"Akashi Shachou, wouldn't it be better to hold off this conversation until tomorrow…"
"Neither I nor my happily smiling son are tired. Bring him to my office." Contrary to any of the advice he was given from Yamato, Rina or Azusa for that matter, Masaomi wanted to settle the tensions between him and his son as soon as possible. Even if he understood that there would be more harm done from doing what he did best, commanding without an ounce of understanding, Masaomi couldn't forget the image of Azusa and Seijūrō dancing under the moonlight, a scene his late wife would have certainly adored. It made him feel bad that he had worked against their pairing when he saw them so happy together.
"Father."
"I've called you here to confirm some things." Masaomi was usually very direct and his vague statement didn't reassure Seijūrō at all.
"Yes, go ahead."
"Judging from your tone, I've erred since long ago." It was only after experiencing Seijūrō rebel, that Masaomi realized his teachings needed some work. He never felt lonelier than seeing his only child, show someone he lost contact with a few years back, a smile he never showed his father. The lonely father could only think that it was rightfully so that his child didn't confide in him and chose to push forward for a formal relationship with someone that accepted and supported him.
"I'm sorry for my actions."
"I didn't call you here to hear you apologize." Masaomi's exasperation was evident in the tense air around them and every passing second, he rebuked himself for taking out his frustrations on his son. "You met Azusa-san at your first elementary school basketball tournament. You met her again at your final music recital. Both times, I ignored your and your mother's feelings. And now, I see the results of that decision." It sounded as if Masaomi was speaking to himself but he didn't gesture for Seijūrō to leave the room. Unsure of what to do in the current situation, he stood quietly, waiting to be asked a probing question. "Tell me why it has to be her, Seijūrō. No need for superfluous excuses, just tell me, simply put, why." His secretary shook his head behind the door; that was absolutely not the way to have a conversation with your child about who he fancies.
"Since our first encounter, she puts me at ease, as much as she challenges my ideals. I didn't intend on becoming attached to her but I admit that I have grown weak to her charms."
" 'Grown weak,' you have become even bolder, Seijūrō. To think you would utter such a phrase in front of me."
"I apologize in advance because you will be angry with my next words." The image of Azusa cheering him on and telling him that it was alright made Seijūrō confident enough to say the words he always wanted to say to his stoic father. "I don't believe it's a sign of a weakness to like someone. Because I have someone by my side that accepts and supports me, I can work even harder to meet your expectations."
" 'According to history, the important step on the path to becoming King is to firstly, win over the hearts of the people. In order to succeed, do not depend on others, not everything can be dependable forever, because things are always changing. Therefore, you should depend on your own beliefs, constantly training and increasing your socializing ability and adaptation skills.' By practicing these beliefs, you've developed your own working system, that I know for sure." Masaomi had stubbornly denied it until this moment, when his son had not an ounce of hesitation speaking about his choice of action. The tension in the room transitioned to an awkward silence after Masaomi tried changing the flow of the conversation with a cough. "Seijūrō." With every passing minute that the father did not apologize, he could feel his spouse scolding him from heaven. "I have no excuse for expressing apathy towards you. I am aware of how suffocating I make you feel with all of my demands, in the name of you being the Akashi Conglomerate's heir. It's come to a point where I feel upset that you chose someone else over me when I was the one that wouldn't compromise. For the many years of not being a good father… I deeply apologize." Seijūrō's mind went blank at the sound of "I deeply apologize" and the butler also silently gasped when he came toward the door to check up on the two. Years of miscommunication culminated into a strained relationship between Masaomi and Seijūrō but the latter never expected (or wanted) his father to apologize. While the two people in the room continued to remain silent, they thought about Shiori's words. For Seijūrō, she was a wonderful mother that always did her best to watch over him and remind him that his best was enough (and that his father was not being honest when he wanted to compliment him). For Masaomi, his wife was his greatest companion, the person that could speak his thoughts, when he couldn't. Both the father and son understood that they relied on Shiori to bridge their relationship, when it was their own responsibility to speak to one another about things other than progress on work. In between Shiori's passing and that realization, was the reappearance of a fearless young lady that had the same thoughts as Shiori.
