Chapter 7

The drive was awkward, Amaya glanced at the man next to her - her father's secretary - why was he so handsome? He looked so cool to her, with his sunglasses and hard face. He was just her type."Do you have any questions for me young Miss?"Being called out like that made her jolt and quickly look away "Ah-no!" She calmed her heart, he totally saw her checking him out. How embarrassing, she was so caught up in her embarrassment that she didn't notice the smile on his lips.She looks just like the missus..The secretary paid no heed to her and focused on the drive back.The Suzuki manor was a traditional bungalow with a spacious front courtyard. On arrival she could immediately hear the shouts of men and multiple thuds."My apologies for the noise young Miss." The secretary said as he ushered her into the compound. There were multiple men training, she felt so strange walking by.Walking into the house she was met with a stern looking man who had a custom cane in his hand, he stood stiffly as if he was waiting for her. Looking up she saw him and he felt his world had been reshaped. She looked exactly like her mother.His hands trembled but he said nothing, his eyes felt cold to her and she didn't know what to say."You are Amaya?" He finally asked.She nodded, "are you Mr Suzuki?""You can call me father.""Father.."His cold facade broke, he stumbled to her and hugged her tightly. Feeling his hug she realized how much this man has wanted to see her.She hugged him back.As the two reunited the front door opened and the sound of a bag hitting the floor and a gasp made the two look up."Dad?" It was the voice of a young girl.Her father looked up with a smile and he talked to the girl behind her. "Come in and meet your sister, Amaya.""Amaya?"Amaya turned around to meet her sister. "Chiyo?" She said with shock."Dad this can't be right? Why is she here?"Mr Suzuki clarified the situation, "I understand the both of you are in the same class? Before I met you and your mother I had Amaya, I haven't been able to see her for all these years, I'm just happy we are all reunited again."'She's a step daughter?'Amaya found this amusing, the princess of her class had her position threatened by a common street rat, her facial expression right now... was really ugly."Father.. maybe I should go back? I didn't mean to ruin your family." Amaya said with hurt looking eyes.Mr Suzuki frowned. "No, you will be staying here." He said firmly."But, my mother..""I will go speak to her personally, you are old enough to decide who you would prefer to live with, would you prefer to live with me?"Amaya stifled the growing smile on her face as she tried to keep up her innocent act. "Yes, father.""Then it's settled! Show her to her room."A maid stepped forward and led Amaya away, she took one more look at chiyo's expression and felt satisfied.'You watched my live a living hell, I wonder if you'll be able to sit still now I have everything you have.'[Don't forget, Arthur is coming tomorrow to give you this week's notes.]Amaya nodded, she almost forgot, she had been looking forward to seeing Arthur all week, it was like meeting an old friend."Here is your room, first Miss."She was taken to a beautifully decorated princess room with a canopy bed. This room was as big as her entire apartment with an ensuit. She tried not to look amazed but she was, she walked to her bed and sat down on the mattress, it felt like heaven."First Miss, dinner is served at seven, please don't be late." She heard a hint of condescension from the maid's voice but she didn't care, she knew it wouldn't be able to just take the place of the Suzuki princess, everyone looked at her like a pheasant disguising herself as a Phoenix but with time they'll see who the fish eye is and who's the pearl.Dinner was quite. Her father's current wife was a blonde woman with her hair in a tight bun. Her father was notably missing from the table so it was just her step mother and Chiyo.Her step mother opted to pretend she didn't exist and Amaya had no need for her motherly love and so dinner was eaten in complete silence. After eating she didn't bother to wait for them and left to go to her room."What a rude child." Mrs Suzuki muttered seeing her leave.Chiyo said nothing and stared at her plate.·͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙Mr. Suzuki got out of the black car in front of the small terraced house where his daughter had lived. He knocked on the door, which opened to reveal her standing there, looking back at him. She was still as beautiful as ever, with her brown eyes and brown hair."What are you doing here, Kaito?" she asked, her voice laced with malice. He deserved it; when she was pregnant with their child, he had taken back his promise to marry her in favor of marrying someone his family arranged for him."I just want to say she's with me," he said."What do you mean she's with you? You can't just take her! You can't just take whatever you want!" She was livid. How dare he show up and just take her daughter.Mr. Suzuki smelled the strong scent of alcohol, and his eyes saddened. "You're drinking again?"She scoffed at his concern. "It's been seventeen years, Kaito. Seventeen years.""I know. I'm going to make it up to her. She said she wanted to stay with me, so I won't chase her away."She felt her heart squeeze at his words. "You show up here after all these years, and you only talk about that child. What about me?" Her voice broke. When he left her, she was in pieces and had to pick up those pieces over the years."We broke up amicably. I don't owe you anything, but I owe Amaya."She laughed bitterly, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Take her. At least now I can live my life in peace."Her words were hurtful, and he was glad he came alone. Amaya shouldn't have to hear words like that.·͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙The next morning, Amaya woke up to the soft light of dawn filtering through the curtains. She stretched, feeling the comfort of the soft bed beneath her. The room was quiet, a stark contrast to the noise and chaos she was used to.She got up and walked to the window, looking out at the peaceful courtyard below. The sound of birds chirping and the sight of the well-maintained garden made her smile. This place was so different from the small, dingy house she had lived in with her mother.After a quick shower, she looked at the clothes in her wardrobe; they were all so expensive. She picked out a dress to go out casually, a light blue dress with a cowmaid neckline. She took her school bag and stuffed it with the new laptop left on her desk and textbooks. Coming downstairs, she saw her father was already up, reading a newspaper."Good morning, Father!" she said cheerfully, running up to him. She knew she needed to suck up to him as the head of the household; no one else would be on her side."Good morning, Amaya. I hope you slept well," he said with a smile. "Are you going out?"She nodded. "My classmate was meant to deliver some notes to me today. We're going to study together at the library so I'm not behind in school."Mr. Suzuki nodded. He was aware of her suspension and had a vague idea of the bullying but didn't ask her in case it ruined her good mood. "Take the driver with you; you can call him when you're done to pick you up too." He felt better knowing she wasn't unprotected."No, it's okay! I prefer public transport. I'll be heading off now!" she said, not giving him a chance to speak."Wait! At least take some money with you!"That made her stop in her tracks and turn back. He handed her a card for her to use. "Just tell me if it runs low."'Holy shit, I've made it!'"Yes, Father!" Having money was really the best! She needed to buy herself some gold so she could truly feel comfortable.[You're really a leprechaun.]She skipped outside. There were no men training today, possibly having a day off. She was in such a good mood that Arthur, who had been waiting outside her house for someone to answer, wondered if she had won the lottery."Good morning, Arthur~" she said, approaching him."Good morning, Suzuki-san," he replied, a bit taken aback by her cheerful demeanour. "You seem really happy today.""Of course! It's a beautiful day, and I'm excited to study. Plus, I got some good news," she said, twirling a little in her dress.Arthur smiled, a bit shyly. "I'm glad to see you in such high spirits. Shall we go?"They made their way to the library, chatting casually.They made their way to the library, and as they walked, Amaya brought up the upcoming exams. "I feel like I'm so behind, especially with the suspension. How are you handling the exam prep, Arthur?"Arthur adjusted his bag on his shoulder. "It's been stressful, but manageable. I'm focusing a lot on math and science. Those are the subjects that need the most attention."Amaya nodded. "Math is definitely a challenge for me. I've been trying to go through the textbook, but sometimes it just doesn't make sense."Arthur chuckled. "Math can be tricky, but once you understand the concepts, it gets easier. I can help you with that. What about history and literature? How are you doing in those?""Literature is okay, I guess. I enjoy reading, so it helps. History, though... dates and events just don't stick in my head," she admitted."Flashcards might help with history. Breaking it down into smaller, manageable parts makes it easier to remember," Arthur suggested. "We can go over some of that today if you want.""You're so studios, I'm jealous, I want to be like you." Arthur laughed nervously; he wouldn't wish his life on anyone else. Having freedom to him would always be better. But at least being with her felt like a pocket of air for him to breath in. "Don't worry Suzuki-san, you will do great!" "Why do you keep calling me Suzuki-san, just call me Amaya.." She whined causing him to feel flustered. "A-Amaya.." He stuttered. She smiled brightly. "See just call me Amaya, we're friends anyway!" Friends?His heart beat as he nodded. Having friends sound...nice. [You guys make me cringe.]Arthur thought he heard something, "did you say something?" he asked. "Ah, no?" Amaya said a bit confused. The system was silent for a second, the first time is a coincidence, the second time it couldn't be, could he see it? Was he really a bug?