[Notes in end]
My heart's desire~
Chapter 4: An unknown pianist -- [Part-2]
"What do you mean by she is lost?!" exclaimed the shocked Mariah and Mariam, staring at their brunette friend. Hilary nodded as she looked anxiously. Mariah slapped her forehead in frustration before muttering, "Now that's what happens when you're a princess in your house," she complained, to which Mariam rolled her eyes.
"Oh, c'mon, Mariah, don't waste time saying these things."
"Yeah, we have to find her before her brother notices," said Hilary, receiving nods from her friends in agreement.
"Find who?" asked a familiar voice from behind Hilary, catching their attention. Turning around, the brunette noticed the familiar bluenette and his friends approaching them. Tyson approached them first, holding a football in his hand as he looked at Hilary and asked curiously.
"Can you tell me what's going on here? The three of you look anxious..."
Hilary sighed as she looked at Mariah and Mariam to make sure it was okay to tell them. She turned her gaze back to the bluenette and others. The ruby-eyed girl chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of her neck before answering.
"Actually, we are looking for our friend... Manor.."
The boys' eyes widened slightly after receiving the answer as they shared an unamused look; it was something they had not expected. But before they could reply, a serious voice spoke from behind them. "What do you mean by you're looking for her?"
Hilary's heartbeat immediately quickened at the heavy, serious voice. She had heard it before and knew who it could be. The boys shifted aside after hearing their friend, Kai Hiwatari and they gave him way to come in front. Kai reached the brunette, standing in front of her with a serious and suspicious expression on his face. For a moment, Hilary forgot to breathe as the tall lad almost towered over her. Mariah and Mariam shared glances with a knowing look.
"Does that mean she is lost? But how? She was with you, right?" The dual-haired guy asked again with his usual serious and somehow hot tone, causing the ruby-eyed girl's heart to skip a beat. She stared into his crimson eyes with a hint of anxiety and breathlessness. Blinking her eyes, she cleared her throat, but it felt like words stuck on their way.
"Umm... s-she.. ac-actually..." The poor brunette stuttered, not knowing how to deal with the situation. Tyson and his friends looked at each other as they found her stuttering so confusing and unusual. Hilary could be shy, but she never acted like this before in front of anyone. Noticing their friend's struggle, Mariah decided to take the situation in her hands. With a sigh, she stepped forward and gently pushed Hilary aside.
"M-Mariah...?"
"Okay, let me handle this," the pink-haired girl looked up at Kai with a confident expression and answered bluntly. "Well, she isn't lost, Mr. Hiwatari. We just can't find her..." Mariam slapped her forehead upon hearing her nonsense answer. "Seriously! Couldn't she make a better excuse?"
"Umm..Mariah, isn't it the same thing?" asked the confused Ray, finding her answer so.. illogical. Mariah immediately shot him a death glare with a look that read 'you better keep your mouth shut', making Ray sweatdrop as he let out a nervous laugh. "O-Okay, go ahead.." he was aware he better not talk back against her.
Meanwhile, Kai stared at the three girls, his crimson eyes occasionally glancing at the brunette who had finally calmed down with Mariam's help, but still didn't have the courage to look up at him. Mariam sighed before gazing up at the billionaire.
"Don't worry, we will find her. She is under the college campus, after all."
Kai let out a small sigh, fixing his glasses as he turned the other side. "No need to explore the whole college for her..." he said calmly. The three girls looked up at him confusedly, along with the boys. Kai didn't bother to answer them himself as he took out his phone from his pocket and turned on the GPS location, telling clearly where his sister was right then. Kenny's goggles shone as he understood what was going on. He fixed his goggles before inquiring with genuine interest.
"Have you attached a micro GPS tracking chip to your sister?" His question attracted the other's attention. Tyson glanced at Kai's phone before looking up at him with a hint of disbelief; he didn't think Kai could do this.
"Really?"
Kai sighed and nodded slightly. "Yes, I have done this. I knew she could be clumsy at such times, so when we were in the car, I carefully attached the microchip to her hair..." explained the crimson-eyed guy, making his listeners a little surprised by his correct guess.
"So intelligent~" Hilary complimented dreamily, but her voice wasn't loud enough for the boys to hear, except for her two friends who gave her exasperated looks and sighed. Mariam shook her head before leaning a little closer to take a glimpse of Kai's phone to see Manor's location, but not encroaching on his personal space.
"Hmm... She is currently near the music room on the second floor..."
