"Look at me, Rui," Takahashi-san tsked under her breath. "I heard from a business partner that the heir of the Haninozuka and Morinozuka families invited that commoner boy to their homes"
Rui flinched, keeping his head down at his dinner plate. "It's Thursday. When did this happen?"
His mother clicked her tongue, scraping at her plate with a knife. "Wednesday. Didn't you hear? My business partner caught sight of that blind, sickly commoner entering their limousines. Disgusting"
Rui didn't want to be here. He just wanted to play soccer. He braced himself.
"Do you think this is okay?" the woman taunted, drawing out her words. "That such elites are associated with a nothing? If someone as disgraceful as that commoner managed to get his hands on a business deal with the two most powerful martial arts estates, why can't you?"
"I told you," Rui quietly said. "I tried. Honey and Mori senpai just don't like me"
"I can tell" Takahashi-san scoffed, placing her glass down. "If I were them, I wouldn't like you either. You barely do anything. I would even say you've stooped lower than that commoner"
Rui kept his head down. He dug his nails into his palms underneath the table. "I'm sorry"
"Then act like it," his mother dryly laughed. "You're the heir to our company. Show some dignity. Make connections. Don't be such a waste"
"What do you want me to do?" Rui asked, lifting his eyes up meekly.
"Rise" was her answer. "Rise, and prosper"
After dinner, Rui retreated to his room. His steps were much too fast.
It wasn't fair, he repeated to himself over and over. It wasn't fair that his mother forced her views on him. It wasn't fair how easily Adriel made friends. It wasn't fair how much he yearned for his mother's approval.
Something needed to be done, Rui decided. He needed to make a drastic change, something that Adriel could never recover from. He tried increasing his medical bill, and to an extent, it worked for a few weeks. But it wasn't enough to separate Adriel from the host club, and that was the problem.
As long as Adriel had a remote connection to the hosts, word would get out to the aristocrats of Tokyo. He needed to be completely isolated for Rui's mother to stop talking. That's when 17 year old Rui Takahashi got a wonderful, devious idea.
He knew things that others didn't. He was strong, powerful, and knew how quickly gossip spread. Without a word, he began to plan in his head.
Survival of the fittest, as they say.
"Hikaru! You came this close to hitting Haruhi!" Tamaki growled, pointing accusingly at the ginger twin. "What, are you doing this on purpose?"
"It's your fault for missing my shot" Hikaru stuck his tongue out.
"Yeah, who knew you were so bad at keamari?" Kaoru snickered. "I bet Adriel would be better at this than you, and he literally has no coordination whatsoever"
"Excuse you?!" Tamaki shouted, cheeks red. "What are you talking about, he has great coordination!"
"That's what you're mad about?" Haruhi whispered off to the side.
"Don't be so sure about that, boss" Hikaru rolled his eyes. "I saw him take ten minutes trying to open his locker once because his hands were shaking so much. He's got no reflexes"
"Is that not a bit concerning?" Kyoya raised an eyebrow, noting the words in his head. He wished he brought his notebook outside for today's club activities.
YOU ARE READING
Silent Resilience
RomanceOHSHC x Male Amputee OC It was strange, honestly. Adreil had gotten strange stares everywhere he went. Perhaps it was due to his piercings, or his foreign appearance, or perhaps the single black glove that adorned his left hand. Yet, he never paid t...
