It did not take long for rumors to circulate among the hotel staff—somebody tried to break into the Nanjous. Word of it has already reached Yoshiyuki by the evening of the day after his misadventure. At ten, he still lay awake on his bunk trying to think of an appropriate time to make his next attempt. It will have to take at least a week or two from now. And it will have to be done through a note. As the management did not bother to gather enough of his personal details, being a "trainee," it should be tricky for them to track him down once he gets away to Numazu.

Now, if he could only make a more dramatic composition than last time…

Hah… No use splitting hairs over it now. He must be up extra-early tomorrow as a huge scientific delegation was to arrive to check on the outlying World Heritage-listed islands and seascapes roundabout. He turned off the lights and tried to ease his mind into sleep.

#13. Storm of the Heart

"…"

"…"

"…"

Huh?

He could hear a ruckus in the dark as somebody barged into the barracks. All of a sudden he was dragged off of bed and down to the floor, yanked onto his feet, and shaken violently. "What have you done to me, Minase?!" roared the supervisor. "I've been with Piazza for ten years and it will be all gone no thanks to a louse like you!" He was still yelling when the others turned on the lights. "How could I have taken in this—parasite?!" Finally, Dale managed to pull the men apart.

"What have I done this time?!" demanded Yoshiyuki.

"Quit your cheap acting!" he thundered with an accusing finger at him.

Dale did a quick massage on the man and it calmed him down some. "Sir," he pleaded, "this is all a misunderstanding. Whatever his blunder was, I'm sure it won't bankrupt the hotel, will it now?"

"It's also your fault, Kurata. If only you didn't drink I could have sent you up there instead of this… creature."

Murmuring came up from the crowd. "You mean to say it was Minase who tried to break into the Nanjou estate?"

Yoshiyuki paled. "W-Wait! I… I…!"

"What were you trying to steal, Minase?"

"Nothing! I only got lost!"

Spit. "It does not matter. The boss told me Miss Nanjou herself saw the culprit trespass on their grounds, and he's sure only an irregular employee would be ignorant enough to blunder like that, theft or no. He also heard Miss Nanjou was upset the whole day yesterday. He told me the Nanjous are sure to call a conference at first light tomorrow of all hotel admin right down to the man who assigned Minase—and possibly half of the entire rank-and-file! If the police comes in who knows which of us will be criminally charged?"

"Nonsense!" shot back Dale. "I know this kid, he's not the type to commit that level of violation. He couldn't even drink, remember?"

"That's why," said the supervisor menacingly inching his face towards Dale's, "we must keep the cops out at all costs. And it's not your opinion that matters, Kurata. If Miss Nanjou so much as thinks he's at fault, then he is. Boss said I must go right away to Miss Nanjou personally and grovel at her feet if we wish to save our skins."

"Then do it now, go! Blame the kid all you want tomorrow."

"I will not! This scoundrel is the criminal, he must do it! Pronto!"

Another round of murmuring ensued. Will the heiress of Piazza Hotels rise from bed at this hour just to receive an apology? But there's very little choice now.

"I know," suggested Dale. "A peace gift. We can just leave it there at her doorstep with Yohan-san's photo and handwritten note if she's already asleep. But it must be something Missy really likes. It so happened I observed her from afar once. At the florist's. She was looking at a wreath of magnolias from outside the window. The look in her eyes was like that of a waif outside a bakery. I can tell. She likes magnolias. She just didn't want to make a stir among the customers and staff by going in, but there's no mistaking it."

"The florist's is open 24 hours," said the supervisor. He produced a fat roll of cash and threw it at Yoshiyuki's feet. "Get her a full complement of Belgian chocolates just to be sure."

He reluctantly picked up the money. "Sir, uhhhh, doesn't this look a bit, er, rom—I mean… over the top?"

"I don't give an air what it looks like!" roared the man. "Get that gift up there before midnight or I'll shoot you before the cops do!"