"Second floor?" Mariah enquired, processing her words before replying. "No problem, me and Mariam will go and find her there..." she announced with determination, smiling confidently.
"Wait-what!?" Mariam exclaimed, clearly not pleased by the pink-haired girl's decision. She didn't want to walk upstairs right now when she had just finished her lunch. But, Mariah didn't give her any chance to talk for herself as she grabbed the bluenette's arm and dragged her towards the stairs. "Mariah!"
"We're going, and that's final! Don't cry like a baby!" No matter how much Mariam cried, the pink-haired girl forcefully dragged her up the stairs to the music room to find Manor. Hilary chuckled slightly, but stopped after noticing Kai's slight glance at her, which was not pleasing at all.
On the other hand...
Manor continued exploring the different rooms, but she finally stopped in a hallway and leaned against the wall, letting out a deep sigh in exhaustion. "Enough discovering new rooms..." she thought, wiping away her sweat with her handkerchief. She opened her brown eyes and looked here and there in the hallway confusedly as she put her fingers on her chin in a thinking manner. These hallways were strangely empty today, and that was the main reason she couldn't ask anyone for directions. She wouldn't do that intentionally because she had her image to maintain. What would they think if they knew a Hiwatari lost her way in this college?
The marooned shook her head and pushed herself off the wall with a hint of determination and confidence. She could find the way without anyone's help, and with that, she started walking through the hallway, looking here and there to find any stairs or something. While walking thoughtfully, a soft and faint tune reached her ears, causing the maroon-haired girl to stop her investigation. Manor turned her head towards another small hallway beside where she was standing now and stared at it for a few minutes. "This tune..." Manor unconsciously started walking through that hallway and followed the faint, but musical tune as if her body was on autopilot.
The marooned continued to follow the sound with genuine interest. Maybe, she knew the instrument creating this fascinating tune. In no time, she found herself standing in front of a room's door, and it was indeed a musical room. The tune was now clearer to hear. Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself to open the door, as she grabbed the doorknob, eager to see who was playing. She had never heard such a melodious tune.
..."I'm sure this is the piano, but who is playing?" Manor thought as she was going to open the door, but suddenly...
"There you are, Manor!!"
Manor heard some familiar voices and turned to find Mariah and Mariam rushing towards her. She was dumbfounded, just staring at them in surprise. "You?"
"What the hell are you doing here!?" Mariah questioned suspiciously upon reaching her.
"Me.. actually... huh?"
Before she could complete her sentence, Mariam grabbed her arm. "Explain this to your brother later, okay?" Saying that, she dragged the maroon-haired girl with her, followed by Mariah.
"B-But listen me-"
"We don't have time. Hilary is alone there with your cold brother..." informed the pink-haired girl who walked with them, matching her pace with the bluenette.
"Hilary...?" Manor's eyes widened as she realized that she had forgotten about the brunette and their meeting with Dr. CK. She mentally cursed herself now. "I forgot about her..."
"Welcome back to reality.." The older girls sarcastically said, continuing to drag the marooned with them to where the others were waiting. But little did they know that the tune of the piano had already stopped, and when they disappeared from the hallway, the door of the music room opened. A young man stepped out of the room, his messy orange hair tousled. His aqua eyes checked both sides of the hallway for any sign of someone, but after finding no one, he re-entered the room and closed the door.
Meanwhile...
Hiro Granger just left his lab and was about to attend his upcoming class when he heard a familiar voice calling from behind, causing him to stop. He let out a sigh of frustration as he rolled his eyes because he knew who it was. The cobalt-haired man turned around with disinterest only to greet the aquamarine-eyed young lady who approached him hurriedly.
"Hiro, I have to tell you something.." said Dr. CK with an anxious expression, to which Hiro raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly, clearly not taking her words seriously.
"Oh really?" he started with a hint of sarcasm. "Maybe you finally understood that you were at fault for the previous day's mistake and you want to apologize now, huh?" Smirking widely, the brown-eyed man continued, "Go ahead. I'm all ears..."
Crystal stared at him in disbelief before narrowing her eyes in annoyance. "Stupid, I'm not talking about that, and it was your fault," she retorted, not lowering her guard in their usual argument. Hiro's smirk faded away, his smug expression replaced by irritation and frustration as he rubbed his forehead.
"Whatever... I don't have time..." he said before turning around and began to walk away, but Crystal grabbed his hand and stepped in front of him, blocking his way.
