Tanimoto had now opened the can of worms, bracing himself to hear whatever embarrassing tidbits that Honoka may have blabbed about him. After all, he needed proper proof of treason before he could obliterate Kenichi from the face of the earth.

Yes, Kenichi — not his little sister, who caused him this misery in the first place. His brain wasn't even wired to feel murderous intent towards the small brat, so instead, all his pent up irritation was redirected to the older brother. Sucks for Ken-chan.

Renka continued to sip her tea quietly, carefully considering how to convey this information to him. It needs to be worded in a way that won't cast suspicion on her, or make him think that she's particularly interested in him. Otherwise… she'll never live it down…

And that long pause made the Hermit antsy, opting to pull a tray of unbaked sesame cookies from the fridge to quell the bubbling anxiety. Renka finished the tea in her cup as he set the tray in the oven.

Finally, she began.

"It was all about you. I basically asked if you were always this big of a jerk."

She looked rather blissful, perhaps a little smug. And Tanimoto simply scoffed, pulling away from the stovetop before taking a seat next to the cat.

"What did she say?"

"She pretty much told me about how much of a nice, sappy sweet honey bear you are, and how you take her on outings and buy her treats and gifts and all this adorable stuff," Renka cooed, the tone of her voice mimicking a daycare teacher.

It was disgusting— no, revolting. He wanted nothing more than to rip out the tongue of the patronizing cat, but all he could do for the time being was push the pot of tea to the side so his head could take its place, planting his forehead directly into the table. His fist shook, his spiking ki made the teapot tremble…

And yet, he pressed on, his voice muffled into the marbled countertop.

"What else did she say?"

That shameful reaction of his was hilarious(ly adorable) to the cat; she let out an obnoxious sneer as she planted her feet firmly on the floor to lean forward in her chair. But once her laughter trailed off, her demeanor took a more serious twist, a tempered gaze staring into the top of his blonde head.

"She… said that you only act so cold to scare people off."

Some sort of confirmation from his end was desired, to prove Honoka's words right or wrong — even if she knew that it was an unrealistic expectation on her part.

… And of course, he failed to reply. It didn't matter if her voice sounded more genuine; there was still the question of whether or not he felt comfortable enough to elaborate on his reasons for driving others away— and thus he continued staring down into the glossy surface below.

Renka continued, keeping her tone from the previous statement consistent. "I thought she was kidding; I mean, why would you need to be a jerk to scare people off? You're already an amazing fighter. But… I guess there's other ways to get hurt, too."

Honoka did mention he had a hard life— whatever that means. It's unlikely that she knew the depth of what that entailed and was simply parroting Kenichi's own perspective on the matter, but it made sense in the cat's mind: Tanimoto had a difficult past, so he acts cold to scare others off… to ultimately protect himself from any more hardship. Right?

"Is that so," came the Hermit's droll response. And then he eventually looked up at the catgirl with glum eyes, considering the possibility of knocking her into an amnesiac state. "Anything else?"

She noted those dull cerulean eyes. There they were again — so lifeless, so lonely. Even a freakishly handsome boy like him couldn't overpower the despair within them. He'd look a lot cuter if he was happier…

… Wait, why is she thinking of these kinds of things? Hmph. She let out an uncomfortable scoff, glancing at the random vase in the corner to avoid further eye contact.

"... Hmm. She said you had a hard life or whatever. And well... it just seems like you really care for her, from what she told me."

Again, she was fishing for confirmation. Would he say yes? Would the mystery behind the enigma of Natsu Tanimoto finally be solved? Was he actually just a big softie with a taste for blood?

… Alas, he wasn't going to say something as cliché as "I do" or some other similar response. It was nowhere within his nature, nor did he want to share some sincere moment with her. So he disengaged, standing up to distance himself from the situation.

But Honoka's words were suspicious, the more and more he mulled them over in his mind. She said he had a "hard life," among other things — as if she knew more than she let on, more about him and his past than he would've liked. If he was going to find out whether or not Kenichi had a big mouth, now was the time…

"She didn't say anything … specific about my past, did she?"

That sounded like a strange question to ask without context, but it had to be done. He stared at the fridge in the distance, still standing, waiting for an answer…

"Huh? No. Why?"

Although he couldn't see her, that mischievous tone of voice returned.

"Something juicy happened?~"

And her shrill remark reminded him just exactly who he was dealing with here. This annoying nosy cat. Well, it seemed that Kenichi kept his mouth shut, at least. She was clueless.

But now, she was asking for his story, too. With the kind of girl she was, he should refrain from ever speaking of it, but yet, was compelled to give her a chance if she could redeem herself within the next few responses. Why?

He didn't even know why. Maybe it was because he was becoming more comfortable with her presence. Maybe it's because she seemed to prove that she was capable of not teasing him for a whole minute while regaling her tale earlier. Maybe it's because she already knew too much, thanks to Honoka. Maybe it's because if Renka was due to find out soon anyway, he'd rather have it come from his own mouth than from a Shirahama.

Or maybe it's because, deep down, he was hoping he could find another person he could confide in. Like Kenichi — though it'd kill him to admit that the brunette was someone that mattered to him in such a manner.

Don't fucking ask stupid questions, damn it — he wanted to give her a chance just because he wanted to.

"Why should I ever tell you?" He peeked back at her to gauge her expression.

Renka looked taken aback at his response — it didn't seem teasing or daring. It seemed like a serious inquiry. And indeed, she was curious. What did Honoka mean by "hard life?" With the luxurious manor Renka stood in now, nothing about it seemed like a difficult upbringing on the blonde's part. So many questions...