Yoshiyuki arrived at fifteen minutes till twelve.

The commando-looking guy patrolling the premises threw him a weird look even as he presented the urgent letter form Mr. Takeo, General Manager of Piazza Hotels, Kyunins. The man motioned him the lay the huge box he was carrying on the ground, whereupon the man opened it, satisfying himself it contained only the "flowers and confections" indicated in the letter. He then radioed Miss Nanjou's personal bodyguard Otsu to take the gift and hand it over to her charge.

Anna was actually still up at this hour in her bedroom, still bothered over the whole issue over Aquasports. When the knock at her door, she could barely muster the voice telling Otsu to come in.

She was surprised at the large box tastefully bedecked with silver and green ribbons. As soon as the bodyguard left, she went over and found—Gasp! Are… Are these magnolias? She fingered each one tenderly, placing one in her hair and pleasing her no end looking in the mirror. She whirled around the room happily and fell back onto bed just like a kid, as befits the memories of a simpler time long ago, before her family moved here, when her parents enjoyed this same flower with her at a tender age.

It took her a while to recover from being tickled pink, and to remember checking the rest of the box. Chocolates! Was it Dad? Did her father suddenly remember to bring back her childhood? But this was way too out of the blue. Did she even deserve to be this happy with her remaining guilt over the club? It was then that she found the musical card that went with everything else; inside the card was the likeness of a certain boy in Nankaisei uniform, and a handwritten message.

I'm sorry for yesterday. I really am. Yoshiyuki.

The supervisor sentenced Yoshiyuki to a post at dishwashing, out of sight, sleeping alone in a cramped converted closet next to the wash area. Fair enough, he thought, he was going to leave before the month was out, anyway. He had failed in his mission to condemn Anna on behalf of the club; with Aquasports unavenged, he added the islands to that list of places he'll never return to, places where he'd been a sore loser. Maybe he should break an expensive cup or two just to spite the hotel before he goes. Dale certainly won't miss him, he'd only drink away the memory of him.

Yesterday saw him dead tired. The scientific delegation had left tons of untouched leftovers and mountains of work. The hotel always prepared for one thousand people even if there were just ten of them if the crowd was fabulous enough. Ridiculous humans. There's still even a fair bit of that to be finished today so he hauled himself out of an unrefreshing sleep to repeat the circus.

He returned after an unsatisfying lunch and fell face down onto his bunk. No way he's waking up now, boss or no, Yohan must fully restore his mortal body first. But it wasn't even an hour when a security personnel appeared at his door. "Minase." When he didn't respond the man pulled him up by the back of his collar. "You're wanted up there," he grunted. At the mountain.

But I haven't broken anything yet.

Rats. They probably had an exciting punishment in store for him to drive home into his head that he offended a god-king. He'll be doing laps around the whole estate on top of his dishwashing exhaustion till he drops like a fly, a fitting end to a pathetic fallen lifeform. Sigh. "Fine," he croaked, weary of the management's antics.

BGM Sicilienne Op. 78 by Gabriel Faure

He was led to a familiar place—that same Mystic Veranda, secluded by greenery and cooled by a misting system that also watered the garden, where long ago Aquasports asked for Nanjou's help to have the club registered. The same Nanjou who wrecked it.

The gurad seated him and left him to the care of a maid, who served him tea and gave him a newspaper before leaving to get more refreshments. So this is Anna's doing. What's she getting at this time? That she's not all bad because she helped the club once? That they even owe her? Fat chance, he thought bitterly. All these entitled rich fools assuming they have the power of life and death over their fellowmen. Nonetheless he was grateful for the opportunity to at last bash her in person. The maid returned with tray full of cookies and glasses of punch, and then took a chair to sit right next to him and massage his hands. All this hospitality. Taunting him about how it feels for her class to live like everyday. Anna's showing off again; he certainly had that vibe when she first saw her with the club back at the hotel before they left for Italy.

Wait. Something feels off. About the maid. He turned to look—

"Ciao," said Anna softly.

