Seraphine Laurent

On the 80th floor of the Minamoto building, the atmosphere was one of victorious calm. The three girls were in Kaguya's office. The president, sitting cross legged in her leather armchair, slid her finger across the screen of a tablet with a satisfied smile. She was reviewing surveys, opinions, reviews of commercials, and everything related to the Mio phenomenon on the internet.

Meanwhile, on a nearby sofa, Tanaka and Mio were chatting a little about the day's schedule. Mio held a cup of hot coffee in both hands, enjoying a moment of peace.

“ Hmm... Approval ratings among the 18 25 demographic are at 98%. ” Kaguya murmured to herself. “ Impressive. ” She kept scrolling until she found an interesting poll on a popular fan forum. The main topic was: Who would be the perfect match for the Pink Bunny? There were typical choices: famous actors, popular singers, male models. But the number one choice, with thousands of votes, caught her attention.

Kaguya raised an eyebrow and, without thinking twice, read the option aloud: “ Wow, this is really interesting. People are voting for a relationship between... Mio and Ren Shinomiya? ”

A sound of liquid being violently expelled broke the peace. Mio, who was taking a sip of her coffee at that very moment, choked upon hearing Kaguya's words. She began coughing violently, pounding her chest. Tanaka reacted instantly, patting her on the back and offering her a napkin.
“ Mio! Breathe! ”

Mio was red as a tomato, but it wasn't because she was embarrassed about choking and staining the table. It was because of what Kaguya had said. " Ren? And me? Do people think that? " Her heart, betraying her, skipped a beat. Despite the wedding, despite Akira, hearing their names together in the same sentence sent a sensation through her whole body.

But Kaguya, who was distracted by her tablet, hadn't noticed her protégée's crisis. Just then, a notification popped up on her screen. Kaguya opened her eyes in surprise and then smiled. “ Oh! Look at this! ” She turned to the girls, her eyes shining with excitement. “ It's finally here! It's the official invitation! ”

Mio, her eyes still teary and slowly catching her breath, looked at Kaguya while Tanaka continued to clean up the spilled coffee. Neither of them was paying much attention to her. Kaguya blinked, confused by the lack of reaction. “ What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? ” Kaguya asked, completely oblivious to the fact that she had almost scared Mio to death. “ It's the Shibuya Annual Gala! The event where the most important people in the world gather to show off their ‘best selves’! And we're invited to the main table! ”

Mio swallowed hard. A gala. With the most important people. That meant they would be there. And also... Ren with his future wife.

While the situation was calm in Kaguya's buildings, the atmosphere at the Shinomiya family mansion was toxic.

Ren and Akira were not present. It was a meeting of the adults: Ryōma Shinomiya, Mr. Takashima, and their respective strategy teams. They were discussing what to do next against the Minamoto family. Mio's launch had been a devastating blow to both families.

“ We could try to buy out her fabric suppliers. ” suggested one executive. “ Too slow. ” Takashima dismissed. “ What if we launch a smear campaign about her origins? ”, “ We don't know anything about her origins. That girl is a phantom. ”

There were several ideas, but nothing convinced them. Panic was beginning to set in. They were losing the war of public opinion. Ryōma, Ren's father, had been silent the whole time, staring out the window with a grim expression until he finally spoke. His voice was low, but it cut through the air like a knife.

"Call that girl"

There was silence for several seconds. The executives looked at each other, confused, until they understood who he was referring to. Once they reacted, the room erupted in complaints. “ Are you referring to her? ” asked the treasurer, turning pale. " Mr. Shinomiya, her fees are astronomical!". “ Bringing her over from Europe, putting her up, paying her exclusivity contract... it would cost us three quarters' worth of our budget! ” shouted another. “ It's crazy! ”

Ryōma turned slowly, his gaze silencing everyone. “ It's the only option. ” he said coldly. “ We have to attack with everything we've got. We can't afford a long battle. Minamoto has humiliated us. ” He tapped the table with his index finger. " We have to be at the top. Only us. And no one else. If the price of victory is money, we'll pay it. I'd rather be bankrupt than be number two. "

Ren's father's words, laden with ambition and terror, motivated everyone in the room. No one dared to contradict him. Once everyone agreed, Ryōma took out his personal phone. He searched for a contact he had saved for extreme emergencies.

On the illuminated screen, only a profile photo was visible. It was a girl with platinum blonde hair, with a beauty that seemed not human, but sculpted from ice and gold. Her blue eyes stared at the camera with predatory arrogance. Below the photo was a name and an international number:

Seraphine Laurent.

Ryōma pressed the call button. The war had just escalated.