Chapter 3. Brewing Trouble

Nestled on the top floor of the most prestigious skyscraper in Tokyo, the Haven was mostly empty at this hour of the night. The main lighting was off, leaving a few ambient lamps to light the hallway. The cleaning service had even gone home hours ago. Only some security men were there and they bowed respectfully when they saw Tao entering the Haven's lobby.

With the gracefulness of a predator who perfectly knew the power he had over others, Tao walked across the posh entrance hall. Tonight, he didn't wear the usual formal suits that he always wore when he visited Sion group's establishments. Instead, he wore a leather jacket on top of a black shirt and worn out jeans. His pure black hair was a bit tousled but he didn't care. He had been awoken in the middle of the night just to find one troublesome brat. He deserved to look like however he wanted.

The billions dollar establishment was spacious. It had an indoor bar, a terrace, an outdoor swimming pool, some exclusive kinks room, a few luxurious VIP and VVIP rooms, and a lounge facing a floor-to-ceiling window with a picturesque view of Tokyo skyline. But Tao didn't have to check every single room there. He knew where he would find whom he was looking for. Without hesitation, he strode towards the bar that was located in the middle of the first floor, approaching a lone figure sitting on the leather bar stool.

"Bad day?" Tao asked the young master, not bothering to start with any proper greeting. It was his special privilege as the twins' mentor. He had changed their diapers when they'd been babies, spanked each of them at least once in their life, and witnessed a few of their most embarrassing moments as they grew up. So, why should he bother using formal greeting now?

Rikiya didn't reply. Instead, the boy drank his vodka in a single gulp before putting his now empty glass down on the bar counter. Considering the almost empty bottle near the boy, it was not Rikiya's first glass. And most probably, it wouldn't be his last tonight.

"In case you forgot, you are still a minor," Tao reminded his mentee calmly, taking a seat next to the boy.

"So?" Rikiya chuckled as if Tao had just told him one of the funniest joke in mankind history. "Compared to other illegal things I've done in my life, I am sure the public prosecutor will overlook me drinking a few bottle of liquor. He will have enough to give me a life sentence without adding this petty crime to the already long list."

Indeed, it was true. As Asami Ryuichi's first-born son, Asami Rikiya had done much worse crimes than a mere underage drinking. Well, Nao-kun didn't get a more innocent childhood than his older brother's. But being the youngest child until Mizuki-chan'd came to the family meant that everyone was more lenient towards Nao than Rikiya.

Tao wasn't worried though. In the unlikely event of Rikiya being dragged into the court, no one would be able to prove Rikiya's involvement in any of their dirty businesses. As their mentor, Tao had made sure of that.

"As an adult, I still have the responsibility to remind you, boy," Tao replied casually, pouring himself a few fingers of vodka into his own glass. He sipped his drink slowly. The pricey liquor burnt its way down his throat. The aroma itself told Tao that Rikiya had opened one of their best bottle in order to get drunk. Not that losing a bottle of expensive vodka would matter to Sion Group. A few hundreds dollar hardly made any difference. But it was an obvious sign of how upset the boy truly was.

"I'm not a boy," his boss' son grumbled.

"Oh sure, Rikiya-sama," Tao said in a tone that clearly showed he was just indulging Rikiya's stubbornness. "I am sure everyone will agree that a fifteen years old is no longer a boy. The government must be an idiot to forbid a fifteen years old to get married without parental consent."

Tao was mocking and Rikiya knew that. The boy stood abruptly in anger, which was apparently a very bad idea. Tipsy as he was, the usually composed boy tumbled clumsily. Luckily, Tao managed to catch him even though the only reason Tao did that was because Akihito would be upset to see Rikiya with a head injury. Otherwise, Tao would gladly let the boy suffer a bit of pain. It was a small revenge for forcing Tao to get out of his comfy bed at this ungodly hour.

The ungrateful brat, however, pushed Tao away.

"Are you here to insult me, Liu Tao?" The question was quick and sounded more like a growl than a human word, a definite sign of Rikiya's fury. Tao had spent almost half of his life with the twins that he could easily recognise their different moods by now. Unlike Nao, Rikiya usually was good in controlling and hiding his emotion, just like his father. But obviously, Rikiya's day was bad enough that a simple teasing could ruffle his feathers. Or perhaps the boy just had drunk one too many.