"I told you I have something important to tell you..." the brunette claimed seriously, to which the cobalt-haired man stared at her for a few seconds in annoyance before sighing. He knew she would not let him go without telling him that important thing.
The young man scoffed slightly, but finally agreed to listen to her. "Fine. I'm giving you five minutes, but make sure that whatever you're going to tell me is worthy of my time..." as usual, he was bossing her around.
Dr. CK rolled her eyes, crossed her arms, and looked directly into his brown eyes. Her expression was serious now. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. So, I want to ask you, have you remembered about that summer camp incident?" she questioned, waiting for him to answer. Hiro widened his eyes slightly with a hint of mockery.
"What kind of question is that?" he asked in frustration.
"Just answer me."
Hiro thought for a few moments with a puzzled expression. "I don't remember anything..." he answered with a hint of uncertainty. Crystal slapped her forehead in disbelief as he said that he had no idea about that incident. "How can he forget something so important?"
"You idiot," growled Crystal, looking up at him in irritation. "Can't even remember something important?"
Hiro glared at her and rolled his brown eyes. "Look, if you're here to insult me, then I'm not interested..." the taller man said as he walked by her. Crystal turned around with an anxious look; she didn't even get the time to tell him what she wanted to say. But, she had to tell it right now.
"Dr. Granger, I didn't even tell you the important thing!" Dr. CK called out from where she was standing, watching Hiro walk away through the hallway. The cobalt-blue haired man shook his head slightly.
"I don't have time to listen to your 'important thing'..." he called out sarcastically. Now, the aquamarine woman was getting frustrated. Why couldn't he listen to her for a moment? Was it so hard? Crystal quickly checked their surroundings to confirm no students were listening before she looked back at Hiro, who continued to walk away. She didn't have any other choice; she had to get to the main point directly.
"Susumu Hiwatari and his family have returned to Japan! His son and niece are here in this college!"
The brown-eyed man froze on his path as soon as he heard Crystal's information. His eyes widened as he processed what he had just heard, as if it was the most unexpected thing. "Susumu Hiwatari is here? Again? What does he want now? His son and niece are present in this college?" Hiro's mind ran a hundred miles in a second. The fear that had been hidden inside his heart was now washing over him again. Swallowing, he slowly turned around to see the brunette staring at him with concern. He didn't know how to respond as his throat dried for a few moments.
"You are lying, aren't you?" Hiro asked in disbelief, his eyes wide open, staring at Crystal. The brunette sighed, shook her head, and looked at him with a hint of concern.
"You know I hate lying, don't you?"
The cobalt-haired guy gazed down slowly, not knowing what to say next. Crystal reached him and put her hand on his shoulder, offering silent support as she knew his family's past. The air in the hallway slowly started feeling heavy with tension as they both remained silent, not needing to say anything.
Time skipped...
As the sun slowly set on the horizon, the two Hiwatari siblings sat inside their luxurious black car. John, the most trustworthy butler of the Hiwatari family, drove them to their mansion, sweating with tension as the brother and sister continued bickering at each-other in the back seats. The maroon-haired girl shook her head in objection, not wanting to hear her elder brother's justifications.
"No, no, Onii-san, I won't listen to anything. You did wrong by attaching the chip to my hair!"
Kai sighed, rubbing his temples in frustration. He knew he should have asked her permission about it, but he wouldn't admit it aloud. "I told you, I did this for your safety."
"But, don't you think I deserve privacy?"
"If having privacy means getting lost in college, then I'm not allowing it..."
"You're so mean, Onii-san!"
"Mean? For my brilliant idea, we got to find you, or else you would still be there, looking for an exit..."
"I could have found my own way! I'm not weak!"
"Of course you are!"
John tensed up as they both stubbornly continued arguing and didn't want to lower their guards. But, he could not let them argue more, or the situation would grow worse. So, the purple-haired butler cleared his throat and decided to speak while continuing to drive. "Young mistress, Master Kai is right. You are still young..." he spoke up humbly.
Manor shot John an annoyed glance, not liking that he was taking Kai's side instead of hers. "Oh c'mon, Uncle John, don't take Onii-san's side..." she complained with a pouty voice. Kai smirked slightly in smugness.
