Little Tiger

Lunch with the sponsors

Kureno came in to wake me up at seven, and he was surprised to see that I was already awake; my eyes open and lying motionless on my bed. I had slept for maybe thirty minutes, but I had another nightmare so I stayed awake (whether I wanted to or not) for the rest of the night. 

"Oh," he said briskly. "Well, you're awake but you have to get up," he explained before leaving. 

I had to shower then put on makeup (I didn't have much, but it was enough to make me feel good about myself and cover up my eye bags), assuming it really was a requirement from Akito that I look cute. I put on the dress and the cardigan that I was given. I was completely right; they didn't fit.

Akari had safety pins in his office. I stole the whole box and pinned every piece of fabric on the back of the dress that the cardigan would cover. It fit after that, but it didn't make me look too flattering. 

The lunch was to start at ten and finish at one. I had never eaten lunch that early. I wanted to see Shigure before, but he had already left. I wondered if he even stayed the night. 

"The car's waiting outside," Kureno said after finding me with my head poked through the small opening I had made in Shigure's door. 

I jerked my head away and the door slid shut again with a harsh tap! as it became flush with the wall. 

"Okay," I said, fixing my hair and walking away from him. 

If he was curious about what I had been doing, I couldn't tell. "That dress is," his voice trailed off, "not well pinned," he finished slowly with a laugh. 

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye as he followed me out to the car. "Akito's going to love it," I said, meaning it as a joke but not delivering it like one. 

Kureno laughed again. I was impressed with myself for making him laugh twice in one conversation. 

He put his hand on my shoulder. "Just keep your head down and stay quiet. Eat with the proper utensils, no elbows on the table, don't slurp or burp or even cough, stand up and bow to the sponsors when they enter, and sit formally." 

"Akito's words?" I asked. 

He shook his head. "Mine." He took his hand off of my shoulder. "I had to go once before. It wasn't bad, but it was pretty nerve-wracking." 

"I'm surprised you're offering me advice," I said pleasantly. 

Kureno raised his eyebrows. "Surprised? Am I not normally kind to you?" he questioned. 

I was flabbergasted. Did he think he was? 

"I wouldn't say kind, but not mean either," I added the last part in a hurry, not wanting to write him as the villain. Though I could easily list off a few times where he was, in fact, terribly rude to me. 

Kureno smirked, then turned away to hide his laugh. I think the realization dawned on him. "Oops," he said carelessly, waving his hand at me. "I've just been in a bad mood recently. Not your fault, but you're the only one capable enough to handle bad tempers around here," he explained, as if that solved everything. 

I pursed my lips and nodded slowly, turning over his words. I didn't have the proper response to something like that. It seems my purpose in this world is being tolerant at everyone else's expense. 

"Is it about school?" I asked him, hoping to find the root of his problems so I didn't just keep blaming myself even though he told me not to. "Your bad mood, I mean."

He looked down at me, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Maybe," he replied. "I'll tell you some other time," he added hesitantly, like he didn't actually want to tell me 'some other time.'