Chapter 15 - Party for the Blind

Akari sighed to herself, donning her Lucent uniform before arriving at a mansion twice the size of any house she’d ever seen. Out of the corner of her eye, her PR woman Hotaru waved her down. Hotaru’s dress was white. Blindingly white.

“Glad you made it okay!” She exclaimed.

“...Do I have to do this? I don’t like this stuff…” Akari replied.

Hotaru pushed up her glasses with a sympathetic smile.

“I’m sorry, but this is important… These Hayasake Soiree’s are insanely special! Lucent's from all over with tons of influence show up and…!”

Akari tilted her head at the overly excited woman, who sulked back with a nervous smile.

“Aha.. Apologies… But it is Important! Especially for your position…”

Akari took a breath and shoved the massive doors open, stepping into the belly of the beast. Hundreds of people walk around the crowded room, some young some old, a variety of people that just reeked of the upper class. The air smelt of people who had never gone hungry a day in their lives.

“Alright, we’re in! Let’s try and mingle so-!” Hotaru exclaims, only to find Akari was gone. She sighed, wandering off to find her.

While the party roared downstairs, Akari is going through various rooms, rummaging around. She enters a bedroom, pulling a small, ornate chest from under a dresser.

“Oooh, jackpot!”

She knelt down, grabbing the chest and slowly raising it up, but before she could see its contents, she’s grabbed by the collar.

“Wait wait wait, I can explain! I was trying to find the bathroom, and-!”

She looked up, finding Yuto in a tuxedo standing over her, glaring at her with disappointment so visible it could be written on her forehead.

“...Seriously? How do you manage to do the stupidest things?”

“I dunno. I was just invited to this thing! I don’t know what to do!”

Yuto shook his head, stepping back. “Just… follow me. The event is about to begin.” He exited the room quickly.

Akari stood up and chased him down, keeping up with his walking pace. “Why the heck am I even here?! What’s with you Haysakas…”

“The Hayasaka Lineage goes back centuries, however, our rise to fame started long before I was born. My great-grandfather was the advisor to the Imperator of time, instructing him on how to lead his people to a more prosperous land, the Tokyo you see before you was partially his doing, he was just the first step. It wasn’t until our previous Imperator fell, and Zenith took up power that things really changed. In only about 10 years, no other part of Japan could compare to us, and it was a Hayasaka that revolutionized it all! My lineage, that…!” Yuto paused.

“Huh… Guess you are pretty important after all!”

Practiced that one in a mirror, didn't you...

“I guess you could say so. And it is my goal to take up the seat, for a brighter future.”

They reach a long hall, awaiting them was Yuto’s mother, and another unfamiliar face, a girl with that same color he sports, with hair that curled up and obnoxiously bright dangling earrings.

“Look who it is, off running away with your wife-to-be, are you?” She said, glaring at Yuto.

Yuto’s mother tapped her shoulder, “Come now, Yukina. This is a time for celebration! So, we begin this soiree, dedicated to the future of the Hayasaka Legacy!”

The girl named Yukina sighed, rolling her eyes. “Yes mother…”

“Furthermore, to celebrate this occasion, it seems as if some of our very own will be arriving to this soiree, Living Legends, Shinjiro and Hanae!”

The room erupts in cheers, as Yuto approaches his mother. “What business do you have inviting two Ascended Lucents to an event like this?!”

“Haven’t you ever heard of Networking? If you don’t want to end up in the same spot forever, I’d suggest you suck up to them! You’re already real good at doing that, aren’t you little brother?”

“And likewise to you, I hope boots taste as good as you make them look.”

Lightning sparks between the two siblings, as Ms. Hayasaka pushes them apart.

“Now, now. Need I remind you two that the world relies on you? Quit the bickering, you’re making us look bad.”

Yuto’s head snaps towards his mother. “Whatever the case, I’ve only gone on two missions, it’s a bit early for this, isn’t it?”

“I’ve gotten sick and tired of your push back. That’s why I’ve enlisted the help of some of Tokyo’s elite to drill some lessons into you.”

Yuto stepped back, glaring at her. “You’re bluffing, you need-!”

“Akari, my child. Akari. The one who truly matters. The people sing her praises, despite her origin she is beloved by all. And she’s what we need, the only Hayasaka in the history of our family to accomplish nothing.”

Yukina chuckled to herself, “An accomplishment in itself! I’m finally proud of you, little brother!”

Akari drifted toward the window, her gaze lost in the rhythmic, lonely swaying of the trees outside. Next to her, a man of taller stature with a lip scar stood next to her, His imposing presence in a white jacket buttoned up tight.

“...What’s up?” She pondered.

“What’s up, eh? What an interesting girl..”

Akari blinked at him, unamused. “....Are you some kind of weirdo?”

He laughed in response.

“You gotta be a little weird to do this job, kiddo. I’m just a man who’s interested in your talents. Come with me.” He started to walk away.

“But my…”

“That woman will be fine. She’d expect nothing less from a wildcard like you!”

Akari paused, taking in a deep breath.

“Alright then… Let’s go.”

Elsewhere. Yuto tossed open some doors coming face to face with a man, his hair familiar and shaggier than Yuto’s.

“...Son.”

Yuto walked in, panting with a desperate look on his face.

“Will you really allow mother to just send me off?! You would send me off for, what?! I’ve done nothing but done what you asked for! Even going along with this marriage nonsense! So why-!”

“I’m proud of you, Yuto.”

Yuto paused, taking a step back.

“Wh-what…?”

His father approached him, hands behind his back.

“Despite what your mother and sister may say of you, you’ve grown excellently. I’m beyond proud of you. No Hayasaka in history has gotten to the status you’ve gotten. A Lucent is someone who doesn’t have to be in the Light the entire time. I understand your position and… I apologize.”

Yuto’s demeanor shifts. For the first time all night, his shoulders dropped, and the defensive mask he’d built up all this time finally cracked.

“Father…”

“I apologize. However, you need to be stronger. Overwhelming strength is above all else. Please understand, it’s all for your sake.”

Before Yuto could even blink, a fist buried itself in his solar plexus, driving the air from his lungs out. His attacker, he couldn’t even see.

He falls over, his brain shutting down slowly.

Dad… why…?

Chapter 15 - The End.