"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference." ― Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel

translation: the opposite of a strong emotion cannot be another strong emotion, but rather, a weak one.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Indifference

...

With hindsight, Tora should have never made the decision to put Renei on the Student Council.

Had it, at any point, ended up having the intended effect on her? To draw her into a sense of submission, even if it were only through the powers he had as Student Council President?

No. No it had not.

Sure, when it came to the work they did for the school, she listened to what needed to be done; and in the beginning he had her waiting on him hand and foot, bringing him his meals and reports with the added bonus of having Izaki make her jobs more difficult for her. However, her perfect mask had slipped quite a bit since then, showing off a different type of woman from before, who was proving to be extremely bull-headed when she put her mind to it.

A prime example of such behavior would be how she refused to leave her nose out of his business with Usui. Tora only wanted the Elite to be handling such matters, aside from himself. But Renei was being almost as bad of a busybody as Kaon; she was far too eager to involve herself as much as possible in the plans for the Walker boy's party ― probably in the hopes of learning more about the boy ― when all Tora needed her to do was show up to the event in something black tie optional.

"President."

Tora picked up a stray piece of paper and pretended to be interested in ― a list of party favors, apparently. That was the second time Renei had tried to get his attention now, and he refused to give it to her if she was only going to pester him about one of two things: 1) how he had treated her yesterday, in front of her friends and Usui, or 2) why he was going to such lengths to throw a grand birthday party for the new transfer student.

In his peripheral vision, he could see Renei approach his desk and heard her clear her throat a moment later, still waiting for him to acknowledge her.

"I wouldn't have walked in here if it wasn't for a good reason, you know."

He didn't so much as bat an eye, continuing to scan the page in front of him as if it were of the utmost importance.

"Igarashi, I know for a fact that you are not hard of hearing."

He withheld a smirk, though she might have noticed the corner of his mouth twitch.

"If this is about the way I treated you in front of Usui and my friends, giving me the silent treatment is a terrible way to get back at me for it."

Tora almost glanced up at her then, surprised that she was focusing less on his behavior, and more on her own, from yesterday. He figured she had every right to be angry with him about it, but instead, she was wondering the very same thing about him. Granted, he was angry, but he had gotten over it by now. He had a party to plan, after all.

"So childish..." Renei sighed when she didn't get any type of answer from him, and turned to address Maki instead.

The raven-haired boy was standing at the corner of Tora's desk with a clipboard in hand, writing something down on the papers attached to it, thoroughly invested in his work. She gained his attention by holding a paper out for him to take. "Maki-san, this is a list of the different entertainment options for the upcoming birthday event. All that's needed is for you or the President to approve them."

Maki looked up and took the paper, modeling a grin as polite as ever on his face. "Ah, thank you, Nakajima-san." As he glanced over the list's contents, Renei nodded, and moved to take her leave.

Tora waited until she reached the doorway to finally speak. "I thought I put Tomu in charge of the entertainment."

She paused with one foot out the door.

"And I was made to understand that you and Yoshikawa-san were supposed to be performing at the event," Maki commented as he finished looking over the list. "Yet neither of you seem to be listed here."

Tora glanced at his right-hand man with the quick jag of an eyebrow. "I wasn't made aware of that. Was that idiotic idea one of Tomu's?"

"Actually," Renei spun around and strutted over to the desk again. "It was Kaon-san who approached me about playing at the event, though the part about accompanying Yoshikawa was a surprise. She did say that it was the Elite's decision as a whole, however, and they even went so far as to free up a music room for the two of us to use for practice."

The blond let a thoughtful, non-too-pleased hum escape his lips, causing the Vice President to lean closer to him with a quiet apology, "I'm sorry I didn't inform you sooner. I had assumed the Umekojis had already let you know of their plans."

"If this set-up does not please our President," Renei continued, folding her arms in front of herself, eyes stubbornly laid on Tora with a look of disdain. "then he should be happy to know that after only a short amount of time practicing together, it would seem Yoshikawa and I will not be going through with the performance. This is the reason why I brought a list of potential replacements for us, and besides that, we certainly would have needed more selections for the evening's entertainment, anyway."

