The Bellflower
'1226'
Julia blushed as she entered the passcode Kyoya gave her. He was really teasing her now. He said that was one of the most memorable dates in his life. It was the day they…Julia shook her head. She couldn't even think about it. It was too early to have such lewd thoughts. She could feel the heat rush to her face and ears. Why would he pick this passcode for his house?
Kyoya moved out shortly after his birthday. He's been living alone in his new house for the past month. He was moving easily now. His physical therapist would visit every morning and on afternoons, he had another trainer pass by. Even his meals were delivered daily by a personal dietician. It was a complete lifestyle change. Kyoya didn't eat as much as before and he stopped smoking. Drinking was now done in moderation. To show her support, she got into a similar diet program which was shocking for most of their friends.
Julia looked at the calendar that hung on the wall. It was exactly seven months since Kyoya woke up. She made it a point to celebrate each month on the exact date that he woke up. Every 29th day of the month, visited him. Their usual schedule was dinner but with some luck she finished work much earlier than scheduled. It was just 4:00pm and she saw him napping on the patio.
She walked quietly and sat beside him silently. It looks like as he fell asleep halfway through reading a book. She took off Kyoya's glasses and placed it on the floor. No one would imagine seeing him in this state. His clothing style was much more casual now. She hasn't seen him wearing a suit which she kind of misses, but this was a good change as well.
It wasn't fair that he looked so good wearing a regular shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Since it didn't seem like he was going to wake up soon, she decided to start making some dinner. If there was something she learned about Kyoya, it was how he was always looking for something to eat the moment he woke up.
The faint scent of grilled fish and fried rice woke Kyoya up. He sat up and blinked a few times before standing.
"You're here early." Kyoya said as he looked at the wall clock. It was just five in the afternoon.
"Yup, I had a feeling you were starting to get bored." Julia said as she cooked. There was no need for Kyoya to stare at the stock exchange every hour. There was only so much he could do from incognito mode.
"Somewhat, but It's amusing how I walk around the neighborhood any no one could recognize me." Kyoya said.
Julia stared at him. "We'll you aren't exactly screaming Ootori right now."
Kyoya shrugged his shoulders. He never knew the comforts of athleisure. It was just the easiest thing for him to put on considering his state. He spent most days trying to get his physical strength back that wearing slacks, button down polos, and other articles of clothing that he's more used to have no point. He wore sweatpants, baggy jackets, track suits, and rubber shoes now. He even had a hoodie and a cap. Kaoru and Megumi were unusually supportive with his new wardrobe change that they sent him clothes frequently. Julia even gave him a new pair of glasses to celebrate his "new life". It's one of those trendy thin rimmed round glasses that was popular amongst the younger generation.
"Your new look suites you though." Julia commented. "Who knew this style would fit you so well."
She never thought that Kyoya Ootori could make streetwear look this good. It was almost unfair. She also underestimated how quickly he recovered, but she was just so glad that he was doing well.
Julia smiled as she placed another egg on the rice she was making. "How spicy do you want the rice?"
"The usual." Kyoya got the sauce she always used from the refrigerator and placed three tablespoons on the rice.
It didn't take long for Julia to finish. Kyoya set the table and they sat down in ate. The more Julia watched him the more she couldn't stop her mind from racing. How can he act like nothing was wrong? She was sure that Kyoya knew about what was happening. She couldn't discern his actions now.
"Fuyumi-neesan's husband…" Julia suddenly said but she stopped midway and broke the egg yolk on her rice and mixed it with the rest of the contents in her bowl out of frustration. Some people just don't have common decency.
"It's not her husband's fault." Kyoya knew instantly what was bothering Julia. One of the Shido siblings was terribly opportunistic and started buying the stocks of his company. "It's my other brother-in-laws who are taking advantage of the situation."
"You're just going to let them get 45%?" Julia stared at Kyoya as he nodded. It was enough to change the entire structure of Kyoya's company. Sure, one of the more senior employees played the part as temporary chief executive officer, but that can go away in a single deal.
