Previous chapters have been re-edited for grammar errors (but I'm sure there are still many /insert awkward laugh/). A couple of important changes:1) The tournament is no longer Kantou, but National, 2) Akemi is 16, not 17. Trivial change: Geniichiro to Genichiro.

A lot of references came from the Prince of Tennis wikia. Also, I've included on my profile page, a bio list for Akemi using the same format as the character pages on the PoT wikia.

This chapter includes the use of bold in speech/thoughts which denotes the usage of English.

Thursday afternoons were dedicated solely for the students of Rikkai to indulge on their hobbies. Of course that did not stop the school from giving them the chance to hold them on any other days of the week, but the previous principal had made Thursday compulsory for all clubs to hold their activities. Nobody disputed him as everyone was happy to break from studying.

So it was in this very afternoon when the fifty strong members of the boy's tennis club had their usual club activities at the tennis courts.

Although one innocent passer-by wondered why, with all the fuss he heard from his classmates, were the tennis regulars still putting up with the usual Thursday routine like the National Tournament final was not a week from now. With a shrug of his shoulders, he continued on his journey to an unknown destination. Well, it wasn't as if it mattered to him at all.

Down at the courts, a certain bespectacled boy briefly glanced over his shoulder at his Kohai, who was just a few paces behind, before returning his gaze to the front. Well, more like the back of Jackal, and the Three Monsters, all slightly huddled together before him. Despite the close proximity, he couldn't hear or see any signs of exhaustion from them; as if this was a mere stroll in the park on a nice, hot afternoon.

Like Kirihara, he was panting heavily from the heat; although not as noisily as his kohai or Marui and Niou at the back…or the remainder of the boy's tennis club who were struggling to keep up with the regulars. There was at least a good ten meters between their separated groups.

"Oi! Shiita-kun! How many more laps do we still have to run!?" Marui shouted on top of his voice at the first year who was keeping time on the sideline. He almost knocked Niou aside with one of his flailing arms.

Urayama Shiita, who sported a pair of slightly flushed cheeks infinitely, spluttered for a second from being startled by the red-head's voice before regaining his composure. "Umm… Eight! Eight more laps, Marui-senpai!" he shouted back, prompting a chorus of groans and incredulous cries.

"What!? It feels like we've been going on forever!" Kirihara said, grabbing both sides of his head with a pained look on his face.

No sooner had he said that, it was followed by a rather loud and thunderous "TARUNDORU!" which echoed throughout the school grounds (if that's possible) and effectively cutting down the noise to a low grumble.

Despite the chaotic and now slightly muffled scene around him, Yagyuu couldn't help but appreciate the break from their daily vigorous training regime for the final; even if it was only for two hours. It was all thanks to the unwavering Yukimura who saw the need to resume the club's routines for the non-regulars despite their protests that regulars should take priority over theirs. Truth be told, Yagyuu knew most of the non-regulars were silently happy.

Though, he wondered if they were starting to regret it now on their forty-second lap along the lengths of six tennis courts. Every single member of the tennis club knew what the penalty was should he fail to reach the finishing line before the allotted time. The jar sitting on the bench beside Urayama glinted ominously under the sun; its content an unnatural mixture of dark purple and red.

Yagyuu's throat constricted at the sight as a nauseating feeling rose in his stomach, and unconsciously quickened his pace. His mind reeled at the horrible memories of being a victim of the infamous Inui Juice. Sometimes, he wondered why fate had introduced Yanagi to Inui, if only to affect anyone's health detrimentally with that strange blend of whatever the secret ingredients they used. It hadn't killed anyone yet, but nobody wanted to be the first to try –deliberately or not.

A voice nearby tore him out from his thoughts. He blinked behind his glasses in an attempt to clear his mind before turning his head slightly to the right.

"Sorry, Kirihara-kun. Can you repeat again?" he asked politely. The first year must have caught up to him while his mind had drifted off.

"What is her excuse for today?" Kirihara asked in a genuine manner.

