SPOTLIGHT CURSE -

Start From Chapter 1-
Ryuuto continue-

"That's the one. Her life is a PR campaign. She have strict Protocols enforced by her people. She's here for 1st year, a PR move to seem 'relatable.' And that's not even the worst part." 

Ryuuto dropped his voice further, glancing nervously at the school gate. "There's 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 metal.

"Yeah. If she doesn't find a publicly acceptable partner by the end of the 1st year of high school, someone who won't embarrass the family. she’s pulled out and forced into a arrange marriage"

Reikou processed the words. The image of the girl from his dream the gentle breeze and the whisper of "Help me" clashed violently with the reality of media, protocols, and forced marriage.

He didn't see a challenge, he saw Rule Three: I believe in fate.

Reikou murmured, a dramatic gleam entering his eyes.

"She's trapped in a gilded cage, and the key is guarded by the media."

He straightened his posture, wiping the last vestiges of sleep from his face. "I will help her, because i know how does this feels"

"What?" Ryuuto asked, genuinely confused.

Reikou looked back at the school gate, his gaze distant. "Because she needs to know how beautiful life is without rules. And if fate brought me here, late and foolish, on my first day, 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 right by the school's private exit gate. Two figures exited: a uniformed driver and a man in a perfectly tailored dark suit.

The suited man, who moved with the sharp, efficient air of a highly-paid executor, scanned the school grounds with cold, assessing eyes. He had thin, silver-rimmed glasses and an expression that promised absolute ruthlessness.

At corridor 

He glanced briefly at Reikou and Ryuuto before dismissing them as mere background noise.

"That's Akihiro," Ryuuto breathed, backing away slightly. "He's her executive assistant, handler, and basically her personal security chief. He ensures Protocol is followed."

The main classroom door slid open, and Meiyu Sazanami stepped out. She didn't look at Reikou or Ryuuto; her face was the perfect, emotionless mask of the heiress. She walked straight toward Akihiro and the waiting car.

Reikou felt his heart pound, no longer from the sprint, but from the sudden, clear understanding of the barrier between them.

Akihiro opened the car door. 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. Meiyu entered the car, and the door closed with a quiet, decisive thunk.

Reikou watched the black sedan pull away, realizing this wasn't just high school drama.

Ryuuto whispered. "You're entering a public life-or-death audition against a media empire."

Reikou grinned, his chaotic confidence returning, the dream girl's face now burned into his mind.

"Then let the audition begin," Reikou said, punching the air with fierce determination. "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! 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!”

 Reikou scoffed. “Oh yeah?”

 THWACK!

 Reikou punched Ryuuto hard in the face, sending him falling to the floor.

 “Oww! What the hell?!” Ryuuto groaned, rubbing his head.

 “You started it,” Reikou shrugged.

 “Oh?” Ryuuto smirked. “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 voice cut through their chaos.

 Both of them froze. Slowly, they turned their heads

 Mr. Yinglan was standing behind them, his piercing glare promising doom.

 “Ehhh?!?!”

 In perfect sync, Reikou and Ryuuto shot up, stood straight, and saluted him like soldiers.

 Before Mr. Yinglan could say anything, they bolted down the hallway.

 “He almost caught us again!” Ryuuto panted.

 “Yeah!!” Reikou sighed in relief.

 Ryuuto grinned. “Alright, let’s go to the canteen.”

 "Hah… yeah, sure," Reikou sighed.

 Then, he smirked. 

"Wait actually, let’s do a challenge."

 "A challenge?" Ryuuto raised an eyebrow.

 "Yeah! A race to the canteen. Loser treats the winner!"

 Before Ryuuto could even process the words

 Reikou took off running.

 “Oi! What a cheap way to get a free meal!!” Ryuuto yelled.

 By the time Reikou reached the canteen, a crowd of students had gathered near the center of the room.

 “Huh? What’s going on?”

 Ryuuto caught up and stood beside him, hands in his pockets.

 Then

 A loud voice rang out.

 “I-I like you!!!”

 The whole canteen fell silent.

 Reikou’s eyes widened.

 A boy was standing in front of Meiyu Sazanami, his face burning red.

Reioku thought "What? she seat in a car for just only come to Canteen"

Reioku face loss it's shape that look like a donkey

End of Chapter 2-