Instead of reacting to the boy's anger, Tao simply shrugged. "I'm here to remind you that being a fifteen years old boy has its own privilege. At least, I believe it gives you the right to refuse carrying the burden of the whole world on your shoulders."

Rikiya snorted. "Not the whole world. Just the entire organisation."

"Sion Group will survive even without you marrying Takamiya's daughter. No one, not even Asami-sama, is expecting you to sacrifice your life and future for the organisation."

"Oh, it will survive, of that I am sure. But not without a huge loss. You know that, Tao. Even with Baishe by our side, the Takamiyas can still do enough damage. We already lost a few of our routes to them within a mere two months, and we can't afford to lose more," Rikiya replied wearily. "And despite her low intelligence, Takamiya Suzu is extremely beautiful. She is shallow beyond reason, that's for sure, but at least she is easy on the eyes. The sex won't be that bad. There must be a lot of worse things in this world than marrying such a girl."

Silently, Tao observed the young master. It was strange how different Rikiya and Nao were. Not in their physical appearance, of course. The twins looked exactly the same that it was almost impossible to differentiate the two of them as long as they stayed quiet. But once they talked or acted, people would know right away which one was who.

Rikiya was calm and quiet. He rarely displayed his true feeling in front of other people, preferring to hide behind an impassive mask. Some people might say that the boy didn't have any emotion at all. But Tao knew that there were actually things in this world that could put some expressions on Rikiya's face: Akihito, Mizuki-chan, and a mind-blowing sex with a beautiful girl.

Despite Rikiya's lack of reaction to almost everything on earth, Tao had found out years ago that the oldest of the Asami brothers was very manipulative and sly. The boy would make damn sure to get what he wanted, no matter how. There was time when Akihito had asked Tao's help to pick the twins up from kindergarten. Tao had found Rikiya standing silently at the corner of his classroom, observing his peers while the other toddlers fought for an extra dessert. Knowing Nao would cause ruckus whenever the younger boy was bored waiting, Tao had gone to fetch Nao first. When he'd finally came back to get Rikiya, Nao chatting animatedly in Tao's arms, he'd found Rikiya sitting calmly at his little desk, eating the extra dessert his friends had fought for just minutes before and ignoring the envy stare other kids had thrown his way.

Tao shook his head while remembering various proofs of Rikiya's manipulative traits over the years. Indeed, Rikiya's shrewdness was an exact replica of Asami-sama. Most of the times, whatever Rikiya said, it had been calculated thoroughly. The kid loved to be a few steps ahead from his rivals and enemies and he wouldn't act without considering every aspect of the situation.

Nao, in the other hand, was cheerful and full of spirit. The younger of the Asami brothers loved to smile and laugh. Tao swore that those bright smiles of Nao contained a spell of some sort. Because whenever Nao smiled, Akihito would agree to anything the kid said, Asami-sama would soften, and Tao….well, he felt warm and content whenever he saw those smiles. In a way, Nao reminded Tao of Akihito. And Tao had to admit that he got a real soft spot for Nao, just like he had one for Akihito.

But every now and then, Tao would get a glimpse of the other side of Nao and he would remember that Nao could be even more frightening than his brother. If Rikiya remained stoic when he killed, Nao smiled whenever he delivered his blow. Sometimes, as a part of their mentoring, Tao would watch from a hidden corner as Nao interrogated an unlucky jerk or traitor. And god, the way the boy smiled like an innocent angel before he made his prisoner screamed in extreme pain, begging for mercy that would never come; it was so hot that Tao always thought he could come in his pants. Shit, thinking about that gave Tao a boner already. He sighed, stilling his body to calm down by sheer will only.

Without any doubt, the twins were incredibly smart. But Rikiya is especially exceptional. Asami-sama had asked Tao to teach his oldest son on how to manage a few of their business routes a few years back. Tao had hesitated in the beginning, believing that the boy had been too young to understand. But it was Asami-sama's order and Tao wouldn't disobey Asami-sama, so he'd taught Rikiya everything that he'd knew. Surprisingly, despite his young age, Rikiya had proven his skill and capability, easily gaining his father's trust to give him more control over Sion group. The boy was sharp and he had managed to increase their profits in less than two years. It wasn't much, but considering Rikiya's young age, it was a very good start.

