Dino leaned back on the plush sofa in the Namimori Middle School reception room, watching Hibari sort through committee documents at his desk. Despite the mundane setting, the thought that had been lingering in his mind for weeks finally bubbled to the surface.

"Hey, Kyoya," Dino started, voice casual but curious.

Hibari didn't look up, continuing to scribble something on a piece of paper. "What?"

Dino hesitated for a moment, then blurted out, "Is your family wealthy?"

That made Hibari stop. He set his pen down slowly and looked up at Dino with a flat expression. "Why do you want to know?"

"It's not— I'm not asking for anything!" Dino stammered, waving his hands defensively. "I'm just… curious. I mean, you carry yourself like someone who comes from a rich background, but you don't really talk about your family, so I thought—"

Hibari's eyes narrowed slightly, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "Are you after my wealth?"

Dino froze, caught completely off-guard. "What?! No! That's not it at all!"

Hibari leaned back in his chair, his smirk growing wider as he crossed his arms. "How disappointing. Here I thought you were more subtle."

"I'm not trying to—" Dino tried to explain, but Hibari cut him off.

"I'll save you the trouble," Hibari said, standing up and brushing imaginary dust off his sleeves. "I come from a very poor family. Dirt poor. We have nothing. I'm only with you to dig your gold, Cavallone."

Dino blinked, utterly stunned. "Wait, what?"

Hibari didn't elaborate. He simply turned on his heel and walked out of the room, his usual unhurried stride giving no indication he was joking.

Dino sat there, trying to process what had just happened. "...He's kidding, right?" he murmured to himself, cheeks heating up. Despite his confusion, a shy smile crept onto his face. "Well… I wouldn't mind spoiling him at all."

A sudden laugh broke the silence, making Dino jump. He turned to see Kusakabe leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, clearly amused.

"Don't take it too seriously, Dino-san," Kusakabe said, still chuckling.

"What do you mean?" Dino asked, bewildered.

Kusakabe smirked. "His family is extremely wealthy. He just doesn't like to talk about it. That's his way of messing with you."

Dino blinked a few times, the pieces finally clicking into place. He groaned, covering his face with his hands. "Oh, come on! He's messing with me?!"

Kusakabe nodded. "You should've seen your face, though. It was priceless."

Dino sighed, leaning back against the sofa.

It was so like Hibari to tease him in his own, understated way. And if Hibari wanted to keep his family life private, Dino was perfectly fine with that.

After all, whether Hibari came from a wealthy family or not didn't matter to him. He'd happily spoil his Kyoya either way.