Over the next few days, midterms were held and completed without much incidence. Reiko and Kyoya put forth their greatest efforts into doing well on their exams but were secretly preoccupied with the events in their personal lives. The conversation regarding their engagement was to be held the evening midterms concluded and- although neither one would admit it- both of them wanted the conversation to go well.
"If I never see another exam in my life, it'll be too soon," Hikaru exclaimed as he walked into the club room.
Haruhi and Kaoru tailed in behind him, "It wasn't that bad Hikaru," the brunette said as she closed the door behind them. They were the last ones to enter as the rest of the hosts had finished their exams long before and were already in the room.
Reiko who had long since finished her exams and was making the others tea, raised an eyebrow. "Did you have a hard time with the exams?" she asked.
"He's only like that because he crammed all night for the tests and couldn't remember any of the material," Kaoru snickered. "I didn't think they were too difficult."
"Yeah, me either," Haruhi added.
Tamaki, who hadn't been paying much attention until he heard the first year's voice, threw himself on the younger girl and hugged her tightly. "That's because you're so smart Haruhi! Did you miss daddy while you were testing?" he asked.
"Please let go of me senpai," she deadpanned.
"Please forgive him Haruhi, he's missed you quite a bit over the past couple of days," Kyoya said as he sipped the tea Reiko had just poured him.
Immediately Tamaki peeled himself away from the brunette and whipped towards Kyoya. "THAT'S NOT WHY I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT! I WAS SIMPLY WORRIED FOR HARUHI SINCE THE ONLY PEOPLE SHE'S BEEN INTERACTING WITH ARE THOSE SHADY TWINS! IT'S PERFECTLY REASONABLE FOR A FATHER TO BE WORRIED FOR HIS DAUGHTER WHO'S GOT SUCH BAD INFLUENCES AROUND!" he shouted.
Reiko carefully poured another cup of tea and presented it to the club's president. "Here, Tamaki, why don't you drink this and calm down a little?" she asked in a soothing tone. She guided the blonde to one of the couches and set the teacup in front of him.
"Who cares about any of that?" Hikaru scoffed. "Tests are over. I say we go out and celebrate!"
"Celebrate? I don't think that's a bad idea at all Hikaru!" Tamaki exclaimed as he sipped his tea. "We deserve it after all the hard work we put in this week!"
"Why don't we go to a restaurant and have a celebratory dinner?" Kaoru suggested.
"I like that idea!" Honey- who had been quietly eating his cake- exclaimed. "What do you think Takashi?"
"Sure."
"Then it's settled. Tonight, the members of the Host Club will all have dinner together to celebrate our triumph over our midyear exams!" Tamaki exclaimed.
"Although the idea sounds lovely, I'm afraid I'll have to decline," Reiko interjected, pouring herself a cup of tea.
"Aww, you're not coming Rei-chan?" Honey asked.
"Unfortunately, I have a prior engagement this evening," she explained.
"I do as well," Kyoya added. "My father has asked me to accompany him to a meeting."
Tamaki visibly deflated. "Well, I guess if you're both busy, there's nothing we can do."
"I can't speak for Kyoya, but I certainly wouldn't mind if you went to celebrate without us."
"I wouldn't have a problem with it either."
"Is it really okay?" Haruhi asked.
"Yeah, going without you guys..." Kaoru started.
"Seems a bit weird..." Hikaru finished.
"It's perfectly fine. You all worked hard. You deserve to have a break," the silver-haired teen assured them.
"Alright then! The six of us will go out to dinner!" Tamaki amended.
The rest of the club members broke into excited chatter as they debated which restaurant they would go to that evening. Meanwhile, Reiko and Kyoya tidied up the club room so that everyone could leave quickly to prepare for their various events.
"I forgot your father had asked you to accompany him to the meeting," Reiko told him.
"I imagine it's to keep you company if you were to attend. I doubt I'll be asked to partake in the discussion."
"My apologies for leaving you alone."
Kyoya waved the comment away as he put away the last tea set. "An apology is unnecessary. We both have responsibilities we must fulfill."
"Yes, but it doesn't make for a very good impression," Reiko rolled her eyes thinking about how she would be spending her evening. "Believe me, if I could skip it, I would... but the individual was quite insistent."
The dark-haired male regarded her for a moment and once again found himself oddly satisfied by the look of displeasure on her face. Humming quietly in acknowledgement, he handed the silver-haired teen her school bag. "You are welcome to join us once you've finished your meeting."
Reiko gave the idea some thought as she waited for Kyoya to gather his things. "I suppose I could. Should I?" she wondered.
Kyoya placed his hand at the base of Reiko's spine as he approached her to lead them out of the clubroom. "It would give use to my presence."