It took Yagyuu a couple of seconds to realise who he was referring to. Kirihara was the last of the regulars to arrive at the locker room, so was not present when he had explained the situation to Yukimura. He gave his glasses a small push up his nose bridge before replying, "Akemi-san received a last minute request from her mother to head down town with her after school."

"Ehh…whatever for?"

"Who knows? She didn't say anything else." He briefly paused. "It's such a shame though. Today would have been a great opportunity for her to see how the rest of the club's activities are like, and meet the non-regulars."

"Y-yeah, I guess so," Kirihara chuckled, before quieting up. Yagyuu raised a phantom eyebrow, wondering what was preoccupying the usually loud Junior Ace mind, but thought better than to pry.

Despite his code as a gentleman to resist any temptation to stick his nose into other people's business (unless it matters greatly), it didn't stop his subconscious mind to ponder over the 'last minute request', as she had put it, before dashing off from the school's front entrance with an irritated look. He knew that she was trying to hide it behind a fake smile, but Yagyuu was good at reading people.

But whatever it was, he hoped that it was nothing serious.

XXX

Akemi's predicament was nothing short of being serious.

No.

It was a disaster with a capital d.

"Hmm…something doesn't seem right at all," her mother said, tapping her chin thoughtfully as she scrutinised the view before her.

"Mum, please. Can't we just find a western brand?" Akemi said flatly, eyebrows creased to show her displeasure at having dress after dress thrown at her way.

Don't get her wrong. As a child, Akemi always liked to dress-up. But as soon as she was old enough to realise (and experience) the pain of clothes shopping, she made a point to avoid the high street at all costs unless necessary. Though there were a few times when she actually enjoyed trying on new clothes. Her mother had once said that it was possibly her inner-child wanted to relive the experience from the good old days.

Right now, this was definitely not bringing back any happy feelings though.

Not when this was the sixth store they had tried.

Her mother had already bought hers (a pine green maxi dress) on their first stop.

With downturned lips, Akemi turned around to face the changing room where there was mirror nailed to the opposite wall. 'Mum's right…' she glared at her feet's reflection on the mirror. For a floor-length dress, it sure didn't live up to its original design. That, or –

"I'm fed up with these boutiques," Akemi grumbled as soon as the door shut behind them and soon blended into the crowd. "What's the point of a maxi dress when there's an obvious gap from the floor without shoes on? Nothing fits my height at all!"

Her mother sighed sympathetically, but remained silent. She glanced at her watch, noting that there were another half hour before returning home, she said, "Alright, let's head to the mall. They have a few European shops that must have something."

Akemi made a sound to say that she understood her mother's suggestion. She gave the street, which they had spent almost two hours behind them in, a wistful glance. It was famous among all generations of both genders for the boutiques that sold hand-made fashionable items (mostly clothes) at reasonable prices. Despite her dislike towards shopping, she couldn't help but admire the many clothes that suited her taste.

Too bad, nobody thought of widening their products to include teenage girls who were just slightly above the average height. She thought back to the last dress. It was a nice deep shade of blue; not overly fancy with the design, but as a maxi dress it was just too short for her.

Midis were definitely out of the question.

Having decided to write to the local newspaper on this problem later tonight, Akemi turned to follow her mother down the pavement where it would lead to the mall. During one of the brief silence between their conversations, her mind drifted back to the conversation they had earlier as they set off to town (what felt like to her) eons ago.

Akemi had asked why there was a need to dress so formally for a dinner with her father's old pal back from university years, until her mother informed her that their hosts were one of the most influential and wealthy upper class families in Japan, and possibly on international level…plus the dinner was to be held at their private estate.

That was more than enough of an answer for the dumbfounded teenage girl. She couldn't begin to understand how her father of all people was well acquainted with such a high-status person. Surely, it was not a mere accidental bump in the corridor, or something along that line.

But knowing her father, it might have been something as silly as that.