"I-I had no intention of making you apologize to me, Father." It had been over ten years since his son had stuttered and hearing him do so made Masaomi quite satisfied. After feeling the pain of his extremely cooperative son making decisions without his input and not being the one seeing his smile, Masaomi understood why Shiori always told him to speak with his son more often, even if he didn't have nice things to say.
"We haven't had a conversation that lasted more than twenty minutes in years. It's my fault and you don't have to say otherwise, Seijūrō." Neither had the confidence to look at one another and both were tongue-tied in how to continue speaking their mind.
"I don't blame you, Father, I really don't." Although he knew logically it was best to stay quiet, the always composed son blurted out words out of worry for his father's state of being. Seijūrō's worry was warranted, as Masaomi was silently praying for his wife to help him through this arduous conversation.
"You/I should be heading back." They both uttered the same words in hopes of ending the awkward silence, only to fall into another mortifying silence. Why was it so hard to communicate? In hopes of saving them, the secretary and butler knocked on the door and entered to see the two members of the Akashi family staring them down. Not expecting to have read the room wrong (they were actually correct), the butler decided to say the name of someone that could help lighten the atmosphere.
"A-Azusa-sama wanted me to inform you before you went to bed, that she left you a note, Seijūrō-sama…"
"M-My! Lady A-Azusa didn't leave anything up to interpretation and even wrote a note! What a stellar idea!" The secretary was inept at giving a subtle hint and the result was neither Masaomi nor Seijūrō being amused. The latter was also unamused that his stuttering was almost like a bug that infected two other people.
"..."
"..."
"It's late. You should retire for the night." Masaomi couldn't help sighing. His execution of a scenario he ran multiple times through his mind after the masquerade party, was far from satisfactory. His son still looked quite uncomfortable in his presence and his employees were on their merry way stuttering the name of his daughter-in-law. Before Seijūrō made it out of the room, Masaomi recalled the bright image of Azusa smiling and it was an image that would have made his heart flutter in joy, if it was not for the clash in their ideals.
"I wish you a good rest of your night, Father. I'll excuse myself now." After factoring in the confirmation of Seijūrō's feelings, Masaomi realized he would fall into the same state of sadness if he did not make a compromise.
"I will try to be more accepting of Azusa-san." The revelation made Seijūrō's eyes enlarge again. He didn't expect that defying his father's plans would lead to this outcome. The butler and secretary in the background were ambivalent about Masaomi's words because personally, they shipped Azusa and Seijūrō but they would all have to answer to the Himeragi family's wrath. Right after getting ready for bed, Seijūrō opened the thin note Azusa left him.
"I can't promise you something romantic but I promise I'll do my best in this partnership." The material was nothing special and the note was a quarter of the size of the card he gave her earlier that evening but the words made him smirk. The game was on.
Unfortunately, there were more than just intimacy trials but also loads of work for Seijūrō to overcome if he wanted to woo Azusa. For example, the summer was approaching and that meant turnover of leadership for most clubs. If the new cabinet members of a club couldn't fill out formal paperwork correctly, the Student Council would have to make them redo it until the submitted work was satisfactory. Amidst all this change, the Student Council and Disciplinary Action Committee were all recruiting underclassmen to take over, with less than satisfactory results.
"Aomine and Kise! I'm not directly looking but I know you didn't finish your thirty laps! Go back and finish them!" While she was sorting out her agenda for the nth time in the day, Himeragi was still able to handle her managerial responsibilities. Akashi was the other extremely busy fellow, from giving pointers to the other First String members during practice, to overseeing budget plans for upcoming summer retreats.
"Captain, the practice drills for the next two weeks is detailed in this report. Please look it over."
"I trust your judgment, second manager. Confirm it with the first manager and make sure there is an emphasis on exercises to help with agility." Himeragi translated his instructions to mean giving the packet to Momoi and asking her for the final say, a responsibility that scared Momoi. But Himeragi and Akashi were already looking on the court and rebuking Aomine and Murasakibara for slacking off.
