Yes, I am on a roll and I refuse to be a square. Sometimes being sideless is motivating. Shoutout to all those going through a rough time. I hope this helps even a little. I luff you children!

Also, that was great, giving Hiroki a sudden reappearance, huh. xD

Disclaimer: So I can steal?

34: The Artful Salak

What a snaky apple of the eye.

"You head up first," Sokudone nodded to her secretary, peripheral vision desperate not to let Hiroki off the hook that easily. "I have to call Koujirou."

'Well isn't this convenient,' the brunette smirked. "Don't take too long. We have a date at the tailor's today."

"Do your job." She responded with an amused laugh; if Akio really bought her act, she was going to lose composure. As soon as the delinquent headed up to the stairs leading to the office, Sokudone went off to where Hiroki had been rooted when she felt something clamp on her wrist and drag her the other way.

"What was that?" Genda demanded, taking up her entire field of vision. "What was all of that?!"

Sokudone's eyes widened in disbelief. "If an idiot like you actually believed that, I trust your daftness that those two did too." The keeper tightened his grip on his best friend's wrist. As doting as he was to Sokudone, he had limits too. "Sokudone!" She laughed, ignoring the pain constricting her hand, and patted his head again like she did that morning. She doted on him as much as he did on her. "It's all part of the plan."

"What," Hiroki Zuko was breathless from chasing after the brunette. Yes, she hounded after him for the fun of it, and on the times that she actually caught him off guard he didn't storm away from her. Sometimes they headed to McDonalds so he could get the satisfaction of landing a couple of burgers on her head. "Was all that back there?"

If Fudou was surprised to see her, he didn't look like he was. "Do you have business with the Pres?"

Hiroki scoffed at him, not understanding where the anger she was feeling was coming from. "You can't just avoid me for almost a week and greet me like some automatic answering machine for that person!"

"Uh, yes I can avoid you for almost a week, 'cause I did; and I can greet you like some automatic answering machine for the President, because technically, as her new secretary, I am," Fudou stopped walking and leaned on the staircase railing. "And I just did."

But the hazel-haired girl was having none of his sass today. No. "I thought we could drop by at McDonalds or something," she exhaled, defeated by her inner frustrations. From a rational point of view, she had no reason to be angry with anyone. Fudou had no obligation to talk with her, and she and Megamino never even so much as saw each other after that talk they had in her office after the tour. "I don't know what I'm saying," she muttered, shaking her head as she headed back down the stairs. "I need to sort my stomachs. I think I'm hungry."

She heard the Mohawk-haired boy chuckle behind her. "Lay off the fast food, thunder thighs."

"Hey, quit staring at 'em!" She spun again to show her annoyed glare. Fudou raised a brow.

"Do you have any idea how rowdy you are when you run after me in that stupid school skirt?"

Hiroki felt her face boil with embarrassment. "Perv."

"'S that all you gotta say?"

"Yes, you stupid nugget!" She screeched at him, annoyed at how he was getting on her nerves, with how she was mad for no reason, and with how, now that she'd mentioned nuggets, she was starting to crave them. The teal-eyed boy studied her for a moment before speaking up again. "Don't give me that 'we have to go to McDonalds now' look," he pulled a raspberry to show his disapproval, but Hiroki had lost all dignity – and money – and was giving him a full-on pleading look. "Absolutely not. I have work."

"Dude, you're ten years too early for legit work. Come on. Ronald-chan is waiting."

"And you're ten years too old for Happy Meals." He countered.

"But the older you get, the needier you are for Happy Meals – 'cause everything in your life gets darker from then on."

For a moment, everything around them melted into static. They were the only ones on that staircase, having a staring game. The boy cleared his throat after a while. "I have somewhere to be." And without further pauses, turned back to head to the office, leaving Hiroki slumping on the steps, heaving labored breaths that she'd been holding. "I want nuggets. Have to eat. McDonalds."

On the set of stairs beside the heavy atmosphere between her secretary and the transferee, Sokudone and Genda hid, trying to suppress heavy inhalation themselves. As the brown-eyed girl trudged off dejectedly, the duo scrambled to the school's entrance.

