"Feels like it's been forever since we hung out!" exclaimed Nio happily, munching on her melon pan. "I mean, ever since I introduced you to Haruki, you haven't had time for me."

The two were in the same park they had been that day; the day that everything in Isuke's life had been turned upside down.

She hadn't realized back then just how much her meeting with that idiotic, red haired poor girl would affect her. At first, she had just been yet another a paint in the butt, yet still her best and only solution to her problems. Then she'd noticed the frustrating role reversal and her own frequent blushing and embarrassment. In time, she'd been forced to admit to herself that, for the first time, she genuinely cared for someone. And at last, she even fell in love.

Yes, Sagae Haruki had changed Isuke and her life so much that neither was recognizable anymore, and she still couldn't tell whether the change had been for the better or for the worse.

"That's not true," she smirked, "Isuke loves hanging out with you."

Nio looked over at her, a hopeful sparkle in her eyes.

"Really?" she asked, as if it was too good to believe.

"No, you idiot," she stated bluntly, crossing her arms over her chest.

The blonde sighed, the smile vanishing from her face.

"That's plain cruel, Isuke," she said, "One would think love would soften you at least a little."

Isuke's eyes widened in shock. Too quickly, she turned back to face the other girl.

How did she know? Was it because of her insane detective skills or was it really that obvious? Had Haruki already figured it out?

The mere thought of that made Isuke's cheeks heat up.

Sure, she'd planned to tell Nio about it today. In fact, that had been her sole reason for bringing her out here in the first place, but she hadn't expected her to know already.

"How did you…" she trailed off, knowing there was no need to explain further.

"I know everything!" she exclaimed with a knowing smile and a hand gesture that Isuke barely managed to dodge, avoiding being hit in the face.

"You're seriously creepy. And you should mind your own business," she scolded her annoyed.

Nio giggled guiltily before moving on.

"And I'm assuming you brought me out here to ask for advice?"

"As if," she snorted, "You haven't even dated anyone yet. You're useless…"

"I'm useless, alright!" she agreed, not offended in the least.

Seriously, that girl must have pretty low self-esteem to let herself get pushed around like that. Isuke knew she should be nicer to her, but kindness didn't come easily to her in the first place.

She leaned back, looking up at the sky. It was getting late, and the sun had long since gone down, but the park was still vaguely illuminated, as it bathed in the moonlight. It was indeed a beautiful night, she decided.

"Think it's stupid?"

"What? Confessing?" Nio asked, not quite following her friend's line of thoughts.

"The entire thing," she explained.

It wasn't as though Haruki saw her that way, and even if she did, she probably didn't have time for a relationship. She had her family to worry about, and with all the love she felt towards them, Isuke somehow doubted there would be anything left for her.

And if they were to start dating, what would she do? She couldn't exactly keep paying her to be her girlfriend, and she couldn't imagine Haruki accepting the money as a gift. Someone as stupidly righteous and noble wouldn't want to be made a charity case.

"Stop doubting yourself; you're Inukai Isuke, aren't you? For as long as I've known you, you've been oozing with confidence, so don't back out now," Nio encouraged her.

"But, I…" She wasn't really sure how to finish that sentence. What did she even want to say? Did she want to take Nio's advice, or did she want to talk herself out of it?

"What are you so afraid of, anyway? It isn't like you."

What a simpleminded question. She was afraid of what everyone would be afraid of; rejection. Having her heart broken, their friendship ruined, stuff that everyone were afraid of.

Heck, Haruki was making her act like some stereotypical, love struck idiot.

"I think you should just tell her how you feel," she stated, "Because I think she feels the same way about you."

"She told you that?" Isuke asked suspiciously. She'd learned by now not to blindly rely on Nio's assumptions.

"No, but it's pretty obvious. She isn't that good of an actress."

"Oh?" she muttered, wanting Nio to be more specific.

Just as the blonde was about to say something, she was interrupted by a cell phone ringing.

Sighing, Isuke picked up her phone and looked at the caller ID. It was Papa.

Under normal circumstances, Isuke would never hesitate to answer a call from her father, but after the dinner with Haruki, she didn't really want to talk to either of her parents.

She waited for a while, but Papa didn't hang up, and so she figured that if she didn't answer, he'd just keep calling and calling. And when she finally got home, there would be no end to it.

"Hello, Papa," she greeted in a cute voice, hoping to hide her annoyance.

"Hi, Isuke," Papa answered, "Where are you now?"

"Just in the park with Nio; why?" Her parents usually didn't bother to call and check on her that often.

"Could you hurry back home?" he asked.

"I'm kind of in the middle of something," she retorted, letting some of her anger slip into her voice. She really didn't want to go home quite yet.

"But Mama and I have a surprise for you," he begged, "Can't you please hurry back?"