"I was thinking how generosity wasn't one of my traits. So, I decided to let them have some of it." Kyoya commented he drank some water and continued to act like nothing was wrong.
Kyoya watched Julia cross her arms and continued to eat. "It's not exactly in the best shape. Even if they get majority of the shares, they can't simply remove the current management team. I think their family is capable enough of getting it off the ground."
Obviously, she wasn't satisfied with his answer. Was He going to let them do just that? She watched Kyoya carefully cut his grilled tuna into three equal parts.
"I'm certain that the Shido Family will get majority of the shares." Kyoya stated flatly.
"So that's it?" Julia stared at Kyoya.
He would be lying if he didn't find Julia intimidating at this point. It was amazing how quickly a person changes once they had a considerable amount of power to their name.
"Yes, there's another group that's trying to buy off other subsidiaries of the company." Kyoya mentioned.
None of these were new for Julia. She knew that there was this shady looking company called K.I. was buying the smaller companies that Kyoya used to manage. Their only notable takeovers were the grocery chain, laundromat service, and pharmacy services Kyoya's company used to offer. Its current employees weren't from distinguished schools or backgrounds, some of the employees looked like previous yakuza members, and to top it all off the CEO was as illusive as the whole company. Julia used her sources to check which companies were scavenging all of Kyoya's hard work.
"So you're going to let the Shido family and some underground business take everything you've worked for?"
Kyoya shrugged. "It was inevitable for the company to go into such a state. Besides, K.I. isn't so shady. I think they got those businesses at a much cheaper price than it's actual worth."
"Oh, really? You seem to know about the people stealing everything around you." Julia bit her lip and stood up. She needed a drink. She was all for this calmer version of Kyoya but he was almost being complacent.
"K.I. is a startup. I think it's nice for new competition to enter the market." Kyoya added. He started putting the dishes in the sink.
"From what I've heard it's some creepy underground business. Their main office is in a warehouse. Some of my employees tried to figure out who the owner was, but the whole setup screams underworld business." Julia leaned against the counter.
Julia continued to mention everything her employees found about the company. How many employees they had and which businesses they were buying. She even mentioned that the CEO refused meet anyone, even her. Either that person was really eccentric or ignorant. Everyone knew that there were plenty of shady businesses that earned from scams and this company just fit the entire profile.
Kyoya continued to wash the dishes without even looking at her.
Julia held Kyoya's arm. "I don't want everything you've worked for go to waste."
"Didn't your employees know that K.I. was starting to get into the food business?" Kyoya glanced at her.
"What's the newest business venture then?" Julia still had her arms crossed.
"Food industry." Kyoya pushed his glasses. "From what I know they're trying to make a franchise."
"They'll need investors for that. Who would invest in such a gamble?"
"Just someone I know." Kyoya smiled. "They're aiming to sell this new pub as a franchise. The branding is working well so far. My sources said that they might have to discard the pub concept and change it to a café."
Julia watched Kyoya put away the dishes and he took a box of strawberries. He was saving this for when Julia would visit him.
"You seem to know a lot about this company." Julia snatched the strawberry from Kyoya's hand. "Which pub did they own?"
"Noel's Pub." Kyoya smirked. He gave Julia this uncharacteristic playful glance.
"You should consider getting more competent employees to do your research for you." Kyoya took a bite of the strawberry Julia was holding. "They didn't even tell you real name of the company. It's called 'Kikyou Incorporated'."
Julia stood there in silence. How could this man never fail to surprise her? So, he's just been playing a waiting game. He never left the playing field. He just disguised himself in a way that his opponents would never know when he would strike again.
"They can't kill me twice." Kyoya said calmly. Things were falling into place just as planned.
Kyoya heard the alarm of the washing machine. He was about to make his way to the living room until he felt someone hugging him from behind.
Julia placed her head against his chest. "I'm sorry."
"It's fine." Kyoya turned around and sighed. He couldn't resist it when Julia started pouting. "I know you're just worried about me, but I can manage."
Julia looked up and raised her brows. "I just don't understand why the brother of Fuyumi-neesan's husband would do such a thing."
