Chapter 18: Fuji's Perspective (The Prince is... Intrigued)

(Fuji's POV)

Lunchtime.

I am... in pain.

My "minimalist, Scandinavian" apartment (as Aoi called it) is quiet.

I am supposed to be at school, eating lunch with the soccer team.

But... my leg is throbbing.

That stumble in the alley... it was worse than I thought.

I'm icing it. With... another bag of frozen peas. (I bought four more bags after Aoi left. Just in case.)

Potato, my glorious, 50,000-follower-strong dog, rests his giant head on my lap, whining.

"I know, buddy," I mutter, rubbing his ears. "I'm being a terrible playmate."

My phone buzzes.

The Crest.

Katsuro.

I sigh.

"Your Highness," the voice says.

"Katsuro. We talked about this."

"Prince Kenji," he corrects, "you are limping. Your security detail filed a four-page report on the 'Panda-monium' incident."

"They're... they're watching Toujo?"

"They are watching you. And your... associates. This... 'Bloody Twilight'..."

"Is Aoi," I say, my voice sharper than I intend. "Her name is Aoi."

A stiff silence.

"She... 'helped' you. She was in your apartment. For... one hour and forty-seven minutes."

My god. They timed her.

"She brought me congee," I say flatly.

"Sir?"

"She... she yelled at me for being incompetent, wrapped my arm in a paw-print band-aid, and brought me... congee. From a 7-Eleven. It was... amazing."

Katsuro just... doesn't speak.

"This... this is the 'normal' life you all wanted me to have, right? This is 'independence.' I'm... making friends."

"Friends," Katsuro repeats, as if the word is foreign. "Your Highness... a 'friend'... who is rumored to have hospitalized three students... and... a panda... is not what His Majesty had in mind."

"His Majesty," I say, looking at my sterile apartment, "has no idea what he has in mind."

"Sir-"

"I’m fine, Katsuro. My rival is... furious. My leg hurts. And I have to study for a calculus quiz. This is the most 'normal' I've felt... ever. Tell my detail to stand down."

I hang up.

I hate this.

My entire life, since middle school. "Live as a commoner, Kenji. Learn what the people really are. Don't rely on the crest."

It's... so... boring.

Everyone is so fake.

The girls who blush. The guys who try to suck up to me.

It's all... respect. And fear.

All... except her.

Aoi Isuzu.

She... hates me.

She genuinely hates me.

She looks at me, and she doesn't see a "Prince." She sees... an obstacle.

She sees... Rank #2.

It’s... refreshing.

I look at my phone.

I open the text chain.

Me: Does antiseptic always have to sting that much? My arm is still recovering from your 'care.'

Aoi: It's supposed to sting. If it doesn't sting, it means it's not working. Stop being a baby.

Me: You're a very cruel nurse, Isuzu-san.

Aoi: I am not a nurse. I am your executioner. Now, stop texting me. I'm busy.

I smile.

I am actually smiling.

This is... fun.

This "rivalry."

...She's right, though. I am being a baby.

I stand up, ignoring the jolt of pain in my leg.

I grab my school bag.

If I'm her rival, I can't just... sit here.

I have to go... annoy her.

In person.

It’s the only 'normal' thing that makes sense anymore.