Hey guys. The next chapter is out! The last two chapters wer, as you guys put it, 'getting to know each other' chapters...so this one will be a bit more of a woe-filled chap.

I don't own Maid Sama! or any of its characters.


Takumi stared at her, curiously regarding her embarrassed features.

Not letting his brief astonishment show on his face, he watched as she trained her gaze on the moving figure of Tamami, not daring to chance a look at him.

He smiled at this, thinking she looked positively adorable like that; what with her heated cheeks pulled into a slight pout, and her chin resting on her hand, that she tried to cover her mouth with. Her frown still resting on her forehead, she stubbornly gazed away from him.

"How interesting."

She finally turned her head towards him, surprise evident; which soon disappeared into an irritated frown, as she saw a teasing lifted eyebrow and smirk on his face.

"Like I said, my family was in debt, so I had no other choice but to serve as a waitress serving males."

The disgust in her voice made the smirk drop off his face, and for both eyebrows to lift up, all traces of humor gone. Did she-?

But she didn't seem to notice his change in demeanor; she kept her eyes fixed on an invisible spot on the wall; as if she were basking in a distant memory.

"In fact, the way I had to treat them and the way they treated me, while I wore that horrendous outfit; it was humiliating. If it were not for the fact that I loved the shop for its peace and serene atmosphere, the good pay, and that the staff treated me so well, I would have just resigned the day I had joined."

Oh, he sighed internally, relieved. So she just hated that type of men, not all men in general-

"And given the fact that males are so disgusting, I should have! If not for my sister, and…..mom, I…"

Her face twisted in pain; and Takumi looked at her with a slight frown, his uncertainty forgotten for the moment. Why-?

But then she blinked, as if recovering from a trance; her grimace vanished, and she looked at him, a panic-stricken look on her face.

"I, uh…..sorry, just have a bit of a headache from the sun. "

"Oh, are you okay? I mean, of course you're not, but….do you want some water?"

"Oh….yeah. Water will be good, thanks."

He lifted the jug of water on the table, turning a glass lying face-down on the table up with the other hand; pouring some of it into a glass, he slid it across the table; and she accepted it, thanking him silently with her eyes.

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault, if I hadn't asked for extra choco chips-"

"Pfft. You don't have to blame yourself. Besides, I offered to help, you didn't ask. And it's just a slight headache, anyway. It'll probably vanish in no time."

"….Yeah. Okay, then."

Watching her tilt the glass up to her lips, he looked away; partly to make sure he didn't ogle, and partly because he was unsure about something.

"Um, about what you said earlier….do you…..hate males?"

He looked up at her expectant; hoping that his expression wasn't as desperate as he felt.

She stared at him for a while, and then lowered her cup slowly, as if contemplating her answer. She scrunched her face up, and let out a breath. She looks cute. The thought passed through the back of his mind, but he was too intent to hear her answer.

"Um…not….exactly."

She took in a quick intake of breath and let it out sharply, and then continued, looking as if she were walking out into a void.

"My….father…..ran out on us, leaving us covered in debts. My…..sister, and…mother…..had to work hard to pay it back."

She shivered, the grimace back on her face. He straightened up; but before Takumi could open his mouth to say something, she continued, her face contorting.

"When we were kids, my sister and I were…..told….that he had recklessly played games like mahjong, until he had spent every penny he could, and then ran away for us to shoulder it. But then, when he…..when…..I was in high school, we were…told….that he was actually shouldering his friend's debt, and went out in search of him. B-but-"

Takumi was stunned still; before he knew it, tears were coursing down her cheeks in reckless abandon, her shoulders shivering as she tried to staunch the flow of her tears.

He shook himself out of his still form; and the next moment, he was on the other side of the table, enveloping her into a warm hug as he patted her head gently, praying that her crying would subside. Holding for quite some time, he only let go when she had stopped crying, and her shivering had completely stopped. He kneeled down in front of her, holding her cheeks in his palms as if she were a child.

"Look, I…..didn't mean to make you upset, okay? You can tell me whatever you want, whenever you want to; and I'll be right here, and I can lend an ear whenever you want a shoulder to lean on. Okay?"

She looked down at him, her nose and puffy eyes tinged pink, as he continued when he didn't get a response; but was sure she was listening to him.

"But you can let it out. Bottling up painful memories never helps. I will listen to you, and respect your decision if you want me to keep it to myself. I swear. Okay?"

She looked at him for a few moments, and then smiled; nodding her head, her cheeks still in his palms.

Takumi smiled too, letting go of her warm cheeks.

"Good."

"Hey!"

They looked up, Takumi still on the floor in front of her; to see Tamami rushing towards them, her messy apron still tied around her waist. Holding up the spatula in her hand, she pulled Takumi to his feet by his collar with the other; raising the now-intimidating spatula above her brother's head, she turned to Misaki.

"Did my brother make you cry? Do you want me to bash him up for you? Was he too harsh on you? Geez, he's so insensitive sometimes-"

Takumi, who's collar was still bunched up in his sister's hand, rolled his eyes to himself, knowing that Tamami was only being her usual sarcastic self; Misaki, however, seemed to take her threats toward Takumi seriously, and stood up quickly raising her hands up.

"No! I was just telling him about something sad, so….it's not his fault! You really don't have to bash him up, he was actually being really sweet-"

A slight dusting of a blush appeared on Takumi's cheeks; which he, unfortunately, couldn't hide with his long bangs, because of Tamami's unrelenting iron-grip on his shirt collar. Luckily, Misaki didn't seem to notice.

"Oh, really?"

Takumi glanced warily at the grin appearing on Tamami's face. Geez, is she ever going to give me a break these days?

However, his wariness was apparently not necessary, at least at this moment; she let go of his collar, allowing him straighten up, and put her hands on her hips, the terrifying spatula thankfully retreated to her side.

"Well, now that that is sorted, your tarts are ready. Why don't you come over and pick it up for your cute date, Takumi?"

His blush returned in full steam now; but mercifully, his bangs could now cover it up. But apparently Misaki didn't know of that trick; her flaming red cheeks were visible for the world to see, which Takumi appreciated fully, seeing as she was ten times cute with the color filling her cheeks.

"Yeah, I'm coming."


Haha, so cute!

You know, I actually see myself in Tamami a lot. I love teasing my brother any chance I get; and I'm always sarcastic with my retorts when he's getting riled up. I'll be sure to increase my teasing tenfold if he has a crush, lol. Let's hope it happens sometime soon.

Please Review!