Rikiya's logical prediction of their future loss due to Takamiya's aggressive moves was just another proof of his talent. And in spite of their current situation, Tao felt proud of his young pupil. "Your father will not let the Takamiyas causing much damage," Tao debated even though he knew that there was only so much Asami-sama could do at the moment.

Thanks to the latest anti-organised crime movement, business was going down. Their clients, mostly the foreign syndicates, underground business leaders, and yakuza families, were going to jail one by one. And the politicians who had backed them up were too scared of the public eyes to make any move. It was strange how the authorities seemed to know their every contacts. There were too many coincidences over the last few months that every group with illegal activities in Japan had started to believe they had a mole. The question was, who? It wasn't easy to find it without causing a disorder in the organisation.

As the second biggest group after Sion, the Takamiya Group had suffered a more or less similar fate, though not as fatal as what Sion Group had gone through. Takamiya had lost one or two of their business partners and closed down a few of their operations to avoid the authorities' suspicion, but nothing else. And now, Takamiya was trying to take advantage of the chaotic situation by taking over Sion Group's business routes while everyone was practically defenceless.

"Father will do anything in his power to stop the Takamiyas; anything except asking me to marry Takamiya Suzu to seal our partnership with them. We all know that the Takamiyas isn't our real enemy at the moment, Tao. Without this partnership, sooner or later, they will be pushed to a corner just like us. But this agreement will save us both. Once everything calms down, we can always eliminate the Takamiyas. It is a stupid move not to take it. Father is being too considerate of me and that is why I am going to ask him to accept Takamiya's proposal out of my own freewill. Otherwise, father must declare a war with the Takamiyas and blood will be spilled. We can't risk that, not at the moment when there were people in the government trying to destroy father."

"Just last night, your father told me he would prefer to start a war than selling his own son to the wolves," the older man said calmly. "Besides, how will you explain all this to Akihito? Your dad will kill your father if he find out Asami-sama putting you in a loveless business marriage."

Rikiya gave him a slow wicked smile. "And that is where father is wrong, Tao. No one is going to sell me to any wolf. The Takamiyas is the one who is inviting a wolf into their house. And let me be damned if I don't use this opportunity to stop them from being a thorn in our side. They need this partnership as much as we do. We are going to be the one who set the terms and conditions. And before they can blink, I will take over everything that they have. As for my dad, he'll listen to anything Nao says. And Nao'll listen to anything you say. Problem solved."

Tao sighed. If there was any difference between Rikiya and his father, it was the lack of wisdom that filled Asami-sama's eyes; something that Tao knew could only be acquired by age and experience. There were times when Rikiya was way too overconfident and it often led the Asami heir to underestimating the situation. "Careful, brat. You are playing a very dangerous game here."

The young boy snorted. "You taught us to set ourselves on fire to reach success, Tao. Now you told me not to? It seems you are growing weak with age."

Tao didn't show any reaction to the obvious provocation. He merely stared at the boy without saying anything for a few long minutes. Those pure black eyes were filled with silent warning.

"What?!" the boy snapped at him. "It is true!"

"You are obviously too drunk to think clearly, Rikiya-sama," Tao answered calmly instead, addressing the boy with fake politeness to show his displeasure of Rikiya's attitude. "Please allow me to drive you home before you make a fool of yourself."

"I am not-"

"Home," Tao said icily. "Or I will turn you over my knee and treat you like a child, as you deserve after this childish behaviour. You are better than this, Rikiya-sama."

His calm fury stilled the boy. Tao had been their mentor for years and Rikiya had learnt by now when to not testing Tao's patience.

Rubbing his temple wearily, Rikiya slowly stood, still managed to look tall and proud despite being clearly drunk, then nodded. "Fine. Home. But you know that I am right."

Geez, this cockiness must be genetic, Tao thought bitterly. The Asami men just have to be right all the time or the world won't be allowed to sleep.

"Oh, you are right, Rikiya-sama, as always," Tao said cooly as he led the boy to the lift. "Indeed, a partnership with Takamiya is our best bet right now. You, I, and your father know it. Even Nao knows it though he hates the idea. But arrogance will only lead you to disaster. If we have to play with fire, we are going to do it with elegance. Remember, the one who will get burnt won't be you, brat. It is your dad who will cry like there is no tomorrow if something bad ever happens to you or your brother. Or have you forgot your father's warning a few nights ago?"