"It's not a big deal. Just a small disagreement that happened years ago." Kyoya dismissed.
Julia let Kyoya go, but she followed him to the laundry room. "What did you do that got him so angry?"
Kyoya had an idea. No, he was sure of it, but there were better things left unsaid. Julia sensed that he was hiding something for her.
"You know, you better tell me because I'm going to find out either way." Julia crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe. She watched Kyoya as he placed his wet clothes in the dryer.
"He and his wife back then were having a lot of marital issues. They ended up getting divorced for a while. But since the Shido family depended heavily on their in-law's construction business, they had no choice but to succumb to their in-law's requests." Kyoya recalled.
"So, the terms were obviously not to the advantage of the Shido family?" Julia asked.
"Precisely. Although they're married on paper, it's like as if they're divorced and they're only seen during special occasions."
"So where do you fit in all of this?" Julia asked. Her tone was low and threatening.
"He thinks I seduced his wife and ruined their marriage." Kyoya said. "It was a terrible union as is. Everyone knew how bad their fights were. His wife was merely a classmate of mine in Ouran and a frequent guest of the Host Club."
Julia was able to put things together. She clenched her fists and took a slow deep breath. "You slept with his wife?"
"In my defense, they were still divorced when we slept together"
"Ahhh, of course she was still divorced. What a relief." Julia smiled while her knuckles were still clenched.
"And it was just a one-time thing. I never spoke to her again after that. I left right after we did the deed." Kyoya reasoned, but the damage has been done.
There were times when the only way out was the truth even if it meant it had its own set of consequences. He finally understood where the saying 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' came from.
The Part timer
Kyoya sighed as he watched the same series again. He was out of ideas now. He feared he would go insane from doing nothing before he could mobilize his plan to reclaim his company. He decided it was best to check up on Tachibana, Ajima, and Hotta. The weekly report Soga gave him showed promising results, but he wanted to see the place for himself.
He put on a baseball cap and hoodie and made his way to the pub. It was a fifteen-minute walk to the neighborhood if he took the shortcut that went past the shrine. It wasn't the kind of place he was used to, but it was a decent neighborhood. The average household was around middle to upper middle class. Most houses even had a car or two. He saw a small convenience store, a small stretch of four small restaurants, and a neighborhood grocery. He walked down until he reached the intersection that led to the pub. The building had this brick exterior with neon signage even had a small design of a cat.
Kyoya opened the door and was greeted by three men wearing lace aprons with their names embroidered on the side. He felt his eye twitch slightly because Hotta was wearing a kitten pattered shirt.
"Irashaimase!" the three men greeted loudly which was a usual for most traditional establishments in their country.
There were a few customers already having their meal. Considering that it's a weekday, this was a good sign. Kyoya sat by the window. Ajima went to the table and left a glass of water and the menu.
He heard Tachibana answer the phone. "Good afternoon, thank you for calling Noel's pub. How can we help you? Nyan~"
Now, Kyoya felt a chill run down his spine. He shook his head to forget what he just heard. He flipped through the pages and saw that the food was decent. The even offered different kinds of drinks.
"I'll have the Set B Katsudon meal."
There was a sudden swarm of customers now. Kyoya continued to eat in silence and he quietly observed how the place was doing. Plenty of high school girls suddenly entered the place and they greeted the three men.
No one realized it was him yet, except for one member of the team. A certain feline was moving around his feet. Begging for some attention. Kyoya discreetly pet Noel. He didn't expect anyone else to notice him considering how he looks.
"Set B Katsudon meal." Hotta said as he placed Kyoya's meal on the table.
In Kyoya's mind, the whole food presentation was going to be on the traditional side, but this was something unexpected. He looked at the heart shaped katsudon. Even the curry had some colorful garnishing on it. The fruits that came with the set were carefully cut into flowers. He looked at what all the high school girls were having. It seemed strangely familiar to him. He took the dessert menu on the table and smiled. It was patterned after the Host Club menu.
