A/N: Hi, guys! Sorry I took a while to update again. I was super buried under academic requirements and then COVID-19 happened :c so classes are cancelled for me, though I did have online homework to accomplish at one point. Hope you guys are safe and please stay indoors if you can :c
"Seijuuro talking"
Seijuuro thinking
The voice talking
Chapter 16
She was staring at the rain as it fell down towards the grass in the gardens. She had been doing so for the past hour, and Shuuzo was surprised she hadn't snapped out of it. He glanced back towards his workbook and sighed. He was confident in this particular Physics lesson, so he figured he could afford to push it aside for now.
He closed his workbook and stood up from his place close to the fireplace and approached the red-haired girl who stood by the large window. "You okay?"
"…I think so."
"That's not an answer."
"Sometimes, I just feel like I'm being too optimistic about a lot of things."
He looked at her and he was disappointed to see her perfectly crafted mask in place. There was nothing to hide, was there? "What made you feel that way?"
"I don't know," and her answer surprised him because it was rare for her to be unsure about anything, "but it's stupid. I don't even— things just aren't working out the way I imagined them to."
"…Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not really."
"Okay. And the folder from your grandfather?"
"I don't think I want to talk about that either."
"Okay."
He ruffled her hair gently before walking back towards his seat.
[Four days ago]
Saito Mika was in love with Haizaki Shougo. That, she was very sure of. She sighed blissfully as she watched him laugh a few tables in front of hers. Shougo-kun's just so cute~!
"Mika-chan, you're staring at him again," her friend, Kikuchi Atsuko, told her. "You're making it too obvious that you like him."
Mika pouted at this before taking another bite from her egg meal. "I'm so jealous of you, Ko-chan. You get to watch him at practice all you want."
"I'd rather not," Atsuko sighed, "and besides, I'm not the manager for the first string. That would be Momoi Satsuki."
Mika's pout grew. She turned her gaze once more towards the boy she adored before she narrowed her eyes. "Ko-chan, who's that girl Shougo-kun's talking to?"
Atsuko turned her head to look. "Oh, the redhead? That's Akashi-chan, the one I told you about."
Mika huffed, crossing her arms. "Who does she think she is, getting close to Shougo-kun like that? Just because they're teammates… and speaking of, why was she even accepted? She's a girl in a boy's team! That's totally unfair, Ko-chan!"
Atsuko looked slightly uncomfortable when she replied, "Mika-chan… the Head Coach allowed her to, and when I saw her tryout, she really was better than a lot of the guys there."
"And her trying to get close to Shougo-kun?"
"Well, I don't know about that… but they seemed to be talking to each other during the tryouts. Maybe they're just friends," Atsuko reasoned out, but Mika shook her head.
"No, Ko-chan, this is just wrong. She shouldn't be trying to get close to him in the first place!" Mika groaned before she saw an opportunity to put that annoying redhead in her place. "I just need to go to the washroom for a bit, Ko-chan. I'll be back."
Mika hurriedly stood up and walked towards the washroom where she saw the redhead enter. She huffed before opening the door. Inside, Akashi was washing her hands, not even bothering to acknowledge Mika, and it annoyed her. "Hey."
Akashi finally looked up and gazed at her. "Did you need something from me?"
"Yes, actually," Mika narrowed her eyes at her and stepped closer towards Akashi in an effort to intimidate her. To her dismay, it didn't seem to work as the redhead simply raised an eyebrow at her actions. "Why are you trying to get close to Shougo-kun?"
"Shougo-kun?" Akashi repeated with a hint of disbelief in her voice.
Mika smirked. "Yes, my Shougo-kun. What are you trying to pull with him?"
"You'll have to enlighten me," Akashi said, eyebrow still raised. "I'm afraid Shougo has never mentioned being possessed by anyone."
"Point is, you should really back off, Akashi-san. I don't appreciate your advances."
Mika and Akashi stared at each other for a few moments before Akashi looked amused, and it grated on her nerves.
"Yeah, sure, 'advances'," Akashi chuckled before a serious look entered her face. "I don't know what kind of illusion you're living in, but if you even try anything that could be a distraction to Shougo, you should watch out."
Mika glared at Akashi before huffing and exiting the washroom, annoyed at how the confrontation turned out that she almost bumped into someone. "Oh, sorry, I— eep!"
