The car ride on the way home was awkwardly silent and heavy. Ranka bit his lipstick smeared lower lip as he occasionally looked to his only daughter who had not looked away from the window. He'd remained quiet, wanting to give Haruhi her time with her thoughts. Finally, he had to ask, "Is it Kyouya? I thought you liked him."

Haruhi sighed, her big, brown eyes still studying the streaks of dirt upon the glass car window. "I do. Don't get me wrong, Kyouya is great. He's one of the smartest people I know. He can pull off anything. If you need a helicopter, he's on the phone getting one. If you need a vacation, Kyouya-senpai has already called everyone and rearranged your schedule for you. Don't even get me started on people. I am positive that when companies need background checks they just go straight to Kyouya."

"It's true." Ranka Fujioka laughed. "Kyouya has been keeping me updated on your grades and host club events. Without him I may never know what you are doing."

"That's actually really annoying." Haruhi looked at her father, but couldn't help a smile.

"But thoughtful." Ranka said.

Haruhi nodded. "That's so like him."

"So he's a good friend?" Ranka kept feeding her lines, hoping to get something more from her.

Haruhi nodded. "He really is. A lot of times he can act like a jerk. He also has an evil streak in him, but he has a big heart. The others call him the Shadow King because he's always behind the scenes figuring everything out. You always know that Kyouya will pull through for you-for all of us."

"And yet, you are second guessing this marriage arrangement." Ranka stated.

"I never gave much thought to marriage. It just wasn't a priority. I thought it is something that I could do after I became a lawyer like mom. And...I don't want to get married unless it is for love. I love Kyouya, but I love him the way that I love all the guys. I guess that...I don't want anything to change. Everything is so perfect just the way that it is now. We all have each other."

"You can't stop change, Haru-chan." Her father said softly. "As much as you want time to stop, the world changes even as you stand still. Soon, your friends will start to graduate and go their own ways."

"But does it have to be so soon?"

"I only want you to be happy." Ranka said. "I only agreed in the first place because I thought that perhaps Kyouya Ootori could make you happy. You've never spoken badly of him, not like you have some of the others. I've never had anything but pleasant conversations with him, and he's the only one who makes the effort to reach me and talk to me about you." Ranka then smiled softly, looking even more feminine as he did so. "When you two were talking, I saw the way you laughed and smiled at each other. It reminded me of your mother-the way she used to laugh and the private jokes that we had. I only want that for you. Is there any reason that you shouldn't marry Kyouya Ootori?"

Haruhi thought over the question and then sadly answered, "There's nothing of merit that I can bring him."

Back at the Ootori estate, Kyouya had a less comforting talk with his father, although no less passionate. "If this entire dinner is a joke then I am not at all amused." Kyouya voiced, his eyes narrowed, as he left the dining room after Haruhi and her father's retreat.

"When an Ootori future is planned nothing ever comes to chance." The elder Ootori sat down in a highback chair and addressed his son who remain standing.

"An arranged marriage, father? I'm only seventeen."

"And you are not even dating. You fool around with that worthless host club of yours. I've introduced you to fine, young women and you don't even give them a second glance. I was worried about you and your unpredictable, frivolous hobbies. I even wondered if perhaps you were homosexual. Then, I met Miss Fujioka."

"I see." Kyouya pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Things were now becoming very clear to him.

"I took the liberty of checking on Miss Fujioka. Despite her standard of living and her unorthodox family, she is bold, intelligent, and presentable. Besides, we could always use a good lawyer in the family. If you are as smart as you think that you are, you will marry this girl. There are few in the world like her, but I trust you already know that." Yoshio stood from his chair then and walked past his son. "I trust you will make the right decision."