Chapter 23

"Kyouya. Ms. Fujioka. I'm so pleased to see you." For some reason, the calm and collected visage he usually presented to his father left him; he was only left with the way he really felt right now and that was angry. "Hello father." Yoshio raised a brow at his son's tone, but other than that did not acknowledge it.

"So, I take it that you know where my father is?" He was surprised that she sounded so calm! Then again, she'd squared off in front of his father before. "Of course I do, but I'll get to that part later. Right now I have a very serious question for you. What is your relationship with my son?"

Haruhi didn't give an inch. "I will not answer any of your questions until I know my fathers location. After that, I will tell you everything that you want to know. However, Kyouya and I have some questions we'd like answered as well.

His father had a poker face, but he had grown up watching him and he was able to figure out the subtle changes; as long as he was looking for them. However, any thought he had of watching his father's face flew out the window the second she said his name! He tried to think back, but he was pretty sure that she'd never said his name that way before. Before it had always been Kyouya senpai, but now it was just Kyouya...and his heart started to beat triple time by the thought. Was she just trying to mess with his father, or did she mean it?

"Your father is currently taking an aptitude test to see if it is alright for him to return to school. He decided that he needed to go back for a degree. He thought that Ranka would be too embarrassing to you should you want to become a lawyer, so he wants to pursue an acting career so that Ranka can still make an appearance. Now then, if that has answered your question to your satisfaction, perhaps you would consider answering mine?"

Why would Ranka decide this now? It was too coincidental for his liking. Plus, it was well past the standard time that universities would give aptitude tests. His father had to have set this up. Was this something he was planning on using later? Perhaps the outcome of his test would decide on their answers?

"Why do you want to know?" She stared him down as best she could and just waited. There was no way that she was going to give him the upper hand in this; especially since she had something she wanted to confirm first. She knew the answer in her gut, but she wanted to make him say it. After all, she was still kinda pissed with him about how he'd gone about all of this.

"As you may have noticed by now, I have three very promising sons. Out of all of these sons, Kyouya has shown the most promise. Therefore, who he shows interest in concerns me a great deal." He sat down and folded his arms and Haruhi followed his lead. He had no choice but to sit as well; even if all he wanted to do at that moment was pace.

"So, what you're saying is that you are worried that he has feelings for me that he shouldn't?" He started to watch his father again and noticed the slight movement at his lips; generally an indication that he wanted to smile. Strange, why would his father want to smile at such a question? "Ms. Fujioka, please stop these stalling tactics and tell me what I want to know. What are you feelings for my son?"

"Father!" He jumped to his feat, but she tugged on his sleeve to stop him. He didn't want to hear this! His heart was beating so fast that he was sure it would burst through his chest at any second.

"I love him." The air was knocked from his chest in that instant and he found that his legs were not strong enough to support him. Had he heard that correctly? She was in love with him?

"What about you son? What are your feelings?" He risked a glance at his father's face, but he couldn't make anything out of his expression. He'd already decided though, hadn't he? "I can't imagine my life without her."

"You know that she isn't wealthy or well-known in society? Do you realize what this means?" He raised his chin, determination in his gaze and looked his father in the eye before replying. "Yes, I understand perfectly, but I'll have no other. She's everything I never knew that I needed and if it's a choice between pleasing you and having her by my side then I'm sorry father; I've already decided."

"So, you're determined then?" He nodded and he smiled when he felt a small hand reach out and grab his own. His smile faltered when he noticed the expression on his father's face however. His father was smiling the same smile he used when he'd cornered his opponent and knew that there was no escape. "Excellent!"

"Excuse me?" He didn't understand. Had his father been worried about him being the heir? That had to have been it. He was afraid of how it would look if his youngest were to be named successor and so he was now relieved that he could pass it on to his brother.

"We'll have to formally announce your engagement. It will have to wait to be announced until after Kyouya graduates, of course." Engagement? Already? Not that he minded overly much since he'd already decided that he wanted her in his life, but weren't they a little young to get engaged?

"Mr. Ootori, based on the circumstances, I'd say that this has gone exactly the way you'd planned. May I ask one thing?" Yoshio inclined his head and waited expectantly. "What are you going to tell the Watanabe family?

Kyouya's eyes widened in surprise. He'd completely forgotten about the Watanabi family in all of this. "My dear girl, why would I tell them anything?" Hmmm. "Father, could it be that your business arrangement with the Watanabe family will not be effected by my engagement?"

Yoshio smiled at his son and he could swear he saw a sparkle in the old man's eyes. "Of course not! The Watanabe family has already agreed to take Ms. Fujioka into their firm once she graduates from law school. I suspect that they will not be overly surprised to hear that she will be joining our family ranks."

Dropping the honorific suffix when referring to one's interlocutor, which is known to as yobisute(呼び捨て?), implies a high degree of intimacy and is generally reserved for one's spouse, younger family members, social inferiors (as in a teacher addressing students in traditional arts), and very close friends. Within sports teamsor among classmates, where the interlocutors approximately have the same age or seniority, it can also be acceptable to use family names without honorifics. Some people in the younger generation (roughly "born since 1970") prefer to be referred to without an honorific, however, and drop honorifics as a sign of informality even with casual acquaintances.