Nolan's PoV

"Good looks and money don't buy you everything, just so you know!" she shouted right in my face. The only thing I felt in myself was amusement as she tried to lecture me, but she had to look up since I'm six feet, and she's only about five foot six.

Sure it does, I have everything I want right now... except two....

"Ugh... just where is the exit of this place!" she muttered as she speeds around the mansion bare footed since she chucked her heels at me a few minutes ago. I follow easily, taking long strides.

Shouldn't she have very good sense of direction since she's a thief? 

"Seems like you have a bad sense of direction." I remark. She just glared at me over her shoulder.

She stopped dead at my next comment, "How do you find your way through the buildings you steal from, then? Do you like, heh, carry a map?"

I walked right up to her. When she turned around, she immediately took a step back.

"Wh-what're you--?"

"Cut the crap, Miki. I know everything." A smirk found its way on my lips as I look down at her flustered state.

She looked away, towards a certain direction. It was the door of the exact room she stole from two years ago, where the cheaper jewelry were kept.

Dad didn't even notice one of the gold necklaces were missing. The cost was nothing for us.

I frowned when she chose to spin around and go down the hallway. I didn't follow this time. Does she remember nothing of that night?

I let out a sigh, then dial a number on my phone to the gatekeeper: "open the gates for her after you hint her to the exit."

I watched and made sure she was forced back into the limo that drives her back to the school.

Miki's PoV

Jerk. Asshole. Self-centered freak.

I mumbled to myself the entire time from his mansion of a house to when I arrived at the hospital. I should pay the amount of money I have now, which is a bit more than a thousand, a bit is a bit.

The doctor, however, seems confused by my actions, "Miss Miki? What're you doing? Ms. Arian's hospital fees were completely paid yesterday."

What? Was the first thing that popped into mind. I quickly thanked the doctor and apologized in an embarrassed manner before walking away.

Mom was sleeping when I softly opened the hospital room. I left the 'get well soon' card I made for her on the bedside table, then tip-toed out.

Whoever paid for that much money...? Nothing made sense anymore.

Why do I feel like I'm always in the dark? Nolan knows that I'm a thief, but how? Not even the police force can get their finger on me. Baba's attitude towards me almost changed 180° for the past day and two. And now, some person paid the expensive load of hospital fees for mom.

Ah well. This Sunday, a politician is having an art gallery of his own possessions, which he got all solely from unclean ways. I'm sure people more than I knows this, but no proof has ever been collected of his dirty tactics.

That's why I'm just gonna steal his most prized artifact: Rose. It's an oil painting by the most famous painter in Japan's history, whom sadly only lived for twenty-nine years. Rose is one of the only three paintings he's ever made in his life.

How am I supposed to do it, though.... It's a high-guarded gallery this time. I don't have that much experience to deal with this, the perfect person to ask is...

Baba's PoV

"So... can I please ask for your help?" Miki concludes.

I was just planning the steal of Rose this Sunday an hour ago, and now here she is, explaining to me about it.

Arian's right, Miki does take a lot from me.

I snapped out of my short daze and smiled at her, "of course! I was planning on stealing it too, actually. I could use some help, as well."

"Great. We need some kind of disguise to blend into the gallery." She states. We were completely on the same page in this discussion.

I did butler and mistress with Arian... but this won't work with Miki, she's too young to be a mistress visiting on her own.

"How about... a nobleman and his daughter?" Miki suggests while I was thinking.

My gaze shot to hers, but her face was of innocence. It didn't seem like she knew something. It was a completely honest suggestion.

"Yeah...that works." I confirmed with a small smile.

It was decided.

I picked out the disguises from my wardrobe after Miki fell asleep. She still had school tomorrow, she can't sleep too late. A simple suit and top hat should be fine for me, but what about her.... A nobleman's daughter has never crossed my mind before.

After a while, I picked out a dark maroon coloured dress with a black waistband around the waist area. The skirt flowed to what looks like about her knee-length. Was this too simple? I guess I can add some things to it....

Miki's PoV

The next morning, when I woke up, I was the only one in the room. Baba probably already left.

I spot something rested at the bottom of my bed. I held the dress up.

It was a beautiful silky cashmere dark maroon red and black dress. It was to my knees, there were black sequences around the black waistband and flowy muslin was circled around the skirt till it blended in with the bottom edge. It was single-strapped and revealed just enough to show some skin but not too much.

It was perfect.

It looks freshly stitched, don't tell me Baba made this overnight?

After taking a quick shower and changing into my uniform, I head downstairs to a delicious smell coming from the kitchen.

"Baba...you can cook?!" I say, utterly surprised at the man in an apron, making pasta.

"I smell something familiar," Ichinomiya says as he made his way downstairs and to the dining table. Soryu followed shortly after and also sat down silently.

Ota jogged out of his room and peeked into the kitchen, he then happily exclaimed, "Great! Baba's making his famous pasta again!"