"Everyone takes my side because they know I'm right..." he complimented himself with a hint of pride, scrolling through his phone with a smug expression, to which Manor rolled her eyes and puffed up her cheeks. She turned her gaze out of the car window and folded her arms, but didn't argue further as she knew she could not win against Kai. The dual-haired guy noticed her and shook his head slightly, then continued scrolling through his phone. Meanwhile, John let out a sigh of relief that finally the siblings had stopped their argument. He continued driving towards their mansion on the road.
The next day... at Eden College...
The next day, Manor and her three friends were sitting in the college library, doing their assignments together while Mariah continued gossiping about different kinds of drama. Hilary and Manor occasionally nodded in response to her words, not paying much attention and focusing on their assignments. However, Mariam was getting frustrated by the pink-haired girl's continuous chattering. The bluenette sighed and rubbed her forehead.
"Can't you just stop your fairy tales for a moment? We are doing an assignment here..."
Mariah pouted dramatically before nudging the bluenette with her elbow playfully. She grinned, "Stop acting like you don't like dramas, Mariam..."
The blue-haired girl rolled her eyes and didn't argue further as she returned her focus to the assignment.
"What about you, Hilary?" Mariah turned her gold eyes to the brunette who was concentrating on her assignment. Hilary looked up from the papers and glanced at Mariam. But before she could answer, the pink-haired girl spoke up.
"Aww... I know, Hilary. No one likes romantic dramas better than you~" Her voice was tinged with teasing as if she was referring to something. Something that only the three friends knew. The ruby-eyed girl's eyes widened when she realized what her friend was implying. Her fair cheeks turned a light shade of red as she threw a glare at Mariah, to which the shorter girl scoffed, as her glare didn't bother her.
Meanwhile, the marooned looked back and forth between Mariah and Hilary in confusion. "You like romantic dramas, Hilary? Don't you find them cringy?" She asked curiously, staring at her brunette friend with her chocolate-colored eyes. The older girl shook her head, trying to hide her red cheeks.
"It's not like--"
"Oh, of course she likes~" The pink-haired girl interrupted, catching Manor's attention. The maroon-haired girl leaned forward slightly.
"Really?"
"Yes~" Mariah smirked at Hilary, only to receive death glares, but it didn't bother her even a bit as she continued shamelessly. "She even imagines herself as the main lead in the dramas, and sometimes these things happen with her in reality~"
Manor listened carefully with great interest as Mariah explained the things. She had no idea that her 'shinyuu' really liked romantic dramas, which she had been finding nothing but cringy. On the other hand, she didn't notice that Hilary turned into a bright red tomato as Mariah continued to expose her.
"And do you know an interesting fact~?"
Manor tilted her head slightly. "What?"
The gold-eyed girl's smirk widened as she exposed her friend's secrets so effortlessly. "She even has a-"
Before she could even finish, Mariam kicked the pink-haired girl's ankle under the table to shut her up. Mariah let out a painful groan and rubbed the spot where she had been kicked, while Manor looked confused, observing the scene. Hilary let out a sigh of relief and thanked the bluenette with a silent gesture, to which Mariam nodded.
"Are you okay, Mariah? What happened?" the confused brown-eyed girl asked with a hint of concern as she watched Mariah still rubbing her ankle and hissing slightly.
"Oh, don't worry, Manor. It's just a mosquito." Mariam commented, smirking slightly as her friend continued to groan. The maroon-haired girl raised an eyebrow with a hint of disbelief. Tilting her head a little, Manor glanced at Mariam before she questioned.
"But does a mosquito bite hurt that much?"
"Oh, they do..." Hilary spoke up in amusement, playing along with the bluenette. "Our college has mosquitoes like helicopters."
The younger girl's eyes widened after hearing such an unbelievable thing. Mosquitoes, and they looked like helicopters in size? What a joke!
"Mosquitoes like helicopters?"
"That's right, Manor. They are as big as helicopters..." Mariam added, winking at the younger girl while Hilary tried to hold back her laughter. Meanwhile, the pink-haired girl scoffed at Hilary and Mariam's words, even while groaning, but not as much as before.
"Mosquitoes like helicopters, huh? Ha, how humorous. Joke of the year..." She sarcastically said through her gritted teeth, finding it ridiculous that her friends were making fun of her. The ruby-eyed girl chuckled while Mariam grinned in mischief and the chocolate-brown-eyed girl was still processing things in confusion but touched with a hint of amusement.
While they continued doing their assignment and chatting occasionally, a tall guy appeared and stood behind them with his back to them. The guy had messy orange hair and aqua eyes, looking for a book in the bookshelf behind them. The girls didn't notice him as there were many students also finding, reading books, studying, and doing their assignments, so it was not suspicious, and they continued with their business until...
