After the end of school exams, at the end of the first trimester, on July 18, two questionnaires were received at once from the teacher Masumi. A little earlier, Ryou had asked why they had stopped giving the questionnaires, and Glenn answered that the teacher had decided to give them a rest. Handing the two questionnaires to the couples, Masumi asked them to read thoroughly the dossiers of the demanders.

"Ryou-kun along with Glenn-kun, and Yu-chan with Akiko-chan," Masumi muttered. "I did not divide you into two groups by chance: we chose the questionnaires that best fit your skills."

Tomoyuki, who was also in the circle room, understood why these particular teams had been chosen, and why he had not. The boy assumed internally that Glenn had decided to bring Yumiko and Akiko closer together by taking Ryou with him through a second questionnaire.

He concluded that Glenn was in an attempt to finish off Tomoyuki's trampled goals, for it was somehow better to finish them off than to leave them to recover. Tomoyuki thought that after the festival there was a break in work due to preparations for school, since Yumiko would not do anything other than study for exams, and Ryou was sure to get them closed. It was the same with Glenn and Akiko.

Akiko, on the other hand, was shocked by this composition, for she had to work together with her hated Yumiko, whose rage had surged since the festival. With her skills, she still harbored her shock, but the slight surprise didn't go anywhere.

"I'd be happy to work with you," Yumiko smiled with velvet affection as they left the office. Akiko's lips were full of confusion.

"Of course."

In the words Tomoyuki heard in another of their recent meetings, Akiko became aware of Glenn's meanness in choosing questionnaires and lineups. She used to think that jobs were chosen at random, and upon learning of the sneaky truth, the maiden's disdain went to another level. Glenn also ruined her plans to eliminate Yumiko from her social circle with his indirect involvement.

Now that she was in the same lineup with her, Akiko didn't know how to be.

The sun was setting behind the skyscrapers that were visible even from the school grounds. The end of the school day heralded a rest for the students. Ryou, along with Glenn, were walking out of school.

"When are we finally going to start doing the survey?" gazed Ryou at the bitter sunset.

"The day after tomorrow. And also, Yumiko-chan and Akiko-chan's work starts tomorrow."

"Hmm? You mean the girls will have to be excused from school? Yumiko-chan would never do that."

"She'd have to," Glenn added thoughtfully, in spite of his own doubts about it. "Their profile is of an entirely different type. Ryou-kun, understand the whole situation. These two questionnaires are more serious than usual, and failure is unacceptable. No one has any other choice."

With such a serious look, the dark-eyed man told them about their situation that Ryou shuddered. Is everything so atypical, he thought, remembering all the earlier questionnaires.

-

"Daisuke Social Services Organization."

Name of requester - Sakura Ichijo

Questionnaire type - Legal

Type of Service - Physical

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Taken Up - Ryou Hayashi, Glenn Zaliman."

-

"Daisuke Social Services Organization."

Name of requester - Masashi Miura

Questionnaire type - Physical

Type of Service - Social

Taken Up - Yumiko Sato, Akiko Akiyama"

-

Dusk was thickening behind the windows of the houses, and objects that were losing their outlines under the veil of advancing darkness were forgotten in their eyes. Ryou and Glenn were in a public bathroom inside a shopping mall. People's eyes peered out from the open bathroom door to see them, dressed in a stylish tuxedo in black and white. The guys' hair seemed to have a similar style: with gel, the tips of their hair neatly styled back, glistening under the light. It didn't seem for nothing that they had matured.

After washing their hands, Ryou and Glenn rubbed them with their handkerchiefs, and as they left the bathroom they checked their white gloves in their pockets. Ryou repeated to himself their assignment to participate in a noble banquet among the rich, as young men to two young ladies.

"One thing I don't understand," he glanced thoughtfully at the dark-eyed man. "What are we for, if the rich should have their own personal guards?"

"Maybe for some reason they don't want to walk around during the banquet under the supervision of their guards."

"It doesn't make sense."

"The important thing is, Ryou-kun, do you have the skills to express yourself in a gentlemanly manner?"

"Hmm? Well, yes. I've been taught gentlemanly honor since I was a kid."

"Really? That's a miss..." weathered Glenn with excitement, bloated unseriously with relaxation. "So I didn't screw up."

"My parents used to make me learn such principles. It was a disgusting feeling to do something you didn't want to do."

"Do you know why they made you, Ryou-kun?"

"All because of my last name," ran through Ryou's quiet voice. He looked out into the far corridors of the mall, where the sounds of people were coming from. Variety boutiques were at every turn. "It seems they wanted to make their family name famous not only in the business industry, but in the rest of the world. And honorable politeness contributes with high discipline. In my parents' opinion, it would allow me to make my way into their stratum of work."

Glenn thought in his head that this discipline had helped him, even though Ryou spoke of it with resentment. Ryou's talent shone through and he handled all the school worries and matters of education with ease.

"Most likely your parents foresaw your high mental capacity," Glenn pronounced, making Ryou twitch with the gloom with his words.

"Stop flattering...you're scaring me."

"But it's true. You also have perfect genes, that's not fair."

"Let's get to work."

Still, Ryou was scared. To see the faces of important and rich people looking down on the rest of us again was something a guy wouldn't wish for even in his nightmares. But work was work. If he thought for even a moment about his fear, he would immediately get goosebumps running through his body and shaking his fingers. His pupils contracted fearfully. But the boy got a grip on himself. He knew there was no turning back, and a banquet that lasted two hours could not make his life worse by burdening him with difficult acts. Not at all, the boys were only required to accompany the maidens of honor.

They used a cab and drove straight to the restaurant. Ryou could imagine what this restaurant was like from the inside, being a highly skilled enterprise among its competitors, but when he saw its size and architectural structure, he marveled at its gracefulness. The bulky exterior of the restaurant was covered in the glowing light of spotlights. The architecture itself was reminiscent of the architecture of Renaissance-era Italian landmarks. It was immediately clear: the European restaurant was extolling its opulence in the middle of the street, also hinting that an important banquet would begin today. Few banquet-goers had gathered at the entrance and on the grounds, and the parking lot was quietly filling up with mind-blowing new-generation luxury cars that teenagers like Ryou and Glenn could only dream of.

It was known that not only people of Japanese descent, but also people of European and Western descent would be participating in the cross-national banquet. Ryou and Glenn mentally prepared to begin their work. Clenching their hands into fists, straightening their shoulders, and adjusting the sleeves and collar of their tuxedos, the young men stepped foot, albeit temporarily, into the upper class.