“That’s the one,” Ryuuto continued, his voice tight. “Her life isn't a life it’s a high-budget PR campaign. She has strict ‘Protocols’ enforced by her handlers at all times. She’s only here for her first year a PR move to make the Sazanami family seem ‘relatable’ to the public. And that’s not even the worst part.”
Ryuuto dropped his voice even further, glancing nervously toward the school gate. “There’s a uwasa, a whisper going around among the faculty. Her father, the CEO, has practically set up an Audition.”
“An audition?” Reikou repeated, the word tasting like cold metal on his tongue.
“Un. If she doesn’t find a publicly acceptable partner by the end of her first year someone who won’t embarrass the family brand she’s pulled out and forced into a Miai an (arranged marriage).”
Reikou processed the words. The image of the girl from his dream the gentle breeze and that desperate whisper of “Help me” clashed violently with this reality of media contracts and forced marriages.
He didn’t see a challenge. He saw Rule Three: I believe in fate.
“She’s trapped in a gilded cage,” Reikou murmured, a dramatic, cinematic gleam entering his eyes. “And the key is guarded by the media.”
He straightened his posture, wiping the last vestiges of sleep from his face. “I’m going to help her. Because... I know exactly how that feels.”
“Ha?” Ryuuto asked, genuinely confused.
Reikou looked back at the gate, his gaze distant and resolute. “Because she needs to know how beautiful life is without rules. And if fate brought me here late and foolish then I am the one destined to win her freedom.”
Just then, a sleek, black, unmarked sedan polished to a mirror shine.silently pulled up by the private exit. Two figures stepped out: a uniformed driver and a man in a perfectly tailored dark suit.
The suited man moved with the sharp, efficient air of a high-level executor. He scanned the grounds with cold, assessing eyes behind thin, silver-rimmed glasses.
“That’s Akihiro-san,” Ryuuto breathed, backing away. “He’s her Executive Assistant, her handler, and basically her personal security chief. He ensures the ‘Protocol’ is followed to the letter.”
The main classroom door slid open with a crisp clack.
Meiyu Sazanami stepped out.
She didn’t look at the boys; her face was the perfect, emotionless mask of an heiress. She walked straight toward Akihiro-san and the waiting car. Reikou felt his heart pound not from a sprint, but from the sudden, clear understanding of the barrier between them.
Before Meiyu slipped inside, she cast one fleeting, accidental glance back at Reikou. For a split second, the coldness in her emerald eyes seemed to crack, revealing a flicker of something weary... something trapped.
Then, the mask slammed back down. The door closed with a quiet, decisive thunk.
“You’re entering a public life-or-death audition against a media empire, Reikou- San,” Ryuuto whispered.
Reikou grinned, his chaotic confidence returning. “Then let the audition begin. I’m ready for my close-up!”
TONK! TONK! TONK!
The loud sound of fists knocking on desks echoed through the classroom.
“Huh…?”
Break time.
“Hey, Reikou-San! Let’s go!” Ryuuto threw his arm around Reikou’s shoulder.
“Gweh—! What the hell are you doing?!” Reikou yelled. “Are you trying to break my shoulder today?!”
Ryuuto smirked. “Hahh! We’re friends. Everything is fair in friendship!”
THWACK!
Reikou punched Ryuuto square in the face, sending him tumbling.
“Oww! What was that for?!” Ryuuto groaned.
“You started it,” Reikou shrugged.
“Oh? Then take this!”
THWACK!
Ryuuto punched Reikou’s face just as hard.
“W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Reikou shouted, rubbing his nose.
“Chill, we’re friends. Everything is fair in friendship,” Ryuuto grinned.
Reikou grabbed Ryuuto’s collar. “You bastard—”
“You two want punishment during break time, too?”
A cold, heavy voice cut through the chaos. Both boys froze. Slowly, they turned their heads creak, creak, creak.
Yinglan-sensei was standing behind them, his piercing glare promising doom.
“Ehhh?!?!”
In perfect sync, they shot up and saluted like soldiers. “SORRY, SENSEI!” Then, they bolted down the hallway.
“He almost caught us again!” Ryuuto panted.
“Yeah!!” Reikou sighed. Then, he smirked.
“Wait... let’s do a challenge. A race to the canteen. Loser treats the winner!”
“Oi! What a cheap way to get a free meal!!” Ryuuto yelled.
By the time Reikou reached the canteen, a massive crowd had gathered.
“Huh? What’s going on?”
Ryuuto caught up, hands in his pockets. Then, a loud, trembling voice rang out
“I-I LIKE YOU! PLEASE GO OUT WITH ME!!”
The whole canteen fell into a dead silence. Reikou’s eyes widened. A boy was standing in front of Meiyu, his face burning bright red.
But Reikou wasn't looking at the boy. He was looking at the door.
‘Wait...’ Reikou thought, his brain short-circuiting. ‘Did she really sit in a luxury car just to be driven from the classroom to the canteen?!’
Reikou’s face completely lost its shape, morphing into a horrified, soul-crushed donkey expression.
[End of Chapter 2]
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