Chapter 26-Autumn Tea Festival
{read the A/N thank you very much :) }
THIRD PERSON POV
A slight buzz caused Akira to jolt awake. She stared at the chairwoman's message. She approved of her actions. Akira smiled. She decided against falling back asleep. She had to plan how to get all her fellow classmates out and into her car to be shipped off. In short, kidnapping.
She'd do anything for the annual event. Including her plans to use Hikari as bait for Kei. She had woke up extra early to carry out the kidnapping scheme. The event was four hours away from her current location, and she wanted to be there early to socialise. She wanted to wear one of her cocktail dresses, but the chairwoman wanted to show off the talents of the SA. Reporters would be there to snap a picture of the school logo, and the famous uniform.
"Miss?" the driver called out to her. "We've reached Tsuji Ryuu's apartment."
She rubbed her eyes. During the short ten minute drive to Ryuu's apartment, she had decided to catch up on some sleep. She couldn't be sleepy during event, she wanted to be wide awake, so she wouldn't miss a single thing.
Akira smiles, and gestures a few men to follow her. One of them handed her the robotic penguin. It would definitely attract Ryuu's attention. After all, Ryuu loved animals. In a sleepy state, it wouldn't be easy to tell the robot from the real thing. The robotic penguin was one of the most highly developed ones she had gotten her hands on with such short notice.
Once she was by Ryuu's doorstep, she could see light from underneath the door. Ryuu was awake, so her robot would work. She pressed the yellow button on her remote control, and penguin noises she obtained from a documentary began to play. Using the joystick, she started moving the robotic penguin, watching from behind a pillar to see what would happen.
Ryuu slowly came out, and he went after the penguin. Akira snapped her fingers and before Ryuu could do anything, a bag was placed over his head.
"Don't shout, Mr Tsuji. Your life is in no danger whatsoever. We will fetch your uniform for you and send you to the location." one of Akira's men said. Akira face palmed at her men's words, but did not utter a single sound.
Once Ryuu was out of earshot, Akira burst into laughter, clutching her stomach. She never knew her plan could work so well. Now, she still needed to grab the rest of the SA and be on her merry way.
One pancake was all it took to get Tadashi. Akira laughed so hard she spent five minutes tearing and laughing at the same time. The pancake was just a squishy, and it could appeal to the naïve boy as much as the real food could. Then she realised she didn't have any idea how to lure Nagisa, or the twins. She had prepared a fake festival poster for Hikari if she were to be awake.
Much to Akira's happiness, they were all sleeping. When she dropped by Hikari's, she too was fast asleep. Akira just hoped Kei was sleeping too. It was only a wish, it didn't come true.
Kei was never the easy person to grab. Akira could still recall the time where she had to stop Kei from winning, and even an attempt to kill him didn't work. She didn't really know what could distract him apart from the real Hikari, and he would still put up a fight then.
Even an idiot like Tadashi knew Kei couldn't be taken by force. Akira sighed. For the sake of her happiness, she had to do this. She refused to receive the punishments of disobeying the chairwoman. The consequences were never nice. Once, because of Tadashi's foolishness, they had to clean the entire school on their own, including the toilets. Tadashi himself faked sickness, but his own mother still dragged him to school by ear.
Akira's car was parked outside the Takishimas' big house. She tried to pinpoint Kei's room, and decided it was probably the one with light on. Taking her binoculars, she looked into the window, to find a familiar baby-faced man moving about. Akira sighed. It was his father.
With the help of one of her men, Akira was boosted over the wall and into Kei's backyard. She slowly unlocked the backdoor, and slipped in, it seemed too good to be true. It was too good to be true.
That is, until she made eye-contact with Takishima Kei himself.
"What do you think you're doing in my house?" he asks casually. Akira's brain goes haywire as she desperately thinks of a way to get Kei to follow her. She obviously couldn't kidnap him, and if she caused any harm to Hikari, her head would probably be lost from her shoulders for eternity.
Akira gulps, then decided the truth was easier to be said than to even think of getting Kei by force. She didn't have much of a choice after all.
"There's a one-day Autumn Tea Festival and the chairwoman agreed to let me go if the rest of the SA comes along. I have everyone in my car, well, except you." Akira says, trying to be as calm as possible. "Hikari might love it since its a festival..."
Before Akira could blink, Kei was out and ready to leave. Akira smiles to herself. Kei's Achilles' Heel was more powerful than she thought.
She snickered to herself as she thought of how Kei was going to explain to the rest of the SA of her plans. Kei had rushed into the car with the SA, and Akira took her own car. She looked out in amazement as she passed the gates of the Tea Garden. It was where the annual festival took place.
