To be honest, Nijimura was usually more amused than intimidated by the presence of the two bodyguards that flanked you wherever you went. He’d seen enough movies in the States to be used to this, and besides, there was a pretty cool Men In Black vibe to it all.
“So has there ever been an incident where your bodyguards actually did anything?” Nijimura asked you in a low voice, and thankfully said bodyguards pretended not to hear his question.
You shot him a sideways glance, adjusting the strap of your satchel on your shoulder. “My father pays them to follow me around, but I’ve told him a thousand times that I can handle myself,” you said. “I…”
What happened next was almost like a scene from a movie, too - Nijimura heard the screeching of tyres and before he even had time to turn around to look, a black shape had flashed past and you gave an indignant shout as the motorcycle’s rider snatched your bag off your shoulder.
And then came the unexpected: with lightning-like reflexes, one bodyguard darted forward and seized the back of the motorcyclist’s neck, yanking him bodily from the bike and tossing him to the ground as the bike spun away, tumbling across the road.
Oh shit, Nijimura thought.
You, on the other hand, looked unfazed by the action, only angry as you stalked over to the thief, taking your bag and stomped, roughly, on the man’s hand. “Don’t you dare try that again,” you snarled. “Or I’ll make you regret it.”
Nijimura stood open-mouthed as you slung your bag on your shoulder again and dusted off your boot. “Shall we go?” you asked calmly.
“Er…yeah. So, uh, there’s this cat café I wanted to take you to…”
Hayama’s first impressions of the professionally-suited men guarding you were composed of descriptions such as “awesome” and “cool” at first. That is, until they began to freak him out with their apparent lack of emotions and inability to comprehend “fun”.
“Hey, why won’t they play with us, too?” Hayama complained, spinning a basketball on one finger as the two of you sat side by side at the edge of a court. The two bodyguards were standing separately, each on one end of the outdoor basketball court. “It’s boring to play one-on-one, it’s much more fun to do a two-on-two.”
You rolled your eyes. “They’re being paid to protect me, not waste their energy to entertain my boyfriend.” You took a drink of water and stood up. “Come on, first to twenty points wins and pays for dinner?”
“Hey, no fair, your family gives you allowance! I have to earn my money!” Hayama stood up to join you in the middle of the court, only to stop when one of the bodyguards approached you as if he’d just materialised in the middle of the court.
“I’m very sorry to interrupt, ma’am, but we’ve received a report that the enemy is on their way here…”
“Can’t you see I’m busy?” You cut him off irritably. “You two can deal with it. That’s why you’re here, aren’t you?”
Looking startled, the bodyguard nodded quickly and made his way to his partner. Hayama stared at you, feeling slightly freaked out and just a little terrified. “They’d do that? Come and try to kill you? The enemy organisation, I mean. S-should I go?”
You smirked. “Nah, we’re good. They’ll take care of it. Don’t be such a scaredy-cat, Koutarou. I thought you were fearless.”
“I just don’t want to die!”
Miyaji had always been the type of person to take things upon himself. He felt that if he was entrusted with something, he would hold complete responsibility, no matter what.
Which is why he simply couldn’t see eye-to-eye with your bodyguards.
“The hell you lookin’ at, punkface?” He snapped, glancing over his shoulder at one of your guards. “Take your plain-faced ass farther away, can’t you see I’m spending time with ________?”
“Miyaji-kun, calm down,” you said impatiently. “They’re here to protect me, you—”
“You’re with me, I can protect you just fine!” Miyaji responded hotly. He narrowed his eyes at the men behind you, who were unfazed by his outburst. You took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly.
“Look, I’ll tell them to keep watch further, but this is also an order from my father. I can’t really get rid of them.”
Miyaji rolled his eyes. “Have they ever actually done their job or are they just here for show? I don’t want them following you around and when something bad actually happens, they’re not up to the job.”
“They’re bodyguards. They’re more than qualified to take down any bad guys.” Even so, you motioned your bodyguards to come over and spoke to them in a low voice, and when they moved away, Miyaji was pleased to see that they were keeping their distance.
“There.” You looked at your boyfriend pointedly. “Far enough?”
Not as far as he’d liked, but it was something. “Far enough,” he chuckled. “Now, how do you feel about karaoke?”
When you met Akashi Seijuurou, he exceeded very expectation you had of the typical boy in this generation. He was clever, civilised, ambitious, and above all, equal to you in status as the future heir to the Akashi Corporation, a business comparable to the strength of your family.
And he, too, had bodyguards following him 24/7.
With a total of four bodyguards shadowing the two of you wherever you went, many places that you went for dates emptied quite quickly in your presence, with utmost comfort and security.
“Where shall we go today?” Akashi asked you during one such date, hand linked with yours as the two of you walked along the park lake.
“There’s a yakiniku restaurant I want to try, the one in the next block.”
Akashi nodded. “I’ll send one of my guards ahead to make a reservation.”
Even as he spoke, Akashi’s two bodyguards exchanged a few words and one gave Akashi a nod before swiftly walking ahead. You shot Akashi a sideways glance and beckoned your own bodyguards over. “I want one of you to go ahead to the restaurant as well. Clear the area if you must, I don’t want any trouble.”
“There’s no need for that,” Akashi informed you almost sternly. “My bodyguard is more than enough to accomplish those tasks alone, without the help of yours.”
You smiled sweetly at him. “I’ll be the judge of that. Better safe than sorry, right?”
Akashi smiled back coolly. “As you wish, my love.”