Chapter 28

Last Day of Summer


Haruhi and I decided to do something more low-key for the last day of summer vacation. We'd been hearing about the Hometown Regional Products Expo that happened to be taking place at the Bonmal Department Store. It was located in the Izumi shopping center, which was about a thirty-minute bus ride away. Ranka and my mom happily agreed to give us a bit of food money and some change for the bus fare, and Haruhi and I managed to save up more from the summer job we'd been working at in Karuizawa for the past month. We only took a small portion of it with us, however.

"Be safe, girls! Haruhi, remember to just call Daddy if the two of you see any creeps! You know what I'll do to them!" Ranka beamed innocently as he and my mother gave the two of us a suffocatingly tight hug.

"The two of us will be out shopping, so make sure to call our cell phones if you need anything!" Mom giggled cheerily.

Ranka and my mom have always been pretty close; they've been shopping buddies for quite a while and would go on an occasional "Girls Day Out" when they were free. Despite the fact that Ranka wasn't really a woman, he had no problem at all with it and took plenty of joy in picking out stylish outfits and new makeup products.

"I'm afraid I'm beginning to run out of that pastel eyeshadow that I use so much," Ranka giggled to my mom in a feminine tone of voice that would make others question his gender.

"Ohoho, I know exactly what you mean! They have a new brand, though; we should try it out!" my mom smiled excitedly.

Ranka tossed his hair briefly. "I need to get another blouse that compliments my eyes well; I barely have any of those. Now how am I going to attract the customers at our bar without one?"

I looked over at Haruhi with the same blank expression that she wore. We weren't quite sure how we turned out the way we did with parents who loved to do such girly things.

"Well," Haruhi laughed nervously. "We'll be on our way, then."

After Ranka and Mom gave us a final squeeze and a reminder to be safe, we began to walk over to the station with a bit of laughter and excited smiles on our faces. This was the first year that this event was held on a day that the school year hasn't started yet, so we were looking forward to finally being able to have this experience.

The Izumi Shopping Center was one of the most enormous buildings I'd ever seen in my life. It was so big that multiple conventions could be held inside at once and things usually wouldn't be overly crowded. However, for this event, it seemed a little packed with grandparents, small children, and everything in between. It wasn't too difficult to keep up our optimistic approaches even with people bumping into us every once in awhile, though; we figured that such circumstances could only be the result of an enjoyable event.

The two of us managed to do quite a bit during the first hour we'd been walking around; it would be difficult for someone to be bored. There seemed to be an endless variety of foods and products from all around the country of Japan, and we'd certainly been enjoying ourselves. The atmosphere was so lively that it had put us in such a good mood as well.

"Two of those nikuman for two hundred yen? Not bad," Haruhi smiled, dropping a few coins into the chef's hand in exchange for the steamed pork buns. "Wanna try?" she asked, handing one to me.

"Thanks!" I beamed, taking a bite into the warmth of the freshly-made bun. "Ah, this is a great way to end summer, huh."

"Sure is," Haruhi replied with another relaxed smile on her face. "Hm, it kinda feels weird not having Tamaki-senpai around to bug us this time around."

I laughed. "I don't know if I'd speak too—"

"Mass production! Mass production!" two teenage boys seemed to be harmonizing loudly over and over again.

Our heads snapped towards the sound to see a certain pair of red-haired twins excitedly dancing around a dry-cleaning station, and we ducked behind the nearest stand. Peeking out briefly, we discovered that the two of them weren't the only ones standing around that area. The rest of the hosts appeared to be nearby as well.

We ducked behind the stand again and looked at each other with our eyebrows raised.

"But it's the last day of vacation," Haruhi said with a dismal expression on her face.

"What are they doing at a products expo in a freaking department store?!" I roughly whispered.

She sighed in reply. "I don't even know anymore."

"What's this over here? Ah, look! A nikuman stand!" Tamaki called out excitedly.

Haruhi and I looked at each other in a panic; they were headed in our direction. With that, I decided that I'd jump out so that at least Haruhi would be able to enjoy her last day of summer vacation.

"What are you doing?!" she whispered roughly to me, grabbing my arm and trying to pull me down again.