The Autumn Tea Festival was a gathering of tea lovers, as they welcomed autumn by drinking cooling iced tea, and soothing herbal teas as they talk about none other than tea. There were also snacks, appropriate tea time snacks that were to go along with whatever tea they would drink. The tea lovers wouldn't have it any other way.
To ensure the SA stayed, she had hired security guards, a few disguised as tea lovers who came for the event. The chairwoman herself even prepared security guards for her son, hinting that she would grace the event with her presence later that day.
She was grinning from ear to ear as she stepped out of her car. The festival began an hour ago, but everything was only nicely set-up now. She didn't care about her classmates who were trying to shoot lasers through their eyes, all directed right at her. She could feel the chills down her spine, but her pent-up excitement was overwhelming every emotion. She spotted Mrs Akane, wife of one of her father's airline tea suppliers. Before the SA reached her, she walked towards Mrs Akane and started a friendly conversation as they disappeared into the crowd. Akira smiled.
The job was no longer hers, but the security guards' responsibility. She could enjoy the entire festival without worries. Oh, she had such wishes. But as people say, those who wish upon stars are fools, as shooting stars already died millions of years ago, just like their dreams.
As much as Megumi wanted to scream, to momentarily turn all the people stunned so she could escape, but she could not. She had her voice so well-protected, but no matter how good she was, Jun's sore throat had passed on to her. She was fuming mad with her younger brother, and Jun felt guilty too. If he had not spread the virus to Megumi, they would all have been out by now.
What made things more frustrating was that men were guarding the area, instead of watch dogs, trapping the unwilling SA members in a prison only the tea lovers could call heaven. Namely Akira and all the fancily dressed people around.
"Where did Tadashi go?" Jun asks as they try to find another escape route. Somehow, Tadashi slipped away, probably munching on whatever pastry or food that could go along with the tea.
"I think he went off in the direction of food." Nagisa replies, raising an eyebrow in amusement. "Tea Festivals like this usually come along with food to go along with their tea. What makes you think they'd all be sipping tea all day?"
They met another dead end. Rose hedges were everywhere. As strong as they could all be, it wasn't worth it. The rose thorns were more widespread than the blood coloured flower itself. They had tried every single spot. The iron gates were too well guarded, none of them could come within a three-metre radius. They thought they were lucky to have passed a house, thinking there might be a form of transport to get them out. However, the stern lady had ushered them back into festival grounds before they could say anything.
A side gate didn't work, since they came face-to-face with Tadashi, who was trembling as the chairwoman grabbed him by the ear. It was pointless finding an escape since every attempt was hopeless, but the SA members, apart from Akira, didn't want to give up at all.
"I don't get why a tea drinking event could pass off as a festival." Hikari sighs, clearly not enjoying herself. Kei was instantly moody, having rubbed off Hikari's sour mood. They both just wandered off, still trying to find an escape route.
Kei couldn't help but grab Hikari's hand and squeeze it lightly. It was rare to see Hikari upset, and Kei wanted to do anything to make her usual happy self return. This time, she didn't do anything about her hand in his. Kei could see the slightest hint of blush on her face, and he was glad she felt a little of how he was truly feeling. Only time will tell if she would fully return his feelings for her.
Together, still hand in hand, they continue to find exits, any loopholes the event might have. However, they kept getting diverted by huge crowds of fancy dressed men and women, taking them back to square one. As hopeless as it seemed, they didn't want to give up. Giving up meant losing to Takishima for Hikari, and giving up would cause Kei his pride.
They could've pole vaulted over the ten-metre high iron gates, or climbed over the metal thorns and roses. Hikari sighed. She thought there would be a fun festival, turns out, there was absolutely nothing she could do, nothing she could use to challenge Takishima, except...
Kei knew Akira had something to do with their escape attempt. Because the chairwoman would never approve of her just leaving the SA at a tea festival to go her way. Kei believed the chairwoman's punishment would be worth Hikari's happiness. He couldn't care less of what the SA thought, he just wanted Hikari to smile.
"Takishima!" Hikari jumps, pointing a finger at Kei. "I challenge you to a tea drinking contest! The loser has to obey one command of the winner!"
Kei smiles, as Hikari issued the challenge. She could always come up with one wherever they were. He really liked that about her, since she'd always lose and he would benefit out of it.
He watched, as Hikari ran towards the nearest stop, which served tall glasses of iced tea. She then took two glasses and handed one to him, before chugging down the cool drink. He could tell she was determined. Then she grabbed his hand and moved to another stop, which had steaming hot tea.
Hikari burnt her tongue slightly, cursing at how the brownish tea scalded her. Kei smiled at her determination, but this was a competition he would win, as usual.
"Stop!" one of the regal ladies said as Hikari brought her fiftieth teacup to her lips. She turned to face the prim and proper looking woman, next to the chairwoman who was shaking her head in disbelief. "You can't just drink the tea as it is! You need snacks to go along with it. Drink slowly or you'll never enjoy tea like we do."