"You – what – she – what?"

"Koujirou, calm down. Let me explain," Sokudone tried to shush the much taller companion, but he was frazzled. "All I wanted was a plan to make Claire happy; how did it end up with finding out you were procreating fast food-loving delinquent children?!"

"Procre— snap out of it!" The blackette looked befuddled and irately amused at her best friend's exaggeration. "I am doing no such thing." The keeper looked at her pointedly, demanding her to explain what she'd just done back there. "What I did back there is reignite a spark that was dying."

"No, Sokudone," Genda shook his head, eyes wild with fear and worry. "You've set yourself on fire."

The maroon-haired officer spun to meet the two teens, but was surprised to see only the less appealing one present. "Where's the President?" The brunette made no move to acknowledge him, only settling on his desk and scribbling down something before actually responding to Gohin. "She's tranquilizing an idiot as we speak," he said nonchalantly, "she'll be here in three minutes."

"Shouldn't you be with her?"

Fudou turned a wary eye at him. "And leave you here to snoop about the office? Don't think I don't know what you're doing behind her back."

Gohin smirked, dropping his calm, probationary officer façade for the second time he'd been in Teikoku. The older man sat on the edge of the absent President's table. "And what do you plan to do about it, secretary-kun?"

Fudou held his menacing glare. "Absolutely nothing." The maroon-haired officer raised a brow. "She's capable of handling you by herself without even trying."

"I said flattery wouldn't get you anywhere, secretary-kun," a new voice interrupted, making the probationary officer stiffen back to his earlier position. "And Gohin-kun, we're headed to the tailor's. Would you care to join us?"

The maroon-faced officer shook his head. "Thank you for your hard work."

Sokudone bowed, with Fudou begrudgingly following suit. "Thank you for yours. See you tomorrow."

"Where do I begin," the tailor sighed at the sight of a bishounen in his shop. He'd been a longtime contact of Kageyama's, his sister having owned the shop where the late Commander often bought his daughter's kimonos. "You only bring me the best eyecandy, you bishie magnet!" Genda Miyabi pinched the blackette's cheeks affectionately as he brought the measuring tape around an observant Fudou. "Lionman's uncle?" He mouthed to her. She nodded appraisingly.

"I heard from aneki that you have a benefit gala this Saturday; why'd you only come now, on a Thursday afternoon?"

"I don't see why it's bad timing," Sokudone huffed, examining the suits arranged around the shop. "My father trusts your hands the most. Ah, but a time limit is the closest thing to pressuring you now that my father isn't here to intimidate you into finishing your masterpieces in time."

"Clever child," Miyabi mused, moving down to Fudou's leg measurements. "The clever one is the one you've in tape." Sokudone's back was to them, but the younger brunette fixed an accusing glare at her nonchalant tone. "And why is that?" The older brunette challenged.

"He's in a compromising position," Sokudone mused when she noticed the messy-haired man's face paused inches away from the delinquent's groin. Only Fudou picked up on the double entendre. "Why don't you ask him instead?" At this, Miyabi looked up at his standing costumer, his eyebrows already repeating the question that hung in the air. Fudou weighed his options. Just how much was she aware of the mess they were both responsibly deep in?

"She's Yin and I'm Yang," the Mohawk-haired boy decided. He wasn't obliged to tell his stupid issue with a stupid lion-haired man anyway. "If I don't help her, she'll take me down with her; but if I make sure she's doing well, she'll guarantee my wellbeing too."

"A mutualism relationship," Miyabi stood, rolling back the tape. "But a parasitic one at that."

Hmm. I like how it's shorter than the previous two by 400 words. Hahahaha. Call it a cliffie. But I updated! But I have mass at 4 am because Catholic things. Actually, I don't do it for the Catholicism. I'm really just a nocturnal person who likes 5 am skies. Okay. Tune in for the last chapter update of this month (hopefully there'll be more)! I still want to hear from you sweethearts. :3

-wanonymous