The next few weeks fell into a comfortable rhythm. The guys showed up in time for a late breakfast then hung about during the day playing goofy games like kick the can, hide and seek, and capture the flag. Well, they stopped playing capture the flag after awhile, when they figured out it was always Kyoya's team that won. I worked around the Pension while the guests were out but was able to join the guys sometimes when things were slow. Or when Misuzu-chi insisted I take an afternoon off to spend with 'those adorable young men.' They returned to their 'cottages' before the evening meal, except for the twins who delighted in requesting exotic dishes they knew would not be featured at the Pension. Misuzu almost threw them out after they decided to pull the fire alarm one night just to see the guests (hopefully not just me) stumbling about in their sleeping garments.
But eventually there came a time when the twins accompanied their mother to a fashion show in Paris (tough life), Honey and Mori had to return to the dojo to help with summer students, and Tamaki was called home to spend a rare weekend with his father. I wondered at his seemingly distant relationship but sensed it might hurt him to ask.
So I was left with only Kyoya lurking about. Seemingly not put out by the absence of the others—and oddly not taking himself off as well—he came for morning tea as before, seeming completely relaxed at his table for one. He made cordial conversation with me when I was between waiting on other guests, and I found that in the absence of the constant babbling of the others he was much more conversant. Our repartee had a stimulating edge to it, rather like I imagined sparring with an equally skilled partner, matching wit for wit, in humor or in deeper reflection. After Misuzu and I closed down the breakfast service, he made himself comfortable in the sitting room rapping away on his laptop or completing his summer homework. He was pleasant enough when I was working in the atrium nearby, but he didn't follow me around disturbing my duties like the others tended to do.
On Monday morning I kept looking for Kyoya at breakfast and was surprised when he never appeared. I guess I had been taking the company for granted. As we finished wiping down the tables, Misuzu looked at me with clasped hands and a suspicious twinkle in his eye. "Haruhi," he sang. "Looks like you have a visitor." He indicated a sleek, silver Mercedes pulling up the drive out front.
"Why do you think that's…" My question was arrested as the driver's door opened and Kyoya rose with his signature sweeping grace. He wore the usual dark t-shirt with button-down hanging open over it. Reaching around the untucked end, he pocketed the keys in his fitted designer jeans. With a glance at the windows that might have seen me gawking, he strolled lazily toward the front doors. "Uh, Misuzu?"
"You've been working so hard, dear. You deserve a day off. And with your other little friends gone I hate to see you sitting about all alone!"
The bell on the door jangled as Kyoya entered, looking our way. "Misuzu-chi, it's a pleasure to see you again."
Oh brother, putting on his host club manners. That means he wants something, for sure…
"Good morning, Haruhi. Are you ready to go?"
"Go…where?" I'm sure confusion clouded my face.
"On our date, of course," he said airily.
"What 'date?'" I said, letting annoyance creep into my tone.
He gestured toward my employer. "Misuzu-chi felt it would be good for you to have a day off. I thought you might enjoy getting out to see a bit of the area while you're here." He seemed matter-of-fact as usual. "There's a bit of property I'd like to look over and the drive is quite beautiful."
It did sound good to get away from the inn for awhile. "Misuzu?"
"Yes, dear. Please go and have a good time. I can take care of things here."
"Alright, but it's not a date."
He gave a low chuckle. "No, I suppose I could never top your date with Hikaru, so…" He slanted me a wry smile. "Shall we?"
I removed my apron and glanced down at my usual halter dress over jeans ensemble. "Um, is this okay?"
His back was to me now as he headed toward the door. "What?" he asked turning. He understood immediately. "Whatever you're comfortable wearing is fine."
Okay, then I guess it really isn't a date, I thought, recalling the get-up I was corralled into for Hikaru's sake.
Our feet crunched on the pebbled driveway as he accompanied me around the car, gallantly opening the passenger door so I could slide in. Hmm, unexpected.
I'd never been in such a luxurious vehicle before. The tangy smell of leather tickled my nostrils, and I couldn't resist running my hand over the butter-soft material that covered my oh-so-comfortable seat. Kyoya slid behind the wheel in one of his graceful maneuvers. His seat was pushed further back than my own to accommodate his long legs. With one hand covering the shiny chrome gear shift, his head swiveled to meet my wide-eyed gaze. I was suddenly aware of how close our faces were, as the sides of the vehicle seemed to crowd us together. I guess tinted windows really do give you a feeling of privacy.
A pleased look relaxed his facial features. "Ready?" His warm baritone and that look were doing weird things to my insides. He didn't wait for an answer but started the car and we pulled away.
"I didn't know you could drive." I blurted.
"Of course, I can." He kept his eyes trained on the road. "My father prefers I not drive around town where our associates might see, and…well, we have a reputation to uphold."
"Huh." I digested this and thought it rather sad.
