"Die! Die, die!"
"Oh no—not there!"
Ding!
[ You Lost ]
The curved monitor, flickered with the notification.
With a frustrated groan, Kei slammed his hand against the desk and leaned all the way back in his gaming chair, eyes glued to the ceiling.
"I can't believe I lost… again. That's six in a row!" he growled, tossing his headset onto the desk and ruffling his hair. "Ughhh! If only I'd bought that upgrade—!"
'Wait... actually...' An idea flickered in his mind.
But just as it sparked to life—
~Knock-knock~
A soft, perfectly timed, and slightly ominous knock tapped against his bedroom door. It had that eerie calmness, 'Did they come?!' He thought, looking towards the door.
Kei shrieked like he'd been caught mid-crime.
No way… Did they hear me? Did they know?!
His heart pounded. After all, the last time he used his parents' card to buy $1000 worth of gaming gear, he got grounded for a whole week. A whole week. Offline. The trauma still lingered.
He tiptoed to the door, opened it slightly… and peeked.
"Oh—Karl! Uh, hey! What's up?" Kei greeted with a crooked smile, trying to sound natural. Totally not suspicious.
"Your mother is asking for you," Karl said in his usual calm voice. "Your brother has arrived."
"Wait… Hayato's home?" Kei blinked, surprised. But then, recalling his phone call with his brother, he realized why his brother came.
As a mischievous smile crawled onto his face, he thought: Oh? This is going to be good.
"Come on, take me there! Are they in the living room?" he asked, already stepping out.
"Yes."
And with that, Karl shutting the door behind him, he practically skipped his way to the spacious living room, as Karl trailed behind.
But as he stepped into the room, he immediately felt it.
The air was heavy. The tension? Palpable. A thick awkward silence hovered over the family like a fog.
Kei almost turned around and left. Abort mission.
But his mother, ever graceful, caught sight of him and motioned gently.
"Oh, Kei, come here."
Nodding, Kei approached and slid into the open seat beside her. His gaze met Hayato's across the room.
"Hey, bro... It's been a while," he offered casually.
"Yeah…" Hayato muttered, clearly still reeling from something.
Kei squinted at him, then scanned the faces around the room.Oh yeah, he grinned internally. Something's definitely up. Let's watch the drama unfold.
* * *
"Wait, wait, wait—so you're basically telling me you two agreed to a marriage…" Hayato said, the word marriage lingering like something foul. "And didn't even bother to tell me?"
His mother tried to calm the storm. "Honey, you know how grateful we are to the Kanzaki family, right?"
"Even so, Mom, how am I supposed to be with someone I've never even met?!"
Ayame took a deep breath, trying to keep her composure, but the concern in her eyes couldn't be hidden."Hayato… it's not like we're throwing you into a lion's den. She's a well-mannered girl from the Kanzaki family. You two are… compatible."
Hayato let out a dry chuckle, stepping back and rubbing the back of his neck.
Kei snorted from the side of the room but quickly looked away when Hayato shot him a glare, while Kei seemed to be holding his laugh.
"Then why don't you marry her?" He pointed at him.
Kei choked. "Hey!! I'm a minor!"
"Oh, right," Hayato said dryly. "You're old enough to drink but not old enough to marry?"
"what drink...?!" Ayame turned to look at Kei.
Kei fumbled to respond, "Hey! How could you ju—!" He started off, but Ayame shot him a sharp look. "Kei. We'll talk about this later."
Kei slumped deeper into the couch, muttering, "What did I even do...?"
"This isn't a drama! This is my life we're talking about!" Hayato continued.
"Lower your voice!" Senshi barked. His tone thundered, and he didn't even look up from his newspaper. "How can you lead my company one day if you let emotions dictate you?"
"Calm down, Senshi," Ayame cut in sharply. "We're not dictating anything. Mr. Kanzaki is old. He just wanted his granddaughter taken care of before he passes."
She sighed. "She's arriving tomorrow. All I'm asking is that you at least meet her and talk. That's it."
Hayato clenched his jaw. He stood up, clearly ready to leave. Ayame's voice cracked slightly as she called out, "Wait! Hayato!?"
Suddenly, she staggered.
Kei jumped up immediately to support her. "Mom?! What's wrong?!"
Hayato turned at the sound, alarmed, watching his mother cradle her forehead like she was in pain.
"Mom? Are you okay?"
Ayame waved him off dramatically. "Don't touch me... Oh, what an unlucky mother I am. My son doesn't even want to listen to me anymore…"
Kei blinked. Here we go.
Hayato sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Okay, fine…"
At that, Ayame's posture straightened almost magically. Her eyes sparkled. "Really?"
"Yeah... but I'm only going to the meeting. That's all."
"That's more than enough for me," she beamed.
'Kanazaki group's heir, huh…? Hayato thought. I've only met her once. Even then… I barely remember anything, except—' His face changed a little. 'She was kinda psycho.'
'God help me!'
* * * * *
The luxurious hum of a private jet echoed through the cabin, sleek and bathed in ambient light. Cream leather seats, tinted windows, and chilled wine in crystal glasses gave the jet an aura of quiet, expensive power.
Seated with perfect posture was Haru Kanzaki, clad in a fitted midnight-blue dress. Her straight black hair framed her pale face, her sharp brown eyes unmoving as she stared out the window.
She held a tablet in one hand, slowly scrolling, and a half-filled glass of red wine in the other. Every movement was precise. Unrushed.
Behind her, a sharply dressed man in a black suit approached and bowed lightly. His voice was smooth, carefully measured.
"Miss Kanzaki. We'll arrive in approximately thirty minutes."
Without looking up, she sipped her wine.
On her screen, a profile glowed.
Hayato Arisaka.
She said his name aloud, like testing the weight of it. Then, finally looking away from the tablet, she turned to the man.
"Is my new place ready?"
"Yes, Miss. Your grandfather arranged everything ahead of time."
"Good." She turned her gaze back out the window, where city lights glimmered below like stars.
"Good to be back."