A Flavor to Love

17-1

"My head is dizzy..," Kazuto complained before Akio who was busy fiddling with the colored ruby box in his hand. "Why does your uncle love to torture people?"

"What do you mean?" Akio smiled slightly in response to Kazuto without turning his head towards him. Secretary Akio went inside to deliver an order of companion snacks and drinks in front of them in his study.

"Professor Fujiwara, your uncle has always made it easier for you in academic affairs while for me otherwise?" Kazuto ruffled his brown hair. "It's not fair!"

"My uncle is not that kind of person Kazuto, he really upholds his professionalism as a lecturer there," Akio smiled slightly mockingly as he continued to focus on his ruby box. "Blame the composition of your mediocre brain!"

"About!" Kazuto protest was unacceptable. "If my brain is mediocre, there's no way my father's business and ours are still running smoothly!"

"Yes.yes.yes." replied Akio casually, a small change that stole a little attention from Kazuto. How not, after a few days he saw the face of Akio who was like the end of the world as if his life flew somewhere because of a very deep suffering, which was very deep, today that expression did not appear at all on his cold face. Akio was so relaxed and smiled often. It was a rare sight for him.

"Wait a minute, have I missed anything?" Kazuto asked curiously. Somehow, he has not complained about his script which is still being revised by Aki Fujiwara, one of the important professors at the University of Tokyo. Akio's blissful face attracted more attention.

"Missed what?" Akio raised his right eyebrow.

"Don't play with secrets, let emotions know!" Kazuto picked up a snack of chocolate biscuits available in front of him and ate it. One of the reasons why he prefers to visit Akio's workspace over his workspace. His best friend has a special pattisier to make snacks owned by Akio and the higher-ups in the company Fujiwara Enterprise.

"Pufft, just a plan that I hope goes well..," Akio stopped the game with a ruby box in his hand and smiled as he looked towards the large glass window behind Kazuto. His mind drifted far away somewhere.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Yutaka, if we invite you to meet in a place like this," Daiki and Rea bow to greet Yutaka who came in the company of a trusted butler, Kouki Asahi, to a traditional Japanese restaurant on the outskirts of Tokyo. "We've just returned from a vacation in Shirakawa-go accompanying our daughter whom we rarely visit."

"It's okay, it's precisely me who is grateful for taking your precious time to meet this old Grandfather," Yutaka sat face to face with Daiki and Rea. But..hey, where is Kirana?

Before long the food that Rea had ordered came. A set of premium quality shabu-shabu with wagyu meat that is already famous as the best quality beef in its class.

"I'm sorry if my request is sudden to you two" Yutaka continued. "Akio who incidentally did not want to be tied to any girl suddenly asked me to submit a matchmaking proposal for your daughter who apologized, I myself have never met. I also actually gave up when your son rejected this matchmaking proposal outright."

Daiki and Rea stared at each other meaningfully and then responded to Yutaka with an appreciative smile.

"We understand...,"

"What do you mean Akio? How come I smelled the scent of a dirty trick huh..," Kazuto squinted his two eyes in search of something that Akio was hiding.

"Just kid!" Akio stopped his ruby box tinkering activity and smacked it into Kazuto's head not accepting Kazuto's words as if he was a very evil person and did not have the right to be happy. He knew his past was the sinner, but even a sinner still remembers to improve himself into a better person after getting karma for his past actions by stripping off his dark period to achieve his goal of love Kirana who was hurt by his cowardice. It felt like he wanted to be able to repeat the events when he was beaten all out by Daichi. He should have been able to say right away that he wanted to keep fighting for his relationship with Kirana. But it is the past that cannot be replayed. Hopefully, everything he tried to desperately approach Kirana to Shirakawa-go is not too late and give himself a chance to meet again with his beloved heart.

"I'm sorry to be late greeting you Grandpa Yutaka, I'm Kirana Matsumoto," Kirana who just returned from the toilet to join the lunch together with an oji-gi salute Grandpa of the man who, it feels quite complicated to describe his feelings at this moment! She does not think that Akio can do the desperate step over her brother to bring her to meet the only guardian that the man has. He thought Akio's words were like the wind and then like before, so he was disappointed and almost gave up on his feelings. Apparently this time the man really realized it. If it was like this, would he refuse it?

Daiki who caught the confusion on Yutaka's face tried to break the silence that had occurred since Kirana entered the special room where they ate, "It's a long Uncle's story if I should explain to Uncle's confused expression at this time..."

"Eh, that? Is it clearly on my face?" Yutaka felt a little embarrassed that his mind could be read by Daiki.

"Akio's pain..," Rengek Kazuto stroked the part of his head that was throbbing pain.

"Eat him, if the talk is filtered first," Akio snorted in annoyance and went back to fiddling with his ruby box to calm down his feelings of high regard for Kazuto's words. "Are you the only one who can play a secret that makes me surprised about Kirana as if almost numb from knowing the truth?"

"I've warned you from the beginning, you're the one who stubbornly does his best" Kazuto doesn't accept being blamed for Akio and Kirana's dramatic breakup.

"But at least it made me reflect.." Akio smiled faintly. Though in his heart really pounding waiting for action what will be made by his Grandfather to be able to persuade both parents Kirana.

"You mean?"

"Actually I would like to decline your grandchild's matchmaking offer with our daughter out of respect for our son who as long as we are not here to be his guardian,” Daiki continues the conversation. “But because I got a report from one of the bodyguards assigned to accompany our daughter that your granddaughter was determined to come to her and say we will fight for her, our hearts immediately melt. I saw there was a similar effort when I struggled to persuade my wife to get back together after the disappointment I once made in her first.” Occasionally Daiki turned towards Rea while twisting the memory of their past struggles to be united. It is not an easy thing, but if there is a will and effort, God will melt His heart to worship His servant. “My wife and I agree to accept this matchmaking.”

“Be...really?” Yutaka seemed to not believe the figure in front of him was so easy to agree. Dear God, what dream can he finally have with the famous Matsumoto Family is very exclusive?

“Iya Uncle,” Rea finally raised his voice to be involved in the conversation conducted by the two men here. “Your granddaughter and our daughter are actually already in a relationship but because there is a little friction and silly promises between your grandchildren and our son that make them get cut off. Our job as parents is just to get here and let the two young men solve their ego problems to become wiser and more mature. Don't we just want to see happiness emanating from their faces?”

“Yes, I did it!” Shouted Akio excitedly after he racked his brain to be able to complete the activity of fiddling with the rubik box by fusing the same color rubik in each section.

“Ishhh, ngaget-ngagetin only!” Kazuto protest who almost choked because he was so excited to enjoy a snack in front of him.

Shortly a message from his smartphone reads. His smile grew even more after reading it.

“You are indebted to Grandpa for telling me everything for successfully carrying out this near-impossible mission.”

“Oh yes one more, Grandpa and Kirana's parents have agreed not to formalize your engagement before you solve your problem with Daichi Matsumoto.”

The rare wide smile that had sprung up on Akio's lips suddenly turned into a heavy breath. Where should I start to solve both of these problems? Because he believes Daichi will definitely be more angry with the way he did to bind his only puppet sister. No-no, this time it must be fought! You can be Akio Fujiwara!

Kazuto was getting confused looking at Akio's attitude today. Let it be, anyway in the end he will know also later..., rather than dizzy thinking about his best friend it is better he returned to focus on completing his thesis task considering it is the main condition of his parents if they want to marry Park Ha Neul immediately.

***