34 Interlude (Ryoko’s Boyfriend)

As Ryoko walked to her boyfriend's secret room that he somehow managed to get the keys to or unlock, this week turned out to be both the best and the weirdest. First off, there's her new boyfriend, Eden Tsubakihara. He's this rich heir to half of the world's biggest gold company. And, man, he's like the most good-looking dude Ryoko's ever seen. He's got flawless skin, a perfectly symmetrical face, a muscular build, and what really gets her are his eyes – one blue and one green. The way he looks at her, it sends shivers down her spine, and he's been the star of her dreams ever since they met.

The second thing on her mind is her mother. Just yesterday, her mom came home in tears, talking about how awful of a mother she's been and how she's going to change and apologize for everything. At first, Ryoko thought her mom was just drunk, but then she woke up this morning to find breakfast and lunch ready, something her mom's never done before. It got her a bit emotional, even though she still has some doubts, she's willing to give her mom a chance.

Now, she's finally at the room. She takes a deep breath and opens the door to find something new – a writing desk with a comfy chair. Sitting there is Eden, going through papers and getting things done. The moment she walks in, he looks up from the papers, his heterochromatic eyes scanning her up and down, sending a shiver down her spine before he speaks up. "Hey, Ryoko, I had a crazy night and there's some work I gotta handle, so I won't be able to hang out. But feel free to watch TV or something," he says, his face showing a bit of disappointment. Ryoko's also a bit let down, but she can tell he's genuinely sorry, so she doesn't hold it against him.

Deciding not to distract him, she figures she'll get some studying done too. "No worries, I've got some studying to catch up on," she replies, sitting down across from him, glancing at his work. But, darn, it's in English and his handwriting is all cursive, making it pretty hard for her to make sense of it. As she's rummaging through his bag to get her stuff, she notices he stops and starts quite a bit. Yeah, in the few days she's known him, she's realized he's easily distracted. "I actually have a fiancée now. It shouldn't change our relationship, but I thought you should know," he says, then goes back to his work. Ryoko's face twists into an odd expression. She knows it's normal for wealthy folks like Eden to have multiple partners; it's been legal forever. But even with that knowledge, she can't help feeling a bit nervous – scared she might end up forgotten or replaced.

"Are you still coming to hang out with my friends during lunch?" she asks, a hint of panic in her voice. Eden quickly reassures her, "Absolutely, why would that change? My fiancée doesn't go to this school and doesn't even live in Japan, so unless I need to skip school to meet her, it won't interfere with our time together." He flashes her a smile, trying to ease her worries. "Yeah, got it," she replies, and though she attempts to get into her studies, it's just not clicking.

She soon finds herself stuck on a math problem. "The answer's 345," Eden states, followed by "x equals 345." He then patiently breaks down how to solve the math issue she was grappling with. It makes her feel kind of helpless that he's pausing his work just to help her, but it also gives her this warm feeling that he genuinely cares enough to stop and teach her.

Time ticks on, and he keeps interrupting his work to help her out, much to her embarrassment. When lunchtime finally arrives, Eden stacks up his papers and motions for them to head out.He pulled out a lunchbox from the mini-fridge. "Do we need to hit the cafeteria to grab you lunch?" he asked. 

"Nah, got my own," she replied, taking out a lunchbox from her bag.

"Alright, where are we headed?" he inquired. But she didn't really want to say, fearing he'd tease her.

"It's cool, I can just show you," she hesitated. 

"Nah, come on, just spill it," he encouraged.

"It's the Tea Ceremony Club," she finally revealed.

"The what?" he shot back, wearing a smirk. "The Tea Ceremony Club? That's where you're headed in the special activities building?"

"Why's my beer-drinking, cigarette-smoking girlfriend suddenly into a tea ceremony club? You going soft on me?" he prodded.

"They kinda roped me into it," she confessed. This school demanded students to spend at least a semester in a club during each year, and she chose to do it this year, mainly because she knew the vice president.

After explaining which room it was, Eden left their little hideout and they started walking. Ryoko thought she was decent-looking, but she wasn't head-turning material. Eden, on the other hand, had that effect. As they strolled through the hallways, people stopped mid-conversation to make way for Eden, and all eyes were on him. She couldn't help but wonder why he wasn't the most popular guy in school. She figured it was because he skipped school so often that not many people really knew him.

Ryoko had never seen anyone else near Eden, so it was the first time she noticed the difference. He was taller and more muscular than anyone they passed. As they moved along, she thought he was way out of her league.

Soon enough, they reached her club room. Eden knocked on the door, and after a moment, a familiar face opened it. It was a pretty blue-haired girl she recognized from the Tea Ceremony Club. She knew her to be quite shy. Her name was Ayaka Kamine, and as soon as she laid eyes on Eden, her face turned a bright shade of red.

"I'm Eden Tsubakihara, Ryoko's boyfriend. She said we're here to have lunch together," he introduced himself.

"Yeah, umm, that's right," Ayaka stammered, allowing them into the room. "Hey, Kamine-san, how's it going?" Ryoko greeted as they entered.

"Yeah, good, I'm good," Ayaka replied without even looking at her, focusing only on Eden. Ryoko got it. Even after spending a lot of time with Eden and getting pretty comfortable, sometimes she found herself just mesmerized by his presence.

"So, Kamine-chan, are the other club members joining us?" Eden asked.

"Yes, umm," Ayaka mumbled.

"Just call me Eden," he grinned, putting Ayaka at ease.

"Yes, Eden. I'm usually here first because I don't do the school lunch," she explained.

"Do you pack your own lunch, Kamin-chan?" Eden inquired while he unpacked his own.

His lunch was a bit different from the typical Japanese lunchbox – it had rice, grapes, cheese, carrots, and chicken breast. It was about twice the size of hers, but then again, Eden was a lot heavier, and he needed to maintain that muscle.

"So, is this club all about serving tea?" Eden continued.

"Yes, Eden," she confirmed, and they dove into a chat about different tea types and the contrast between western and eastern tea blends. Ryoko didn't fully grasp tea intricacies, but she tried to join the conversation now and then.

After a while, two more people entered the room – Kyouko Sano, a short girl with light brown hair and the vice president of the club, and Erika Shibasaki, the green-haired third-year president. As they walked in, they stopped and stared at Eden.

"Guys, this is my boyfriend, Eden Tsubakihara," Ryoko introduced. They exchanged introductions, and soon they were all discussing tea as Shibasaki started preparing some.

Throughout the rest of lunch, they talked about tea and its history, with Eden providing a more western perspective. None of her clubmates were openly flirting, but let's just say they all seemed interested wanted a position as one of his girlfriends– their confidence was probably boosted by the fact Ryoko was his girlfriend.

As they were leaving, Eden mentioned he could bring them some rare tea blends through his family connections. Once they were alone again, he asked, "Did you have fun?"

"Not exactly, but I'm the one who suggested it, so it's cool. Did you enjoy it?" she asked.

"I can't say I didn't. Tea's an interesting subject, and the girls really knew their stuff. But I think I'd have had more fun with just you," he admitted, after saying that he gave her a kiss on her head before they went their separate ways, leaving Ryoko with a bit more confidence.