Hajime turned and looked at Kaito in surprise.

Over the last few weeks, he had come to respect and idolise his older cousin. In the beginning, when he heard about Kaito's return, he was angry at the change. He also made assumptions like the rest about him and hated him without cause.

He did not like Kaito because he thought that he lacked ability. The only reason he returned was probably to get a share of the Takahashi pie and live a carefree life without working. Such people disgusted Hajime.

Therefore, he did not even want to meet the man despite his grandfather's insistence.

In his mind, Kaito's image was of a useless person who would affect his long-term plans to get revenge for his father's death. A little part of him was also afraid that he would join forces with his uncle and make life difficult for him.

But since Kaito began teaching him, his impression of his cousin changed. He was now an undefeatable figure who could do anything. If he wanted to take the Takahashi business, no one could stop him.

Hajime realised that he was not a match for him. And if it was not for Kaito, he would not have been able to convince his uncle to give him a managerial position in the company. In the past, he could only be a normal employee.

His uncle always insisted on keeping him in a low position, and the reason was 'gaining experience'. This matter frustrated him and caused him to lose hope. He had even stopped going to the company regularly due to discouragement.

Now, with Kaito's help, he was one step closer to getting his revenge.

"Brother!" He called out in surprise.

He was shocked at the sudden appearance that he did not think about Kaito's words until a moment later. His mouth fell open.

Kaito walked past Hajime and pulled Akira into his arms. Her cheeks became a little red at the possessive action, but she did not break free.

"Who is your wife?" She grumbled.

Hajime looked from Akira to Kaito and back again. Even though Akira said those words, she was obviously being shy. She was not rebuking Kaito seriously. She even seemed to lean closer into his arms like a little wife.

"Brother…" Seiji started to speak while looking crestfallen.

"Continue." Kaito looked at his younger cousin with sharp, piercing eyes.

Hajime wanted to say a lot of things, but none of them could come to his mouth. He wanted to say that he would fight for Akira's love, but he could not say it when he saw her cuddled up in Kaito's arms. He also wanted to apologise to Kaito because he did not know the two were together.

But he could not bring himself to do it because of the heartbreak. He could not believe that the love he had thought would sprout in his heart had been crushed just like that. Moreover, it was the first time that he really liked a girl.

He turned around and just walked away. He was not masochistic. He would not stand there and watch the two people hugging affectionately. If it was anyone else, he might have been tempted to try and lure Akira away.

But this was his cousin. He could not deal with him because all the evil tricks he knew were taught by Kaito in the past few weeks. He had a feeling that he would be knocked out immediately if he tried anything funny.

As Hajime left looking like a sad puppy, Akira looked flatly at Kaito.

"Are you pleased with yourself?" She asked.

Kaito pulled Akira even closer to his body.

"He is still a hundred years too young to fight against me." Kaito laughed.

"Are you finally admitting that you are old, Uncle Kaito?" Akira giggled.

Kaito growled a little and lowered his head to kiss the naughty, teasing mouth. She tasted a little of champagne, but her natural sweetness could not be concealed. He pulled her closer to himself as he hoped to meld her into himself.

After a long moment, he set her lips free. He hugged her and took a deep breath. Akira did not say anything as he held her because he seemed a little weary. When he finally let go, she looked at his face with concern.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

Kaito was silent for a moment before he lowered his head and pecked her lips lightly and with deep affection.

"How could I not be when I'm with you?" His smile was a little wicked as usual.

Akira did not dig further. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"It is called a surprise." He laughed. "And if I did not rush back, some people might start developing strange thoughts."

Akira rolled her eyes at him. But there was a little awkwardness in her heart. Her parents did try to matchmake her with a lot of people, so Kaito was not wrong.

"You should already know I am a gem." She said proudly

"You are my gem." He tapped her nose. "Let's go in."

It was a little cold outside, and Akira's dress was not warm.

When the two people returned to the party, they met the host of the occasion, Wang Che. Akira looked at him with some interest. He had a refined and sophisticated air around him that gave people a princely impression. However, she felt like the image was just skin deep.

"Don't look at him," Kaito said pettily as he glared at Wang Che.

Wang Che smiled at Akira. "Hello, I am Wang Che."

"Yamazaki Akira." She responded.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Yamazaki. May I call you Akira?" He asked with his usual charm.

"Am I invisible to you?" Kaito interrupted him.

Wang Che looked at him. He maintained his polite image, but Kaito could see a hint of challenge in his eyes.

"You may." Akira looked at them. "Are you two familiar with each other?"

"No," Kaito said immediately.

"Yes." Wang Che said at the same time. "He is just afraid that I will reveal the secrets of his wild days."

"Don't try to make it seem like we are close." Kaito turned to Akira. "Do not listen to this strange man. We have only met a couple of times. He dislikes me because I once exposed his evil plots. This is what I get for being a good man."

Wang Che's eyes glinted at the mention of that matter. He did hold a grudge against Kaito because he tried to convince Shun to move from Supreme City and return to Japan. And he almost succeeded. If he was not there that night, Shun would probably have followed him back.

"Speaking of your evil plots…" Kaito asked.

An energetic person rushed towards them with a wide smile and waved enthusiastically. He looked like he was freshly recharged.

"Kaito! I didn't know you were here!" Shun said happily.