I feel so bad! I haven't posted anything in a few weeks… I'm so sorry! Things have been crazy. Since I last posted, I've been to two birthday parties for family members, had quite a bit of homework, and the student body at my school has been fighting the school board about teachers being cut for next year. Plus, I had a case of writer's block. Again, I'm sorry.

Fortunately, I was able to break out of my writer's block finally and finish this chapter. YAY! Thank you for everyone who has favorited, followed, reviewed, and/or read.

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Padfoot Starfyre: Yes, you are correct. Tora being an Igarashi kind of warrants that the media covers this giant story. A story like his is what sells.

I'll shut up now. ENJOY!

Walking around campus had never bothered her so much before. Everywhere she went, women were glaring and men were staring. She didn't really notice the men, at least not until one of them nearly walked into a tree as she was making her way through the courtyard. Most of them looked her up and down while there were some that watched with hearts for eyes – the guy that almost hit a tree being one of the minority.

Suzume assumed they recognized her after the engagement news like the women did, except for the fact that they made her uncomfortable for a totally different reason. They knew she was engaged, yet they didn't back down. Her only guess as to why they even bother is that they thought if she was good enough to snag a guy like Igarashi Tora, she must be something special. A couple of men were bold and cat-called as she walked past them and towards the car, causing her face to turn red and her pace to quicken.

She didn't know what was worse, the hateful glares from the women or the lusting gazes of the men.

When he saw no trace of her, Tora assumed that his last class had ended before hers and decided that he wouldn't stand around to wait for her, but wait in the car instead. It wasn't too long until he could see her coming down the walkway so he got back out of the car, set on holding the door open for her like a gentleman since that is what the proper thing to do would be.

Upon hearing the catcalls, he narrowed his eyes at the men staring down his fiancée. It didn't matter if he wanted this marriage or not, his possessiveness kicked in. There was a very public announcement about their engagement that made it very clear that she's his, not theirs.

After she got a bit closer, he strode over to her and guided her to the car with a hand on the small of her back while shooting menacing glares at the men within close proximity. He knew it threw her off-guard because the moment he touched her, she straightened her posture out of surprise.

Once they were in the privacy of the vehicle, she raised a questioning eyebrow and gave him a strange look. "Are you okay?"

Tora made no move to turn his head in her direction, speaking in a flat tone. "I'm fine."

A week after the official announcement, Suzume is sitting with Hanako at a wrought-iron table in an area of the garden behind the house. Even though she hasn't spent much time with her mother-in-law-to-be, she found out that she enjoyed her company as much as she did with her actual mother.

One of the maids poured some tea for the two of them before disappearing back into the house, leaving them alone to talk. Hanako donned a smile the whole time and it seemed to cause one to pop up onto Suzume's face as well.

"I remember your first night here you said you were studying in the marketing field. How do you like it?" the older of the two questioned, raising her teacup to her mouth.

"Because you have to look at demographics and analyze trends, there's a creative aspect to it that I really enjoy," Suzume immediately replied. "Ever since my father no longer considered me as part of the family, I seriously started to think about what career path that I wanted to take. The possibility of ever entering the family business wasn't there anymore, not that I minded. I don't know how I would have handled working with my father and oldest brother in a field I didn't like."

With a soft smile, she reassured the young woman. "Well, you're in good hands here."

Suzume voiced a doubtful thanks and tried to return the smile but she found it hard to do. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that her future in-laws would help her, should she ever need it. Tora on the other hand, she couldn't be too sure.

As if being able to hear her thoughts, Hanako placed a hand on top of her wrist as her hands were grasping the teacup in front of her. "Tora will come around eventually. I'm not going to lie to you. If he could find a way to escape the engagement, he would."

"I know."

"However, I believe that he knows there's not really any solution that could fix a situation like this. I think that if he came up with one, he would have tried it already." No response came from Suzume. All she did was stare into the brown-colored liquid in her cup. "I didn't mean to make you upset but I think it's best that you hear the truth when it comes to him."

Without averting her eyes, she quietly spoke up. "No, it's alright. I've known Tora since high school. I know how he is, so that thought has already crossed my mind once or twice."

"How about we go off on a little tangent from this subject?" Hanako took a breath. "I wanted to tell you that Tashiro and I are planning the engagement party for next week. Anyone that you want to invite, you just let me know."

Lifting her gaze, Suzume gave the older woman a tiny smile. "Thank you. I know that I at least want my mother and Michio to be there. I have a few friends that I'd like to invite, as well."

"Of course. Just give me a list and I'll have it taken care of."

Squinting and slightly opening her mouth, Suzume remembered something as she sipped her tea. "Earlier this week, on Tuesday, something that Tora did caught me by surprise. I had finished my classes and was on my way to the car. He was waiting for me but got out of the car when he saw me coming. What surprised me was how he put his hand on my back when he got close enough. I asked if he was okay and he said he was fine. After that, he didn't speak to me for the rest of the day."

Hanako made a low humming sound as she considered what she heard. "Was there anything unusual happening on Tuesday? It was your first day back to classes following the announcement, after all."

"I got some pretty nasty glares from girls all day. The reason for that is a no-brainer. There was a significant number of guys staring me down too."

"I see now," Hanako quickly said, her eyes holding a certain glint in them. "It was his possessiveness seeping through. Maybe there's a little jealousy mixed in there somewhere."

"J-Jealousy?"

She looked her future daughter-in-law right in the eyes. "I know my son very well, Suzume. I've seen him around many girls, more than he realizes. He's shown possessiveness before when it comes to women but never when he's had solid justification like this. You are his fiancée and no one else's."

Her comments resonated in Suzume's mind, letting it all soak in.