Then, the regal lady brings her teacup to her lips and sipped slowly, then she offered Hikari and Kei the butter cookies before taking a bite herself. The chairwoman sighed, thankful that it wasn't as embarrassing as catching her son feasting on all the food and causing a lot of disgrace to the Karino family and the academy.
"I drank forty-nine different teas!" Hikari exclaims once they finished at least sixty percent of the all the various teas being offered in the event. Kei smirks. He would always be number one, as long as he's not pitted against his cousin.
"Fifty different teas, plus an additional meat pie." he smiles proudly, and Hikari looks defeated, but yet she continues her usual determined self.
"I will beat you next time!" she says, pointing a finger at Kei, who just simply smiles in victory. He walked up to her, their faces inches away, breaths mixed together, making the area around their faces warmer than it was.
"I can give you one command, right?" Kei whispers. Hikari, slightly flustered at how close they were, could only nod.
"Then I command you to stop making everything a challenge and enjoy today with me."
Hikari gulps at Kei's words, but before she knew it, his face wasn't as close any longer, and he held her hand tightly as they walked around, just like how they did during the fireworks festival they went together during the summer holidays in Hawaii. As Hikari's density starts to reduce at a snail's pace, Kei could only hope that she would still stay the same but love him nonetheless.
Jun had a brilliant idea. He decided to take advantage of the festival. If they served soothing teas to welcome autumn, they would surely be one to help Megumi's sore throat, then, she would be able to sing. Jun whispered the idea to Megumi, and they both ran off.
It wasn't easy, since all the teas had complicating names the twins never bothered to remember when Akira introduced the various teas she served. They both regret not bothering, but it was too late for that. They would just have to walk around and find the correct tea. It wouldn't be that hard, if there wasn't over fifty different kinds of tea served in so many different styles with snacks from all over the world being displayed in the huge Tea Garden.
Every tea seemed like the right one, every tea looked the same to the twins, just that the tea was matched with something different. Meat pies, smoked salmon, fruit tarts, it was as if every tea had to be matched with something different. It wasn't easy to find out which one was a kind of herbal tea, much less the right one to help Megumi. The crowd that kept following them did no good in calming down the anxious siblings. As much as Megumi wanted to sing, the strain on her throat was too painful for even the slightest sound to be uttered.
Akira, on the other hand, was so excited! Mrs Akane introduced her to many other tea lovers, and showed her the latest combinations and creations she had made. She was elated to see the lady of Tea Garden recommend her some iced tea! She didn't care one bit about being out of place because she donned the SA uniform, she was honoured to be there, and probably wouldn't care if she were to be in her pyjamas.
This left Nagisa and Ryuu walking along the tea festival like lost puppies. Nagisa was trying to find and map, but to no avail. It was as if the tea lovers didn't need a map to navigate the huge Tea Garden. It didn't matter if the exit was locked, as long as it wasn't well-guarded. A lock could be easily picked open, considering that they were part of the talented Special A Class. Nagisa found herself alone with Ryuu once again, just like how they were during summer.
She never expected herself to be alone with Ryuu again. During summer, they spent so much together, and even took the same flight home! She didn't know what her relationship or friendship was with him any longer. They were childhood friends, she kept convincing herself. Their shoulders were just mere inches apart, and she had to control herself from moving her hands to touch her lips. Her lips he had kissed during the fireworks. She had to stay calm, and not bring back the flustered feelings she had then.
Ryuu enjoyed the closeness. Why wouldn't he not appreciate it? His palms were sweaty and them being alone kept bringing back the memory of his rash action. Nagisa seemed unaffected, so he didn't want to question or talk about it. He decided that there really wasn't much to hope about. Before they both realised, they were at the outskirts of the festival, which was just as lively as the main area.
Life went on, every detail in slow motion as Nagisa watched it unfold before her very eyes. Somehow, her body was not responding, making her unable to do anything at all.
Apparently one of the serving ladies tripped over a wire, causing the teapot in her hand to fall forwards. As if on instinct, Nagisa pushed the lady backwards so she would not fall into the scalding mess of hot tea and ceramic pieces. Nagisa panicked as she felt paralysed, the hot tea probably would scald her arms.
She couldn't blink, or even properly register what was going on. She was yanked backwards and spun around, colliding into someone's chest in a bone-crushing hug. Correction, Ryuu's bone-crushing hug. Ryuu winced as a little bit of scalding hot tea hit him, seeping through his blazer and shirt. Nagisa squirmed at his grip. "Are you okay, Ryuu?"
Ryuu nodded, still unwilling to loosen the iron grip he had on her. Even when Nagisa strained her neck to check on the service lady, who, thanks to Nagisa's shove at the nick of time, landed on the other side of the wretched wire instead of the site of the crashed teapot.
