Hello my dears! Sorry if it took me too long to update cause my drafts here in Wattpad keeps getting deleted for some unknown shit last time so I had to retype everything on google docs before transferring it here. And I got caught up on other things like A LOT of school work (being a college student sucks), and other personal issues so I hope y'all understand.
Anw, I know Sei's birthday isn't until a few weeks from now but this is a fanfic anyways so deal with it lol oh and new cover by the way! Thanks to Red-Angel_0011! Check out her book cover shop if you need one for your stories! :>
I know some of y'all have read my announcements on my message board and are expecting 2 chapters right now, but I'll only post 1 for now since the next one is still pending because I'm still busy with school work. I'm so sorry! >////< Hope you can still bear with me and my updates! Anw, thank you for waiting and I hope you enjoy the chapter! <33
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After the Winter Cup tournament, the Rakuzan team received acknowledgements from the school as usual such as being featured in the school news paper and receiving additional points and incentives in some of their academic classes. However, since their final exams are just around the corner, practices were postponed for them to focus on studying.
And after they took their final exams, they were given the the time to spend their holiday break earlier than usual.
Although it wasn't a snowing day, it was already cold outside since Early Winter came and Sumiye refused to go out. But since she was running an errand, or more likely a surprise for the the redheaded captain's special day, she had pushed through; knowing that she had also declined him for inviting her to hangout today.
Wandering around the urban streets of Kyoto, Sumiye pondered on what to get him for his birthday. It had been an hour of her walking around; entering various shops from here and there but she still couldn't find a decent gift for him. The man already has everything since he is an heir of a wealthy family, so what could he possibly want?
She heaved a sigh with a cloud of the cool breeze forming in front of her, "I didn't know that buying a present was harder than reconciling with him." She mumbles, groaning with her eyebrows knitted.
She sat on a bench to take a rest for a moment while observing the many people shopping early for the holidays. Glancing above the grey dull skies, she was desperately wishing for it to not snow since she could not handle the cold. She likes the snow though, but she didn't like getting cold; and she wasn't even wearing enough jackets to warm her up.
Not long after, she heard a familiar voice calling out to her.
"Sumi-chan!"
She turned to look at different directions to spot where the voice was coming from, and then she finally saw Reo approaching her while waving his arms in the air.
"Mibuchi, nice to see you around here." She greeted him as she stood up from the bench.
"What are you doing here? You're not with Sei-chan?" He suddenly brings up the redheaded captain. Sumiye flinched from hearing him mention his name since she was keeping it a secret from their team, especially from Kotaro, from the fear of him spoiling it to Seijuro.
But then, she decided to tell Reo anyways since he probably wouldn't say anything. She heaved a sigh as she glanced on the paper bags he was holding.
"I didn't invite him to come with me because I'm trying to look for a present for him. His birthday is in a few days and I still couldn't come up with something." She sighed in disappointment.
"Really? I just bought the ingredients of the chocolates I'll make for him since I don't know what to get him for his birthday too!" Reo says excitedly while gesturing to the two bags he was holding.
"Make? You know how to make chocolates?" Sumiye asked him as she remembered Yuki who also makes chocolates. Yuki gives her a box monthly since her mother was a chocolatier. Well, when they were still close though. She also remembered that she gave Seijuro one from last year's Valentine's day.
"Yeah. I learned from my sisters. It's kind of an advantage for me because I have a gift for Sei-chan. Unlike Kotaro and Nebuya who still don't know what to get him." Reo chuckled at the thought.
And with that, her lips slowly curled up into a grin as she finally had an idea on what to get him.
× × ×
As soon as she bought all the ingredients she needed, she rushed home and decided to get started since she needs to do a lot of trial and error. She decided to just bake a chocolate cake for him, hoping that it would turn out fine.
Although she knows how to cook, baking wasn't really her forte; but she was good at following recipes, so that's a good start. Opening up the cabinets and cupboards, she was glad that this apartment was fully furnished with all kinds of cooking utensils that she can use. Thanks to her grandmother that is.
