Over the next few days, things were uneventful. The house was quiet, and everyone was getting along in the Yamazaki family. After Hanae apologised to Akira, she did not cause further trouble.

In fact, she avoided Akira altogether, except during meals. She excused herself by letting the Yamazaki couple know that she was preparing for an important piano competition.

On the fifth day after Akira's arrival, Sayaka brought up an important subject during breakfast.

"Akira, why don't we go shopping? I have noticed that you have not worn any of the clothes in your room. Don't you like them?" She asked.

Akira took a sip of her tea.

"The size is not suitable for me. There is no need to go shopping. My clothes will be delivered in a few days." She responded.

She had been wearing her standard black trousers with a white t-shirt over the last few days. She had carried several pairs for convenience. They did not take up a lot of space in her suitcase.

She had indeed made arrangements for clothes to be sent to Mountain Ridge, but she intended to have them delivered to the apartment she had acquired before coming to the city.

"There is no harm in having a few more clothes," Daiki spoke up with a gentle smile.

Akira paused for a moment before she nodded. If she got more clothes, she could keep hers in the apartment and use the new ones.

"Excellent!" Sayaka clapped her hands happily. "We can spend the day shopping. Maybe have lunch at the Saffron Garden."

Akira did not oppose. She was a bit curious about the city.

"Hanae, would you like to come? I know that you have been busy practising for the competition." Sayaka asked the quiet girl.

Since that day, Hanae had become a little subdued. Therefore, she did not talk like before. Sayaka invited her for the shopping trip so that she could also cheer up a little. Moreover, she wanted the two young women to get along.

"Yeah." Hanae looked at her aunt and smiled a little.

"Excellent. As for the clothes we bought for Akira before, they are your size, so I will have the maids put them in your bedroom. I have also been thinking that they should transfer the décor in that bedroom to your own since you already used it for a while. What do you think?" Sayaka smiled back at Hanae.

Hanae clutched her chopsticks tightly in her hand at the statement. While Sayaka was being considerate, she felt like she was getting Akira's rejects. Granted, she is the one who had chosen the things, but she had only agreed to go shopping so that she could cheer herself up by getting new things.

It would be difficult to get Sayaka to buy her things if she had all of these transferred items. Unfortunately, she could not refuse.

"Alright." She said in a soft voice.

"Then, we should get ready for girls' day out." Sayaka pumped her hand with enthusiasm.

Hanae went to her bedroom with a sullen face after breakfast. She was angry, but she had no way to vent her anger at the injustice she had just experienced.

When she had helped Sayaka to choose some clothes for Akira, she did have the idea of taking them back. She had intended to make a little fun of Akira if the clothes did not fit her. Then, she would offer some of her old clothes before taking the new ones.

However, Akira had not shown any interest in the clothes. She had even chosen to keep wearing one bland type of clothing like an anime character.

Even though she knew the clothes would fit her perfectly and they were in her style, she did not want things that had been tossed away by someone else.

With a frustrated face, she called her mother and started to complain about the matter.

"You have to be calm," Kaoru spoke from the other end of the line in an unusually serious manner.

"Why do I have to be calm? Auntie and Akira are treating me like a beggar. How can I wear hand-me-downs?" She complained.

"You chose those clothes, and Akira did not wear them. How are they hand-me-downs?" Kaoru was frustrated with her daughter.

Perhaps Hanae had stayed with her aunt for too long that she forgot she was not a part of the big families in Mountain Ridge. If she became insensible, then her efforts to send her to the Yamazaki family would go down the drain.

She needed to remember that their goal was to climb up the ranks instead of relying on the Yamazaki to show their face around the city.

"But still…" Hanae started again.

"Hana, it is a sensitive period for our business. The company is stable, but we want to tackle a major project. We need your uncle's help. Our company is smaller than the others in the running, so we can't get it with our power." Kaoru explained.

"What project?" Hanae asked casually.

She did not really care. She never paid attention to what happened with her parent's business because it did not affect her as long as she lived with the Yamazaki family. In any case, she had an older brother and sister to worry about the business if her father and mother could not handle it.

"The owner of the famous Clarion is planning on building a high-end racetrack and luxury vehicle dealership in the outskirts of Mountain Ridge. It is an important project with a lot of publicity. If we get it, we will finally gain a permanent foothold in the city." Kaoru explained with some excitement.

The Ito construction and real estate business was not originally based in Mountain Ridge and even their headquarters was not in the area. However, the Yamazaki family had helped them get some smaller projects in the locale, allowing them to gain some recognition.

If they handled a major project, they would make a name for themselves and break into the high-end luxury market. It would only be a matter of time before the Ito name was a household name.

"What do you want me to do?" She asked grudgingly.

Hanae did not care much, but she was also worried about the current state of things. It was best if her family could be a little wealthier in case she lost her position with the Yamazakis.

"For now, nothing. Just try to get along with everyone, and practise your piano." Kaoru said with a sigh.

She would be thankful if her daughter did not cause any trouble.