"The hunt—I mean—search for new Student Council members is still stagnant but I should have six girls chosen to be the new set of managers for the Basketball Team." Akashi nodded his head, as he had expected that the new set of managers would need at least two months to become well-versed with their duties in time for the basketball tournament in August.
"Your committee members gave me the suggestion to have you meet the next quartet of Student Council members candidates."
"Oh, is this about how you exude the words 'Submit to me and prosper or oppose and perish?' "
"So it was you that planted the thought. While that is not a bad expression to describe what I am thinking, it seems it is ineffective when choosing a successor. Therefore, it's your turn."
"Can you please spare me? I'm looking at half the summer retreat proposals at a time when there is a spike in academic detention cases. I recommend Midorin to take over this task."
"Don't be ridiculous." Midorima could feel that someone was talking bad about him and shook his head, cursing how unsuccessful the work to find new Student Council members had been. "I trust you won't disappoint, partner."
"Don't be surprised when this petty person does not deliver."
"We shall see about that."
"You clearly seem to be in a good mood…" Himeragi was frowning, all whilst hitting the nail on the head regarding Akashi's mood. After bidding his father goodbye in the morning and not being met with a reminder to control his conduct, he felt a lot less pressure in the face of mountain loads of work.
"Oh, is there trouble in paradise for Akashi-cchi and Azu-cchi?"
"Ryōta, run five more laps." Just when the Generation of Miracles thought that they could slide in between the cracks of discord between Akashi and Himeragi, the two of them relentlessly continued to lead the team through practice.
"Ki-chan, we should do our best to help Akashi-kun and Azu-chan with their piles of work."
"Why does it sound like y'all are insinuating that I'm the most problematic child?!" Although Momoi had meant her words as a joke toward the person most likely to retort in their friend group, Himeragi used that interaction in her plan to recruit more managers, the next day after school when there was no scheduled practice. While Himeragi and Akashi were stuck in the Student Council room discussing revisions to previous proposals, she tasked Momoi and Kise with tabling and attracting interested students to the basketball team. Instead of throwing them into a pack of hyenas like she did for the Cultural Festival, Himeragi sent them as a form of "click-bait" for the real assessment of who had enough spirit to be the basketball team's managers. The harvest was indeed fruitful, as Momoi and Kise came to Himeragi with exactly six underclassmen female students. Although she was frustrated with the amount of reading she was subjected to by Akashi, when she saw how unaffected these students were to Kise's pheromones, Himeragi knew that they had chosen correctly.
"I heard you recruited some random girls as the next set of managers?! Azusa!"
"You don't even like practice, why are you complaining?" After shutting him down, Himeragi quickly collected the consent forms and contracts from the chosen six female students.
"Hold up! Stop messing around! How did you choose them without actually being there?!" Aomine and Midorima approached from the room from the hallway and were also slightly intrigued by how Himeragi chose the next set of managers within thirty minutes and without being physically present to choose them.
"Azu-chan created a program that simulated a tower of cards and asked all the interested girls to choose a card to take out of the tower, that wouldn't topple it." Akashi thought about it for a moment, before turning to Himeragi for confirmation.
"Picking out any card would ruin the tower of cards. You chose the girls that would still take that challenge, knowing the result, correct?" The question didn't necessarily mean anything in terms of basketball but it did mean something in terms of personality. "I trust our second manager's opinion."
"Why did you even bother arguing? Your pea-sized brain wouldn't have understood Himeragi's thought process." They were fighting in the "you say one, I say two" manner and all of the girls were amused at their antics. With one matter out of the way, Himeragi tasked Momoi with something she loved to do, planning bonding events for the new managers. The next thing on the agenda was sending out the proposals that needed to be revised again. When they saw the red marks all over the forms, Aomine and Kuroko gulped. Nobody in the room was (that much of) an idiot; if Himeragi and Akashi said something was not up to par, they would enforce ten times the retribution if the same garbage was served to them again. Factoring in Himeragi's rather savage temper, these clubs were probably going to have retreats deep in the woods.
