Ruminant

iv

4.

It's not a secret that Kyoya loved challenges.

Loved solving and conquering challenges with a passion that can rival the brightness of thousand suns because, from the start, it had been rare to find a worthy cause that can catch and hold his interest.

(Although he liked being a cut above the rest, being a carnivore that's naturally set apart from the herd had its own burdens. It's difficult to change, to improve, and to develop if one doesn't have the appropriate motivation to push and force oneself to reach new heights.)

Kyoya found a commendable venture in Namimori, a small peaceful town where yakuza and gangs ran amok; in Tsunayoshi, a weak fluffy-haired omnivore that had the will and potential to change the world; and in Vongola, an organization that strove to reform a whole world of corruption that operated on a different set of rules.

With all his penchant for bluntness and brute force, he liked contradictions. Puzzles. Seemingly impossible endeavors with complicated twists and complex turns.

So when his almost-tolerable now bald-headed father decided to teach him shogi, Kyoya was intrigued.

After immediately deducing the mechanics and implications of the game, he was fascinated by how the previously thought herbivorous man masterfully manipulated the game to his favor. How he utilized brilliant ploys, deceivingly simplistic strategies, and clever misdirection to get a read on his opponent's playing style and defeat the king.

His "father" used his intellect like a weapon. If translated into a battlefield, a decidedly tricky and capricious opponent.

An omnivore. Or a carnivore hidden in sheep's clothing perhaps, taking into account the long scar on his face and the way he deceptively used his laziness to disarm.

Interesting.

"Omnivore. Are all pine'ppl's like you?" Kyoya asked curiously, interrupting the man's explanation on one of the pieces' moves.

"What?" His father replied confusedly. "Pineapples?"

Rolling his eyes, Kyoya waved his hands in the general direction of his relatives. "Pin'pple-bivores."

"They're our cousins, Shikari-chan." The man drawled amusedly. "Not fruits."

"Hn."

Sighing resignedly, the omnivore continued. "If you mean at shogi, well yes they are. It's one of our clans favored hobbies. You can play with them if you want."

Kyoya's eyes flashed purple as he smiled in anticipation. The thought of more omnivores to train and test himself with made him want to purr in satisfaction.

"Troublesome girl." His father muttered under his breath as he took Kyoya in his arms. "Come on. Let's get you to your mother for lunch."

"Hn."