Just Look into It

43. Careless Comment

"Miss Ryouka?" 

Ryo looked up from her book, catching Kyouya's gaze. "Yes?"

"It's starting to get late. Shall we head out?" he asked, closing his notebook. 

She blinked, remembering that since Tamaki had her room, she would be staying with Kyouya for the remainder of the trip. He had already explained that the summer home was currently empty since his family had to take care of too many things during the break to use it. 

"Ah, right. I'll grab my things." She quickly went up to Haruhi's room to grab a change of clothes. Luckily, Yuu was already fast asleep next to her cousin, who was reading. Haruhi winked at her as she grabbed her things. 

Ryo flushed and glared, hurrying from the room. 

Why was she so embarrassed? There was nothing going on. They had separate rooms after all, and his summer home was likely rather large. They were just two good friends staying in the same location to sleep. That was all. 

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked, leaning closer to her in the backseat. "Your face is rather red."

"I'm fine," she huffed, deciding to throw her cousin under the bus. "Haruhi was talking in her sleep and I overheard her say something rather embarrassing."

He smirked and leaned back. "I see. Am I correct in that you'll be keeping whatever was said a secret?" 

"Of course."

She glanced out the window, looking for a glimpse of the moon. Unfortunately, it seemed to be a bit too clouded. Faintly, she heard Kyouya sigh and relax back into the seat. He pulled off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes. 

She turned to look at him, pushing her hair back. "How are you feeling?"

"I am fine, Miss Ryouka. There's no need to worry about me."

Her eyes narrowed. "Excuse me. I'll ask regardless of whether you deem it necessary or not."

She turned back to the window. There wasn't much of a point in pushing at him. 

"Thank you. I am merely not looking forward to the events of tomorrow. I believe that Kaoru has something up his sleeve in regards to his 'date' with Haruhi."

She nodded. "Kaoru's likely to pull something so Hikaru will be forced to spend time with her instead."

"I see you're quite aware of his affection for her."

Ryo turned back to him. "They are close friends after all. It must have been weird for him to meet one of Haruhi's old friends."

He smirked and lightly shook his head. "I suppose."

"What?"

"I think you're missing the most important factor," Kyouya mused, putting his glasses back on. "Hikaru seems to be falling for our dear Haruhi."

"Oh." Ryo wasn't sure how to respond to the new information. She had figured that the twins were unused to having friends, and since Haruhi didn't do much else but study and work for the host club it made sense that her suddenly having a close friend threw them off. She supposed that explained why Kaoru seemed much calmer. "That... makes sense."

"We're here."

Sure enough, she found herself slightly in awe as she took in the Ootori's summer home. Despite knowing that it would likely be more of a manor than a vacation home, the size still threw her off. 

"Come on, I'll show you to your room," Kyouya piped up, smirking at her expression. 

"R-Right," she sputtered, hurrying after him. Despite knowing a number of the more influential families, she had never been to any of their estates aside from the beach home Kyouya had invited everyone to.

She couldn't stop herself from glancing around the halls. 

It was impressive, to say the least.

"I'll be in the room across from yours," he said, opening a door for her. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"I'm sure that I'll be fine," Ryo replied. She took a few steps into the room and looked back at where he was leaning in the doorway. "Thank you for allowing me to stay with you."

He smiled and she felt her chest tighten for a moment. "It's no problem. Will you be heading to sleep?"

She shook her head. "I'll probably stay up for a bit longer. You?"

"I've got some work to take care of as well."

Ryo nodded, adjusting the strap on her bag. "Alright. If you need something from me as well, just let me know. Goodnight, Kyouya."

"Goodnight, Miss Ryouka."

He closed the door behind him, leaving her alone. She sighed and set her things down, falling back onto the bed. It was ridiculously soft. Seeing no harm in it, she let herself simply lay there for a moment. 

Ryo checked the Ouran system for a moment before spending the rest of her time attempting to finish the book she had been loaned. She had changed into a pair of leggings and an oversized t-shirt and was curled up at the head of the bed. 

Slowly, she found herself re-reading sentences. It was getting harder to focus on the words on the page. She yawned, finally putting the book down on the nightstand. Before she could fall any further into sleep, a thud reached her ears. 

Instantly she was alert. 

Ryo inched her way to her door, rubbing at her eyes to try and clear her vision. When she pushed it open, the hall was dark and quiet. She noticed a faint light coming from under Kyouya's door but couldn't hear anything else. 

"Kyouya?" she quietly called out, darting across the hall to knock on his door. "Are you still awake?"

There was a silence that greeted her. 

"Yes, is something wrong?" he called back after a moment. "The door is unlocked."

Slowly, she pushed it open and peered inside. Kyouya was setting a small stack of books on his desk. 

"Are you alright?" she asked, remaining in the doorway. "I heard a thud."

He nodded, turning her way. "I knocked a few books from my desk is all. Did I wake you?"

Ryo yawned. "No."

"I find that a bit hard to believe," Kyouya replied, walking over to her. "You should get some rest."

"I was about to lay down."

He adjusted his glasses. "I see. My apologies."

"You don't have to apologize," she attempted to argue, yawning again. "I just wanted to make sure everything was alright."

He grinned, pushing a strand of hair from her face. "Thank you for the concern, Miss Ryouka."

She felt her face heat up and couldn't stop herself from muttering, "Whoa..."

"What was that?" he asked. 

Ryo jumped, taking a step back. "N-Nothing. Goodnight!"

She rushed back to her room, quickly shutting the door. She ripped off her glasses and covered her face, a low groan escaping her. 

Ryo wondered if she had ruined things between them with her careless comment. There was no way that he hadn't heard her.