"What about our summer retreat?" The question made the room quiet because the smartest folks in the room contemplated it. They could have settled with a normal retreat in a province within Japan but when other clubs were not giving it their all in asking for money for their trips, what better opportunity to punish their laziness and profit than this?
"Retreat locations are sent in by clubs but wealthy school donors can inject money into the clubs they feel most strongly about. The order we'll be able to meet them in, however, is decided by a lottery. That being said, should we go have a look, Satsuki, Kuro-kun?" Indeed, birds of a feather flock together. The President and Vice-President shared the same sinister look and as if they were not already from wealthy families, walked to the staff room to speak with the people that would be funding their schools' summer plans.
"Who said to come here and comfort those two because they have a lot of work? They look like they're enjoying it." At this time, the rest of the basketball team members would not have imagined in their wildest dreams, the harvest that their captain and second manager would bring back. All they detected was that at a time when they all needed to study for upcoming exams, Himeragi and Akashi were leisurely busying themselves with work instead of studying. There were a few in the group that were also suspicious about the amount of time the two of them spent together.
"Why did you choose us, Azu-chan?"
"The rest of them are too noisy." The reason made Momoi hiccup; she almost forgot Himeragi was not a fan of rambunctiousness if she didn't say it directly. Inside the room, many club leaders had already arrived, all with their eyes on the ostentatious lottery box. Many other athletic club leaders were fearful of the persuasive combination of Himeragi and Akashi and they had every reason to be because Himeragi's eyes glittered dangerously when she confirmed the fragile material the box encasing the slips of paper. Only Akashi could accurately deduce what she was planning but most could figure out that they were in a disadvantageous position.
"Let Azusa take care of the lottery. You both, memorize this script in the meantime." On the folded piece of paper, Akashi had accumulated merits of the basketball team as a whole, not just the First String members and although Momoi didn't understand why she was looking at information for players she didn't manage, she didn't question it. Meanwhile, Himeragi was already in line to draw lots, watching to see if there were any cheating folks to take out. Akashi and Himeragi identified an exchange of meaningful glances between the Judo Club and the person in charge of the lots. These people didn't know it yet but their scheme was not only going to be foiled but they were going to suffer losses that they incurred themselves…
"We are left with the very last number 42 and the number 10! Let us have the captain of the Judo Club draw!"
"Hold on." Himeragi's words made the entire room quiet. "I would like to challenge you to a bet where the winner will get to draw the next number." The two involved parties sweat bullets because from her unperturbed reaction, they were seventy percent sure she saw through the gig.
"T-Then let's do a quick, arm wrestle round!" The Judo Club President didn't believe in the rumors about Himeragi's monster strength but he was still fazed enough to slightly stutter. Himeragi nodded with no other visible reaction, as she put her right arm on a desk. The Judo Club President followed and soon, he glared at her while their hands were tightly held together. The scene displeased Akashi and when the accomplice made a comment that Himeragi was wasting everyone's time by proposing such a bet, he immediately saw a chance to gain more earnings.
"Would you also like to make a wager? If my Vice-President wins the arm wrestle, you will surrender forty percent, in other words 200,000 yen, of your club's budget. If she loses, we will give you the same amount from our Basketball Club's budget. How does that sound, Soccer Club's President?" Momoi and Kuroko didn't look perturbed, although people were looking at them in hopes that they were nervously sweating. When it came to Himeragi's strength, they learned long ago, not to question it.
"Sure, bring it on, President!" The same person that oversaw the lots also oversaw the arm wrestling contest and as soon as he said to begin, Himeragi used a tenth of her strength to slam her opponent's hand into the desk. The fate of two bets was decided in three seconds and many folks couldn't pick up their slacking jaws. The Judo Club President was too scared to object and his accomplice also nervously looked at the lottery box. Perhaps they could still… As soon as Himeragi stood in front of the box, she punched it once, resulting in a broken lottery box with one broken, wooden lot and the still intact one she chose. As planned by herself and her other schemer, Himeragi successfully picked out the number 10 and got rid of the evidence of two club captains tampering with the lots. Akashi and Himeragi provided a very basic overview of what had happened and why Himeragi had been so assertive in going second to last, to which Kuroko was truly not surprised by their foresight.