When all the customers left, there was finally some downtime. Kyoya walked up to the cashier to pay for his meal. It looked like Tachibana had a lot on his hands. He answered the phone for group reservations, take out, and delivery while managing the cash register.
"That will be 450 yen." Tachibana said.
Kyoya paid for the meal. He made no eye contact with the man yet. "Excuse me, do you accept part timers?"
Tachibana called his two companions since they were short staffed especially during peak hours. They were just talking about the job listing.
Hotta took off his apron. "What's your name kid?"
Kyoya took off his baseball cap and he had a small smile on his face. He thought for a while and before he gave his name "Shoichi."
The three men couldn't believe their eyes. How could they not notice him? Their young master looked so different, but it was definitely him. There was no mistaking it.
"Kyoya-sama, is it really you?" Tachibana asked.
Ajima's lips quivered. "We missed you."
"Kyoya-sama, can I request for a hug?" Hotta asked. It was too much for him at this point.
The reunion was short but sweet. Kyoya started working the next day, and he even had an apron with his new name embroidered on it.
Kyoya looked at the apron skeptically. "Do I really have to wear this?"
"Yes, it's our uniform, Kyoya-sama." Tachibana looked at Kyoya expectantly. Watching him put on the apron.
From there he was oriented that the three men wanted to be more approachable by having nicknames. Ajima was 'Aji-kun', Hotta became 'Ho-kun', Tachibana was called 'Tachi-ojisan' since he was the eldest. They officially dubbed Shoichi as 'Sho-kun'.
Now that they had an extra hand, Ajima stayed in the kitchen to cook. Kyoya understood their actions, but was all this effort of having such nicknames necessary? He was just in charge of wiping down tables and taking order from the customers. The place was filled with high school girls.
Somehow, there was an increase with the number of customers on weekday afternoons. The television showed one pop music video after another. The girls squealed when they saw one of the girl groups.
Then a certain group was shown next. The announcer mentioned how this was the new number 1 signal that won from the online voting. There was silence around Kyoya. He noticed that all the customers were watching intently. Ajima was no exception to the rule, the man peaked through the small window from the kitchen.
Apparently, the winner for that week was a girl group called 'Thrice'. Everyone in the room cheered and they were cheering as the song played. He could see the Ajima copying the dance moves and all the girls were doing the same thing.
"Sho-kun, you should dance this too." One of the customers begged.
Kyoya scratched the back of his head as he politely declined.
"Tachi-ojisan! Your new part-timer should learn how to dance with us." The girls protested.
Tachibana tried his best to defend Kyoya. "Sho-kun is really shy."
Kyoya politely declined once more. He wasn't going to take advantage of underaged girls. He muttered to himself that he would only dance if they were able to reach 30,000 yen. It was a small amount for him, but for teenagers that was large. Somehow, one of the girls heard it and announced it to everyone from their table. He was getting albeit rusty with dealing with teenagers. It wasn't possible for them to have that much money on hand. However, he underestimated the power of 'moe'. The very same fuel the Host Club ran on.
Within an hour, the group of girls showed their running bill. They were at 35,000 yen already. Kyoya was ashamed to do such things, but it was easy enough for him to cast any sense of shame for the sake of profit. It definitely brought him back to his Host Club days. His daily mantra back then that got him through excessive feelings of shame was that other people were nothing else but the scum of the earth. Kyoya took a deep breath and smiled. It was going to be a long day.
The Stand
Kyoya prided himself with being able to control his emotions. Not once has he lost his temper or caused a scene that would bring shame to his family. Even with the difficult customers at the pub, he could easily turn things to his favor through just words. He wiped the tables one after another. The four employees of Noel's Pub developed a systematic manner of the place in less than 30 minutes. On days like this, Julia waited for him until closing time. Just a few moments ago, she passed by and said she was going to get something from the convenience store nearby.
The four men closed the shop and walked down the alley. The noticed a small commotion. There was a decent number of family owned establishments that served alcohol in the area. The hillside neighborhood usually had all sorts of people fighting at the middle of the night. Having fist fights was nothing special anymore.