"Go ahead and enjoy yourself," I whispered back with a small nod and a light pat on her shoulder.

"But—"

"Hiroshi?! What a pleasant surprise!" Tamaki exclaimed heartily as Haruhi remained hidden. "Do you happen to be with—"

"Nope, nope, I'm here by myself," I laughed nervously. "Just uh... just checking out the expo since my mom wanted me to."

Tamaki was clearly trying to hide a look of disappointment on his face as soon as I told him that I was alone. I couldn't help but feel sympathy for him; I don't think he'd truly gotten quality time with Haruhi even though all of us practically spent the entire summer together.

"Hi, Hiro-chan!" Hani beamed excitedly. "Hey, I heard they were selling ice cream on the rooftop! C'mon, let's check it out," he giggled, jumping off of Mori's shoulders and over to me. "You have a bit of money, right? I'm sure it doesn't cost too much."

I looked back at the stand that Haruhi had been hiding behind as we began to walk away, and I saw her peeking out from behind with a concerned expression on her face. "Hiroshi!" she mouthed.

"It's okay," I mouthed back. I waved my hand at her with a nervous smile as Hani continued to drag me along with the group towards the stairs.

"Let us make use of the staircase!" Tamaki called out majestically.

"There's an elevator, Senpai," I said, pointing to the nearest one. "We could use them instead of tiring ourselves out."

"This is about the experience, Hiroshi! We want to see how you and Haruhi live on a daily basis. This is why we've come here today!"

I gave him with a slightly irritable stare. "But... we do use elevators on a regular basis, if they're available," I stated blankly.

He clearly hadn't been paying attention to my suggestion. With the others following close behind him, he made a dash for the doorway that lead to the steps. "Whee!" he laughed.

He was like an obnoxious brother who was overly enthusiastic about normal things, but I couldn't help chuckling to myself. It was clear that he and Haruhi complimented each other well. I'd never say such a thing to her with a serious tone of voice, however. I knew her reaction would consist of raising an eyebrow and glaring at me in the midst of blushing.

It took awhile for all of us to reach the rooftop, and I became a little irritable again, having to resist the urge to yell at Tamaki for not listening to me in the first place.

After stopping to catch our breath for a few minutes, the twins pointed in the direction of where the ice cream stand appeared to be. "Look there, Hani-senpai!" they chorused.

"Whaa, it looks so good!"

"Careful not to get a cavity again, Mitskuni," Mori cautioned. This was the most I'd heard him talk in a while; I'd almost forgotten how deep his voice was.

"I won't, Takashi!" Hani giggled in reply, leaping over to the vendor with money ready in his hand.

"Gah!" I shouted. My arm felt like it had just been punched five times over. It turned out to be the twins, who pushed me out of the way in order to get on a ride.

"Sorry, Hiroshi!" the two of them said in unison. "Hey, what's this thing called, anyway?"

"A carousel?" I chuckled, rubbing my arm continuously and hoping that it wasn't bruised. My ankle had just finished healing up completely from that one night in Karuizawa; I wasn't exactly in need of another injury.

It was then that I'd realized that Kyouya didn't seem to be anywhere in sight. I figured it may have been too early in the morning for him to come along with the rest of the group, but I was still curious as to whether he'd still been asleep at that point in time.

"Hey, Tamaki-senpai," I began nervously.

"How may I be of assistance, my daughter?" he asked, resting his elbow on my shoulder. "Lovely day, isn't it? Ah, if only Haruhi were here to experience it with us,"

"Uh, where's Kyouya-senpai?" I asked, slowly pushing his arm away.

"Don't be silly, Hiroshi; he's standing right over—" he began, peering around frantically. "He's, uh,"

"You miss Kyouya-senpai already?" Kaoru asked. I was startled to find that he and Hikaru had already been standing behind me.

"And you only saw him a few days ago," Hikaru giggled.

"Wh-what?" I stammered irritably. "You weirdos, I'm just wondering," I sighed, smacking their Kaoru's arm lightly and rolling my eyes. "Anyways, did you guys try to drag him along or..."

