Haruka was more cooperative with her 'newly acquainted' friend for her painting after the break. While sitting still and looking towards the artist's way for the portrait, the blonde found herself actually enjoying this state as she had excuses for staring and appreciating every attribute of the aqua haired beauty without having to take her eyes off nor feeling awkward. She found the way Michiru study and portray every details of her irresistible and intriguing.

As she continued to look at the aqua-haired beauty, she wondered whether Michiru would develop feelings towards her as she had for the artist. It seemed likely to her since Michiru was not bothered at all when her gender was revealed and even seemed to appreciate the truth. The artist's words made her feel relieved and hopeful, and also made her started wanting to be more than just friends with her...

By the end of the session, the teacher acknowledged everyone's progress and asked the class to finish the painting by next week. "Argh, I need a stretch after being a statue for hours!" Haruka complained. "Thank you again. I really appreciate your help! I owe you one." Michiru thanked the racer again.

"Just one? How about two? You wouldn't have made it to the charity event without me." Haruka negotiated.

"Okay, two then." Michiru smiled, "How should I return the favor?"

"Hmm…" The blonde hesitated, "I've got one!"

"Ok let's hear it."

"I have a race coming up next Sunday. I'd like you to come, and…" then she giggled.

"and?" Michiru suspected that she was up to no good again.

"It'd be great if you could cheer for me in a race girl outfit." Haruka grinned.

"What kind of a request is that?!" Michiru blushed instantly.

"After risking my life taking you to the charity event and nearly sacrificing my body for your painting, I didn't think this is too much to ask for." The racer casted a lighthearted wink to her.

"Let's see." Michiru acted pensive, and hesitated a little, then she smiled and enunciated slowly and sarcastically, "I'll pass. I don't like stuff like that."

"Ouch." Haruka made a sad face, and then laughed at the harsh line that originated from her.

After a good laugh she softened her voice and said, "Give me your hand."

Michiru followed and put out her right hand. The racer held it up and rubbed gently with her thumbs, then looked into the beautiful blue eyes.

"With all jokes aside, I really hope that you can be there – it'll mean a lot to me."

She took out a card from her pocket, and carefully placed it on the violinist's hand.

"Take this with you. It's my VIP access card – it gets you to the club and has a great viewing spot."

She slowly folded the aqua-haired beauty's long, slim fingers into the palm, and gave a light kiss on the back of her hand. Michiru looked at the card in her hand, and then at the handsome blonde. She couldn't remember if the racer ever spoken to her in such gentle and heartfelt tone. She felt a little emotional and blush, and promised the racer that she would try her best to make it.

However, Michiru was scheduled to appear for a guest performance with the youth orchestra. Even though this was not her recital, the event would help expanding her network of event sponsors and hosts, and leading to more performance invitations in the future. But to Michiru, performing on Sunday was not her first priority anymore, as she would rather go to the race and cheer for Haruka. For the whole week she was busy engaging in negotiations with her manager to cancel the appearance, and was met with strong pushback. Her manager, Richard, tried to convince her to try to make it but the aqua-beauty was persistent on sticking with her new plan. She promised to make it up by making an appearance on TV next month, for a show that she originally had no interest in attending. Richard finally agreed and arranged another young violinist to play in her absence on Sunday.

Michiru was thrilled, but her family was not. The violinist's phone rang on Saturday afternoon.
"Hello. This is Michiru."

"Michiru-hime."

"Hey mom! How are you?"

"I'm okay. So I heard that you had canceled a performance tomorrow. Is everything alright?"

"Yes. Everything is fine…I had been packed with performances recently so just wanted to take a day off."

"Okay. But please be more mindful with the inconvenience you have caused to others like Richard, and make sure you apologize to the appropriate parties."
"Understood."

"How are things in school? How do you get around these days without riding with Jiro?"

"School's been going great. I'm busy but it's been fulfilling." Her voice was delighted as she thought about her recent encounters with Haruka "and I have been hailing taxi occasionally."

"Occasionally? You have been taking public transportation?! Sweetie you know it's not a problem for us to get you another driver…"

"No..no, Mom. it's really okay. I am fine."

"Alright then. So are you resting tomorrow?"

"Um…actually…I'm going to watch…a…a car race"

"Did you cancel the performance for this? Since when you're into car racing?"

"I have a new friend from school, she…she's a race car driver."

Her mother grew quiet and was apparently not thrilled.