Akemi had been to the mall more than a couple of times before with her family since settling down in Kanagawa, but the sight of its expanse still left her in awe. She may avoid the clothes shop at all times (especially after the boutique fiasco), but it didn't mean that the dislike extended to other things like –

"A ¥100 shop!" Her eyes bulged slightly at the ridiculously large budget store before her. Having been to a Japanese ¥100 shop in Hong Kong three years ago, Akemi concluded that the a British equivalent could not compete in the slightest to an international chain store that sold various knick-knacks, each priced at only ¥100.

She stood there, rooted to the spot. Hallucination or not, Akemi swore that the shop shone with a heavenly aura; almost like it was inviting her with opened-arms. Suddenly, there were countless things she wanted to have, and restocking baking materials were right on top of that list.

"Akemi!" said a stern voice, snapping her out from the dream-like trance.

"S-sorry," she chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.

Her mother raised an eyebrow as though expecting her to behave better. "Maybe another day, sweetie. We don't have much time left."

Akemi slumped in defeat, knowing fully well that her mother was right again.

After asking the information desk for directions, they headed up to the fourth floor where torture awaited her. 'Hope this is the last dress shopping for months to come,' she sighed wearily as they entered a familiar European store name.

Upon setting foot on the pristine carpeted floor, her mother shamelessly made a beeline towards the pitiful amount of dresses on sale displayed at the far corner. Akemi nearly cringed in embarrassment at the stunned look that flittingly crossed the salesgirl's face before it smoothed over into an overly bright smile and joined her mother, where they immediately engaged in a discussion.

To her knowledge, the shop was catered specifically for formal occasions and the prices were quite affordable for most. So out of curiosity, she checked the price tag on a random dress and immediately dropped it like hot wire. ''Affordable' shouldn't be used on this brand anymore.' She glanced back to the sales corner where her mother was busily talking to the salesgirl from before. 'Can't really blame mum for trying though,' she thought, watching the salesgirl shook her head and the look of dismay clear on her mother's face. 'Prices for all of these stuffs are doubled the original. Looks like my wish to get back home soon is broken…' She turned around as the two made their way towards her.

"There are no dresses your size on sale left, unfortunately," her mother exhaled.

"We do have a lot to offer that are brand new though," the salesgirl said excitedly in a high-pitched voice that grated her ears. "What kind of dress do you like? Our current most popular is this one over here..."

It took another twenty minutes until Akemi eventually found something likeable.

"You look absolutely beautiful in that, miss! ('Of course you would say that. You're probably paid to say that as well,' Akemi thought dryly)" the salesgirl gushed, clapping her once. "Here-" she handed a simple pair black court shoes to her. "Why don't you put these on and see how you look like in the mirror? If you need anything, I'll be helping that costumer over there."

With that, Akemi was left to her own device. (Her mother had earlier excused herself to use the ladies')

'Hmmm….flowers are definitely more of a summer flavour,' she mused at her own reflection, twisting her body in different angles. Everything about the fit and flare dress was perfect without being oversophisticated. The large red rose prints which caught her eyes fell perfectly in harmony on the fabric. The dress itself was strapless with a modest neckline, a red underskirt which peeped from the bottom of the white skirt and fell slightly below her knees, and an equally red sash which was tied into a back bow around her waist.

Akemi was glad that the price was agreeable for her mother. After today's trip to town, she wasn't planning on touching another dress until Saturday. This wasn't the first time Akemi wondered where on Earth her mother got all the stamina for shopping.

'Mum sure is taking a long time.' She sighed glancing at shop's wall clock before deciding to occupy herself with browsing the accessories by the shop's window out of boredom.

She gave the gloves a quick survey, picked a pair of elbow-length ones which matched the shade of red on the dress, and slipped them on. She twisted her wrists experimentally as if conducting an orchestra. 'Ah! I've always wanted to try these on,' Akemi grinned widely, removing a black feathery fascinator from its rack and placing it on her head like an Alice band.

Perhaps this was what her mother had meant by 'reliving childhood'.