His logical argument stopped the young boy from spouting more nonsense. For a while, no one said anything else and they walked in silence through the empty parking area.

"I told dad that I am going to stay at your place tonight," the boy suddenly sounded so young, as he always did whenever Akihito was involved. It was amazing how Akihito could turn both brothers into the children that they were simply by appearing in a conversation.

Tao didn't bother to look over his shoulder as he replied, "I know. Your brother came to my place looking for you. That is why I am here. He must be waiting for us anxiously at my place by now. Oh, by the way, next time you need me to cover your lie, please tell me beforehand so I can prepare myself. You're lucky it wasn't your dad looking for you. You know how hard it is for me to lie to your dad."

Tao lived a few blocks from the Asamis' mansion in Denenchofu. He'd bought the luxurious apartment when Asami-sama had decided to move to a bigger place after an incident involving the 3-years old Rikiya and Asami-sama's spare beretta. The apartment was located in a different building from Kirishima's and Suoh's. Tao preferred it that way because it gave him more privacy, which was also the reason why the twins loved to hide in his apartment whenever they run away from home.

"Tao-niisan?"

"Hmm?" Tao murmured absentmindedly as he unlocked his Ferrari.

"I always want to ask you this…but, well, I can't find the right moment to ask. So, I guess, now is as good as ever." The boy paused in hesitation, causing Tao to frown momentarily. What was it that made the emotionless Rikiya so worried?

"Do you love my dad? I meant, romantically? Not just as best friend. To me, it seems you always put my dad above anything else." The boy kept his tone casual, as if he just asked about the weather. But Tao could hear the nervousness carefully hidden beneath the calm facade.

The unexpected question stilled Tao's hands for a brief second. Then, he sighed in resignation and simply answered, "There were times when I thought that I loved him as a man. But over the years, that feeling has softened into something else. Now, I mostly see him as the brother that I have never had. Your dad is happy with what he has, Rikiya, and that is the most important thing to me." Quietly, Tao stared at the boy before added dangerously, "Do you have problem with that, boy?"

"No. No problem at all," Rikiya answered quickly. "I am just curious. And I promise I won't say a word about it to anyone. But, Tao-niisan, uh, does dad know about your, umm, feeling?"

Tao raised his eyebrow at the young Asami. "Don't act stupid. It doesn't fit you. Do you think your father will let me live if I have the slightest intention to confess my feeling to your dad? I may love your dad, but my loyalty will always be for Asami-sama. I owe your father not only my life but also my father's, and confessing my love to his lover will be the worst betrayal ever. Some doors are meant not to be opened, Rikiya. One day, you…," Tao paused before added carefully, "…and your brother will also understand the truth behind the saying."

The boy seemed to understand the double-meaning behind his answer because Rikiya stared at him thoughtfully.

"Now, move, brat. Get in the car. You have school in a few hours and you can't skip it today. Your dad is going to meet the headmaster to discuss your sweet little business. Both you and your twin are better be there when he does that or I'll kick your sorry asses. I just hope that you and Nao have everything taken care of. Otherwise, your father won't be the only one you need to answer to. You are almost an adult now, but I can still beat the two of you senseless if needed."

"The kids aren't home?" Asami's voice came from behind, startling me. I was just about to pour boiling water into his morning cup of tea and I almost dropped the kettle.

"Geez, you scared me."

He gave me his dazzling smile. "Sorry," he murmured.

Just waking up, Asami was bare-chested, wearing only loose silk pants. I stole a glance at the sexy masculine curve of his torso and abs as he walked towards me. The way he strode reminded me of a panther, so regal and full of arrogance. The expensive fabric hugged those long powerful legs perfectly, silhouetting a telltale sign of his morning wood.

Some men grew sexier as they got older. Like a fine wine, people said, they just got better and better. Asami was one of those lucky men. Unlike most men, his body was still as fit as ever; his broad shoulders didn't sag even a bit, his arms and thighs bulged with pure muscles, his chest was rock hard, and his six-packs stomach didn't show any sign of potbelly. Apparently, not even age could defeat the great Asami Ryuichi. Not even a bit.