In front of her was the very reason for the confrontation: Haizaki Shougo.
"Uh," he let out before gesturing towards the door of the washroom. "Is Sei still inside?"
'Sei'? Who was this 'Sei'? Another rival for his affections?! Who is this girl?
"Um, 'Sei'?" she asked shyly, blushing slightly because she was actually speaking with Haizaki Shougo right now.
"Akashi Seijuuro? Redhead? Pretty small compared to me?" he joked.
At any other moment, or with any other subject, Mika would probably have felt so ecstatic by the fact that Haizaki Shougo was giving her such a cute, easygoing smile right now. If only he wasn't talking about that girl. "Oh, Akashi-san, yeah— she's— yeah, she's still inside. In there. As in, the washroom. Not the stall. But, I—- yeah."
Can the ground just swallow me up now? How embarrassing was it to stutter so much in front of him?
He even looked slightly weirded out by her. "Uh, cool. I'll just wait for her."
And so she scurried off back to Atsuko and whined about how it went.
"Why did you even confront Akashi-san, Mika-chan?" Atsuko frowned. "I don't think that was called for."
"You don't get it, Ko-chan! She's trying to get close to him, and I'm going to stop it!" Mika declared before glaring at Akashi, who was now next to Shougo as they walked back to their table and eventually left the cafeteria with their other friend.
Yes, she was definitely going to put a stop to whatever that was.
. . .
Satsuki wasn't sure why Saito Mika approached her. They weren't classmates, although she knew she had Physical Education at the same time as the girl. "What did you need me for, Saito-san?"
"Oh, I just wanted to say you seem really nice, and I want to be friends with you, but I didn't know how so here I am," Saito giggled nervously, the way one would giggle when in front of someone he or she admired.
Satsuki felt uncomfortable, but in a good way. She just wasn't used to girls actually wanting to be her friend. Of course, she had to consider that Saito Mika might simply be approaching her because she had a crush on Dai-chan or something, but Satsuki really hoped for another female— friend? acquaintance? She wasn't sure. After all, she wasn't even sure if she and Akashi-san counted as friends. "I'd like to be friends, Saito-san."
"That's great!" Saito smiled at her happily, making her smile, as well. "Well, for starters, you can call me 'Mika'!"
[Three days ago]
"So, you wouldn't happen to have a… girlfriend, would you?" Sei asked Shougo, who looked at her with alarm. They were currently in one of the rooms in the Akashi mansion, doing their individual homeworks. Sei was sitting at the head of the table, resting her arms on top of a baby blue colored pillow as she answered questions for Math. Shuuzo was on her right, taking a sip from his hot chocolate as he translated Japanese sentences to English. On the other hand, Shougo was on Sei's left, staring at his Biology lesson but not really processing anything at the moment.
"What — me? — girlfriend?" Shougo's mouth dropped open in shock as he blinked, confused but welcoming the distraction from his fruitless attempt to study. What on earth was she talking about? He didn't have a girlfriend. He was a single pringle, and if he ever did have a girlfriend, she and Shuuzo would have been the first to know.
"Yesterday, a girl talked to me in the washroom asking me to back off from you," Sei told him dryly. "It was partly amusing and partly annoying."
"I don't have a girlfriend, so I have no idea what you're talking about," Shougo said with a shrug.
"Hm, must be a stalker then," Shuuzo concluded in a joking tone, causing Sei to smile in amusement.
Shougo huffed at them playfully. "Yeah, right. If anyone's going to get someone here, it would be Shuuzo."
"…Me?" his dark-haired friend looked confused, causing him to smack his forehead with his palm.
"Have you not heard the girls talk about you? Pretty much half the girls in my class find you cute, and there's a fanclub dedicated to you, you know," Shougo chuckled. "Even third years are a part of it."
Shougo found Shuuzo's confusion and mild distress amusing. "Well, it's not like you can do anything about it unless you're taken. That would probably remove a third of your fans' hopes and dreams. But even then, there could always be the hardcore ones."
"…Stop. Just stop," Shuuzo groaned as he shook his head. "This is… weird."
"Why are you so surprised, though?" Sei interjected. "Ami-chan liked you at one point. So did every other girl in my class."
"Including you, Sei?" Shougo smirked. It had been an inside joke between him and Shiori that Shuuzo and Sei would end up together, but that the two of them were just too blind to see it. The thought of it made him miss the kind, gentle woman who would try to entertain them when they were younger.
