AFTER THREE. LONG. YEARS. HAAAAH OH FYEAH WE'RE ALIVE AND (FEEBLY) KICKING. =)) #happydance #hurray

We sure did take our time hiatus-ing, huh.

BUT ANYWAY

Thanks for looooooooooooooong waiting, dear readers! (Could the long waiting be any more emphasized haha) Oh, don't want to further delay your reading so by all means, read on!

XIII. Hubbub

All the doctors were men.

They had been back to the hospital for days now, watching the charts that bore doctors' names, and Ryoma, ever the gallant one, went over every single French name there was out there only to realize that none of those pansy wastelands represented a female.

Well Giuseppe sounds feminine enough. Only with a wiggling coc—Ryoma glared as a boy of three bumped against his leg, his hospital gown too big for his plump shoulders. The lace was loose and half of his upper body was already showing that pale, European skin of his and Ryoma, ever the gallant one, merely scowled.

"Move," he ordered and kicked the kid lightly off his boots.

He expected the kid to cry, much less call for his mother yet the thought of praising his dentist resonated above all others—for the kid was biting his leg. And those damnable baby teeth felt like a tiger's.

"R-Ryoma-kun!" His cries of pain and anger as the kid bit him raw drowned the voice of his wife who, by any chance, had the audacity to stare at him with amusement in her eyes.

From a wheelchair.

The kid let go after a few minutes, sticking his tongue out and lashing at him in French so swift that he dared not translate it for himself. He eased himself up from the floor and glared at his limping leg, opting just to glare at the kid as he ran away. And the moment the kid bent the corner and snuck out of his view, Sakuno dared to chuckle and tell the nurse that she can leave them alone.

"They took the necessary tests, Ryoma-kun," she said without waiting for her husband to turn, knowing that he was still annoyed for being beaten by a kid two decades younger than he was. "But there was no doctor since you said—"

"They're all men," he countered and took her out of the wheelchair, an arm wrapped around her waist while the other pressed against her belly. The gesture made Sakuno blush and smile. "We're going back."

The honeymoon extended for a few weeks more since Ryoma, apparently, wasn't that much of the neglecting husband as the papers seemed to have connived. The juice regarding his wife becoming pregnant was spilled right after a fortnight and the lingering stares brought about by nurses, doctors and patients alike was something he dared not consider to be the resolute beginning of stories that circulated regarding how he got the balls to bang his wife and knock her up.

No. That was more of a job his father would gladly take. After all, he did pry too much regarding their sex lives.

"I've booked the tickets," he said as he assisted her, still on the lookout for the kid with the metal teeth, not wanting to add another bout of news on the paper about him and his paternity issues. He's had enough, as it is. "We're leaving tonight."

The seat strap wasn't that easy to put on, now that her belly was swollen (an exaggeration on his part, since she was only barely past her first trimester).

Sakuno was amused with how Ryoma tried to pull the strap on himself, cursing under his breath when he seemed to find difficulty with the contraption. She had told him a dozen times that they should ask the flight attendants yet first class only permitted male attendants since they were the senior ones.

And Ryoma, who was currently going a fit through her sudden pregnancy, decided to act as the macho husband who was always on the lookout for monstrous men.

The giggle erupted before she even had the chance to stop herself. And soon enough, came Ryoma's scowl of frustration, his ears red from embarrassment.

"May I?" the attendant asked with a smile on his face, making Sakuno wonder why Ryoma decided to just let go of the strap and brood by the window. Huh, she thought as she watched her husband, not minding the attendant as he snapped the strap easily enough. I'm getting more used to his emotions.

Maybe it was because of the hormones. Or the fact that they were officially…married. Sakuno blushed and hid her face beneath her pink scarf, trying not to remember the nights they spent cooped up within the walls of the Eiffel. Or the days, too, yet she hardly remembered the difference with Ryoma's mouth on her skin and his hands roaming all over her bod—

She blushed. And decided to just stay quiet, not noticing the way her husband's eyes seemed to note her with much amusement.