"I said I'm not going with any of you!" the woman pushed the man away as an attempt to protect herself. It wasn't at all a fair fight. It was four men against one woman.
The four men heard the familiar voice and went towards the source of trouble. A man who roughly around the same age as Kyoya looked at Julia with disbelief. With his ill-fitting suit, he looked like a self-entitled manager of a small business. Beside him were three other men who didn't look like they were of satisfactory upbringing as well.
Kyoya was furious, but he wouldn't let his emotions get the better of him. He rationally observed the situation and men in front of him. They didn't look drunk. They also looked educated enough so there was no need for any more fuss. It was just four uneducated bastards ganging up on a woman. He quickly laid out a plan in his head to get through this situation with the least amount of violence as possible.
He watched Julia walked away as fast as she could, but suddenly the man asked his friends to grab Julia by the arm. The two men practically yanked her, and he saw the man who seemed like the 'alpha male' slap her so hard she fell to the ground.
Kyoya witnessed the scene unfold in front of him. Forget being civil and polite, he should be the bigger person by educating them with what happens when they hurt what was his. It took 30 years, 3 months, 9 days, and 23 hours for Kyoya Ootori to lose his temper. His vision darkened and somehow his sense of logical reasoning disappeared.
Julia saw the figure headed her direction. She was relieved when she saw Kyoya.
"What seems to be the problem here?" Kyoya asked.
All her relief disappeared when she saw the look in Kyoya's eyes. His expression was unreadable. It was devoid of any emotion, but his eyes were a different story. It only meant that someone was going to get hurt. She stood up and walked towards him. Knowing that she could still find her way to reason with him, but when she saw the three men walking behind Kyoya it became a different story. The entire time she knew Kyoya's bodyguards, she's never seen that look. One must never anger people who used to work for the military or special ops. At this point, she knew there was going to be bloodshed.
Julia dragged the man who slapped her to his car. She took her attackers hands and pushed them. "You have to get out of here. You need to leave"
Julia did everything she could to prevent any further damages now. However, her attackers didn't show any signs of backing down. This was the problem when testosterone took over common sense. Her attackers didn't notice that she was doing them a favor and one of the men even pushed her to the ground with a considerable amount of force so she could get out of their way.
Hotta looked at Kyoya and a short nod was all he needed for a signal. Hotta ran and literally did a flying kick on the man that slapped Julia. Tachibana and Ajima restrained the three other men. It was obviously not a fight.
"Are you okay?" Kyoya asked Julia. He helped her stand and he looked at the red marking on Julia's cheek. His face still devoid of any reaction.
"Yes, I'm fine." Julia assured. She held Kyoya's wrist. She tried her best to calm him down. She was perfectly fine.
"What do we do with him, boss?" Tachibana asked.
Ajima and Hotta held the main culprit to the crime scene. Kyoya got ahold of himself again. He gave another nod and they let the man go. In an ideal situation, the whole scene should have ended there.
The man fixed his department store quality suit. He didn't quite grasp the situation and snickered. "That whore deserved it."
Now, Kyoya couldn't tolerate such distasteful terms being used to describe Julia. He was also still furious with how they pushed her earlier. Nothing Julia said at that point entered his mind. The anger he felt was too loud to compete with reason.
He stood in front of the man and slapped him.
Julia was shocked with what had happened. The slap was strong enough to take out the poor man's soul out of his body.
"Did you just slap me?" The man asked in disbelief.
Kyoya's hand found its way to the man's face again.
"Hey-"
Kyoya slapped him again. Every word the man uttered earned another slap from Kyoya.
"That hurt you bastard!" he screamed. The man's lip was bleeding and the was blood dripping from his nose.
"It hurts, right? Why did you hit her then?" Kyoya asked. The smooth and calm nature of his voice betrayed his murderous expression of his eyes.
The man was about to punch Kyoya, but Kyoya's knee hit his stomach first. Kyoya elbowed the man on throat.
The man coughed as he knelt on the floor. "That fucking hurts you bastard!"
"I asked you why you hit her." Kyoya gripped the man's collar and slapped him again.