Tamaki wore a pensive expression on his face, stroking his chin and trying to remember what had happened earlier in the day. Suddenly, he pointed his finger in the air so enthusiastically that one could imagine a light bulb floating over his head. "Ah, now I remember! Gentlemen, we're going to have to search for Kyou—"

"You're on your own, Boss," Hikaru sighed. "Sorry, but we're kinda having fun up here, and it's kinda your fault that we lost track of him, anyways."

"But..." Tamaki began, giving them the widest puppy eyes he could muster up.

The twins turned away immediately to avoid persuasion. "Just go to customer service and have them make an announcement," they said in unison.

"Hmph," Tamaki exhaled indignantly, crossing his arms and pointing his chin upwards. "Fine. Hiroshi, you'll be coming with me, then."

"Gah, wait!" I exclaimed as he linked arms with me and made a dash for the stairs again. It was clear that he wasn't going to listen to me until we reached the level we'd previously been on.

Once we finally got to the floor that Tamaki had been dragging me along to, his eyes began to wander around in search of a customer service desk. He pulled me by my arm once more when he'd finally located one.

The person in charge just happened to be a teenage girl, and Tamaki suddenly smiled. I'd be lying if I said I didn't feeling like smacking him at that moment. He strolled over to her with the same charming smile on his face and took her hands in his. I was kind of surprised that she didn't take into account the fact that someone who was a stranger had made such a move. Instead, her face had turned such a deep shade of red that I was sure she'd explode at any moment.

"My dear, would you be so kind as to offer us a bit of help?" Tamaki asked sweetly.

"Ah, certainly," she muttered quietly in reply. "How may I help? Are you lost?"

"Well, we're actually searching for someone."

"I see. Could you please give a description?"

"A boy," Tamaki smiled cheekily. "Let's see, what was he wearing today? Oh, right! He's dressed in a beige button-up, black jeans, and brown sandals. He wears glasses and has black hair, too."

"I'm sorry," the girl sighed after a few minutes of trying to remember whether or not she'd seen such a person. "We could also try to make an announcement."

"Brilliant!" Tamaki beamed before whispering Kyouya's name to her. She asked for our names as well.

"Got it," she smiled. "I'll make one right away," she said, pressing one of the buttons on the device in front of her and lowering her face to a small microphone. "Attention shoppers," she began.

I couldn't help but feel that something like this would embarrass him, but it couldn't have been too bad. It wasn't like she'd be referring to him as a little boy. Or, so I thought.

"This is an announcement for a lost child," she said, speaking clearly and slowly.

"Uh, Ma'am," I began.

She didn't seem to hear me. "Attention shoppers," she repeated. "A little boy named Kyouya Ootori is lost in the shopping center. I repeat, Kyouya Ootori is lost in the shopping center. His guardians, Suoh and Katou, are waiting for him at the customer service center on the second floor."

Tamaki and I looked at each other in a panic and began to wave our hands around, but she only proceeded. "Kyouya has black hair and is wearing prescription glasses. He is..." she began, looking towards Tamaki once again with the same cheeky smile on her face as she'd worn before. "Ah, how tall is he?"

"Uh," Tamaki muttered, gulping and holding his shaky hand up to demonstrate numbers.

It was then that she'd finally given us a weird look. "He's five feet and eleven inches tall."

"Oh sheesh," I muttered, smacking my hand to my forehead.

Tamaki laughed nervously again. "Thank you very much," he said as the two of us bowed. "We'll be waiting on the bench over there to see if he comes."

I took a seat next to him as he scratched at his head anxiously. "Well, hopefully he wasn't too offended or caught off guard," he said. "When he's upset, he stays like that for a while."

I laughed. "The two of you seem pretty close."

After pausing for just a bit, a smile formed on his face. This had to be the first time he hadn't smiled in a way that made me uncomfortable. "It does feel as though we've been friends for quite a long time," he replied. "I guess you could say we know each other pretty well. I'm sure there's a side of him that not everyone else has truly seen yet, however."

"And what would that be?" I queried.

"I'm not completely sure if I'm correct," he yawned, stretching his arms behind his head and looking up at the ceiling. "But I think it has to do with breaking that cool exterior of his, if that's even possible."