He didn't want to let her go. It was the smallest of things that would hurt a person. He wanted to protect her from all the risks, and the danger she would carelessly place herself in. He wanted to be the one to keep her safe. He always felt that security guards couldn't truly protect a person, since their job didn't require them to sacrifice their life.
He still held on to her as they stood at the same position, while the rest of the service staff cleaned up the mess. How could they be so reckless? Anyone could've suffered from slight burns with the scalding tea.
"Thank you, Ryuu. I was really shocked at your actions....and...uh, you....you...can let go of me...now." Nagisa says awkwardly in Ryuu's arms. Slowly, and reluctantly, Ryuu loosened his grip, and let go of Nagisa.
He could feel the tingles and the warm feeling slowly fade away, and he yearned to have her in his arms, safe from whatever harm that might come to her.
The loud whipping of the helicopter could be heard by everyone before it even reached the Tea Garden. Akira ignored the noise at the start, but once she could feel the wind blowing in a million directions, she glanced up, her face blanching at the sight.
She could recognise that helicopter anywhere. In fact, anyone could. "Takishima" was written in bold on both sides of the helicopter.
"Why is that helicopter of the Takishima family doing here in the Tea Garden?" Mrs Akane exclaims as the servants rushed around to ensure that everything was still in place and not blown off by the helicopters. "I don't even remember inviting them for this! Last I checked, Takishima Satoru isn't even fond of our tea ways..."
Akira couldn't look at Mrs Akane in the eye. The Tea Festival was ending in less than five hours. She was worried that if Kei and Nagisa left, she would be breaching the school rules. She knew the chairwoman was present, for there were no words of a boy on a food rampage. Akira was so lost in her thoughts, she let out a high-pitched squeal and jumped when an extremely familiar voice called her.
"You only need to worry about the rest, Akira." the chairwoman says calmly. "The Takishima cousins have a valid excuse to leave as of now."
Before Akira could respond, Mrs Akane stepped in. Mrs Penni Akane was one of the co-owners of the renowned Tea Garden, and had planned the event to perfection. She disliked how the event was interrupted, or the fact that the hovering helicopter was dampening the mood of the special, invitation-only festival. Only the prestigious and elite tea lovers could hand out invitations, and of course, powerful businessmen. She loved surprises as much as she loved tea, but she didn't appreciate surprises that would blow away her lovely festive decorations.
The Tea Garden might lose the prestigious title, with so many critics around.
"If you don't mind, Chairwoman Karino," Mrs Akane says as sweetly as possible, but there was a hint of annoyance in her voice. "Can you have whoever the Takishima family is requesting to be taken out of the event as soon as possible? The Autumn Tea Festival simply cannot continue with a distraction like that."
Akira could tell that Mrs Akane's patience was wearing thin. Yes, the woman was generous and down-to-earth with her business partners and respectable yet nice people, but she had her limits. Both Mrs Akane and the chairwoman were angry at each other. It clearly wasn't the chairwoman's fault, but Mrs Akane was certainly placing the blame on Mrs Karino. The angry tension was thick in the air, yet both women simply smiled at the other. Akira just hoped that the helicopter would take both cousins away as fast as possible to let the festival continue.
Kei. She would kill him one day, even if it ends up as an empty threat.
Kei felt the buzz of his phone before the ring tone played out. Reluctantly, he released his grip on Hikari's warm and comforting hand to pick it up. He was enjoying the one command over Hikari, until the phone call. "Hello, Takishima Kei speaking." Kei answers coldly. Before he could do anything, a titanium case was snapped around Kei's upper body, trapping his free hand. He couldn't do much but stare at Hikari and struggle as he was lifted up in the air and into the helicopter. He sees his cousin Nagisa seated next to him, her arms crossed as she frowned at him.
He followed her angry eyes, and saw the opened letter.
'Everyone in the Takishima family is invited to our family gathering, including our American in-laws, the Alberto's. We will meet at our London mansion.'
He glanced at his cousin, who just shook her head sadly and spoke.
"This isn't going to end well."
{published 25/10/2014}
A/N:
Well, as you can tell from the title...
I've joined the wattys for this year!
I'm not sure if I'd win or anything, but I want
the full wattpad experience.
Doesn't mean I think I might not win, means I'm not trying!
I do hope all you readers can share this (okay it seems too much)
Just hit the vote button and leave a little comments here and there...
That's all I really ask for...I guess :/
Continue the support, because I'm happy and well, trying to update more often than I already am not.
Enjoy reading!
P.S. the countdown is on! 6 chapters before this book ends :'(
P.P.S. major edits will happen once I finish, but the story won't change!
theonlyphyn <3