Deep within the Shinomiya mansion, the air in the tea room was so still it felt frozen in time.
Kaguya sat with her back perfectly straight, as motionless as a sculpture. Her face showed no emotion, and her eyes gleamed with a cutting coldness.
In front of her, seated on the tatami, a man lounged with careless ease.
His kimono hung loosely, his shaved head gleamed under the light, and a thin mustache paired with a neatly trimmed goatee gave him a deliberately cynical air.
He was Oko Shinomiya, the eldest son of the family and the one who managed the core businesses of the Shinomiya empire.
Though his posture appeared relaxed, his gaze was sharp and heavy, like invisible needles seeking to pierce his sister.
Taking his cup of sake, he emptied it in one gulp. The dull thud of the cup hitting the table echoed through the room like a cold vibration.
"Tell me, Kaguya," he asked with false concern, "how many times have you invited this Damian fellow?... Three? Four? And yet, he's never accepted?"
He leaned forward, and that feigned indifference shifted into a suffocating pressure as his smile widened. "Could it be that your charm isn't as great as you believed? It doesn't seem very fitting for my 'perfect, prodigious sister,' does it?"
Every word was coated in honey, but the edge beneath it was unmistakable.
Kaguya's hands tightened over her lap as she lifted her gaze, meeting her brother's inquisitive eyes without a tremor.
"My brother exaggerates," she replied calmly. "Mr. Damian has a very busy schedule and his own priorities. My charm, or lack thereof, has nothing to do with it. He will decide when to accept, according to his own judgment."
Her tone was flawless, but beneath those polished words lingered a faint trace of frustration—a spark of restrained anger she herself barely recognized.
Oko tilted his head, his half-lidded eyes gleaming with malice.
"A busy schedule? Considerations?" he asked mockingly, drumming his fingers on the table. "How curious. I've heard something different. Our little star seems to have plenty of 'free time' lately."
He paused, savoring the brief stiffness that crossed Kaguya's expression beneath her mask of composure.
"The girl from the Yukinoshita family," he continued slowly, "that peculiar young woman… seems to be very close to him. Even Kikuko, that woman who never bows to anyone, shows him an excessive amount of reverence, I'd say."
!
A chill ran through Kaguya's body.
Yukino.
That name struck her mind like a blow. And her mother, Kikuko? Them… with Damian?
A mixture of jealousy and humiliation boiled in her chest. She pressed her hands tighter against her lap, forcing her breathing to remain steady.
"My brother," she finally said, "who Mr. Damian associates with is his own business. Whatever the Yukinoshita family does has nothing to do with the Shinomiya. As for me…"
Her eyes locked firmly on Oko's, her gaze so sharp it seemed capable of piercing through his false smile. "I am only responsible for conveying the family's invitation. Mr. Damian's wishes are not something I have the right to interfere with, nor something I should boast about."
Her final words came out with unusual clarity, heavy with a stubborn dignity.
Oko smiled, satisfied. He had seen the crack—the slightest fissure in his sister's otherwise unshakable perfection.
He leaned back lazily, resuming his relaxed posture. "Heh…" he muttered with disdain. "Tell me… do you know what decision was approved today at the administrative secretary's residence?" he asked while raising his cup and pretending to examine some pattern on it.
Kaguya didn't respond.
"The useless son-in-law of the Yukinoshita family will, next year, become a member of the Chiba Prefectural Council."
He set the cup down on the table and smiled with contempt. "Tsk… who would've thought? Perhaps soon we'll have to call him with respect… 'Mr. Councilman.'"
Kaguya frowned slightly.
She knew about the difficulties Yukino's father had faced in that candidacy. There had been too many obstacles… and yet now, everything seemed to have gone far too smoothly.
Oko reclined again, his smile widening as he savored the faint confusion flickering beneath his sister's cold expression.
"You want to know the answer, don't you?"
Suddenly, he straightened up, his body radiating a threatening presence. "Because of the Gojo family! That family above all others!"
He pronounced the surname with reverence before laughing bitterly. "The Gojo family… the one that never meddles in the dirty affairs of politics, this time… intervened. And for what? For a mere prefectural council seat."
He slowly turned the cup between his fingers. "Ridiculous, isn't it? Even the great figures of parliament, even the prime minister himself, bow their heads before them. And now, suddenly, they take an interest in a councilman from Chiba… How curious."
Kaguya clenched her hands so tightly that the veins stood out.
It wasn't about the politician Yukinoshita himself… it was about that name. "Gojo."
She knew perfectly well what it meant. The Gojo family stood above everything—a lineage so powerful that it rarely interfered in human affairs. Their influence extended into a realm even the Shinomiya could not reach.
For them to intervene in a political matter could only mean one thing: someone had moved a piece far too large.
Oko tilted his head lazily. "And all of this, of course, is thanks to your beloved Damian."
"D-Damian…?" Kaguya's body trembled involuntarily.
That name fell like a burning stone into the ice of her chest.
Oko nodded, mimicking her tone. "Yes, yes, the great 'Damian-kun.' The lord of the skies, the king of the world… how fitting, isn't it?"
Kaguya's pupils contracted.
In her mind, Damian had always been a shining star, a man of talent and charisma—someone beyond the reach of ordinary people… but human nonetheless.
But… to move the Gojo family? That family at the very peak of supernatural power? That completely surpassed the limits of her imagination.
Who on earth was he, really?
Noticing his sister's astonishment, Oko let his dark smile widen even more.
"Now you understand why our wise father insists so much that you get your 'Damian-kun' to attend the family dinner, don't you?"
