Certainly none of his business

Family matters

Private affairs

Best not broached.

"Biting the hand that feeds you."

"A dog does not bite unless provoked."

"It was because of business, that you and your son had a falling out."

"Success demands sacrifice."

"Touché."

"You are just like him. I think that your conduct is quite ruthless, that is why your friends cannot stand you."

He raised an eyebrow

Daring statement.

"I always see you walk alone. And Yumi-chan is perhaps the only one who is patient enough to keep you company."

"Patient indeed. Few understand the necessity of cold logic over hypocritic morals."

"Maybe you have succeeded in brainwashing my granddaughter."

"Oh no. She may have learned a thing or two from me, but puppeting her is nigh impossible."

"Always the free bird, isn't she?"

"Flying higher."

"Perhaps too close to the sun."

Indeed.

If the proverbial wings

Ambitions

Of wax and feather

Too high and too close

Eventually

Downfall.

"I am getting old. I have played this game of monopoly for far too long. My fortune hangs by a string while the jackals wait for the meat to drop dead."

"All things come to an end. If you had cherished family over money and fame, perhaps it will end differently."

"If. You were my heir."

"That is a big if."

He was swift to the cut.

"Of course. What fool hands over her masterpiece to some random man? I may as well scatter it."

Both of them

Sharing uneasy laughter

Over delicate matters.

"If I were you, I'd hide it away. At least nobody can take advantage."

"How rotten, Hikigaya-san."

"On second thought, probably give it to charity, a portion to family."

"But no doubt. Your logics and emphasis on efficiency makes a good businessman out of you."

"That is one of the last things I'd prefer to get myself into."

"Consider the alternative, better to be the master than the servant."

Such is life.

To be equal

Cannot be fair

And to be fair

Cannot be equal.

Not all can be blessed

Plenty must suffer

An expense

While the aristocrats

Top of the ladder

Bask in glory and wealth

Bought with blood

Sweat and tears

Kill or be killed

Natural selection.

Nature is a bitch.

Back step

On the trail

The motives behind

Every choice

Will profit one

And rob another.

The very existence of a person

Brings both joy

And pain

Regardless of your actions

You will always hurt someone

And make another happy.

Now

Which way

Is the most profitable of all?

One

Two souls tied

Mutual gain and loss

Joint suffering

The other

Possibly a chance

For better or worse

Both parties

Benefit or lose.

A gamble.

But it is not about profit.

Is it?

"Yumiko-chan fell in love with you."

His body seized up

Frozen stiff

Craning his head to the side

Beneath a scarlet hat

Deep green eyes

Mischievious smile.

A fatal statement.

Lethal truth.

"How did you know?"

"You just confirmed it."

Clever woman.

Cunning

On par

With a certain devil

Possibly sharper

Than a certain ice queen

Yet a predecessor

To a certain fire woman.

"Besides. By simple deduction, if Haruno-san is not your love interest, it was an easy guess. Seeing my dear Yumi-chan happy around you... quite the telltale signs, isn't it?"

"You had me checked there."

"You got way more than what you have bargained for."

He took a deep breath.

The wind was icy

Cold frost

Wafting from his lips.

"I do not want to destroy the relationship between us."

"I see. You have worked hard to build a fine friendship with her. You cannot simply forfeit it for something so ephemeral."

"I cannot say who is more selfish between us. She, who wants more. Or me, who wishes to keep things as it is."

A sudden epiphany

He became the very person

He had so despised.

A masked prince.

He who insists

On consistency

Like stagnant water

Brewing monotony

The fire

Indeed

It burns

But he refuses to stoke it.

His heart sank

Blood ran cold

Tongue felt dry

Saliva was like poison

And he wanted to vomit.

Had the vile creature

He so scorned

Like a serpent

Bitten him?

Slow-induced venom.

He wanted something genuine.

Now.

He wanted nothing to change.

He had become a hypocrite.