[Chapter 35 | Adolescence]

"Jun, why don't you go make friends?" Kyo said to his sister who was only ten at the time. She stood there, a bland look and her blue dress swaying in the light wind.

"What is the point in making friends?" Jun asked.

"You...get to be happier, go out and do fun things with them." Kyo said, watching his sisters indifference to his words.

"I want lunch time to end quickly so we can get back to working." Jun stated.

Kyo furrowed his brows and looked away from her, to the sky. "Hey. You're a weird one. No kid wants to work."

"You need to work to live. It is better than making friends." Jun answered.

Kyo glanced back to her then away again, letting out a sigh. She was a kid who already knew the order of the world. She spoke like she was some kind of high-class Japanese business man. "You'll never get a boyfriend if you keep this up, y'know? Not like I want you to get one, but still..."

"I don't need a boyfriend." She sat down, watching the children play together. " I want to be smart."

"And getting a boyfriend makes you not smart?"

"No. They stand in the way." She nodded.

Kyo groaned and slumped back on the bench, head thrown back. "Man... you're talking like some kind of heartless adult." He sulked. "Where did you get these thoughts from, huh? Geez..."

Jun looked over to her brother then forward again, expression still quite bland. Isn't that just the way the world worked? You need to work hard towards something. You need to work hard to get what you want... 

It was that way, wasn't it? So that's what she had to do.

Work hard.

[Five days after France and Yoshio's acceptance]

"If they have a problem with it, you can simply tell them they can walk out." Jun stated.

"Then we will lose their business." Yoshio leaned back in his black chair, an eyebrow raised. "We can't afford that."

"You can. In the ranking, their business is much lower compared to yours. They think they can give demands when in reality they can't. You tell them what I said and they will stop giving demands." Jun tapped on the arm rest of her chair. "Do you honestly think they'd want to pass up on an offer to work with the Ootori family business?"

Yoshio narrowed his eyes, pausing. "You make a valid point. I'll take what you said in consideration." He placed his hands down on his arm rests. "May I ask you a question?"

"Of course, go ahead."

"Have you always been this way? Driven towards work, study and success?" Yoshio asked.

Jun paused, thinking. She went back through her entire life, remembering how she had been. "Yeah. I have. I don't know where I got it from exactly, though."

"Even as a child?" He inquired.

"I didn't have many friends when I was a child because I liked to work while they on the other hand liked to play." She answered.

"I see." Yoshio looked over her. "It's interesting."

"Interesting?" Jun tilted her head to the side. "How so?"

"You are a woman driven towards study and work and from what you've told me, it's all you've ever been interested in. That changed as soon as you came to Ouran." Yoshio explained. "You set your sights on Kyoya instead of a paper with questions."

"Is that a bad thing in your opinion?"

"It was." Yoshio said.

"It's not anymore?" Jun asked.

"I wouldn't say that."

The doors opened and Kyoya took a step in. "Jun, are you ready to go? Your parents want you home, the others have already arrived." He said.

"In that case, I'm ready then." Jun got up. She looked to Yoshio. "I'll come over tomorrow?"

"Yes. I will see you then. Goodbye." Yoshio was quick to wave her off. He had warmed up to her, sure, but not completely. The man was still cold as Jun thought Kyoya to be at first. No. He was much colder than that.

Jun picked up her bag and walked out of the room with Kyoya, her hand in his. The two left Kyoya's home and got into a car. The driver drove the couple to Jun's house and both of them got out. There was loud chatter in the home, so loud you could hear it from the road.

"Ah. They have definitely already arrived."  Jun muttered out with a dramatic sigh. "The twins better have not gone in my room."

"Knowing them, they probably already have." Kyoya nodded, taking her hand again. "Shall we go in?" He met eyes with his love.

"We shall." Jun squeezed his hand and walked to the door with him, reaching out with her free hand once they got there, grabbing and turning the knob. Once the door opened, there was host club chaos featuring her family.