Kyoya let go when he sensed the fear return to his prey. Julia sensed that Kyoya finally calmed again. She ran to his side and pulled him away.
"Let's go." She held his arm tightly and pulled him away.
As they were walking away, the three other men helped their 'alpha male' stand. They were screaming insults as they walked away. They could hear them saying that they were going to call the police and what not.
"Ignore it, Kyoya." Julia whispered.
Kyoya's sense of reasoning was back. He never believed that when emotions took over, everything else just blurs out. He took a deep breath to calm himself.
"I'm sorry about my outburst earlier." Kyoya apologized as they walked away. "It wasn't like me to act so thoughtlessly."
"It's okay." Julia said as she gripped Kyoya's arm tightly.
They were about to leave the men be until the guy screamed at them. "Women need to get hit to learn a lesson so they can come to their senses. Stupid fools like her should be reminded they were made to serve men." He spat on the floor and sneered at them.
Julia stopped walking. "He has a point."
Personal attacks can be tolerated. However, to degrade women as such was unacceptable for Julia. Her upbringing from St. Lobelia didn't permit her to let such a statement slide.
"Ajima-san, would you be so kind to teach them a lesson before we leave?" Julia asked with a smile on her face.
Ajima took off his shades and cracked his knuckles. "With pleasure, Mizushima-sama."
The Dinner
Julia's been visiting Kyoya's neighborhood for the past four months now. It's been almost a year since that terrible day, but luckily Kyoya was coping well. With all the workouts Kyoya did to distract himself, there were visible changes on his body. He was much stronger, leaner, and agile compared to before. He could barely climb to the top of an easy level mountain trail when they first met, but now he was sprinting uphill with very little difficulty.
Somehow, Kyoya's transformation wasn't helping her. The other week Julia saw him doing pull ups. She could see the shirt sticking to his body. The week before that, she accidentally saw him with just a towel. There was no doubt with the results. She could already see the difference.
Kyoya was on the thinner side when they first met. He didn't exactly have the athletic body type, but now his muscles started to firm up. His shoulders got even broader and she could see the muscles on his back. His arms were now muscular, but not too large like those body builders. He wasn't bigger in a sense, but he developed these cuts that just defined his arms and back. Julia found herself staring at Kyoya's bottom more than once. It was all in perfect proportions.
"So basically, we have dinner then we visit obaasama?" Megumi confirmed.
Julia's attention was brought back to reality. "She wanted to discuss the deal with the Mitsutaka group before we see them next week."
The car went past the quaint residential area. They went uphill and saw a man jogging up ahead. Right beside him were three other men who were jogging at the same pace as well.
"Is that Kyoya and his bodyguards?" Megumi asked.
The men were far up ahead, but it was clear. The two women found themselves looking at the glorious bottom Kyoya Ootori's been hiding from the world. The compression pants he wore just showed off everything.
"Damn." Megumi looked in awe. "You have to tell me you're getting some of that."
Julia laughed nervously as she shook her head. She's not the best person for that kind of thing. She got shy too easily and would chicken out before anything happened. It's because her thoughts raced too fast and by the time she caught up with reality she already froze.
"You're trying to tell me that you've been going to this man's house." Megumi paused. Like she was trying to comprehend the entire situation. "You've been visiting this man who lives alone with that kind of ass and you're voluntarily not getting it?"
They finally arrived Kyoya's house. Julia got down and watched Kyoya's bodyguards do their cool down exercises. They even had some small talk about their pub that was doing quite well. The small talk lasted for a few minutes before the three men left and ran back to the main neighborhood.
"Aren't you going down?" Julia asked.
Megumi took her bag and they entered Kyoya's home. What greeted them was a beautiful display of Kyoya was doing some pull ups in the indoor gym with his shirt off. He didn't notice the two women enter and was too focused at the task at hand.
"Amazing." Megumi said. Not realizing the words that left her mouth.
"I don't think I'm hungry anymore." Julia stared.
