Chapter 15:

Come to think of it, no one has actually witnessed the great prince Yuki study for anything. Yes, he reads books in classes. Yes, he takes many notes. But never had anyone actually seen Yuki Souma studying for a test. It was as if his academic achievements were effortless. Hana wondered what Yuki looked like, studying for a quiz. Would he be serious? Or would he not study at all and rely on his keen natural intellect?

They walked the hall side by side; they were ensconced by a comfortable silence. People were staring but they didn't really mind. Yuki's popularity was well acknowledged and they didn't find the need to be alarmed. But they didn't know that people were staring not only at Yuki but also at Hanajima. Seeing her walk side by side with the great Yuki Souma was enough to make a few more students drop their books and look on with either an amazed or a horrified expression.

It was like watching an embodiment of Yin and Yang walking down a high school hallway. It was so…what was the word to describe the sight of them? Strange? New? Disorienting? Any of these words would surely do. For seeing the two social opposites together was like seeing a dog dating a cat.

"YUKI-KUN!" they both turned to look back at who called Yuki with such resonance. It was Momiji running towards them, waving an arm to catch their attention. They waited for him to come to them, turning fully to face the handsome, blonde Souma.

"Hi, Hanajima-kun!" Momiji said, stopping in front of them. Hanajima simply bowed her hello and sunk into silence again. Momiji took no offence to this and simply turned his attention to Yuki. "Yuki-kun, are you going home already?"

"Hai. Why do you ask?" he asked politely.

"Tsk! Tsk! Tsk!" Momiji wagged his finger at his cousin. "Yuki, you should be ashamed of yourself. You haven't been visiting Aya-chan lately, have you? He's been bugging me to tell you to visit him as soon as possible. Hopefully today."

Yuki blushed lightly, found guilty. Yes, he's been avoiding that subject lately. He didn't want to visit that idiot of a brother, Ayame. No doubt he'd just loose his temper and start beating him up senseless just like last time at the resort. He didn't want to talk to an idiot. Especially an idiot he was related to. Thank goodness Hana-chan was there to be his scapegoat!

"Hahaha! Gomen, Momiji-kun, demo I have to help Hana-chan with her—"

"It's alright."

"Huh?"

Hanajima looked at him with a blank façade. "I don't want Yuki-kun to steer from his family just because of me. Besides, I can retake an easier quiz after tomorrow. I don't need to study." With that, she walked away. Yuki felt his heart falling. He felt as if he made Hana-chan feel left out and became just as guilty as he did earlier.

"H-Hana-chan!" Hana turned to him, waiting for him to continue. They didn't notice the many widened eyes and eyeballs falling out of their sockets. Yuki smiled patiently, "Would you mind coming with me?" Hana's eyebrows rose because she didn't expect something like that to come out of his lips. "I think it will take only a little while… so right after my visit, we can go study."

Hana thought about it for a moment then turned to face him fully. "Alright."

Yuki sighed of relief, wanting her to stay with him for a little while longer. "Great!" Momiji yelled with a nod only a cheerleader would do. "Aya-chan's at his shop!"

"Alright." Yuki nodded in understanding then smiled Hana's way. "Let's go?" Hanajima nodded with an invisible doubt. She hesitated for a moment then took a step forward. More steps forward until she was back at his side. She looked at him beside her, smiling down at her charmingly. She smiled back, only a fraction of the side of her lips lifting into an indiscernible smile, her minor hesitance vanishing.

Later, at Ayame's shop, "AH! YUKI-KUN! I'M SO GLAD YOU CAME! YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH YOUR DEAR LOVING BROTHER HAS MISSED YOU! I CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW MUCH YOU'VE MISSED ME TOO!" Ayame yelled in an irritatingly cheery voice.

Yuki looked on sulkily, "Who said I would ever miss you." He said. He almost looked as dark as Hanajima who stood beside him, quietly despising the many colorful, revealing apparels decorating the shop.

"Oh, who's this? Is this your girlfriend, Yuki-kun! Oh, I can't believe you've already got a girlfriend! Oh, they grow up so fast nowadays. That's alright, Yuki-kun, I was just as forward as you when I was your age. Why, I distinctly remember having a rather short relationship with a girl named Akira, she had the best—"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Yuki angrily interjected.

"Oh, come now, Yuki-kun, don't be shy! You can tell your loving brother anything!"

"I hate you." He muttered.

"Come Yuki; show your dear brother how much you love him." Ayame opened his arms wide open, expecting a hug.

"I hate you." Yuki muttered again.

"No hug huh? Well, I guess that's okay! I know you're shy about hugging your brother in front of your girlfriend." He said, winking at Yuki.

"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!" Yuki finally yelled, loosing his temper at the self-centered idiot who was too deaf because of his ignorantly loud yelling to hear anything of what anyone else says.

That was when Ayame stopped to look at him curiously. "She's not?" he turned to Hana and asked, "You're not?"

When he asked this, his face was only inches from hers. So that was the time when her dempa made itself known, rising threateningly. Ayame was too focused on her face to notice the threat. Hana narrowed her eyes at him. She was just about to hurt him when he finally leaned back and looked at her critically.

"Oh, I see. You came to look at my dresses! Great! I've already gotten an idea for you, it's just your size and I think the color will look good on you! Mine-chan!" he clapped his hands.

At once Mine-san was at his side, awaiting his orders. She was wearing a nurse's outfit with the skirt shorter than necessary. "Hi, Yuki-kun! You're looking as handsome as always! Hai, Ayame-san!" she smiled to Yuki then turned her attention to serving her boss.