He yelped as though zapped by a live wire. "Y-You…"

She sighed. "Yoshiyuki, is 'you' an appropriate salutation to an old friend?"

He turned away. "Y-You deserve it,' was all he could mumble. Why is he being peeved so much? Wasn't he supposed to floor her with an expertly crafted litany of her transgressions? But she only sighed again.

"Maybe. But at least you deserve everything you're enjoying right now."

"Including you?!" he thought aloud.

"Eh," she quietly affirmed. "Please don't be bothered. I was just… I was genuinely touched by your special gift, so I find it just to return the favor."

"Quit kidding me!"

"It's not joke," she said in her broken English, a bit hurt. "Am I not allowed to show my gratitude like this just because I'm wealthy?"

He snorted. "That box wasn't from me. The supervisor was scared you'd sack him for sending me up here the other day. He only mad me carry it. It's his money, too."

She closed her eyes to hide the disappointment. "I see. You're so honest, Yoshiyuki."

"Can you stop pampering me now?"

Cat smile. "But I really enjoyed doing this."

"No, you don't. What do you want from me?"

The smile dropped. She stared him in the eye as she gathered herself. "Really, Yoshiyuki, if it's a matter of wanting something I can just send you a letter, right?" Puff. "I'm tired of all these accusations of insincerity. We have known each other, isn't that enough? I guess I'll just tell you everything straightaway." Deep breath. "I want to win you guys back, and I'm starting with you."

They sized each other up for a moment.

"I'm the only one around," he finally said.

"No. You will help me talk to Nanaka, and then Arisa. Then she can tell on Ai-chan and Kanako-chan, and…"

"Everybody have moved on. You seriously want a club of grownups?"

"Can't we have a common cause? Look, Nankaisei can use some donation, or… maybe we can speak in front of the students, and…"

"…"

"Everybody came from there. They can't just—!"

"You make it sound so simple."

"I know!" she cried. "Alright, yes, I thought it was easy. I thought I can just reverse things. Stop telling me things I already know! Things I must live with everyday. All those wrongs I thought I can rectify within a year. But I really wanted to! Please understand!" She fought back the tears as Yoshiyuki looked on in confusion. Is he still going to upbraid her? Adding to the drama might only make the whole fuss repetitive and stupid, not, well… dramatic.

"Is this all for Aquasports?" she went on. "Shall I just leave it like that?"

"I can't just leave it like that…" Kanako had once said.

"…"

At that moment, he decided to just drop the whole condemnation thing. "That's how things are," he mumbled, as he would have told Kanako back then, that one day he walked her to the bus stop. "Just take it."

Anna gritted her teeth. "I suppose there's no use furthering a discussion, is there?"

"…"

She returned to massaging his hands. "Please stay here for another hour. Let me finish pampering you, alright?"

Now that there was nothing left to say, Yoshiyuki couldn't help but let the comfort in his hand seep into the rest of his body. What's with this situation? The very heiress of Piazza Hotels personally attending to a disposable washboy—there's no way she isn't making him pay for it in some form later on, no matter her insisting that they've "known each other." But she looked quite satisfied with herself. It's all so uncanny, really.

At length, she finished and began to apply the last oils before wiping his and her hands dry. "C-Can I go now?" he said.

"You haven't touched your cookies, dear."

Geh.

"Finish everything. I'll wait on you."

Seriously? "Ahem. The… The paparazzi will be on to us."

Anna looked at him as though his pants were down, but then, slowly felt her mirth bubble out of chest, and finally gave in to laughter. Yoshiyuki was astonished. It was neither the "ohoho" thing nor the scheming chuckle he thought the elite affected, it was as loud and honest as any schoolgirl's. "Quit fooling around, Yoshiyuki. Have you forgotten how hard it is to get here?"

Well. He'd certainly give her that. "Your folks sure made you unreachable."

"Ah, but there's another side to it. If you do break through and provoke me enough,

"I'll make sure you never get out of here."

