New Money VS Old Money

[SHISHIDO KYOUSUKE]

Kyousuke nodded when she said she also had a brother. It was not that he felt they could bond over this, it was only to acknowledge that she had a brother. He was sure plenty the people around here had a brother, younger or older. It would definitely not be the reason why he would say he liked her. Her guts were far more interesting.

He made another nod of the head. "Oh, more than that. You can start in preschool. It does get easier to continue your studies here the longer you've been at Ouran." It was just that kind of school. It was tough to enter if you didn't have the proper credentials. "Wow, high school. Were you on a scholarship?" He didn't have a student like that during his time, or didn't pay attention if that were the case. He already told her he started in middle school, so he was there since a bit longer than her. He didn't want to expand too much on why he didn't start in kindergarten like his brother. People had too much fun bringing out how he was just an illegitimate child, as though his father had not recognized him already or that it didn't matter at all.

"Yeah, I'm twenty," he said. It was not much but it could mean an entire school year, which meant more when compared through this lens. She argued about the use of formalities. "I'm sure everyone calls you Hirayama-san here. But I can drop the senpai and treating you as such if you want." His tone was a bit playful while saying this. He coud just imagine his brother telling him that he should not be so casual with someone he just met, even if she told him to be. That amused him.

[HIRAYAMA MAEMI]

Maemi didn’t want to start a conversation on their brothers, she just felt like saying it since he told her that he had one. “We also work in our family’s company, that’s what I’m also planning. It seems that Ouran Academy is full of students who are pursuing a career that would suit the family’s business.” She mused aloud. She didn’t have anything about that, but sometimes, she did wonder about either she took the right path or not. She had yet heard about students who did pick whatever they wanted unless they were from a lower class.

“I’m not surprised that some people know each other since a long time.” She said before adding “No we are a new money family, we run spas and they ended up being a hit so we’re keeping it up.” It wouldn’t be a bad thing if she was a scholarship student because she could pretty much have been one but she still didn’t think that she completely fit in the school.

She smiled and nodded, satisfied by the not too formal terms. “Thank you, it’s too odd otherwise. For me at least.” She said lightly. She was glad that he agreed, knowing how some people thought that traditions and formality were important. She didn’t they were that important when you were making friends at school.

[SHISHIDO KYOUSUKE]

Kyousuke had a light frown as she mentioned family business. "Well... I don't know about family business for my case, but I guess you can say I'm definitely following in a similar line." It wasn't like his family owned a hospital. His father was a renowned surgeon, he was the head of his department and had a powerful voice in the hospital's council or whatever they chose to call it, but he didn't think he could cal that a business. Would his father be proud if he chose something else than medecine? He wasn't sure, but he didn't feel the pressure to become a surgeon and nothing else, which was a good thing. Kyousuke tended to rebel against pressure. "I see why they do though. You know you've got a job secured there. You still have to prove yourself but you don't have to be on the lookout for something or appeal to all kinds of people for a position, no matter how small." Certain businesses could be very competitive and Ouran was not the only school in Japan that could deliver top graders. "Also there's a good chance their parents taught them the ropes as they grew, so it's something they already know a bit about." He figured that may be different for kids who coem from large families, as they might not want all of them to work for the company or not at the same level at least. It was all so complicated and Kyousuke was glad it was not his case.

He nodded although he couldn't say he understood quite well what that concept of new money meant. He knew that some kids here were born with lots of money with family who owned businesses for generations. Still, wasn't it silly to compare with others based on when they got rich? If they newly aquired that title, then it probably meant they were in a business that would only flourish even more in the future, right? Kyousuke couldn't imagine that a lot of families who got lots of money out of movies or video games or robotics had already been very rich to begin with. If they were, they clearly diversified themselves. "I wonder what I am to them..." he said to himself. Where does the child of a surgeon stood in this? After all, if they wanted to pick on him throughout the years, it was for being an illegitimate child, not that.

