chapter 18: An unexpected visit
- Good luck, sir!- said Ms. Priti as a response to Kyoya's request, however, she was completely sincere.- I know you can do it.
Kyoya smiled in repsonse and went to the twins' room. He stopped in front of the door and knocked on it. After he hard a small "Yes." he entered the room and saw the girls lying on their beds, each paying attention to their own phone. He closed the door behind him and said:
- Girls, we really need to talk!
This seemed to have worried them, as they both immediately stopped what they were doing and looked at their father with confused expressions on their faces. Kyoya got closer and sat on Simran's bed and gestured to Nandini to sit right next to him. Nandini hesitated, but she was slightly curious what he was about to say, so she obeyed.
Kyoya spoke:
- Before we start anything at all, I need to ask you: Are you, girls, unhappy?
Simran and Nandini got even more confused:
- What do you mean, father?- Simran asked, while Nandini remained silent.
- You do not need to spare my feelings.- he answered.- I know that I have done a lot of mistakes recently.
Nandini agreed with that, but she did not say it, and Kyoya continued:
- I want you both to understand that I want the best for you.
He embraced his daughters, putting an arm on their shoulders and looked them in their eyes. Simran returned the hug, but Nandini did not, instead she had the look of disgust on her face. She did not believe a single word her father was saying right now. Instead, she said:
- Why are you doing this?
Before Kyoya got the chance to answer, another doorbell ring was heard. Who could it be?
- Just a moment, please.- said Ms. Priti and rushed to open the door, hoping it's not the witch again.
When she opened, she was pleasantly surprised to see that it was neither Ren, nor the Suoh family. It was Fuyumi, Kyoya's sister.
- Good afternoon, Miss!- Ms. Priti greeted the woman and bowed.- How may I help you?
The woman smiled in response and said:
- Is my brother here? Kyoya Ootori.
Before Ms. Priti could answer, Kyoya himself already arrived to greet his sister:
- Big sister, to be honest, it's good to see you again.
Fuyumi hugged him tightly, with her brother returning the hug less passionately. Then, she revealed the reason for her sudden visit:
- I am so happy to see you again too, Kyoya, but that's not the only reason I'm here now.
Kyoya's sister did not continue, because she was disrtacted by the two adorable little girls, who were looking at her, and were probably wondering who she was.
- Aww, are those the babies?- Fuyumi sqealed and approached them.
- Yes, Mrs. Shido.- Ms. Priti informed her.- These are Mr. Ootori's daughters, Simran and Nandini.
Fuyumi kneeled before them:
- Hello, girls!- she greeted them innocently.- I am your aunt Fuyumi.- she then directed her attention to her brother.- Kyoya, they are beautiful. And they look so much like you.
- And it's a good thing that they got nothing from their mother.- Ms. Priti added and giggled.
- Thank you, Fuyumi!- Kyoya thanked his sister and said to his daughters.- Girls, aren't you going to say something?
The twins were feeling very shy. They were not used to such friendliness from their relatives. Out of politness, they finally gave their aunt a silent "Hello." Both of them blushed.
Although, he did not mind for his sister to get to know her nieces better, Kyoya had to talk to her first and ask her why she came here:
- Ms. Priti!- he turned to his maid.- Could you, please, go to the kitchen and prepare some tea for Fuyumi and me. And take the girls with you!
- Of course, sir!- Priti bowed and turned to the girls.- Come on, children!
Kyoya and Fuyumi entered Kyoya's office and he gestured her to sit on a chair. After he sat down too, he asked:
- So, why are you here, Big sister? Did something happen?
The smile on Fuyumi's face disappeared and was replaced by worried eyes:
- Actually, yes.- she answered.- I am here because one of your old friends from high school called me and told that something happened during your vacation abroad. You did not tell your friends, but they thought that you may tell me.
Kyoya took a deep breath, before feeling capable of giving his sister a proper answer. He did not want to remember that, but Fuyumi was his sister, and he always told her everything, so he found courage to tell her:
- Father appeared out of the blue.
This surprised Fuyumi:
- What? Why?