A few cups of flour later, it was already her 4th attempt to mix the batter since she couldn't get the same batter texture and consistency that she wanted. She was following a video online on her laptop that was placed beside the ingredients; and she was getting frustrated since the one she was making didn't look the same as in the video. A perfectionist she is. Well, this was for the redhead so she wanted it to be perfect.
Not long after, her phone suddenly rang that startled her, making her cuss underneath her breath from interrupting her. But as soon as she grabbed her phone, her mood shifted from being annoyed to being nervous. It was Seijuro.
Clearing her throat, she hastily answered as she tried to keep her cool.
"Yes hello?" She tried to sound natural.
[Hello my love, are you busy?]
Her cheeks flushed into a deep shade of red from the sudden name he gave her.
Seijuro has been using different types of endearments to her lately that she didn't know what to feel. Sometimes even in front of the whole Rakuzan team, or when they're with the three uncrowned Kings. It's not that she didn't like it, she was just feeling a little embarrassed because she couldn't express her reaction to it freely since she know he'll make fun of it. And she was also feeling bad since she never called him a cute endearment such as that.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, she didn't know what to answer. It only made it harder for her to straightforwardly lie to him now; even if it was for his birthday's sake. She couldn't possibly tell him that she was trying to bake a cake for him. It would ruin the surprise factor.
Feeling confused by the silence, the redhead's eyebrows creased a little as he called out to her again.
[Darling? Are you still there?]
There was it again and his sudden change of endearments. Sumiye snapped back from her thoughts and composed an answer.
"Yes I'm still here. Sorry I was. . . cleaning may apartment." She lied, trying hard to not stutter.
[You're cleaning? At 3 in the afternoon?]
The redhead questioned since it was pretty unusual for someone to be cleaning at this hour. Sumiye knew it was weird as well, but what excuse could she possibly think of? Then an idea popped inside her head.
"Yeah. My grandmother called me awhile ago and said she'd pay me a visit later. So I decided to tidy up and clean a little before she arrives." She held her phone away from her face for a second as she sighed in relief after saying all that in one breath.
Her eyes suddenly widened when she saw the whisk sinking in the cake batter that she left awhile ago. She started to panic internally; immediately grabbing the remaining part of the whisk that wasn't submerged on the batter, examined it's handle that was now covered in chocolate cake mix, then putting it in the sink.
[Oh, is that so?]
"Yeah. Sorry I had to decline your invite because of that." She says, silently turning on the faucet to wash off the batter from the whisk.
[You don't have to apologize. I know you rarely spend time with your grandmother, so it's fine.]
She didn't know what to respond next because she was now fixated on rinsing the whisk quietly so he wouldn't hear on the other end of the line. However, since she was getting a little clumsy from being nervous, droplets of water from the faucet started dribbling on her apron and some even got on her laptop that made her cuss, not knowing that Seijuro was still on the other line.
[Sumiye? What's happening? Are you alright?] The endearment was wiped away as he suddenly asks out of worry since he had heard the profanity escaping from her lips.
Sumiye was caught off guard as she scolded herself internally; wiping the droplets of water on her laptop altogether.
"Yes I'm fine. Sorry if you heard that. Something fell." She lied once again as she was now drying up the whisk with a towel.
[Are you alright? Did you get hurt? Do you want me to come over to help you?]
"No!"
She said a little louder that brought Seijuro to a surprise, making him gasp on the other end in which she fully heard. She mentally face-palmed once more from her reactions. Seijuro would suspect something sooner if she don't snap out of it.
"What I meant to say was, you don't have to come over and help. I'm fine so don't worry too much." She tried to say as normal as possible again.
[Hmm. Alright.]
His respond sounded unsure that made her nervous.
"So, why did you call? Is there a problem? Do you need anything?" She continuously asked, trying to change the subject so he wouldn't suspect further.
[Oh, right. I was just wondering if you're free on Friday night?]
His question made her heart skip a beat.
'That's his birthday.' She thought.
Her eyes frantically roamed around her apartment as she tried to think of a response. She didn't know if she'd say yes because she was planning on surprising him with the cake together with the rest of the Rakuzan team. But now he's asking her if she's free that day?
"Why ask?" She mentally face-palmed again as it just suddenly slipped from her mouth.
[Well, since that is my birthday, my father and I are having a dinner in the evening. And I was wondering if you could join us?]