They arrived a few hours late, the airport channeling people close to nil and the conveyer belts housing a few bags left and right. Ryoma got himself a cart and let Sakuno hold it, towing their luggage and making his way out of the airport.

"Who's here for us?" his wife asked, a hand absentmindedly rubbing her belly. The gesture made his head feel a bit lighter.

"No one," he replied as he stood next to her, his hand clasped on hers as he pushed the trolley out of the airport. "I don't want any of them arou—"

"CHIBISUUKEEEEE!"

Ryoma stopped himself from vomiting the meal he last ate as embarrassment flooded his face. The few people left within the airport looked at him and pointed at the fool he calls his brother who, in no apparent reason, is screaming the stupid nickname at the top of his lungs with a board on his hand.

A board with names that he didn't even want to read.

Sakuno was flushed red in embarrassment as Ryoma dragged their trolley and his wife towards his brother, his eyes glaring daggers at the man who seemed to be rather enjoying his job. He was even waving profusely at them and when he noticed that they noticed him, he decided to change course and yell at beautiful women instead.

Ryoma considered kicking him like the way he kicked that three-year old a day ago but the teeth marks made him traumatized.

"Get the bags," he pushed the cart towards his brother and dragged Sakuno towards the old '69 Impala, opening the door and sitting himself and his wife at the back. If his brother decided to roleplay himself as a driver, then Ryoma would be oh so happyto oblige.

Ryoga noticed the dissatisfaction in his brother's face and smirked.

He had won this round. Mada mada dane, Chibisuke.

The drive was long and silent and Sakuno found herself dozing off on Ryoga's car. She could feel the way the lights flickered against her face, the smooth paving of the roads calming her and the stillness inside the car lulling her into a deep sleep. She barely felt the foreign hand that touched her stomach, another one bringing her head onto a shoulder, making her more comfortable as she lay. She was already half unconscious when she heard someone chuckle and felt her pillow tense, easing her way into a crevice and snuggling close to the warmth against the chill of the night. And the moment she felt lips against her head, she knew that she was dreaming.

She woke up on a different bed.

Sakuno sat up and hoped to see the chandelier and the satins that covered their four-poster bed, the intricate Victorian wallpapers that lined the walls and the lush carpet that covered the rich wooden floorboards. She opened her eyes and imagined herself back in the lush covers of the bedroom suite she was sleeping at for at least a month, the chill of France and the smell of cooking bread wafting through her nose.

Yet she was greeted by a plain twin-sized bed and walls painted in a plain dull blue, posters from torn tennis magazines and a rack of books that covered everything to know about the sport. She blinked once, twice, and even saw a picture of a Himalayan cat, a cap strewn lazily against an old computer desk and two worn-out tennis balls with markings so faded that she couldn't even decipher what was written.

The room was small—cozy even—and narrated a life of a teenage boy. It was as if it was never used all these years; preserved in a manner that would still capture the essence of the user even if he had left.

"Ryoma-kun," Sakuno whispered, knowing full well that this was his room.

Yet the owner was nowhere to be found and Sakuno, experiencing waves and waves of jetlag, could only lay herself to the covers and stare into the ceiling. She breathed deeply and smelled an aroma that was definitely his and a smile crept onto her lips.

She felt like a girl again.

"Sakuno!"

The voices made him turn, a scowl on his face. Sure, this'd be the first time since they came back from Paris, but Ryoma wasn't really in the best of moods to receive dunderheads like his friends.

Or in this occasion, her friends.

And yet his wife seemed too eager to talk to them and the small reassuring smile on her face was enough to keep him from shooing them away. He keenly watched as she swayed like a klutz towards her friends, scowling to himself and deciding to get himself something to drink. After all, he doesn't want to hear from those two—those friends of hers who were eager enough to hear details about their libidos.