A chill ran down his spine. Those guards and all?! Shudder.

"I heard you're employed at the hotel on a casual basis. You do the same work as some of the others, but without pay. We at Piazza Hotels do not tolerate such unethical working conditions. Are you eighteen or older?"

"Hai," he replied absently.

"I will tell your supervisor I've pardoned you, and them, too, and make you a regular employee of Piazza, along with all the rights and responsibilities it entails, including proper recourse of grievances and advancement of position upon meritorious performance. Effective immediately. I will also reimburse you your rightful wages for the entire time you have worked here so far. My warmest congratulations, Yoshiyuki."

He was still trying to assess whether he heard everything correctly when Anna produced a letter. "I'll have to give you leave first, however. The Nittas were looking for you and they also asked here. I believe your Grandmother is in the hospital."

Is he coming? the letter had asked Anna. That's the gist of everything right now.

Yoshiyuki gazed out over the choppy waters off the wharf, letter in hand. The Nittas never mentioned whether Grandma had called for him. He wondered if showing up there now would only worsen her condition. Apparently she was well-taken care of and the letter did state she has begun to recover even if the staff would not grant her pleas to walk outside. There's probably TV in there, and her favorite variety show. She's not in such a great need of anybody right now, certainly not him. But…

He wrote a reply letter, more of a simple note, asking how she's doing, nothing more. That should be harmless enough. If Granny was still interested in seeing him…

Aren't you going to call?

That, from inside of him.

Why should I? he thought awkwardly. If a mere letter won't make the cut, then certainly not a call. Or so he surmised.

He returned to his room—the same converted closet by the wash area that he had to himself. Well, he was no longer dishwasher, he was back to being an all-around help albeit as a regular. There goes his plan getting rid of the last remnant of Aquasports. No more job-hopping all over Japan. No more carving out a new life for himself, Anna had already handed it to him on a platter. It was somewhat humiliating, to be honest. So does that mean he's tied up to Piazza for good? If not, then how many years shall he stay here? Or maybe months, if still justified at this point.

Two of those months have passed since that fateful meeting at the Mystic. He barely saw Dale with their hectic schedules and vastly different assignments. Later on he lost sight of him altogether. In the meantime his hours had been shortened to the customary eight, although he could still expect to occasionally serve overtime on the whims of the boss. A TV set was also placed in his room though he hardly touched it, preferring his old PSP or the newer phone games. TV is so Granny, after all.

Speaking of which, a response from the Nittas came in his fourth month. The letter had a slightly critical tone, asking him when will he make up with her and telling him to at least "let your Grandma catch your scent." Without hinting whether she wanted him back. Instead of asking about Granny again, he just sent over part of his salary for her upkeep, as he still felt it too awkward to actually appear. Along with the money he also sent his regards to Anju in a note.

By the end of that month, his fate with Piazza has been sealed when he was specifically designated bellboy, under a new supervisor. Having a uniform again after a long time out of high school will take some getting used to. Otherwise, he was still as busy as ever.

With the advent of the slow season, the hotel staff found time in the evenings to relax. On one such evening Yoshiyuki joined in a cookout on a hillside patio next to the hotel's west wing overlooking the sea. This was a different crowd from the guys down at the barracks with Dale. They were mostly room and dining help, the bellboys, housekeepers, maids, and waiters the guests usually see. There was roast and seafood aplenty, and the presence of women meant there was much less alcohol, just a couple of beers passed around, and nobody urged him to drink. They cheered Yoshiyuki's grilling skills and theatric one-liners; he sometimes won out in the impromptu bartending mini-contests. Overall, the occasion served as a welcome party of sorts for him. With these minglings and long days at the hotel his ties to the outside world began to blur, and for the first time he made plans to ascend the ranks by next year or the year after. But for now he had all the time in the world to regain his strength before the next peak season came in.

And the whole time, he never even considered hopping back over to Otou-san.