Mori was running around with Honey on his shoulders around the couch, Haruhi was sitting on said couch with Yukimura, watching as the two twins tackling Tamaki to the ground as he flailed and went on and on about how they do nothing but 'harass' Haruhi.

Kyoya and Jun simply stood there, watching the scene unfold before they got noticed by Yukimura, who immediately sat up upon seeing them. "Jun! Kyoya!" She managed to get past the wrestling host club members and walked over to them. "You two are late." She pouted.

"I was busy going over business proposals with Mr. Ootori." Jun nodded her head. 

"Ah, you're still doing all that stuff with him?" She tilted her head to the side.

"I am and I will continue doing so." Jun nodded.

"Ah...you're such a hard-worker, Jun... I really admire you for that." Yukimura smiled slightly. "I hope I can turn out to be as strong willed as you, Ha."

"I'm sure you can. You just have to work for it. I believe in you." Jun said simply.

Yukimura's cheeks went the faintest pink. "Ah...You are making me blush now, that is not fair." She laughed softly.

Jun smiled faintly. "I apologize."

"No you don't, you take joy in this..." Yukimura chuckled softly, shaking her head.

"Everyone...! Dinner is ready." Akira called out.

"Woo~ Food!" Both the twins shouted in unison, immediately letting go of poor Tamaki and rushing to the kitchen. Haruhi rolled her eyes and got up, going to the kitchen followed by the cousins.

"I'm excited. Let's go eat." Yukimura beamed.

"Alright. Let's go." Kyoya smirked slightly, walking with the two girls to the kitchen. The small kitchen table was full of food and there were many chairs around it to fit everyone, the host club, Yukimura, Jun, Akira and Kyo.

"Such a full house today...so nice." Akira commented as she sat down, ready to eat.

"I feel happy to finally be in Jun's home~" Hikaru beamed.

"And what a lovely commoner home it is!" Tamaki announced as he came in and sat.

"Commoner. Oh dear. I will never get used to that word..." Akira smiled faintly.

Yukimura leaned on Kaoru slightly, her head on her shoulder. "I am very happy to be in this home. It is nice to have dinner with everybody." 

Kaoru put his arm around her shoulders and grinned. "It is." He agreed.

Underneath the table, Jun's and Kyoya's fingers intertwined again and Jun looked around at everyone as they chattered. It was so calming. This was how things should be. This is how it should of been from the start.

Yoshio simply got in the way, but he wasn't in the way anymore. Well, not really anyway.

Things were okay now. Things were calming... They could be happy.

Jun glanced to Kyoya, admiring his expression. His beautiful eyes narrowed, a slight smile on his lips as he gazed at the various people at the table. Jun's mother too, she was very accepting of Kyoya. She liked him. If only Yoshio could of been like that from the start, it would of saved the pair a lot of trouble.

Kyo, well, he was a bit protective still of his sister, of course he was but he liked Kyoya too, even if it was mainly because their names matched. Kyo's reasons for liking certain people are sure strange.

Everything was okay now.

Jun could love Kyoya.

Kyoya could love Jun.

Hard work got them so far.

"Kyoya...why don't you try and make some friends, huh?" Fuyumi looked down at her brother, the boy but young, at the age of eleven. She smiled slightly. "It's not good to be so withdrawn..."

Sure, the boy was popular among teachers and had his input in student council's but...actual friends he would go out with and laugh with...he didn't have a lot of that.

"What's the point in making friends?" Kyoya asked.

"You'll be a lot happier, it'll take away your stress too." Fuyumi nodded.

Kyoya sighed. "I want to get back to working." He had his father and brothers to impress.

Aah, yes. These two were similar indeed.

[Chapter End! This chapter is a few days after the acceptance and how Jun is struggling to impress Yoshio so she can stay with Kyoya! Because of this, everything is less chaotic and finally they can spend time together. Have happiness.

There's only about one more chapter or around that until the complete finish of The Lady Way! Enjoy the rest of the ride.]