Rhyme was extremely nervous. As she walked, arm linked with Joshua, into the giant manor that wasn't as big as the Composer's own, yet was still no shack, the girl found herself wondering if this was such a good idea. Joshua heard her discomfort through the Music and squeezed her hand reassuringly. She gazed into his amethyst eyes and saw that he too, was not actually thrilled to be attending this event. This gave the girl comfort. Even though he was better in more ways than wealth than the rest of the people around him, Joshua endured this petty and shallow event, even though he clearly didn't enjoy it in the slightest.

She would do the same, if only to make his discomfort less.

Her eyes lit up as she saw the Sarahara twins near a table with ordurves. They also spotted her and waved, smiling in greeting and a bit of playful jealousy, gushing over Joshua from a distance. Mina mouthed 'Lucky Girl!' and gave her a thumbs-up.

Joshua himself put on airs full throttle, but inside, he was searching for a certain melody. He snorted as he found who he sought, and was not surprised to find him in a secluded corner of the room. Bowing slightly to Rhyme, the Composer encouraged the girl to stay with him if she wished, but alsio gave her the option to seek out her friends. Rhyme was curious and opted to follow the ash-blond, and was quite surprised to find out who he was sauntering towards.

"I hate you."

In all honesty, the girl should have noticed him the instant she walked in the house. It wasn't as if he were easy to lose in a crowd.

"Neku! What are you doing here?"

"Being bored out of my skull." Came the short reply.

Joshua snickered "Neku here graciously accepted the board's demand that he attend. Being the head of a department has some perks. It was hinted that refusal would mean a dock in pay. I disagreed, but unfortunately, they were adamant."

Neku snorted "Like hell you didn't have a say in the final decision."

"I didn't. It may surprise you, but some things even the CEO is not privy to in this business. Contrary to what you might believe, dear partner, I do not thrive on your misery."

"Suuure you don't" The once-emo smirked behind his collar.

Joshua tensed suddenly and got a venomous aura around him. Rhyme quickly grabbed his arm to ground him, but soon tensed herself as whatever aura the Composer emitted was matched by a similer one emitted by Ikaru Sarahara, the twin's father. The tall, blond man towered over the thin tycoon by three full inches, and the sparks that flew from both their eyes collided as they had a polite but combative test of dominance. Joshua won, and Ikaru was forced to back down with a sneer. He feigned chivalry however, and bowed slightly. Neku sensed the rise in tension before the man opened his mouth, and the boy guided Rhyme a ways away.

"Whatever that is...you probably don't want to be in the middle of it."

Rhyme was curious "What was that all about?"

"Well, if I were to guess...Josh most likely harbors a grudge against the Sarahara men because of the bastard Apollo. That grudge must have factored in his imprint somehow. Or...maybe the Sarahara family just didn't get along with the Kiryu clan in general, and that factored. Either way...I wouldn't want to get between those two."

"Noted."

Neither Neku nor Rhyme noticed the trio of boys gathered in the hallway next to the massive staircase. They lurked near the restroom entrance, and looked casual enough, unassuming and just seemed to be talking amongst themselves. All three watched the meandering tycoon intently, waiting for the right moment to begin their dastardly plans. As the tycoon excused himself to go to the bathroom, Reggie smiled wickedly.

"It's time. Places everyone!"

TWEWYTWEWYTWEWYTWEWY

Joshua liked to brag that he could get out of any scrape before it escalated. He claimed to have a sense that warned him before something unfortunate happened to him. It worked ninety percent of the time, to be fair. However, there were some things even the Composer of Shibuya couldn't foresee.

A paint can filled with blood, tied and balanced on the bathroom door by a quick release pullstring was one of these random things.

Now, if he was not in public, Joshua would have stopped the incriminating bucket and its unsanitary contents in midair with a blink of his eye and a wave of his arm. He would have then incinerated both blood and bucket, and those that dared to prank the Composer of Shibuya as well.

But he was in public.

In the RG.

So he allowed the prank to reach its conclusion with a resigned sigh and an annoyed grunt. He also permitted photos to be taken as he peeled the tin can off his head. He gave no indication that the situation in any way embarrassed him, but instead continued on his way into a waiting stall to conclude his business while inwardly seething that he'd actually been that vulnerable to begin with…

"Well this is inconvenient. I do hope my hair doesn't come out pink again. The last time it was pig blood and it stained for a week after. Oh least this time I was mostly prepared."

The chuckling outside his stall stopped abruptly. He smirked, rustling the pack he'd brought with him as if he were getting something to fix his predicament. In reality, all he really had to do to right his appearance was brush his hair, and clean his clothes and locks with a snap of his fingers.

"Well-played boys, very well played." he patronized as he continued the facade' "I wonder what else you have in your arsenal. Surely you know how unfazed I can be. This was simply a horrible inconvenience. I was having a nice time with my plus one, too. Oh well."

He emerged with hardly a stain, having feigned a change of clothes, and went to the mirror to see, seeming to his relief, that there were some red flecks in his blond locks, but nothing too drastic. Reggie stood by the door, a sneer on his lips as he barred the way.

"We aren't done, Kiryu." the bass player growled "By the time we are, you'll be begging us to take money from you."

Joshua had to stop himself from letting out a guffaw. "Ah, so that's what this is about! Well, then I look forward to the challenge. I've been up against the mob, dear Reginald. It will be interesting to see if your blackmail plots fall just as fast as theirs did."

He sauntered out past the stunned boy with a trademark smirk, joining Rhyme and Neku in the banquet hall.

Reggie stared after him open-mouthed and slightly less sure of the validity of his plot.

"The mob?!"