"You're a talented girl," the green-haired male stated, motioning with his eyes to the paper, "That's why you've gotten a full-ride scholarship at Drisless, hm?"

"Mm, you got me. It's a flow-blown government secret, but," the (h/c) haired girl paused, noting the look of interest in the male's eyes, "Well, actually, my best talent - the one they're trying to keep hidden from public view - is my inane ability to destroy tea conglomerates! Shh!"

With a blank face, the male drew back, staring into her eyes without so much as a blink. He didn't flinch as though he had anticipated the response. However, upon hearing it, he was shocked to his core, despite the look of apathy on his face. Truly, the young lady in front of him was one to be feared. Her ability to manipulate even the biggest of companies in the tea world was something he just couldn't pass up on.

"I see now why Yasojiro is trying to monopolize you. Is there any chance I could have you sign a contract of my own? I can't pass up this offer, you see. It's bad business sense."

At that point, the level of sarcasm had reached beyond what most people could offer the younger girl. Shota was stiff, Hotaka was too nice to play passive-aggressive, and most everyone in between was supposedly not on a level to be speaking to her in such a casual manner. Even if most everyone in the Yasojiro manor was relatively modest and open to her, there was still a line they couldn't cross as staff and master. So, despite her previously conceived notions about the male in front of her, he was a breath of fresh air.

"No, but, truly, this is impressive," he noted, drawing back into his "serious mode", "Most nobles don't care to listen to people like us."

"I don't think we're in the same position here. You're rich enough to throw away two million at your own whim. I don't have any money, good sir."

"It wasn't on a whim. It's done more for me than you think, and regardless, I didn't want anyone else to have it. I doubt you would have wanted to stay around people who only want to make a fool of you. But, sure, I understand your statement. To you, it looks like we come from two different worlds, but to them, we're the same."

Of course, the world of high society the younger girl had been exposed to thus far wasn't quite as elegant as it was made out to be. The sny remarks and the tactical backstabbings were just one instance of their civility, but there was also the notion of their constant need for the spotlight to be on them, even at the expense of others. So the idea that they believed she and Akiyama were on the same level didn't seem all that surprising. However, the thought made her want to dump tea over all of their heads.

To her extent of understanding, she was of use because of her naivety in society. Regardless of if she was intelligent, there was the issue of her upbringing which she still didn't have any memory of. That, however, was the main concern of those above her in the sphere of high society. As a low-born, marrying into one of the most well-preserved noble families of the eastern world was unthinkable to them. Why they hadn't attempted to suck up to Shota before, she had little idea, but using her to get to him proved to be effective. Why else would they have been sending her so many invitations to different gatherings?

Regardless, their agenda was clear. They wanted to make a connection by placing empathy and guidance on a young girl who is lost in the privileged world. And, sure, she could give them a little slack when addressing them, letting them think their schemes were working, but she was the one with their strings around her finger. She didn't get why it was that they still regarded her as a naive little lamb when it was clear she was the one taking them to slaughter. In that sense, the nobles really were pitiable.

Then there was the Akiyama family. Though knowing little about them, the (h/c) haired girl had enough information to make her own assumption about the nobles' impressions of them. According to those tidbits of knowledge, they were only recently recognized as a wealthy and powerful family. So wealthy that it took them only ten years to acquire such levels of recognition from their original status of living as commoners. Obviously, they were not nobles. They possessed no land aside from their house, no ancestors of interest, and, from what the younger girl had discovered on her walk through the corridors, no taste in the "old way of money".

Though it hadn't ever been stated to her, (Y/n) could have figured it out easily even without the written information. Just the portrayal of their household and its inhabitants was enough to determine their status in the high world. Rich, but uncultured in terms of the other wealthy. There was also the bias involved in high society that prevented them from attending most events of interest. Some had the idea to invite them, but for the most part, it was typically for a laugh or simply for the sake of formalities. Again, why the nobility would want to make an enemy out of a very wealthy family, she had no clue.

Considering all of that, it wasn't that far of a stretch to place her in the same category as the Akiyama family. The only difference between them that the nobility could see was likely that she was about to marry into her position whereas the Akiyama's had earned their wealth. In that regard, perhaps it wasn't so unreasonable to dislike her. But to isolate a family such as theirs called into question most everyone in high society's states of being. Perhaps after eons of inbreeding, they had finally gone mad. The (h/c) haired girl snickered. Of course, that wasn't it. They had gone into the deep end long before that century.

"To think they would listen to this gold digger about the price of tea," she chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand and blushing, "How very kind of them."

"And yet they continue to ignore my requests about the value of coffee? This world is on the verge of ruin."

"If you'd like, I can talk to them on your behalf. Though, I'm not sure it would do you any good. You don't own any part of coffee manufacturing from the land to packaging, even to stores. So, unfortunately, your precious coffee would only become more expensive."

The green-haired male appeared as though he had a headache at the mere thought of nobles enjoying coffee. Most of the time, they preferred to drink water, carbonated water, or "leaf water". As he thought about it, he did notice he, too, was guilty of drinking "bean water", but it didn't have such a nice ring to it. Then there were the noticeable side effects of his favorite beverage. Perhaps it wasn't such a stretch that nobles disliked the stuff. But, really, to him, he would have rather traded ten years of his life to enjoy simple pleasures like coffee.

