「TETSUROU」
〈Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, Japan〉
A black limousine stopped in front of a huge, high-rise building that was situated near the city. Then, the door of the said vehicle was opened by the driver. The chauffeur opened the door to the backseat, and came out two men wearing branded and well-fitted suits as they stood outside one of the city's tallest skyscrapers. The taller one with dark hair wore a Versace, black three-piece suit with a white undershirt and black necktie to match. The smaller figure beside him only wore a less formal but still expensive-looking, black and white suit from Reiss.
The silver windows of the said building towering over them reflected the sun's rays, and the clear sky above. Meanwhile, six, burly-looking men in matching black and white suits, wearing a pair of black shades, and earpieces stood by the stairs that led to the entrance of the building, awaiting their boss' arrival.
"Welcome, Tetsurou-sama."
The men in all-black greeted in chorus, bowing in a ninety-degree manner at the two men before them. Tetsurou simply walked past them after he gave them a once-over, waving his hand blithely, while Kenma stayed behind him and walked alongside the other guards and giving them orders.
They all made their way inside the building, and as if on cue, the employees were immediately on full alert as they scrambled to form a line in order to receive them. To be specific, to receive Tetsurou, who is the heir of the Kuroo family. They all bowed deeply, displaying their respect for him, and at the same time a mix of admiration and fear.
The raven-haired, young man noticed in his peripheral vision that some female employees had raised their heads ever so slightly just to catch a glimpse of him. But when his dark, hazel brown eyes scanned them critically, as if in a silent reprimand, the females immediately dropped their gazes with their bodies slightly trembling upon being caught.
On the other hand, he just continuously made his way inside the spacious building made out of reinforced, bullet-proof glass. The interior was minimalist—a lobby wherein several modern, pristine, white leather couches, glass-top tables in black with reading materials placed on top of it, and of course, the reception. It was made out of white marble, shaped in a half-circle where a single computer was still running.
Kenma pressed the elevator button when they reached it, and the doors opened shortly. Tetsurou's aide just raised his arm a little, motioning his master to go inside first which he did. He stepped inside the circular, glass elevator that could be seen through from the outside and vice versa. Tetsurou felt slightly on edge. It does not hurt to be extra careful, especially when a high-profile individual such as him is out in the open, like a fish in an aquarium.
It felt like he could be shot at any moment now, before he could even reach the middle floors of the skyscraper of a building. Fortunately, he finally arrived at his destination, and stepped out out of the elevator. The female receptionist in the said floor quickly noticed his presence and stood up to give her greetings.
"Good afternoon, Tetsurou-sama," she said, whereas Tetsurou only simply nodded and proceeded to head towards the assigned conference room where the scheduled meeting is supposed to be held. He was already late for it, so when the receptionist stopped him midway, it made him raise an eyebrow.
"Yes?" He asked as he waited for her to say her piece, feeling himself slowly losing his patience.
"T-The meeting had just ended a few minutes ago. I tried to contact your chauffeur and Kozume-sama earlier..." The nervousness in the woman's voice as she spoke was evident, and she struggled to meet one of her bosses' eyes.
"But I couldn't get a hold of them. I'm so sorry for my incompetence!" She quickly added, her gaze dropping down to the marble floor as she bowed with her hands folded neatly in front of her.
One side of Tetsurou's lips quirked upwards into a small smile, before he placed a firm hand on the shoulder of the receptionist in order to placate the panicking employee.
"It's fine. It's not your fault," he said, his voice undertaking a soft tone, and the woman slowly looked up. She felt her heart skipped a beat at the sight of the handsome, godly male standing before her eyes.
"Who conducted the meeting then?" He asked, finally removing his hand on her shoulder upon seeing the love-struck expression on the female's face. Regardless of the answer of the receptionist, Tetsurou already had an idea on who had led the meeting.
"It was your brother, Kei-sama," she replied, fiddling with her fingers like a high-school girl in love.