Instead, age had polished him. It added a different level of depth in those golden eyes, making it glowed with hidden amusement every time he made a slow smile, as if he knew something that we didn't just because we were babies in his eyes. Those amber orbs screamed his experience with the world, sending silent warning to his allies and rivals, wordless promises to those men and women who stared at him with blatant desires in their eyes, and wisdom and love to those whom he cared for.

Asami circled his arms around my waist as he nuzzled into the small space between my neck and shoulder. His bare chest felt warm against my back. Slowly, he rubbed his morning wood against the crease between my ass cheeks. "Hmm, you smell really good, Akihito."

"Stop it, Ryu." I tried to wriggle my way out of his embrace, but he held me still. Quickly, I put the kettle down before I accidentally poured boiling water all over us. "This is early morning, bastard!"

"Hmm, it's early morning, that's why I have this huge problem," he ground his enormous erection against me. His tongue made a wet trail from my ear to my jaw. His hands started to roam and grope, leaving my body on fire wherever he had touched. When he finally cupped my cock, it sent an instant shiver down my spine. "Oh, it seems you have similar problem," he feigned a surprise, grinning like the cat that ate the canary.

I had to admit that he got me excited. But no way I would submit without at least giving a fight. I tried to take his hands off of me, but it had the same effect as if I was trying to move a thick brick wall. This was truly unfair! I was younger than him by more than 10 years. Surely it should give me an advantage in term of physical strength. But apparently, Asami didn't get any weaker even as he grew older.

He massaged my cock leisurely, moving his palm in long and deliberate strokes that he knew I liked. I moaned. Oh, that was too damn good. I didn't even realise that my traitorous body had started to move in rhythm with his movement until I heard his chuckle.

"Shut up," I snapped at him.

"Should I stop?" Raising his eyebrow, he gave me a sly smile, daring me to tell him to stop. Amusement was clear in his voice.

At the moment, though, I was past the point of no return. And he fucking knew it. "I'll kill you if you stop now, Ryu!"

He laughed. I turned my body around to face him, resting my cheek on his chest and enjoying the rumbling of his mirth. It was great to have the kids away every once in a while. It gave us time to enjoy our togetherness, something that we had less and less nowadays.

"So, where are our children?" He asked while massaging my dick, causing my brain to short-circuit. His hand slipped inside the waistband of my jeans, straight to the inside of my underwear. He curled his fingers around the smooth skin of my hard cock and I literally lost my mind. It took time for me to notice that he had asked me a question.

"Umm, what?"

"Our children, Akihito. We have three of them, remember?" he repeated slower, teasing. "Where are they?"

Smart ass. But at the moment, I was willing to answer anything as long as he continued doing what he was doing.

"Nao and Rikiya are at Tao's. He'll send them-aaahh-to school," I stopped and closed my eyes as he squeezed my erection just the right way. Instinctively, I opened the button of my jeans, giving him more space to move around and hoping to have more skin-to-skin contact with him. "Mizuki-"

He pulled off my tank top, dropping it on the floor without any care. His mouth sucked the skin on my neck as he pressed into me, trapping me between the counter and his muscular body. His other hand pinched my nipple, causing me to squirm in need. All while rubbing my erection leisurely. Fuck, how did he expect me to think with all these amazing sensations?

"Mizuki…?" He asked again, his voice low and husky.

I swallowed before hurriedly answered, "She has morning practice with her piano teacher! Suoh sent her to school just a few minutes ago. Now, stop talking, more action!"

"So demanding, aren't you?" He teased, snickering at my insisting whimper, but thankfully he continued his heavenly assault.

He leaned down and gave me a kiss that's closer to brutal than passionate, marking me as his, like a hunter marking its target. His other hand closed into a strong fist at the base of my neck, pressing us together. His tongue invaded my mouth and his weight kept me still in my place. He placed his knees between mine, forcing me to spread my legs for him. Strangely, his domineering attitude comforted me. It was something familiar. It reminded me of the knowledge that for him, I was his first before everything else.

As he licked his way down my neck, I tilted my head back, baring my neck and unconsciously offering myself for him. He smirked; it was a slow smile that made him look even sexier, like a predator that knew it had cornered its prey. And damn, I didn't mind him eating me alive.

