CHAPTER ELEVEN;
mr. scribbles

"Distribute them backward," the teacher instructs, giving the students in front of each row a stack of notebooks. You waited until yours arrived, not bothering to check it because your notes were a mess.

"Where's mine?" a voice from behind inquires in a bitter tone.

You roll your eyes and hand it to him. He stares down at you, raising his eyebrow in his signature judgelike manner.

"Continue doing that and I'll pluck your brows bald."

His brows clash together, "Huh?"

Without realizing it, you whispered your thoughts aloud, "Nothing." you brushed it off. You proceeded to pay attention to the teacher as he assigned homework to do over the weekends. You were first to leave the room because you had to prepare the cookies you needed to deliver tomorrow.

A few minutes after your departure, Itoshi Rin had just finished discussing something with the teacher. While tucking his things inside his bag, he picks up the notebook you had handed him earlier. Though the exterior design was very similar, he doesn't remember having strawberry stickers on the back of its cover. He wears a puzzled expression, opening it to the first page to check who owned it because it definitely wasn't his.

"L/n Y/n?"

Saturdays were always delivery days. Last night's baking session took longer than you anticipated, because you were sidetracked by Mio yapping about her growing crush on the international student she had mentioned a few days prior.

You woke up late and you didn't have enough time to pack the remaining orders into their boxes. Thankfully, your mom was there to help while you took a shower. By the time you were done, she had already finished.

"I love you so much, Mom." you tear up jokingly, giving your mother a hug from the side while she was preparing lunch.

You also asked your dad to help you carry the cookies outside since you couldn't carry all of them at once.

"Mom, I'm off to deliver my cookies!" you called out from the front yard, carefully placing the neatly stacked boxes of cookies in your bike's basket.

Your mom peeked from the door, holding a spatula, "Be careful! And remember to be home by lunch." she reminded.

You smiled, giving her a quick nod before hopping onto your bike. Balancing it with one foot, you secured the strap of your helmet under your chin and pushed off down the street.

Delivering the orders one by one went smoothly. Normally, you'd take the train for these deliveries, but since this batch of customers lived close to your neighborhood, biking seemed much more convenient.

"Okay, last one," you muttered to yourself, parking your bike beside a tall, iron gate. The house in front of you was massive, the kind only the rich could afford. You wondered why someone from such an upscale household would order your "average" cookies.

"Itoshi Rie..." you mumbled, the surname caught your attention, and your finger hovered over the doorbell longer than necessary.

As soon as your hand left the buzzer, the gate swung open, and standing there was the last person you wanted to see.

"My mom's not home," Itoshi Rin said flatly, holding out the payment.

You barely managed to mask your irritation, "That's fine, no worries," you replied, though your tone betrayed your words.

Turning on your heel, you grabbed your bike and tried to ignore the weight of Rin's gaze still lingering on you. You were ready to pedal away until he calls out to you, "Wait a second, sass-quatch."

Your eye twitches at the nickname he made for you, you whirled around, ready to spit out an equally provocative name but the gate was already closed. You debated whether or not to actually wait for him, however, while doing so, he'd already returned.

He extends a notebook toward you, a crease forms between your brows, and your lips parts in confusion. "What's this?" you ask.

Rin flips it over and you see your familiar strawberry stickers all over its back cover, "Hey! Why do you have this?" you snatched it from him.

"You gave me the wrong notebook, I'm pretty sure you have mine." he deadpans, "I was planning to study but I wasn't able to."

"And that's my problem because?"

"Your handwriting is shit."

You looked at him like a cat forced into a cold bath, displeased, annoyed, irritated, and ready to pounce.

"Okay, Mr. Scribbles. I'll return it to you safely." your sarcasm seethed through your gritted teeth.

"Good." he says before closing the door on your face.

hell's kitchen

10:58 AM

is anyone FREE later
this afyernoon

amari
me yes

mio
me no

rumi
i'm in osaka

amari
omg since when..

rumi
since an hour ago

amari
what for?

rumi
my mom just wanted
to go LOL

kaori
whether i'm free or not
depends on what you're
about to ask y/n

mio
LMFAAOOOOOOOO

rumi
😭😭😭😭

i was going go treat

yall ice cream but
since kaori isnt free
i'll just take amari with
me instead 😆😆😆

kaori
I WAS JUST KIDDING!!! IM
FREE AS HELL!!!!

amari
nahh kao

amari
more scoops for me 😋

kaori
💔💔💔💔

11:12 AM

kaori
ugh nevermind being free

kaori
my mom just asked me
for help with the laundry

amari
wife material i say

kaori
my mom has THREE kids.
she's acting like i'm her only
employee 💔🤕🪖

amari
STOP

rumi
i bought different tea leaves

for our mothers

mio
OO LA LAAAAA

mio
WHEN ARE YOU COMING
HOME RU

rumi
these are for your mother mio
not you

rumi
probably tomorrow after lunch

mio
!! IM LITERALLY HER ONLY
DAUGHTER. what's hers is mine
as well

mio
we are both tea enthusiasts

amari
im about to say something
controversial that might shake
the foundation of our friendship

amari
considering how MOST OF YALL
are tea drinkers

amari
i don't get the appeal it tastes just
like grass

mio

how do you know the taste
of grass?? 🤨🤨

amari
i can taste it through smelling

rumi
i used to not like matcha
until kao forced me into
drinking her matcha latte

kaori
it was for the better

amari<3

11:21 AM

amari im about
to shit my pants

WHY

at your big age

ugh

i felt the need to
message you abt this bc
i feel like the girls
are getting sick of me
complaining about rin💔💔

WHAATT they would never

but what's up?

it's a saturday how is he
still bothering you

his mom ordered
cookies from me

but she wasn't home so
he received it in her stead

he's just so irritable and
unbearable

i can't believe i even liked
him

LOL

it's okay y/n

we understand he was
too handsome

😒😒 my ass

let's visit the new ice
cream parlor near mr
nakamura's store

SUREEE

what time?

3 or 4 pm maybe

when it isn't too hot
outside

alrighttt

do you mind if i bring
someone

they want to talk to you

who?

ryomei