Megumi and Julia practically had their mouths open. All the cuts could be seen in all the right places. His chest looked solid and their eyes trailed down. They saw the defined lines on his stomach. Just a few months ago, this guy was stuck in bed and now he looked like he was ready to throw someone in bed.
Megumi snapped herself out of her trance and looked at her more clueless companion. It was a beautiful site indeed and someone needed a bit of a push. The more experienced woman unbuttoned the top button of Julia's blouse and placed a lovely colored red lipstick on Julia's lips. She quickly dabbed some blush on her face. She undid the bun on Julia's hair and tousled it.
"I realized I was busy. I forgot I had a dinner date with Hikaru." Megumi said as she started spraying perfume on Julia. When she was content with the results of her work as knew it was time for her to go. "Wife duties. That sort of thing. I can't neglect my husband. You know how possessive Hikaru can get."
"I thought you had nothing planned."
"My mistake." Megumi shrugged her shoulders. "I'll pick you up with the driver tomorrow with a fresh set of clothes."
"I thought we were just staying for dinner." Julia was confused. A moment ago, the plan was completely different.
Megumi rolled her eyes. "No, I'm doing you a favor. I'm going to get you here tomorrow morning. Do you understand?"
Megumi disappeared before Julia could do anything about it. The car left her, and she saw that Megumi even took her cellphone along.
"You're here already."
Julia turned around and saw Kyoya toweling himself down. He looked like he came straight out of the shower, was already wearing a shirt much to her dismay. She could feel her heartbeat go faster and faster.
"I made dinner already." Kyoya said.
"Could you get the wine from the fridge?" Kyoya asked.
Julia could barely concentrate on what she was supposed to do. Kyoya poured her a glass and she just drank all the contents in one go. She was so nervous with what could happen she had little sense of what was happening already. She wasn't sure if what she wanted to have the pot roast Kyoya made or Kyoya himself.
"Do you have any of those calbee chips?" Julia asked.
Kyoya shook his head. "I can go to the store and get some if you want."
"I'll come with you." Julia took her coat and scarf. She stood by the door and waited for Kyoya to get his jacket.
Kyoya placed his baseball cap on Julia's head to keep her hidden. A few precautions had to be taken since he was walking with the Mizushima Chairwoman now. The walk to the convenience store was pleasant. They took the shortcut that cut through the shrine while their arms were linked.
"Did you want anything else besides snacks?" Kyoya asked.
"We already have wine at home so it's all good." Julia rested her head on his arm.
"Did you want to watch a movie?" Kyoya asked again.
"Not exactly. Why?"
"You usually like eating salty snacks while watching movies." Kyoya pointed out.
It was exactly like him to observe those tiny details. It was in moments like this when Julia's heart fluttered. They were finally at their destination before she could answer. Kyoya held the shopping basket and they ended up getting more snacks than intended.
Kyoya placed the basket on the counter and before he could do anything, Julia smiled at the cashier and said, "I'll be paying."
This was the only chance Julia had. She was a grown woman. There was no need for her to chicken out. There was no backing out now. This was it.
Julia took a deep breath and discreetly placed two boxes of condoms right beside the counter and hid it underneath the snacks. She continued to look up the ceiling and ignored everything around her. Kyoya pretended not to notice what she did and looked at the ceiling as well. Somehow the tension was growing by the minute.
The walk home was even worse. Kyoya glanced at Julia several times, but she wouldn't even look at him. He looked at the two familiar boxes in the shopping bag. It's taken a considerable amount of self-control on his part, but he was amazed he's gone this long. He knew that Julia shy in that aspect which was why even if he was at his limit, he never pressured her into doing anything she wasn't comfortable with. He respected and cherished her too much to treat her the same way as his previous endeavors.
By the time they got home, Julia still couldn't look at him directly, but Kyoya's control was now a thin piece of thread that was ready to break soon.
"If you wanted to do that, you could have just asked." Kyoya said as he hugged her from behind. He rested his head close to Julia's neck and he could feel the heat from her cheeks.
"Well, you know I'm not taking any pills or those sorts of things and you get me." Julia replied sheepishly.
