Morning arrived quietly.
Too quietly.
Yuki adjusted the strap of his bag and checked the time for the third time. Early. Predictable. Safe. He preferred it that way.
He reached for the door. He opened it.
"Absolutely not."
The voice hit with perfect timing.
Yuki paused, then sighed. "…Good morning, Hana."
She stood in the hallway, arms crossed, a neatly wrapped lunch bag held like a weapon. Her expression was already annoyed, which told him everything he needed to know.
"You were going to leave without eating," she said.
"How do you know I haven't eaten? I was going to eat later."
"That's not how bodies work, idiot."
She shoved the bag into his chest. Yuki caught it easily, blinking once in surprise.
"You made this?" he asked.
"Obviously. You think I trust you with nutrition?"
He smiled.
It was small. Unguarded. Natural.
Hana froze for half a second.
Then she snapped her head away, cheeks flushing. "Stop smiling like that. It's gross."
"…You're staring," Yuki noted mildly.
"I am not."
"You are."
"Your face is stupid."
He chuckled, low and soft.
She turned back, scowling. "Anyway. There's something I heard. The Strongest Student Tournament is coming up. Big thing. Huge crowd." She hesitated. "I was thinking… maybe we could go watch it together?"
Yuki didn't dodge it. Didn't joke.
"I'm participating."
Silence.
Then Hana exploded.
"YOU'RE WHAT?"
Yuki winced as she grabbed his collar. "Are you insane? That's the kind of thing you tell people! Especially me! knowing you, you'd just disappear and come back half-dead like it's normal!"
He didn't interrupt her.
He just smiled again.
That one stopped her short.
"…You're a stupid fool," she muttered, face redder now. "Don't smile. It doesn't suit you."
She absolutely did not look away fast enough.
"I'll see you later," Yuki said gently.
She huffed. "Don't die."
"No promises."
She shoved him out the door.
By the time Yuki reached school, the quiet was gone.
Immediately.
"Yuki."
"Sophia."
"Yuki."
"Seri."
He stopped walking.
Slowly turned.
Sophia Uzushi stood at his left, posture immaculate, eyes calm. Seri Kyorin stood at his right, arms crossed, expression sharp and clearly territorial.
They spoke at the same time.
"You're spending the day with me."
"No, with me."
Yuki stared ahead. "…This is what hell looks like."
Students whispered. Gawked. Glared.
Two royals. Both beautiful. Both focused entirely on him.
The jealousy in the air could've been bottled and sold.
Seri leaned closer, voice sweet and edged with danger. "You trained enough yesterday. You can afford time with me."
Sophia responded evenly. "Training efficiency increases with observation. I am the logical choice."
"Stop talking like that."
"I am talking correctly."
Yuki started walking.
They followed.
Lunch was worse.
Derek dropped into the seat across from Yuki like a man witnessing history.
"I just want you to know," he said solemnly. "You're the luckiest guy I know."
Sophia placed her tray down neatly. Seri did the same, a fraction closer to Yuki than necessary. Mika sat beside Derek, arms crossed, clearly irritated.
Seri pushed her lunch toward Yuki. "Eat mine."
Sophia mirrored the action. "Mine is nutritionally balanced."
Yuki raised his hands. "Can't. Hana made me lunch."
Seri's smile twitched.
I hope she trips into a puddle, Seri thought sweetly.
Sophia paused. "…Who is Hana?"
"A menace," Yuki replied.
After eating, Yuki stood. "I'm heading home with Seri today."
Seri froze.
"…W-with me?" she echoed, face lighting up like she'd just been knighted.
Sophia spoke immediately. "You should come with me instead. The Uzushi estate is significantly larger than the Kyorin residence."
Seri turned sharply. "Size isn't everything!"
"It is in architecture."
"Say that again."
Yuki raised a hand. "I just want time with Seri."
The words landed.
Seri melted.
Sophia considered this, then nodded once. "Then you will spend time with me tomorrow."
Yuki nodded back. "Okay."