Until Manor remembered something so suddenly and looked up from the papers. A small pout appeared on her face as she gazed at the two girls who were sitting opposite her at the table. "You know? You two could have given me some time yesterday..." Mariam and Mariah looked at her as well after hearing her pouty voice. They seemed confused by the marooned's sudden complaint, but it didn't take them much time to grasp her words. The previous day's events were really... something else.
"Why? Have we done anything wrong?" The bluenette asked.
"I'm not saying that, but if you two had given me some time, I would have been able to see the person behind the piano..."
"Piano?" The three older girls asked in confusion and curiosity, sharing glances with each other. Manor nodded as she explained how she had been mesmerized by the melodious piano tune and followed it, which led her to the music room. But Mariam and Mariah had interrupted her when she was about to open the door. The girls listened to her intently, and their expressions turned from confusion to surprise. Meanwhile, the orange-haired guy behind them was flipping through the pages of the book in his hand, but he seemed not to be paying any attention to the book at all.
He continued to shift his weight from one foot to the other and bit down his lower lip as if he was listening to something and feeling excitement. His aqua eyes wanted to see behind him, but he couldn't... not now.
"Hmm... I understand, Manor~" Mariah spoke up first and leaned back in her seat, grinning with her usual mischievous spark as she folded her arms across her chest. "But don't worry. I'm sure you will get to meet that pianist soon~"
Manor raised one of her eyebrows with a hint of suspicion as she noticed the mischief in Mariah's eyes and voice. She tilted her head slightly, "How do you know?" she asked. The gold-eyed girl's grin widened at the maroon-haired girl's cluelessness.
"Simple! This kind of thing happens in dramas~"
"Don't start again!" The three girls shut her up in annoyance, not wanting their friend to start again with the illogical facts of dramas. The pink-haired girl huffed and muttered, "You three are no fun.."
. . . . Time skipped . . . .
Hilary closed her books, papers, and notes as she arranged her things to leave. "Let's go now..." she said, getting up from her seat at the table. The rest of her friends also gathered their things and got up, holding their books and notes against their chests. Manor, too, held her things and followed the older girls to the exit of the library. She walked behind her three friends, seeming lost in thought. But, a sound of argument caught her ears as she looked over her shoulder while walking, trying to get a glimpse of what was happening. She noticed two students were arguing there while the other students and library staff were trying to stop them.
Manor was so focused on watching the argument while walking that she didn't notice where she was going, and as a result, she bumped into someone. Her books and notes fell to the floor. Manor somehow managed to control herself and knelt down to gather her things, not looking up to see whom she had collided with. She felt foolish for walking so carelessly. While collecting her belongings, she could hear a deep voice speaking, the words apologetic.
"I'm sorry..."
The maroon-haired girl did not look up as she was so busy gathering her notes. Soon, the person also knelt down to help her, and suddenly their hands touched as they placed their hands on the same book to pick it up. Manor paused, her gaze lingered on their hands in confusion as it happened so suddenly. Staying still for a moment, the confused maroon-haired girl lifted her gaze only to let her chocolate brown eyes meet with the aqua ones.
Their eyes locked on each other. The guy had fair skin, sharp aqua eyes, messy orange hair, and was probably older than her, in her guess. After a few moments, Manor moved her hand away from his and turned her gaze back down to the notes and books as she continued to pick them up, feeling a bit nervous under a guy's gaze, as she wasn't used to it except with her elder brother. "You should have been more careful about where you're going."
Really!? She complained about it loudly when she was the one who had been careless while walking? Manor felt even more embarrassed by the realization that she had no control over her slippery tongue. The maroon-haired girl got up and prepared herself to receive a mad response from the guy as it was not all his fault, after all. But what was that? The guy chuckled? Even after she put all the blame on him?
Manor lifted her eyes and noticed the aqua-eyed lad stand up as well, handing her the rest of the papers with an amused but gentle smile. She took them from him, confused, and held the books and notes against her chest.
"Sorry for my careless behavior..." the orange-haired lad apologized sincerely without any hint of sarcasm. But, Manor felt more embarrassed by his genuine answer.
Shaking her head slightly, she spoke up. Now her voice was quieter and softer. "...It was my fault too..."
The lad stared down at her for a few moments in silence, as if thinking something and observing her. "You know? I should thank you.."
