Akito was standing at the entrance of the garden and was annoyed by the tie they made him wear. His outfit was a white button-up shirt with a sweater over it. His jeans were rolled up to show off his white shoes, and his hair was supposed to be combed back, but it went back to its usual untameable mess.

“I look stupid…” He mumbled as he tried to flatten his hair. He then blinked when he saw the girl walk towards him. “Whoa…”

Pearl was wearing a white one-piece dress with a light blue jean jacket over it. Her shoes were some brown flats with some dark brown tights. Her hair was loose behind her with a braided headband keeping her hair from falling on her face.

Walking up to Akito, she smiled at him. “Good morning.” She smiled at the boy. “Did you wait long?”

“Not… really…?” He looked away, trying not to stare. Man, she was so cute! He could feel himself becoming a simp every time he admired her. “Let’s go. They already set the table.” He extended his hand and flinched when she hugged his arm.

He led the way and would sneak glances at the girl. He mentally had to hit himself. “She’s the enemy… She was basically sold off… Do not think of her as a girl… She’s a spy for the enemy.” He glanced again at the girl and saw she was staring at him. “Crap, she’s too cute!” 

“Um…” She spoke up, making him mentally hit himself. “I have to ask… Why were you working at that restaurant yesterday?” 

“Eh?” Akito blinked. “Ah, that…” He led her to her chair and helped her sit down. “My guardian is the younger brother of the owner of that restaurant. To get away from the mafia life, my guardians and I usually go over there to help out or just to relax there if they aren’t busy.”

“I see…” Pearl nodded as he took the napkin and placed it on her lap. “It surprised me when I saw you at the meeting after paying for my food.”

“It shocked me as well.” Akito laughed as he sat in his chair. “The Owner told me that you appeared when he opened. By the time I showed up, it was about lunchtime. You were there for five hours, almost.”

“Yes…” Pearl looked up and smiled. “I was traveling, and my brother told me in a letter to find a place to rest in that area to pick me up and get me ready for the meeting.”

“You’re a traveler?” Akito blinked, removing the covers of their plates, allowing them to eat the food that was prepared.

“Yes…” Pearl looked at her food and took a bite of food. “I’m kind of like an apothecary. I like to travel and gather herbs to make medicines.” She blinked and then looked away. “I kind of developed a hobby of trying out many recipes and testing them myself. If it’s harmful, I mark it as no good.”

“You have a recipe book?” Akito smiled as he took a bite of his food. He was already starting to be worried. That means she can use poisons. He didn’t think she would let this slip. Or maybe, she said it on purpose. He saw her take a sip of the soup and flinch at the heat. “Ah, she has a sensitive tongue… How cute… Wait! Behave!” 

“I do, but it’s kind of messy. I’m bad at writing notes.” Pearl blushed. “I’ll need to make a proper one. Even I get confused with my own notes.”

“How about I have another guardian look over your notes and make a recipe book for you?” Akito took a bite of the meat and then swallowed. “He’s really smart. You met him already. He was at the meeting, Raph.”

“Oh, Raphael?” She asked. 

“Yeah, he’s actually at the restaurant, so we can head over there for lunch,” Akito mentioned. He was almost done with his meal and saw she wasn’t even halfway finished with her food. He started to slow down and drank some water. “I can show you the town and then show you around the mansion.”

“That would be lovely.” Pearl smiled. “Ah, I do have a question.”

“Hm?” Akito asked as he took a sip of water.

“Since…. Since we are engaged, can I call you ‘Darling’?” Pearled asked and flinched when he did a spit tank. “A-Are you okay?”

Coughing, the young Vongola looked at her and smiled. “Sorry… I’m not used to that kind of name… Just call me Akito for now. I know we are engaged, but we can just treat each other as girlfriend and boyfriend.”

Pearl blushed and nodded. “Right…” 

Akito wiped his mouth and sighed. “Well, we can decide on pet names later.” 

“Right…” Pearl looked at her food and started to eat it. Once she finished, she saw that Akito had slowed down to keep up with her, making her smile. He got up and offered her his arm, making her stand up to take it. “Is it okay to leave the dishes here?”

“Last time I tried to clean up after I ate, the maids gave me hell for trying to take their job.” Akito chuckled. He escorted her out and then to the front door. “Let me go tell the butler about our outing, and then we’ll take off. Can you wait here?”

“Yes.” Pearl smiled as he let him go. She waved as he rushed back inside. From inside her pocket, she pulled out a black and white bracelet. She examined it and then frowned. “These beads… they are made of human bones… Why is he wearing this?”

“Tsu-kun…” The woman on the video call growled. The Vongola boss was sweating in his chair. “You let some stranger claim my son’s hand in marriage… behind my back?”

“Kyoko-chan…” Tsuna nervously chuckled. “This is just a job. It’s not a real engagement. We just agreed to see what they have planned.” Tsuna was currently telling his wife about the plan and had Hayato, Takashi, and his brother-in-law, Ryohei, in the room with him for support. However, once he revealed what he made their own son do, Kyoko was now revealing why she was the actual head of the Vongola family. 

“Tsu-kun…” Kyoko growled again. Now the other three males in the room felt pity for their boss. “I can’t believe this. My son was sold off? To the enemy? How dare you, Tsu-kun. No… Tsunayoshi-sama.” 

“Wait!” The Vongola bossteared up. “Don’t call me that! Kyoko, please! I couldn’t give up this chance! Even Reborn said it was a good idea!”

“My baby… My firstborn baby was sold off to the enemy?! How dare you!” The woman yelled over the call. Even though it was a video call, he had turned off her camera, and Tsuna was the only one who was showing his scared and nervous face. “Where is my baby? How dare you keep him from me just so you can sell him off?! He was supposed to go to the festival with Ken-chan and me! I want my baby boy!” 

“How’s Kensho taking it?” Tsuna asked, unsure if he was ever going to get out of the doghouse. “Is he mad?”

“He’s not leaving his room until his brother comes home.” Kyoko sighed. “I had to go into his room and eat in there with him to make sure he ate his food.” 

“I’m sorry, really. I am.” Tsuna sighed, “We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

“Okay,” Kyoko mumbled. “You'd better bring me my son as soon as possible.” 

“I will.” Tsuna chuckled. “I promise, My love.”