The sudden mention of his father made her even more nervous. She haven't even met the man—nor seen his face—but she had known him from the team's descriptions. The three uncrowned kings met him once when Seijuro's driver picked him up and his father was with him. Sumiye heard from them that he looks strict and he had a stoic expression on his face, just like Seijuro when he is serious.
She swallowed the lump in her throat from feeling tensed at the thought.
"Is it alright with your father? I mean . . . I know it's your birthday and it's not that I don't want to meet him, but . . . is it okay for him for me to join you?" She asked nervously.
[Of course. Why, he was the one who told me to invite you.]
She was immediately taken a back from his words.
'His father? Invited me? Why. . .'
She didn't know why but she was getting apprehensive at the thought. The fact that his father was the one that wanted to invite her was nerve-racking for her. Does he already know about them? What does he want to say? Various thoughts ran through her head—a simulation even on how she's going to introduce herself to him.
This was her first time to introduce herself to a guy's family—except for Taiga—let alone being their girlfriend, since he was her first relationship after all. Knowing that this is also a high and respected well-known man she's going to meet, since the Akashi family is considered to be aristocracy in Kyoto from their wealth and numerous businesses.
Completely forgetting the thought that the Akane family are no different from them, since they too, have a ton of businesses in Japan.
[My love, are you still there?]
If it hadn't been for his sudden usage of endearments again, Sumiye would've drowned in her thoughts and simulations in her head.
"Y-yes?" She stammered, making her cuss internally. She heard a small chuckle escape from Seijuro's lips on the other line.
[Nervous aren't we?]
She was caught off guard. She bit her bottom lip before answering, "You think?" sarcasm was evident in her tone that made the redhead chuckle once again.
Stepping away from the kitchen counter for a moment to digest this, she took off her apron with one hand as she sat down on her sofa, leaning her head back as she stared into the ceiling, clearing her head from unnecessary thoughts and think things through.
[Wait 'til you get to know why he suddenly wanted to meet you.]
His sudden notion made her heart skip a beat. Her eyes widened in shock as she began overthinking on what could've happened, or what she had done wrong to have his father want to meet her. It may be because he just wanted to meet who his son is dating, but that thought went past her head.
"Why?" She asked, swallowing the lump she felt stuck in her throat.
[Ah so you haven't browsed through the school news paper yet?]
And that's when it hit her.
'What could've they possibly posted there again this time?'
She questioned herself as she scurried to her room and searched for the school news paper given to her for the month of December. She never really cared for the school news paper nor browsed through her copies of it after that last incident with their photos that caused a commotion around the school; and now he's telling her that they posted something in there again?
She was frantically searching for it in her things, and as soon as she found it, she immediately flipped it to the sports section. She was getting nervous as she was nearing, and once she saw the photo on the first page of the sports section, her eyes widened on the photo she just saw that he must be referring to. Her irises shaking uncontrollably and jaws practically dropped.
It was just a small photo at the bottom left but it was such an eye-candy photo that people would immediately dart their eyes towards it once they arrive on that very page; completely ignoring the group photo win of the Rakuzan team.
Nervousness washed over her system as her cheeks flushed red from the embarrassment; realizing that this must be the reason as to why Seijuro's father wanted to meet her.
[My father saw my copy of the news paper and—] Seijuro stopped mid sentence and was confused when she wasn't speaking. He had realized that she must've seen it by now as to why she was speechless. He took a deep breath before calling out to her once again.
[Have you seen it?]
Still dumbfounded from what she saw, she only hummed in response.
It was a photo of them in the Winter Cup finals. And it wasn't just any photo. . .
It was when she gave him a quick peck on the lips to stop him from overthinking. She was more surprised on the fact that someone caught the photo perfectly since it was just a quick peck. It's as if they were there at the very moment, waiting for her to make her move. But that doesn't hide the fact that this very photo of them exists and was published in a school news paper for every student to see. And who knows who might have already seen it too.
[Sumiye?]
He called out to her in concern once more but it was as if her surroundings turned into a blank canvas as she mindlessly stared into it. She felt so embarrassed and at the same time irritated towards the school news paper club.