"Fine." She rolled her eyes and hung up without saying goodbye.

Isuke got up from the bench, just now realizing how cold she was, only wearing a skirt and a top that left her stomach bare.

"You leaving already?" Nio asked, getting up as well.

"Yeah."

"Okay!" she chirped, "Good luck then, and get back to me after you've talked to Haruki."

Isuke couldn't help but smile at Nio's curiosity. Even though she was annoying, it was nice to know that she cared.

"I will," she promised her as she started walking, "And Nio?"

"Huh?" she asked.

Isuke glanced back at her over her shoulder, still smiling slightly.

"Thanks."

When Isuke entered the living room, she wasn't sure whether to laugh, break something, or march right back out, because before her stood Hanabusa Sumireko.

What could she, of all people, be doing in her house?

She didn't really need to ask, though, because she already knew the answer.

"Well, Papa just happened to bump into someone yesterday…"

"It was a much respected and successful business man."

"And he just happens to have a daughter your age."

Of course. Hanabusa Sumireko was the daughter of a company CEO who ran the Hanabusa Financial Clique, making her family filthy rich.

They had money, connections, status, everything that Eisuke and Hiroshi wanted for their daughter.

"Welcome home, Isuke," greeted Papa cheerfully.

"Remember what I mentioned a while ago, Isuke?" her Mama asked, "Hanabusa-san runs the Hanabusa Financial Clique, and this is his daughter." He gestured towards the blue eyed girl, who stood awkwardly in the middle of the room.

"I believe they already know each other, Inukai-san," informed Sumireko's father with a knowing smile, "Sumireko, didn't you say that you know Isuke-san from school?"

"Yes, we're in the same class," she replied formally. Mama and Papa laughed along with the business man.

"Must be fate at work," joked Hiroshi, making Isuke sigh heavily.

Under normal circumstances, she'd just be annoyed with him for saying something so embarrassing, but right now another feeling was overshadowing it.

She felt betrayed. Papa had actually liked Haruki, so much that she thought maybe there was a chance, but Eisuke had obviously won him over.

What a traitor…

"Why don't we let the girls talk in peace? That way, we could also discuss some things," suggested Hanabusa.

"Good idea," nodded Mama, "Isuke, why don't you and Sumireko-san go talk in your room or something?"

She didn't bother to reply. Instead, she just grabbed Sumireko forcefully by the wrist and dragged her along towards her room, slamming the door shut behind them.

Hopefully, either her parents or Sumireko's father would understand that she wasn't exactly overjoyed with this.

"How did this happen?" Isuke asked, mostly to herself, "What a pain."

"Well," Sumireko began hesitantly, "It is in my parents' best interest that I find a suitor, and I take it your parents think the same for you."

Isuke sat down in one of the chairs and nodded towards the free one, inquiring she wanted the other girl to have a seat.

"What about Banba?" she questioned nosily. It wasn't like she really cared about Sumireko's and Mahiru's relationship. The only reason she had even noticed that Sumireko had feelings for the timid girl was because it was clear as day.

"What about her?" She tried to seem completely oblivious, but to Isuke, the change in her demeanor upon the mention of Mahiru's name was obvious.

Her entire body tensed and she sat up more straightly, her eyebrows furrowed slightly and something also changed in her eyes.

"Please, I'm pretty sure everyone has noticed by now," she mocked, feeling satisfied upon seeing the girl's face turn red.

"E-Everyone, you say?" Sumireko cleared her throat awkwardly to cover for her stuttering.

"Well, everyone except for Banba, maybe."

Isuke looked at her nails. She should get a manicure soon, as it had been a while since last time.

"It couldn't have worked out between me and her, anyway," she declared after a while, now far more composed, just like her usual self.

Isuke had always thought that the girl seemed calm and composed. She didn't talk much to her classmates, but she'd figured it was more out of self-worth and lack of interest than out of shyness. She also appeared delicate and polite.

That was pretty much all the opinions Isuke had made up about the girl. Apart from these assumptions and facts, she had never paid that much attention to her.

"My parents want me to be with someone of high status."

That pissed Isuke off.

Was Sumireko really that tolerant and weak-willed? There was no way she could want to be with Isuke. She was obviously in love with Mahiru, who was the exact opposite of Isuke.

She was aware that Sumireko was a good girl, but to think she'd just accept being bossed around and having other people decide everything for her; she hadn't thought her to be that weak.

"Are you saying you're fine with this?" she hissed angrily.

She wasn't going to give in and accept this, and like hell she'd let Sumireko do that either.

"I won't pretend I'm very fond of you, but if it's my parents' desire, I have no oppositions to this arrangement for the time being," she replied coolly, seemingly unaffected by Isuke's sudden outburst.

Well, they had been in the same class for over a year, so she'd more or less gotten used to the pink haired girl's temper.

