Chapter 20: The Heiress in Seat 1-B

The limousine ride back is as silent as the ride there. Kenichi just drives, his face a granite mask. I am in the back, my new "status" a heavy, invisible weight in the plush air. I am "family." I am "approved" by the Dragon. I am Ayako's "Anomaly." The words are insane, a string of yakuza-buzzwords that make no sense, yet they are my new reality. I am a delinquent who brawls in alleys, and I am now, apparently, a 'made man' in the weirdest, most terrifying 'family' in Tokyo.

I am not dropped off on my street. The limousine glides to a stop a block away, discreet and shadowy. The door unlocks. I get out. The car does not wait. It just disappears, a black phantom swallowing my old life.

I stumble into my tiny apartment. It is a mess, just like I left it. But it feels different. It feels small. Inefficient. I look at my reflection in the dark TV screen. I am just Shoujo Minatawa. Bruised, tired, and hopelessly confused. How did this happen? It all started with a whisper. Your right hook is predictable.

The next day at school is torture. It is a slow, agonizing slide into unreality. I walk into class 1-B, and the world is the same. The air is loud, the "I love you!" chants are still ringing from the gate. But I am different. The room is not just a room. It is a 'cover'.

And she... she is not just Ayako Katsumi.

I have not seen her since the village. I have not spoken to her since she patched up my arm. But in the last forty-eight hours, I have been kidnapped by her army, tested by her general, and approved by her father. All without her being there.

She is sitting at her desk, just like she always is. She is perfect. Her hair is immaculate. Her uniform is crisp. She is reading a book. She is the Student Council President. She is the school goddess.

And she is a yakuza princess.

She is the "Ojou-Sama." She is the Heiress to the Bokumuchi-kai. She is the 'Ice Queen' who 'corrects' people, who has a bear named Kenichi, and whose father is a literal Dragon.

She looks up as I slide into my seat. Her black eyes meet mine. There is no 'recognition' of my ordeal. There is no "hello, 'family' member." There is just... 'her'.

"Good morning, Minatawa-kun," she says, her voice the same cool, quiet, perfect tone.

"Morning, Katsumi-san," I manage, my voice a croak.

This is the game. This is the 'cover'. She is the Heiress, and she does not even dirty her hands with the "procedural updates." She just... is. And her machine moves around her.

I am so, so screwed. I am terrified of her. I am terrified for her. And the most messed-up, inefficient part of it all? I am hopelessly, completely, 'problematically' fascinated by her.

The bell rings. Tanaka-sensei starts droning on about history. But I am not listening. I am just 'existing'. Next to the 'Heiress in Seat 1-B'.