He had a smile. If she preferred to drop the honorifics, at least the senpai one, he wouldn't mind. It was a bit weird but she was also not a student in his classes and deserved that title only for being one year older. He could show respect by callign her Hirayama-san, he supposed. "If that's the case, you can call me Kyousuke," he told her. He grew accustomes to be Shishido in here but it was still weird at times, mostly when he thought of his mother. He used to be Wataru Kyousuke for half of his life after all. If that put an emphasis on his status, he didn't care. It wasn't like he himself specified it, even though the girl earlier sort of implied he was not that much higher than Maemi in the social ladder for some reason.

[HIRAYAMA MAEMI]

Maemi could understand that not everyone was in tight with their family. Even if she started questioning herself on the matter, she was still studying to help them with the spas and have a high-placed job there. “Oh really? Is it too much to ask what you are studying for?” She questioned him curious. There were various things and occupations he could be doing, especially if it was in a family line and it got her curious. She felt like she had possibility to become friends with that boy. She couldn’t agree more with Kyousuke, after all, her job was safe and no one would take it from her. They tended to prefer family members and keep it that way instead of hiring outsiders and taking a risk that they won’t do the job correctly. “Indeed, as for me, I do work for them when I’m not studying.” She admitted to him. It was nice because it allowed her to be with her family but she still wished to have more time for herself before she would be full-on in the working world.

She gave him a questioning look but felt like it might not be right to ask him that right away. He would decide he wanted to share that part of his life with her or not. After all, they were only getting to know each other so she wouldn’t tell him every detail of her life yet. She only felt comfortable around him because they had similar backgrounds and they knew how hard you could work to get respect from others, especially considering that she still had to do it on occasions.

She nodded, smiling back at him, warmly. “I shall then, Kyousuke.” She said with a smile. ” Hopefully they will change their point of views on us, I’m getting tired of having to fight like this while it could be avoided.” She admitted with a sigh. People might think that she was always doing it on purpose but she too grew tired of having to prove herself or her point to others.

[SHISHIDO KYOUSUKE]

Kyousuke couldn't call medecine family 'business'. Sure, some people talked of medecine as if it was a business, when regarding who to treat first and whatnot, and maybe his father was a bit more into the business aspect of it now that he was head of surgery, but he would still practice and write essays on the matter. "Medecine," he answered her. "My father and brother are surgeons." He would likely be too. Or some form of doctor. He wasn't sure about that though. It did not appeal to him as much. He still had time to figure out a field of expertise, he supposed, but the truth was that he wasn't certain of this. What else could he do though? Maybe he hould focus on children. He grew an affinity with them since Ryoko got pregnant.

The society was such, family would be preferred, then other members of the society and then foreigners. At least, in a ot of fields. Maybe some accepted that their children wouldn't do well in their field of work or that they had other passions, but you always had a sort of safety net in the chance you may work for your family if they owned a business. He pitied those whose both parents worked for others, they relaly had to figure things out on their own and wouldn't have an easy entryway somewhere. He nodded when she admitted working for her family when off school. Made sense. Not for him, of course, as he doubt they would allow anyone in an operation room, but for her at least.

Kyousuke also felt they had a connection. Not in the sense he grew a crush on her or anything, but he could feel they came from the same kind of background. They struggled in the same way. If Kyousuke had been picked on in the past before coming to Ouran, it was for being a quiet, tiny kid. Here, he was the bastard son, and didn't get the etiquette of the place at first. It made him grew out of the cutesy phase he was in when he entered, made him pick up kickboxing and prove he was tough. It was still difficult at times, but it was more because Kyousuke had moments when he just wanted to reject this life and rebelled against it. "It will when we'll graduate, I suppose. I'm sure a lot of old money families have fallen from grace or isn't as prominent as they used to. They'll need the help of new money families to stay afloat." It was how things worked.

[HIRAYAMA MAEMI]

Maemi nodded as Kyousuke said that his family was in the Medicine branch. She didn’t see her discussion with Kyousuke as a potential chance to have a doctor for herself or connections through this, she only saw him as a potential friend she could have fun with. Besides, she had to admit that she tended to be rather intimidated by families who had more money than hers, especially when their attitudes fit the description. Why did they have to be so snobby and judging of others? Couldn’t they just live and let live? Apparently, it was something hard to do sometimes.

“Do you intend to follow that line?” she asked him curiously. She was starting to plan not to do so and wondered if it was the case for him too. Who knows, maybe they had more in common than what she initially thought of.