"So there were two number tens. Someone is working against the basketball team, then." Himeragi didn't care for the questioning eyes that saw her smash the lottery box to pieces and only cared for tossing the number ten to Kuroko, to imply that the remaining number was not the same one.
"Now, Kuro-kun, this is also extremely important." Himeragi's scheme was still underway, as she instructed him further. Although Momoi was going to be meeting the donor with Kuroko, she attracted too much attention so Himeragi could only say the next few words to Kuroko. Their turn arrived soon after and the duo left, Akashi and Himeragi dealt with the aftermath.
"President, isn't it clearly unfair that Himeragi-san did such a thing?!" Many male students were in denial that she destroyed the lottery box and defeated the infamous champion of arm wrestles. If they could find blame by labeling her methods "boorish," they would. But Akashi didn't even spare them a glance and took out a pouch of fruit jelly for Himeragi to snack on.
"Aren't you doting on the Vice-President too much?!" When he looked over at Himeragi feeling the teensiest bit guilty about destroying the lottery box, he still smiled at her.
"President!" It was a pity though, whether or not complaints were raised, Akashi was going to be partial next time too. Showtime for Kuroko and Momoi came quickly and as soon as they were out of sight, the atmosphere in the room was once again, frozen over.
"Say, shall we make another bet?" One would think that the onlookers would have learned their lesson from the last demonstration but because they still had complaints in their hearts, they looked quite pumped for another bet. The unfortunate hothead was the same Soccer Club's captain and while Himeragi internally laughed, she wouldn't let such a good deal escape her fingertips. "If our representatives walk out with a check amounting to more than 100,000 yen, we, the basketball team, shall take half of your club's remaining retreat budget." Only Akashi understood that Himeragi was truly a swindler; based on their joint preparations, there was absolutely no chance that Momoi and Kuroko couldn't secure some additional funds.
"Puh-lease! That won't happen so sure, let's bet on it!" Before Akashi could attempt to warn them of the situation, the hot headed folks already agreed to the inherently unfair bet. He would have been more than happy to inject his own funds into their retreat if Azusa asked but he knew she would never take advantage of his family's wealth. Speaking of his family, Akashi received a conveniently timed phone call from none other than his father.
"I was told you would be home soon."
"Yes." Despite his father's efforts to start a conversation, Seijūrō's response was still terse. When Himeragi giggled in the background, Akashi lightly pinched her cheek, as a warning to not laugh at him.
"... I also heard that you are collecting funds for your basketball team's upcoming retreat." The question hinted at Masaomi's desire to help Seijūrō, although the former wouldn't outright admit to it.
"Yes, the matter should be settled very soon." In other words, there was no need for Masaomi to intervene. Seijūrō couldn't accurately guess Masaomi's intentions and Azusa sighed because it defied logic, how someone as bright as this fellow couldn't keep up with his father's train of thought.
"... The weekend is approaching. I can take some time-off—"
"Absolutely not, Shachou!"
"Then invite Azusa-san to our estate tonight for an early dinner." When Seijūrō was about to decline on the grounds that his father's secretary was bawling, Azusa accepted the invitation on both of their behalfs.
"Give your father some face, will you?" Many of the boys in the room were petrified at how close Himeragi and Akashi were, to even be talking about spending time with Akashi's father. When the call ended, Himeragi immediately bombarded Akashi with the accusation that he stayed inside the room and took the call because he wanted others to know that Himeragi was close enough to his family, to be invited to his home.
"I can't use the reason that it was a course of action with our best interests in mind?"
