The Sunset Dream and the Heir's Deal

The world that Mio saw was an orange sunset, almost fantastical. She was in a small park, but she wasn't the adult, model Mio that everyone knew; she was small, her legs dangling from the bench and her hands sticky from melted ice cream. In front of her was a boy. He had white, messy hair and a smile that shone brighter than the sun setting on the horizon.

Suddenly, the scene changed. Now they were sitting on the low branch of a large tree, watching the sunset. It felt warm. It felt like home. The boy turned toward her. He moved his lips, saying something to her. Mio strained to hear, desperate to listen. What are you saying? Who are you? But the sound didn't reach her. It was like being underwater. She could only see his lips moving, pronouncing words that sounded empty.

Then she woke up.

The white light hit her eyes. Mio blinked, confused, finding herself lying on a bed with white sheets. She was in a private room at the Minamoto Corporation's exclusive hospital. The only sound Mio could hear was from the machine monitoring her. When her eyes focused, the first thing she saw was a familiar figure. Kaguya Minamoto was lying at the foot of the bed, sitting in an uncomfortable chair but with her head resting on the mattress, near Mio's feet. She was asleep. Her perfect makeup was slightly smudged, and she looked exhausted. Mio tried to sit up, but she felt weak. " How long has it been since I passed out? "  she wondered. " Why am I here? "

Her mind, still clouded, began to rewind. Little by little, she remembered what had happened.

Hours ago, in the Office of the President.

The air in Kaguya's office was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Tomoki had entered. His presence shocked Kaguya. No one, not even Tanaka, knew if it was the best or worst time for the disinherited son to return.

Tomoki took a step. Then another. He walked until he was face to face with his mother, separated only by the desk.

“ Hello, Mother. ” he repeated.

Kaguya snapped out of her shock. Her face went from surprise to defensiveness in a second.
“ What are you doing here, Tomoki? ” she asked harshly, regaining her composure. Whatever your goal is, or if you've come to gloat about the company going under, now is not the time to talk about it. I'm in the middle of a crisis.

“ I know. ” Tomoki said calmly, ignoring her coldness. “ You're right. The company is going under, and Mio is being attacked by every media outlet in Japan. That's why I'm here. ”

Kaguya frowned, confused by the familiarity with which he spoke of the girl. “ Do you know her? ” Kaguya asked, narrowing her eyes.

“ Yes. ” Tomoki replied. “ I worked with her. I was her partner. That photo from the hamburger restaurant that Ryōma is using to humiliate her... I was there that day. ” Tomoki clenched his fists.
“ She's innocent, Mother. And you can't stop this with lawyers alone. Ryōma is attacking her morale, something we can do legally.” 

They argued heatedly. Kaguya insisted that she was in control, even though she knew that wasn't true. Tomoki, on the other hand, claimed that her pride was going to destroy Mio's life. “ You can't save her on your own! ” Tomoki shouted, banging on the table. “ They're going to destroy her! ”

Kaguya fell silent, breathing heavily. “ And what do you propose? What can you, a cook, do against the Shinomiya empire? ”

Tomoki adjusted his black tie. His expression changed in an instant. He was no longer the rebellious boy. “ I have the solution. But it will cost you. ” Kaguya looked at him. “ I am willing to sacrifice my freedom. ” Tomoki declared firmly. " I'll return to the family. I'll accept being Minamoto's official heir. I'll leave the kitchen and put on a suit. "

Kaguya's eyes widened. It was what she had secretly wished for for years. “ In exchange for what? ”

Kaguya was speechless. It was a perfect plan. Awkward, but perfect. She was about to give an answer when the door burst open. A secretary came in shouting. “ President! Mio-san is in the central atrium! She saw the rumors on the internet! ”

“ Damn it! ” Tomoki shouted.

Alarmed, the three of them ran out of there. They ran through the hallways, down the emergency stairs, taking the steps two at a time. They reached the lobby just in time to see Mio coming out through the revolving doors. They saw the flashes attacking her from all sides. They saw her stagger.

“ MIO! ” Tomoki shouted, but the glass blocked his voice.

With no time to lose, the three of them rushed outside. They grabbed Mio, who was in shock, and pulled her back into the building, shielding her from the blinding light. As soon as they crossed the safety of the lobby, Mio's legs gave way. Her eyes rolled back and she fainted. But she didn't fall to the floor. She fell into Kaguya's arms, who held her with desperate strength, while Tomoki looked out at the press.

Present. Hospital.

Mio looked at Kaguya sleeping at her feet. Little by little, the memories of the panic attack came back. The screams, the feeling of suffocation, everything came back to her. But she also remembered something else. Just before she fainted, among the silhouettes that saved her... Had she seen Tomoki? Mio closed her eyes, feeling that reality was becoming much more complicated than her dream in the tree.