Unaware that she was providing any form of comfort to Sora, Haruhi sucked in a quiet but sharp breath. This was not really something she was trained to deal with, there was always a risk with wealthier families that drama could pop up, but she had been rather lucky up to this point, the worst she ever had to deal with was a few creeps that got banned from ever using the service again, and those incidents were quite minor, nothing traumatic enough for her to lose any sleep at night. This, well, this was so intense she felt that the air in the room could be cut with a knife. A steak knife, as it was too thick for much else. It was hard to breathe and she didn't even have context yet.

"You're awfully quiet. Have you learned to bite your tongue?"

Those words made Haruhi's jaw tighten, she wasn't Sora's actual girlfriend, she didn't even really know him, but the demeaning way that the man was speaking angered her. She had to bite her own tongue, but he could be certain that if she wasn't working right now she would have shot her own mouth off in Sora's defense. Who speaks to someone that way in public!? Haruhi hissed to herself, seething with rage she could not allow herself to channel, she was forced to bottle it up. She was here to support Sora as a date, not spew her opinions. She didn't actually have girlfriend privileges, nor did she adequately understand the situation to say anything at all. Unleashing her temper at this stage would likely only trouble her date, the exact opposite of what her job demanded from her.

"On the contrary."

This made Haruhi smile, the fact that Sora had the strength to say anything at all helping dwindle her own rage to a degree. Good job, Harigae-san. Nodding back, Haruhi released Sora slowly, unsure if she should, but it was necessary in order to claim a seat. Upon sitting down, Haruhi fixed her hair, eyes locked on the stranger in the room, fiery and just daring him to give her adequate reasoning to unleash herself upon him. The girl's expression as dangerous as that of a lion that is itching to turn on the cruel tamers at the circus.

"If you must know, I was stunned. It was difficult to word how stunned I was. Put simply, I was hoping we would never meet again."

Haruhi almost choked on her own breath at Sora's words, bringing her knuckles to her lips as she gathered herself. It was brazen, but she believed it to be an excellent jab. The other guy drew first blood anyway, so it was only fair to return the favor in kind. She would have said much worse, but Haruhi was often told that she was ruled by her heart rather than logic on most days.

"Now he is being pouty. He must really like you. I'll try not to third wheel for too long."

This made Haruhi's eyes switch between the two for a second, trying to figure out what the angle of that comment was. Was this guy just trying to get under her skin? To get a reaction out of Sora again? She doubted that he meant anything he was saying in that sentence, but if he believed they were a couple in actuality, that Sora actually had feelings for her, she was doing her job and Sora was doing a decent job acting as well, despite his issues with lying, "I would hope so." Haruhi responded with a gentle chuckle as if what he had said was basic knowledge. Reaching over, Haruhi first gave Sora's shoulder a squeeze as she leaned in, "Act natural..." she warned him, but he only had a fraction of a second before her lips met his cheek. It was the most affection she was allowed to show by the agency, but as they lived in Japan there was nothing peculiar about that. The country was pretty conservative where public displays of affection of any level were concerned. It was more alarming to see a couple kiss than to not, and it worked to their favor. Why would a girl that wasn't dating him go to that length in front of someone else? Reputation was highly important in Japan, especially for a woman.

"Mixed Sashimi platter and Miso Soup."

Tapping her cheek, Haruhi couldn't decide what to get, but she didn't linger, "I'll have the Shrimp Ankake Donburi with the Zucchini and Potatoes, please." While it was a simple dish, Haruhi had a secret weakness for shrimp. A powerful one. She was floored by the price, though she knew she should have expected as much. She'd been to restaurants of all calibers thanks to her unorthodox job, but it never ceased to amaze her how overinflated high rated restaurant prices were even if the dish wasn't complex to make. Still, she wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to have one of her absolute favorite morsels.

Taking a sip of her tea, Haruhi let out a contented sigh. Her throat was feeling quite dry due to the situation and the tea was quite soothing in that regard. The silence, although hardly a good thing was a welcome reprieve, although she knew it would hardly last.

"You said you had two guesses?"

The blonde simply nodded, taking another sip of the tea provided to them. She wasn't entirely thrilled to be the focus of the unknown man, but she would step up to the plate, she was being paid to support Sora after all and she wasn't a slacker, most notably when it came to her work.

"If I may, what were they? I promise to take no offense."

Placing her glass back down on the table gently, Haruhi closed her eyes for a moment, "Well..." she trailed off, giving herself a moment to steel herself for whatever would come next, the girl opened her honey-hued eyes, but by then Sora had interjected.

"He was my cousin and then my half brother and half-cousin as it was discovered my father had an affair with my mother's sister and now that he can stop hiding his hair color, he's become too proud about our resemblance to our father."

Haruhi found that the truth was quite a bit more complicated than she ever could have guessed. The girl shrugged off her observations. Anyone that looked at the two males could deduce that they were related, but she was hardly a detective, certainly not one with the practically psychic nature of Sherlock Holmes. She stood no chance of guessing all that, but she supposed that was the point. It was a game she was meant to lose, the cards stacked against her from 'go'.

"The truth is never pure and simple is it?"

"That is a flaw of humanity, not truth itself. Humans tend to be compulsive liars and it is a choice to butcher the truth, regardless of the intent behind it." Haruhi interjected this time, her eyes locked on the older of the two as she defended Sora's conviction despite how she voiced it could be a problem with their situation when they returned to school. She valued the truth, to an extent. She preferred it when possible, but there were circumstances where one would be destroyed if the truth came out, regardless of how innocent it was. Humans were a cruel race, there was nothing else to be said.

