The Two Battles of Youth, Part 1

The silence in the room was absolute, but charged with emotion. Seraphine Laurent and Mio stared at each other, one blonde and one redhead, a fox and a rabbit at center stage.

Seraphine broke eye contact and turned to the audience with a smile. “ This crown is pretty. ” she said, touching the prize that had not yet been given to Mio. “ but a little... light for a real queen, don't you think? ”

Her voice resonated with that seductive foreign accent. “ I propose something better. A real challenge. The Shibuya Awards shouldn't be decided by internet votes. ” She turned to Mio, pointing at her with a perfectly manicured finger. “ I openly challenge you, bunny girl. Prove to me that you are worthy of being humiliated and defeated by me on the catwalk. ”

This silenced everyone for a second. Not out of fear, but out of sheer excitement at the statement. It was live drama, better than any soap opera. Suddenly, the room erupted in excited murmurs.

From the VIP tables, Ryōma Shinomiya looked at Kaguya defiantly, with a “ Checkmate ” smile. “ There you go, Minamoto. Your end is near. ”

Kaguya looked at him. She understood everything instantly. That blonde girl was his secret weapon, the mercenary brought in from abroad to destroy Mio's confidence. But instead of being scared, Kaguya let out a soft, venomous laugh. “ Aaaah, how interesting. ” Kaguya said, loud enough for Ryōma to hear. So the eternal “ second fiddle ” had to bring his foreign pet to play with us.

Ryōma flushed red with anger, but Kaguya flashed a mischievous, wicked smile. Despite the danger, she felt excited. For her, the war had become more interesting.

However, in the midst of this clash of titans, the only one left out was Ren. He stood on the stage, his forgotten male crown in his hand. He was caught up in a battle between girls, an accessory in the drama between Seraphine and Mio. He felt uncomfortable, out of place. Without saying a word, he stepped off the stage and returned to his seat at the main table, leaving the fox and the rabbit to prepare to fight for the Shibuya crown.

Ren sat down and watched Mio from a distance. She looked tense, but she wasn't running away. She was holding Seraphine's gaze. Ren thought he hadn't seen that side of her before; the girl from Happy Burger who used to run away, but this Mio was standing her ground.

As if reading his mind, Akira muttered under his breath. “ I didn't know bunnies could get so angry. They do have claws after all. ”

Ren glanced at her without saying anything, but inside he agreed.

Just then, a waiter hurried past behind Ren's chair. But thanks to the waiter's clumsiness and speed, the tray tilted and a glass of red wine spilled, staining the sleeve of Ren's immaculate suit. “ Idiot! ” Ryōma roared, jumping out of his seat. His face was red with rage, ready to unleash his anger on the employee. “ Do you know how much that suit costs?! You're fired! I'll make sure that...! ”

The waiter, a boy wearing a cap, lowered his head. “ Father, stop. ” Ren said, raising a hand calmly. Ryōma stopped, surprised. “ There's no need to tarnish the family's reputation over something as trivial as a wine stain.” Ren said in a cold, logical voice, manipulating his father's pride. " There are too many cameras. If you make a scene now, our status could be shaken. "

Ryōma looked at the nearby reporters who were already turning their cameras toward the commotion. He understood that his son was right. He growled and sat back down. “ Get out of my sight. ” he spat at the waiter.

“ I'll go to the bathroom to clean this up. ” Ren said, standing up.

Ren walked toward the exit of the hall, feeling the cold liquid on his arm, but grateful for the excuse to escape the circus his father had created. He entered the men's room. It was empty and silent, a relief to his ears. The white marble gleamed under the lights. Ren took off his jacket and began trying to clean the stain with soap and water, breathing deeply to calm his emotions after everything he had just seen.

But the sound of the faucet running beside him distracted him. Ren looked up at the mirror. And froze.

Next to him, calmly washing his hands, was a young man. He wasn't wearing a designer tuxedo. He wore a white chef's uniform, slightly stained and with the sleeves rolled up. He had a cap on, but his eyes met Ren's through the reflection in the mirror.

Ren didn't recognize him right away, but he felt a strange tension in the air. The cook didn't seem intimidated by standing next to the Shinomiya heir. In fact, it looked like he was waiting for him.