- From what I understood, to mock me. To demonstrate his contempt, as usual. Thank goodness, I managed to catch his arm before he could slap Nandini.- Kyoya's hand formed a first and started shaking, while saying that.
His sister could not believe what she was hearing. She suddenly felt guilty:
- Oh, my God, Kyoya!- she gasped and placed her hands on her lips out of shock.- Father has always been very harsh to you. I am sorry I was not there to help!
However, Kyoya did not feel even the slightest bit of anger towards his older sister. He knew that she could not do much for either him, nor her nieces, he was still grateful to her for always listening to him and allowing him to be himself.
In the kitchen, Priti and the children were preparing tea for Kyoya and Fuyumi. While Priti and Simran were mostly indifferent, Nandini was not in a good mood. Her father ignored her and Simran yet again. "Take the girls with you"- she kept hearing those words in her head. Although, Nandini adored Priti, that still did not change the fact that her father found another excuse. Why should she and her sister not attend? This is the first time they see their aunt, the first time they are treated well by an Ootori, and they are not allowed to attend. Just because they are children, does not mean they do not understand nothing at all.
Of course, Nandini's wrath did not go unnoticed by her sister:
- Nandini.- Simran asked.- Is everything okay?
- I have been better.- Nandini gave her a rather quick and somewhat harsh answer.
- You know you can tell us if something is bothering you.- Priti asured her.
- It does not matter anymore.- Nandini had no intention of sharing her problem.- I'll be fine.
Simran and Priti did not say anything in response. They were both worried about Nandini and were wondering what would be appropriate to say in this intense moment. The tea was ready and the maid had to bring it to her boss before it got cold:
- I have to go now, girls. Sorry!- she took the tea, turned to the girls and said briefly.- Just wait here! I'll be back in a second.- after which she left the kitchen and went to Kyoya's office.
When she arrived, she stopped in front of the door and knocked. When she heard "Yes.", she opened the door and greeted her boss and his sister with a gentle smile:
- Hello, sir! Madam!- she approached the desk and placed the plate with the tea and the teacups on it.
- Thank you very much, Ms. Priti!- Fuyumi thanked.
- You are very welcome, madam!- Priti responded.
Kyoya took one of the teacups and stood still, while waiting for Priti to pour some tea in it. Meanwhile, Fuyumi was looking at them. Ms. Priti seemed to enjoy working for her brother and he seemed to enjoy having her as a maid. However, she suspected that there was something else as well.
After Ms. Priti was done with the tea, she bowed and politely left the room. Fuyumi felt an interest of asking her brother about this new maid:
- So, is she new here?
- As a matter of fact, yes! She is a college student from India.- Kyoya answered.
- What does she study here in Japan?
- Tourism. She works for me so she can pay the college debts. I also provide her with accomodation in my mansion and help her with her studies- she learns a lot from my job as the owner of a holiday club.
- You seem to like her?
- Yes.- Kyoya answered very modestly. It was true that he indeed liked Priti, as she always got his back, either when Ren visited or when he needs support with the girls. She was pretty special to him.- Besides the former club, she is the only person I can count on. Why?- he asked Fuyumi.
- Just asking.- she answered quickly and continued drinking her tea.- I am happy that you have someone to look after you and the children, Kyoya.- she spoke again.- It must have been really hard for you after your wife left you.
Kyoya did not give her answer this time. Worried that she had probably reminded her brother of his pain, Fuyumi quickly apologized:
- I am sorry! I am so sorry! I did not mean to...
- No, don't worry! You did nothing wrong, big sister.- Kyoya comforted her, but she did not believe him.
- Kyoya, I know you. I know that you are hurt. Tell me about it- you don't need to hide.
Kyoya considered what she just told him and couldn't argue that she was right. So, he took a deep breath and started talking:
- Okay! You are very well aware of the reason I agreed to marry Ren. Shortly after the wedding, she offered to concieve a child together and I did not mind. Back then I had my reasons, but when she told me she was pregnant, I felt happy. It suddenly felt like I was receiving an opportunity to expirience something extraordinary. After the girls were born, Ren kept insisting for us to sleep together just for the sake of it. Apparently, she had enjoyed our first night together. No matter how many times I said no, she kept pushing. The following 3 years became very hard to handle- my daughters were the only thing reason I put up with all of that. Things got slightly less stressful after Ren left the house, but now I had more work to do as a single father of two. Good thing I hired Priti. When the twins turned 11 is when my relationship with them started to fall apart. I was so busy with work that I barely had any time for them, and they despised me for that.