Tora leaned forward on the desk and lifted a hand beneath his chin, resting it there as he turned his gaze from Maki over to her, studying her expression and body language carefully. "What if I said I wanted to hear the two of you play together? Would there be a... problem with that?"

"There wouldn't." Her voice came out flat, giving nothing away. She knew he was fishing for something, and she would not give him the satisfaction of knowing she'd had an argument with one of her close friends, especially not the one he so clearly had it out for. "But I would be happy to play on my own. The type of people that will be at the party aren't Yoshikawa's usual crowd."

"What's that about Yoshikawa?"

Kaon entered the room then, uninvited, of course.

"Kaon-san." Tora greeted, in either warning or welcoming, it was hard to tell which.

"Nothing, Umekoji. You stay out of this." Renei hissed under her breath at the unwanted company, blaming her current predicament with Shin entirely on the smaller girl. Kaon glared back at her and stuck out her tongue in a childish manner.

"You don't give the orders around here, Renei." Tora's eyes narrowed as he glanced from one girl to the other. That look shouldn't have been legal; and even Maki seemed to shrink back at the low rumble in his tone. "Haven't I told you not to harass the people who are important to me?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry," She didn't so much as flinch under the heat of his gaze, the storm in his voice. "I forgot how dear to you these people are. After all, who would you be, without your posse to back you up?"

Tora's teeth grit tight enough to make his jaw ache. Here they were, doing exactly the thing he had wanted to avoid ― arguing about stupid, pointless things again ― due to her stubbornness. "At least they can trust me to always deliver on my promises, rather than dangling bait in front of their faces only to keep it just out of their reach."

"Are you trying to imply something with that statement?"

"I'm referring to your relationship with the guitarist." He placed both hands on his desk and stood up slowly, calmly; not once taking his eyes off of her as he moved. "It's no wonder the man doesn't want to perform with you, since he's been pining after you like a lost puppy all this time and has never once been rewarded. He probably doesn't want his hopes dashed again. Did you ever think of that?"

Renei's face twisted at the accusation. "He doesn't pine!" She shot back irritably, taking a step closer to the desk and placing both of her hands upon its smooth, lacquered surface, to match his stance.

He cocked an eyebrow, his voice dry as a bone as he said, "Right. And Kaon's a natural blonde."

"Hey!" The girl in question instantly bristled, until the couple looked over to give her enough of a chilling look combined that she slunk down into a chair and chose to let the comment slide. "Hmph. I thought it looked natural enough..."

Renei turned back to lean over Tora's desk, to argue at a closer range, "Your judgement is impaired. You simply don't like him, because he's someone close to me whom I've come to rely on more than you, my own fiancé."

"Nakajima," Maki started to warn, eyeing the way that a muscle jumped somewhere in the President's face as the secretary freely spoke her mind. "Perhaps the two of you could discuss this another time―"

"It would be wise of you to remember to show me some proper respect," Tora put emphasis on the word as he, too, leaned across the desk. "When we have an audience."

"That has never," Her voice was dry. "Stopped you before."

His own voice came out tighter, drawn sharp like a bowstring as he spoke his next words an inch away from her face, "If you think that you can get away with this level of insubordination in front of our peers―"

"I got away with it yesterday, didn't I?" She shot back smartly. "Besides, you don't actually care what they think. You don't care about anything or anyone, save for yourself, isn't that right Igarashi?"

"Nakajima―" Maki tried again to interject, but it was as if he wasn't even in the room with them anymore.

"And as long as everyone just does as you say, that's exactly what gives you the type of image that you want."

"And you don't think that yesterday's performance, along with this," Tora gestured angrily between the two of them, before slamming his hand back on the desk, where it barely missed crushing one of her own. "Isn't ruining that image?"

"I couldn't care less about your precious image!" Renei spat the words in his face with a vicious type of satisfaction, her hands clenching on the desk's surface. "I don't care about anything that has to do with the likes of you, in fact, I don't care about you at all!"

