[ The refusal is something that she both expected and didn't expect. On one hand, it wasn't uncharacteristic for Seiko to refuse her sweets; if she had accepted them, it would have come as a total shock to Ruruka. On the other hand, a part of her had been wishing that this time would be different, that this time she would finally hear her friend agree; after all, Seiko herself had admitted that she now possessed the capability to eat her sweets, and yet she was still rejecting them...?
Ruruka grits her teeth, livid at the girl's insolence; though, in retrospect, she supposes it isn't too surprising. She had always suspected that the girl thought little of her talent, thought of her as inferior, so to her, this was merely a truth that was only now coming to light. Not that it made her any less furious, but she could at least commend Seiko for finally owning up to it instead of hiding behind her excuses. If anything, this made her feel justified in distrusting Seiko, in never truly opening up to her like she would with her boyfriend. If she had, then it would have all been for naught.
Before she can open her mouth to spit back a remark, Seiko says something else that really fuels her the burning flames of her anger. Ruruka goes red in the face, fists clenched tightly in a futile effort to compose herself and restrain herself from spewing venom at the pharmacist. She had never been a physically violent person - her tongue was sharp enough that she never needed to resort to violence, and she had Izayoi to fight in her stead when it truly came down to it - but right now, she wanted nothing more than to grab the girl and...and...
...Well, it wasn't as if insulting the girl's talent like she had done to her would be effective. Seiko actually had a talent that was worthwhile, unlike her, and it was something that she hadn't taken notice of until all three of them had started attending Hope's Peak Academy. Where it had initially been sadness that her friend couldn't partake in her sweets, it quickly developed into an inferiority complex, fueled by Hope's Peak's constant pressures and reminders of the importance of talent. It was the reason why she loathed Hope's Peak Academy just as much as she loathed the Future Foundation - they both were corrupt organizations, and the former was the source of most of her insecurities by its relentless drilling that her talent defined her.
Ruruka had grown to believe that; that was why she spent so much time trying to perfect her pastries, but even then, she never felt confident enough. Why else would she go to Seiko asking her for various drugs that would enhance her sweets and ensure that she passed the practical exams every year? The one and only thing she was good at, she didn't even feel confident about. That was why Seiko's words...stung, and Ruruka didn't know how to feel. She felt angry, undoubtedly, but she also felt the crushing despair of her inhibitions as they resurfaced.
"Why...?" she wants to ask. "Why do you still refuse to eat my sweets?! Why the hell are you acting like this?!" Before she can vocalize such thoughts, however, she hears Seiko speak again, saying something that truly shocks her. Ruruka glances over to see what exactly the "this" that the girl specified was, and when she sees the girl produce the candy that she had given her all those years ago, her eyes widen and she stiffens like a deer in headlights. ] Y-You...You kept it... [ She says it shakily, voice full of incredulity. She had expected the girl to have thrown it away by now - especially after their falling out. It would have made sense if she did. She never expected for her to carry it on her person this entire time.
Then, she sees the girl put it in her mouth. For the very first time, the person she had once considered her dear friend, the person she wanted nothing else from but for her to taste her sweets, was actually eating her candy. Ruruka doesn't know how to respond, sitting there shell-shocked, and if she were alive right now, her heart would be racing inside of her chest. What she feels now is similar to that very feeling: dizzy and breathless. ]
I-I-- I don't-- [ She stammers over her words, and she's certain she sounds like an utter fool compared to the collected persona she usually tries to convey, but she's too bewildered to truly care about saving face right now. ] B-But why... Why, after all this time, would you keep it...? You had every reason to get rid of it, so why didn't you?! I thought you-- I...I don't understand...
[ The very fact that Seiko had kept this piece of candy from their first meeting all this time goes completely against everything that Ruruka had believed about the girl. ]
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Ruruka grits her teeth, livid at the girl's insolence; though, in retrospect, she supposes it isn't too surprising. She had always suspected that the girl thought little of her talent, thought of her as inferior, so to her, this was merely a truth that was only now coming to light. Not that it made her any less furious, but she could at least commend Seiko for finally owning up to it instead of hiding behind her excuses. If anything, this made her feel justified in distrusting Seiko, in never truly opening up to her like she would with her boyfriend. If she had, then it would have all been for naught.
Before she can open her mouth to spit back a remark, Seiko says something else that really fuels her the burning flames of her anger. Ruruka goes red in the face, fists clenched tightly in a futile effort to compose herself and restrain herself from spewing venom at the pharmacist. She had never been a physically violent person - her tongue was sharp enough that she never needed to resort to violence, and she had Izayoi to fight in her stead when it truly came down to it - but right now, she wanted nothing more than to grab the girl and...and...
...Well, it wasn't as if insulting the girl's talent like she had done to her would be effective. Seiko actually had a talent that was worthwhile, unlike her, and it was something that she hadn't taken notice of until all three of them had started attending Hope's Peak Academy. Where it had initially been sadness that her friend couldn't partake in her sweets, it quickly developed into an inferiority complex, fueled by Hope's Peak's constant pressures and reminders of the importance of talent. It was the reason why she loathed Hope's Peak Academy just as much as she loathed the Future Foundation - they both were corrupt organizations, and the former was the source of most of her insecurities by its relentless drilling that her talent defined her.
Ruruka had grown to believe that; that was why she spent so much time trying to perfect her pastries, but even then, she never felt confident enough. Why else would she go to Seiko asking her for various drugs that would enhance her sweets and ensure that she passed the practical exams every year? The one and only thing she was good at, she didn't even feel confident about. That was why Seiko's words...stung, and Ruruka didn't know how to feel. She felt angry, undoubtedly, but she also felt the crushing despair of her inhibitions as they resurfaced.
"Why...?" she wants to ask. "Why do you still refuse to eat my sweets?! Why the hell are you acting like this?!" Before she can vocalize such thoughts, however, she hears Seiko speak again, saying something that truly shocks her. Ruruka glances over to see what exactly the "this" that the girl specified was, and when she sees the girl produce the candy that she had given her all those years ago, her eyes widen and she stiffens like a deer in headlights. ] Y-You...You kept it... [ She says it shakily, voice full of incredulity. She had expected the girl to have thrown it away by now - especially after their falling out. It would have made sense if she did. She never expected for her to carry it on her person this entire time.
Then, she sees the girl put it in her mouth. For the very first time, the person she had once considered her dear friend, the person she wanted nothing else from but for her to taste her sweets, was actually eating her candy. Ruruka doesn't know how to respond, sitting there shell-shocked, and if she were alive right now, her heart would be racing inside of her chest. What she feels now is similar to that very feeling: dizzy and breathless. ]
I-I-- I don't-- [ She stammers over her words, and she's certain she sounds like an utter fool compared to the collected persona she usually tries to convey, but she's too bewildered to truly care about saving face right now. ] B-But why... Why, after all this time, would you keep it...? You had every reason to get rid of it, so why didn't you?! I thought you-- I...I don't understand...
[ The very fact that Seiko had kept this piece of candy from their first meeting all this time goes completely against everything that Ruruka had believed about the girl. ]