"I despise those posh imbeciles," he groaned, massaging the bridge of his nose to relieve himself of his worries, "The last time they were interested in something, this Utepara tea, the price rose from ten dollars a tin to over six hundred. Honestly, the lemmings would just kill for luxurious garbage, but garbage is still garbage, no matter how luxurious it is."

"Boy, do you like your tangents about wealthy people!" the girl chuckled, grabbing one of the strawberries, surprised at the decent combination of spice and sweetness, "Did you purchase my time just for me to be a therapist for you?"

"I...had no plans for today, actually. If you'd like to do something, we can. Otherwise, we can continue talking, or, if you really want nothing to do with my sorry behind, you can play with Ayori. He'd always be open to new company. In the form of lovely young ladies, anyway. Most everyone else is...subpar."

The temptation to spend the day playing with the male's younger brother was high. Yet, with all things, her curiosity took the reins. Despite her preconceptions of the male, he was a different breed of people she'd spoken with. He didn't quite fit in with the wealthy nor did he have the personality to fit in with the middle class. Rejected by both, she felt akin to him in many ways. So, for that reason, she figured she owed him a bit of human interaction. He had paid for her time, after all.

"What do you usually do? I can't imagine you sitting here all day and moping about it."

"No, you have me figured."

The (h/c) haired girl tilted her head, wondering if she was willing to believe that or not. Regardless, she knew he wasn't going to tell her one way or the other, so it became her responsibility to pick something to do. Going home early wouldn't have done, and sitting around in boredom didn't suit her either. As such, she racked her mind for something that she could have done that was unavailable at the Yasojiro manor.

"Then would you be willing to show me some of the new technology you're making?"

"I just complimented you on your intelligence."

(Y/n) rolled her eyes at the male's sarcastic nature. Then again, she supposed they weren't on friendly enough terms to speak to each other so informally. Of course, she hadn't meant her suggestion to be serious, but perhaps he didn't take jokes all that well. So she figured she ought to be open about what she wanted to do. He was still owed her time, after all, even if he didn't want it.

"If you want to continue being a wet blanket, then I want to run around outside. The bags under your eyes tell me you need some vitamin D."

"D?"

The green-haired male mumbled under his breath for a moment. Confused in appearance, he seemed to be deep in thought. At first, she had thought he was trying to remember the connection between the sun and the vitamin. However, here and there she heard a few words of "obscenity" before he came to his own conclusion. The only thing he had said in regards to it was "Kin", a look of dread being written all over his face. It was then that he accepted the girl's wishes, powering down his workstation.

As the two exited the outdoors, the younger girl took off running with delight. Far from reserved, she cared very little for what he thought, even removing the stuffy corset she had put on over her clothes. The moment she did so, the male took his eyes off her, taking a sudden interest in the shape of the grass. Still, she took in a deep breath of fresh air and fell back into the lush greenery of the lawn, making a "snow angel" despite the fact none had fallen that day. The sun felt perfect on her skin, the cool wind giving it a crisp contrast.

She laid there for a while, not keen on moving. For a while Ryota generously allowed her existence to weigh itself in his mind. He couldn't have said she was a predictable person, for certain, and in many ways, she was unrestrained. That being said, he could very well tell if it was a bad thing or not. Certainly, it was annoying, and he would rather her leave if it didn't impact the aggression he wanted Shota to feel in her absence. So he shrugged, letting her do whatever she wanted for the moment.

"Hey! What're we doing out here? Drinking coffee and...playing dead, maybe? Geez, Riri, you scared her that much already?"

The black-haired male from earlier had returned, the younger girl paying just the slightest bit of attention to the sound of his voice. He had a large presence, she quickly learned, speaking with a resounding voice and cheerful tone. It was laced with just a bit of harmless sarcasm, something no doubt came from the family genes if Ryota was any indication. His nickname for his younger brother also seemed to be stemming from such things. But he was a welcome change from the stern, unmoving frozen heart of the middle child.

"If she had died, I wouldn't be sitting here drinking coffee."

"Then you would be standing drinking coffee?"

"I don't know, Kinu. Maybe I would be burying the body?"

"Drinking...coffee?"

"Guess so, if the gods love me."

"Damn. No coffee then."

The ravenette was met with a stern punch to the bicep. In truth, the most it did was make the younger male more agitated. With no response, he sought to improve what he believed was a flop of a first attempt. Yet, with the second punch, it seemed as though, instead of a flop, it was a stroke of luck for him. That may have been as much strength as he could have ever summoned up. His elder brother certainly thought so, patting him on the head to congratulate his achievement.

"Where's 'Yori?" the younger of the two finally huffed, keeping his cup of coffee away from his brother's lecherous eyes.

"He'll be back soon so don't worry. He's with Prisca. She said she was going to take him out for some ice cream, so let's bet on how many wool blankets she brings back for us. I say five, minimum."

"Stop calling her that."