"I've known you both since we were, what, five? Four? Around that age. I don't count," Sei said with a huff, "for either of you."
Shougo hummed. "Okay, Sei, okay."
Sei rolled her eyes. "Anyways, point is, if that girl's stalking you, best reject her early on. No need to lead her on or anything. That is, if her behavior to you is borderline obsessive."
"I doubt it's an obsession," Shougo laughed, waving her concern away, but this only made her shake her head.
"You'd be surprised."
He wasn't surprised by how negative she sounded right now. He knew she was the type to consider all possible scenarios, so maybe this was just the worst she came up with. If anything, Sei was always there to try to help, so he could go with the flow for now.
Before more could be added to their conversation however, a knock was heard before Flora entered. "Pardon, Seijuuro-sama, but this package came for you."
He watched as Sei looked up to see Flora carrying a one- or two-inch thick folder that was handed to Sei. Sei turned the folder around to see a small letter attached to it. She read it before her eyes widened and she hurriedly closed the letter, placing it and the folder beside her instead.
"Your grandfather would like to hear your reply at your earliest convenience," Flora said, bowing before exiting the room, but her exit didn't distract Shougo from his curiosity. "What's in the envelope, Sei?"
"I— nothing. Nothing important." She didn't sound so convincing, and he didn't think he believed her either. It was a folder from her grandfather, after all — a man who had not been present for most of her life and was just suddenly stepping into it for some reason. Shougo didn't like being unaware, especially when it came to his friend's concerns about her grandfather, but he supposed she'd tell them eventually.
He noticed that Shuuzo didn't look convinced either, but before either of them could say anything else, Sei said, "Really. It's nothing. Let's just focus on our homeworks, okay?"
And they dropped the subject. For now.
[Two days ago]
"Wait, so your ojii-san's going to marry you off in the future? Just like that?" Shougo gaped. "And you agreed to it?"
His friend nodded. "I know it sounds like a bad decision—"
"And it really is one!" Shougo exclaimed, looking at Shuuzo for support. "Are you hearing what she's saying?"
"She said she was getting engaged. I heard it, Shougo. I have ears."
Shougo groaned before smacking his forehead with his palm. "What is wrong with the both of you? Why are you so okay with this?"
"Shouldn't Sei be the one who's more worried since she's the one getting engaged? Not you?" Shuuzo told him dryly, though he did look at Sei to add, "But Shougo has a point. You're taking this too calmly."
"I've made my decision," Sei shrugged. "Please accept it."
"But you're not even going to tell us why you just agreed to it?" Shougo scoffed. "Sei, we've known you for, what, half our lives already? And you're really not going to explain?"
"What's there to explain?" Sei looked a little annoyed now. Shougo had never irritated her like this before. Sure, his antics had made her sigh the way mothers did around unruly children, but he had never pushed her before. He was doing so now, but honestly, he didn't regret doing so. "It's just… business, you know?"
Shougo couldn't believe what he was hearing from her. He viewed her as one of the smartest people in his life. Surely, she would have found a way around the ultimatum her grandfather had presented her, and surely, she had to have come up with something, anything, to get her out of this. Why was she blindly accepting it? Did she have a plan in mind, or was she just going to let her dumb old grandfather come into her life all of a sudden and take control of it?
Shougo couldn't accept this. "If you're going to keep acting that way, don't talk to me."
His words made her eyes widen as she began to reach out to him. "Wait, Shougo, I—"
He scoffed before walking away.
This was not the Sei he knew.
[One day ago]
Kuga didn't really know how to help his little brother. Ever since their parents got divorced, Shougo had become easily irritated and he lashed out at the little mistakes that were made. He tried to get Shougo to talk about it with him, but his little brother was being stubborn about it. Of course, he understood that Shougo needed space — and time — but he also needed to make sure Shougo didn't do anything that could get himself hurt or in trouble.
By coincidence, he was walking near Teiko Middle School, and the bell signaling the end of classes for the day had just rung, so he stood by the gates in order to get a glimpse of how his brother was doing. He stood there for a few minutes, watching groups of students walk by before he saw his brother's closest friends, Seijuuro and Shuuzo walk by. If anyone would know anything about what was going on with him, they would.