“That’s true.” She said after he spoke. They would need their help, and not all of the families were having a flourishing business. Some would go and new ones would be made. She could see why some families were forming alliances by an arranged marriage and she sure hoped that it wouldn’t happen to her. She preferred to keep her freedom way too much for it to happen.

[SHISHIDO KYOUSUKE]

He nodded at her question. "That is the goal. Then again, not so sure about surgery, might go somewhere else..." He still had the time for that, for it required quite a lot of studies to begin with and he had tie to specialise in something. He didn't think his father would mind too much if he chose another specialization. He seemed to care more about the fact he did medecine in the first place. He'd rather not share with Maemi that he wasn't sure about that either. He couldn't really see himself as a doctor either but until he had a clear plan for an alternative, he couldn't bring himself to say it to his father. And he didn't know Maemi enough to share this much information about himself, not knowing that she had similar sentiments.

Kyousuke thought that a lot of old money families needed to expand the way they made money and gained influence over the years, to seek other paths. A lot of businesses from the past had grown obsolete. Even Nintendo was not selling video games at fist. Kyousuke was certain that a lot of those families were not as rich as they used to. And he thought that their lineage carried less weight than it used to. "Money is money. It doesn't matter when you earned it, what matters is what you do with it and your attitude about it." Nouveau riche could be really snobby, trying to buy themselves the status and attitude of the ones who were there before them. Old money families could have a similar attitude, looking down on anyone who had to work so hard to get where they were when they were born with it. Kyousuke didn't like either of those. He knew what hard work could bring. It wasn't always what you deserved but he'd rather work hard and earn less than be one of those snobs that acted like everything was easy and everyone owed them because they had money.

[HIRAYAMA MAEMI]

Maemi was intrigued by Kyousuke because they had similar backgrounds. She felt more at ease around people like him, who were grounded and to hell what Ryohei would have to say about her befriending people who were similar to her. “It’s not like you don’t have options in that field, you can go through various directions if you like.” She said, there were different sorts of doctors and he could even go to researching if he preferred not to see many people. “It’s great that you have something to look forward to though.” She said with a smile, really wishing that he would get to reach his goal.

“I agree, how you get it doesn’t matter, we all are part of the school as one, but some people don’t get that fact it seemed.” She said, thinking about it. Why was it hard for them to accept that there were new companies that flourished? Shouldn’t they be respected for that? It meant that they were good entrepreneurs so they had not to be frowned upon. “We deserve the same kind of respect as others.” She said. It annoyed her for sure, but in the end, they were all in the same boat and bullies would remain bullies no matter what you said.

[SHISHIDO KYOUSUKE]

Kyousuke chuckled. He did have several options. His father probably wished he was a surgeon too, because he was one as well, but there were a lot more specialities he could pick. "I suppose as long as people can call me Doctor, that's the goal, right?" Maybe he shouldn't say then that he was not so sure about it. He liked children since he watched over Ryoko's son, but he was not sure he wanted to treat children. He didn't want to be surrounded by sick, dying kids. "So do you," he pointed out when she said he had his path drawn out for him. He had no idea both of them were questioning it though. He wouldn't share that to her, senpai or not. He had just started to talk to her, it was too perosnal. If he had to talk of this, it would be with Ryoko or someone he was this close to. He wasn't even sure he could talk to a senpai of his in the same area of studies.

He shrugged, as there was little that could be done about it. But he agreed with Maemi, as long as they were in, it did not matte how. From what he knew, there were children of yakuza boss in here. If someone had to be treated differently, wouldn't it be someone like that? Then again, they were not really in high classes when that happened. "Maybe they don't like eeing how they might one day fall as others rise." Not that it was the reason people treated him differently, but he didn't feel like explaining his family status. Enough people knew about it and treated him differently because he was the product of an affair. He could be legitimate now, that wouldn't change. He nodded, wholeheartedly agreeing that they deserved the same level of respect. Not that it would happen with some, but it was true. "Then again, I don't have too much problems with them. I'm in a boxing club, so they don't want to mess with me and if they do, I'm also in the track team so I can outrun them." Mean comments, he couldn't prevent that, but he didn't have to fear bullies. He wouldn't just punch them but he could look scary enough if he wanted. It was how he managed to get through his years here. "Not that I'm violent. But they think twice when they realise that I could be."