- Despised you?- Fuyumi was confused.
- I remember attempting to talk with them once, but they did not want to listen. They knew I was just seeking excuses to start a conversation. I hated that I was that desperate. I will never forget how Simran was looking at me that night, when she saw me teary-eyed.
Kyoya did not have the chance to finish, as Fuyumi embraced him tightly. He did not push her, and accepted the hug instead. After she let him go, she asked:
- Feeling better? I thought you might need it.
- Yes.- he answered.- Thank you!- after which he continued.- I have hardly ever had problems understanding a situation. I always knew what o do. But parenthood- this is probably the biggest challenge I have ever faced.
- You should try talking to your daughters.- Fuyumi adviced.
- I was about to, but you rang on the doorbell.- he said without a sense of irony in his voice.
- Oh!- she realised what she did and apologized.- I am so sorry! I am so clumsy.
- Apology accepted.- Kyoya attempted to help her calm down.- Haruhi adviced me the same thing, and both of you have a point. But it will be hard for me.
- You were never good at expressing yourself, little brother, but don't forget that they are your family. You don't need to worry.
His sister had a point. And it was also good that he just had somebody to talk to about how he feels, other than the host club. Fuyumi has always been the only one in the family who supported him. This inspired Kyoya's desire to give the same thing to his daughters.
Fuyumi left her brother's office, leaving him to have a little time alone to think.
Meanwhile, Priti was still in the kitchen playing Trivia empire, a Japanese-Indian edition. Simran and Nandini were the ones introducing Priti to elements from Japanese culture, and Priti was introducing them to elements from Indian culture. One of the segments involved dances, so the three danced traditional dances from India. They were having so much fun together.
- You're doing great, children!- Ms. Priti complimented them.- You look just like Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai.
The girls were dancing for so long, that they felt tired. Priti noticed that:
- Okay, girls! Take a little break.- after which she left the kitchen.
She decided to go to her boss' office and retrieve the teacups she brought there. While walking, she accidentally came across Fuyumi:
- Oh, hello Mrs. Shido!- she greeted politely.- Have you and Mr. Ootori finished talking already?
- Actually, yes!- Fuyumi responded.- Thank you again for the tea, Ms. Priti. It was delightful.
- I am glad you enjoyed it, madam!- Priti bowed. She suddenly felt a slight curiosity.- You know, it's good to see that Mr. Ootori has at least one member in the family he can count on.
- You care a lot about my brother, right?- Fuyumi asked.
- Of course! He is a remarkable employer. This may be my first job, but he is already the best one. He seems cold at first glance, but when one gets to know him, they'll see he is not.
- Ms. Priti, do you have a crush on him?- Fuyumi asked.
Her question shocked Priti and made her feel exposed and embarassed. She tried to cover the truth:
- What? What made you think so?- she asked quite sheepishly.
- I see it in the way you look at him or when you talk about him.- Fuyumi answered.
Feeling that now there was no point of hiding it, Priti had to admit it:
- Yes! I do!- she placed her hands on her face out of embarassment before she continued.- Please, Mrs. Shido, don't tell ANYONE about it! Especially Mr. Ootori! Don't get me wrong- I know that I have no chance with him. Our age difference and being my employer are the least of the problems. His last marriage is a failure, he has a busy job and two children to care for. My little infatuation is the last thing he needs. I just happen to find him pretty attractive and a great man to work for. But don't tell him, please! It's pointless- this will pass, but I don't want to ruin anything.- she bowed.
- Don't worry!- Fuyumi tried to calm her.- You are not the first one. Even back in high school my little brother was quite the ladies' magnet.
Once again, Ren planned to visit the Ootori mansion to see how things are going for Kyoya. This time, she intened to analize more deeply.
