Chapter 344 - Familiar But Unexpected

Maki Yuuka sighed heavily before lifting the delicate china teacup from the table and placing it against her mouth. Normally, she would take time to inhale and appreciate the aroma of her coffee before drinking it, identifying whether it was earthy, spicy, floral, or nutty before taking a sip. She would then savor the taste, discerning the acidity, bitterness, sweetness, saltiness, and sourness of the drink.

Yes, she was somewhat of a connoisseur when it came to coffee, and it's her hobby to drop by different coffee shops to taste their fare. But the aficionado in her was absent at the moment. Her mind was still preoccupied with the conversation she heard in her father's study. She played their words over and over again in her head but still couldn't find anything that's totally alarming. But the way they had the conversation made it seem to her that it wasn't all there was to it – that there was some kind of hidden meaning, but she couldn't tell what it was.

She totally believed he was just being paranoid as well, and that she disturbed Chiaki for nothing. Even if the other woman ȧssured her that calling her was the right thing, she still couldn't shake the fact that she was being bothersome.

"Miss, would you like a refill?"

Huh?

Maki Yuuka glanced up from the table and saw a smiling waitress. She was too engrossed in her own world that she hadn't realized she had finished her cup of coffee. But glancing at the clock indicated that it hadn't been that long since she received her cup.

Urgh…

She internally ġrȯȧnėd. She loved to take her time enjoying her coffee because she liked the smell so much.

"Miss?" At the waitress' prompt, Maki Yuuka snapped out of reverie and smiled.

When her lips stretched into an upward bow, her already pretty face became more beautiful, that even the waitress blinked several times, starstruck.  For a mortal, her face was more than gorgeous that she could pass for an actress or a model.

"No, thank you," she told the server who blushed and bowed as she went away.

Yuuka declined another cup for Chiaki and Ara would come and pick her up soon. She didn't want to waste coffee, and she didn't want to make the girls wait for her to finish her second cup either.

Her decision was proven correct in a couple of minutes later. The door to the café opened, and Chiaki stepped, her eyes scanning the area for her. Yuuka stood up and waved to get her attention.

"Hey," Chiaki greeted, as the door opened again.

Yuuka already expected Ara to be there too, but she was surprised to see more people entered the door after her.

Huh?

She couldn't believe it. After Ara, in came familiar, yet unexpected faces making her confused at first before evolving into horrified as she finally recognized them.  

Kazehaya Gin.

There was no mistaking that very handsome and flamboyant man, although his coloring had changed somewhat, making the man look like a foreigner. He was followed a very tall red-head whom she totally didn't know. But the last man who entered the door made her heart stop.

A pair of cold, blue eyes met hers from across the room, and she shuddered.

Yuuka watched the group walk towards her, and she was thankful that she had sat down at some point in her shock as her legs felt like jelly. She was the Vice President of Axis Corporation and was used to meeting different prominent people, but the likes of Kazehaya Gin still intimidated her and the likes of Homura House's Koutaishidenka terrified her.

At least, with Gin, she'd get a smile before being murdered – figuratively, of course. The last time she checked, murder's still illegal in Japan.

But why were they together? She racked her brains for an answer as they came to her, but couldn't come up with anything.

"Sorry, did you wait long?" Chiaki asked, and Yuuka shook her head, but her voice got stuck in her throat.

"Are you alright?"Ara asked her, and she had to clear her throat twice before any sound came out.

"Y-yeah," she answered as he glanced at the men who were looking at her, and she felt like an insect under their gazes.

"Stop ogling her – you're scary," Ara scolded the men who averted their eyes immediately.

"I refuse to be tagged as scary as these two," Gin complained, indicating the others before he extended a hand towards Yuuka in a handshake. "I'm Kazehaya Gin."

Yuuka automatically took his hand and shook it with an awkward smile. "Maki Yuuka," she said.

"Ivan Alekseyevich, Gin's cousin," the redhead giant said as he too extended a hand for her to shake. He seemed friendly enough, and so she smiled and took it.

However, when the raven-haired man with blue eyes turned to her, her heart nearly stopped again. Why wasn't he smiling?

"Homura Ryuu," the man said briefly, and Yuuka nearly forgot to breathe when she shook hands with him.

"Relax, Ryuu only looks scary, but he's extremely docile," Gin teased her as the group sat with her at the table. Well, they actually had to pull another table so they could all fit.

Yuuka was unsure if he's jesting or not of course. Kazehaya Gin was someone who looked like he was never serious, after all. She didn't know how to respond.

"Ivan, get your coffee now for takeout. We won't be staying long," Ara told the redhead and Yuuka was surprised again at how close their relationship appeared to be.

Was the redhead foreigner Ara's boyfriend then? They acted comfortable with each other so it must be so.

"No, it's not him," Gin suddenly told her, startling her.

"E-Excuse me?" Yuuka was not sure, but it felt like Homura International's CEO just read her mind.  

"Ivan is not Alinea's boyfriend – it's him," Gin pointed at the quiet Homura Ryuu, and Yuuka's jaw dropped, bewildered.

"Who is Alinea?"