"Cool exterior, huh."

He exhaled with another smile on his face and turned to look at me. "I think you're the reason why he's been acting differently, Hiroshi."

"What?" I gulped. "What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

"Hm, how can I explain this?" he wondered, staring up at the ceiling again.

"Uh, Senpai, I don't think—"

"Aha!" he exclaimed suddenly, making a dramatic gesture for what seemed to be the hundredth time that day. "Hiroshi, I've got it," he began, looking back towards me with a slightly more serious expression. "It's the way he looks at you."

I gulped, looking down with my eyes widening by the second. "Don't be silly," I said quickly.

He took a more majestic stance. "I kid you not, Hiroshi!" he said charmingly. "He has this look on his face whenever he talks about you."

"And what the heck does he say about me?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. I suspected that he'd been chuckling to himself about my clothing choice that he always seemed to be so critical of. It was either that or the fact that I never acted like a proper lady.

"Oh, he'll usually slip something into a conversation about how your jokes are too cheesy and outdated, or he'll wonder why you looked so happy about something as simple as us getting a sketchbook for you."

"Hey, that wasn't just any old sketchbook," I declared.

"I'm serious," Tamaki replied. "I've honestly never seen him so interested in someone else's personality before. For someone like Kyouya, he seems awfully intrigued by you."

I shot Tamaki a weird look as I felt my face beginning to heat up. "Oh, I'm sure he talks about plenty of other people."

"No, not quite in that way," Tamaki shrugged. "The fact that he notices your quirks is something I didn't really expect from him. It kind of makes me wanna laugh when I see that face he makes. It's kind of like admiration and amusement mixed into one, even though he tries to cover it up."

"I-Is that so," I stammered, doing my best to hide the fact that I felt anxious for some reason. I wasn't sure what the heck was wrong with me.

"Aw, look at you!" he giggled, giving my cheek a pinch and therefore earning him a smack on the hand. "You're blushing!"

"Oh, quit it!"

"Don't try to deny it; you two are definitely OTP material!"

I shot Tamaki another weird look. "You watch too many dramas!" I frowned. "I can't believe you just used that freaking term!"

He only giggled again. "How adorable!" he exclaimed.

He'd nearly given my cheek a second pinch when someone else had put their hand in the way of his. "What exactly do you think you're doing, Tamaki?" a highly irritated voice queried.

Kyouya happened to be standing right above us, and I could tell from the expression on Tamaki's face that he'd earned himself a death glare. I was correct; this was one of the grumpiest expressions that I've seen Kyouya make. The fact that his hair was slightly messy and that his shirt was a little wrinkled gave off that he hadn't exactly been having the best day so far.

Haruhi, who was standing behind him, appeared to be a little irritable as well. They'd probably bumped into each other after the others dragged me along. Hopefully he hadn't freaked out too much when his name was called.

"Ah, Haruhi!" Tamaki smiled cheekily, grabbing her by the hand. "Let's go join the others, shall we?!"

"But Senpai," she began with an exhausted tone of voice.

"There's ice cream on the rooftop! It's delicious! And I saw these adorable cell phone charms that were on sale as a couple set!"

"A couple set?" Haruhi gulped. I could see her face turning pink as she looked down at her hand that was interlocked with Tamaki's. "What the heck are you talking about?"

"Oh, I mean," Tamaki laughed nervously in reply, beginning to turn red himself, "Ah, since you're my little girl, I think it's only proper that we have matching cell phone charms!"

"Tamaki-senpai!" she shouted irritably as he pulled her along.

Kyouya and I stood alone for a little while until the two of them were no longer in sight, and I looked over cautiously. He had the same exhausted expression on his face that he'd had a moment ago.

"Kyouya-senpai, what exactly is going on?" I asked nervously.

"You want me to explain?" he muttered irritably. "I was up until five in the morning filling out applications, and this idiot decides to barge into my room along with the other clowns to disrupt my sleep," he huffed, pushing his glasses up. "And so I wind up in a place that isn't within walking distance of home, without my phone and without my wallet."

