Soft brown hair gently covered her ears and draped over her shoulders. Her slender, delicate body seemed to sway precariously in the breeze, as if it could be swept away by a strong gust. This seemingly frail and weak physique held a pair of surprisingly lush and full breasts.
While perhaps not as monstrously large as Tomomi Sakurazawa's, this beautiful girl possessed a bust size no less than an E-cup, creating a striking contrast with her lean frame.
Her exquisite, beautiful facial features were immediately striking. Her milky white skin looked flawless and delicate, gleaming slightly in the sun. Her clear, bright blue eyes seemed to reflect the entire sky. Yet, that astonishing face was expressionless, appearing somewhat cold and aloof.
Those beautiful, clear, and immaculate eyes contained no emotion, their coolness seemingly dropping the temperature a few degrees even in July, making the girl's aura appear increasingly distant.
Tsubaki Rurikawa, the noble girl, had been this way ever since her family suffered its catastrophic misfortune. Not only had her demeanor changed drastically, but her complexion wasn't good either; her milky white skin, though beautiful, carried a pallor and weariness...
"Beep-beep, beep—"
Hearing the car horn, the dazed girl turned back and saw a luxurious, sleek sports car parked next to the flower bed not far away. The window rolled down, and a face—wearing sunglasses, a face Tsubaki Rurikawa would never forget in her dreams—came into view.
The girl's pupils contracted. Her small hands involuntarily clutched the hem of her clothes. Her perpetually indifferent face finally showed change, her gem-like blue eyes instantly consumed by anger and hatred.
After a moment of hesitation, she walked over.
"When I heard you were living here, I didn't believe it," Although part of his face was obscured by sunglasses, Tsubaki Rurikawa could detect the derision in his voice. The terrible expression beneath the glasses must have been the same. The blonde foreign man was looking at the delicate and beautiful girl before him with the gaze of a hunter eyeing his prey.
Boyman's eyes shifted from her beautiful, cold face down to her swelling chest. The look under his sunglasses was one of mockery and playfulness. "And this outfit of yours... what happened? You were once the young lady of a noble house, yet you're wearing such a cheap shirt?"
He then turned his head to look at the dilapidated apartment building in front of them. "And you're living in a place like this? Who would have thought the dignified Rurikawa heiress would stoop to living here."
"..."
Tsubaki Rurikawa's hands clenched tighter. She bit the inside of her cherry lips with her silver teeth. This man... who do you think caused all of this? Since the Rurikawa family's ruin, all their assets had been seized by this man. Otherwise, how could she have fallen to this state?
To her, and to the Rurikawa family, this Boyman heir was the greatest enemy!
But... Tsubaki could acknowledge reality. An enemy only exists on equal footing. Now that the Rurikawa family was gone and she was burdened with crippling debt, worse off than an average person, how could she be an enemy to the powerful Boyman family?
This man would likely just sneer.
At this thought, the girl's gaze dimmed. More important than hatred right now was survival... Since this guy came looking for her, she found it hard to believe he was merely here to mock.
Did he take all of the Rurikawa family's wealth and still not plan to let me go?
"Miss Rurikawa," The blonde man removed his sunglasses. "How are you doing in a place like this? Can you accept such a huge change—a noble lady falling to a level worse than ordinary people?"
"It has nothing to do with you," The girl finally spoke. Her voice, crisp and clear like a silver bell, was as pleasant as ever, but the tone was low and icy.
"I'm just showing concern, and honestly, seeing you so ungrateful hurts a little."
"Stop pretending. Do people like you even feel hurt?" Tsubaki Rurikawa tried hard to suppress her rage. "If you're just here to gloat, you can leave now."
"Gloat? Why would I do such a thing? I'm here to help you," Boyman smirked, flashing a smile that sent chills down the Rurikawa heiress's spine. "How long can you keep up a life like this?
"Can you, a little girl, solve the debts you're carrying? It won't be long before the creditors come knocking. When that happens... even this impoverished life will be a luxury to you!"
So I say, you are the cause of all of this!
"What do you want?"
Tsubaki Rurikawa met his gaze.
"I want to help you. Although I'm the one who put you in this situation, I don't want to see you captured by those people and played with to pay off your debts. Rather than benefitting them, why not benefit me?" The blonde man finally revealed his fangs and stated his true purpose. "I will help you repay all your debts. With that money—I will buy you."
Tsubaki Rurikawa's pupils constricted.
"A fallen noble lady, this price far exceeds expectations. You're not losing out, are you? This way, your family, your parents, won't have to face this current desperate situation either."
"..."
Everything he said was nothing but a threat.
The fallen noble girl's face showed wavering, her eyes trembling. She didn't want to agree, and she couldn't accept it, but did she have a choice? The man in front of her was right; if she refused, her fate would only be worse.
Tap... tap... tap...
Just as Tsubaki Rurikawa was about to gloomily accept this fate, she suddenly heard footsteps approaching. The words she was about to speak were involuntarily swallowed. She turned and saw a young man wearing a baseball cap walking towards her.
The man in the sports car frowned, staring at the newcomer.
"I've been listening to your conversation from the start. That's a blatant attempt at price gouging," Alex said with a smirk.
"Who are you?" Boyman's voice became cold.
Alex ignored him. He scrutinized the girl standing before him carefully, nodding thoughtfully. "Emmmmm, good. Looks like I haven't mistaken the person..."
A fallen noble heiress. Even in her current state, her aloof aura remained, creating a unique sense of contrast. She was definitely the heroine.
Alex had gotten the address from Mira and came to find her. He had heard all the preceding dialogue and a fun idea suddenly sparked in his mind. The corner of his mouth curled in the shadow.
"Who are you?"
Though she couldn't see his entire face, I shouldn't know him, so who is he?
Alex's baseball cap was the one he'd worn last time when dealing with Mira and the girls at the hospital. He pulled down the brim, projecting an air of mystery. "It's no coincidence. Like this gentleman, I've also come to help you."
Huh?
Tsubaki was somewhat bewildered. Boyman in the car also frowned, staring intensely at Alex, trying to see through him.
If it were just any random person on the street saying that, no one would believe them. But... the young man in front of her was mysterious and hard to figure out. Could he really help her?
The Rurikawa family's debt was no small sum.
"Money, power, desire... to me, these things are within easy reach," Alex moved closer to Tsubaki Rurikawa, catching the faint, subtle scent of the girl. At the same time, she got a clear look at the young man's face.
Her eyes met his beneath the cap's brim. Those black, ink-like eyes, deep as the universe itself, drew her in, as if possessing infinite magic that threatened to pull her inside.
The next second, the unfamiliar young man leaned in and whispered softly into her ear.
"More importantly, girl, don't you... want revenge?"