"You know Renei, hating someone," Tora's voice was cold. "Does, in fact, require an awful lot of caring."

"That isn't―"

"Pick one." He said, tone curt. "You can't be indifferent toward me, and hate me at the same time."

Renei's eyes widened. He should have felt satisfied; but when his eyes locked onto hers, which were dark and startled and conscience-stricken, all he felt was a curiosity that needed to be sated. He wondered what the actual truth of the matter was, and which answer might be worse ― to have her hate him, or to have her not give a damn about him in the first place.

A hand landed on his shoulder, shaking him from his thoughts and pulling him back slightly, away from Renei. Tora looked over at Kanade, golden eyes blazing with the unspoken emotions he could usually keep bottled up. His friend looked him over once, before giving a firm squeeze to his shoulder; a quiet reminder for him to reel in his bubbling emotions before anyone else saw.

"I'd say it's rather obvious," Kaon's snarky, know-it-all tone filled the air in that moment. "That neither of you are indifferent."

"Remind me when either of us asked for your opinion." Renei turned, took one look at the other girl's smirk, and frowned. "In fact, why are you even here?"

"I had something to tell the President." The shorter girl looked up at the taller from her spot in the nearest chair. "If you would stop hogging him all to yourself, then I could have been out of your way by now. Although," Kaon's smirk grew, looking a bit too wide for her face. "I have been enjoying the entertainment. By the way, when are the two of you ever going to kiss? You certainly were close enough to try it, just now."

"You're disgusting." Renei said, voice flat. She took a deliberate step back from the desk, feeling abruptly self-conscious about how close she had been to the blond young man.

Tora followed suit, standing upright and allowing Maki's hand to fall away from its resting place. "The show's over, Kaon. Tell me whatever it is that you came here to report, and get out of my office."

The shorter girl's eyes narrowed in displeasure at her fun being ruined. "I was just going to let you know that Rulin-san has accepted your invitation to be her escort to the party."

"Has she, now?" He tilted his head, the action all laziness and the tone with it all sorts of mockery. A fine lock of hair fell into his eyes, turning them a shade darker, from gold to amber.

Kaon met his gaze and smiled. "Yes. Isn't that great?"

Tora quirked an eyebrow. He knew for a fact that he had not sent any invitation to Sanyu in regards to Usui's party... yet. He wasn't even sure if he was going to extend an invitation to her, or drag Renei along as his escort, or simply find some other girl to use as needed.

He ran a hand through his hair to push back his bangs, and taking quick note of Kaon's devious intent behind the lie she had pulled out of nowhere, he decided he would allow it to work to his advantage.

"I see." Sitting back into his chair, Tora let a smile of his own play around his lips. "Then, I'll put you to the task of sending her flowers as thanks. Roses. Red ones, of course, but... Keep the thorns on them. That suits her best." His eyes fell onto his fiancée, who was failing to look unaffected by the current topic. "Don't tell me something about this is bothering you, Renei. I thought you were trying to be indifferent?"

"As if I was planning to go with you, anyway." She said stiffly.

He did not stop smiling, oh-so-sweetly at her, pretending like he believed her. "I take it you already have a date of your own, then."

Date? Renei had thought he was just being Sanyu's escort for the evening, not her... date. Wait, were those two things the same? "Yes, I do."

"Oh?" The smirk that came through in his voice, rather than being displayed honestly on his face, was infuriating. "Who's the lucky man?"

"Yoshikawa." She blurted out the name of the first person that came to mind, and it left her lips before she could think twice about it; gaining an immediate reaction from everyone else in the room.

Tora's smile vanished. Kaon smirked. Maki sighed as if knowing, she had just dug quite the hole for herself, and would not be getting out any time soon.

"I thought," Tora's voice was soft, somehow managing to bring a tension into the air with it all the same. "Parties like this one, were not the type of place that had his usual crowd."

"That is true," Renei responded slowly, her brain working overtime to keep herself from looking like a fool by getting caught in a lie. "But attending such an event would be a good way for him to promote his band. It's called networking, Igarashi. I thought you, of all people, would understand what that is."