"No." Before Akashi successfully appeased Himeragi, their teammates came out from the booth with big grins on their faces. In Kuroko's hands was a small but hefty check of 500,000 yen. The basketball team's earnings for the day were 350,000 yen from the Soccer Club and another 500,000 yen from a donor, for a grand total of 850,000 yen. Added together with the original 500,000 yen they were allocated, the team had 1,350,000 yen to spend. When Kise heard the news later on before they went home, he only had one comment.
"So one of you proposed a match to exhort 200,000 yen and then the other one proposed another match to the same club to swindle another 150,000 yen? This swindling couple…"
"I appreciate the compliment." Akashi said, having only taken into account, one word in Kise's sentence.
"Ignore him." Himeragi wasn't about to let Akashi get away with admitting to him and her being a couple. However, ignoring him was a death wish for everyone except her so her words only affirmed the suspicions they already had. Suddenly, two long limousines pulled up in front of the school gates, with one having hit the back of the one in the front. No one knew if Akashi's father purposely obstructed Himeragi's father but they argued about everything but the damage to the back of Yamato's car.
"Akashi Shachou, about your dinner invitation, can my friends come along as well?"
"Just be sure to be home before dark, sweetheart!" The devil incarnate showed the most obedient smile to his daughter but with a turn of his head, he was back to spitefully sneering at Masaomi.
"... Fine."
"On second thought, how about we sit this one out—"
"Why not join in on the fun?" But Himeragi's sinister smile made their blood run cold. They were fearful of the consequences of joining a dinner filled with highly intelligent individuals who were very likely going to bully them. Akashi observed Himeragi's face for a clue into her thoughts but didn't sense anything. When they arrived at the marvelous (and towering like the owners' gazes) Akashi estate, Aomine and Kise were in shock. They didn't want to go anywhere near this high-level prison. If they thought that Akashi was savage, they only needed one glance at his father to know that they were in for an all-out roast fest.
"It is indeed best to balance academics with extracurriculars, although it is more important to have a strong academic background. From what I know, there are a few folks in this group that need to work harder." While Kise and Aomine were sweating bullets from Masaomi's "kind smile," Murasakibara and Kuroko almost dipped their spoons into the finger bowl full of water rinse meant to clean their hands.
"Is the food to your liking?" Akashi was speaking to Momoi but clearly looking at the girl next to her. Masaomi didn't need to look twice to know that his son was yet again favoring Himeragi.
"Tell me, what is my son like at school? Of course if he has done anything to offend any of you-" Although she was being very lukewarm to his son, Himeragi would not permit the father figure attempting to find fault with his son. When Masaomi and Himeragi exchanged a quick glance, the former could see a glint of a warning in her eyes.
"Akashi is very capable. His academics are always perfect and his leadership has no cracks."
"Akashi-cchi points out a lot of our errors but he's a good mom!"
"Yeah Aka-chin is a good mom. He gets a little annoyed if we have to take make-up tests but it's okay."
"Akashi is okay. He's too uptight for me but it's fine."
"Akashi-kun is the most reliable person I know. It is an honor to be a player managed by him." The boys were frightened into answering the question but the girls withheld their evaluations to give Masaomi time to process. From the above statements, he could indeed see that his son was seen as reliable and essentially a rock to this group of basketball geniuses.
"What about you, Azusa-san? How do you see Seijūrō?"
"He is nice."
"... A very curt answer."
"I think that the more concise my answers, the more they work toward our shared interest." Himeragi omitted the remaining last words of her statement but the Akashi family could fill them in: "of not becoming your daughter-in-law." Masaomi finally realized how black-bellied Himeragi was. In the past, he could actively reject Seijūrō's choice of being close to Azusa but at the exact time he said he would try to work with his son's decision, she was giving them both a hard time. Of course she imposed this extra layer of trouble, knowing that Masaomi was attempting to turn over a new leaf in terms of parenting. Kise didn't exactly understand what made Akashi's father's face so ashen but he knew Himeragi was the cause so he tried to secretly tell her to not make things difficult or else "they'd all die."