'Wonder how I look in this thing.' She bent down a little so that her head was levelled with a vanity mirror beside her. Her bottom lips trembled as she tried to smother the urge to giggle behind her hand, but Akemi soon caved in and it ended up as a snort. 'Okay. Enough silliness for today, Akemi; you're not a child anymore.' Carefully removing the fascinator, she slowly straightened back up –

And how she had regretted doing that…

XXX

(20 minutes ago at Rikkai's tennis court…)

"Akaya! Want to head over to the arcade today?" Marui exclaimed, skipping over to join Kirihara at his locker. "Jackal said he'll pay for the games and food!"

"HOI! Don't go ahead and invent lies!"

"So? Want to go?"

"Of course!"

A slap was heard; presumably, Jackal had facepalmed in exasperation. Why he put up with his double partner's farce after all these many years –he had no idea.

"I'll join too!"

"Weren't you planning on doing your geography project later? Your research progress is behind everyone's. Even Akemi-san who had forgotten about it once is way ahead of you; and you're both partners for this project. You shouldn't keep a lady waiting."

"Ceh! Who cares what that crazy girl thinks? And progress is fine; I'm just not the type of person who brags about it."

"Careful, Niou-kun. Your nose is growing in length. If you're not careful, I'll have to cut it off before it breaks through the window, and we have to use the club's expenses to pay for repair."

"Buchou!"

There was a collective amount of snickers in the locker room following Yukimura's sincere joke.

Nobody knew how it happened, but all the regulars ended up heading to the mall.

XXX

(Back to the present)

Akemi wanted to hide; to meld into the air around her.

If hats were really magical portholes to another dimension, she would jump into one without a second thought.

Whatever escape plans that came to her head, it was too late.

At first it was only Marui who was with the group of regulars and happened to glance at the shop's window. His face contorted in a mix of confusion and curiosity before the red-headed second year seemingly cried in surprise, pointing a finger at Akemi who stood frozen in her spot with the fascinator still in her hands.

Her mind stopped working, and she visibly paled when their heads swirled around.

"Wow! You look sooooo cute, Akemi-chan!"

She nearly shrieked in fright and stumbled away from Marui who had suddenly appeared directly in front of her face. Her subconscious mind realised that the window was no longer between them.

"Ehhh…so this is why you weren't able to come see our practice today? To think your reason would be better than dress shopping, Noda. Keh –you've been deceiving us all along."

Akemi spun around at the voice to find that the entire regulars had entered the shop whilst she was in a state of shock.

"No. I don't think she has been. That was merely your perception of things," Kirihara muttered tonelessly.

"Remembering previous conversations, there is a 75% chance that she's buying a dress for the dinner with her father's friend ('The number of details you remember is scary, Yanagi-senpai,' Kirihara thought), 15% it may be for a social party –most likely tomorrow, 10% for a date," Yanagi deduced, rubbing his chin in a thoughtful manner.

"A date? WHAT!? WHEN!?" Marui exclaimed for no reason. Strangely, even with the loudness of his voice, none of the other people in the shop took notice of the eight students.

"Calm yourself down, Marui!" Jackal shouted over Marui.

"Isn't 10% a bit too low? That's a bit insulting for her, Yanagi-san," Yagyuu adjusted his glasses; always the gentleman. He seemed rather unperturbed by the ruckus.

"This was purely based on logic and calculation," he defended, indifferently.

"A logic which I fully agree with," Niou stated like it was the obvious.

Whilst they were talking amongst themselves, Akemi did not butt in even once for she had seemingly lost the ability to utter a single or move a muscle. It was embarrassing enough to get caught in a high-end shop by the people she was avoiding (Yagyuu was an exception; there was no choice with Niou as well no matter who she disliked it; Sanada lived down the road), but to appear in front of them in a formal dress…

She shook her head to clear her mind before frantically searching the shop around for someone –anyone! –to get rid of the whole lot of them, but to her dismay all of the salesgirls, and even the cashiers, were occupied with other customers at the far end. She vented in defeat, eyes twitching madly. "W-what are you all doing here?"

At the sound of her voice, the conversation halted as if they just remembered she was there.

Niou was the one who spoke first. "This is a mall; a place where people can freely walk."