"Shuuzo, Seijuuro," he called out, waving a hand towards them. The pair easily spotted him — well, Shuuzo did, because he was the taller of the two and he dragged the redhead beside him to go to Kuga.
"Kuga-san, what brings you here?" Shuuzo asked the moment he and Seijuuro were in front of him.
"I was wondering where Shougo was," Kuga said confusedly because the three of them were inseparable and there were only two of them here right now.
"Oh, he—" Seijuuro hesitated. "He's not really speaking with us right now."
Kuga's eyes widened. Why wouldn't his brother be speaking with them? Did they have a fight? "What happened?"
"We got into a disagreement yesterday. It was probably my fault," Seijuuro frowned and he could feel the slight amount of guilt coming from her.
Kuga looked at Shuuzo, who nodded. "Yeah, we weren't seeing eye-to-eye yesterday, although he seemed… different."
"Different?" Kuga repeated worriedly. "Was he easily irritated?"
Shuuzo nodded. "Something like that actually. I noticed he's been that way for a while now, but Tou-san said it was probably just puberty."
"Unless he's still not okay with what happened," Seijuuro added, looking at Kuga straight in the eye. "Has he still not—?"
Kuga shook his head. "He's not really dealing with it well. I thought he would, but I think he just misses Tou-san. Even then, Tou-san was in the wrong."
Kuga sighed. "Anyways, I was just hoping you guys would know more about how he is. He doesn't really open up to me at home, and he's been… as you said. So, even if you're fighting, please look out for him?"
After the two gave affirmative responses, Kuga sighed again and walked home.
"You— you wish for me to be betrothed?" Seijuuro couldn't keep the shock out of her voice. She had never known anyone back in her life as Elise who had to go through this. Was this… was this kind of thing common? She wasn't ready for a betrothal. She wasn't even thinking about marriage, not in this life, not as Elise. She wasn't even at the age to be thinking of marriage!
"Precisely," Hirohito mockingly clapped. "So choose: basketball or a betrothal?"
The practical option, from an outsider's perspective, would probably be basketball. What was removing a sport compared to a lifetime trapped in a potentially loveless marriage? But Seijuuro needed basketball. That was where her friends were. That was where she had to be in order to realize the plot of the manga. Thus, the choice seemed clear, at least, as clear as it could be considering she was put on the spot.
"…I will choose the betrothal, Grandfather."
Hirohito smirked as if he had already expected her to make that choice. "You're smart to choose a betrothal. Masaomi chose to abandon sports instead."
The shock must have been clear on her face because Hirohito offered her more information, "My son had foolish dreams of playing baseball. I made sure to make him see reality. Of course, I suppose it didn't end end well for him in the end. He married that girl and he ended up with a child like you, but while all hope is lost for him, I can still attempt to correct you."
Seijuuro's face returned to a blank expression. "I'm not a mistake that needs correction, Grandfather."
"Hmm, on the contrary, you are. You are not the heir I needed, that the Akashi Group needs. You think you can inherit the empire that other Akashi heirs have built from the ground up? No, no. I'll have to settle for somebody competent to run my company," he sneered at her condescendingly. "Imagine that. The Akashi Group going over to someone who would join this family through marriage, someone who is not of my blood. Disgusting, but it needs to be done. I don't trust you to do a good job."
"I'm in middle school, Grandfather, but I've already impressed some of Father's partners and the other stockholders during the meetings he brings me to."
"And you think they're genuinely impressed? They're only doing so to be on good terms with your Father. Pleasant relations with an Akashi will always be a benefit in the corporate world."
"…Be that as it may, I refuse to go along with this unwarranted ultimatum. Whatever choice I make will be a win-win situation for you. I may have chosen the betrothal a while ago, but that was under the assumption that you had leverage against me. It appears all there is is hate surrounding the circumstances of my birth."
"I admit, I considered casting you out of the family, but I realized I still have some use for you," he leaned back on his chair, stroking his chin.
"You know, when I first heard that you wanted to see me, I wondered if perhaps, you had a change of heart," Seijuuro said. "I suppose I was wrong."
"And you're also wrong to think that you can stand against me. You'll make your choice. Today."
"Or what?" Seijuuro asked defiantly.
Hirohito chuckled. "I know where that woman is buried. You think it's confidential information? Money can get you that."
For a brief moment, Seijuuro forgot about all the manners that were drilled into her as she glared at her Grandfather. "You wouldn't."