"I can think of one other reason Yoshikawa would have to go, other than that." Kaon said slyly, staring pointedly at Renei.

"Kaon." Tora turned his attention to her, his voice low and the warning in it clear enough that he may as well have physically been pushing her out of the room. "I believe you were going to send Sanyu a message for me."

"But of course, President." The shorter girl stood to take her leave, giggling to herself as she passed by Renei, and out through the door. "Thanks for keeping me entertained."

She was so caught up in her own amusement, that she very nearly bumped into someone else, who was entering the room just as she was walking out.

"President, I―" Arashiyama stood within the open doorway for a moment, staring confusedly at the snickering blonde girl, before pausing to look around Tora's office. His gaze landed on Renei and, upon recognizing her, an excited glint came into his eyes and he started panting heavily ― a reaction which had always managed to freak her out every time she saw him.

"Arashiyama, I was wondering when you'd bring me your report." Tora, being Tora, changed his entire demeanor in less than two seconds. He motioned with one hand to the chair which Kaon was no longer occupying. "We're done here, so why don't you have a seat?" His voice was smooth, and all business.

The spike-haired boy didn't seem to hear what he was told to do, as he hovered close at Renei's side, his fingers twitching like he wanted to reach behind his shirt for his make-up set that he always seemed to have with him (Renei had learned of this when he had been the one to get her ready for Aya's birthday gala). "Ohhohoo~ If it isn't my favorite raw diamond! Come here just a moment, won't you? You should really leave your hair down, like this," When she didn't come to him, he reached his arms around her, trying to undo her hair tie even as Renei pushed a hand against his chest in order to hold him back.

"Arashiyama! Please keep your hands to your―" She started chastising him, only to be interrupted.

"Tenryu." Amber eyes gleamed as they zeroed in on the other boy, the President's next words ringing through the air with a sharper note as he repeated himself. "Have a seat."

"Yes, President." Tenryu straightened up immediately, then dipped into a low bow. "I apologize!" He sat down quickly after that.

Renei huffed in both annoyance and relief, automatically moving her hands up to straighten her ponytail. She was about to ask where the eccentric man's apology for her was, for invading her personal space ― when Tora chose to address her next.

"Nakajima." She looked over at him. "I know for a fact that you are not hard of hearing. I said that we're done here."

Eyes narrowing at his flawless mimicry of her tone and words from earlier, Renei squared her shoulders and raised her chin. "I just want to inform you that I am not going to let him―" She pointed an accusatory finger at Arashiyama. "or anyone else, for that matter, play dress-up with me again. I already have a dress picked out, to... To match with Yoshikawa." In a whirl of her school skirt and silky brown hair, she made to exit his office; and she wanted to kick herself, hard, for continuing with the lie when there was probably no way Yoshikawa would play music with her at the event, let alone be her escort.

"Nakajima." Tora called to her again, his voice full of authority, and she stiffened. "Shut the door behind you."

She shot an icy glare over her shoulder at him, and pulled the door behind her, making sure to leave it open to a crack.

"That little chit." The blond spoke under his breath, before noticing the way Arashiyama was staring longingly after Renei. He gained the other boy's attention with a single, calmly drawled question, "Did I say you could touch her?"

Tenryu snapped back to attention, sitting forward in his seat. "Ah, that was... No, President, you did not. But in my defense, regarding such matters," The man looked a tad nervous, and a little flushed from being so near a 'raw diamond' just moments ago. "You've never seemed to need me to ask for your permission before."

"I don't need it, I expect it." Tora's voice was firm, leaving no room for argument. "And I don't need you distracted from the tasks I've given you."

When Tenryu's lips formed a small frown hearing that, and he looked like he was about to protest more, Maki cut in smoothly, "Let's get down to business, shall we? How are your side of the preparations coming along?"

"I have managed..." The spike-haired boy spoke slowly, his dark eyes switching warily back and forth between the President and Vice President. "To find someone to make that customized sculpture that you wanted."

