I'm sorry! I've been very lazy lately…
Disclaimer- I do not own Ouran XD
Chapter 15- Restless
"What is it, Kameko?" I asked worriedly as she pulled me along, my face still flushed from seeing Kaoru.
"Come and introduce yourself to the president, Miyoko," she replied excitedly.
With everything that had gone on that night, I had completely forgotten why I was here at this function in the first place. It seemed like so long ago when I was fighting with my sister over my apparent 'need' for a stable job.
"Oh, alright," I replied, defeated.
I was still trying to calm down my frantically beating heart. As we surged through another layer of endless guests, I caught a glimpse of Tamaki's unmistakable blond head in the crowd of dresses, jewelry and fancy hairstyles. I considered something that Kyoya had said earlier – that Tamaki's father was introducing him to some important company owners. Was he also being recommended to the president? Did this mean that I would have to talk to him again? I was honestly sick of Tamaki Suoh at the moment. My sister came to a halt suddenly, hauling me through the final throng of business people. Taken by surprise, I crashed into her back and fell to the floor. Blinded by the lights of the vast ballroom, I blinked my eyes rapidly and tried to stand up again. As a result, when my vision eventually came into focus I found the president of the Suoh Corporation, Shizue Suoh, staring at me disapprovingly.
She was a lot more intimidating in real life than the few photographs which I had examined over the years. Her old lips were pursed firmly together and her grey hair was pulled back into a strict bun. She was wearing an intricate kimono, which showed off her obvious wealth to all around her. Although she was at least ten centimeters shorter than me, her critical facial expression made me want to cringe. Her eyes gazed expectantly at mine; however there was no trace of warmth in their stare. Blushing with embarrassment, I hurriedly tried to pat down my soft brown hair and straighten my dress. Everyone had seen my spectacular fall from grace. I felt like a pet dog that had just knocked over an ornament by accident. Here I was, being introduced to the most important person in the entire business world and yet I still managed to look like a complete mess.
"Um, good evening madam," I addressed nervously, bowing as I did so, "My name is, um, Miyoko Takaki. I am especially honored to have met you."
She did not answer; rather she continued to eye me with a stern expression. Although this may have been an extremely important moment for both me and the entire Takaki family, I couldn't help but wonder about how exactly this woman and Tamaki were related.
Kameko cleared her throat. The never-ending silence was broken.
"Madam, this is my sister, Miyoko," she explained uncertainly, curtsying to be polite. "My family was hoping that she could be considered for a place on the executive committee after she has finished college."
"When will that be?" Shizue asked in a surprisingly deep voice, not lifting her gaze from me.
Kameko glanced anxiously at me. Would she ever consider this notion now when I was just a first year in high school? I didn't even know why she was bothering in the first place.
"Seven years, madam," she answered, biting her lip, "We were hoping that she could be considered for the position early."
"Thank you for the suggestion," she complimented indifferently, "We will consider the matter."
Smiling warmly, Kameko knelt down and kissed the old lady on the hand politely.
"We are very pleased that Miyoko has been taken into consideration," she thanked breathlessly, her green eyes shining. "It means a lot for our family."
A single tear fell down her cheek. I rolled my eyes. Why was she so embarrassing about this? You would think that I'd just one the Nobel Prize.
"Thank you," she whispered again, dabbing at her eyes.
My sister was getting so worked up about this that it was simply annoying. I stared at the polished wooden floor, hoping that she would stop crying soon. All I wanted to do was go home.
It was nearly eleven by the time that Kameko and I eventually retreated back to the comfort of our home. I was so tired that I didn't even bother to change into pajamas; I just kicked of my excruciatingly painful heels and sunk straight into my wonderful bed. However, when I closed my heavy eyelids in utter exhaustion I felt the night's events rushing back, stronger than ever. Between all of my business with the President and Kameko I had completely forgotten about what had happened earlier with the Host Club, especially with Kaoru. I blushed in embarrassment, hidden in the private darkness of my bedroom. Why had I acted in the same ways as the girls at the Host Club? Clearly pretending to be a fangirl was rubbing off on me.
After many hours of thrashing around my bed, a thousand thoughts running through my exhausted brain, I eventually managed to fall asleep. When I woke up, my bed sheets were in tangles and my hair was practically one gigantic knot. Under my eyes, brand new dark circles were emerging. However, they were bright and alert with brand new determination – As the self-respecting nerd that I was, I was going to exterminate any remaining traces of fangirl inside of me.
"Miyoko!" Kita exclaimed cheerfully the moment that I walked into the class of 1-A.
"Oh, hello," I answered awkwardly.
Now, here is a perfect example of someone who has done nothing to eradicate her fangirl characteristics, I thought as she continued to stare at me gleefully, a sheepish grin etched all over her face. It was almost as if she was expecting me to ask her something. What was I supposed to say? The world of Kita's mind was a very peculiar place.
Eventually, my brain clicked. I recalled that weird phone call that she'd made to me yesterday. She had said that she had a 'present' for me that she would give me today.
"Did you have something for me, Kita?" I asked reluctantly, hoping that it wouldn't be anything too eccentric.
Instantly, her entire aura seemed to glow with happiness. Even the random students trudging into class appeared just a little less depressed about the prospect of another school week ahead of them.
"Yes!" she exclaimed, overjoyed that I had remembered. "I was in the shops yesterday, and I saw this in the bookstore, and well, it just screamed you, Miyo-chan! It's practically the story of your life!"
She rummaged through her pink school bag and fished out a small rectangle wrapped in brown paper. "Here it is!" she cheeped happily, "Hope you enjoy!"
I carefully unwrapped the gift as slowly as possible. I was dreading about what sort of book would be inside. After the final layers had been shed, a small blue book fell into my open hands. It was a shojo manga. The title written on the glossy front cover stated that it was the first volume of Silver Hearts.
"How is this like me exactly?" I asked, examining the blurb. It only took the single word romance before I was itching all over to start reading.
"Don't you think that the heroine looks just like you?" she observed, confused.
On the cover was the picture of a small girl in an ordinary high school uniform. Her hair was midnight black and halfway down her back. She wore five silver bangles around her wrists and her eyes were also a strange silver colour. I found it hard to see Kita's logic. With my shoulder length dirt brown hair and dull green eyes, how on Earth was I identical to this girl? Even so, Kita seemed to be convinced of it.
"Thank you." I said, smiling courteously.
"Oh, Miyoko!" she squealed as she hugged me tightly, "You're so sweet!"
Sniffing, her cheeks glistened with tears. She seriously was overreacting about one tiny thank you.
Nevertheless, I really wanted to read it.
It was merely minutes before I was standing in front of the large library doors at lunchtime. Before entering, I forced myself to recite my tactics to avoid fangirlism. I would definitely not blush when I saw Kaoru. I would make intelligent and boring conversation only. I would not, under any circumstances, allow my nerd image to lapse. Those were the terms under which I was to play chess today. Trembling, I took two deep breaths before opening the door, my heart pounding unevenly.