"It's been a while since I had that." Even Mamoru slowly came out and sat at the table. Was Baba's cooking that delicious?

I was only awestruck to the hundredth percent when the taste melted in my mouth.

I am sending my taste buds to retirement cuz I'll never taste something this good ever again.

"Oh my God!" my outburst caused everyone's attention to go on me, "this is SO good! I wish I could have this every day!"

I didn't see the guys exchanging quick glances before all looking at Baba, who had a sad smile on his face before returning to normal.

~~

When I pushed my bike and locked it to the racks at school that day, I was quite surprised to see Satomi there, her expression showed extreme guilt.

"I'm so sorry, Miki... it's just that... my parents put everything they have into this school, I don't want to disappoint them." Her head hung in a low bow as she said in all honesty, I could tell. "C-Can we still be friends...?"

"Of course," I say, taking her hands. It's always better to have one more friend than one more enemy.

"Let's have lunch together, yeah?" she asked, her cheerful and slightly shy self from when I first met her coming back out.

It was easy to avoid Nolan, since wherever he goes people instantly go silent and back away to the walls to make way for him. I have more than enough time to hide or go somewhere else.

The period before lunch, I had art history. Excuse me but I know anything and everything art related, since I need an extreme amount of research for my thief job. Therefore, the class is naturally boring for me.

This would be absurd in any other private schools, but now my reputation is completely different ever since Nolan posted that thing on the school billboard.

"Excuse me." I raised my hand, the teacher stops her lecture right away and gives me her undivided attention. I ask straightforwardly: "can I go outside?"

She nodded not a second later than I asked. Wow, thanks to Nolan, I now have a good way to skip classes I don't like AND not get into any trouble.

I walked out of the class without anybody's protest.

I head to the third-floor balcony, the breeze combing through my hair as I opened the doors. I see I'm not the only one out.

"Asher? What're you doing here?"

He opened his eyes to my voice. He was hand standing. Both arms supported his body weight as his legs leaned against the wall. His biceps were flexing.

"Ditching. You?" he said with a chuckle as if it's no big deal.

"Same. I already learned art history." I reply, then walk to the edge of the balcony and lean against the railings. "Why're you upside down? Shouldn't you go to the gym for that?"

"I'm not working out, Miki." He lets out a small laugh before getting back down to his feet, "I handstand because it stops tears from falling."

What..? At his uncharacteristically sentimental statement, I turn around. Only halfway when he flashed past me. But past me was the balcony ledge...!

"Wait, no!" Under reflex, I grabbed his wrist when he flipped over the railings. He really looked like he was gonna jump off.

"...Pfft...PffHAHAHAHAHA!" he burst out laughing at my surprised face. I glance at him. He had a firm grip on the railings behind him with his right hand, and his foot was kicking off of the ledge of the balcony that's behind the railings.

He was completely out there to sit on that ledge, not to kill himself. I let go of his wrist, slightly embarrassed that I thought he was going to jump off the third floor.

"So worried about me, huh babe?" he teased as he poked my cheek with his finger, I rolled my eyes with an 'oh whatever' grin.

"It's a natural reaction," I say back, laughing at myself slightly, as well.

He stopped laughing abruptly. A comfortable silence descended upon us.

A minute later, I turned my head up front to the school campus. P.E. class was going on at the track area. Several athletes were sprinting down the track at full speed.

"How fast can you run?" I ask randomly out of a complete attempt to make normal small talk.

He didn't answer for a while, just as I was thinking he didn't hear me, he spoke up in a quiet voice.

"Slower than my brother, apparently." A shadow flashed across his features before returning like nothing happened.

He's mentioned his brother two times now, do they not have a good relationship..?

I should be more considerate.

"Anyways." He begins, flipping over back onto the balcony, "I gotta go, I'm starving. See you around, Miki."

He flashed me one of his famous smiles before walking down the balcony to the other staircase that's further down that leads directly to the cafeteria.

Is it just me or did Asher's smile just now seem more stressed than usual?

'I handstand because it stops tears from falling.'

His voice echoed in my head.

I shook my head. That's his business, I shouldn't stick my nose in it.

I turned around, only taking two steps, and stopped in my tracks when I looked up.

Standing there, right by the door frame, was a raging lion-like figure. Flames were practically burning around him.

He stared directly at me. I stood there, unable to move, like a deer in headlights. After a while, I finally managed my voice to utter out:

"N-Nolan..?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GUYS, EVERY VOTE COUNTS, PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO VOTE

Of course, if you just didn't like the chapter, you don't need to :D

Otherwise please do vote. You have any idea how depressed an author feels when they see that in every chapter, their votes get less and less?

Welp my goal rn is to update every book of mine in this long weekend XD y'know, before school works get crazy and out of control.

So far who do you like better? Asher or Nolan?

Thanks for reading~!

Vote & comment!

September 4, 2015

--Lily ❤

Edited: July 17, 2016