"So, how was it?" Sakuno stared at Tomoka and An who had identical Cheshire cat grins plastered on their faces. This could not be good.

"How was what?" She decided to play dumb, avoiding their glares as she fumbled with her spring jacket.

"Please, don't play dumb," Tomoka glared harder as Sakuno's mouth remained shut. "Well, it should be fab, I mean… you didn't have anyone to bother you for three months. And huh, I gotta say, that nightgown should nailit."

"Uhuh," An nodded in agreement, her eyes glazed in a misty haze. "Three amazing months."

"I'm feeling quite the opposite actually." Sakuno frowned and imagined her last days with Ryoma. They were far from 'amazing' on her account.

"Eh?" The two girls stopped in their tracks and their glances side-tracked towards Ryoma.

"N-Not in that way!" Sakuno could feel her neck heating up, so she tried to maintain her frown to hide her embarrassment. "It's just—I feel… tired. Incredibly tired. All the time."

Tomoka and An's eyes suddenly gleamed brighter and Sakuno could only feel chills once the Cheshire grins began to erupt once more.

"Well, he does have a great stamina during tennis…" Tomoka started and grinned wider.

"Not to mention the wild temper…" An winked wantonly and giggled.

"He really did keep you up, didn't he?" Tomoka smirked playfully and watched as the blush covered Sakuno's face entirely.

"N-No!" Sakuno shook her head violently. "W-We actually only did it twice…and I only felt tired two days after." She whispered softly and that statement made her friends leave their fantasies and observe her in a scientific standpoint.

"Now that you mentioned it, you do look tired." An pressed her palm against her forehead and stared at Sakuno in confusion.

"And pale too," added Tomoka. "I mean look at you! You're—ah!"

"Hey, Tomo-chan, the news!"

"Sakuno! That must mean it's really true that you're—"

"Hey hey, now hold your horses, ladies," Nanjirou halted them with a grin, then positioned himself near Sakuno and held her by the waist. Great. And Ryoma-kun's gone too, Sakuno sighed and smiled wryly towards her father-in-law, greatly minding his leechy hands. "Shhhh, my most favorite daughter-in-law might be experiencing... morning sickness right now. Come on, sweetheart, why not give your daddy a—ow! Hey!"

"She's the only daughter-in-law you have, Oyaji." Ryoma grabbed the unopened Ponta can he whacked on his father's head. "And get your filthy hands off," he continued almost inaudibly, not bothering to comment on the 'morning sickness' part when it was clearly past noon.

"Correction, Chibisuke," Ryoga intervened just moments before Nanjirou decided to extract revenge. "His only daughter-in-law for now."

Ryoma smirked at his brother's antics, and was actually relieved that his father suddenly left Sakuno's side in order to relish the witty remark his older brother just made.

"Dear, should we get you home? You don't look too well." Sakuno's attention was diverted from her husband, who was currently being cornered by the trio (namely Momoshiro, Tomoka and An)—possibly for some juicy details since she didn't have the strength to tell them that, to Rinko, as the older woman smiled at her warily, with her grandmother in tow.

She could only pull a weak smile in return as she tried to keep her balance when a sudden tug somewhere inside her made her queasy. "T-That would be lovely, thank you."

She didn't bother to hear the rest after that, as the painful sensation from her stomach grew that it started to make her uneasy on her seat.

Great. So she needed to stand up.

Wait.

Maybe a glass of water. Or no, a quick trip to the washroom?

"I think I'll just—"

She wasn't able to finish what she was trying to say, as everything went black and silent, while protectively hugging her tummy for any possible impact.

There was a momentary silence, and then was their turn to look pale.

"Sakuno!"

"Are you alright sweetie?" a soft voice greeted Sakuno as soon as she opened her eyes feebly. There, she could vaguely see her mother-in-law beside her, caressing her head gently with a worried expression.

The smell…white room. Ah, a hospital. So I was brought here, she thought, as she feebly tried to sit up as she was too weak to even speak a word.

