It was weird for Arata to wake up almost at the same time everyday even without an alarm clock. He got up and looked at the time, and noticed that the 6 AM action time had started again. He yawned in bed and prepared for school. He got out of the house and noticed Attori was leaning against his house's gates. He called out to her, and she greeted him in return.
"You should have told me you want to walk to school with me." Arata beckoned her to follow him to the bus stop to school.
"I should? I just randomly drop by after all." Attori smiled and looked at the sky. "I hope it won't rain tonight."
"Planning to eat outside again?"
"Yeah, but my mother's coming home so I wished we won't get wet." She turned to him. "Hey, don't forget about my dance class today. It's free to watch on Wednesdays." The girl giggled. "Though not much does because we get messy..."
[You can now initiate an Affection Scene with a maxed date-able! This will heighten their Encounter Rate! Would you like to initiate a conversation with Mad Bitch Attei Attori? Yes / No]
Arata would mash 'yes' if it was a button. His eyes twinkled outside of Attori's sight, and his heart started thumping harder than it ever had. Suddenly not relying to the game's timing was one of the best added features of the game.
[Ask about her mother / Ask about the dance class]
Attori was a little shaky when it came to her family so asking about the dance class should be a better choice. Then again, his curiosity about her family lingered. Her route covered her relationship with her sister and her father which she seemed to float around rather than connect. Hearing about her fetching her mother from somewhere might run during her updated route.
The king chose to take her hand, to which she responded with a soft twitch. He watched her give him a curious look. "Attori, what are you dancing later?"
"It's a traditional dance to Sakura." The girl smiled at him again, her cheeks balling a little. She slipped out of Arata's hold and spun around, lifting her skirt halfway its length as she did. She then waved her right hand in a circular manner like she was swirling a fan. "It's nothing emotional, but I wished we could dance better than how we always do." Attori's blue eyes shifted towards Arata's. "Cheer for us, okay?"
Arata walked to her and wrap an arm around her waist which she leaned against. He held the side of her face, caressing her jaw. "You're still the best dancer to me. No matter what happens."
"Tell me when I'm not doing enough, Arata." The girl pecked at his lips. "I need someone to help me build myself. Not just anyone who treats me like a trophy."
[The Affection Scene has ended. Mad Bitch Attei Attori's Encounter Rate is MAXED at 75%.]
The man let her regain balance and prance ahead towards the bus stop. He continued to stare at her back and watched her hop until she came to a stop. She turned to him and beckoned him with her arm stretched out and fingers going to her direction. Arata jogged towards the bus stop.
However, the action time did not stop there, as Arata met two other date-ables at the bus stop. Yukari waved at him, and Cora Handel greeted him in her meekest. Cora was a foreign exchange student who he had helped cope in school and stopped from leaving because she felt she did not belong in their world.
"Fancy meeting you here, Arata-sempai." Cora smiled, faintly blushing upon seeing him go closer.
"Hey, I haven't seen you in school." The king twitched inwardly and sweat a little since Cora would have to have an Intro Encounter soon. He glanced at Attori who was looking at them... at Yukari in particular. Arata turned to his best friend who was peering far away, in the opposite direction of the bus.
"Tohru-san!"
The people in the bus stop twitched collectively as they heard a man yelled for someone at a distance. It was a man trying to block Tohru's path, and Keiko was shortly behind them. They could not hear what they were talking about, but the man kept on talking to the she-jerk as if in pain, by the way he crunched up while trying to enthrall the other woman.
Arata already took steps in an attempt to intervene, only to catch Tohru send a roundhouse kick against the man's side. Keiko gasped loudly, and so everyone went to stop a fight from breaking out.
"Hamada-sempai!" The king called her attention, and the girl only put up a smiling face and waved as if nothing was happening. He went to the guy who went to his knees. "Can you get up? Do you need help?"
The man swiped off his hands, before standing with a hand on his sore waist. "I don't need your help." He walked away, even past Keiko who tried to say something.
Tohru leaned her body to the side to block Arata's view of the man. "Hey, if it isn't a little chick, guess you're learning to return a favor, huh."
"Return a favor?" The king shook his head and frowned at the girl as if whining a complaint. "Why would you hit someone like that!?"
"Would you rather have me wait for a man to help me out?" Tohru raised an eyebrow as she straightened her posture. "It's not like I expected you to come. I have to protect myself from perverts like him, you know."
"How dare you!?" Keiko stomped at her spot, attracting Tohru's gaze. "You were the one who didn't break up properly! Don't call my brother a pervert!"
Tohru sighed and rolled her eyes, bringing her gaze back ahead of her and walking past everyone else. However, she paused when she heard Attori giggle as she went past the mad bitch. The athlete turned to the blue-haired girl. "What?"