"We were on our way to the arcade upstairs," Yukimura said, silencing the trickster with only a glance. "Practice ended earlier than usual today. So we decided to come here to kill some time before returning home."

"I-I see."

"And may I add that you look great in the dress. Am I right, Geniichiro?" he added teasingly to his friend.

Said fukubuchou looked like he was struggling to keep his calm composure in check (his body was trembling slightly from keeping it all in), but jerkily bobbed his head once in a nod all the same for the sake of politeness.

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Akemi said flatly with narrowed eyes, her usual confidence slowly creeping back into her voice.

Amazingly enough she didn't blush or go mushy at Yukimura's compliment. Any girl would have lost the ability to speak or stand just at the sight of him (or any of the regulars for that matter) by now. But Akemi had proven to be unfazed by them so many times that the captain of Rikkai's tennis team was even more certain that she would be their manager. After all, it was one of the key aspects that he wanted to see before confirming his speculation.

"I know," he smiled.

She sighed exasperatedly. Talking to Yukimura was like talking to a wall it seemed. "Right, everybody out. If your original destination is the arcade, why don't you just leave the shop now?" she demanded, already pushing the group towards the exit. "Maybe that way, I'll live in peace for the rest of the evening until I have to face dummy-head here –" she gestured at Niou "–in class tomorrow?"

"Hey! I resent that name!"

"What? We just wanted to say hello! Don't be so rude!" Marui whined, flailing his arms around like a child demanding for sweets.

"Yes, Yes. I'm a rude person. Leave. Please," Akemi stated without batting an eyelash.

"Akemi?"

Said girl froze at the familiar voice. She slowly turned her head to the doorway where her mother was looking quizzically at them.

Her mother blinked, "Your friends?"

"No! Just some people I know from school!" Akemi quickly replied before any of them could open their mouths. "We're just acquaintances," she laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck.

"My. She really is rude," Niou whispered dramatically that she could hear.

Akemi tried to refrain from wanting to strangle the trickster with a scarf when her mother narrowed her eyes suspiciously at her.

"Quiet, Niou!" Sanada said, whacking the top of his head.

"Ah! Geniichiro-kun!" her mother exclaimed in surprise, having just notice her new friend's son in the midst.

"Good evening, Noda-basan," Sanada bowed respectfully.

"'Noda'?" Kirihara echoed. "You're Akemi-senpai's mother?"

"Well, they do have the same nose for starters," Yanagi pointed out as-a-matter-of-factly.

The Noda matriarch seemingly unfazed by the atmosphere, nodded in agreement. "I'm Noda Rie; nice to meet you."

'Why am I being ignored here?' Akemi wondered in a deadpanned manner from the side-line of the beginning of an introduction between her mother and the tennis regulars.

"Eh? You would like my daughter to join your team as club manageress?"

'H-how dare he!?'

"That's right. But she wanted a trial run to see how our afternoon practices are like before deciding," Yukimura smiled, a strange gleam in his eyes.

There was a brief moment of silence in which her mother was deep in thoughts, Yukimura waiting for a reaction with the same smile, Akemi silently plotting to incinerate the tennis club's captain with the most painful method, and the rest of the team slowly backing away from the fiery (and not to mention murderous) aura that surrounded the latter.

"How come you have never mentioned this to me before, Akemi dear?" her mother asked in a deadly calm manner. "You know, you have always wanted to find something to do during your spare time after school. Isn't becoming their manageress something more productive then -"

"I didn't want to leave you with all the house chores!" she blurted before she could stop herself. Slowly and painfully, she realised that there was a stunned silence following her outburst. Her face flushed; complimenting the rose prints very well. She swiftly cast her eyes downwards at the carpet, biting the bottom of her lips in a mixture of anxiety and embarrassment.

With her eyes on the floor, Akemi missed the grateful smile that was forming on her mother's face, or the look of surprise on the regulars'.

It didn't escape Yagyuu's notice that Yukimura was wearing a knowing smile. He really admired his captain's ability. 'I see; so this is another test.'