Derek stared at him like he was witnessing a natural disaster.
Luckiest guy on the planet, he thought.
Mika shifted, then spoke quietly. "You… should still be preparing for the tournament."
Yuki met her eyes.
"I am," he said simply.
She nodded, satisfied. Just barely.
The bell rang. Yuki immediately left with Seri and walked to her limousine.
The limousine door closed with a soft, final thud.
Silence followed. Plush. Insulated. A world apart from the noise outside.
Yuki sat comfortably on one side of the leather seat, eyes immediately drawn not to Seri, not to the tinted windows, but to the cup holder like this was his first time in the limo.
"…Why is it warm," he muttered, pressing it experimentally.
Seri watched him.
Not discreetly. Not subtly. She simply watched.
He poked it again. "Is this for tea? Why would you need this much commitment for tea."
She smiled without realizing it.
"You've been serious lately," Seri said, voice gentle. "I forgot you're still just… you."
Yuki glanced up.
Then he smiled.
It wasn't the polite one. Not the armored one.
This was bright. Unrestrained. Blue eyes clear, alive, almost unfairly vivid.
Seri's breath caught.
Yuki shifted, sliding across the seat until he sat beside her. Too close. Intentionally so.
He leaned forward next, pressing his face briefly against the AC vent, eyes closing as cool air brushed his skin.
"…This is amazing."
Seri laughed softly. "You're impossible."
He turned toward her, that same smile still there, closer now. Too close to be accidental.
Yuki didn't know she loved him.
He thought it was desire. Heat. Curiosity.
So he used it.
He leaned in just enough that Seri could feel his presence without touch. His voice stayed light, teasing.
"You get quiet when we're like this."
Seri's face flushed instantly.
The memory surfaced before she could stop it. The photo booth. The near-kiss. The space between them that never quite closed.
Her hand lifted on instinct.
She touched his cheek.
Soft. Careful.
"Yuki," she whispered, his name sounding different in her voice.
For half a heartbeat, the world narrowed.
Then Yuki pulled back.
He returned to his original seat, casual again, like nothing had happened.
Seri sat frozen, heart racing.
"You like it," Yuki said, almost idly. "When we get close."
"I do not," she shot back, far too fast.
He tilted his head. "Then you won't mind staying three feet away from me."
She didn't hesitate.
She crossed the space in an instant, clinging to his arm, face buried against his shoulder.
"I could never," she said, voice small now. Honest. "I always want to be close to you."
Yuki smiled, softer this time.
"Why?"
She pulled back sharply. "I just… want to protect you."
"Why?"
"…Because I'm supposed to."
"Why?"
She hit his head. "Shut up."
The Kyorin mansion welcomed them in silence and efficiency. Maids bowed. Dinner passed smoothly, warm and rich.
Later, Seri led him down a long hallway lined with doors.
"Our library is this way," she said. "It's… big."
One door beside Yuki creaked open.
He turned.
Ren stepped out.
Their eyes met.
Ren's face drained of color. He slammed the door shut and locked it, pressing himself against it as if wood could save him.
It couldn't.
The door exploded inward.
Ren was thrown across the room, crashing hard against the floor.
Yuki stood in the doorway, leg still raised from the kick.
Seri shouted his name. "Yuki! What are you—"
He pointed at Ren.
"This bastard slapped Luna yesterday."
Seri froze.
Ren scrambled back, voice shaking. "She wasn't watching where she was going—"
Yuki crouched in front of him.
"I want one slap," he said calmly. "That's it."
Both of them knew.
If Yuki struck him, it would be devastating.
Ren looked to Seri, desperate.
She hesitated.
Then she turned away.
"…Fine."
The sound echoed through the mansion.
Ren collapsed, unmoving. Nose broken, eyes red and half his teeth gone most of them he swallowed by accident.
Yuki straightened, rolling his shoulder once.
"Now we're even."
Seri felt pity.
She did nothing.
Some debts weren't meant to be healed.