The younger girl looked up at him in confusion. The guy was really tall, even taller than Kai. "Why?"
"For complimenting me on my piano skills..."
It took Manor a few seconds to grasp his words, and her eyes widened slightly as soon as she realized that the mysterious pianist she had been talking about all this time was right in front of her. A bright smile of excitement spread across her face as she perked up.
"You are the pianist?"
"Yeah, it's me. Sorry for eavesdropping on your conversation with your friends..."
"It's okay. I can't believe you're right in front of me."
The pianist chuckled softly, sliding his hands into his pockets. "As much as I have understood by listening to you, you are interested in music, right?"
Manor nodded, "Yeah, I also have a piano." Her expression turned clumsy as she smiled sheepishly and continued. "But, that doesn't sound like yours..." It was obvious from her words that she wasn't good at playing the piano. The taller guy let out an amused but warm chuckle before realizing he hadn't introduced himself yet.
"Oh, my bad. My name is Brooklyn, by the way.."
The marooned smiled, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Brooklyn. My name is-"
"Manor~ We're still waiting for you~"
A familiar voice interrupted, to which Manor sighed in annoyance. Brooklyn looked over his shoulder only to see the three girls standing near the exit of the library, looking at them. Manor narrowed her eyes as she noticed Mariah giving her a teasing look and grinning. "What's going on in that girl's mind?" She thought to herself.
Hilary smiled softly. "We noticed you're not following, so we came back to look for you..." she explained with a gentle voice, unlike Mariah. The maroon-haired girl's expression softened at her words, knowing she had suddenly stopped following them due to all these things. She gave the brunette a nod before turning her gaze to the taller guy.
"I'm sorry, but I should go now..."
Brooklyn nodded slightly, "Yeah. Hope to see you again..."
The chocolate-brown-eyed girl smiled slightly before taking her leave, as she walked to her friends and left the library. But, little did they know that the orange-haired lad's expression turned serious as he remembered her name, which Mariah had called her earlier. "Manor Hiwatari, the niece of Susumu Hiwatari, huh? But what exactly did Ming-Ming see in her that she told me to meet her?"
As they walked down the stairs to the first floor, Mariah continued teasing Manor about her sudden meeting with Brooklyn and the revelation that he was the pianist. She continued telling how her prophecy was correct and drama scenes could happen in real life too, while Manor just rolled her eyes every now and then.
When they walked down the stairs, Kai and his companions also walked in the opposite direction, going up to the second floor. Neither group paid much attention to each other as they were busy with their own affairs. However, Hilary stole a glance at the dual-haired guy before turning her attention back to the useless bickering of Manor and Mariah. Meanwhile, Julia was standing on the stairs, leaning against the railing with Mathilda and some other students, obviously showing off her expensive things. As a result, the girls had to walk a little closer to the boys.
Julia stopped chatting as her gaze fell on the brunette, and a devilish plan popped into her mind. She stretched out one of her legs in front of Hilary's path suddenly when she came nearer. Stumbling on her feet, the ruby-eyed girl lost her composure and was about to collapse down the stairs. Manor and others' eyes widened in surprise and panic, who were behind her. "Hilary!!"
Suddenly, the brunette felt someone grab her arm from behind and pull her back from falling. Hilary stumbled backward, a surprised "oh-ho" escaping her lips as the person pulled her and wrapped his left hand around her waist, so she wouldn't fall while still gripping her wrist with his right hand. The ruby-eyed girl looked up and met crimson eyes. Her eyes widened slightly when she realized it was her friend's brother and her senior, Kai Hiwatari, who was literally holding her in such a pose, in the middle of the stairs. Kai's expression had no emotions; it was hard to guess what he was thinking. The notes and papers that the brunette had been carrying now showered over them like flower petals.
Seeing the scene, Manor's jaw dropped and almost touched the surface of the stairs. Was she watching right? Or dreaming? Her brother was holding a girl like that who was her best friend, in front of everyone! Tyson and others shared glances in surprise while Mariah took out her phone and clicked a photo of the moment, to which Mariam rolled her eyes. Julia gritted her teeth as her plan failed, and beside her, Mathilda was still processing the situation.
Meanwhile, Hilary was lost in the moment as Kai held her and stared down into her ruby eyes. But, just before she could speak, the crimson-eyed guy suddenly let her go without any warning, which made the brunette fall on one of the steps of the stairs with a gasp that escaped her mouth. It didn't hurt much, though. Kai put his hands in his pockets and acted nonchalant as if nothing happened, walking up the stairs to Tyson and the others.