Seijuuro struggled to find a loophole, but it was frustrating because there seemed to be none at the moment. How was she going to find a way through this decision? "…The betrothal."
"Excellent," he told her with false cheer as he handed her the portfolio. "Return here at the same time in a month with your decision. You may choose to discuss this with Masaomi, but I doubt he would be of much help to you."
Seijuuro looked confused. "What do you—"
"That is all. Dismissed."
OMAKE: Nijimura Mei is a shipper of NijiAka
(Wrote this because I think I'm going for a slow buildup towards NijiAka, and I know some of you out there are like me who just want the pairing to be out there already)
((Definitely not because I noticed this in my friend. Nope. Nope, nope, nope.))
Seijuuro couldn't help it. It wasn't— she shouldn't be looking at him like this, but it was just so—
"So odd," she accidentally blurted out, eyes widening in surprise as Shuuzo turned to look at her.
"Did you say something, Sei?" Shuuzo asked, halting in his tracks and facing her completely.
She couldn't look at him in the eyes and focused on his shoulders instead, but that frustrated her because 'Seijuuro, don't look there!'
"…Sei?" he repeated, waving a hand in front of her eyes. "You're staring off into space. You rarely do that."
"…It's nothing. Don't worry."
…
"Oh, Shuuzo's been working out lately!" Shuuzo's mother, Mei, laughed. He started doing so last summer. I remember telling him that your workouts for the team are hell enough, but he insisted for some reason!"
Seijuuro hummed in response. "That makes sense.
"Hmm, yes," Mei said before lowering her voice, "so, just between you and me, Sei-chan, how did you notice, hmm?"
"…Thank you for the information, Oba-san. Unfortunately, Father's calling me for a meeting, so I have to leave. Excuse me."
…
When the girl ended the call, Mei simply laughed. She could just hear how flustered the girl was.
"Kaa-san, where did you put the new cereal box? Sora's asking for a bowl," Shuuzo said as he entered the living room and Mei giggled, earning a confused look from her son.
She knew the change in her son was obvious to her as his mother: his broader shoulders and more defined muscles. Yet, she supposed that if anyone else would notice, it would be her son's friends, Sho-chan and Sei-chan.
At the reminder of the redheaded girl, Mei laughed to herself again, thinking of how cute it would be if Sei-chan and Shuuzo got together.
"Kaa-san, the cereal…?"
A/N: Uh-oh, there's some problems going on with our favorite trio and we have a pretty crazy admirer prepared to wreck havoc plus a slightly territorial Sei and then the real reason why Sei agreed to make the betrothal choice :c anyways, I purposely made sure a lot of the scenes weren't in Sei's POV just to show how confusing her actions are becoming to some of the people around her, but trust me, she has a reason for doing so. Whether that reason is stupid or not, well, let's find out.
And yes, Akashi Hirohito is a JERK.
Also that last bit, the one that elaborated on Sei's conversation with her grandfather, did that make sense c: I'm trying out this new thing where some scenes might be perceived one way but then you find out there was more to it after hehe. I hope it worked out!
Will probs work on chapters 1 and 2 soon. I really, really wanna rewrite them but I don't seem to have the motivation to do so.
See you soon! (hopefully) and stay safe!
REPLIES TO REVIEWS
(Hope I spelled your usernames right)
HuangBaiLian: Here's the next chapter. Thanks for your patience!
Astael: I hope the last scene in this chapter clarified why she easily agreed to it c: As for her telling Masaomi, hmm, we'll see c:
Girl-luvs-manga: I hope she does too! Poor kid :c Excited for her to meet Taiga, too! Though that's gonna take some time hehe
Chi-chan: LMAO same sorry for the cliffhanger, but here's the next part to it! Thanks also for being so invested hehe
VanitySanity: TRULY that's why I feel so invested in writing about Teiko Arc. The betrothal's really gonna affect the Niji Aka pairing and you'll find out soon why ;) Kind of worried about how I handle canon but we'll see
92: HAHA that's a good idea. Might use it some time!
LADY-P-R-I-S-M: Yeah, Sei's gonna go through a LOT because of her grandfather. I'm planning for a Murasakibara-Sei interaction next chapter c: My plan for Kise was for second year, to follow canon, but I'll take your idea into consideration c:
GhostHunterJIO: omg im soft thank you so much!