One night, he suddenly woke up from a weird dream. In it, Kanako got married to some guy he has never seen, and he felt so bad about the wedding he ran away from the reception, though Shuka caught up with him afterwards and castigated him, crying tears of blood. What was that about? Sure, the last time he saw Kan-chan she had grown both vertically and horizontally (in certain parts), but he could not remotely recall falling in love with her even once. Nor can he recall Shuka chewing him up that royally and bitterly. Silly random brain. If anything he should be dreaming about Grandma, certainly the Nittas will tell him that.

But the whole thing did force Aquasports back into attention at a time he was starting to put them behind. Where exactly are they now? He wondered about Nankaisei. Is it really closing? He could not sleep again for another hour.

One afternoon, right around the time everybody's rhythms have slowed to a crawl, a guest checked in out of the blue and Yoshiyuki was summoned to get the baggage. There was a pile of them at the lobby and he had no other help. By the time the last of the stuff was brought in he was panting like a dog—the room was at a distant corner of a long corridor on the fifth floor—and he still had to fix the room itself. So much for the slow season, huh? There would be a housekeeper going up to him by now but he didn't wait before at least getting some of the pillows and toiletries. The lady came in a bit later with some bedsheets which he took and laid out on the bed; not very expertly, he wasn't really trained for that.

"You should have just let me do that, Yoshiyuki."

Whut.

"Salve," greeted Anna.

His heart dropped to his stomach. "Whawhawhawha—"

"Yoshiyuki," she pouted, "is that the proper way to greet your hotel heiress?'

"Ah—Uh, er, M-Madam, I…" Anna stifled a laugh whilst he recovered himself. "Just what exactly are you even here for?!"

She finally let her mirth break out. Her heartfelt laughter was the loveliest sound he ever heard and it only added to his confusion. Anna loved toying with him even just a bit, but more than that, "I just brought you to your room, silly."

"M-My… room?!"

"Sorry it had to be this far away, I don't want any rumors running around, besides, the others might be a little jealous."

"…"

"I heard you were sleeping in a closet," she said softly. "You don't deserve it, Yoshiyuki. But there isn't any barracks space right now."

Hold on. "How did you know? You were… shadowing me? The whole time?"

Weak smile. "Eh," she confirmed. "I was observing you in the kitchen, at the lobby, the conference hall… I also had a servant report on you every few days, and she only confirmed my observations. I am honestly more than satisfied with your work.

"We used to have an employee of the month, you see, with a cash award, but Papa said we already paid a good salary, and merely working for the Piazza brand was already an honor. Personally, I disagree. There's got to be some kind of reward for those who have served with distinction. So please accept this room, at least."

"…"

"Come on, the place is already booked."

"W-Wait. Are you letting me stay here instead of actually promoting me? A consolation prize?"

"We'll get to that, Yoshiyuki. Your superior is also pleased with your performance, so why not? We'll get to that. But in the meantime, I'll be giving treats to all employees as part of my birthday." Wink. "In fact, tomorrow all of you will each receive one pack of my special birthday paella. Please dispose of the packaging responsibly."

Yoshiyuki shifted uneasily on his feet. "I hate to spoil your party, but… I'm really uncomfortable right now."

"Don't be," she said making him sit on the bed. "If you don't want me here, I'll have to send for the maids instead."

"No-No! I didn't say that!"

"Then that means you're fine with me here." She sat down next to him and took out a towel. "Don't let your sweat dry, OK?" she whispered wiping his neck. "I'm sorry I made you do this much, Yoshiyuki. I only wanted to surprise you."

"…"

"I'm sorry I can't have you up there for the celebration."

"What are you even saying?" he replied weakly. "Don't be so nice. You're making me suspicious of you already."

"Am I?" Soft chuckle. "What a shame."

"Look, I'm not that special… Do you still think I can get you Aquasports? I-I can't guarantee…"

"Don't worry about it. I suppose everything has to take its time. You will be quite enough for now. As long as I have a piece of the club, I know I'll get the rest."