[HIRAYAMA MAEMI]

Maemi smiled back and giggled a little as he spoke. It was true; it was all that mattered in a way that he made it to his goal to be a doctor. Whatever he wanted to do with it was up to him entirely. “Indeed, make sure to let me know if you ever reach that goal, I might end up giving you a free pass to the family spa for a couple of days.” She added jokingly. It was good to know that not all students were stuck-ups and she definitely saw friendship potential with Kyousuke as they seemed to have a similar background. She smiled a bit and nodded a little, not telling him that she was still unsure of the path that she was about to take. It was still a mystery to her after all and she didn’t want to spread it out in the open if she didn’t have a precise idea of what she wanted!

She nodded, thinking of what he was saying. It was true that a lot of people could get in higher ranks, but they could also fall from grace. It might be hard for them to see it happening if it ever did in the school. She supposed that they also had worries that weren’t as negligible as theirs. “I should probably consider getting in one too, maybe it would spare me from a couple of arguments.” She said with a smile. “You may not be violent but it’s a good reminder to not mess with you.” She stated with a light shrug. Sometimes, people needed that.

[SHISHIDO KYOUSUKE]

Was medecine something Kyousuke really wanted to do? He felt like it was something his father expected of him. Not that Kyousuke felt really forced to pick this path, it just sounded like the obvious one. He could not recall claiming he would be a surgeon like his father when he was a child. Then again, he was not sure what he said he would be, except perhaps Yatterman, and masked vigilante was not exactly something that paid the bills. And he was no robot cat, so he couldn't be Doraemon either.

Still, he didn't want to share his worries as to what he would do in the future with Maemi. He barely knew her. She was older than him, true, but not in the same branch as he was, nor was she in the same club, not even as a manager. They were not close enough to share things like that. She was even joking about offering his future doctor self visiting her family spa. "That almost makes me wish I was a doctor already," he joked back. If he knew she had similar worries about her future life, maybe he would have opened up. It was not something he really shared so far, and that may be why it was gnawing at him when, for all he knew, he really wanted to become a doctor.

"Are you saying you never joined a club since all the time you were here, or are you just referring to boxing?" Track was a natural club for him to join, as he always had been a good runner. Boxing was a hobby he picked over time, and one that served him well whenever he decided to stand up for himself despite his status. After all, not only was he an illegitimate child, but surgeons were not exactly amongst the richest people in here, not even a renowned one like his father.

He still wanted to make sure she didn't believe he was the violent type. There were a few people he wouldn't mind punching, but he looked more scary than he truly was. "That's the goal, at least. This school was... a brutal change from where I went before." Then again, kids teasing him for 'having no father', he dealt with before. But there was more than the rude comments from students, it was the whole class system and what was expected of you. That was a lot to put on one's shoulders. "I love it, though. I got used to it, found my place," he assured, as he didn't want anyone to pity him.

[HIRAYAMA MAEMI]

Maemi smiled at Kyousuke as they joked a bit together. She felt like she could get along well with Kyousuke and it was a first. She didn’t bond with a lot of the students because she was so always on guard. Turned out that this guy seemed to understand what she was going through and she would make sure to greet him from now on whenever they would cross paths. “I’m sure if you’re dedicated to it you will achieve your goal in no time.” She added as her smile grew.

Of course, she never joined the boxing club, it wasn’t her thing but she joined the Ikebana club back in the day. “Oh, I have been to the Ikebana club before, when I was in Ouran High but I would rather focus on my studies now.” She said. She couldn’t say that she was an athlete far from that. She could do a bit of sport to maintain her healthy shape but that was it.

“That’s something I can understand, it’s not easy to go from…a normal school to this…” she said, as she gestured to the Academy. “It does offer a lot, but I’m not sure I have found my place here.” She admitted to Kyousuke. She didn’t pity him though, she respected him for his decisions and was glad that he assumed who he was.