"Hilary..." Manor reached the brunette in concern and knelt beside her, who was still processing what had just happened. "Are you okay?"
"Can't understand. If he had to let her fall, then why did he save her in the first place?" The pink-haired girl questioned, glancing at her bluenette friend, not getting the reason behind their senior's strange behavior.
Manor helped Hilary stand up. She dusted off her skirt and grumbled slightly under her breath, not liking that Kai had let her go so suddenly. Before the maroon-haired girl could justify her brother's actions, the ruby-eyed girl interrupted, her voice touched with a little madness.
"I know, Manor, that your brother is cold, but I didn't expect him to treat someone like this. Susumu Hiwatari is my idol, but I never knew his son doesn't know any kind of respect for girls..."
Hilary tried to keep her voice low but it was loud enough for Kai to hear. He stopped on the stairs and turned around a little to look at the brunette, feeling an urge to say something but resisting as he just stared at her silently. The ruby-eyed girl felt his sharp gaze on her, feeling a bit nervous with her heart fluttering as she glanced away. Tyson shrugged the taller guy on his shoulder, making him look at him and gesture for him to go. Kai sighed slightly and nodded before stealing one last glance at the brunette. Then the boys walked upstairs and left.
Manor watched her brother leave before she looked back at her friend, sighing slightly. "Don't be mad, Hilary. Onii-san isn't like this; he just doesn't like showing much emotions..." she explained, to which Hilary gave a small nod. Soon they could hear someone laughing. Turning, they noticed Julia was laughing amusedly, clearly enjoying the scene.
"Oh, my... I hope you didn't get hurt much, darling~" she mocked and laughed again, gesturing Mathilda to laugh along. The poor baby-pink-haired girl let out a fake laugh. Manor gritted her teeth, clenching her fists as her rich brown eyes darkened slightly.
"You! She was going to fall!" the brown-eyed girl was about to wipe that smirk off Julia's face but stopped when the ruby-eyed girl grabbed her arm. Manor looked back at her friend who shook her head.
"No, Manor. Let her go.."
"But Hilar-"
"Listen to me."
The younger girl frowned but didn't argue, taking a breath to calm herself. Julia smirked with a smug expression and made a 'tch' sound a couple of times before leaving, followed by her personal secretary, Mathilda. Manor just glared, watching them go out of sight. She sighed and helped Hilary and the others collect the notes that were now scattered on the floor due to the earlier events.
"You suggested me to meet her, and I did. But I don't think she is suitable for that kind of thing..." Brooklyn said, staring at the shorter bluennete in front of him.
"Oh, believe me, Brooklyn. She can be dangerous.." Ming-Ming claimed, smiling confidently at the taller guy, to which Brooklyn let out a soft scoff.
"Dangerous, you say? She is rather childish. She will get scared even by the name of that..."
"Sometimes what is seen is not true... you're just seeing her from the outside.."
"She is the niece of Susumu Hiwatari, who didn't let her go outside alone since childhood. She is weak, as soft as a feather..."
"Just trust me. Please observe her a bit more..."
The aqua-eyed guy ran a hand through his orange hair and sighed slightly. "Okay, but only because you told me. However, I can bet she is weak."
Ming-Ming smirked, "Challenge accepted. I bet that you will be the one to appreciate her first."
"Hmph... We will see."
[To be continued]
A/N: Hey, guys! Is someone out there?
Readers: Excuse me? *raise their eyebrows*
A/N: *clears her throat* So, it's been a while. Let me see... damn five months without updates on this story. I'm so sorry. I was really busy with my studies, exams, and life, and even this damn FFN had some issues, so I was unable to write even if I wanted. But, here's the next chapter. I know it's soooo lengthy, and my fingers are hurting now. But, I hope you liked it. Pardon me for grammatical mistakes and spelling errors. By the way, I had to add Brooklyn in this story as he has a special role. The story will take a twist soon.
I hope this chapter wasn't boring. These things were necessary to write for the next chapters. Other chapters will have more kaihil moments. And don't ask me about the stairs scene. I know it seemed like the stairs had no end *nervous chuckles*
And thanks to Rubies and Amethyst, SakuraChiyo007 for reviewing and who liked it.
Please read and review. Constructive criticism is highly appreciated.
Regard,
Sakhi2009 :)