"I know what you're thinking…Mom. I know what I'm doing. I have never disappointed you, right? After all, I'm an adult already."

She sighed, "I know. Just don't make me worry."

"I promise."

"I've got to go to now. Take care. Love you."

"Love you mom."

Michiru breathed a sigh of relief. Her parents could be overly protective of her and worried just about anything: her progress in school, her swimming times, the turnouts of her art exhibits, or even the critic reviews of her violin performances. Growing up Michru was always an obedient child, and her parents set very high standards on her and expected her to model good behaviors for her younger siblings: do well in school, excel in extracurricular activities/interests, show exceptional social mannerism, and carry traditional values like staying close with their cultural roots. And Michiru never disappointed them. With her maturity, independence, and proven success, her parents finally agreed to let her live on her own when they moved back to Japan and she turned 18.

She had been supporting herself financially through incomes from violin performances, art sales, and other event appearances. She was able to afford a luxury penthouse studio in one of world's highest cost of living cities, but the Jiro the private driver was hired by her parents to help her getting around in the city. She was actually glad that he is now driving her parents instead, since she preferred not having to depend on her parents at all, but more importantly, she didn't need someone to report her whereabouts to her parents daily.


It was finally Sunday. Michiru was excited. Not only was this the first time she ever watched a car race live, her new 'friend' Haruka would be racing! She finished practicing swimming and violin early in the morning, and then spent most of the morning, more than the time she spent on preparing for art shows or violin performances, picking an outfit for the event. Even though she had a large walk-in closet, she had a hard time finding the perfect outfit.

"All I have are school uniforms, evening dresses and shoes, and clothes that are too casual for the event." She complained.

She had donated most of her clothes before moving back to Japan, and besides going to school, attending art galleries, or performing, she barely needed any other clothes.

As she dug through the closest, she found a short, taupe-ish gold, backless halter dress. It was too casual for formal or ceremonial events and yet too proper for casual events.

"Ugh. I can't believe my sponsor gave me this for that red carpet party." She remembered. As she kept on searching but wasn't able to find anything suitable, she gave this dress another look.

"Maybe I could wear this?" She thought to herself. She tried it on, and was shocked at how well it fit her. It was neither too formal nor casual, and would make a great day or evening dress for this occasion. She pondered a little bit and finally decided to go with the dress she almost donated to charity. Then she added a pair of simple gold drape earrings, and put on a pair of strappy heels in matching color.

Michiru realized that she had spent too much time picking the right dress and lost track of time. Running out of time, she quickly put on a simple makeup, threw everything needed in a clutch, and rushed out the door. Her doorman hailed a cab for her quickly and she was able to make it to the race on time.

When Michiru arrived, she was amazed at the lively atmosphere at the venue. She was personally led to the VIP suite, and as soon as she walked in everyone turned their heads towards the gorgeous aqua-haired beauty. A few people even recognized the up-and-coming violinist and were shock to see her making an appearance at the car racing event.

"Kaioh-san," one guy who appreciated her music came up to her, "welcome to the event. It's such an honor to see you here, although I must say I am a little surprised. Are you here with your partner?" Michiru smiles and shook her head.

"Oh I'm sorry. Are you by yourself? Would you like to join our group for the viewing?" the guy asked, pointing to his group of friends in a corner.

"No, thank you. Enjoy the race." Michiru smiles and walked away. She walked towards the balcony and overlooked the tracks, audience, and the cars. She quickly spotted Haruka who was busy getting ready for the race with her crew. The tall blonde was waiting a uniform covered by sponsor's logos, yet it couldn't hide her well-built frame and muscular torso. She was very focused and had to go over every single details with the team. Michiru eyes were fixated on the blonde racer, and she was mesmerized the tall blonde's every single move, whether it was giving out orders, taking a sip of water, or even just wiping sweat, the aqua-haired beauty found it sexy and attractive.

Suddenly, Michiru was distracted by a girl standing in the same balcony, few steps away from her.

"Hey girlfriend!" The girl yelled.

Michiru looked over and saw the pony tailed brunette waving towards Haruka, trying to gain the racer's attention. She started wondering who this girl was.

"Haruka! I'm here! Look up!" The girl yelled again.

Michiru suddenly felt like she needed to assess this situation further, so she quickly escaped from the balcony before Haruka looks up, retreated inside and took a seat on a leather sofa nearby. Is that Haruka's girlfriend? Michiru thought to herself.