A little boy who was running around happened to run into Kyouya. He lied on the ground for a few seconds, staring up at Kyouya with a dumbfounded expression on his face. By the time I'd reached out my hand, it was too late; he was already sobbing and running in the opposite direction. Kyouya had been wearing an even more angry expression on his face. His eyebrows were arched in a way that would terrify any little kid.

I gulped again. "Senpai, it was only an accident."

He sighed, pressing his hand to his forehead. "My ride should be arriving in a few hours. We may as well have a look around."

His tone wasn't too convincing. I offered to give him a bit of change for a bus ride back home, but he said he'd rather take a tried-and-true method of transportation. I couldn't really blame him, so I reluctantly agreed to walk around with him until Haruhi gave me a call.

"So you said you were filling out paperwork?" I asked.

"For university."

I knew he was considered exceptionally smart, but it seemed a bit early to be applying to colleges.

"Already?" I queried.

"There are honors programs that my brothers have participated in to be eligible heirs to the Ootori Group, so I'll need to begin even earlier."

I wondered which colleges he'd applied to. University of Tokyo was probably one of them, seeing as it was one of the top business schools in Japan. I didn't want to pester him, though; I'd save those questions for when he wasn't so tired.

Fortunately, he seemed to have warmed up a bit after we'd strolled around for a while. He would occasionally crack a smile at me as we talked and was willing to try a few of the food samples being offered as long as they were spicy. He claimed that foods with a kick made him more alert.

"You know, I wouldn't really mind eating explosive ramen on a day-to-day basis as long as it's cooked well. Mala soup isn't half bad, either."

"What the heck are you trying to do, burn a hole in your mouth?" I laughed.

"I just don't care much for sweets or other types of food."

"Says the guy who claims to bake perfect cookies," I replied.

"Now that doesn't necessarily mean I enjoy eating them."

Suddenly, we heard a series of giggles coming from behind us. "Dreamy and cool? He's just my type!" a group of girls squealed.

Kyouya and I turned around to find three more teenage girls dressed in feminine clothing staring at him dreamily and stepping even closer to him shamelessly.

"Um, excuse me," one girl giggled in a high-pitched voice. "Would you please tell us where the customer service center is? We seem to be lost," she asked, standing on the tips of her toes and standing so close to him that I'd practically been pushed out of the way. She was holding both the map and her face close to his own.

"If you take this stairway to the second floor and make a left, you should arrive at the information counter," he replied with a blank expression, guiding his finger along the pathway.

"Oh my gosh, that's awesome! Thank you so much!" the three of them squealed in unison, skipping away together after giving Kyouya another dreamy stare.

He sighed. "If they were going to be so obvious, they may as well have confessed on the spot."

I wondered if he was flattered by it in the slightest, but I shrugged off all of the weird thoughts in a matter of seconds as we continued to walk.

"Are you wondering if I'm flattered?" he asked. The corner of his mouth began to tug up slightly.

My eyes widened. Great, now he was reading my mind.

"Let's see," he continued, "I'd have to say that, in this case, I wasn't surprised in the slightest."

"So modest," I responded sarcastically.

He disregarded my statement and leaned in towards me slightly. "You weren't pushed aside too roughly by that girl, were you? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I replied, backing away from him to avoid any feverish sensations.

Another series of giggles came from behind us. I assumed that the three girls were standing behind us yet again, but it didn't surprise me too much. However, I was only okay with the situation until a certain point.

"What the heck," one girl sighed. "Is she his girlfriend or something?"

"No way," another replied indignantly. "Why would such a good-looking guy go for someone like her?"

As if that hadn't been enough, the third one spoke up as well. "Gosh, the clothes, too."

I only continued to walk. It didn't exactly feel good to hear those things being said about me, I was kind of used to it. I was always picked on in elementary school for these kinds of things, anyway. Dealing with it seemed to be the best way to handle situations like these, and so I remained facing forward.

However, Kyouya didn't seem to think that this was the best solution. He suddenly grabbed my shoulders and turned me in their direction.

I shot him a weird look. "What the—"

"Excuse me, young ladies," he began with one of those hidden-motive polite smiles on his face.

The three of them stopped chatting altogether and looked up at him anxiously.

