The brass pendulum swayed back and forth with ease. It had no qualms with staying on beat. It was entirely focused on its composure in regards to providing a soft rhythm. How I envy its oversimplified intricacy.

Despite how hard I tried to keep up with the metronome's beat, I couldn't quite relax. The events of my date with Kaoru were still fresh in my mind. I keep replaying images of Kaoru's domineering attitude as he tries to take full control of the conversation. Perhaps it was my lapse of judgment that caused me to end up in such a detestable position.

"Aiko, are you listening to me?" My father questioned me.

"Mm-hm." I respond.

As you could guess, I was indeed lying. I had no idea why my father had called on me. It's unusual for him to want me to see him in his office. I have seldom visited it; therefore, I was intrigued by all of the nick-nacks and trinkets in the room. Everything in here serves as an instrument for me to distract myself with.

"Very well then. He's waiting in the study above."

Hah? Another fiancée perhaps?

"Oh eh, right..." I remarked with uncertainty.

There's no way I could admit I wasn't listening. If I did, I would be cursed with another grovelling lecture! Sucking up my pride, I excused myself and made my way towards the door.

Upon opening the door, I was surprised to encounter a long, white-haired male. He shrouded himself in mystery as he simply smiled at me. He appeared to be a foreigner, perhaps he is from the west? His exact origins remain a mystery, perhaps if he spoke, I could narrow down his native tongue.

But alas, he merely held the door open for me wordlessly. All I could do was timidly nod in my flustered state. I quickly brushed past and made my way upstairs. How odd, I didn't expect Father to have this many visitors today.

When I opened the door to the study, I was relieved to see Haruto. But of course, he wasn't alone. Haruto sat opposite another man at his desk.

"Uh, hi." I said.

"Miss Uchida, thank you for joining us. Please, take a seat." The man said as he ushered me with his hand.

Haruto pulled out a chair for me and I hurried over to sit beside him. Once I was properly settled, I made direct eye contact with the stranger.

His chestnut-coloured locks were elegantly combed back. Paired with some thick-framed glasses and a shirt and sweater, his attire screamed professionalism. I was somewhat relieved with this. He looked approachable.

If Haruto is sitting here merrily, then that means he deems this man must be trustworthy. Haruto typically has a good sense of character, so I trust his judgement.

"Allow me to introduce myself."

The man extends a hand forth and I shake it with respect "I am Naoki Sanada. From today onwards, I shall be your private tutor."

"Private tutor?" I repeat in confusion.

"Didn't your Father discuss the matter with you?" Sanada-san inquired.

Scratching my head, I tried to think of a plausible excuse in my current befuddlement. "Well, we discussed a bit of this and that. So, I guess I'm just a little forgetful..."

"I see. Well, we'll just have to work on that forgetfulness of yours, won't we? After all, it would be bad if you forgot what I taught you in class." Sanada-san jokingly played off.

I play along with a fake laugh in response. Hopefully, we can just move past this. I would much rather not sustain a reprimanding from my father this afternoon.

Noticing the awkward silence, Haruto decided to steer the conversation. "I think this is a great opportunity for you, Miss. You can now experience that school life you've always wanted."

As long as history doesn't repeat itself, then I have no reason to complain. If Sanada-san attempts to pull some moves on me, I might just scream. And if it turns out that he's married too, then I'll lose complete faith in the universe.

"Well, I'm just honoured to have the opportunity to tutor Aiko Uchida," Sanada-san says smilingly.

'The'? What does he mean by ? What does he know about me? As far as I'm concerned, most people are unaware of my existence. Sensing that Sanada-san may have had hidden intent with his words, I narrowed my eyes at him. If I think hard enough, perhaps I can decipher the sentence and figure out its meaning.

For a split second, I could've sworn Sanada-san caught onto my intrigue. His expression said . In order to cover up his tracks, he quickly switched the subject.

"Although I am only supposed to tutor Miss Uchida, you are also welcomed to participate, Kurosawa-kun."

Haruto merely responded with a simple head nod. Nothing surprising there. Haruto is not the type of person to pass up on a free opportunity like this, especially if it means he can watch over me too.

"Let's begin today's session with some language lessons, yes?"

I rolled my eyes in response. Today is shaping out to be relatively mundane huh. I can't say I'm in the right headspace to learn about linguistics, rather, I'd much prefer to delve in deeper into the subject matter of Sanada-san's intentions.

Upon noticing my disinterest, Sanada-san spoke up.

"Do languages bore you, Miss Uchida? It's a shame that you hold an impassive attitude towards it. All things considered; a language dies every 14 days. It's a privilege to learn multiple languages, so why not take advantage of this opportunity, ?"

Despite his calm demeanour, it was clear that his speech was filled with irritation. Truth be told, the power of his suggestion was compelling. Although. I'd only consider it compelling in the sense of him imposing a passive-aggressive attitude towards me.

I suppose I'll need to just suck it up. It wouldn't hurt to get stuck into the books just this once, right?

As apprehensive as I was, the tutoring session wasn't as bad as I expected. In fact, I passed Sanada-san's miniature pop quiz with flying colours. Clearly, languages is a strength of the previous host that I have retained for some reason. I know for a fact that one of the reasons I allowed myself to get seduced by my teacher was so I could pass my finals.

...

It's sad how little self-worth I held towards myself in the past. I suppose I thought I could fool myself into believing I was confident by utilizing my sexuality. It's truly pathetic that I once lived for male validation. But not anymore, because in this world I plan on reclaiming my sense of identity no matter what!

"Fantastic work, Miss Uchida! Your Father was not wrong in saying you're an exceptional pupil."

Ha. My Father was praising me? Was Sanada-san paid to say that? I find it hard to believe he's telling the truth right now...

Once Sanada-san returned to his desk, he started to rummage through his bag. "Hm, I can't seem to find my record book. I must have dropped it in your Father's office."

Upon hearing that, Haruto rose from his seat. "I'll go retrieve it for you."

Soon after Haruto left, silence filled the room. I wasn't sure of what to do now since I've finished all the work I was assigned. So, I simply smiled at Sanada-san awkwardly.

Fiddling with my pen, I looked to Sanada-san once more when I heard his voice speak out to me. "You know, I go way back with your father. We knew each other before he met your mother."

I dropped my pen in a loud clatter. As the noise echoed throughout the barren room, I was once again reminded that it was just the two of us. So this is what his intentions were.

"You knew my mother?"

"Yes, she was very charming and she-"

Haruto returned with the book.

"I think we should continue with our conversation another time."

What? I couldn't believe Sanada-san was so quick to dismiss what we were just talking about. This was something big to me. Father never talked about my mother. Who knows when I'll ever get an opportunity like this again!

Haruto gently placed the book on Sanada-san's desk and returned to his work. He was probably so deep in thought that he failed to notice the glare I was giving him. Why couldn't he have taken his time with that damn record book!

At first, I thought it was strange that Sanada-san suddenly kneeled before me to tie his shoes. But once he placed his hand on my desk to get back up, I understood completely. He wanted to discreetly plant a note on my desk for me to read. Once I unfolded it, I felt myself become giddy with delight.

'Meet me at the front door at midnight, if you wish to learn more about your mother.'