"Hello my dear! I'm so glad you made it!" The racer responded loudly. This clearly wasn't directed toward the violinist. Michiru could feel her heart pounding hard. She definitely was not expecting to hear this.

"Of course. I don't want to miss your race! You look so handsome today!" The brunette said.

"Just today?!" The blonde replied.

"Any day, always."

"That's more like it." Haruka laughed.

"Good luck, my love!" The girl blew a kiss to the handsome racer.

Michiru felt a pinch to her heart as she overheard the conversation. She confirmed that this brunette must be the racer's girlfriend. There was no way anyone would talk and act this way if they weren't in a relationship. She tried to remain an unemotional face, but deep down in inside, she felt humiliated and tricked. She kept trying to come up with answers as to why Haruka would invite her to the race, why did the tall blonde flirt with her while in a relationship, or was she invited only because the girlfriend might not have made it today. Girlfriend, Haruka has a girlfriend! She kept repeating to herself. She looked down at the VIP access card and unexpectedly huffed disdainfully – if she were a VIP, then maybe the brunette should be MIP – Most Important Person instead? The more she thought about this, the more she felt like she didn't belong there.

"Would you like a glass of champagne?" a server came up and asked, as the aqua haired beauty was planning on leaving.

Michiru reluctantly grabbed a glass and took a few sips. She sat there a little longer and eventually felt more relaxed. She took a few deep breaths, and looked around. Everyone was still as happy as they were minutes ago and couldn't wait for the race to start. The only thing that had changed was how she felt towards this whole situation. She then started wondering why she was even so bothered about this incident. She kept telling herself to remain calm and collected, and re-think over what her relationship with Haruka was. She understood well enough that even though they might have some chemistry, they haven't spent much time together, never went on a date, let alone discussed anything about relationships. She even felt embarrassed that she had thought a little too far ahead between them, but as the mental movie of her encounters with Haruka ran in her head, she knew that the feeling she had for the racer was undeniable.

The race was about to start. Michiru was tormented. On one hand she wanted to watch Haruka race, but on the other hand her inner voice was telling her to leave, stay away from and detach her feelings for the tall blonde.

She struggled with the dilemma but finally succumbed to her emotions and decided to lay her eyes on the handsome racer, even if it was just one last time…

The suite was pumped up and cheered loudly during the race. Michiru went along and tried to enjoy it as much as she could, but it hurt her to think that Haruka wouldn't care even if she didn't show up, as the only person that mattered was obviously the brunette, the real girlfriend…

Haruka did very well. Although she was met with tough challenges, she fought her battle, defended her lead, and maintained dominance during the entire course. The violinist was filled with emotions as Haruka crossed the finish line, she was happy for her victory, but it was also time she planned on bidding farewell to the attractive racer.

"Hey folks, let's go celebrate with Haruka!" the group yelled. Michiru followed the group and left the suite. As she walked towards the celebrating crowds, she saw the Brunette running up to the tall blonde racer. She quickly realized that this was not the right place to say goodbye, she shouldn't be causing a scene and ruin the party like an angry, jealous crush. She quietly took a detour and exited the venue.

During the celebration, Haruka was surrounded by sponsors, reporters, fans, crew members, and some friends. Lots of female fans ran up to her and offered congratulatory hugs, some even kissed the handsome blonde on her cheek. The racer enjoyed celebrating her victory but her mind was all over Michiru. She wondered if the beautiful violinist came to watch her race. She glanced around but couldn't find anyone with her distinctive aqua hair. She couldn't help but felt a little disappointed. Then one guy walked up to Haruka.

"Hey Haruka! Congratulations!"

"Thanks bro. You guys had good time?"

"Oh it was a blast up there! Kamiya was totally drunk. He got on the table and cheered for you!"

"That's great." The blonde laughed.

"Oh hey…you're not going to believe this. Guess who else came to watch the race?"
"Tell me."

"Kaioh Michiru." The racer's eyes grew wide. Her friend continued, "Do you know her? I don't think you do but anyway she's the aqua-haired violinist. She showed up and every…"

The racer was excited and quickly interrupted her friend, "Sorry, where is she now?"
"I don't know." The guy shrugged. "…maybe she left. But she was there the whole time. Man she is smoking hot!"

The tall blonde quickly rushed out, changed and drove out in her own sports car. She was now in another race – to find the aqua-haired beauty.