"I'm not certain the three of you know who you're talking about," he continued. "You see, she's an intern at the Hitachiin Design Incorporation, and she'll likely be taking up the position of co-head designer in the future."

The first girl who spoke up appeared to be the most nervous out of the three. As soon as Kyouya had mentioned the name "Hitachiin", they froze.

"Would you like me to give her a call?" he smiled politely once again. "I can confirm, if you'd like."

After they stared at me in shock for a few more long seconds, Kyouya continued. "Please keep in mind that judging based on looks won't get you very far."

I thought that it was odd for him to say such a thing since he made comments about my clothing on a fairly regular basis, but I didn't speak up at that moment.

He took me by surprise yet again, taking my hand and interlocking his fingers with mine. "Let's get going. It's getting a bit dark outside, don't you think, sweetheart?" he smiled, pulling me along so that we were walking in the opposite direction.

I narrowed my eyes at him for inducing more feverish sensations despite my attempts to avoid them. The way he called me such a pet name so naturally made my heart race rapidly again, and I wanted to beat myself up for it.

My face began to heat up again. "Sweetheart?!" I exclaimed, letting go of his hand once the three girls were out of sight. "What the heck was that?!"

"You think I'm the kind of person who would tolerate such things? My family has had dealings with the Hitachiins for years. An insult to even an intern isn't something I'd allow."

"But what the heck was the other thing about?" I asked irritably.

"Well, you need to do these things with finesse, you know," he said coolly.

"What," I gulped.

My phone began to ring, and once I saw the picture of Haruhi on the front screen, I flipped it open. "Everything alright?"

"Hey, I'm getting the feeling that Tamaki-senpai isn't gonna let me go home anytime soon," she replied with an exhausted tone of voice.

"Haruhiiiiiiii!" Tamaki exclaimed on the other end excitedly. "There's still so much I want to do here!"

"You already bought a dog, Senpai!" she huffed. "Isn't that enough already? Sheesh. Anyways," she continued, "You and Kyouya-senpai can head home already if you'd like to. We have school tomorrow, after all."

"We can wait; if your dad knows I left you here with Tamaki-senpai, who knows how long he'll rant to me."

"Don't worry, I'll give him a call," she said. "I'm sure they'll give me a ride home later. Ergh, Senpai, stop pinching my cheeks!" she shouted before the line had been cut off.

"Everything alright?" Kyouya asked.

"Well, I guess I'll be heading out now. It's getting dark. Just make sure that Haruhi gets home safely, okay?" I asked. "Thanks for sticking up for me. See you tomorrow, Kyouya-senpai," I said, bowing slightly and turning in the opposite direction.

I knew it was late in the afternoon, but I was surprised by the fact that it was so dark once I stepped outside. I could see the moon in the sky if I tried hard enough. I tried not to be too paranoid waiting at the bus stop, but I couldn't shake the thought that someone was staring at me.

My prediction was correct. A guy who was slightly taller than me appeared to be standing next to me, and although there were others around as well, the fact that he was eyeing me made me less than comfortable.

"Excuse me, Miss," he said with a raspy voice.

I turned to find that this man was likely older than me, with stubble and messy hair. I'd be lying if I said that he wasn't dressed in what appeared to be a delinquent's clothing.

"May I help you?" I asked in a calm tone of voice despite my nervousness.

"Say, I know a nice little place down the street. How would you like to go for a drink?"

I gulped. "No thank you."

"Oh, c'mon," he said reassuringly. "It'll only be for an hour or so."

"Excuse me, Sir," another voice began.

My head snapped to my right, and I hoped that it wasn't who I expected, seeing as he'd already done enough for me that day. To my dismay, it had been exactly who I thought.

"When a lady declines your offer the first time around, it's unlikely you'll be able change her decision," he explained calmly.

The large vehicle had pulled up, and Kyouya took my hand in his for the second time today. He narrowed his eyes at the man once more before pulling me along with him up the three steps that led to the inside of the bus.

Before I could even squeeze a word in, the two of us were sitting side by side, and Kyouya looked more tired than he had all day. "Hiroshi," he sighed, "how many times are you going to get yourself into situations like these?"