"Shit."
× × ×
The next few days passed by and the redhead's birthday finally came. The Rakuzan team pushed through on surprising Seijuro in the afternoon at 1pm in a restaurant together with the two managers and the coach as well. Sumiye had already given him the cake she made for him, but little did he knew that she made another for the evening dinner with his father.
"Happy Birthday!" The whole team greeted their redheaded captain.
He was more overwhelmed from the surprise because it was the least he expected. But even so, he was still grateful to all of them.
"Thank you to all of you." Seijuro says as he was still in shock, his lips curling up into a smile.
"Don't thank us. Sumi was the one that planned this." Kotaro beamed at the redheaded captain as he glanced towards Sumiye beside him.
"Don't act like you didn't almost spoil the surprise." Reo says, rolling his eyes at the blonde since he had almost added Seijuro in their group chat for the surprise. Kotaro rolled his eyes at raven-haired male as well and ignored him.
Seijuro only chuckled before turning to the girl beside him with a cheeky grin, "You planned this?"
Her cheeks flushed a faint red as her irises started to shake uncontrollably from the embarrassment. Rolling her eyes at him, she playfully hit him on his shoulder, "Of course. Who else?" She says, a bit proud of her arrangement being successful. Seijuro only chuckled from her closeted flusteredness.
As soon as the celebration ended, they all proceeded to separate ways and Sumiye went home as well to get herself ready. Although Seijuro tried to invite her early at their manor, she insisted that she'll just go there on a specific time since she had to prepare herself and dress formally.
She was still nervous upon meeting his father, so she need to clear her mind for awhile and remind herself a few things before she heads there. Seijuro just agreed in defeat but he offered her that his driver will be the one to fetch her at 7pm sharp in her apartment so she'd be safe. Needless to say, she agreed anyways since it was his birthday.
× × ×
The moment that Seijuro's driver arrived in front of Sumiye's apartment, she immediately—but carefully—walked towards the vehicle since she was holding the box of the 2-tier cake she made.
To be honest, she asked for help from her grandmother since she was getting frustrated from not getting it the way she wanted to. And her grandmother being her grandmother, she only called the finest pâtissier she knew in the country, just to help her.
The driver helped her to put the box in place by the passenger seat and closed the door for her as she went inside.
The whole travel to the Akashi manor was silent, not until the driver saw from the rearview mirror that Sumiye seemed to look tensed as she was murmuring stuff to herself.
"Are you feeling nervous young miss?"
Sumiye snapped from her internal scolding and turned to look in front, "Oh, well. . . maybe. It's my first time meeting Mr. Akashi and. . . I want to look my best. Hopefully, I wish to say the right things later." Her lips formed a thin line as she rubbed her hands together from feeling colder because of her nervousness.
The driver lets out a smile from her response, "I suppose now I know why Master Seijuro is so smitten with you."
Hearing his words made her cheeks flushed since she didn't know what to say next. The driver lets out a small laugh. "You don't have to worry young miss, I believe in Master Seijuro's confidence of introducing you to his father."
Although his words flattered her, he doesn't know the real reason as to why his father wanted to meet her, and nor would she even say it because she's too embarrassed. She only gave a warm smile as a response.
At the time that they arrived, the vehicle went inside two gates and drove through a stone driveway. Sumiye peeked through the tinted windows and she already saw the redhead by the double doors of the mansion; standing in front in his formal attire with a smile forming on his face from excitement as he witnessed the arrival of his beloved.
The vehicle stopped by the entrance, parallel to the double doors where Seijuro was. The driver scurried to open the door of the passenger seat, and she took a deep breath before climbing out, trying to calm her nerves. She was immediately greeted by a hand—helping her to step out—which was none other than Seijuro himself. She was nervous, but she still managed to give him a smile.
The redhead on the other hand couldn't keep his eyes off of Sumiye in her white dress that reached up until her knees, paired with a cream faux coat, as his smile grew wider by the second. He couldn't resist to not lean down and plant a kiss on her cheek that made her flustered, "You look stunning as ever my love." that was followed by a compliment.
It made her a blushing mess that she failed to hide it. "You look great as well." She awkwardly says, trying to compliment him as well in which the redhead only chuckled. The driver suddenly came in as he held her gift for him.
