The Girl Guitarist

Know-It-All

My father and I entered the Ootori household, led to the office of Mr. Ootori. I marveled at how simple the house was, for such a rich family. My father let himself inside the grand doors while I stood at the doorway, not even daring to follow my father. This was his business. Not mine. I was taught a good lesson about that a long time ago. "Ah, Mr. Kurosawa. How nice to have you over."

"It is my pleasure." My father's dark blue suit cringed as he bent down in respect.

Mr. Ootori held his hand toward me, smiling. "And Miss Kurosawa." Instantly my father's face turned hard. 

"Sorry for the nuisance."

Mr. Ootori laughed and gave me a genuine smile. "Not at all. Aren't you coming inside?"

"No, thank you. I'll stay out here."

"Very well. Help yourself around. " With that he closed the door, leaving me waiting in the hall.

----

"Hey, you must be Kurosawa's daughter!" A girl who resembled Kyoya somewhat came and sat next to me.

"Yes, I am." She smiled at me. She was obviously older than me and Kyoya, but still very young.

"They're going to be in there for a long time." I gave her a knowing look. "Why don't you come downstairs? That's where us youngsters hang out when we're not in our rooms." I wondered how young she really was. 

Before I could give her an answer, she pulled me this way and that. I tried to memorize where we were going, but I lost direction by the seventh turn. We stopped somewhere in the house, I didn't know where. I didn't really pay attention. My focus was on Kyoya. "Kyoya, look who I found!" She (gently) pushed me towards him and disappeared. I looked everywhere around me, but I couldn't find her anywhere. Meanwhile, Kyoya was working on his homework at a table with a light. The shadow it cast on his face frightened me. I took a step back and turned to try to find my way back.

"Miss Kurosawa." Just the sound of his voice scared me even more.

"You can call me Maiko." He looked up from his homework.

"Maiko, you will not be able to find your way back." I stared blankly at him, waiting for him to say something more. There was obvious tension emanating from him, but I didn't really feel tense. I don't know why people are so tense sometimes. "Our fathers will be in their meeting for long." Wtheck why was he talking in shady sentences? "You must have some homework that has to be finished." He looked back down at his homework and scooted them to make room. The result was a blank spot on the wooden table. . . for me? 

Tentatively I walked towards the table, kneeled down, placed my backpack on the floor, and took out my homework. Five minutes in, I was totally in the zone and working on my homework super quickly without any distractions. I was actually getting stuff done. I felt proud of myself. "That is third-year homework." Kyoya was looking at my notebook and my textbook.

I peeked at his. "So is that." 

"This is merely a warm-up." He adjusted his glasses awkwardly, as if to avoid further conversation.

I stared harder at his work. "Well you better fix numbers 4 and 7 of your 'warm-up.'" I smirked to myself. Totally pwned.

"They are simplifications of the common term," he retorted matter-of-factly while working on the next problem.

"Are you calling yourself simple-minded?" I challenged, not taking my eyes off of my homework. We both didn't need to look at each other to get at each other.

"I don't -"

"Maiko, there you are. Finally getting some homework done?" What did he mean? I get my homework done right on time, even if it means staying up all night. I balance my band and my school work. I balance it well. My father just wanted to make me seem like a rebellious average teenager, just because I was the youngest out of the four children he has. And I was the only girl. It annoyed me so much, but I didn't dare speak out against him. I clenched a side of the table, channeling my anger. I could sense the eyes of kyoya and Mr. Ootori on me. I needed to behave.