"Hey, I never said that you had to bail me out, you know! I appreciate it, Senpai, but I'm capable of handling things like this on my own."

The bus began to move forward at a faster pace. "Where did your ride go? Wouldn't your dad be expecting you to come home with your chauffeur?" I asked.

"I didn't think it would be a smart decision to leave you at a bus stop when it's this dark outside."

"Meaning?"

He sighed irritably once again. "I worry about you," he said, seemingly on the verge of rolling his eyes.

"Hey!"

"Letting guys ask you out for drinks and pinch your cheeks... sheesh," he muttered. "Just how many times did Tamaki pinch you, anyway?"

"Why is that important?" I queried. I figured I'd answer him directly once I realized that he wouldn't quit staring at me without me doing so. "Once," I said. "But I smacked his hand away, so it doesn't really mat—"

He reached up quickly and squished my left cheek between his thumb and his forefinger lightly, not letting go for a few long seconds as he stared tiredly at me. "Now we're even," he yawned, ruffling my hair lightly before resting his head back onto the top portion of his seat.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Weirdo."

"Moron," he retorted.

I was just about to make a comeback, but I closed my mouth once I turned to see his eyes closed. "I'm just resting my eyes," he muttered quietly.

"It's kind of a long ride home."

"I know, I know," he murmured almost inaudibly.

"Good luck trying to stay awake," I chuckled. "Well, on second thought, maybe I should take a nap, too. Since we've also got a club meeting after school."

He didn't respond. I tried to say his name quietly a few times, but it was clear that he was already snoozing. He eyes didn't budge even when I tried to shake his shoulder lightly.

I resorted to poking at his cheek repeatedly. "Get a good night's rest so that you're not cranky tomorrow for the guests who have been waiting all summer, got it?" I muttered quietly.

Kyouya's head began to tilt away, and since I was given the seat next to the window, I realized that he would be falling towards the walkway if I hadn't done something about it. Grabbing his arm and pulling him back to where he was sitting, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Slowly again, his head began to tilt to the side, but it was towards me this time. It wasn't long before he let out another deep yawn, and in a matter of seconds, his head was rested on my shoulder.

I hadn't noticed until now that the first few buttons on his shirt had been unbuttoned for the majority of the day, and now that his neck was extended just a little, his collarbone and his jawline seemed a little more prominent. My heart rate began to speed up again in realization of it. After brushing a few strands of hair away from his forehead, I carefully took the spare cardigan I kept in my bag and draped it over him.

He made a little grumbling noise, nodding his head back and forth lightly and scooting closer to me, leaving no more distance between us. "Hey," he muttered almost silently.

"S-Senpai?" I stammered nervously.

He grumbled once more and nodded his head lightly again, and his face began to tense up a little. I assumed he was talking in his sleep.

"You," he began quietly. "You're clueless."

"Huh?"

"Moron," he exhaled after a few seconds.

"Jerk," I huffed, hoping he could hear me this time around. He still appeared to be asleep, however, and so I settled for narrowing my eyes at him as though he could see me.

He sighed lightly, still resting his head on me. The corner of his mouth began to tug up slightly, but it fell again.

He yawned yet again as his expression gradually changed back into a relaxed one. I swiftly fixed the sweater I'd draped over him, gave him a quick pat on the head, and took a deep breath. It looked like I'd have to stay awake so that we didn't wind up missing our stop.

Trying my best to ignore the warmth on my shoulder, I planned out the next day carefully. I had my summer work complete, which I'd turn in first thing in the morning. I hoped I'd be able to answer questions correctly if I'd been called on, but I felt fairly assured since I reviewed plenty. And, of course, after the final period of the day had ended, it was back to working on designs. I knew I could expect lots of fangirly squeals as soon as the last bell would ring. The doors of Music Room Three would be open to customers again. Another school year with the hosts was bound to be an interesting one.


Author's Note

I really hope you guys have enjoyed this long chapter! What did you guys think? The next one is long, too. I'm in the process of writing chapter 30. I'm trying to make it shorter since I've already typed so freakin' much for the two latest ones. Thank you so much for reading!