"Don't move much, dear," Rinko continued worryingly, lending her a hand to properly sit up. "It might worsen your condition. So stay put okay?"

"Come on Rinko, you're overreacting," Nanjirou commented as he scratched his nape. "Bet she was just tired because the bed we rented turned out to be so go—ow! Hey, why are you hitting me, old hag?"

"Why, you ask?" The older Ryuuzaki eyed him. "Well, your comments are not helping. And..."

"Hey, Sakuno. How do you feel?"

"We're worried sick here. Say some!"

"Apples, dear?"

And suddenly she was bombarded with questions. But instead of answering any of them, the first thing she uttered was—

"Where's Ryoma-kun?"

"Ah, Chibisuke?" Ryoga interrupted the silence with a smug smile, now taking the other side of the bed to snake an arm on both her shoulders. "Well, the doctor called him out. 'Yanno, husband stuff. But hey, since Chibisuke and I have so much in common – I'm more good-looking, though – it will be a pleasure, my dear sister-in-law…well, you can always use my shoulders when you're tired, or—"

"Or what?" all heads turned to Ryoma who was eyeing his brother vexingly.

A you're-so-going-down glare was what Ryoga received next, signalling him to give his dearest sister-in-law some space. "Ho ho, Chibisuke! Perfect timing, what did the doctor say?"

"…pregnant women are usually emotional, temperamental and spoiled, Echizen-san. And your wife is no exception to that, especially with the sensitive condition she has - more sensitive to normal cases probably due to the fact that it will be her first time being pregnant and expecting birth. Maa, for starters, just bear with the whines and complaints for now..."

Like I didn't know that, he wanted to reply, but for some reason, he couldn't. Who knew fatherhood could be more difficult that any Wimbledon final matches? He felt powerless (plus immediate guilt), that everything had to be dealt by Sakuno alone, and all he could do was to provide her chestnuts when she wanted to eat one.

"Nothing out of the ordinary," Ryoma replied nonchalantly to hide his internal battle, as he went beside his wife and massaged the bridge of his nose then closed his eyes after a half-relieved-half-exhausted sigh.

"What do you mean, 'nothing out of the ordinary,' Echizen-kun? The doctor talked to you for twenty minutes, and then it's nothing out of the ordinary? Your face screams bad news, for chrissakes! Tell us!" An gave him a series of exclamation, crossing her arms inquisitively.

"Come on tell us the details, Echizen!"

"Psch, I bet he's keeping it to himself," Nanjirou huffed after a shrug as he went to one of the couches. "Of course he feels totally guilty, which he should be, since it's his fault that his wife is—ow! Quit it with the hitting, old hag!"

And as everyone else continued to demand the reason of his downcast sighing, Sakuno herself turned to him and held his free hand with her nervous ones. "Is...Is there anything wrong, Ryoma-kun? Is the baby fine?"

"The baby's fine," then he looked down, avoiding any further stares like it was entirely his fault. "You're... not though."

Everyone's faces — except Sakuno — fell at his sudden announcement.

"What?"

"What do you mean? Sakuno's in danger?"

"The details! Tell us the detail, son!"

"How can you say it calmly, you heartless jerk!"

There was another sigh before he decided to recall what he remembered of the said twenty minutes. "He said something about sensitive pregnancy, further tests, and..." he paused as he got something from the side pocket of his blazer. "This."

"Don't worry though, nine months is such a short time. And…right, this might cheer you up."

There was another silence.

But this time, it was out of awe and happiness, that even the bedridden Sakuno felt a thousand times stronger.

"Here," Ryoma let her hold the picture from her most recent test, running the back of his index finger on the tip of his nose (a sign he's nervous, which Sakuno heard from his mother). "It's almost three months old. I didn't ask for the gender yet, since the doctor said you might want to hear that first."