"You're like a fucking rug, Hanabusa. You're pretty much laying down in the dirt yelling 'step on me'," she yelled at her, abruptly standing up.

She couldn't do this right now. She had to leave.

Before she could get anywhere, the peach haired girl grabbed her by the wrist, with much more strength than Isuke had expected for someone who was supposedly "frail".

"Wait," she demanded firmly, "I know you'd rather be with Sagae-san, and if you're as opposed to this agreement as you seem, I guess we could try to find a way out of this."

Upon seeing Isuke calm down, she let go of her wrist and backed away a few steps.

"So now you're willing to cooperate?" she smirked, pleased that she wouldn't have to convince Mama and Papa to call off the deal on her own.

"Well, it's not like I'd want to be with you anyway," Sumireko replied with a joking grin. If she was talking to anyone else, she'd probably pretend to be hurt, but she was too surprised right now. She honestly hadn't thought that Sumireko was the type to come with a joke, much less around her.

"So the princess got dumped by the pauper, huh?" Isuke laughed fascinated. Much to her own dismay, she found herself enjoying Sumireko's company.

She didn't believe they'd ever be best friends or anything. She didn't feel quite as comfortable or entertained as around Haruki, but Sumireko proved to be less annoying than many other people that she knew, amongst them Nio.

In conclusion, she didn't have a bad time talking to her.

"I accidently mentioned it to my parents. They said I chose the wrong girl," she continued bitterly, "I believe they think I should have gone with a prince instead."

Isuke giggled, not having expected her to follow up on the nicknaming.

"Well, don't look at me," she said.

"If I were to compare this to your average fairytale, I'd say you'd make a fine witch." Sumireko grinned teasingly at her, and she put up an insulted face. Her pouting only made the girl laugh.

She glanced to her side, considering if she should hit her with a pillow, but then she decided against it. A little too childish, perhaps. And it would also be a little weird to do that to someone you barely knew.

It was sort of strange, because during the past couple of hours, she felt like she'd gotten to know her really well. She had assumed that a girl like Sumireko, who didn't have many friends, would take a while to open up, but she'd been mistaken yet again.

"I always thought you to be the classy delicate type, Hanabusa, but I guess I misjudged you." It seemed she'd misjudged her about several things.

She should learn not to jump to conclusions so quickly…

To Sumireko, it didn't sound like much of a compliment, but she figured that in Isuke's mind, that's exactly what it was. She probably wouldn't get any kinder words out of her either.

"Well in that case, I'll admit that I'm pleasantly surprised, as well. You aren't nearly as repulsive as you sometimes appear." She didn't want to give Isuke too much praise when she only got such a halfhearted compliment.

Then again, it was still a compliment; something she'd never expected to receive from Inukai Isuke.

She really wasn't all that bad. Maybe they could actually become friends after they sorted all of this out.

"No way." That was the first thought that went through her mind when Isuke told her the truth.

Haruki and Isuke weren't a real couple. They had just been faking it in order to keep her parents from trying to pair her up with anyone else, but it hadn't gone as planned. Because apparently, Isuke's parents hadn't been impressed with her girlfriend, thus making them introduce their daughter to her.

"Well… I did find it peculiar that your parents tried to pair us up while you already had a girlfriend," she stated, still baffled by the sudden revelation.

Those two had had the entire school fooled with their little act. There was no way they could act that well. There had to be something more to it.

"But you really do like her, don't you?"

The blush on the other girl's face was enough to confirm her suspicions. Biting her lip, she managed t hold back her laughter. Seeing Isuke all flustered wasn't an everyday sight.

"Are you going to tell her?" she asked curiously.

"None of your business," groaned Isuke.

"You're the one who told me, on your own initiative, and now you're going to leave me hanging? That's not very nice."

"Isuke never said she was nice," she stated bluntly. Sumireko chuckled at her.

"Well, I'm going to see if my father is ready to leave yet. Thank you for having me over," she said as she arose from her chair.

"It wasn't as though I had a choice." Seemed like Isuke had decided to keep being cold. She didn't mind, though, because she knew she didn't mean anything bad by it.

"In any case, good luck with Sagae-san," she told her. She still didn't know Isuke very well, but she could tell that she didn't deserve having her heart broken, so she hoped that Haruki wouldn't reject her.

Hopefully, no more hearts would have to be broken.

So, here's the new chapter and oh god; what am I even doing with this story xD Let's just hope it'll all be sorted out in time.

A reviewer also made me aware that I got the currency wrong. I don't really know just how much yen is and I must have gotten it mixed up while calculating. Might go through the other chapters and correct it sometime, but I don't know. At least know I'm aware of my mistake now, and thanks for pointing it out.

Anyway, thanks for the continued support, and I'll see you next time.