Tetsurou was able to see the scandalized look that Kenma's face had morphed into, and the latter looked his way pointedly as if saying, 'Can you do something about that? It's making my eyes hurt!'
In the end, he could only shrug at Kenma, and his aide could only make a disgusted expression at him, which Tetsurou internally chuckled and shook his head at.
"Is that so?" He responded indifferently. And with that, he turned his back and made a beeline for the room which is his office.
Once Tetsurou opened the door, the first thing he noticed was not the comforting ambiance of his office with gray painted walls, black carpeted floor and dim lighting. Instead it was the tall, lean yet slightly muscular figure with short blonde hair and pale skin—in contrast to the all black, Armani three-piece suit he was wearing—was the one that instantly caught his attention.
"Oh, you've finally arrived," Kei muttered under his breath, turning his head away from the window a little to look at him, who had just arrived.
"Hn," Tetsurou responded carefreely as he sat on the reclining chair which was at the other end of the table. His eyes narrowed a little, then instantly turned back to normal.
"You didn't tell me you'd come... Kei." He added, and looked at Kei in the corner of his eyes while the latter moved to sit on the couch, adjacent to where he was sitting at.
"I always come," Tsukishima retorted to the elder Kuroo, as he put his clasped hands on top of his crossed legs. Tetsurou leaned back, placing his head on top of the fist that he was resting on the armrest of the chair.
"You were ten minutes late and there wasn't much to talk about. Just the usual reports." Tetsurou heard Kei further saying, in which the former only internally rolled his eyes at.
He couldn't outright do such a childish thing in front of Kei. Partially because he is the older one, and also because he wouldn't hear the end of Kei's sarcastic remarks flying over his head once he managed to piss off his younger brother.
"And by usual, you mean..." Tetsurou trailed off, his cat-like eyes glinting with curiosity as he watched his younger brother sitting with his back ramrod straight on the couch.
"What I meant by usual is that, the businesses are doing well," Kei began, shifting a little so that he could partially face Tetsurou.
"The income is rising, and there are a few proposals for new possible branches that are needed to be revised," He added and further elaborated, "There are also groups that would like to join the business and become partners, but I'll leave the decision to you. That means another meeting a week from now."
"That's some good news then," Tetsurou plainly said after his brother's brief report.
"This is late but would you like some coffee?" Kei asked, and pressed a button under the coffee table to call for the assistant before Tetsurou could even respond.
"Yeah sure, thanks." Tetsurou muttered under his breath, even adding how Kei is being so domineering, whereas the blonde-haired male glared at him in return for his unnecessary comment.
"A black coffee please," Kei said when the assistant came in to receive her employer's order.
Tetsurou pinched the bridge of his nose, upon remembering his date earlier. It was horrific, to put it plainly. The girl was from a prominent family—a family of politicians, to be exact. However, it was obvious that she was only in it for the money and glory, with the way her eyes glinted expectantly as if waiting for his offer about something.
"How did it go? If you don't mind me asking." Tetsurou heard the younger Kuroo ask, as he watched him adjust the black-framed glasses sitting on his nose bridge.
"She's fine," Tetsurou said blandly. A habit that he has, and knows that Kei seem to be able to see through. The way Tetsurou says it is similar with the way he answered their father's question when they were little, which Kei had watched from the sidelines.
The raven-haired, older male still remembers the first time that Kei and his mother, Yukina—also his step-mother now—had stepped foot in the Kuroo mansion. Kuroo Hisato, Tetsurou and Kei's father, had asked the younger him.
"Tetsurou, what do you think?" His father—almost the exact replica of Tetsurou, except for being older, having bright, golden brown eyes, a tall frame, and dark, well-kept hair—had asked him, who was only about eight years old that time.
The young Kuroo heir had admired his father ever since, because of the innovative and successful methods he had been employing in order for their family businesses, as well as organization, to function at its fullest capabilities.
Tetsurou did not even look at them, before replying—almost tonelessly even, "She's fine I guess..."
