The next day, around lunchtime, students were allowed to sit inside or occupy a spot outside to enjoy the lunch they either got from the school cafeteria or brought from home. Outside, not too far from the cafeteria, underneath the shade of a large oak tree sat Rhia and Alex.
Their lunch boxes were opened, enjoying the food they brought from home. Rhia was talking Alex's ear off about her new favorite cartoon, a cute magical girl-themed show, when she sensed a new presence joining them.
Despite the questioning eyes pointing at her, the new person plopped down on the picnic blanket Rhia had provided, casually took out her lunchbox, and began eating.
"Umm, hi?" Rhia was nervous and confused, asking herself why Naomi Valentine was sitting with them.
Alex, sitting across from Naomi, felt the same as Rhia, but for some reason, he was also a bit peeved but decided not to dwell on such confusing emotions. Naomi took a bite of her sandwich but was annoyed by the looks the two children were shooting at her.
"Look," Naomi began to speak after swallowing, "I… I appreciate what you did for me yesterday."
The tough girl suddenly turned shy with pink cheeks, gazing towards Rhia, who nearly dropped her sandwich.
"You got me back my necklace and said you believed me. Thank you!"
Naomi's face softened, gifting Rhia a sweet smile that made her face burn hot.
'She's so adorable!'
Rhia mentally screamed as Cupid's arrow shot her in the heart. Alex felt that peeved feeling from before growing into something worse as he watched the scene play out before him.
'I don't like her.'
Alex didn't even feel guilty or ashamed for having such thoughts, upset that his time alone with Rhia was disrupted thanks to Naomi's unwanted presence.
"When you said those words to me, my heart did funny things, leaving me to come up with one conclusion." Naomi's eyes turned excited, reaching over to clutch Rhia's hands.
"You're my fated soul mate, and from this moment on, you belong to me!"
Naomi happily stated with a blinding smile that could charm an angel, but Rhia was shocked and couldn't speak.
"H-Huh?!!"
The moment those words escaped Naomi's lips, the milk bottle in Alex's hands was crushed, spilling all over him, not that he cared. The young boy's ruby orbs glared dangerously at Naomi, who caught his eyes and read the emotion displayed in them.
She countered back with a smirk that made sweet Alex grit his teeth, eyes seething.
Rhia was still trying to wrap her head around Naomi's words. Unable to pay attention to the intense storm brewing between Alex and Naomi, she asked herself,
'How did things turn into this?!'
—
After school ended, Alex was happy that Naomi could not follow after them, seeing how she had plans back home and had been sticking to Rhia's side like an annoying leech all day.
The young boy was happy when Rhia reached for his hand, ignoring her overprotective big brother's hot glare as they made their way to her mother's bakery.
Chesire Cafe was the name of the bakery Rhia's mother owned. She happily greeted the children as they walked inside. Alex was still on cloud nine, standing in the kitchen as they made Cloud Milk Macaroons.
"Be careful when adding the pigment to macaroons as we want them a pretty pale blue color," Rhia instructed him, placing her hand over his as they began lightly mixing the meringue.
They began distributing the mix onto a baking sheet with a piping bag before placing them in the oven.
"Alright, while those babies are set to dry at room temperature, let's get started on the cream!"
The cream only took a few minutes to make. Alex couldn't help but be amazed as he watched Rhia know exactly what to do despite her young age. Not to mention how happy and comfortable she felt doing something she loved. Alex found the entire scene endearing as Rhia's happiness brought him joy.
"Looks like you're not as hopeless as I thought," Lucia muttered next to Rhia's ear.
"Hey, I might not be a genius spy, doctor, assassin, or super nerd, but I love baking."
Rhia placed the tray in the oven when she was hit with a memory from her past life. Before she was reincarnated, she used to bake all the time with her grandmother—a sweet and relaxing bonding moment she deeply cherished.
Alex and Rhia exited the kitchen with finished macaroons and began carefully loading them inside the display case when a man rudely pushed the door to her mom's bakery open and swaggered inside.
"Huh, I see this place is lacking customers like usual. Guess your desserts are not up to par, Dez!"
The rude man standing inside the shop was tall and handsome with chiseled features and strong muscles. He wore a patisserie uniform with an air of arrogance to him.
"Devan, what are you doing here? Isn't it getting close to rush hour? Not that your desserts are anything to brag about." Rhia saw her mother sigh in annoyance, familiar with the man's presence.
"At least the sweets I make are better than the low trash you make!" said the man. This got her mother fuming.
"Trash?! Like the junk you make is any better!"
Cue a very confused Rhia watching two grown adults argue like children.
"Hey, old lady, my dad's sweets are not junk!"
Appearing beside the man was a little girl the same age as Rhia. Just like the man she resembled, she, too, had brown skin and untamed black hair pulled into a high ponytail. A frown was etched onto her face, arms folded across her chest.
"D-Devona? What are you doing here? Where's your brother?" the man addressed the little girl.
Rhia wasn't going to let someone insult her mother and her place of business and let it slide.
"Hey, don't insult my mom, Mophead!" Rhia stood before the girl, each glaring the other down.
"What kind of insult is that, shorty!?"
"Hey! I'm not that short!"
Rhia's height was her sore spot.
"Why don't you run back into your hole, little mouse, and learn better baking skills!"
"You never once tasted my cooking; if you did, I bet it's better than anything your scatterbrain could come up with!"
Now it was the parents' turn to stare at their two children, dumbfounded. Not knowing how to clear up the slight misunderstanding their daughters assumed about their relationship, the girl who was up close in Rhia's face was suddenly tugged backward by the collar of her shirt.
"You little idiot! Didn't I tell you to stop running off and making trouble for others!?" a boy, who looked similar to the girl, yelled at her.
The same was happening with the man, who was getting chewed out by a woman with a similar brown skin tone. Braids could be seen in her dark brown hair, which was pulled back into a large mane of kinky curls.
"What have I told you about running off and bothering the captain, you troublemaker!?" Despite her short height, the woman had the man, who Rhia guessed was her husband, down on his knees as she yelled into his ear.
'Wait! Why did that lady call my mom captain?'