Kyoya found himself laughing. His amusement and lust were competing with each other now. "I always prepare ahead of time."
Julia looked at him. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"I wasn't sure what it was you wanted." Kyoya suddenly kissed her neck.
This was enough for her knees to go weak. Kyoya kissed one part after another lightly and whispered, "I guess that just means we can use a lot tonight."
Megumi entered her apartment and she thought the television was open since someone was singing. When she got to her room, she realized it was just Hikaru singing in the shower. It didn't surprise Megumi anymore. She didn't know that being married to Hikaru meant daily concerts.
"Into the unknooooown, into the unknoooown, into the unkno-" Hikaru ended up coughing. He took a deep breath for his final attempt to reach highest note of the song. "Ah, why can't I reach it today."
It was Ageha's fault for making him watch the same movie almost ten times and now it was stuck in his head. Hikaru continued to hum the rest of the song and was surprised to see his wife home so early.
Megumi saw her husband with just a towel wrapped around his waist. She had her own blessings as well. Unlike her cousin, she was a bit more direct when she wanted something.
"Ah, you're home." Hikaru said. He stroked his throat a few times. It started feeling a little bit scratchy. He must have sung too much today.
"I'm home." Megumi announced.
Hikaru went back to the restroom to finish his business. "Okaasan took the baby with her when she got the materials today."
Megumi pouted. She was hoping to play with her child before she went to sleep.
"I thought you had dinner today with Ju-chan." Hikaru stood by the closet and took off his towel. Exposing the true Hikaru Hitachiin to the world.
"It got cancelled due to unforeseen problems." Megumi snickered.
Hikaru shrugged his shoulders. He took a fresh set of clothes and he was about to put on. He heard Megumi cleared her throat which caught his attention.
She sat on the bed and winked and slowly tapped the empty space next to her.
"Ah, you want to play the 'Where's Megumi game'?" Hikaru smirked. He took a blindfold from his closet and smiled. "It's a good thing I'm in the mood to play."
Another wonderful set of omakes done.
It's nice to have Kyoya living a "regular" lifestyle. I got a bit carried away and I let myself go.
1. The Bellflower
For those who got the code K.I., congratulations you deserve a cookie. If you recall from the eaaaarly chapters Julia was called Kikyou during her lobelia days. Benibara (was and is still Benibara), Chizuru was Suzuran, and Hinako was Hinagiku. Don't you think it's cool the whole premise of Kyoya's silent takeover. I really can't wait for the final reveal now.
2. The Part timer
Now, this was just for fun. Who wouldn't want to see the pub in action? Well, it's not a pub but more like a cafe. It's nice to see something that Kyoya valued so much take form again. Back in the manga, it was said that he valued the Host Club the most and seeing a new place like this is just bringing back the old times (only your "hosts" are now middle aged muscular men). ALSO for those who recognized the wordplay with my all time favorite group congrats. fighting!
3. The Dinner
It's just almost impossible for two adults to not have any tension now. Also, I just wanted an excuse to showcase Kyoya's new look. Then I also wanted to show the contrast between the two relationships here. One took a long time to get what they wanted because they were beating around the bush, the other was more direct to the point so there was nothing much to write about. Also, follow Kyoya's example. Always be prepared. We can't let the world have any more accidents with everything that's going on in this world.
4. The Stand
Now I wanted to go to a place that felt familiar but was different. For the past how many chapters, Kyoya had a lot of influence and power wherever he went and now that he didn't have the same things available (except for his three guardian angels. bless their souls). I always imagined him to be the type to be angry, but always tried to rationalize with himself. He didn't go into a mindless frenzy unprovoked and he's still a polite guy. His upbringing wouldn't allow him to act so crass. I was inspired by Yoshio's slap from the anime which was why I ended up with this scene.
Then if there was one thing I also wanted to point out it was the essence of the zuka club which was basically equal rights and even in the anime they stressed that.
Lastly, hopefully you guys are doing well. I got a message saying that my story has helped them and if it has helped you in any way, I'm glad. This is just as cathartic for you as it is for me.