It's how he answers questions whenever there is uncertainty lingering at the back of his mind. It never changed, and Tetsurou figured that Kei had already noticed it long ago. His little brother is fucking perceptive, it was as if he has eyeballs at the back of his head.
Tetsurou always answer that way because he doesn't want to inadvertently hurt someone with his words. And with the way his dad had looked at Kei's mother back then, it was obvious how much he treasures her, until now. So, he opts to answer in a way that will not be questioned by others, with the exception of Kenma and Kei who know him the best.
"That's how you described all of your previous dates," Tsukishima remarked, before their conversation was disrupted by someone knocking.
"Your refreshments, Kei-sama, Tetsurou-sama," said the woman through the intercom.
"Come in." Tetsurou replied shortly, as he pressed the button under the table for the intercom. He was glad for the brief reprieve that he was able to get from the distraction.
The woman from earlier came in with the coffee and bowed to the two and took her leave, but not before giving Tetsurou a sultry look which he ignored. In the end, the assistant slash receptionist stomped her way out of his office with an extremely vexed expression.
Tetsurou chuckled a little as he took a sip of his black coffee with its deep aroma permeating the air, and calming down his frayed nerves. He pondered about what happened earlier that day, finally responding after a moment of silence.
"She's sweet, kind... and pretty. She's of a high pedigree, I must admit. However..." He trailed off, his gaze settling on the ceramic coffee cup with ornate designs. Tetsurou could see his reflection staring back at him from the black liquid that filled the small container.
"Again, like most of your dates were," Kei sighed and rubbed his nose bridge, shaking his head in discontent. "However, what?" He added after a slight pause.
"What can I say, it's also been the usual. The old man keeps on choosing the same type of girls," Tetsurou shrugged nonchalantly. However, his sentence faltered halfway upon the remembrance of the girl he met from the Fujiwara clan, and he did not notice how he zoned out.
"I'm not much of a mind reader but judging with the way you're spacing out like that, something unusual happened today?" Tsukishima placed a hand on the armrest of the couch and impatiently tapped a finger on it.
"What about yours?" Tetsurou suddenly asked, and the question seemed to catch Kei off-guard for a while, yet he was able to answer quickly.
"Surprisingly, it went well on my side of the fence." The younger Kuroo said, surprising Tetsurou with his answer.
"Well that's a first," the elder replied, genuinely surprised at the positive response he had gotten from Kei. There was even a small smile lingering on the latter's lips, which weirded him out.
What the heck had gotten into him so suddenly? Was his drink spiked or something?
To say that it was unusual to be on the good side of his younger brother, is an understatement. Even he has to tread on shallow water every time. It was even rarer for Kei to have a favorable impression of someone—scratch that—everyone, to put it simply.
On the other hand, he noticed Kei's golden brown eyes narrowing suspiciously at him. Tetsurou knew he was already caught and there's no way of getting out of this long overdue interrogation session from his brother. So, he lifted both of his hands in attempt to signal that he's surrendering.
"Alright, alright. I'll speak," Tetsurou sighed exaggeratedly, and quickly added, "I don't know why you're so curious about my omiai sessions. Either way, you'll still make me talk even if you have to use force."
"I don't understand what the suspense is all about anyway. I was just going to ask if you had asked your date earlier to meet again?"
"No, I didn't." Tetsurou waved his brother's nonsense, which caused Kei to tilt his head in confusion at him. The former found it amusing though, because it was uncommon to see Kei at a loss for words.
"By any chance..." The raven-haired heir began, his voice trailing off as he thought twice about asking his brother about what had been bothering him since a while ago.
"Do you know anything about the Fujiwara family?" Tetsurou finally mustered the courage to ask to satiate his own curiosity.
"Why?" Kei questioned, his expression instantly turning flat at the mention of the said clan. His reaction was weird, but Tetsurou let it pass since he was eager to know if Kei did know the Fujiwara family or not.
"Just wondering," Tetsurou said, taking another quick sip of his coffee as he tried to his expression.
