into place. This occurred twice in succession, almost as if he sought something greater than what some single peck on the lips could convey in either direction. With the third separation of their lips however, he opened his eyes while maintaining the closeness between their faces. "S-... Suman. I just... I wanted to be closer..."

'... to... someone...'

[Apollymi]

This moment seemed unending at least from the perspective of Maiko. The tenderness of this moment seemed to exude a closeness she almost couldn't explain being for her. Even so, she accepted it as she did most things. When he finally pulled away he didn't go far, pecking her lips twice after and stopping still to look her in the face. When her eyes opened from this moment, she found him looking at her with an expression she'd never seen before. He went on to apologize claiming he only wanted to be closer. In a moment like this, after the things she'd seen him go through, she figured she was capable of rationalizing this and once again accepting it. "Well, that is fine..." she said still managing to look abashed but appreciating this moment.

[Bloodedge]

Maiko claimed it was fine that he felt a need such as this. Takumi didn't know why, but this sentence alone was something incredibly impactful to him. His eyes widened slightly, and trembled for a moment. "Sou ka..." he said with renewed resolution. He could see Maiko in a light he hadn't previously imagined, as if she were some sort of savior to his mentality itself. For whatever reason he had within himself, he moved forward to kiss her just once more.