"What about the floral arrangements?" Maki pressed further, writing something down on the clipboard in his hands.

"I've selected what I believe are the most suitable for the event, from the list that I was provided with." The boy replied dutifully.

"Excellent." The Vice President nodded. "Is that all?"

"Erm... Let's see... my wonderful fiancée has prepared most of the invitations, but she was wondering if she should invite any of the Walker family―"

"Tell Li-san that they won't be attending." Tora was quick to shoot down that particular suggestion. None of Usui's family would even consider attending. Except perhaps, Gerald, but he wasn't well enough to travel... or so Tora hoped. He often wondered if the Englishman was going to pop in for a surprise visit, regardless of the toll it might take on him. "Also, bring Nishihara in here for me. I need to go over the expenditure of funds with him."

"Of course, President." Tenryu made to stand.

"One last thing, Arashiyama-san," Maki added for good measure, smiling in that mysterious way of his, eyes squinted and unreadable. "I believe it would be for the best if you could control your... urges, on your way out."

The spike-haired man looked back with a sheepish, yet still somewhat excited expression. "I only have some suggestions I'd like to provide her with, for hair products she could start using, and also a few―"

"You may," Dark gold eyes provided the man with a certain look that made him freeze in place. "Ask for her measurements in order to find her a dress for the event. Nothing more."

"But, Nakajima said she already has a dress for the event―"

"It is a rare thing," Tora spoke softly, dangerously. "for you to be questioning my orders."

Maki cleared his throat, a pointed gesture directed kindly at the other boy, in an attempt to warn him to tread lightly; since the President was in no mood to explain his reasoning to anyone at the moment.

"Very well, then..." Tenryu was quick to backpedal, bowing deeply once more. "Allow me to fetch Nishihara for you, and... I promise that I will leave Nakajima as she is, and only ask for her measurements, for a new dress." He sounded sincere enough, but as he left the room, he could be heard mumbling under his breath, "Such a shame, though, to let such raw beauty go untouched..."

Tora rolled his eyes upon hearing that, and leaned back in his chair with a huff. "That man," He declared once he and Maki were alone. "has issues."

Maki seemed amused at the comment. "Don't we all. Shall I prepare a real invitation for Rulin-san from you?"

The blond's gaze snapped onto the Vice President, and he smirked. "I suppose. Kaon really can be useful sometimes, can't she?"

"Is that what you'd call it?" Maki opened his eyes to meet his friend's gaze. "Are you sure she wasn't just making a bad situation worse?"

Tora hummed to himself, and didn't bother with answering that. His head was filled with a thousand thoughts, it felt like, and he still had much more to prepare for Usui's damned birthday. "Maki..."

"President?"

"Get back to work. I don't need you questioning me as well."

The other coughed into his hand, humbly inclining his head. "I was merely speaking about the matter honestly, based on what I've observed." He handed Tora the clipboard in his hands. "I've gone through all of this already, but you're welcome to take a final look at the preparations."

Receiving the clipboard from the raven-haired young man, Tora eyed the contents with only half of his attention; the other half on the conversation at hand. "Did you not just observe how well my fiancée and I truly get along?" He reached for a pen and made a slight change to something on the papers in front of him. "It can't get much worse between us. I don't buy that she doesn't care about anything having to do with me, but just yesterday, she made claims about hating me."

"If you would allow me to give my humble opinion on the matter," Maki started politely, and when his friend only continued circling or crossing things out on the papers, he pressed on. "The pair of you argue in the way only people who truly understand one another can argue. And, regarding her claims about hating you... There is another emotion which is similar to hate, that it is more than likely being confused with."

Tora glanced thoughtfully in his direction, quietly handing the clipboard back to him. "See to it that those changes are made." He said, all-business for the moment; turning his back on the other to begin preparing a list of accounts on his desk for when Nishihara arrived.

"Forgive me." Maki gathered the papers and the clipboard together, a slight frown on his face. "It seems I've said too much."

"There's nothing to forgive." Tora said, voice cool. "I was just thinking that you have the oddest opinions sometimes, Kanade."