It was Hiro indeed. There was no mistaking the smirk on his face though he greeted him politely. Momiji tried unsuccessfully to figure out a reason for his presence in his office, so it took him a couple of minutes to realize that Hiro was waiting for him to say something. Still unable to formulate an elaborated reply, he merely raised an eyebrow together with an ever useful 'huh?'
-"You haven't seen me in a week and that's the best greeting that you can come up with? Your brain seems to have stopped working for the day already, or wait… is this somehow related to the Bunny Girl? Is she rubbing off on you and you're forgetting how to speak too?" Hiro sat down in front of his cousin, not waiting for him to make the invitation.
-"Bunny Girl?" Momiji smiled, amused. It was to be expected: Hiro-kun coming up with a nickname for his sister. He decided to turn the joke against him. "I see… then, shall I call Hinata-chan 'Hiro's little lamb'?" Hiro's initial reply was a scowl. Then he chuckled.
-"Fair enough" Hiro conceded. "I suppose I should call your sister Momo, then. How is she doing, anyway?"
-"She's fine, though she's still struggling to keep up with school" Momiji answered.
-"Is she? It must be hard for her." Hiro paused, remembering something. "Wait… isn't she going to the same school you and I went to?" Momiji nodded. "They have study groups there. Why doesn't she ask a counselor about it?"
-"She already did. They told her today that they can't fit her into any of the groups because of her special circumstances." Momiji recalled the conversation with Momo over the phone that afternoon, when she called him to let him know that she was home. Hiro was shocked to hear the news.
-"Special circumstances? Sounds more like an excuse to me. They don't want to make a little more effort." Hiro saw Momiji's already tired face and remembered that his cousin used to help Momo with her homework after work. "Aren't you helping her anymore?"
-"I am, but by the time I get home and we're done with dinner, there's hardly any time left to go over a couple of subjects before she makes me go to bed. She feels guilty for keeping me up late at night" Momiji replied, a hint of frustration in his voice.
-"I can help…" Hiro offered in a whisper. He thought about it during the past week, and he made a decision. He had to get close to them and in good terms anyway, so he might as well start now rather than look for an opportunity in the future.
-"What did you say?" Momiji couldn't believe his ears. His question only served to make Hiro uncomfortable. He had decided to do it, but that didn't make it any easier for him. He never offered help to anyone.
-"I can help her with her schoolwork" he repeated a little louder. "I've done it before. I used to help in a study group. This shouldn't be any different." It was true. Halfway through his first year of high school, Mayu-chan-sensei had somehow persuaded him to lead a study group. It turned out that he had a talent for teaching that even he wasn't aware of. None of his cousins had gone to school with him, so they didn't know. They probably wouldn't have believed it anyway. It was so unlike the Hiro they knew. He didn't want to talk about it, but Momiji's question made him feel the need to state his qualifications. It was a weird situation for him. He never explained himself to anyone either.
-"You did?" Momiji feigned surprise. He'd known of course. Mayu told him about Hiro's involvement in the program, about his dedication and hard work. It didn't surprise him back then. He had proposed his name to Mayu when he heard that she needed students to participate in the program. He knew that Hiro possessed above average intelligence, but he never made it to the first place in the school rank simply because he didn't feel like it. It all changed after he got serious with the study group. Shortly after he started tutoring his peers, someone asked him why he didn't get better grades when it was obvious that he had the potential to do it. Hiro saw that as a challenge. He had something to prove, so he decided to show the rest of the school that he actually had the brains to get the first place, which he held for two and a half years until his graduation almost a year ago. Graduating on top of his class certainly caught Akito's attention, which led to Hiro's current situation.
-"Will you? That'd be great!" The relief in Momiji's voice told Hiro that he'd made the right decision. It was a good start. Truth be told, he'd always liked his cousin, but in the past he used to think that he wasn't as happy as he wanted everybody to believe. He liked the Momiji in front of him better. He felt at ease talking to him, his fair, even tempered nature so opposite to his own. He liked to think that they'd balance each other well in the future.
'Good. If we get along now everything will be easier later.'
-"Don't mention it." He meant it. "I should warn you, though: I don't know a word in German." He could speak English fairly well, having spent the past semester perfecting it, but that was a far as his knowledge of foreign languages went.
-"I know, but at least you're willing to give it a try" Momiji replied gratefully. "You won't be having much trouble. Momo is a fast learner." Hiro just nodded. He still couldn't believe that he was going to go through with it. He decided to change the topic.
-"I came to give you this." Hiro handed his cousin a large and thick envelope. Momiji took it, curious, and proceeded to open it immediately. He lifted his face to Hiro again when he saw the documents that had been inside.
-"How did you end up delivering this to me?" It didn't make sense. It was highly classified information, and it was unlikely that someone in the law firm just handed it to a random family member to deliver it. Furthermore, this particular information came directly from the President of the firm…
-"My boss asked me to bring it to you." Hiro said in a tone of voice that made it clear that he was stating the obvious for Momiji's benefit.
-"Your boss? Are you working in the law firm now?" Momiji couldn't believe it. 'What is he doing working there?'
-"I'm his assistant until I start college in the fall", Hiro explained. Saying the words made it all so real… Once he started attending university, there was no going back. "Don't worry, though. Unlike you, I've not become a slave yet. I get off the office on time." He felt like he was having a glimpse of his own future when he saw his cousin trapped in an office, wearing a constricting tie and working unpaid overtime when he knew that he really wanted to go home for the day. Momiji noticed his worried expression.
-"It's not as bad as it seems, Hiro-kun." His cousin shot him a questioning look. "I'm not a slave as you think. This is only temporary." Hiro answered with a nod, unconvinced. "So, how's work?"
-"I've only been there for a week now, but I like it so far." It was true. Hopefully he could keep on liking it as he got more involved in his future role. "I'll be calling Momo…-chan" he added quickly, reminding himself to add the honorific, "…to see what time is convenient for the both of us… if that's ok with you."
-"Sure! Do you have our number?" Momiji asked, but he grabbed a piece of paper and started to write it down before his cousin had a chance to answer. "I'll call her to let her know. Thanks again!" Momiji handed the paper to his cousin, looking relieved. A thought crossed his mind. "Hiro-kun…" his cousin looked up from the paper to see him. "How am I going to pay it back to you?"
-"I'm not rich like you, but I don't need money either. I want to talk about it with your sister instead, since she's the one I'll be working with." He stood up, ready to leave. "I'll call her sometime after dinner." Momiji nodded. When Hiro reached the door, he paused for a moment.
-"Don't work yourself to death. I have no intention of taking care of the Bunny Girl just yet." That said, he left his cousin's office without turning back.