"And if you don't?"

She only looked away shyly and kept rubbing his back.

Thus, he spent that night in fabulous luxury. Early the next morning he took care to put everything back in its place before he left. He admitted to himself he'll be missing the soft bed, but he was equally relieved to be back in his usual place. Before he could dress for work the guard appeared with five packs of paella. He said they were all marked out to his room and thought it a lucky mistake. Yoshiyuki knew better. "Am I a Benjamin now?" he mused to himself. They shared the entire feast for breakfast.

Since that great reveal of Anna "shadowing" him, Yoshiyuki had grown just a wee bit more paranoid. He would sometimes check if there were any cameras, however small, pointing his way. He'd even try to peek at any nearby female or even male co-workers to see if they were stalking him or wearing a disguise, and only got weird looks for his trouble. In the end, he just gave up. Who cared if Miss Nanjou was haunting him? He did nothing wrong. If anything, there was a little sense of excitement about how he could further impress his biggest boss, and a cutie to boot—wait, don't call your superiors cute!—so wee bit more paranoid became wee bit more hardworking. If he kept this up he might even become supervisor himself next year.

Eventually, yet another letter arrived from the Nittas. Of course it was asking him to visit Granny again. He had a relapse and got hooked onto life support; she got better but they never took it off. This time he decided he'd openly ask them if Grandma wanted to see him again.

What were you thinking, Yoshiyuki? You're the one who rejected her, remember?

But Grandma said "Yoshiyuki-san." She's the one who put that gap between us.

She was only hurt that time. She's old, you know she'd be more sensitive than usual.

Shut up.

He put in the money and sent the envelope back.

Peak season finally caught up with him, so there's no way he'd get off of Okaa-san now even he wanted to.

But the hustle went on for only less than a month before the season got interrupted. A typhoon had formed due east of Palau and was forecast to hit Japan next week—and the Kyunins are right in its track. All cruise trips from the mainland were cancelled. The ship that came just yesterday hastily departed that afternoon, though quite a few tourists hung around to ride out the storm in cozy Piazza comfort. The crowd was gone and it was the slow season once more.

At about ten A.M. the news report came in. The typhoon was to barrel over the Kyunins on Tuesday. It was only Sunday, but the sky was already steel-grey though the wind was still fairly light. Yoshiyuki was wiping the windows at the cafe, taking his time as there was little else to do that day and the place was empty. So when a throng of employees gathered at a table by the other door he was quick to notice. When more came in and poured into the group he was alarmed and went over at once.

"Dead?"

"Since Friday, I hear."

"We've already requested the casket be sent here so we won't have to cross over to Otou-san. But the burial will be there and will have to wait until after the typhoon."

What is this?

"He was such a nice man," mourned one of the elder maids. "He can be rough, but he can also be a gentleman if he wants to."

Silence befell everyone as they wordlessly agreed.

"He was quite the drinker, though."

"Not so much lately. He just left for Kamakura earlier this month to talk to his ex-wife. He was shaping up for her."

Dale? So he did meet her, after all, but—he never got to talk to the man after he got regularized. What on earth?!

The coffin arrived at around noon Monday, just as the sea was beginning to act up. There really wasn't any space designated for holding the dead in the hotel, so they first installed it at the truck garage with plans to move it later to the art gallery, but when Miss Nanjou heard of it she immediately commissioned one of the admin conference rooms. The place was meant for only thirty people so the place was bursting at the seams. The dead man's family was there, and Miyako—Mrs. Daisuke Kurata—was weeping in her children's arms. She was nearly the same age as Dale, maybe even a year or so older, but but she looked nearly as young and pretty as she did when he first wooed her. Yoshiyuki facepalmed at the dead man in spite of himself. And he actually cheated on this woman? He resolved to stay on with the others well into the night and maybe sleep there.

That evening, the crowd hushed… and parted to make way for the arrival of Anna Nanjou and her bodyguard Otsu.

