The Buyout

The walk to my apartment was a challenge; I was dragging my feet all the way, and the sense of defeat washed over my whole body.

Inside, my apartment felt smaller; every passing second I could feel the walls closing in slowly. I stared at the debt notice letter on my desk: ¥11,400,000 left, a monumental task in itself, but now I have bigger problems. Reina Kujo used that photo to basically blackmail me into being her "private asset."

I must have blacked out from pure exhaustion because the next thing I knew, a sharp, rhythmic pounding was echoing through the room.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

I checked my phone: 2:15 AM. My limbs felt like lead; whoever was at my door wasn’t worth the agony of getting up. I closed my eyes, slowly drifting back to sleep, until a voice cuts through silence.

"You’re such a heavy sleeper, Kaito... Akizuki."

I recognized that voice immediately, that smooth, authoritative voice could only come from one person. 

I jolted upright, my heart hammering against my ribs; the sudden movement made my head spin.

It took a while before my eyes adjusted to the pale moonlight seeping in from the thin curtains; as soon as they did, I saw Reina Kujo sitting perfectly in my lone desk chair. She was watching me sleep with a cold stillness like a statue.

She didn’t move as I stumbled my way out of bed, crashing down on the floor before finally getting up.

“I’ve been knocking for the past twelve minutes, Akizuki...” She leaned forward slightly, resting her chin on her hand. “I was beginning to wonder if you'd either died from exhaustion or if you were simply being rude.”

"How... how did you get in here?" I rasped, my voice sounding like gravel.

She didn't say anything; instead, she reached into her pocket and pulled out an object that shined under the night's glow. "The landlord of this place is surprisingly open-minded; only a few well-placed words and a small donation made him quite eager to hand over a spare key."

"So you bought the key to my apartment," I muttered, my pulse still racing.

"I'm merely checking in on my 'private asset,'" she purred, finally standing up. "And with this key I can walk in whenever I please."

She began a slow, predatory circuit of the room, her heels clicking against the worn floorboards like a ticking clock. "Now," her voice dropping to a more serious tone, "it's time for you to answer my questions truthfully. Why are you slaving away at a small convenience store an hour away from campus?"

"I need the money," I muttered, looking at the shadows on the floor.

"Are you still really going to protect your pride?" She silently pulled out her phone. "Can you at least suggest a good caption for the photo before I post it?"

I felt the air leave my lungs. She was already invoking the terms of my surrender. "Wait," I croaked, my voice failing me. "Don't."

"Then stop lying to me," she snapped, her eyes flashing with a sudden, sharp intensity.

"My scholarship got revoked..." the confession made my gut wrench. But at the same time it felt oddly comforting, like a giant wave washed away the piled-up pressure. “They also gave me a month to pay a portion of the tuition of ¥11,500,000; otherwise I’m expelled.”

"And your parents? A 'king' usually has a kingdom to back him up. Why haven't you called home? Surely the great Akizuki family can muster the funds to save their golden son's future."

"I can't... I can't tell them,” I whispered, clenching my fists. “They practically work to the bone just to keep us fed. I won’t kill them with this...”

"How predictably noble," she mused, her heels clicking as she closed the distance between us. "It's remarkably foolish... yet admirable," reaching out to brush a stray hair from my forehead. "Now," she pulled away, dropping back to her cold authoritative tone. "While I’m here, let’s see the true state of my investment. Empty your wallet. On the desk."

With trembling hands, I reached into my pockets and pulled out my wallet filled with crumpled receipts, my transit pass, and a handful of small change.

She picked up the receipt from the pharmacy. "¥2,400 for caffeine supplements and generic-brand ibuprofen," she read aloud, her lip curling in a sneer.

She turned her attention to my desk, picking up the ledger where I meticulously tracked my debt. "And here we have the sad little math of a desperate man. You’ve been skipping meals to reach your weekly goal, haven't you?"

"It's none of your business how I manage my money," I hissed, though the lack of food made my voice sound weak even to my ears.