"That big brother. He glared at Arata," Attori spoke without looking at the blond next to her. "You didn't leave him because of my Arata, right?"
"Huh?" Tohru shifted her weight to face the mad girl. "Do you have a problem with that?"
Attori turned to Tohru with a smile, one that Arata knew was not a normal one, "He was so mad that he might attack Arata. And it's your fault." Her maniacal grin showed. "Are you taking responsibilities for that big brother's injuries?"
The jerk's curious look sharpened, showing her own mocking smirk at the mad bitch. "Oh, I would love to beat him up myself. Thank you in advance if you take care of him."
Yukari grabbed the king's arm and slowly inched away from the crowd. "We should probably let them share the next bus. Let's take this one." She beckoned Cora as well.
"Attori." Arata called his girlfriend while walking away. He watched her smile at Tohru again before twirling to catch up with everyone else. He also noticed Keiko huff in anger as she went with their crowd. Then again, the king gave the jerk a momentary smile as if inviting her nonetheless. "Hamada-sempai."
The bus came to the stop, and Arata led the girls inside the bus. All the other male students of their school watched him like he was royalty, being surrounded by women almost every now and then. The 6 AM action time ended, and so did the remaining of the Morning action time soon enough.
Lunch time came, and Tohru decided to drop by Arata's classroom. "Hey, I'm looking for Hamasaki. Is he still here?"
Arata came as asked, and beckoned her to talk outside the classroom. "Why are you looking for me, Hamada-sempai?"
She only responded with a giggle before taking a deep breath and smiling. "I'm sorry for what you saw earlier. I really don't like Keita doing that in school so I decided to move here." Tohru almost snuffed, keeping her forced smile. "I didn't come here to see you, but that's just what he thought. If he starts bothering you, just let that girl handle him. He needs a lesson or two from females."
"I don't think I want Attori to get hurt." Arata waved his hand as if dismissing his hand. He then stared at the blond who was now making a bitter smile. "Does it have something to do with the basketball team?"
"Ah!" Tohru twitched and chuckled. She nudged the king's face with her wrist. "Aren't you perceptive, Acchan!?" She pulled her hand back and resumed a look Arata knew, that foxy mocking grin. "Heheh, if you manage to figure out that much, then you should see me sometimes during practice. Is tomorrow okay?"
"I guess." The king smiled nonetheless. "Sure, I'll go see you tomorrow after class."
"Don't forget or else I'll pull your pants down one day." Tohru giggled with a mocking grin. She then waved at him, and turned on her heel. "See ya around."
Arata twitched and watched her go away. "She didn't invite me for lunch? That's weird."
"Arata-sempai?" Cora called out to him from behind, and smiled at him when he turned to attend to her. "Can we have lunch together?"
The king nodded and followed the foreign student to the garden pavilion... where the Intro Encounter would probably begin. It was cemented pavilion deep in the school garden, and it was an exclusive area for only a few students. As the principal's niece, Cora was allowed to use the pavilion and bring anyone she liked with her. Given that she would only use it during off-class hours.
"Arata-sempai, I made you lunch. I hope it's alright with you. I've never packed a lunch for anyone before. I only started cooking last summer." Cora hooked some hair behind her ear. "Please try it."
"Sure. Thanks for the food!" Arata opened the lid of the box and grunted at the neatness and color of the arrangement. A smile never left his face as he compared the look with Keiko's cute arrangement and with Attori's deluxe style. He picked up his chopsticks and was about to take a bite when he felt hands flattened against his thighs. He looked down at his lap, eyes widening.
[An Encounter Mode has started! Exchange Student Cora Handel has a total of 60 Excitement points right now. Obedience is at 90%, Excitement at 60%, and Affection at 100%. Try touching the date-able.]
"Sempai, please continue eating. It'll look weird if you're just staring out on your own." Cora had moved under the table and was uncomfortable of being unseen since the round table's ring leg was thick enough to hide two more people down there. She started undoing his belt and soon, pants.
"Cora, I have a girlfriend!" The king held the girl's head with both hands gently, hoping he could stop her from doing anything more.
"Arata-sempai has always been good to me. I don't mind not being your number one, sempai." She continued with her actions. "I just want to love sempai. Let me show you how much I love you, sempai!" She eyed at him, her deep purple eyes begging for a chance.
"I can't believe I love my girls too much." He almost cried, as he felt betraying Attori and leaving Ruby out since he passed her Intro Encounter. He only combed his fingers through the girl's short hair repeatedly, as if it was his consent. The king used his right hand to pick up his chopsticks and continue eating the delicious food...
Joining Cora in her sumptuous lunch.
[The Encounter mode ended with 80 Excitement points! Exchange Student Cora Handel's Encounter Rate is now 65%!]