Kiyota was lying down on his bed with his head facing his window. He was watching the raindrops roll down the glass. His phone was in his hand. 'Will she text me?' Kiyota thought as he rolled around on his bed to face the wall.
"I'm not gonna text first. That'd make me look desperate," he muttered as he tossed his phone to the side.
A second later, he groaned and reached for it again, checking the screen.
Still nothing.
'Screw this, I'm hungry.' Kiyota thought as he stood up and half limped himself to the kitchen. His socks slid a little on the wooden floor, and he barely had the energy to open the fridge.
"Instant noodles it is," he mumbled, grabbing the cup and filling it with hot water.
He leant against the counter and stretched a little to loosen his quads, watching the noodles puff up. "This is peak athlete nutrition right here," he said to himself with a grin. The rain tapped softly against the windows like background noise to his thoughts.
He stirred the noodles with a fork and added the sachets in the cup before grabbing it and going back into his room.
"Guess she's not the type to text first either," he muttered to himself as he blew on a mouthful before slurping it up.
The noodles were too hot. He grabbed his phone and saw a notification. His sister had sent a meme. Something dumb with a cat and a caption that didn't make sense. Kiyota sighed and slipped the phone in his pocket.
"Why do I even bother," he said with his mouth full the hot noodles.
A vibration. Kiyota's heart skipped a beat as he pulled his phone back out. His was thumb hovering over the screen. The notification was from an unfamiliar number.
He opened it without thinking, and there it was. "Hey vending machine guy right?"
Kiyota felt a grin tug at his lips.
"You don't remember my name?" He typed back.
A few moments later the response popped up as a notification. "Kiyota Kurobane."
He leaned back in his chair and chewed thoughtfully. "You never asked. It's Rika Ayase."
"Well, Rika Ayase, I guess it's nice to finally know your name."
"You're welcome, Kiyota Kurobane," she replied almost immediately.
He stared at his screen for a moment, trying to think of something to say next. "Did you get home safe?" he typed.
"No. I got eaten by ghouls" She replied.
Kiyota's eyes widened. A few moments passed before her second message came through. "I'm fine, don't worry. I was just messing with you," she wrote followed by a laughing emoji.
Kiyota let out a relieved breath and typed back, "You can't joke like that. You scared the hell out of me."
She responded almost instantly, "Guess I got you good. Sorry, I'm just bored."
"Fair enough." he replied. feeling the tension finally leave his shoulders. "So, what are you doing up so late?"
"Tomorrow is my first day at Shūtei High. I'd just gone to pick up my uniform, but I couldn't wait till I got home so I just wore it." She texted.
"Then how did you know I was the captain of the basketball team?" Kiyota raised his eyebrows and typed.
"I watched you play." She replied, with a winking emoji following it.
Kiyota felt a grin spread across his face. "So you've been watching me, huh? Stalker vibes." He typed, half joking.
"You're pretty easy to spot with that height and all the flashy moves." she replied and her message popping up almost immediately.
He couldn't help but laugh. "Thanks, I guess."
"So tomorrow's a big day for you, huh? Want me to show you around the school?" Kiyota typed in and sent.
A few seconds passed before her reply popped up. "I don't know, Captain. Are you sure you want to waste your time on a newbie like me?" she teased.
Kiyota leaned back in his chair, smiling to himself. "I mean I wouldn't want you to get lost or anything." He typed trying to play it cool.
Her response came quickly. "Can't wait. Meet me at the cafe near the school."
Kiyota smiled at his phone and then he quickly typed back. "See you there."
He glanced out the window, the rain still softly drizzling down, and his thoughts wandered to tomorrow.
'This is gonna be fun.' He thought to himself as he grabbed his noodles again. His mind still buzzing with thoughts of Rika.
"She's definitely something else." The thought of meeting her tomorrow made his chest tighten a little, but in a good way.
__________________
"Dispatched CCG investigators have been following up on the recent double homicide that occurred at the community park in the 20th ward Niro street. They have successfully exterminated the ghoul culpr-"
Kiyota turned off the tv as he finished his cereal. He stood up, rinsed his bowl, and placed it in the sink. His eyes lingered on the clock.
"Alright, time to get ready for today," he muttered to himself as he grabbed his phone.
"Guess I should atleast look halfway decent" He said to himself still half-distracted as he picked out his red accented school uniform and a jacket. The rain outside was letting up and the clouds clearing up a tiny bit in the sky, letting beams of sunlight escape.
As he finished getting dressed, he checked his phone again. Nothing new. He shoved it into his pocket and grabbed his keys. He was ready to head out.