X High School, Math Class
Rin Tohsaka sat by the window, sunlight tracing the delicate lines of her face. But her mind was miles away from the droning lecture of the stiff, old teacher at the front of the room.
Her thoughts were a jumbled mess, entirely consumed by Marin Kitagawa's bombshell comments from that morning:
"Free trial period," "product manual," "safety," and… two months until her birthday…
"…Is that all it takes?" The thought popped into her head unbidden, making her heart skip a beat.
Then, like a flood, images of Gaio rushed through her mind:
- His captivating performance under the stage lights.
- The unmatched confidence in his stance as he took down Gilgamesh under Fuyuki City's sky.
- The sharp, controlled look on his face as he severed the leyline's magic.
- The gentle smile he gave her when handing her a drink in everyday moments.
The images froze on this morning—Gaio, shirtless, morning light carving out the smooth, toned lines of his muscles…
"Ugh!" Rin felt a rush of heat shoot to her head, her cheeks flaring red like a boiled crab.
"Tohsaka Rin!"
A sharp, thunderous scolding snapped her back to reality.
Rin jolted, nearly leaping out of her seat.
At the front of the class, the short, balding teacher—his shiny "Mediterranean" scalp glinting in the sunlight—glared at her, veins popping on his forehead, eyes blazing behind his glasses.
"What are you daydreaming about?!" His voice trembled with barely contained anger. "This is important material! Answer my question!"
Every pair of eyes in the classroom turned to her.
Rin's cheeks, still flushed, burned even brighter. She ducked her head, heart pounding like a drum.
"S-Sorry, Sensei…" Her voice was barely a whisper.
A heavy huff came from the front. Rin quickly sat up straight, forcing her attention to the blackboard. Her ears, though, stayed red as blood, and the chaotic thoughts and images swirling in her head refused to settle. She bit her lip, staring at the math equations, trying to look like a model student.
"Ugh, what did Marin even mean by that?"
---
Tohtsu Musashi University, Economics Department
Kaguya Shinomiya sat in the back row of the lecture hall, her pen nearly snapping in her grip. Her eyes were fixed on the messy scrawl in her notebook, but she hadn't absorbed a single word.
"Damn it… damn it…"
Her mind kept replaying the morning's scene—Rin Tohsaka, that shameless woman, throwing herself into Gaio's arms in front of everyone!
The way she acted, it was like she was staking a claim!
"I haven't even dealt with Marin Kitagawa yet… and there are other girls circling him like vultures… Why?! Why is there another rival now?!"
Kaguya's fingers trembled, her pen carving a deep scratch into the paper.
A dark aura seemed to envelop her. If this were an anime, anyone nearby would've seen a writhing cloud of resentment radiating off her.
At the front, the professor droned on about macroeconomic models, his voice flat and dull.
But Kaguya wasn't listening. Her mind was filled with Gaio's face—his smile for Rin, the gentle way he patted her head, his radiant presence on stage…
"I was here first…"
Her lips moved silently, nails digging into her palm.
Suddenly, her phone buzzed.
The screen's glow snapped her out of it, the dark aura slowly dissipating.
She blinked, her long lashes fluttering.
In a single breath, the dangerous, shadowed figure vanished, replaced by the poised, elegant heiress of the Shinomiya family.
Kaguya calmly set her pen back in its case, her movements so smooth you'd never guess she'd nearly broken it moments ago.
She angled her body slightly, using her textbook to block the professor's view, and unlocked her phone with a delicate swipe.
[Yukino Yukinoshita: Has Gaio-kun set a date for that picnic he mentioned last time?]
Seeing the name, Kaguya's pupils narrowed slightly.
A glint of something complex flickered in her eyes.
"Yukinoshita…" she mouthed silently, a thoughtful curve tugging at her lips.
The phone's faint light illuminated her refined features as her gaze lingered on "Gaio-kun." Her thumb brushed the edge of the phone, her mind racing through possibilities.
"Rin Tohsaka is Marin's cousin? Hmph, an ally, is she?" A sly spark flashed in Kaguya's eyes. "Well, I can't let her get ahead of me."