She took the lady in her arms and comforted her. As the night went on, the crowd gradually thinned until only a handful of bystanders remained outside and perhaps only fifteen people including Yoshiyuki lingered by the casket while Miss Nanjou talked to Dale's family. "He dated me," Mrs. Kurata recalled fondly with her eyes still moist. "We went back to Kamakura and sat at a park bench. He showed me this ring," she said regarding it lovingly. "It's like we wedded again."

She was only hurt, that's why they had divorced.

She was only hurt.

Just like your grandmother.

Tch.

Two sons and a daughter survived Dale. They were about his same age give or take a year; he could have looked up to the man as a father figure, but the chap fooled around too much he largely forgot to even consider it. Then again he got used to not having any sort of parents for some time now… and that after he even got to physically accost his grandmother.

What has happened to you, Yoshiyuki?

As he watched the goings-on around the Kuratas, he couldn't help but notice the woman who sat with them. Anna's hair was in a sort of a low-hanging bun, much like how Rikako did hers occasionally, she had pearl earrings, and she wore a formal shin-length white dress that reminded him of Queen Elizabeth's appearances on TV. Which suited her. She showed a quiet, regal bearing that perhaps only true royal blood can pull off convincingly.

Those lips…

She seemed completely absorbed in the Kuratas. When she came in, she likely didn't see him in the crowd, but now that there were only a handful… Surely, she knows he's here. But she's not looking his way. She was even facing away from him. It was totally far cry from spying on him before, watching out for him, caring for him. She had been within reach so many times—it was he who was trying to brush her off, calling her suspicious even.

The typhoon bore down around midnight. Nobody could leave the conference room now; Anna had already gone hours ago, and everybody in here were asleep. Everybody but him. He was still grappling with all of these questions.

Why notice her now all of sudden? Was it because of the distance? Or did he seriously have that "taste" for "unreachable" women, after all?

"…"

Of course, not. He knew his place. Of course, not… no… It was her. She was unreachable from the beginning, but she made herself close just to toy with him! How could she?! "Genuinely touched?" Really?

But she really was genuinely touched. You felt that.

And now she acts like all of that never happened.

What's she really getting at?!

Ahhhhhh!

The storm lashed up the fullest fury of the ocean.

She did this to show off her upper-class power, right? She wanted to shove in his face that he was disposable. Right?

She was unreachable from the beginning.

But she did take him seriously at one point, didn't she? Or was it he who was being serious about her the whole time? Serious? Were the both of them just kidding themselves they were serious?

"…"

This whole debate is no good, he decided. I must stick to what I'm sure about her. That one thing I know for a fact.

I will tell her that. I will.

I will.

He roused at around six-thirty that morning after a fitful sleep. He went out under the same dark sky and found so many leaves and branches and even fallen banners strewn about the pathways. He purposefully strode towards the Nanjou estate, to the place he had been to so many times already, since Aquasports, that he almost instinctively knew where it was. He felt bold enough to flat out tell any security he may encounter that he has a message for Miss Nanjou. But there was nobody. The weather was still foul and the wind blew occasional gusts even if there was no rain. The cleanup crews will probably let the whole thing pass before they move. There was nary an obstruction going all the way to the Mystic.

There was no one.

But—

She must be somewhere close by, if not here exactly. He began to cast about himself, turning every which way to find her. He ran down a broad walkway he never thought to take before.

It led him to an expansive lawn, not as huge as the terrace where the parking was, it was bounded by a marble balustrade, but it had a clear view of sea and sky. Below, he could see the ocean raging in a battle of indigo and cyan and foamy white. At the far side of the field… was a platform on which there was a stone fountain.

He knew it.

She was there.

She was still in her nightgown and had a broken look in her eyes; she probably didn't have sleep much, either. "I got up a little too early," she explained.

"…"

She smiled weakly. "I had a feeling you'd come here."