Akemi remained silent beside her mother (her face had returned to its original colour) as they waved goodbye to the regulars outside the shop; a shopping bag with the rose dress in one hand.

The two Nodas had the lift to themselves. When the doors began to open on their floor, her mother spoke up. "You can do whatever you like, Akemi. Don't worry about me or your dad all the time. You should enjoy your time as a high school student to the fullest."

XXX

Friday came to quickly for Akemi, and in the blink of an eye, she found herself walking towards the tennis courts late afternoon, where she was met with enthusiasm she would rather not face.

"Oh! Lookie who's here!"

"What's with the constipated look, Noda? Hav –AHHHHHHHHHH!" Niou cried out, hopping around on one foot as he grabbed the other that Akemi had purposely stepped on as she casually made her way past him towards the Three Monsters. Her eyes briefly caught the silent approval of Sanada's.

"Welcome to the tennis courts, Akemi-san," Yukimura greeted with a broad smile.

"I see you've finally come today. I've actually calculated that there was a 60% chance that you will," he added, scribbling in his notebook.

Akemi raised an eyebrow at Yanagi, unperturbed by his strange behaviour. "I beg to differ. There wasn't a slightest chance I was going to come. My mother 'happened' to be out with the dog when I went home. But seeing as I'm too lazy to head into town today, I decided to turn back," she said with an air of someone who's bored.

"Don't you have keys?" Sanada asked.

"…I left them."

"That's quite unfortunate," Yukimura commented

"Your tone said otherwise."

"I beg to differ."

"You can stick your head through the railings and I won't care."

"That's really harsh."

"Wh-what kind of argument is that?" Kirihara asked from the side. "Kinda intense, but at the same time, it's not?"

She sighed in exasperation and glanced at her watch. "It's already 5:30pm. Seeing as you're not swinging your rackets around, I'm assuming practice has ended early like yesterday. If that's the case…I'll just take my leave then –" Akemi made to turn around, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She sent an unamused look to Yukimura who let go as soon as he had her attention.

"Yesterday was club activities day; there is a limit of two hours. Our usual pre-final-match training takes up to three."

"It so happened that you've walked into our break after the warm-up," Yanagi added, still writing in his book. "We're starting our matches soon; so actually you're right one time."

"You got to be kidding me right?" Akemi gawked. "You spent so long warming up?"

"We don't take light of our opponents, no matter who they are," Sanada said, adjusting his cap. Akemi blinked, feeling a bit stunned at the statement. "Weak or strong; we'll give them our all. Warming up is just as important as the match itself."

"With that said, Akemi-san," Yukimura smiled, extending a welcoming hand towards her. "Would you like to watch our practice sessions?"

So, stayed she did; and stuck around for the duration of the training.

It wasn't as if she had any other places she could go, and she was not bothered to head to the city's library because it was too far away. Between the time spent writing up a presentation draft a for the geography project (and consistently taunting Niou for not putting an effort on his; to which he reminded her of the one day she had forgotten about; to which that started another full-blown argument until it ended up with Sanada whacking the side of his head) and listening to Yukimura's explanation on this and that, Akemi concluded that it had been a productive day.

A day which also ended with her trailing behind Sanada and Yagyuu, who were immersed in a deep discussion, adorned with a blank expression and slumped shoulders, as they headed back home together (turned out Yagyuu lived not far from their neighbourhood).

"You'll get used to it soon, Akemi-san."

"Huh?" she managed to said, raising an eyebrow at Yagyuu who had stopped to wait for her to catch up with them. It took a while for her to process her class president's words, and when she did, the only thing she did was laughed maniacally in a very low tone; walking past the two and completely ignoring the stares she got from passers-by.

"Umm….you'll recover from it soon…too?"

XXX

(Next day…Saturday!)

"So? How was the boys' practice yesterday? Have you decided to become their manageress yet?" Rie asked, flicking through the pages of a lifestyle magazine. When there was no response, she looked over to the opposite side where her daughter was…leaning her head against the limousine's pristine window with droopy eyelids and a far-off gaze. "Akemi?"