"Everything about you is my business," she countered, her hand suddenly darting out to grab the colar of my shirt. She pulled me forward until we were eye-to-eye. "Look at you. You’re shaking. Your pulse is visible in your throat. Tell me, Kaito, truthfully. When was the last time you slept more than three hours?"

"I... I don't remember," I whispered.

"And when did you last have anything that wasn't instant?"

I looked away, unable to meet her gaze. "Yesterday morning. A piece of toast."

She let out a sharp, scoffing breath and shoved me back. "You’re an idiot. You're practically working yourself to the grave. Are you trying to see how quickly you can kill yourself?"

I stared at her, my mouth dry. "I don’t have a choice, Reina. You think I wanted this?"

"It was your decision to leave out your parents. I'm sure they could squeeze out a few more hours of overti—"

"Get out." The words felt like sandpaper in my throat.

"Why should I?" she asked, remaining perfectly still.

"I said leave!" I stepped towards her, using the little energy and pride I had left in a desperate rage.

"Are you really raising your voice to me?" she echoed, her voice dropping to a dangerously low, melodic pitch.

She slowly picked up her phone from her purse. Her thumb hovered over the screen, the backlight illuminating the predatory curve of her smirk. "One tap, Akizuki. That’s all it takes."

I froze. The adrenaline that had pushed me to stand up vanished, replaced by a cold, leaden weight in my stomach. "N–No, please, I–I'm sorry..."

She started walking toward me until the scent of her jasmine perfume completely drowned out the smell of my old coffee. She used the edge of her phone to tilt my chin up, forcing me to look into those cold eyes. "You don't get to have a say in anything anymore. Anything I say you take into heart; every command you do without question. I can do anything."

"You're insane; I'm not some kind of pet, Reina."

"Oh, but you are. The moment you agreed to my terms," she said, her voice a provocative silk. "Your room, your time, even your heartbeat... they all belong to me. Now, sit down."

She reached into the large designer tote bag she had set on my desk and pulled out a sleek, insulated container and a bottle of high-end mineral water.

She unsnapped the lid, and the aroma of actual, nutrient-rich food, seared salmon, steamed vegetables, and seasoned rice, filled the room, a cruel contrast to the smell of dust and old paper.

"Eat," she commanded, sliding the container toward me.

"I'm not hungry," though my stomach gave a traitorous, audible growl that echoed in the tiny room.

Reina’s eyes narrowed. She grabbed my arm, her grip surprisingly firm, and forced me down into my desk chair. "Do I have to feed you myself, Kaito? Because I will," she threatened, her voice dropping to that dangerous, intimate register. "And I promise you, that level of humiliation will be much harder to swallow than the salmon."

My face burned with shame, but the physical craving for real sustenance was becoming overwhelming. As I took the first bite, the flavor hit me like a physical shock. It was the best thing I had tasted in months, maybe years.

Reina watched me intensely, her eyes never leaving my face. She didn't look away when I bit my lip to keep from showing how much I needed the food. "See?" she purred, leaning down until her face was level with mine. "You're already looking less like a ghost."

She reached out and brushed a stray grain of rice from the corner of my mouth with her thumb. "Finish it all. I want to see a clean plate."

After finishing the last of the salmon, I gently set down the container over on the bedside; Reina’s eyes were still focused on me as if she were monitoring every single twitch or reaction that came out of me.

"Now that you've had the necessary nutrients, we can now properly discuss your current situation, Kaito." She grabbed me by the wrists, her grip firm. She brought me to the center of the room and started slowly walking circles around me like a predator eyeing up her prey.

"A so-called 'genius' with a promising future," she mused, her voice trailing behind my shoulder. "Yet here you are, ¥11,500,000 in debt. How utterly... pitiful."

"Reina, what are you—"

She suddenly poked the small of my back, right between my shoulder blades. I jolted, a sharp shiver racing up my spine. "So much potential, and you’re wasting it. So, I’ve decided to capitalize."