"What's this?" Seijuro asked as he glanced back and forth from the box to her.
Sumiye cleared her throat, brushing off the embarrassment, "Open it."
The redhead did as told and his eyes widened in shock upon seeing another cake, but this time it was a 2-tier one with a more elegant design, unlike what she brought earlier which was a more traditional one.
He gasped in awe as he examined it before turning to Sumiye, "You made this?"
Sumiye bit her bottom lip as she reluctantly answered, "Well. . . technically yes, but I had a lot of help from someone that my grandmother hired. . ."
Seijuro chuckled once more, "It's still amazing, thanks love." He leaned in once again, planting a kiss on her forehead that made her blush once more before he turned to the driver, "Tell them inside to place this on the table later as soon as we proceed with dinner." He ordered him and without another word, the driver nodded and went inside to instruct the maids.
Seijuro offered his arm to her and with a faint blush, she linked arms with his as soon as they stepped inside the mansion.
Sumiye was welcomed with at least 3 maids welcoming them inside the mansion, in which she greeted them back in return, earning a smile from them from her politeness, same as with the redhead. He led her across a hallway that has a few double doors that led to a different part of the mansion, as well as a lot of portraits that caught Sumiye's attention. Noticing her interest in the pictures, he led her in front of their family portrait when he was still a child.
"Is that you?" Sumiye asks, pointing at the little redhead, seated on his mother's lap with a gentle smile.
Seijuro admired the photo as well while humming an answer, as if already knowing who she was pointing at. It was silent for a moment between the two of them, not until the redhead snapped from his inner thoughts about the picture.
Turning to look at her, he chanted another endearment, only for her to tilt her head to the side before glancing back up at him, then back to the photo that made him puzzled. "Is there a problem?" He asked.
"You're almost the exact copy of your mom when you were little. But now—" she says in a soft voice, pausing mid sentence as she glanced up at him to examine his face, "—features of your dad is more defined. And their auras, you seem to have the same aura as your father when you're serious, but more like your mom's when you're calm." She finished her statement as she glanced back up at the photo.
Perplexed he was from her sudden assessment of his inheritance of features—which was correct since that's what he would mostly hear from their family friends and relatives. "I never knew you were keen to detail. Especially facial features." He commented.
"Not all the time though. I only notice the details when I'm drawn to it." She states as she cannot keep her eyes from the family portrait in front of her.
Mixed thoughts of adoration and envy was all she could feel from the beautiful family. They all seemed to love and care for each other as she thought, internally wishing that she had the same. Even for a short period of time.
It was silent yet again for a few seconds, and as soon as Seijuro glanced at her, he suddenly felt worried since the expression shown in her face seemed to have gotten down. Her lips was now in a straight line, and eyes seemed to be twinkling, but not because of delight, something more like tears brimming on the corner of her eyes.
"Sumiye? Are you alright?"
Hearing her name once again, she blinked a couple of times and that's when the tears welled up in her eyes started to glide down her cheeks. She immediately wiped it off, hoping that he hadn't seen it, but she was wrong.
"Hey what's wrong?" He says out of worry, cupping her face with his hands as he caressed it with his thumbs; wiping the tears away. Sumiye lightly laughed as she held his hands on her face, "It's nothing. Something went in my eye and I had to wipe it away." She lied while forcing a smile.
"Don't lie. I can see tears and your hands are cold." The redhead says in suspicion. He obviously knew she was tearing up, but he did not know the reason why.
They have been dating for quite some time now, but he still couldn't understand why she's hiding her pains from him. Everybody has their mishaps, and she sure has as well. She never shared anything form her past to him that keeps him wondering how her childhood was; apart from being friends with Taiga and Tatsuya. How she lived when her mother died or where was her father to take care of her. Although he didn't want to rush her as to why he never asked anything, he was also worried and want to help her through it.
She playfully laughed, shrugging the thought off, "It's cold because I'm nervous. It's my first time meeting your father and I don't know what to say." She partially lied this time since she really was nervous. But the reason for her tearing up was another story.
"Sumiye—" He was about to ask her once again, not until he was interrupted upon the entrance of one of their house maids.