"Take Yuki's friend here and have her try on the Old One." He winked at her.

"Oh, the Old One? You really think that will suit her?" Mine said, looking at Hana with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

"Yes, of course! Never doubt your boss, Mine-san, never!"

"Of course, Ayame-san! I'll do it right now! Come with me, miss! I'll take you to the dressing room!" Hana didn't even get a chance to run for her life. In a flash, they were already gone from Yuki's sight.

Yuki, who had been panicking the whole time, looked pale as if he's seen a ghost. He didn't know what he was more afraid of; Hana-chan in a strange dress or Mine-san getting hurt by the dempa.

"So tell me, Yuki, what's her name?" Ayame asked, sitting down on his favorite couch.

Yuki hung his head low in submission, there was nothing else to do now but wait. He sat down on the couch next to his brother and answered calmly, "Hanajima, Saki."

"Want some tea?" he cheerfully asked. Yuki nodded meekly, leaning back on the couch. Ayame rang a little bell lying on the table and yelled, "Sonrisa-chan! Would you be kind enough to bring us some tea!"

Yuki raised a brow. Who was Sonrisa? He didn't know Ayame employed anyone else other than Mine-san. Soon a pretty lady came into view with a tray of hot tea on one hand. She wore a nurse's outfit as well, much like Mine's but with a longer skirt and sleeves. Her other hand was at her hips and she was looking very peeved.

She put down the tray in front of them ceremoniously then quickly straightened her back, glaring down at Ayame. "Forgive my rudeness, Souma-san, but I've told you more than once to please not call me so informally!" she now had two hands to her hips and a pout on her lips.

Ayame looked unfazed and smiled all the while. Yuki didn't know if Ayame was just that dumb or he was purposely irking her. But either way, it served to irritate the girl even more. "Sonrisa-chan, didn't I tell you to undo the first button?"

Both Yuki and Sonrisa blushed at that. Yuki was so ashamed that moment. His brother was such a hentai. "Listen here, Souma-san! I've forgiven you for making me follow whatever uniform Mine-san wears on the day! But I refuse to undo any button of any of the clothing I wear!" Sonrisa yelled.

"But I told you, you look cuter with the undone button!" Ayame whined.

"I don't care if I look cute or not!"

"I do!"

"I don't!"

"And didn't I tell you to let your hair down? You're pulling it into a ponytail again!"

"Stop dictating to me what I must do with my hair!"

"I will not!" Ayame stood, coming closer to her to make her see how tall he was compared to her. She reached his collarbone. "As an employee of a shop that gives women pretty clothes, you have to advertise the pretty clothes! If you don't look good in the clothes I make, then you're not advertising well!" he said with a flip of his hair.

"You, Souma-san, are a—a—ARGGH! I'll tell Shigure-san about this!" she threatened with a pout.

Ayame grinned in a way that made him completely irresistible to any woman! Almost any woman. "Gure-san would be so proud of me." Yuki was wide eyed. That was actually a cunning thing, what Ayame said. For the first time, he heard his brother say something close to smart and outwitting! Who was this guy in front of him?

She tried to argue but realized that they were both perverts who'd simply enjoy the thought of a woman in such an indecent state. So she settled for glaring at him and uttering, "I will not undo any button of my clothing." With venom.

"Alright, alright!" Ayame said. But just as he said it, he quickly pulled the ribbon from her hair, letting it loose to breathe. "But you will let your hair down." He smiled slyly. She glared even more but settled for the bargain. She turned around and left.

Ayame had a satisfied smile on his face when he turned to sit back down on the couch. "Here's your tea, Yuki." He said with a smile, offering his dumbfounded brother the cup of tea. For a while longer, Yuki stared at his brother with a shocked expression. He'd never seen Ayame be like that before.

"W-Who was that?" Yuki finally got to ask.

"A new employee of mine! Gure-san recommended her to me on his birthday. She's quite the feisty one but at the same time she's very polite." Ayame said casually. Yuki raised a brow.

"You like her?"

Ayame stared at him for a while then erupted into laughter. When he calmed down, he smiled at his brother genuinely. "Yeah, maybe. She's fun to be around." Yuki felt even more dumbfounded than before. That was the first time Ayame's ever confessed his feelings about a woman before. And for Yuki, he was officially shocked.

It was then that Mine came out from behind the large curtains, looking as if burned in a toaster. She looked blank and said to Ayame lifelessly, "Please consider this my early retirement." Ayame opened his mouth to stop her but she was quicker than light.

As soon as she left, Hanajima came out with an icy air about her. But that didn't stop the two men from gawking with wide eyes at the sight of Hanajima, Saki. She wore an off-shoulder dress in a Victorian style with black streaks flowing down her long silky skirt. Her braid became loose, perhaps from struggling, but that merely made her look ever more beautiful. The satin gloves that reached up to just below her armpits was a great and elegant finishing touch. But what was out of the ordinary the most was that the gown was white as white can be.

Ayame was the first to snap out of it and notice the dreamy expression on his brother's face. A hidden smile appeared on his lips. He came closer to inspect her then noticed something standing at the top of her head. "What's this?" he poked it and got electrified. He pulled away, not being able to feel his brain anymore. "What's this?" he poked it again and the same thing happened. It seemed that after being electrified, he forgot everything that happened one second before. Ayame's brain was getting fried but Yuki was too shocked and awestruck to care. He never thought any other color looked good on Hana other than black. But it seems white looked even better than black. She was so… beautiful.

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