"Mine," he practically purred next to my ear, earning another moan out of my mouth.

The rest of my clothes were quickly discarded. He lifted me up off the floor as if I weighed no more than a child and laid my naked body on top of the kitchen counter. Talk about hygiene. I would need to disinfect the whole thing again once we were done. But right now, I couldn't give a damn. It had been weeks since we had been together. And I missed my husband.

"Shit, lube," he muttered.

"Oil," I quickly suggested, grabbing a bottle of olive oil nearby and passing it over to him.

Asami grinned, opened the bottle, and poured a generous amount all over his fingers and cock. He trailed his fingers across my chest, down to my stomach, tracing his way south until he found my dripping cock. He gently squeezed my ball, one at a time, and then moved to the puckering hole below. I sucked in deep breath.

The slickness helped him to slide his fingers in. He played his fingers skilfully inside me, making a scissoring gesture to relax my muscle. When he finally pressed that hidden spot deep inside me, I cried. Incomprehensible sounds fell from my mouth, urging –begging– him to fill me with something bigger.

He spread my legs even further apart, putting it over his shoulders before placing his erection at my entrance. He gave me one last kiss, sucking my tongue with such passion until it bordered pain. Then, with a steady pace, he pushed his cock into my waiting hole. I had expected him to slam into me in one hard thrust, but instead, he swirled the tip of his cock around, teasing me slowly before pulling all the way out.

I whined in protest.

"Patience, Akihito," he smirked. "And here I thought you will like a bit of foreplay."

I couldn't find any words to answer. Human speech had lost its meaning in my brain as everything in me focused on the sensations he gave me. Instead, I sank my fingers into his black hair, straddling my legs around his lean waist and pulling him as close as possible towards me. He gasped and closed his eyes as his cock touched my asshole; the friction almost sent me over the sharp edge of orgasm.

"Fuck," he said. He shifted my hips carefully, then pushed his way in, slow and guided until the tip of his cock breached the ring of my muscle.

"Faster, Ryu." I pushed to make him move quicker. "I can't hold it in any longer."

He looked up at me, tilted his head before smiling slowly. "Oh? But you will."

Cruelly, he squeezed the base of my cock, his fingers mimicking a cock ring to hold me back. I cried as he slammed hard into me. I wanted to come and yet, I couldn't. It was painful till tears filled my hazel eyes but it was also hot. I loved it when Asami showed his domination over me. Not that I would ever admit it.

My body instinctively moved along with him, meeting him thrust by thrust. The lewd sounds our body made filled the kitchen. It was hard and before long, his hold on my cock felt too painful to bear.

"Ryu, can't…" I cried. "Please…oh, please….let me come…"

He gave me one last kiss before releasing his hold. I screamed at the top of my lungs. White light covered my vision as I come. I practically stopped breathing for a few seconds when his warm cum filled my insides. My muscle spasmed around him, milking his cock to the last drop.

We stayed still as the glow of orgasm overwhelmed both of us. My legs trembled. It felt like jelly and only his grip on my waist kept me from falling to the floor.

"What's your plan for today?" He asked casually when he finally pulled out of me, holding me close to keep me standing.

"I am going to meet the twins' headmaster today," I told him.

For a brief second, he had this worried look on his handsome face, something that Asami rarely made. My heart felt for him.

My poor Ryu, I thought as I caressed his back lovingly. He is really proud of the twins that he must feel offended by the accusation. Hopefully, my meeting with the headmaster today will clear everything up. Someone wants to put the blame on the twins for crimes they didn't do and I will never, ever, let it slide.

"I am truly very sorry for this misunderstanding, Asami-san," the headmaster ended his short speech while bowing so low till I wondered how he could do that without toppling over. Murmuring countless apologies, the fat man also dragged Kato-sensei to bow in front me and the young woman did so unwillingly.

"To be honest, I still can't understand it, Hayakawa-sensei," I told him. "Let me summarised what you told me just now. So, Kato-sensei changed her mind because apparently the girl who claimed to be raped had lied about the whole thing? Do your teachers make it a habit to accuse students without checking everything first?"

I felt Nao gently tugged my arm. "Dad, it is okay-"

"No, it is not okay, Nao," I told him sternly. "That is not how an educator should act. How can I trust you to teach my children when you act so irresponsible like this?!"

