—DRIIN!
The moment the bell rings, the entire class spills into the wide corridors of the institute like a broken dam.
As always, poor Rika doesn't even get the chance to enjoy her snack in peace—every single day, students from all over the school, even from upper grades, swarm around her like bees to honey.
Everyone wants something—tutoring help, advice, or just a chance to talk to the famous student council president.
Hakuto and Itsu, the official outcasts of Class 2-B, watch the whole scene unfold from a distance, casually leaning against a wall.
«Your sister's a total VIP. No denying it. There's not a single soul at Tsugumi who doesn't admire her. I mean… she's got this weird charm, right? Like she gives off some kind of magical vibe that makes people obsessed. It's like she's in heat or something! Like a sexy cat!»
«Watch it. That's my sister you're talking about.»
«Whoa, calm down! You already sound like one of those super-protective big bros, huh, Hakotto?» Itsu chuckles.
«It's Hakuto…»
«Anyway, I'm just saying—look at the way people act around her. You know how female cats in heat give off pheromones that can be sensed from, like, miles away? That's Rika. She doesn't even have to try—people just gravitate toward her.»
«What kind of messed-up comparison is that…?»
Despite his cold reply, Hakuto can't shake off the words.
Truth is, even he feels that strange attraction to Rika—something he really shouldn't feel for a stepsister. Especially one who barely talks to him.
The two boys snap to attention as the crowd around Rika suddenly starts to stir.
A ripple runs through the mass of students—like they're all stepping aside without meaning to.
Not voluntarily… almost like they're being shoved aside by some invisible pressure.
Hakuto's instincts flare up.
«Trouble incoming…» Itsu mutters under his breath.
A tall, hulking guy steps into the clearing in front of Rika—easily towering over everyone, his muscles practically bursting through the seams of his uniform.
One glance at his face is enough. That look in his eyes—half menace, half contempt—sets off every alarm in Hakuto's brain.
«What do you want from me, Enjou Kanzuro?!» Rika asks, firm and unwavering, her gaze locked on him.
Despite the massive size difference, she shows not even a flicker of fear.
«Enjou Kanzuro…?» Hakuto echoes, confused.
«Third-year. Heir to Kanzuro Industries—the biggest pharmaceutical company in Japan… or at least, it was the biggest, until your stepmom's Seiryu Biotech crushed it. Now his family's been dethroned,» Itsu whispers, sounding uneasy.
«Seriously, you live with one of Japan's richest women and you didn't know this?»
Hakuto clenches his fists.
«So… he's not here to offer her a soda from the vending machine, huh?»
«Not exactly.»
Enjou speaks.
«Have you thought about what I said last time, Rika Narkhalis?»
«There's nothing to think about. I already gave you my answer—and it hasn't changed. I'm not marrying you.»
His eye twitches.
«H-How dare you reject me?! I've got a line of sluts dying to get into the Kanzuro family—you think you're better than them?!»
Rika just shrugs.
«Even more reason for you to leave me alone. You've got options—go bother someone else.»
~That guy actually proposed to Rika...? Isn't it a little early to be thinking about that kind of stuff? Then again, based on what Itsu told me, it doesn't take a genius to figure out there are economic interests behind it—some kind of alliance between the two most powerful families in Japanese pharmaceuticals...~
That does it.
Enjou lunges, reaching to grab her shoulder, but Rika strikes his wrist with a sharp snap, knocking his hand away like it's nothing.
He growls and charges with full force, but she meets him with a flying kick to the stomach, landing it so hard he spits blood.
And in that single airborne moment—just as her kick connects—Hakuto catches something.
A glint.
In her eyes.
A faint red flash—just like the one he thought he saw in Yuzu's the other night. So fast it might've been his imagination.
Still, he catches a flicker of surprise in Itsu's eyes. Was it because of Rika's insane martial arts skills? Or that quick flash of red that disappeared in a blink? Either way, neither of them says anything.
~She's also a martial arts expert? Is there anything Rika can't do...? Anyway, she seems to be handling it just fine, but fighting in the school hallways won't do her academic record any favors...~
Driven mad by rejection and humiliation, Enjou charges again—a punch aimed straight at Rika's face.
But before she can even react, Hakuto steps in.
In a blur of motion, he grabs Enjou's wrist and uses the momentum to flip him over, slamming him to the ground and pinning him with a knee to the back.
If only things ended there…
Drawn by the crowd and the whispers, Professor Misaki Yuunami appears—just in time to see Hakuto on top of Enjou, whose face is smeared with blood and rage.
And so, Hakuto, Rika, and Enjou are all dragged to the principal's office—
—which is when Hakuto discovers that the principal… is none other than Professor Misaki Yuunami herself.
After the situation is explained, Enjou gets away with nothing more than a warning—the Kanzuro family is the main sponsors of Tsugumi High School and Miss Misaki Yuunami has orders from above to be especially forgiving with Enjou.
Hakuto and Rika don't come out too badly either. Their only punishment is staying after class to clean the hallway where the fight happened—a joke, considering how strict Tsugumi normally is about physical altercations.
«Be careful. Stay away from boys like that—they only bring trouble. Now, go back to class.»
That was the principal's final warning before letting them go.
Hakuto couldn't be sure… but just before stepping out the door, he caught a strange look in her eyes.
Melancholic.
Maybe even nostalgic.