Yukiko woke up at twelve, feeling entirely satisfied that nobody had the gall to ruin her peaceful sleep.
Of course, that didn't mean they hadn't entered her room. Standing up and putting her futon away, she leisurely walked towards her closed bedroom door.
The strand of hair wound around the doorknob was intact- nobody had entered her room. Satisfied, Yukiko opened the door and strode into the hallway.
She hadn't checked the other three rooms before she fell asleep, so- deciding that it was better to check the rooms sooner rather than later- Yukiko entered the room to her immediate right.
The room was the exact same as her room- there was a place for the futon, a desk, and a closet, but it had nothing else to personalize it. The one difference between her room and this room was that it had a darker color scheme. Deep shades of blues coordinated with white to convey the ocean, but Yukiko didn't really like the ocean. Too much sand. Sniffing dismissively, Yukiko exited the room and entered the one across from it.
Once more, it had space for a futon, a desk, and a closet. However, this one was more aligned to her tastes- even though the room she had slept in was alright, but the monochrome wasn't entirely her style. Instead, the muted colors in the room before her was better in taste. It looked classy... and easier to camouflage in.
Nodding, Yukiko decided that she would switch rooms once she returned to the house. She couldn't keep her in-laws waiting for long, after all.
However, she glanced at the last room. They could wait a couple more minutes for her to check what was in store. Striding towards the door of the fourth and final room, Yukiko was surprised to find that the door was locked. She still had her bobby pin lock picks... but they were in her room. Which was so far away.
Contemplating about whether or not she should take the time to get the bobby pins or just kick the door open, the door opened by itself.
Yukiko had come face-to-face with her fiancé, Yamamoto Ryunosuke.
His hair was untidy- just as if he had come out of bed mere seconds ago, and he only wore sweatpants. Blinking, Yukiko shot the boy a polite smile.
For a split second, Yukiko was surprised as she could swear she saw the boy glower at her, but when she took a closer look, he had plastered on a smile.
It seems like he didn't want her here.
Heh.
She widened her smile and tilted her head, waiting for him to speak. The one who spoke first, lost.
They stayed that way for a few seconds until finally, Yamamoto spoke. "What is Yukiko-san doing here?" His smile grew larger as he braced himself on the doorway.
Yukiko tilted her head further, almost forcefully. She couldn't hit him now. What would the in-laws think? "I live here now." She paused for a second and thought her next question through. "What are you doing here?"
"Sleeping."
She laughed, "Not anymore."
"Yeah. I realized that. What happened?"
Yukiko shrugged. "I was exploring." She gestured at the hallway. "Gotta sniff out the territory, yanno?"
"You're from Osaka, right?"
"Un."
"What happened to your Kansai-ben[1]?"
"I lost it on the plane ride here. What's your excuse?"
A flicker of confusion flashed across Yamamoto's face before he returned to his ever-smiling expression. "I don't know what you mean."
"Your dignity? Where did it go? I mean," she looked around the hallway, hiding her smirk when she looked to the right. "Who would lock their own fiancee out of her home?"
"Excuse me?" He leaned in, their faces mere inches away from each other. Yukiko could feel his breath on her skin every time he breathed in. "You got in, didn't you?"
Yukiko laughed her ass off, falling onto the ground and rolling around until she couldn't breath because of the stitches on her sides. She began to heave before finally calming down, a mess on the floor.
The entire time, Yamamoto had stared at her, the polite smile finally falling off of his face. "What's wrong with you?"
Staring up, Yukiko noticed that the house had a popcorn ceiling. Seeming like she hadn't heard what the boy had said at all, Yukiko snickered on the inside. He already lost. Now she expected him to pay her back for locking the door on her.
"Hey," Yamamoto's voice was dark and heavy as he went through his doorway towards Yukiko. Bending down, he was about to pick her up when Yukiko did something he hadn't expected- she grasped his hand and kicked out with her right foot, flipping him over so that he landed right on his back.
Now, both of them were laying down, their heads almost touching while they faced the popcorn ceiling
Yamamoto couldn't catch his breath after he had brutally hit the ground, but he quickly composed himself and returned to smiling politely at his 'fiancee'. "It's time for breakfast."
"Fair enough," Yukiko smiled, her grin almost blinding the room.
His face darkening for a millisecond, Yamamoto stood before he helped Yukiko up as well. "I hope to see you at the dining table." At that, he left Yukiko alone before he closed the door.
Yukiko could only chuckle to herself- the boy had wanted to slam the door shut, but instead gently closed it.
He probably wanted to find out her 'true' personality by putting out a gentle persona.
Unfortunately for him, Yukiko had spend the last four years of her life hiding her true personality from her parents.
She was sure that she could continue hiding it in front of him.
Nodding, Yukiko skipped her way to her monochrome room before she sneakily switched her luggage to the room that had previously caught her eye.
What?
Just because she's being held here against her will, doesn't mean she couldn't be comfortable. In fact, it means that she had to make herself comfortable, squeezing every last comfort possible from her new in-laws.
Glancing back at her fiancé's room, Yukiko nodded.
She had gotten her revenge on him for locking her out.
But now she needed to play with that person who sent that childish girl. She knew that it couldn't have been her fiancé- just one talk with the boy and she knew that it just wasn't in his nature.
Chuckling, Yukiko changed out of the kimono that she wore yesterday before she put on short shorts and a comfortable T-shirt.
Let's see what those in-laws and step-siblings of hers had in store for her.
It'll be fun.