✔ | DETECTIVE TENNIS 1: The Targeted Tennis Player Of Seigaku

13: Sacred Items & The Miyuzaki Family

~' I wasn't angry at my father because of keeping the truth from me about his friend who happened to be Rin-chan's father. I wasn't angry at all. I knew he was saving his best friend from the danger that he never thought his friend was dealing with.

'Now I knew how hard it was for him to protect his friend and us at the same time. After he learned that I became involved in his previous predicament, he kept on saying sorry. I just let him, though. This was the first time I saw Oyaji this seriously and I can feel it.

'But right now, I was far more concerned about the Miyuzaki clan's involvement, or so they said. Who were they, anyway? And what did they have to do with Rin-chan's family that I didn't know? I wanted to know about it.

'I wanted to know everything and everyone that surrounded the girl who saved me from near death.

'I don't know why I wanted to do that. Maybe... I wanted to be a part of Rin-chan's life at the very least. And if there was something I want to do, that would be... I didn't want her to be sad anymore...'~

-x-x-

"It seems you're still not with us, Ryoma-kun."

Ryoma was startled by that. He saw everyone looking at him. He just shook his head for them not to worry about anything at all. After that, he faced Shouko.

"Umm... may I ask you a question? If you don't mind, that is..." he inquired, unwaveringly facing Nanako's friend.

"Of course, it's okay. What are you going to ask about, anyway?"

It took him a while to gather his courage and asked her a question. Man, this wasn't like him! This might be the first time that asking a personal question would be hard for him.

"I want to know how exactly are you connected to the Shinomiya family. It seems to me that you and Miyuzaki-sensei, even Yanai-sensei, are not simply acting as Rin-chan's guardians and friends."

He saw Shouko's shocked look while facing him.

"Ryoma-san, isn't that a bit too much to ask to her?" Nanako asked nervously.

But he didn't even twitch from his place one bit. Everyone in that house could see that he was determined to know the answer to his question.

He saw Shouko sigh and faced Yuusaku and Yukiko.

"Yuusaku-sama, Yukiko-sama, forgive me. But I think it's time for me to tell you all about the people surrounding and supposedly protecting the Shinomiya family. And that includes my role to the family, as well."

"What do you mean by that? Aren't you just working as a private investigator to blow the Dark Rose's cover?" Yukiko confusingly asked Shouko.

"Part of it was true. I do want to blow the Dark Rose's cover since that's what I promised to Rin-chan before. In addition to that, the Miyuzaki clan also acts as bodyguards to the Shinomiya family... eliminating all dangers that might befall the family in the process. Among them was the Dark Rose Agency."

"WHAT?!" All of them exclaimed.

"The previous members of the Miyuzaki clan were always assigned to assassinate all the people that could cause danger to the people they were protecting. A noble clan by day, contract bodyguards by night—that's originally the duties of the Miyuzaki family. Our clan had been like that for centuries. We're indeed the ones who choose the people or family that we want to protect. But it's also a part of us that we would do whatever our masters have asked us to do, even if it was against our will. Every member of the clan must make that vow. Oftentimes, members of the clan were usually assigned secret missions before, to kill some mercilessly that was considered eyesores or hindrances to the previous members' masters." After that, she sighed.