"I'm not sure if Akashi Shachou is accepting anymore answers but I do believe Azu-chan was very brief in her answer because we are all getting at the same point, that is, Akashi-kun is extremely capable and an amazing leader."
"Indeed, that is what I meant by using the word 'nice.' " They all knew that was definitely not the case because she definitely used "nice" as a filler word. Just when Momoi tried to cover for Himeragi, she began to be bombarded with the questions that Masaomi had initially intended on having Himeragi answer.
"Perhaps Akashi-cchi's father is looking for a daughter-in-law?"
"Well he ain't gonna find the one in Satsuki, not with her explosive cooking skills and temper."
"She can hear you, Aomine-kun."
"You are being quite uncooperative. What happened to your commitment to the partnership?"
"You created this partnership without your father's approval. Is it not within my rights to save myself from an interrogation with someone that fundamentally does not approve of me?" It was not her style to be trapped in a helpless situation and in the face of his father, even Seijūrō couldn't stop Azusa from shamelessly using anything at her disposal to hold him off.
"We will see if that disapproval is here to stay." Instead of engaging in a verbal war with Himeragi, Akashi surprisingly backed off with a good-natured smile. For an awkward parent-child pair, these two seemed to understand each other rather well…
"I am curious. Seijūrō and Azusa-san brought two of you with them to obtain more funds for your retreat. What did they instruct you to do?"
"They gave us some demographics about the overall set of players in the basketball team."
"Azusa-san specifically told me to act with the 'underdog' mentality as to not arouse anyone's suspicions." When Masaomi observed Kuroko's unassuming presence even more, he understood that because Himeragi stood out too much, she wanted to use a player that had no presence, to lower others' guard. Then she struck while their guards were let down, to gain even more profit. Treacherous, black-bellied and shameless: these were indeed the characteristics of the Himeragi family.
"Indeed, you also seem to be one of the few individuals of this group, with more mental endurance." By now, every child in the room was clear on the fact that Masaomi didn't know how to compliment and said "compliments" in a matter-of-fact tone, taking out all the kindness that could have been conveyed in his words.
"The purpose of this visit today, was it an evaluation or warning—"
"Absolutely not!" Himeragi was more than happy to stop talking and the other students in the room realized that Masaomi was riled up, because he didn't want them to misunderstand. The servants of the Akashi household immediately realized Himeragi's "kind" intentions and chuckled behind the closed door to the dining room. "I understand if any or all of you feel as if I am interrogating you and insinuating that you are not worthy of being near my son. However that is not true at all. The purpose of this dinner is to find out more about my son's school life that he glosses over, to save my time." Only after blurting out the mouthful and seeing his son's expression change to one of surprise again, did Masaomi realize that Himeragi purposely egged him on. She didn't have to help him explain or give him face* so she chose the way of contributing based on a whim.
"So… Akashi-cchi's father is looking to bond with Akashi-cchi?"
"Have some tact and stay quiet."
"... In the future…" Everyone's eyes fell on Akashi, who seemed to be at a loss. "I will tell you any detail you'd like to hear, Father." The air became increasingly awkward and most of the members of the Generation of Miracles couldn't taste their food anymore.
"But Azu-chan said—"
"Don't say that right now." After Midorima told Kise to stay quiet, Himeragi also followed up to tell Momoi not to divulge anymore information.
"Then… Alright." Aomine and Kuroko didn't miss Himeragi's meaningful smile. It seemed that from that one look that she flashed nowhere in particular, she expected there to be another push for the father-son pairing.
"The dinner table is nice for some conversations but I'm sure you both are very busy all the time. Perhaps it may be worth it to take a day-off and spend that time, catching each other up about your lives, besides work." Riding on the back of Himeragi's confidence to mess with Masaomi, Kuroko suggested a means that was the most straightforward, for Masaomi's purpose of understanding his son better. He agreed with Kuroko's point but when he looked at his son expressing no reaction to it, he wavered. Himeragi was the next person Masaomi looked at but she didn't return his gaze either because she was looking at the grandfather clock.