[SHISHIDO KYOUSUKE]

Dedicated. That was the problem, right? Kyousuke was doing this because his father strongly encouraged him, to not say forced, into picking medecine, like him. Kyousuke's choice would only be to pick which part of medecine he'd like to specialize in. How nice of the renowned surgeon to allow him not to pick surgery! Kyousuke never thought much of it but since he started university, he started to wonder if that really was for him. But without ever being given another option, it was tough to see what else he could become.

He kept silent. It was not the sort of thing to tell his senpai, especially one he was not all that close to. She talked of the Ikebana club. He nodded. That was never really his thing. He knew how to perform the tea ceremony, that was the closest to it he cold think of, but he enjoyed more active clubs. "A lot of people think that way, even if there are still clubs. I'm still in the boxing one but I dropped track. It's mostly so I can have an easy place to train and keep in shape." He wouldn't have thought he'd like boxing when he was a kid. He went from shy to cute, boxing didn't seem to fit. But he liked it.

She could understand how hard it was to go to Ouran Academy. The other students had a certain view of life that could be brutal when you did not fit in it. "It's not the same mentality, although I got the same sort of teasing when I was at a public school." The fact he was the illegitimate son of a surgeon and grew without him around for half of his life didn't change with him changing school. He was surprised that she claimed she didn't feel like she belonged. "Really? You feel like they'd accept you more than me," he stated. But he supposed it depended how cruel her bullies have been over the years.

[HIRAYAMA MAEMI]

Maemi had to say that she had similar worries than Kyousuke, if not about the field, it was what she wanted to do once she was out of the school. Did she want to keep up with business, that was a certainty, but was she really willing to keep up with her family spas? Or would she rather spread her own wings and start something of her own? That was something she needed to put her thoughts through as she often thought she did not fit into this. She was quite pleased to talk to Kyousuke though, he was a grounded person and she knew that he wouldn’t judge her as he stood by her side when this other girl tried to insult her.

She had to admit, that it was a good point, going to a boxing club would also prevent others from bugging you. “Remember me not to insult you.” She said jokingly, showing him that she would never do that. “Perhaps I should try getting into that club, or any karate club, it might keep noisy people away from me when I need it.” It could also help her to vent and focus, that definitely was something she needed to think through.

“Bullies are bullies, no matter what schools they are from, unfortunately, there’s always going to be someone trying to pull you down, what matters is not to let them get the best of us.” She said. She had always fought for herself and maybe it made her the way she was, not trusting the others as much but could anyone really blame her for that reason? “I don’t tend to stay quiet when someone pushes me to my limit, they don’t like that.” She said to him with a small smile. “They always get surprised when I talk back.”

[SHISHIDO KYOUSUKE]

Kyousuke brushed over the fact that if he joined a boxing club at first, it was because he suddenly tried to be the bad guy, with the yakuza kids at school. He dropped them and that attitude, it wasn't him at all and would get him in trouble at some point, but he still love boxing too much to stop. If that made some think he was still a bit of a bad boy, or at least tough enough to beat them if they pissed him off, he was fine with it. He didn't like that thought, he was not going to beat anyone up, but that could prevent some people from speaking against him about his upbringing or his family. Those were subjects too touchy for him to want to be mocked over. But that did not start with Ouran. He dealt with that all of his life.

He laughed at what she said. "I promise I'm not as scary as I may look." If she had seen him crossdressing, that thought would leave her entirely! She considered joining a martial arts club. "I'm sure they'd welcome you to try, but it's not about being able to fight them off, it's a matter of discipline and endurance. And having something to take your mind to instead of those comments." He was pretty sure there were a few clubs, if nto all of them, who'd kick their member out if they used their techniques to attack someone.

He nodded, agreeing all too well about bullies. He still recalled as far back as nursery school, when the kids were waiting for their parents to pick them up, and people reminding him he had no father, teasing him if he drew one in a family picture. In public school, people only thought his father walked away. In Ouran, they knew he was illegitimate. He didn't know what worse. But in the end, the pain from those comments was the same, so maybe it was not a matter of who was worse. They existed, that was the problem.

When she said she was talking back at them, she reminded him of Ryoko so much. It was why they were friends."I wasn't so good at that before," Kyousuke admitted. It might surprise her considering he did earlier to defend her, but it was the truth. He tended to take it in silence and vent out in training.