They stared at each other for a good long while as the wind tossed about their hair.

"I don't have much to say," he began, "but you must hear it."

"Ooh," she smirked, as though it was some juicy gossip. "Tell me about it."

It irritated him, but that only made him bolder. "I should have told you this last night. You're beautiful."

"Hm—?"

"You're gorgeous. You're the very standard of beauty itself."

She went grave. "Is that all… Yoshiyuki?"

"You're beautiful. Deal with it."

She affected a little smile. "You think so? Is it because I dress fashionably? But I suppose everybody thinks all rich people are also beautiful."

"Even when I first saw you I already knew you were beautiful, lovely above the rest. You always looked like that from then till now. But it was only last night that I absolutely felt I must tell you to your lovely face."

Last night, huh? She did know he was there, but she felt awkward smiling at him in front of that crowd, it might give away her… preferential treatment of him. "You probably thought you let me go so easily."

He looked away. What else is there to say?

"How greedy can you get, Yoshiyuki?"

"I'm sorry."

She sighed. "I am also greedy, Yoshiyuki. When I saw those magnolias, that they came from you, I was ecstatic. You finally warmed up to me so much you actually picked what I loved best. I thought I finally had you.

"When you said that those flowers weren't really from you, that you were only forced into it, I didn't believe it. I refused to accept you could be that cold. Giving me magnolias and then saying it was someone else's… like it was nothing to you?"

"…"

"Could it be that Yoshiyuki was really that cold as a person? I asked. So I shadowed you. And then I saw the rest of you.

"And… I loved what I saw."

Yoshiyuki's breath was stuck in his throat. He stared at her in equal parts of elation and disbelief, but she only smiled back with those sad eyes.

"Unfortunately, I got my answer. You were… You are cold." The hurt seeped into her voice. "Yes, you are responsible. Yes, you are sincere.

"Yes, you are… you are handsome…"

She paused to hold herself back.

"But you are cold. Even now all you can say is, I'm beautiful. Is that it? Anyone can say that to me—my vilest critic can flatter with me with that in public and it will still be true.

"Is that all you can say, Yoshiyuki?"

The tears came to him first. He lowered his face in shame and said, "Yes. That's all I can say. I am cold. I have been cold my whole life, ever since, even in Tokyo. I'm sorry.

"That's all I can say.

"If I was talking right now to somebody else, I can say I will give my all for her, and I can rest assured she will accept whatever I have to give. But with you, I have nothing to give—and you'll have so much to lose. I'm sorry.

"I can't bring myself to lie to you."

Anna gasped. Trembling, she mightily tried to hold herself back even further. But she let her feet move. To him. He let herself touch his face, gaze at him in all his (unkempt) beauty, hold his hand. "Then let me ask you something. If you—" The words were lost. What else is there to ask? He had seen her fail miserably after that debacle in Italy, even castigated her for it. And yet now he wanted to tell her she was beautiful. What else is there to ask? "Yoshiyuki. I'm very troubled. Will you stay with me… please?"

He took her in his arms and

"…"

Darker rainclouds began to gather.

He clutched her head to his, squeezing herself to him, sucking the life out of her. And she was doing the same to him.

The gusts battered them and threw the sea into a new frenzy, but they went right on.

At the end of it, they gazed at each other, disheveled, messed up by the wild embrace and the inclement weather. They looked so funny they laughed at each other.

The first troubled drops of rain began to pelt them. "Welp, I guess you're promoting me now?"

"Of course not. Go to Nakamura-san. I told you I talked to her, right? I'm sure if you go to her now, she'll have a better job for you."

He gaped like a fool. Seriously?

"You're Piazza property now," she grinned playing with his ear. "Remember that always. Come on, get going! Shoo! Scram!" He left hurriedly as though he just committed a crime. She did not gaze after him, only embraced herself with her nose in her sleeve that rubbed against him so tightly, enjoying his beloved scent.

Next Time. #14. Do Love Songs Last Longer?