"It is getting late. I appreciate all of your insights. I'll ask the chauffeur to drive you all home." Having been released from the dinner that was hard to swallow, Aomine and Kise were relieved, although they were probably suffering from indigestion. Still, it was better to have stomach pain, then to be in front of the probing eyes of Akashi Masaomi, who still didn't know how to speak to kids.
"Stay for a bit." Besides the invited Azusa, only Momoi heard Seijūrō ask her to stay behind. Her instincts told her to immediately get rid of the possible love rivals, so the rest of the team was forced out the front door with urgency, by Momoi and all of the servants of the family. Masaomi sighed, knowing that his employees dearly loved Azusa and had preferred that the dinner arrangement had only included her. On the lawn of the east side of the mansion stood Seijūrō and Azusa.
"You saw through my father's intentions and decided to rope in our friends who had time to spare, into giving him ideas for bonding activities. You also didn't want to engage in a private conversation with my father. What a principled scheme."
"Principled? I'm just avoiding your bottom line." Even Himeragi wouldn't get out unscathed if she tried to mess around with Akashi Masaomi, especially in Seijūrō's presence. It was a different story though, if she incited a group of unassuming kids to also spew daring remarks.
"You've made less trouble than you think. As much as you don't want my father's approval, your black-belliedness will score high points in his mind because you know how to use it well."
"It seems I need to change the way I handle matters, to keep things interesting." Her goal was do the least amount possible to avoid Masaomi adding a hand into the engagement because if the father and son united to plot against her, she wasn't so sure how this trial relationship would end. Now that it seemed that the old man was fine with her black-belliedness, perhaps she'd try to gross him out with the overbearing "I'll take care of you, father-in-law" route. Before that, however, she was going to need to ready herself to reduce the cringe she would have for her own behavior.
"Is that so?" Seijūrō figured Azusa was going to try to change her persona to reduce her favor with his father to the negatives but he didn't tell her that her efforts were probably going to be for naught. After all, it was adorable to see her furrowing her eyebrows, looking for a way out in a situation that didn't have one. The idea of wanting to be closer to Seijūrō had already been planted in Masaomi's mind and even his stubborn father couldn't deny that the thought came about because of Azusa.
"You look like you're plotting something again… I have no plans of joining the bonding time between you and your father so don't plan on it."
"It's alright. Your spirit is already uplifting enough." It was because he remembered how she stood up for him when Masaomi imposed harsh criticism, that Seijūrō now felt braver when it came to speaking to his own father. Be it a day trip or even a couple hours of free time, he would try his best to change his estranged relationship with his father.
"Can you please stop using me as a point of conversation?"
"If I say no?"
"I'll unleash the tyrants in my house." Seijūrō paused for a moment, as if he was actually thinking about a counterattack, when he had actually already thought of one.
"... I can handle them in two months." Just when Himeragi wanted to inquire further, they heard many, excited footsteps approach them from the house. Standing before them were the many servants that had seen Azusa and Seijūrō play together.
"Congratulations on your engagement, Seijūrō-sama, Azusa-sama!" The servants of the Akashi estate were quite crafty with their matchmaking, giving the two of them iced honey green tea drinks in matching glasses, with a connected, heart-shaped straw dangling between the two.
"I apologize, I prefer to drink without a straw." When Himeragi took out the straw from her side, she attempted to drink up her green tea, before Akashi could thwart her plans. Instead, he laid his right arm on top of her raised right arm and looped them, to create the image of the perfect couple's love shot.
"I happen to prefer this way of having a drink with you." His most ideal preference of using mouth to mouth exchange would make make Himeragi stay six feet away from him, so he didn't say it out loud.
"To be able to make even Azusa-sama speechless… You're amazing, Seijūrō-sama!" No one let out a sound but the servants, from that moment on, worshipped Seijūrō even more, for his innate ability to flirt. Was he being shameless? Perhaps, but in the face of a tough iron wall, small acts of shamelessness were permitted, right?
*give face - to uphold someone's reputation