Her daughter had slept through the morning, and most likely for the rest of the day if she had not storm into her room around lunchtime with chopsticks and soup ladle ablaze, pushed her out of the bed and into the bathroom for a shower. She even had to make sure Akemi got the dress on the right way two hours before their ride had arrived. At least she was still while her hair was arranged into a neat high bun and the (light) make-up put on her. Akemi would usually squirm and protest that the latter was an unnecessary addition.

"She must have scared all of them into their hidey-holes," Akemi's father chortled beside her, but it abruptly died off when he realised how serious the situation must be for her not to fire back at his comment. The Noda parents briefly glanced at each other with eyebrows raised.

"The limousine must have given her a shock," Rie suggested, thoughtfully. "We were going to keep that as surprise, but looks like she took it very badly."

He was about to make another comment to see if he would get a reaction, when a red light above the door on his left came on.

"Ken-sama, do you mind if I stop by at Hyotei Academy (that name rang a bell in a dusty corner of Akemi's mind) for a moment to drop off a message for the Young Master from Danna-sama*?" A voice with a mild accent said through the radio. "It's just round this junction."

"Nope. Just do what you want, Charles."

"Thank you."

Five minutes later, the vehicle slowed to a stop on a private road, followed by the sound of a door being opened and shut. Out of curiosity, Rie glanced out the black-tinted window just in time to see Charles the chauffer heading to the main gates, clenching a piece of paper to his chest. Her eyes moved up to take in the sight of the colossal building that was Hyotei Academy. Her husband had to bend a lot to see under her head.

Ken whistled. "Very sure the entire population of Tokyo can squeeze in there and still have rooms to breathe."

Meanwhile Rie's face lit up with recognition when she caught a glimpse of a group of students wearing bright yellow tracksuits emerging from the gates where Charles had earlier disappeared through.

And it wasn't just her who saw them.

The mere colour was enough for the gears in her brain to crank into motion at full speed.

"Akemi, aren't they -?" she was cut off by a crashing sound at her feet, causing her to look down. There, lying flat on the limousine's floor was her daughter. "What are you doing on the floor? You'll mess up the dress!"

She ignored her mother whilst a stormy debate went on in her head. 'No! Why of all the places we have to stop at, is the school where they're having the friendly match? I've texted an apology to Genichiro-san for not being able to come because I had to prepare for the dinner-!' Actually it was all her mother's doing as she was still in a state of shock from watching the regulars playing (what-they-called) tennis yesterday. In short, she did not remember a single thing that had happened. 'Whatever; I'm not letting them see me in here!'

"Oh! I understand!" Ken exclaimed, clicking his fingers. He gestured with a thumb at the group of eight, who kept glancing their way with the same curious expressions as they walked past the limousine. "Are these your boyfriends from that tennis club your mother's been telling me about? Is that why you're hiding from them? You know, they can't see you through these window."

The gears momentarily froze before resuming their spinning. "Th-they're not my boyfriends, or whatever's in your dirty mind!" Akemi retorted with a glare. She slowly picked herself up from the floor but soon fell back on her butt when Marui's face suddenly appeared on the window.

His voice was muffled when he spoke. "WOAH! As expected from a rich guy, his family's limousines are sleek!" He pressed his face closer to the window in a futile attempt to catch a glimpse of the occupants. The effect was comical, but it was no laughing matter for Akemi. Fortunately, she was saved by Jackal dragging the red-head away from the vehicle by the back of his collar, causing him to gag, and pushed him down the pavement.

When their voices slowly drifted away until they were gone, Akemi finally was able to relax. She said nothing to her parents as she plopped down on her seat with a sigh of relief, just as their chauffer returned to the limousine and drove off.

Seeing as their daughter was back to her normal self, the parents let it go for now and proceeded to talk to each other, only stopping when they had arrived at an impressive cast iron gate. On the very top and in all its glory, was an elegantly designed letter A.