"I'm sure you would find something to do without me there."
"Of course, though, I would like nothing more than to have the opportunity to entertain you."
She looked at him completely unamused. "Please don't speak to me like I'm one of your clients."
Kyoya's hand shifted on her back as he smirked at the comment. "You are infinitely more precious than any client of the Host Club."
Reiko tilted her head to look up at him. His eyes were bright with amusement but lacked the sincerity most others would have had saying such a thing. "The ladies here will have my head if they hear you speak such lies."
The second year pushed open the school's front entrance doors and held it for his companion to walk through. "I don't believe I said anything untrue," he said when he fell into step beside her once more.
At this, the silver-haired teen rolled her eyes but said nothing in response.
When they reached the car, Kyoya opened Reiko's door to help her inside. "Call me once you've finished your meeting and are on your way," he instructed.
Reiko nodded in agreement. "I'll see you this evening."
"Until then."
As soon as the car started rolling out of the school's driveway, Ryu- her chauffeur- handed her a black garment bag and a white shoe box with gold lettering. "For your appointment, Miss," he told her.
"Thank you Ryu. I'll put up the divider for now."
"Of course."
Once the privacy screen was up, the silver-haired teen quickly unzipped the garment bag and began stripping off her clothes. Having had several occasions where she had important business meetings right after school, Reiko had become quite adept at changing in the car. It wasn't the most glamorous skill, but it had proved to be a necessary one. Leaving her uniform on the limousine floor for a moment, Reiko slipped into the white shirt and black pantsuit careful not to wrinkle it. As soon as she switched her brown school shoes for a pair of heels, Reiko's phone dinged with an incoming message. It was the building receptionist telling her that her appointment had arrived and was waiting for her in the lobby.
"Ryu how far are we from the building?"
"Just a few minutes miss," he answered.
Reiko leaned back in her seat. "Good."
As soon as the car rolled into the valet entrance at the front of the building, the silver-haired teen walked briskly to the reception area scanning for her guest. When she spotted him, she was quick to approach, her white heels echoing as they clicked against the building's marble floors. "Mr. Suzuki?" she asked, standing in front of a man sitting on one of the armchairs. He was in his mid-thirties but probably could've passed for younger. His suit was a standard charcoal grey and made with high-quality material. It was tailored- she'd noticed- he had to be a good worker if he was making the money to afford such things. The only thing that threw her off was the way he was nervously bouncing his leg on the floor and quickly scrolling through his phone while not looking at anything on it.
Hearing his name, the man looked up. "Yes? May I help you?" he asked.
Reiko plastered a cordial smile on her face and held out her hand. "I'm the representative of Ishikawa Investments, I believe we have a meeting scheduled soon," she said.
Immediately Suzuki stood up and shook her hand. "Yes! Yes, of course; my apologies. My name is Amane Suzuki. It's a pleasure to meet you Miss..."
"Ishikawa, Reiko Ishikawa."
Amane's eyes widened, and for a moment, he stilled.
Reiko tilted her head and gestured to the elevators. "Shall we?"
It took a second, but the man nodded and quickly scurried after the teen as she led him to the executives' private elevator.
Giving the receptionist on the top floor a passing greeting, Reiko guided Suzuki into her office and sat at her desk. "Please sit," she said, gesturing to the chair in front of her.
"Ah yes, thank you."
"You're here to discuss the land acquisition matter, yes?" she asked. "I've been looking forward to speaking with you."
"The Saiko family is as well; I apologize on their behalf... had they known it was someone of your caliber they would be speaking to I'm sure they would've sent someone more qualified than I?"
Reiko shook her head. "It's perfectly fine; I'm sure we can get the process started at the very least."
"Yes!"
The meeting ran longer than she would've liked, but by the end of it she and Amane had drafted the preliminary contract conditions of acquiring the Saiko land. Checking her watch, she noticed that it was a quarter past six.
"Miss Ishikawa, may I ask why the company wants to purchase this land?"
"The land will be used for an up-and-coming project the Ishikawas are heading. More details will be available as we go through the land assessment process.
"Right, of course," he said.
Glancing through the documents they'd been reviewing together once more, Reiko decided this was all they could accomplish. "We'll continue to keep in touch, and you'll notify me when there's a good day to tour the area and come in with our assessors, won't you?" she asked, gathering the papers into a white plastic folder.
"Most certainly. I'll reach out to you within the following week."
"I'd appreciate it. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me this evening Mr. Suzuki. I look forward to hearing from you soon."
"Thank you! Here is my business card. It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Ishikawa."
Reiko took the card and glanced at it for a moment before placing it on her desk and grabbing her own. Handing it out to him, she shook his hand once more before buzzing for the receptionist to come in and escort him out.