Sakuno's face lightened (well, who wouldn't, anyway?), as she saw probably the softest expression her husband could have while staring down the photo of their soon-to-be child. "Thank you, Ryoma-ku—"

Feeling relieved that she didn't panic with the current matter at hand, he shushed her with his index finger, gaining his infamous smirk back. "Ryoma. And you should take care of yourself."

"I am."

"Well, you should, Mrs. Echizen."

"Whatever, Mr. Echizen."

Then came several catcalls, whistles, and smugly faces.

"Oh boy, isn't it so hot in here?"

"Hey, if you guys need some alone time, we can give you that."

And it only took two to three phrases of teasing before all of them was completely shooed out of Sakuno's white room.

Mou, Ryoma-kun.

Ryoma couldn't comprehend why he suddenly felt angry whenever someone visited Sakuno. True, she was experiencing a very sensitive pregnancy, but it just didn't make sense why everyone they knew should be making a fuss about it.

Sakuno was currently confined at the hospital since she experienced several versions of morning sickness and cramps days after they landed. Ryoma took his time to visit before; however, he devoted more to tennis practice since he missed so much due to their extended trip. But when his upperclassmen (not to mention Ryoga and his father too, much to his annoyance) knew of Sakuno's situation and demanded to rub their filthy hands on her stomach every five minutes (Plus something along the words of "Are you alright, Sakuno-chan? C'mere so I can give my grandchild a massage! How's that?" or "Sakuno-chan, I want to know if the baby's a boy or a girl before Chibisuke! Can I touch it?"), Ryoma immediately decided to stay by his wife's side instead. Well, if anything, it was an obvious declaration of their utmost desires to irritate every living bit of him.

His impulsive protectiveness did not remain unnoticed by Sakuno, yet she still relished the fact that her husband thought otherwise.

"Echizen-san, I'm here to take a look at your progress." A male doctor, too young for Ryoma's liking, smiled at Sakuno and ushered the nurse to bring in the equipment. "We'll just have to do an ultrasound and we'll be able to determine how exactly your baby is doing."

Sakuno had her cheeks dipped in red the moment the doctor's hands landed on the hem of her hospital gown. Ryoma scowled as he caressed her delicate skin and raised her gown higher and higher—

"I'll do that." Ryoma grabbed the sensor and swatted the doctor's hand at lightning speed. The doctor gulped in fear of what the legendary tennis star would do if he would ever defy his wishes, and so, he nodded swiftly and asked Ryoma to lift the robe up for him.

Ryoma did not like the idea of the bloke seeing Sakuno's skin (even if it's purely professional). He grabbed the gel from the nurse and shooed the medical personnel towards the other end of the bed—where the blanket covered Sakuno's exposed stomach from view.

"R-Ryoma-kun!" Sakuno pouted the moment the doctor ran through his terminologies and Ryoma rubbed the cool gel on her stomach. He smirked evilly and pinched her on her pelvis, making her yelp and shudder on the bed.

The doctor and the nurse were only allowed to explain the images formed on the screen above their heads. Ryoma did the ultrasound himself and glared whenever the doctor's slimy hands tried to probe the sensor out of his firm grip in order to do his assigned work. It didn't budge from Ryoma's hand, though.

"Why did you do that for?" Sakuno calmly asked as the fidgeting medical pair exited her room. "That wasn't very nice."

Ryoma ignored her question and picked up a stray magazine that was placed on the bedside table. He frowned when he realized that it was one of his father's and threw it at the open window. Sakuno lightly glared at him for his childish antics and decided to sleep in since he wasn't paying attention to her anyway.

Ryoma raised an eyebrow at Sakuno's sudden shift in behavior. She had her back facing him and was implying that she was already asleep. Being him, he regarded this as one of her foul moves to get him talking out of guilt; however, he had thought of a much greater plan than what she had in mind.