"Capitalize? You’re not making sense," I rasped.

"The picture I have of you is strong leverage, yes," she said, tapping her phone against her chin. "But it has an expiration date. Once you graduate, if you graduate, it loses its bite. I need something more... permanent. To ensure my asset stays in my control. So, I’ve decided to buy out your debt. All of it."

I froze. "The whole ¥11,500,000? Just like that?"

"Just like that. Tomorrow morning, the funds will be transferred, and you will no longer owe the school any money for the time being."

I let out a breath I felt like I'd been holding since the dean first called me in. "Thank you... Reina, I—"

"Why are you thanking me?" she interrupted, her smile sharpening into something jagged. "You think this was a gift? I expected more from you, Kaito."

"Of course, I—I'll take more shifts. I'll pay you back, I swear."

She stepped closer, her eyes gleaming with cold amusement. “Again, I don't want your money, Kaito." She reached out, her fingers grazing the collar of my shirt. I want you."

I froze. "Me?"

“Don’t flatter yourself; what I want is your dignity, your loyalty.” She pulled away slightly. “I want to see the ‘Scholarship King’ be reduced down into my personal lackey, doing every single task I give him.”

“What kind of... What tasks are you going to give me?” I managed to ask, my throat feeling like it was lined with glass.

She didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she reached up and slowly undid the buttons of her school blazer, revealing the crisp white blouse underneath. “You know, you took so long to answer the door that the cold wind outside had made my blazer remarkably wrinkled. I can’t exactly show up to the Academy with my uniform looking like this, can I? ” she said, tossing the blazer onto my unmade bed.

“This would be fitting for your first official task from me," she purred, walking over to my bed and sitting down.

I looked at the blazer, then at her... There's no other choice but to follow whatever she says, is there?

She watched me with the predatory patience of a cat at a mouse hole. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go iron my blazer.”

I set up the board in front of the bed where she was sitting; something about her watching me perform a chore made my hands tremble. “Why are you doing this?" I asked, my voice barely audible over the hum of the iron. "You have maids. You have a staff that could do this in their sleep."

“Because they are paid to do it," she said, her voice dropping to a low, dangerous silk. "But you? You're doing it because you have to.” She leaned back, her hair spilling across my pillow. "Oh, and by the way, if you leave even a microscopic burn mark on my blazer, I’ll consider it a breach of our agreement. And we both know what happens then.”

I laid her blazer out on the board with surgical precision, making sure to go through every wrinkle. Everything was going perfectly until I felt her move off the bed. "You're too slow," she whispered. Suddenly, she reached out and shoved my elbow.

The iron skidded across the delicate fabric. I gasped, wrenching it back, my heart stopping as I checked for a scorch mark. I barely avoided a permanent burn, but the wool was now a mess of jagged, haphazard wrinkles.

"Oh, look at that. A blemish," she said, her voice dripping with fake concern. "I suppose you'll have to steam the entire section out and start over, won't you?" A small smirk forming on her face "Careful... the fabric is getting thin. You wouldn't want to fail me on your very first night, would you?”

“N-No.” My hands were still shaking from the adrenaline as I continued ironing the blazer.

"Good," she whispered, placing her hands on my shoulders from behind. “You’re so tense, Kaito. Don’t tell me that the great Scholar King crumbles under a little pressure.”

I just kept quiet and focused my full attention to the blazer. While she stayed behind me, like a shadow, her breath grazing my ear.

Once I was finished ironing the blazer, I switched off the iron and turned around. My legs felt like they were made of lead, and my head was spinning in the sudden quiet.

She slowly inspected the fabric until, finally, she gave a small, satisfied nod. “Good enough," she said, draping it over her arm.

“That should be it tonight. ” she said while grabbing her things off my bed and started walking towards the door, only stopping just a few inches from the handle. “Oh, and Kaito? Try to get some sleep, ‘kay?” Then the door clicked shut, leaving me alone in the silence, staring at the empty ironing board and the lingering, ghostly scent of jasmine.