"You know what, Asami-san?!" Kato-sensei finally opened her mouth after staying silent through the entire meeting. Her eyes were bright with anger and her tone was strained. She was shorter than me, but her fury somehow made her look bigger than she really was. "You don't have to worry about how my attitude is going to affect this stupid school's credibility because I qu-"

Suddenly, she froze as she stared at something behind me. Her face paled until it matched her pure white blouse. She lost her voice and merely stood there, her jaw hanging open in shock or fear, I wasn't sure. It was just a few brief seconds, then slowly, she closed her mouth.

Something was wrong. I frowned at her odd behaviour before turning around to look behind my back.

Nothing.

The entire room looked as normal as ever. There were just Rikiya and Nao, staring back at me with the same confusion as mine in their hazel eyes. Perhaps, Kato-sensei had seen something through the window behind my kids?

I turned my attention back to Kato-sensei. But she didn't held her head up proudly like before. Instead, her body sagged in defeat as she looked at the floor near my feet. Nervously, she kept squeezing her other hand, her body shivering slightly as if she felt cold.

What was going on here?

"Kato-sensei? Is something wrong? I think you make my dad confused," Rikiya asked evenly from behind me.

"Well, she made everyone so confused, to be honest," Nao added playfully, as usual.

"Nao, respect your elder," I chastised him.

"I am sorry, dad, sensei," Nao quickly muttered under his breath but I didn't even look at him over my shoulder.

Indeed, I was confused at how quick this new teacher changing her mind. She had seemed so sure when I'd talked to her last week. And now she easily agreed that everything had to be a mistake? Not that I had believed anything she had said even for a moment, but her entire behaviour just didn't make any sense. I had interviewed more people than I could count during my time as investigative photographer that I could sense when someone was trying to hide something.

Especially, if that person is trying to hide something that is really bad, my gut whispered at me. But what was it? What did I miss here?

The headmaster quickly cleared his throat. "I am sure what Kato-sensei meant to say is that she's going to be more careful from now on, Asami-san. Kato-sensei is young and inexperienced. She didn't know how things work over here. She easily trusted the students, even those who lied to her. But I assure you that we have disciplined those irresponsible students who made the false claim. This incident won't happen again."

Had I told you how good I was at pretending now? The good thing about being good at pretending was that I usually could recognise it when someone was pretending in front of me. I could even see through a few of Asami's white lies (as Asami had claimed it when I had confronted him) and heaven knew my husband was an expert at pretending.

So, yeah, I knew that Hayakawa-sensei had lied and he didn't even do a good job at it.

But, what was it that he'd lied about?

"Fine," I told the headmaster. "I'll take your words for now, Hayakawa-sensei."

"Thank you, Asami-san," the fat man bowed to me repetitiously, "Again, we are very sorry for this unfortunate incident."

Quickly, I stopped him before he got injured from bowing so many times. "No, I thank you for investigating this issue further, Hayakawa-sensei, and also for clearing my sons' name. I really appreciate it."

I stole a glance at Kato-sensei but the young woman didn't even look at us. She just stood there silently, a dark expression in her face as if she wanted to kill someone. Something told me that this young woman was the key of all the mystery. Hayakawa-sensei had lied to save her. But to save her from what? And what did she do that she needed to hide?

Secretly, I made a plan to investigate the twins' new teacher.

"We must agree that you didn't do such a good job in front of my dad, did you, Kato-sensei?" Rikiya asked the young woman who was sitting in front of him. Leisurely, he brushed his forefinger against the woman's sharp cheekbones, creating a ghostly trail to her jaw. His teacher shivered at his touch, but she looked back at him with cold determination in her eyes.

The woman was quite pretty, Rikiya admitted it. But she wasn't really his type. Her hair was too dark, he concluded silently. And her eyes were black, too. Boring.

Rikiya had found out long time a go that he was always attracted to women with nearly blond hair and light coloured eyes. It would be better if the woman was smart with a strong personality. Someone like dad, he added silently. Someone who can be my partner just like what dad is to father.

He had dreamed a relationship full of love, just like the one his parents had. But with Takamiya's proposal looming over him, he knew a loving and passionate relationship wasn't for him. Pity, he thought calmly, resigning to the idea of a loveless marriage already. But I can still have mistresses, if I so choose, so perhaps l shouldn't give up hope yet.