"Harigae, Koichi. I didn't know Sora-kun wouldn't be alone today but I thank you for your patience. There are family matters we must attend to whether he acknowledges me as family or not. He still carries the Harigae name. I hope you understand that family comes first before pleasure."

Although she was hesitant to give her real name, she did not use her real name on the girlfriend-for-hire website, so it seemed safe enough, "Morinozuka, Haruhi. I take family quite seriously." She stated fairly flat, obviously not to agree with him, it was a statement to her dedication to her own family, to Alexei.

"Sora-kun. I'll cut to the chase. Your adoption was never meant to last and in the event that it did, it was ensured that you would only be passed around under the Harigae name. Your uncle lured you here under the guise of a luncheon with his friends. It is actually a luncheon among family and deciding the successor. It comes down to you and I, me as the eldest and you for legitimacy."

Being of the middle class, Haruhi knew that there was a hierarchy, her family had ties to the Russian Mafia after all, and she could remember what it was like, albeit her memories felt more like dreams she'd had as a child and tried to recollect years later. It was distant, blurry. She'd naturally lost bits and pieces of her past over time as new memories were made. Still, her head was spinning as she tried to take in what Koichi was saying. Is he so wealthy that his family was this reminiscent of a J-drama? He was a potential heir to his family?

"Will you challenge me?"

With her breath catching in her throat, she couldn't imagine what Sora was going through. She didn't even have all the details, but she could tell that there was a lot of weight to that question. Sora's decision would be life-changing and they were only in high school! She didn't even know what colleges she wanted to apply to yet, or what career she would like to pursue and yet he was expected to make a decision like that on the spot when he was tricked in regards to the nature of this meeting altogether... Poor Harigae-san... I can't even imagine what he must be feeling... Haruhi thought to herself bitterly, unable to do much about such important family matters.

"I hate you all. Liars."

With her dark eyes flickering between Sora and Koichi, Haruhi placed her hand on Sora's beneath the table, giving it a firm squeeze, the only support she could really give him in front of his brother, she couldn't use her words much in fear of giving herself up as an imposter, "Are you so threatened by your younger brother that you must ambush him in such a way?" Haruhi stepped up to the plate, verbally challenging Koichi. It was certainly an overstep as a mere escort, but she wanted to give Sora a brief reprieve and she could certainly handle herself. She wasn't made of fragile glass, she had already been through quite a lot in her life, this man certainly could not break her, especially with words alone. It was nothing more than sticks and stones.

"What is the truth, really? There are so many sides to a story. Isn't the truth what we make of it? So, why not make it pretty and neatly packaged if it comforts the many?"

While Haruhi could agree that interpretation differed quite a bit, the truth could only be stretched so thin before it became a bold-faced lie. Truth always had the same essence at it's core, regardless of the telling, that she was certain of. She had told plenty of bold-faced lies, even one to Sora, but they were always told for her brother's best interest and her own well-being, it always came down to safety. She definitely didn't lie because she enjoyed it. Having to remember all the lies she told was exhausting work, "I disagree, lies you have to keep track of and they only pile up, becoming a mess, like yarn left alone with a kitten. When someone tells their truth, they don't have to rehearse it because it is their interpretation, not a deliberate deception." Haruhi knew she was being a hypocrite as she was trying to deceive Koichi, her job description was deception, but she respected Sora and his convictions, she didn't like that this guy was so aggressively attacking them to tear him down. It was a cheap tactic he was using in an attempt to weaken his competition and that left a bad taste in Haruhi's mouth, she couldn't just watch.

"No. Truth is one, paths are many. It's better to get hurt by the truth than comforted with a lie. Truth is not for comfort, it's for liberation."

While Haruhi did not know the source, she had heard the last part of the quote and she smiled as Sora used his intelligence to shut down his older brother. Why was she getting so involved with this? She'd seen families feud before during work, sure it wasn't quite to this scale, but she'd always held her tongue and done her job. She was legitimately getting angry over this though. I'm not his girlfriend and this is not my life, I get to walk away when all of this is said and done...I shouldn't have said nearly as much as I have already. Haruhi scolded herself.

"Just like now? How about I give you some time to mull it over with your lady? We'll be waiting for your answer. I'm sure you'll find your way."

Once Koichi had left, Haruhi released Sora's hand and let out a loud sigh of relief, "I hate that guy." she agreed, now that she could be a bit more honest. Still...she could tell that Sora was overwhelmed, and she knew she had no right to say anything about his predicament, he was the one that would have to live with his choice after all...but still she felt compelled to give her opinion, "My opinion doesn't mean anything... and I definitely don't know anything about anything regarding your family or your life... but just after meeting that guy... I would fight him tooth and nail for that spot, he's obviously threatened by you." Haruhi began, popping a single shrimp in her mouth before taking a sip of the green tea. She swallowed first before continuing, "The best way to make them pay, or to change the family is to lead it. You can do nothing from the bottom... Still, it is your life and only you can live it. It's up to you. I'll follow your lead, whatever you decide, and I apologize for my behavior. It was very unprofessional." It seemed her original intent to hold her tongue had long been thrown out the door. I just can't keep my damn mouth shut, can I? Haruhi thought to herself, exhausted by her inability to shut up when truly angered.