Kaguya didn't respond. She had believed her father's interest was purely strategic, related to Damian's influence in business or entertainment.
She never could have imagined that behind all of it lay something as enormous as the Gojo family.
Oko lowered his voice. "Kaguya, you are the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya family. The family has given you everything. Now it's time for you to give something back."
His cold gaze swept across his sister's face. "If you can't even handle such a simple task… you'll lose your value. And when that moment comes…"
He didn't finish the sentence, but Kaguya understood perfectly.
"I understand, brother." Her voice regained its usual firmness, cold and restrained. The emotions that had shaken her moments ago vanished completely.
"I'll make sure Damian—"
Tok, tok, tok.
Three soft knocks on the door cut her off.
Oko frowned in irritation, and Kaguya's eyes turned toward the entrance.
The sliding door opened slowly. A man with slicked-back black hair and a flawless suit entered quietly. His half-closed eyes, as if out of habit, analyzed the tension in the room without a word.
It was Un'yo Shinomiya, the third brother, the one responsible for Kaguya's education since childhood. He walked forward with measured steps and bowed before Oko.
"Elder brother."
Oko's grim expression vanished instantly, replaced by a friendly smile. "Oh my, if it isn't Un'yo. What brings you here?"
Un'yo looked at that "pleasant" face without showing any emotion. He knew his brother far too well—and the falseness of that smile.
"Mr. Damian has arrived."
!
The atmosphere in the room shifted completely.
Oko's smile froze for a brief second before transforming into one of genuine interest. "Oh?"
Kaguya's eyes widened in shock, and she stood up abruptly.
Seeing her reaction, Oko's smile stretched with delight. He rose slowly, lazily adjusting the collar of his kimono, then glanced at the clock on the wall.
7:55 p.m.
"Heh…" he murmured, glancing at Un'yo. "What an extraordinary visitor. Mr. Damian, who never accepted our invitations, has decided to come unannounced?"
His tone sounded curious, but the undertone of irritation was unmistakable.
Kaguya's sudden movement didn't go unnoticed. A fleeting spark crossed Oko's eyes, while Un'yo turned his gaze toward her.
"Kaguya, Mr. Damian has come to see you."
The words fell like thunder.
!
Kaguya's heart pounded violently. Her brother's earlier words still echoed in her mind: "You have no value." She had been on the verge of accepting that humiliation, resigned to her role… until she heard her name.
He… came specifically for me?
At this moment?
Did he hear something? Or… did he come to save me?
The thought surfaced uncontrollably, and the irrational surge of hope that followed shook her entire being.
Oko's gaze coiled around her like a venomous snake, catching every trace of emotion on her face with precision.
"Oh…" he said in a mocking tone, letting his eyes slide between Kaguya and Un'yo. "So he came especially for our Kaguya?"
He sat back down calmly, though his eyes never left her. "Then what are you waiting for? You should go greet your distinguished guest. After all, this might be the perfect moment to regain your 'value.'"
The word "value" struck directly at Kaguya's heart, which had just begun to stir again.
She took a deep breath. Her cold composure reasserted itself, forcefully suppressing all the turbulent emotions inside—at least in appearance.
She bowed stiffly, her voice firm but tense. "I understand."
Oko smiled with genuine satisfaction. That "I understand" sounded to him like the perfect ending to a performance he had orchestrated flawlessly.
Un'yo, however, frowned. He didn't believe Oko truly cared for Kaguya; there was no affection in those eyes.
Was he planning to offer Kaguya as a gift to gain Damian's favor…?
But at that moment—
"'Understand' what?"
A calm voice, yet carrying an unmistakable resonance, sliced through the icy air of the room.
!
Oko's smile vanished instantly. Un'yo's head snapped up, and Kaguya flinched, turning toward the source of the sound.
At the large open window of the room, sitting casually on the windowsill as if he had been there all along, was Damian.
The night wind ruffled his bangs, and the black leather jacket outlined his imposing figure.
One leg rested calmly on the frame while the other hung slightly. In his hand, he held a black motorcycle helmet.
His brow was slightly furrowed, and his gaze, devoid of all warmth, swept across the three of them before fixing on Oko's petrified face.
The room fell into an even denser silence than before.
Alarms blared in the minds of Oko and Un'yo: How did he get in?!
The main Shinomiya residence was under strict guard, with visible and hidden security posts and servants patrolling the halls. What's more, only minutes ago, Un'yo had been informed that their second brother was personally waiting at the entrance to "receive" Damian.
And yet, Damian was already here, in the heart of the building, without anyone noticing his entry. It was a direct slap to the Shinomiya family's pride.
The muscles in Oko's face twitched. His carefully maintained smile shattered into pieces, leaving only shock—and fury at being so openly defied. He tried to speak, but his throat felt strangled.
Un'yo, meanwhile, watched in disbelief. There was no sign of exertion on Damian, not even a change in his breathing. He entered without anyone noticing… as if the Shinomiya defenses didn't exist.
And as for Kaguya…
When she saw him, the ice encasing her heart shattered instantly. Damian had come—just before her pride collapsed completely.
Had he heard? Had he come to stop it?
The fragile yet insistent thought struck her. She clenched her hands inside her sleeves, her nails digging into her palms to keep her composure.
Damian's gaze moved from Oko's darkened expression to Un'yo's furrowed brow, and finally to Kaguya, who stood upright, frozen in place.
His eyes lingered on her for a moment longer, as if confirming something. Then he asked, "Who's bothering you?"
________
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