"Why don't you find a radio station you like?" he suggested before I could delve further into his personal life.
The car purred like a kitten as we covered miles of rolling hills, sun-dappled trees, and the occasional scenic overlook. He offered commentary here and there, pointing out the lanes that led toward each club member's 'cottage' and describing favorite tourist shops as we passed them.
Eventually we turned onto a dirt lane leading to an oversized farmhouse of sorts. A realtor's sign was staked in the front lawn, which was vast but scrubby. The driveway split at the house, one branch turning off to form a loop in front of a sagging front porch, the other continuing on from the road to end at a large barn partially covered with peeling paint. We took the loop and parked in front of the house. The place looked deserted.
Kyoya interrupted my inspection. "Would you care to stretch your legs a bit?"
"Sure," I said, opening the door myself. "But where are we?" I wasn't worried. It's not like Kyoya would carry me off and have his way with me. He had a dark side, but he just wasn't like that. Besides, I'd seen the girls swooning over him everywhere we went. He paid them little mind-except to humor them occasionally during host club—but I felt certain he could find plenty of agreeable females to choose from if he wanted to.
My face must have been sour, for Kyoya asked, "What's the matter?"
"Huh? Oh, nothing. Just a little stiff from sitting so long." In that fantastically comfortable seat. Right.
We met in front of the car. "This is the property I wanted to see. The land extends about 100 meters past that tree line over there," he gestured toward a thick growth of beech and oak trees to one side, "and past that field." He indicated a large flat area opposite. It showed signs of once having been plowed but was now overgrown with tangled brush. "Let's see what's in back," he suggested, turning to head toward the barn. I tried to match his smooth gait, but had to take extra steps to keep up.
"Don't you already have a house in the area?" I asked, slightly out of breath. He looked down at me with concern and slowed his stride.
"Yes, but that's not why I'm interested in this spot. It would be more of an investment."
A fixer upper, I guess.
As we rounded the corner of the porch he explained further. "Karuizawa is a popular vacation spot because..."
"Wait, I know," I interrupted, smiling. "It's so refreshing." We shared a grin at the reminder of the twins' crazy game.
"Exactly," he agreed. He looked as content as I'd ever seen him. "So I began thinking it might be a good place for a convalescent home or some such—a tie-in with my family's hospitals and health care facilities."
"A convalescent home," I mused. "I don't know much about those."
"In this case I was thinking in terms of a facility for those who are undergoing physical or mental rehabilitation-a short-term, transitional solution." He stopped and looked back toward the house, his shrewd gaze picturing things that weren't there. At least, not there yet. "First class lodgings and staff, quiet surroundings and an excellent view—I believe certain clientele would pay a premium to spend their time recovering here."
I thought of my mother in her final stages of cancer. "I was only four or five when my mom went in a nursing home or something, so it's pretty blurry. But I remember we had to take a bus to get there every day and there was only one chair in her room. Will there be someplace for family to visit?"
"An excellent idea. Clients would no doubt find comfortable, on-site accommodations for family and caregivers to be a desirable addition."
I sighed, remembering. "This is so peaceful. I wish my mother had been someplace more…beautiful, like this, for her last…" I stopped verbalizing my thoughts as I felt tears prick the corners of my eyes.
"I'm sorry, Haruhi." Kyoya sounded truly chagrined. "I should have realized this might bring up unhappy memories."
I swallowed. "No, it's okay." I looked up at him, my eyes shiny with tears I would not shed. I cleared my throat. "I like your idea."
He didn't seem to know what to do. He just stood there coolly looking down at me. Behind his glasses his brow pinched and his dark eyes softened in compassion. "You're a brave young woman, Haruhi," he murmured, raising a hand to smooth bangs from my brow. His thumb traced my temple and wiped away the moisture gathering at the corner of my eye.
He seemed to collect himself. He let his hand fall to my lower back, gently directing me away from the house. "Let's take a look further on. I think you'll like it."
The two-story barn wasn't much to look at, so we continued on around it to the backyard. As the vista opened up before me, I gasped in surprise. A small duck pond sat to one side near the house, but what startled me was the view. A couple hundred meters beyond where we stood the ground began to fall away, creating a sort of overlook revealing purple peaks in the distance. My feet propelled me forward of their own accord, until Kyoya wrapped his hand around my arm to stop me. I realized I'd wandered from the path into a knee-high tangle of weeds.
I glanced up and found him looking at me with a pleased expression.
"Kyoya, it's beautiful," I breathed. This earned me another curve of his lips. I felt a little giddy.
His head turned to inspect the view again, no doubt calculating square footage and gradients and other important facts pertinent to his 'investment.' "Well," he said, "It has promise. The land around here is quite expensive though, plus we'd have to tear down the structures and start from scratch, of course, so…" He shrugged and looked at me again. "We'll see."