The Fox, the Rabbit, and the Crown

In the middle of the room, time and space warped. For Ren and Mio, the noise of conversation faded away. The world shrunk down to just the two of them. He, in his black suit and intense gaze; she, in her ethereal dress and wide eyes. It was an invisible thread that pulled them both with impressive force.

But just above that connection, there was another very different one. Mr. Ryōma Shinomiya and Miss Kaguya Minamoto also stared intently at each other. But there was no longing in their eyes. There was dry ice and daggers. Kaguya raised her glass with a mocking smile. Ryōma clenched his jaw, his eyes promising total destruction. It was a cold war fought in silence.

Both boys were caught in the crossfire of their own emotions, on the verge of collapse. Ren maintained his impassive face of the perfect Ice Prince, but his body betrayed him. His hands, clenched into fists at his sides, trembled slightly. A drop of cold sweat ran down his back. Akira, standing beside him, noticed it instantly. With a discreet movement, he moved closer to him and placed a hand on his arm, squeezing hard to anchor him to reality. 

On the other hand, Mio was also able to control her emotions on her face thanks to Kaguya's intense training. She looked like a serene porcelain statue. But inside, she was paralyzed. Her inner mind was screaming at the top of its lungs: " IT'S HIM! IT'S HIM! HE'S HERE! And he's looking at me! AAAAAH! " Tanaka, noticing that Mio had stopped blinking ten seconds ago, nudged her gently. "Mio... the press is waiting for you to walk." But Mio didn't react. She was lost in Ren's eyes.

Fortunately, the gala protocol forced them to move on before anyone could make a scene. The evening proceeded with tense normality after that: lavish dinners, boring speeches, and aggressive stares.

But when the main show started, everything changed. The lights in the hall went out and a giant screen descended from the ceiling. “ And now, the moment you've all been waiting for! ” announced the presenter. “ This year's Shibuya Popularity Ranking! ”

The charts appeared on the screen. In the men's section, Ren Shinomiya's photo appeared at the top, as usual. Unreachable. Ren took the stage to polite applause. They placed a symbolic gold crown on his head. He accepted it without smiling.

"And in the women's category... " the music grew louder " A new queen has emerged !" A photo of Mio, the Pink Bunny  filled the screen, surpassing veteran actresses and models. Mio, gently pushed by Kaguya, took the stage. She was trembling, but the crowd roared. She was at the top of the rankings.

Ren, who was still on stage wearing his crown, watched as Mio approached. Something neither of them had planned was about to happen: they were going to be together on the podium. Just then, Ren's personal phone vibrated in his pocket. It was a call. Breaking protocol, Ren discreetly glanced at the screen. Andrey (ECLIPSE).

Ren answered quickly, covering the microphone with his hand, while the presenter searched for the crown for Mio. “Andrey?”

 “...Ren...” static noise “Andrey's voice sounded desperate and broken up by background noise. ”...my stepsister... just landed... Europe... Russia... she's going there!"

Ren frowned. “What? I can't hear you.”,  “Be careful! She's...!” The call was cut off.

Ren didn't have time to process it. Just as the presenter was about to place the crown on Mio's head, something happened that no one could have expected.

All the lights in the building suddenly went out.

There were several cries of surprise. On the main stage, a column of thick white smoke began to rise from the ground. A solitary spotlight, cold blue in color, illuminated the center of the smoke. “ Well, well... ” a female voice echoed through the speakers. She had a strong accent, sensual and dangerous. A Russian accent mixed with French. “ Did you start the party without the real royalty? ”

From the shadows, with elegance and beauty, a tall girl appeared. Her hair was a cascade of golden blonde. Her dress, European haute couture, sparkled like diamonds. She walked forward with the confidence of an empress.

Everyone at the gala shouted with excitement. The photographers went wild. “IT'S HER!” someone shouted. “ THE MODEL OF THE CENTURY! SERAPHINE LAURENT! ”

Seraphine Laurent had made her debut. It was such a stunning, theatrical, and perfect performance that the presenter stood there with Mio's crown in his hand, hesitating for a moment as to whom he should give it to.

Seraphine ignored the audience and ignored Ren. She slowly turned her head, and her blue eyes locked onto Mio. Mio, who had taken a step back from the explosion of smoke, held her gaze.

Seraphine looked her up and down with a mocking smile. Mio felt a chill. It wasn't fear. It was as if an angry rabbit and an annoyed fox were staring each other down in the forest. Mio didn't know why, but it was the first time she had looked at a girl with instant, instinctive dislike. Something about that blonde girl smelled like danger from the very first second.

And with that, The War for the Crown had just ceased to be a metaphor.