The younger man shook his head once again at his brother's habit of beating around the bush, before finally answering, "The Fujiwara family only has two daughters. And in terms of operations, they have slightly bigger districts than us, but the way they operate is a lot more cohesive than us. They're pretty well-known in the chemical and medical industries since they have spearheaded numerous researches. They also own laboratories and factories for medicines and substances."
"About the daughters... I was wondering as well, if you have any information about them?" Tetsurou tried to play it cool, but he was sure that Kei already knows that he is trying to fish some information from.
But of course, Kei has yet to find out about what—or to be specific, about who.
"Fujiwara Miharu-san is the eldest, while the youngest one is Fujiwara Natsuki-san. I heard they're both running the family business in the country while their father is travelling the globe for business purposes, just like us I presume. Not only are they trained in managing a business but they're also trained in martial arts—are what I heard."
"What about their mother?" Tetsurou asked further, in order to avoid suspicion. He would have to ask other things about the family in general, in order to throw off Kei from his tail.
"She's somewhere in the country with their maternal grandfather." The elder nodded almost instantly upon hearing his brother's answer. He had heard about that one already. That was considered as old news.
"Why did you suddenly develop an interest towards them?" The sudden question jolted Tetsurou from his reverie. When Kei raised an eyebrow at him, he already knew he had to come clean.
"I actually met Natsuki-san earlier. She was... leaving from her date as well." Kuroo replied, his voice suddenly turning soft—almost like a whisper.
"That explains," Kei snorted, as he slouched back against his seat. His reaction earned him a playful glare from Tetsurou which the blonde young man waved off dismissively.
So, Tetsurou's eyes suddenly narrowed and he leaned forward in an attempt to finally intimidate his younger brother. All traces of playfulness and amusement are instantly gone, as he had a sudden epiphany.
"Since when did you know a lot about that family?" Tetsurou queried, leaning closer to Kei's face—too close for his comfort, in fact. But the former did not seem to mind, and it was probably because he was more preoccupied with his turn to grill him with questions.
"I've heard about the rumors, but why do you sound so sure? Are you doing something you shouldn't be doing, Kei?" He pointed out, clasping his hands together, his elbows resting on his thighs. His brows were furrowed, that whoever looks at him, one would immediately run off at the sight of his expression filled with disbelief and fury.
Information about the different families were scarce aside from the general information that each family lets out to the public through the media. Other than that, one would have to plant in a spy to the family they are targeting. Even then, there is a huge chance that it could fail. Either the spy gets killed by the family without doing anything, or the spy gets killed and the family takes it as a declaration of war.
Was Kei doing something so bold such as planting a spy in another family behind his or their father's backs? It could result to an internal strife with one of the biggest Yakuza clans out there if word gets out that it was the Kuroo clan! Tetsurou was about to say something to make Kei realize the gravity of his actions, however, he was beaten to it by the latter.
"I'm not so stupid to do such a thing as planting a spy in one of the most prominent families in the world of Gokudo," Kei said, his tone of voice a mixture of being amused and offended before he continued, "It's simple, really. And the information is pretty reliable, especially if it actually came from one of the family members themselves."
Tetsurou's mouth opened in bewilderment at what he heard. Did Kei really say he had gotten inside information from a first-hand source? How did he—
"My blind date the other day was Fujiwara Miharu, so it's a no-brainer that she'd share a little bit of information to me no matter how trivial, isn't it?"
Kei said in matter-of-factly manner, which left Tetsurou astounded, as the younger Kuroo left him behind in his office to mull over the news he had received.
[Author's Note]
Hey everyone~ Haru & Aki here!
(Haru) Hello everyone! We dedicate this chapter to Kuroo, Tsukki, and the readers. Have you ever fantasized about the Haikyuu! Characters being a part of the Underworld? Well, if you want more fuel to those fantasies, then stay tuned. 'Cos there's more to come. Thank you for your support! Love lots! :)
(Aki) Hi, we're dropping Chapter 3! We hope that everyone is liking the story so far~ We're so happy! Thank you so much guys. 'Til the next chapter! *sending hugs and kisses*