He climbed on the bed with a smug smile, as her body turned rigid. With his head supported by his hand, he watched carefully as Sakuno tried to squeeze her eyes and mouth shut, albeit the obvious awkwardness she felt because of Ryoma's close proximity. The blush was enough proof of that for him. Ryoma then placed his free arm around her waist and let it rest on the underside of her breast. Sakuno tried to shift farther, but his hold was tight.

"Hey," he whispered right into her ear and nipped it.

"The stupid doctor said that sex during pregnancy makes a healthy baby."

Sakuno gasped at his words and looked at him with mortified eyes. Ryoma relished her expression and chuckled darkly, his teeth grazing at her nape.

"We don't want a deformed child now, do we?" He pinned her on the bed and silenced her right after she squealed.

He really is Nanjirou's son.

"Echizen-san, I know you're in a stable condition for now, but don't strain yourself too much. You're currently, as I always say, in a vulnerable stage, and I would appreciate it if—"

"I understand, sensei," Sakuno replied reassuringly while wondering how many times she had heard of the warning. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of myself."

"Well, make sure you do."

After two weeks of constant tests and observation, her doctor, as per her request, reluctantly released her from the hospital—with the reason that she wouldn't be alone since her in-laws insisted they stay inside their household until the baby's born. But due to her current state, she was prohibited to continue her current work, even pointing out that she didn't even need to work in the first place, since her husband was a superstar after all.

It was a bit of depressing. She loved her workplace, her music class, and teaching itself. She actually felt a bit bad that she's nothing but sleep and feed herself. Not to mention Ryoma complied on the doctor's advice, deciding not to be against the idea.

That said, there wasn't anything to do, so Rinko decided to teach her several pregnancy do's and don'ts, which she preferred more since reading pregnancy books were making her tense than she already was. Her condition turned out to be better outside the hospital walls, but she still thought it was better that she was doing something apart from watching TV while opening her new bag of chestnuts ("I'll just go get some ingredients for tonight's dinner, dear. Why don't you call Ryoma and ask what time will he go home?").

After putting her phone down (Ryoma wouldn't be home 'til evening due to some arrangements, he said), she turned the television off with another sigh.

I wish...

"Ryuu. za. ki. sen. sei."

Oh, did the gods answer her prayers just now?

"E-Eh?" the splitting image of her best friend appeared in front of her as soon as she opened the door.

"Yuri-chan? And…"

And behind said girl, was her whole homeroom class. "Everyone! What are you doing here?"

"Greetings, Ryuuzaki-sensei. Here's the gentleman to save the day, Ji—"

"Aaaah will you just shut up, Jinta? Your voice is irritating me!"

"Hah, look who's talking. Isn't your voice the loudest?"

"Shut up! Like I need your opinion, idiot!"

"I should be the one saying that, idiot!"

"Mou, Jinta-kun, Yuri-chan, stop that."

"Che, annoying."

And before she knew it, her face donned a nostalgic smile, as the kids brought her back to the times when she was on junior high, watching Horio and Tomoka fight about the shallowest things, and her, well...

"How are you, sensei? Everyone else says you're quitting!" Yuri interrupted her train of thoughts. "Is it true?"

"Well..." The disappearance of her smile from earlier answered the child's query, but regained it soon after. Maa, she figured should let each of them know how she appreciated the sudden visit instead.

Though she couldn't help but ask, "You should be all at school, what's happening?"

"What else?" Tsukiyo crossed his arms in front of his chest, with his eyebrows scrunched as if he wasn't part of it all, "Of course we dit—"

Jinta laughed nervously as Yuri covered Tsukiyo's mouth, then followed suit. "Ohohoho. Sensei, sensei, chill. There had been a…"

"A...uh, the principal shortened classes for today!"

"R-Right, right! Because of the Foundation Day tomorrow. We finished early so we thought we could drop by," Jinta finished, followed by a silent "Whew, that was close" after. (The principal specifically asked them the secrecy, plus Echizen Ryoma's autograph, in exchange for a half-day.)