She let out a soft chuckle, so quiet only she could hear it. "Yukinoshita… she might make a great ally."
Her slender fingers danced across the screen. Kaguya's expression shifted back to her usual composure, even carrying a hint of her signature sweet smile. But a closer look would reveal the calculating glint in her eyes.
[Kaguya Shinomiya: Things have been busy with school, and Tian-kun's been tied up with his concert, so I haven't talked to him yet. (｡･ω･｡)ﾉ♡ Why don't you ask him directly, Yukinoshita-san?]
Message sent. Kaguya studied her carefully crafted reply with satisfaction. The tone was warm yet distant, subtly hinting at her closeness with Gaio while nudging Yukino to take the initiative.
"This way…" She snapped her phone shut and picked up her pen, sketching a perfect heart in her notebook. "I might just pull Yukinoshita to my side."
At the front, the professor's voice remained dull and monotonous.
But Kaguya was back to her graceful self, even doodling decorative patterns along the edges of her notes with a pleased hum.
Only the slight upward curve of her lips betrayed her inner triumph.
"The game's only just begun…" she thought, her eyes glinting with dangerous charm.
Yukino Yukinoshita stared at Kaguya's reply, her cool gaze drifting to the elegant figure in the front row.
"No contact?" Her fingers tapped absently on the edge of her phone. "You personally handed Gaio's absence note to the teacher this morning."
A faint smirk tugged at Yukino's lips.
Her fingers moved quickly across the screen, firing off a reply:
[Yukino Yukinoshita: Oh, never mind then.]
Message sent. She flipped her phone face-down on the desk, not sparing it another glance.
Her eyes returned to Kaguya. The moment the message arrived, Kaguya's pen paused for a fraction of a second, leaving a nearly invisible ink dot on the page.
Then, she resumed writing with flawless poise, every bit the perfect Shinomiya heiress.
Yukino watched her seamless reaction, resting her cheek on one hand, her fingertip lightly tapping her temple. The faint curve of her lips deepened just a touch.
She picked up her phone again, unlocked it, and opened a familiar contact, skipping all pleasantries:
[Yukino Yukinoshita: Gaio, cat-feeding duty. You already bailed on me once, so today, 3 PM, usual place.]
Sent. She slid the phone back into her bag, propped her cheek on her hand again, and fixed her cool gaze on Kaguya's back, thinking to herself:
"Trying to use me as a pawn, Shinomiya? Your schemes aren't quite clever enough. I'm not going to be your tool against anyone."
---
Sunlight spilled through the car window onto the passenger seat, where Marin Kitagawa curled up like a lazy cat. Her flushed cheeks pressed against the leather seat, her hair slightly damp with sweat.
"Are we… still going car shopping?" she asked weakly, her fingers absently tugging at the hem of Gaio's shirt.
Gaio leaned over to fasten her seatbelt, chuckling softly.
His lips brushed her feverish forehead, the scent of her shampoo lingering in the air.
"Nah," he said, gently tucking a stray lock of hair behind her neck. "I'm taking you home to rest."
The engine's rumble made Marin frown slightly.
"But…" she protested faintly, "we said we'd pick out a new car…"
"Compared to a car," Gaio said, steering out of the parking lot, his smiling eyes catching in the rearview mirror, "a certain someone who's pushing herself too hard needs a little TLC."
Marin buried her face in her jacket. The morning's bold "product performance test" flashed through her mind, turning her ears practically translucent with embarrassment.
As the car swayed gently, she felt Gaio's fingers weave through her hair, massaging her scalp with care.
"Get some sleep," he said, his voice soft as honeyed feathers. "I'll wake you when we get to your place."
Marin nodded drowsily, but just as she was about to drift off, she grabbed his wrist. "Wait… don't you have plans later?"
Gaio's fingers paused for a moment.
"Yeah, I'm feeding Yukinoshita's cat," he said casually. "Promised her last time."
"Oh…" Marin's voice trailed off, her lashes fluttering like resting butterfly wings.
In the final moments before sleep took her, she mumbled, "Then… next time, we'll go car shopping…"
Gaio glanced at her sleeping face, his smile softening even more.
He pressed the gas pedal lightly, heading toward her house.