All You Need Is Me. (Yaoi.)

Chapter Ten.

Lyric sat at the dinner table with Vance, Hikaru, and Mr. Intukai. And three other men who had been introduced as, Mr. Tsuzuki, Mr. Kuraski, and Mr. Huang. The adults were chatting lightly as Vance and Lyric ate in silence.

"So, Lyric," Mr. Intukai spoke up. "I hear you've been tutoring my son."

Lyric set down his chopsticks. "Yes, sir. I have." He answered politely.

"How has it been going?" Mr. Intukai asked.

Lyric placed his hands in his lap. "Quite well, I believe. In fact, he had a test today."

"A test? What did you get on your test, Vance?" Mr. Intukai asked.

Vance pulled the neatly folded paper from his pocket and held it out to his father. "Here."

Mr. Intukai unfolded the paper and glanced it over. "I suppose it isn't terrible."

Vance sighed. "It's better than usual."

"But it's not an A," Mr. Intukai folded it back up.

Lyric frowned. He knew it wasn't his place to intervene, but he spoke. "Be that as it may, but Vance studied more than needed, Sir."

Mr. Intukai handed the paper back to Vance. "That's a first," Mr. Intukai said, chuckling.

Vance rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the appreciation, dad."

Sensing that this conversation could possibly take a turn for the worse, Hikaru spoke up. "Who wants desert? I made cookies." She stood and walked into the kitchen.

"Vance, I would appreciate it more if you got a proper grade," Mr. Intukai dabbed at his lips with a napkin.

Vance nodded. "Right. I guess it isn't enough to get a B rather than a D. Nothing's right unless it's perfect, huh, dad?" He said cooly as he took a bite of the noodles.

"It has nothing to do with perfection. Just the fact that you hadn't aced it," His father retorted.

Lyric clenched his fists in his lap. ~No wonder why Vance doesn't ever study. He thinks his father won't be proud of him, so he gave up on trying.~ "Vance needs encouragement," Lyric said. "If you get upset with his grades, he has no reason to try harder. You're making him think that no matter what, he's a failure."

Vance shook his head in Lyric's direction. ~Stop...! Don't go there...!~

"I really don't think you have the right to tell me what my son needs." Mr. Intukai shrugged.

"Maybe not, but that does not imply that I'm wrong," Lyric replied.

"So I'm wrong?" Mr. Intukai raised an eyebrow as he looked at Lyric.

"I never said that. But how do you expect your son to improve if you don't give him any support?" Lyric asked.

Mr. Intukai narrowed his eyes. "And your father? He motivates you?"

Lyric faltered slightly, but he gave a disdainful twitch of his nose. "My father works away from home. He's decided that I don't exist."

Mr. Intukai frowned. "What did you say your last name was?"

"Kadoya," Lyric said.

"Is your father, Shou Kadoya?" Mr. Intukai asked.

The colleagues who had been pretending not to listen, suddenly snapped their heads up at the name.

Lyric nodded. "Yes. That's him."

"Do you have any idea how famous your parents are in the business world?" Mr. Intukai asked, staring at Lyric with a slightly shocked expression.