Snippet #2816205

"Threatened by me?"

Tapping her cheek, Haruhi took another bite as she mulled over how to respond. The meal presented to her was more than delightful, as expected when made by such a talented chef, but she could not truly enjoy it with everything going on... While she knew what she wanted to say to Sora, she wasn’t exactly great with her words, and she did not wish for him to misunderstand her with such a serious matter at hand. Sure, she was doing okay before with Koichi, but a lot of that was done without much thought, it was instinct! He had triggered her protective older sister mode. As an older sibling herself, someone with a younger brother of her own, Koichi’s treatment of Sora angered her so much that she said some things without filtering herself. It was the result of a spitfire reaction. A lot of that anger had dissipated after he left, so she was now left fumbling to explain herself.

Swallowing only her second bite from her plate, Haruhi resigned to the fact that Koichi had ruined the meal and there was no salvaging it, even for her. Considering the delicious shrimp in front of her, one of her favorite foods, it was an incredible feat. It was extremely difficult to sour Haruhi’s appetite, but the older man had pretty much succeeded. Sigh. What a pity... it looks so good.

A slender hand slid her plate away solemnly, Haruhi turning to face Sora, crossing her ankles before getting to business, ”You don’t see it?" She asked first, in pure disbelief. Haruhi did not know Sora well, but he picked up on her shoes, something most men would not notice, or even comment on... "He’s tearing into you so hard to ensure you’re subdued. He wants to squash your will to fight before the true fight even begins. He is afraid you’ll challenge him and someone might think it would make sense to name you the more fitting successor.” Haruhi did her best to put her thoughts in to words, closing her eyes to steal a moment to regroup in her head. She wasn’t personally experienced in this area, so she was incredibly nervous throwing her two cents out, but she had watched enough shows like ‘Heirs’ and ‘What's Wrong with Secretary Kim?’ to have a few theories. Sure, those were fake, tv shows, but she liked to think they were based off real scenarios, or at least inspired by incidents that the elite had to deal with.

It made them seem more human, having problems of their own to overcome, ”Think about it... why take this approach if he wasn’t trying to shake you up? And why would he need to if he wasn’t threatened by your claim to the succession? Haruhi challenged Sora's deductive ability, mostly to see if this all made sense to someone who actually knew the full circumstances or if she was completely off base. Regardless, she knew a bully when she saw one, and she understood bullies more than anyone given her personal experiences, "It isn’t physical, he’s intimidated that he might lose to you, in a more intellectual sense. He doesn’t want you at your best. it serves his purpose best to rattle the competition so everyone doubts their ability, in this case, you. Bullies tend to be insecure with themselves so they abuse others to feel strong.” Haruhi genuinely hoped he could see the things she picked up on after she finished explaining, because if he asked where she learned such things the truth was pretty embarrassing. She watched a lot of Asian dramas... many of which that had situations like this, brothers fighting over who will run the family and company... and there was always a villainous brother like Koichi. Haruhi knew she could be completely off base, but his elder brother was giving her strong vibes of insecurity, she would gladly pay the price if she was wrong. This had become a lot more complicated than easy money to help her brother. An older sibling was purposefully going out to destroy his younger brother and she couldn’t sit by and watch him succeed if Sora truly wanted to fight.

"Am I allowed to hug you?"

“Of course, it’s less scandalous than a kiss on the cheek after all. Such mild affections we are afforded for authenticity’s sake, if we don’t touch a little no one will believe that I’m your genuine date, even in Japan.” Haruhi nodded with a smile. It was the first time a client had asked if they were permitted to hug, the girl both amused and finding it a little heartwarming that he was taking the regulations of her job so seriously. Typically those born with money did not have much concern for the working class, and Haruhi never divulged her status as middle class. Her smile only faded when she realized that he was crying, blinking rapidly. She didn’t realize how out of the ordinary this was for Sora as they had only met once outside of this date.

Allowing her own arms to wrap around him, Haruhi stroked his back through his suit jacket. Deciding it was best to not comment on it, recalling her own brother was pretty embarrassed about crying even if it was just in front of his big sister. She wasn’t related to Sora, and they were all but perfect strangers, he seemed vulnerable enough, she wasn’t going to say anything to force his walls back up. You don’t seem to have one like Alexei does... so I guess I’ll be your protector, for today at the very least. Haruhi allowed her free hand to play with his hair a little, her own younger brother always found it pretty soothing.

"I have to go and face them now. If you still want to continue... Act natural."

The blonde’s lips curved into a smile, about to respond with confidence, but he’d shaken her up quite a bit himself with the latter part of his response. When his lips met her own cheek, she didn’t withdraw or make any embarrassing squeaks, but color did rise to her cheeks, even through her makeup, ”You’re something else... I said that in case it would surprise you. It is difficult for me to ask you if you are okay with something in front of an audience... but I’ll do my best to act natural~” Haruhi genuinely laughed a bit.

Standing up slowly, Haruhi smoothed her dress out, then fussed with her hair to ensure she was presentable for whatever they were to face after leaving this room, “Ready when you are.” she stated confidently. It was better to rip off the bandaid than to stress over it. She had no idea what they would face with his family, but she planned to do everything she could to make sure Sora’s plan, whatever that ended up being, go without a hitch. She was his date and intended to support him even if she became a target of their contempt as well. For today, I'll be your shelter. You aren't alone.