To (Y/n)'s surprise, the two males began to speak in a language she didn't know. Much like her experience with Hotaka and the others at the university, she felt out of place. Regardless, it somewhat relieved her that they didn't seem to speak the native Afruan language. Instead, it was something close to what she spoke, but not quite there. She tried to come up with the name of the country on the tip of her tongue. It felt entirely too familiar, but also, not at all. To be certain, it couldn't have been a large country like Echal. Still, the uncertainty made her sit up in the grass, the two males turning their attention to her for a moment.

The older of the two chuckled while saying something before he was "punched" again by Ryota. It wasn't a punch originating from hate or offense, just one that exhibited some kind of disappointment. The ravenette then bowed his head in her direction, mumbling what she perceived to be an apology though it wasn't made out to her. Supposedly satisfied with his response, the younger of the two sighed and continued sipping his comfort drink.

"It's (Y/n), yeah?!" Kinuso shouted, cupping his hands to convey his question to the girl on the other side of the yard, "Nice to meet you!"

"You too!" she yelled back, receiving a happy wave.

The younger male rolled his eyes before deciding the sun was too much for him. Though he did enjoy the frigid weather of winter, it wasn't well worth putting up with the two lunatics that had invaded his home. It didn't matter that one of them lived there. They were both lunatics. So he fled from them, in search of more coffee and a place to take a power nap. That left the (h/c) haired girl with the firstborn and eldest child of the Akiyama family, someone she didn't know she would be meeting.

Calling it a "meeting" was somewhat debatable. The most he had done was make a few gestures to say "hi" before looking around at the branches of some trees, presumably looking for birds. Though she had briefly heard his name mentioned in his conversation with his brother, he didn't tell him herself. As such, it felt that they were merely in the vicinity of one another for pleasantries' sake. She assumed he felt responsible for the green-haired male walking away from her.

It wasn't long before two more people came out to find her, one of them more familiar and one less so. Hotaka had held the hand of the youngest Akiyama, likely having escorted him and "Prisca" to get ice cream. He must have been surprised to see her there at the estate, but he didn't give a disappointed face at all. Rather, he piggy-backed the younger boy over to her, the cat the mint-haired boy had been carrying around not in sight. He must have been upstairs somewhere. At the thought of the cat, the girl suddenly felt quite uncomfortable, giving a nervous chuckle when its owner came to see her.

"I'm surprised you're still here. Good job," he hummed before patting his escort like a dog, "Good job to you too, Ishikawa."

"You've met (Y/n), too, huh?"

The boy shrugged before being lowered onto the ground. At his bland response, the bodyguard lifted an eyebrow before tossing him up in the air unexpectedly. Delighted, the mint-haired boy clapped his hands excitedly, applauding. With a smile on his face, he once more patted the older male on the head, telling him he did a "good job". Of course, Hotaka accepted it with open arms, thanking him for using his manners. It was to be presumed that the use of "good job" was something that had been recently taught to the boy. Though, considering the way he used it, he must not have been out of the woods of his tutoring just yet.

"Nice to see you," Hotaka grinned, expressing his amiable personality as best as he could, "It feels like we're seeing each other more often these days."

"Ah - careful, miss. He's trying to hit on you. Mumma says to let him know you mean 'no'. I'll help you hit him if you want."

Putting his tiny dukes up, the boy gave a blank face. Obviously, he had little to no idea what it meant to "hit" on someone, taking it more seriously than he should have. Regardless, the purple-haired male took no offense. Instead, he shaped his hands into alligator mouths, munching on the boy's fists. It was obvious it took everything inside of Ayori to stop his laughter and amusement with the act of pacification. In the end, though, he gave up, making his own alligator mouths as well and giving audible munching sounds.

"You know, if that were true, I would have been hitting on you the entire car ride home."

"You were."

"Yeah? Can you tell me why?"

"You said you liked me."

Continuing to rebuttal with the use of the childish expression "not like like", Ayori realized his error and nodded his head. He then continued to munch the grass with his alligator hands before sitting down with a focused gaze. Picking one strand of grass at a time, he carefully placed it in the hands of the purple-haired male. Sitting on his knees, the older male gratefully accepted them, thanking the boy wholeheartedly for every single one.

"Sorry if that made you feel uncomfortable, (Y/n). I promise I wasn't hitting on you."

"Actually...," the girl started with a mischievous tone before settling back into her habit of sarcasm again, "You got my hopes up. But now, since the man of my dreams has rejected me, I'll never be happy."

"C'mon, you don't have to tease me. Anyway, you're coming to school tomorrow, right? I know you've been out because of having to go to this or that, but we're all kind of missing you."

The younger girl nodded, making the boy before her grin wide. There was something special about his smile. Maybe it was the way it truthfully reflected the emotions he had running around without check. Or it could have been simply that he was born with such charm. Either way, he was lovely beyond comparison. She decided on the latter, unable to take her eyes off of him. Why did he have to be so eye-catching? Upon realizing this, the (h/c) haired girl squeaked in surprise before flaring red. Hotaka seemed to catch this, but not the reason why. It was just as well. Should he have conflicted himself between Shota's long-held possessiveness and Ryota's new interest, he would have long been killed off.