Anyway, the stupid teacher had almost made a mistake by blurting nonsense to his dad. But, Rikiya'd predicted such thing might happen. He had silently mouthed the name of Kato-sensei's younger sister behind his dad's back and, thankfully, it was enough to get the woman under his control once again.

"You are lucky my dad decided to let it go, sensei," he added thoughtfully. His emotionless expression was a perfect replica of Asami's usual mask of calmness. "Otherwise, I will have to pay Sayo-chan a visit and we both don't want me to waste anymore of my precious family time on your sister, do we?"

Asami-sama was talking to Akihito on the phone when Tao entered his room. He quietly walked inside and stood patiently in front of the dark mahogany desk, waiting for Asami-sama to finish the call.

"Of course, Akihito. I am glad that the headmaster already cleared everything, as he should be."

Ah, so the twins had settled everything. That was a relief. Deep down inside, Tao felt proud of his mentees.

There was silence as Asami-sama listened to Akihito carefully, but then his boss frowned and continued, "Akihito, I don't think-"

Hmm, that didn't sound good. What else did the twins do now? I swear if they cause any more trouble for Akihito, I'll-

But his train of thought was interrupted by Asami-sama's answer to Akihito, "Akihito, what do you mean 'the new teacher is hiding something'? You are imagining things. If you can just stop for a moment and listen to yourself, you will realize how irrational what you told me is. This is not a late night TV drama." Asami-sama kept his tone light as if he was just teasing Akihito about some trivial things.

There was a loud reply on the other side of the phone call. Tao couldn't grasp what Akihito said to his boss. But Asami-sama scowled unpleasantly so the answer had to be bad.

"What? Do you seriously think there is a kind of criminal syndicate hiding inside the school and she is the key for you to find it out? Are you out of your mind? It is a high school, Akihito. Not the parliament," Asami-sama mocked casually, his boss' voice a complete contrast with the thunderous expression. Tao thanked all the gods for his boss' ability to stay cool at all times.

Well, theoretically speaking, there was indeed an amateurish criminal syndicate hiding inside the school and the twins were its leader. But it was something Akihito could never find out.

"That was one of the best private high school in Japan, Akihito. They have the best teachers. Surely things like that will be found out soon. Stop blabbering nonsense. Do you realize that you are spouting the same nonsense as that new teacher?"

There was a brief pause. But the reply wasn't as loud as before. Hopefully, that would mean that Asami-sama had managed to calm Akihito down. As an ex-investigative photographer, Akihito had a surprisingly good instinct for finding criminal activities. Something that could be very troublesome at times.

As Asami-sama tried to distract Akihito from investigating further, Tao silently prayed that Akihito would listen to his boss just this once. "Yes, Akihito, I really think so. You are bored because lately your projects are kinda slow. That's why you turned everything into a sort of criminal investigation. Now, enough of this high-school-syndicate nonsense. Please tell me we are not going to have dinner with your parents next week. Kirishima told me you just arranged everything without telling him. He complained, you see. I have a meeting scheduled and most probably it will go on till late night."

Tao exhaled a relief breath. Well, it seemed Asami-sama had managed to stop Akihito. At least, for now. There were a few more minutes of Asami-sama talking totally domestic bullshit to take Akihito's mind from the new teacher issue before the call finally ended.

"Do you think he will really let it go?" Tao asked carefully. He had no doubt Asami-sama could manipulate anyone into thinking whatever Asami-sama wanted them to think. But Akihito was always a wild card, something that they could never predict. It was just one of Akihito's charm that made Tao felt…well, fond of Akihito.

Asami-sama let out a weary sigh. "I highly hope so but I doubt it. He wouldn't get into so many troubles if he could learn to let his suspicion go. It's fine. Just make sure to arrange tons of projects for him discreetly. It will distract him till he won't have time to even think to investigate this new teacher. And tell someone to follow him, just in case he is still thinking to stick his nose where it doesn't belong."

Tao sighed as he nodded. "Consider it done, Asami-sama," he bowed low in respect to his boss. "Anything else, Sir?"

"No, that is all for now."

Somehow, Tao couldn't stop a feeling that this was a start of another problem. Hopefully, though, his boss was right and everything would be fine.