Albeit a bit unconvinced from the class's sudden behavior, she decided to shrug it off. (Since try as her might to hide it, she wanted to check up on how everyone's doing, too.) "I see. Um, would you like to come inside? I'll make you something."

"Yatta!"

Though, she silently hoped that her mother-in-law wouldn't be surprised from the sudden boom in her kitchen when she came back from shopping.

"I had fun today, thanks everyone."

Indeed she had, since she miraculously didn't fall ill while entertaining each of her student's questions, which came in every form of "Is your…husband around? He's so handsome! Can I have his autograph?" possible.

"I hope you come back soon, sensei! We'll miss you!"

"Same here. Take care on your way home!"

With one last wave, everyone of them slowly dispersed from her front porch, with the exception of the stoic boy, who has his cap covering his face, hands on both his pockets.

"Hey, something wro—" she was only able to react after the kid pulled back from kissing her cheeks, turning beet red immediately after. "Tsu...kiyo...kun?"

And "Payback...," was the only thing she got out of everything he said, feeling that she held her breath until the young man raised his hand and bid his goodbye with a timid (but still deep and stoic) "Ja."

The smell of coffee and paper wafted through the entire building that morning, just like it had always been. Certainly, for it was a newspaper publishing company after all. The atmosphere was unwelcoming, and with busy bees around, it wasn't really the place for smiles.

Yet, people started buzzing as a certain blond waltzed through the hallway with ease.

"You can't just go in there," a woman with round glasses stopped the man as he was about to enter a secluded room. "Do you even have an appointment with boss to—"

"Chill, babe," the blond said, touching the woman's chin with his left hand. "Your boss wanted me to go here."

"I'll go call him, wait—hey!"

The owner of the secluded room is on his late forties. His mood had been sour for the past weeks, since their business turned out to be down, which was quite the opposite of what he expected. The last scandal their paper exposed received negative feedbacks from the people and the press, that he couldn't help but to crease his brows as he read the published paper.

In simpler terms, he was so dead.

"Old man, we need to talk."

"Sir, I tried to stop him, but—"

"It's okay," the man affirmed, as he faced his secretary and raised a dismissive hand. "You can leave us alone."

"Right away, sir." And then the door closed, his visitor sat himself comfortably on one of the room's couches.

"This better be important. I don't really have much time to waste with anything rubbish today. And, really, I wouldn't bail you out from jail in case you'd start another libel case, again," the boss stated with utter sarcasm as he sipped his cold coffee and turned a page of today's paper, without even bothering to look to the direction of his intruder.

'Tsk, what an attitude. So this is what you get when you've got something big on your hands?' his guest muttered under his breath, yet his conniving smirk remained untouched.

And sure, he welcomed himself well. "I've got headline," he said as if foreseeing that this headline he was talking about would sell like pancakes.

But the other, which he referred as his boss, just replied a reluctant expression.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"Who would? You've been disgracing this company since who-knows-when. Don't tell me—"

"I've got evidence, how's that?"

"I don't know. I'll think about it."

"Come on. Do or die old man. I heard you're in a pinch. It wouldn't be lovely for you now, would it?"

"Watch your mouth, my day's ruined enough."

And as if on cue, said guest instantly got his hand on his pocket and put out a small gadget which, as he deduced, would be his boss's instant object of interest. "Well then, I'll hear your complaints after you hear this."

The older man then lightened his expression as soon as he took notice of the gadget. "Now we're talking. This better be good."

"Oh, you bet."

TBC.

Hee hee and you've just seen glimpse of Daddy!Ryoma. ;)) /jumping up and down for reaching 5k-words target

Marriage Menace would probably reach its end in three chapters or so (though let's not hope for another three years for the next update, yeah?). Again, we sincerely apologize for the long wait, but we hope you enjoyed this chapter! As always, reviews are very much loved and appreciated! Thanks for the readers who've come this far with us! ;u;

(Kemi: The muse was a gift for my birthday. /just turned a year older last April 4th haha Thanks dear co-writer~)