As Hana settled in front of the TV, the light of a variety show flickering on her face, Mai tilted her head toward the sink. "Dishes, Kinatarou. Don't think a pretty face earns you a free pass in this house."
Yuki didn't complain. He rolled up his sleeves and stood beside her. For a while, the only sound was the clinking of porcelain and the splash of soapy water.
"You're a strange one," Mai said, her voice dropping to a low, serious tone. "I've seen plenty of boys like you. Scrappers. Kids who think they can punch their way out of the slums. But you... you have the eyes of someone who's already seen the end of the world."
Yuki kept scrubbing. "Is that a compliment, Mai-san?"
"It's a warning." Mai stopped washing and turned to him, her wet hands gripping the edge of the counter. "Hana is a good girl. She's loud and she's stubborn, but her heart is fragile. She's already lost enough people to 'trouble' like yours."
"You're charming, Yuki," Mai said quietly, scrubbing a plate with clinical precision. "But I see the way you move. I see the shadows in your eyes. You're a magnet for the kind of trouble that gets people killed."
Mai leaned in, her voice a sharp whisper. "Hana is all I have left. If she gets in any trouble because of you—if she so much as cries because of your 'problems'—I won't care about your bloodline or your fancy last name. I will kill you myself. Do you understand?"
Yuki nodded, his expression turning solemn. "Understood. I'll make sure she stays out of the crosshairs."
Mai stared at him for a long beat, searching for a lie. Finding none, she sighed, the tension leaving her shoulders. She patted his cheek—a gesture that was surprisingly motherly.
"You're a good boy, even if you are an idiot. Come back tomorrow night. I'm making beef stew."
Yuki dried his hands and headed for the door. "I'll think about it. I have a very busy schedule of being an idiot, you know."
As he and Hana walked back to their apartment, they shared a silent look of relief. They had successfully kept Luna's presence a secret.
The next morning, the atmosphere at the Academy had shifted. The tension of the previous days was gone, replaced by something that felt dangerously like a new status quo.
Yuki was walking through the hallway when Renjiro attempted his usual routine. "Hey, Kinatarou! Still dragging those bones around—"
"Actually, Renjiro," Seri's voice cut through the air, cool and sharp as a razor. She stepped out from behind a pillar, standing right next to Yuki. "I think he looks much better than you do after your failed sparring match this morning. Perhaps you should spend more time practicing and less time talking."
Yuki grinned, crossing his arms. "Ouch. Even I felt that one."
Renjiro lost to someone..... Interesting, how come I wasn't aware? I'll look into later.
Yuki had several thoughts on how Renjiro would lose.
Renjiro sputtered, looking between the school's princess and the "Zero." For the rest of the morning, they moved as a unit, effortlessly dismantling every insult thrown their way.
The real shockwave hit during lunch. The cafeteria went dead silent as Seri and Yuki sat at a small table, not across from each other, but side-by-side. Between them sat a single, large plate. Without a word, they began sharing the meal, their shoulders brushing. It was a sight that felt like a fever dream to the student body—two of the most striking people in the school, sharing a plate in broad daylight. Envy rippled through the cafeteria; every boy longed to be in Yuki's seat, while the girls glared at Seri with unconcealed jealousy
Seri leaned in close, her green hair masking her face from the onlookers. "So," she whispered, a playful glint in her eyes. "Can I start flirting now?"
Yuki didn't flinch. He leaned in until their lips were only inches apart, his blue eyes locking onto hers. "I've missed this side of you, Seri-chan."
Seri's bravado vanished instantly. Her face turned a violent shade of red, and she recoiled, hiding her face in her hands. "Jeez! You're such a flirt! You weren't supposed to actually do it!"
She couldn't even flirt with him properly anymore, her growing feelings had weakened her seductive self.
They both also left school together and headed towards the Kyorin Residence. Yuki was still going to try to hit Tetsu.
The playful mood evaporated the moment they stepped into the Kyorin garden. Lord Genji was waiting on the balcony, his eyes like those of a hawk. He looked at Yuki, his gaze lingering on where the injuries should have been.
Lord Genji's gaze shifted to Seri, a glare so cold it felt like a physical weight pressing her into the stone floor.
"You healed him," Genji stated. It wasn't a question; it was a verdict.
Seri took a step forward. Her heart was hammering against her ribs so hard she was sure he could hear it. Her knees felt weak, her childhood instincts screaming at her to look at the ground and apologize. But then she felt Yuki's presence behind her—the boy who had stood back up after Tetsu's meteor-strike.
"I did," Seri said. Her voice trembled at first, then hardened like steel. "And I'm not going to stay away from him anymore, Father."
She bowed deeply, her forehead almost touching the grass, but her voice carried across the garden.
"For seventeen years, I've been exactly what you wanted. I was the 'Queen.' I was the perfect heir. I was a doll you kept on a high shelf to show off the Kyorin name. But while I was sitting on that shelf, I was suffocating."
She slowly raised her head, tears blurring her vision, but her eyes were fixed on Genji's.
"You told me that a Kyorin is defined by strength. But looking at Yuki... I realized that true strength isn't just about how much Kizo you can vent or how many people fear you. It's about the courage to protect what matters when the whole world tells you to let go."
She wiped a stray tear with a trembling hand, her chin lifting in a way that mirrored her father's own pride.
"I'm done being a puppet. If being a 'True Royal' means I have to be heartless, then I don't want the throne. I choose freedom. I choose to be human. I won't let you cage me in this beautiful, frozen tomb any longer. Forgive me, Father... but this is who I am."
The silence that followed was suffocating. Tetsu shifted uncomfortably in the shadows.
Then, Lord Genji did something no one expected. He smiled—a genuine, sharp, and terrifying expression.
"Finally," Genji said, his voice a low rumble of approval. "I've been waiting for this. Now you're really beginning to act like my offspring."
"Huh?" Seri's face was filled with question marks.
"I actually don't have a problem with any of that. I don't care if you heal him or not, you can stay with him." Lord Genji explained.
"I knew it!" Yuki jumped and shouted. "I'm Sherlock Holmes!"
Seri smacked him hard on the head, sending him into a crouch. "Shut up you idiot!"
Lord Genji cleared his throat wanting to explain but Yuki stopped him. "Would you mind if I do the explaining?" Yuki asked raising his hand.
Lord Genji looked at Yuki, his predatory eyes narrowing with curiosity. He had spent years crafting this environment of fear; he wanted to see if this boy had truly looked past the veil.
"Go on," he permitted, leaning back against the balcony railing. "Show me what you've deduced."
"Go on." He permitted.