"Excuse me, Master Seijuro?"
His shoulders slumped from the interruption, sighing before he turned around to face the maid, "Yes? Is there something the matter?"
Sumiye silently sighed in relief from being saved from embarrassment again.
"I apologize for interrupting, but sir Masaomi is already in the dining hall and he wishes to see both of you now."
Hearing the maid's words made Sumiye swallow the lump in her throat as a sudden wave of nervousness washed over her system yet again. "Is that so?" He asked and the maid politely answered. Seijuro heaved a sigh before turning to glance back at Sumiye for a moment. "Alright. We'll be there."
Granted, Seijuro let's go of her face and entwined fingers with Sumiye as they follow the maid through the hallways, leading them to another set of double doors, opened by two other servants. As soon as the doors were fully opened, light flashed before Sumiye's eyes from the brightly lit crystal chandelier in the middle of the dining hall.
There was a long dining table in the middle, fit for the whole Rakuzan team and the Generation of Miracles to dine in. Seijuro proceeded to step inside with Sumiye, trailing across the table with different kinds of delicacies and pastries. And at the very end of the table is where the middle aged man with faded brown hair was seated, reading a magazine or a newspaper of some sort.
With every step they took made Sumiye's chest thumping louder from the nervousness. Feeling Sumiye's nervousness, the redhead caressed her hand with his thumb, trying to ease her nerves. He glanced down to her and gave her a warm smile, as if he was telling her to relax.
And not long after, they were already beside the middle aged man at the other end of the table.
"Father," Seijuro addressed the man.
The man acknowledged his son's presence as he folded the reading material and placed it on the table. He glanced up at Seijuro then to the lady beside him with a stoic expression. Sumiye flinched at the sudden eye contact, so she immediately held her head down as a sign of respect.
"Seijuro, Happy Birthday son." He greeted him and the redhead bowed his head, "Thank you father." As soon as he heard his response, he turned to look back to Sumiye once again, "And you are. . ?"
Sumiye flinched again as she heard that he was referring to her. She hastily held her head up again to meet Masaomi's eyes before introducing herself. "Akane Sumiye sir. My name is Akane Sumiye. It's nice to meet you sir." She was successful from not stammering as she bowed once again.
Hearing her tensed response made the man lightly laugh that made Sumiye surprised and anxious.
'Shit why did he laugh? Did I say something wrong?' Her eyes frantic as she was overthinking things.
Seijuro on the other hand as well as the other servants in the dining hall had their eyes wide from being surprised since this was the first time they hear him laugh in a long time. Even if it was just slight.
"Of course I know you're an Akane. I just wanted to know your first name." Masomi stated once again that brought her to a relief.
'But what does he mean that he knows I'm an Akane?' Sumiye had thought, but quickly brushed it off so she wouldn't seem aloof and embarrass herself.
"Take a seat." He ordered the two of them.
They did as told, Seijuro pulling out the chair beside him for her, giving her a soft look as if he's reassuring her that everything will be alright. Sumiye gave a smile while saying thank you. Seijuro took a seat beside his father right after.
"Now, let's dine in shall we?" Masaomi spoke, and after that, the three of them started to eat dinner with the various types of dishes placed on the table.
After having a few bites, Masaomi paused and glanced at Sumiye, "So Sumiye, how is your mother?" His sudden question made Sumiye appalled as to how this man knew her mother. Her eyes widened in shock as she held her head up to look at the man, pausing from taking another bite of her food. Seijuro halted as he was surprised as well, knowing that this was a sensitive topic for Sumiye.
She swallowed the lump she felt stuck in her throat, her nimble fingers slightly trembling as she held the fine cutlery. "H-how do you know my mother sir?" She stammered. Not because she wanted to cry from him mentioning her mother, but because she was still nervous.
'Did they already researched about me?' She thought.
The man blinked a couple of times before realizing that Sayuri probably never told her. "I assume that Sayuri never told you about her childhood, correct?" He asked and she answered a faint 'no sir', making him sigh. The man leaned back on his chair, taking more interest into the conversation, "Back in the day, Sayuri was a really close friend of Shiori." He states.