Akemi felt her eyes widened in awe (until she was sure they would fall off their sockets) as they were let through the gates, past a long line of towering pine trees of luscious green on each side of the driveway, around a floral roundabout, and finally stopping outside a fine set of double doors which were opened to allow the warm, welcoming light onto the expansive porch.

She allowed herself to be helped out from the car by Charles, and mutely followed her parents into the grand foyer where their hosts were waiting at the bottom of the marble stairs. Her eyes wondered around the hall, taking in everything –from the decorations to the frescos above their heads.

A man (presumably the estate's master) around her father's age stepped forward to shake her father's hand. "Ken! It's been too long!" he chuckled boisterously, before engulfing him in a bear hug like lost brothers.

"I see you haven't changed at all, Shintarou," Ken spluttered from the strength of the hug. "Still working out after all those years?" He gasped for breath after being released, and adjusted his tie.

"I may be a corporate executive, but I do have a reputation to keep as owner of a large security company. It's not bad to exercise every once in a while, you know. Keeps your health in check," he laughed boisterously, but was abruptly cut off by a polite cough behind him. Akemi peeped from behind her mother's shoulders to see a beautiful, slender woman joining him by his side. "Ah! Where are my manners?" He paused. "I would like you to meet my lovely wife, Honoka; editor-in-chief of a global fashion magazine."

"Please, just call me Honoka. It's an honour to meet one of my husband's most trusted friends. I've heard all about your achievements on the advancement of modern technologies," she smiled warmly at the Noda family. "Let's forget about formalities and get to know each other."

"Aren't you going to introduce your two ladies?" Shintarou raised an eyebrow expectantly at his old friend, nudging him with an elbow.

Ken grinned widely, and gestured at said Nodas. "My wife, Rie; and daughter, Akemi."

Out of respect, she allowed her mother to say her greeting first before stepping forward when it was her turn. Akemi was about to extend her hand toward the host, when the lady of the house abruptly stepped in her way and grabbed it along with her chin. She wanted to scream out of reflex, but the way the lady of the house's eyes were staring into hers made her literally hold her tongue by biting it.

Her head was turned this way and that for a moment, before the hostess let go and started examining every single detail of her. For what seemed like years, she finally deemed the inspection done and stood in front of her, grinning widely and her eyes shining with joy. "You will be a perfect model for one of my projects, Akemi-chan."

Said prospective model only realised that she was still biting her tongue down until she was going to use her voice. "I'm sorry?" she whispered politely, unsure of what was going on anymore. Behind her, she could hear her father holding his laughs in.

"Please excuse my wife, Akemi-kun," the host chuckled, grasping her hand in greeting. To Akemi, it felt like hers was being crushed inside his rough one. Well, at least it confirmed his earlier claim. "She has been having troubles finding someone suitable for her project. But I'm afraid that we will have to discuss this after dinner –" He released her hand and regarded something behind her; his eyes brimming with pride.

Akemi glanced over her shoulders to the doorway where an aged butler stood at a respectful distance behind the newcomer who flipped his hair with an air of a king.

As if on cue, the present household employees including the Hollywood-style bodyguards ('W-when did they appear in the background?' Akemi wondered, perplexed), greeted the young master with a bow. "Welcome home, Bochamma*!"

The foyer was silent –as if everyone was holding their breaths in (just an exaggeration) –except for the echoes of his footsteps made by the polished brogue Oxford shoes as he walked past the line of employees; the old butler not far behind.

"Welcome home, my dear!" the Young Master's (now obvious to Akemi) mother greeted when he stopped in front of them.

The Master walked over to his son to place a hand on one of his shoulders. He faced the rest of the group and said to the Noda family, "Everyone, I would like to introduce you to my only son, Keigo."

Thank you for reading~

Next chapter will feature Atobe. How will Akemi cope with another rich snob? Will she tolerate or punch him straight in the face? Or will friendship develop between the two?

The description of the Atobe's estate is loosely based on the chapter 'Omake: Jitaku 1 - Morning in the House of Atobe' from Pair Puri volume 1.

*Reference for honorifics used:

Danna-sama = Master (of the house)

Bochamma = Young Master