And so she did actually give Tanimoto's question some thought, stammering in response as she also stood up to shuffle towards him.

"I… — I don't know. I mean— I'm not going to tell anyone, you know…"

"I wouldn't know. Try again."

The cat rapidly blinked.

"H-hey! I'm not here to please you with some perfect answer!" But after her initial annoyed outburst, a note of honesty consumes her voice. "I … just wanna know, okay?"

That was the most genuine she looked all night.

The Hermit took a step closer, those lonely eyes meeting hers once more. A suspenseful silence hung in the air for a second. Renka stiffened. What was he planning on doing?

"... Just promise me you won't mention this again. Ever."

Verdant pupils flickered between azure, breath hitched for just a moment as the gravity of the situation pressed down upon her. It felt like she was agreeing to some weird blood pact or something.

"... Okay."

And now Tanimoto looked away again, refraining from eye contact as he began to dive back into the recesses of his past. A story like this prompted him to take a seat once more, gulping down the rest of his tea in one big swig to prepare himself for the tale of how he became who he was.

"My sister and I were orphans."

Renka's expression darkened. That opener was already far off from what she expected, but it made sense given Honoka's words. She could also tell she'd need a seat for this one, so she went back to sit where she once was, facing the blonde directly… who still avoided her gaze.

"She had some strange disease, so I had to do what I could to keep her alive. Sooner or later, some rich businessman found us and wanted to adopt me to carry on his business. I needed his funds to pay for the best doctors to treat her. But the bastard was a cold man."

He spoke so icily, as if reciting from a script. Perhaps it was his method of keeping his emotions in check. Renka, however, was entirely engrossed, mouth slightly agape as he recounted his past.

"So what happened…?"

Tanimoto sighed — the first semblance of emotion since he began his story.

"I played the role of a good son like a robot. Never crying, never angry. Just the kind of son who handled any given task. And again, the man never smiled. He was just so sure that I would become the head of the Tanimoto Conglomerate, and never considered us a real family.

Until one day, an unexpected change happened."

He poured more tea for himself; perhaps this was a glimpse into the future. An alcoholic in the making.

Renka, however, was too intrigued to even notice the porcelain pot. In fact, she looked a bit distressed. Perhaps a family that lacked any dynamics of being a loving home was something that she also personally related to, given the type of household her mother ran and her father's decision to leave.

"What… change? What happened?"

And although she had forgotten about the tea, he didn't; Tanimoto snatched her cup to pour another helping.

"His heart. Our adopted father fell in love with a lady doctor from his own research facility and married her."

He slid back her cup as he took a gentle sip from his own.

"For three years, we were like an actual family. My adoptive father even smiled and laughed for the first time…"

And in saying that, the corner of his lips almost looked like they were forming a smile, too — but the sight of it was mostly obstructed by his teacup, much to the cat's dismay.

"But our perfect little life was ephemeral."

Renka's eyes were trained on his fleeting smile and how quickly it dissipated; whatever brief glimmering danced within his eyes had been snuffed out again. Indeed, he had opened up quite a lot to her, someone who was still somewhat of a stranger. He really must've been lonely…

"It was all built on lies. I found the man dead in his seat from unknown causes, and that my sister was never given any medical treatment at all from the doctor. She was acting from the start to gain wealth."

Renka's expression quickly crinkled, her throat going dry. Just an act, huh? It made sense why he felt the need to do the same at school. She studied his expression, and he simply stared ahead, seemingly numb.

"Did she… kill him?"

"She poisoned him and let my sister die. She was arrested on sight, and left me here with no one but the people who worked under my father."

The injustice of it all forced the cat to form a fist. Is that really what his life was like?

"What a horrible lady! I would've beat her sorry ass—"

First anger, then sympathy. This poor boy didn't deserve any of this. Abandoned by his own mother— twice. A relatable feeling...

… And then self-awareness of her own emotions.

"W-wait, don't think any of this will make me like you!"

As for Tanimoto, he might have been softly smirking behind the teacup at the girl's outburst. The stupid little cat seemed to vouch for him tonight, and it eased his feelings of loneliness by 1%. Not that she needed to know that.

"Hmph. Me telling you all this meant nothing at all."

The beeping of the oven signified that the cookies were ready, a sweet scent wafting through the room.

"Now if you'll excuse me…" Tanimoto grunts, standing from the chair to head towards the oven. "I need to deliver these cookies to Ryou Ma, in exchange for all the help and information he's given me."

"Nyah? Now?" she queries, standing up as well. That seems a little awfully random, doesn't it? "I could just give him the cookies myself." Besides, he was out of town, unbeknownst to the prince.

"No," he abruptly replied, shooting her offer down instantly. "I'd rather give them to him personally." He crossed his arms, glaring out the window. It's dark outside now. And potentially dangerous for an injured girl to be walking home alone.

Especially one who's a reckless martial artist with a target on her head.

Tch.

Not that he cares.

Whatever. He can just buy more cookies for himself another day. Perhaps he'll buy something with red bean next time, in case the cat rolls around again. Maybe she'd like that more than sesame… or maybe he should ask…

Renka stares ahead, none the wiser to his internal thoughts.

"Okay! I'll go with you then." He'll be sorely disappointed to find out that her uncle isn't around to receive said cookies, but if it keeps Tanimoto's company around just a little bit longer... maybe that's not soooo bad...