Sumiye's eyebrows creased a little because she did not know who the other person was. Noticing the confusion in her face, Seijuro leaned towards her and said, "Shiori is my mother." Sumiye's eyes widened as she mouthed an 'o'.
"And since they were close, I became close with Sayuri as well. However, as soon as we graduated from high school, we never heard from her again." Masaomi continued to explain. Sumiye bit her bottom lip as Seijuro glanced at her, nodding altogether as a gesture to tell him. "Well, you see sir. . . my mom. . . she passed away 2 years ago."
The man was bewildered from the sudden news as his eyes grew wider for a second before it returned to normal. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's alright sir."
The man heaved a sigh as he did not initiate a conversation further about her out of respect, and also because he was surprised from the news. Moreover, it has been more than 2 years and he only knew about it now? The air became tensed after that and if it wasn't for the servants coming in to place the 2-tier cake on the table, the silence wouldn't have been broken.
"Another one? Who's this from?" Masaomi, referred to the 2-tier cake placed on the center as he turned to Seijuro. "It's from Sumiye father. She made it." The redhead says proudly as he turned to look at Sumiye. A wide smile suddenly formed across the man's face as if he was expecting it.
"Ah I knew it. You really are an Akane." The man's sudden notion made Sumiye confused, her eyes furrowing as she took a sip of water from her glass.
"I'm sorry, but, what do you mean by that sir?" Sumiye questioned.
The sudden question made the man surprised from her lack of knowledge on the well-known families in Kyoto. "My, my, I assume that you have no idea how big of a name the Akane and Akashi is, correct?" He asked her and Sumiye suddenly felt nervous again from the sudden question. Seijuro was a little suspicious about it too so he turned to face Sumiye as well, but his expression was gentle unlike his father's.
Seijuro nodded his head at her, gesturing her to answer. She gulped before answering, "No sir. I was born and raised in America as to why I don't have an idea." She says all in one breath that started making her chest pound from all the pressure she was feeling from his father's eyes.
He wasn't glaring at her, but the way he looked seemed as if he's insinuating something.
"I understand now. Sayuri flew to America after graduation and had you there, correct?" Masaomi asked again, and Sumiye only nodded this time. "I see. Well since Sayuri probably never mentioned it, I'll be the one to speak of it." He paused as he took his glass and sipped wine from it.
"The Akashis and the Akanes are well-known families here in Japan for their businesses and amount of properties and stocks they own. The head of both families has been passed down from generation to generation so the flow of the business will continue." He paused.
"Now, the Akashis and Akanes have been business partners and in competition with each other from the beginning, so the relationship between us is merely for business. Although the previous generations planned on tying the knot between the two families to form an alliance, they decided to abolish that plan since the Akanes is still a competitor, and who knows what could happen with the dividing of shares and confidential matters if it releases into the public." He pauses again, leaning forward on to the table.
"You might ask, what is my purpose of telling you all this?" Masaomi asks, his tone changing from nonchalant to something more intimidating, as if threatening her, in which she did not fail to notice.
"It would affect both of the families and would cause our businesses to run down. Creditors who are in spite of the latter family would cease to invest in a larger corporation, let alone the two great families merging together."
Despite being new to this family business thing since Sumiye only knew about their family being a business tycoon a year ago, she was starting to get a grasp on what he's trying to point out. However, what was making her nervous was what she had in mind. She didn't want to jump into conclusions, but this is the only end point of his words.
"Although I am not against to what's between you and Seijuro, I just want to know one thing," The man paused yet again, making Sumiye more nervous than she already is.
She then glanced to the redhead beside her, trying to feel how he's taking this. Seijuro has a sharp mind and it wouldn't take long for him to process what his father is trying to say. What she wants to know is, how is he feeling about this?
The redhead's hand that was on top of the table was now squeezing her own hands that was resting on her lap. It was as if he was reassuring her, and at the same time he's being tensed and uneasy from what his father is about to say.
A grim aura was starting to form around Seijuro's father, his expression straight and seemed to be taunting her. Sumiye swallowed the lump she felt stuck in her throat, as her eyes frantically shaking.
"What are your intentions for dating my son?"
【To be Continued】