🏰 Kai's Room in the Mansion – After Meeting Aria
The room was spacious — dark gray walls with touches of velvety black, giving off a sense of both luxury and coldness.
The furniture was minimal yet elegant, and the large bed was draped in a dark yukata that revealed part of his chest, shoulder, and pale leg under the dim light.
Kai sat on the edge of his bed, yukata slightly loose, his head tilted to the side, eyes staring into nothingness — as if trying to see something invisible.
Silent.
He pressed his fingers lightly to his lips, brushed them gently, then bit them faintly — each small movement reflecting a strange confusion inside him.
He thought:
Why did I apologize to her? Why did I save her?
Though his expression remained cold as ever, his heart fluttered in a way completely unfamiliar to him.
He moved his arm slowly, running his fingers over the sheets before bringing them back to his lips again — as if trying to understand this strange, new feeling.
Outside, the maids bustled through the mansion — some cheerful and whispering excitedly:
"Did you see her? She's our master's lover!"
"Oh my god… how lucky she is!"
But the other half glared in jealousy and quiet rage, eyes burning with envy:
"How dare she touch our master?!"
Kai, however, didn't hear a thing.
He didn't turn, didn't care — there was only one thing in his mind:
Aria.
He remained still, silent, his fingers resting on his lips — sometimes biting them, sometimes staring at the ceiling, his every motion dripping with guilt, conflict, and suppressed emotion:
anger at himself, warmth he couldn't explain, and confusion he couldn't control.
Why does this girl matter to me so much?
That question echoed endlessly in his head as the night fell over the mansion.
The long shadows of candlelight danced on the gray walls — as though they reflected the quiet war between his cold heart and the warmth now growing within it.
Then, the silence broke with a familiar, playful voice:
"Master, aren't you afraid all that thinking will give you wrinkles? You'll grow old before your time!"
Kai slowly lifted his eyes, silent.
Miyazaki Shin strolled in casually, holding a cup of tea and wearing his usual teasing smile.
He leaned against the doorway, relaxed as ever.
"Oh, by the way… I dropped off Mizuha-san safely,"
he said, giving a mischievous wink.
"She's a sweet girl — funny, but incredibly clumsy. Like a walking ball of chaos!"
Kai didn't reply.
He just brushed his fingers across his lips again.
Shin's grin faded gradually, his tone shifting into something rarely serious.
"Master… are you truly prepared to keep her by your side?
You know what that means — inside the Amagakura family."
Silence hung heavy in the air.
Kai didn't answer right away.
Then, in his usual calm and low voice, he said:
"I brought her into this house… there's no turning back now."
Shin studied his master's face for a moment, then sighed — and as always, broke the tension with a grin.
He suddenly straightened up and exclaimed cheerfully:
"But hold on! There's one thing I just have to understand!"
Kai raised an eyebrow, unamused.
"What is it?"
Shin stepped closer, his steps light and theatrical.
"Why did you kiss Mizuha-san?!"
He threw his hand in the air dramatically.
"That's so rare! I thought you were immune to romance! How could you give your first kiss to a clumsy, common girl like her?!"
Kai stared at him for a second, then replied with absolute coldness as he adjusted his yukata:
"I was testing something."
Shin froze — then burst into loud laughter.
"Testing?! What kind of test is that — chemistry?! Hahaha!"
Kai didn't answer.
He turned his face away quietly, closing his eyes again as if to shut Shin's voice out of his mind.
But behind that calm expression… his heart was still beating — in a way he couldn't quite understand.
________________________________________________
🌙 Aria's Room — After the Bath
Aria lay sprawled on her pink bed, surrounded by fluffy pillows.
Her soft brown-rosy hair fanned around her head, filling the air with the sweet scent of soap.
She grabbed a pillow, pressed it against her face, and screamed into it:
"Aaaahhh! What have I done?!"
She suddenly sat up, her face as red as a ripe tomato 🍅.
"He… he kissed me! Kai Rehito actually kissed me!!!"
She clutched the pillow to her chest like a shield of shame.
"The most handsome boy in school! The vice president! The prince — the cool, untouchable king himself!!"
Then she flopped back down, kicking and rolling around as she pummeled her poor pillow.
"Why me of all people?! The clumsy girl who fell from the second floor?!"
She froze mid-roll, staring blankly at the ceiling, her cheeks still glowing pink.
"But… his lips were… really soft…"
Her hands flew to her face in horror.
"No no nooo! What are you thinking, Mizuha Aria?!"
She bit her lip, muttering dramatically:
"And to make things worse… I told him I just wanted to be friends! Friends!! How stupid can I be?!"
She threw the pillow over her face again.
"My dignity has officially died!"
But then… she remembered that look after the kiss —
that calm, faintly shy expression in his eyes…
his damp hair brushing his cheek…
and that soft voice when he called her name.
Her heart fluttered hard, and she hugged the pillow tightly.
"He wasn't just handsome… he was a little shy, too…"
And then, unable to contain herself, she kicked her feet and rolled around again like a child:
"Aaaaaah!! I'm going to die of embarrassment!!"
Aria was still tossing and turning on her bed, her face bright red, occasionally smacking herself with a pillow… until she suddenly froze.
Her eyes went blank — then slowly widened.
"W-wait a sec…"
She sat up sharply, lightning flashing behind her like she'd just had the most horrifying realization of her life.
"Tomorrow… school…!!!"
The pillow slipped from her hands as she screamed:
"They're going to kill me!!!"
Her imagination ran wild —
a horde of Kai fangirls chasing her through the halls, shrieking "KAI-SAMAAA!" while holding shiny kitchen knives! 💀
"Oh nooo!! I'm the girl who was kissed by Kai Rehito! I'll vanish from this world!!"
She jumped off her bed and started pacing in frantic circles.
"Should I run away? Yes! I'll escape to another country! No— to the moon!"
But she stopped mid-step, thinking seriously.
"…No, wait. The moon's too cold."
She grabbed her phone in panic and started calling Hanabi, almost crying.
After two rings, a calm, sleepy voice answered:
"Ari-chan… why are you calling me in the middle of the night?"
Aria screamed immediately:
"HANA-CHAAAN!!! I'm doomed!! They'll kill me tomorrow!!!"
A long pause.
"Who will kill you?"
"Kai Rehito's fangirls!!!"
Hanabi sighed softly — the sigh of someone who *saw this coming a mile away.*
"I knew you'd say something like that."
"Hana-chan, please! Save me! What do I dooo?!"
Her friend's cold voice came again — but this time with a tiny hint of amusement:
"Come to my house tomorrow morning. We'll make a plan to survive Kai's fan club."
Aria's eyes sparkled like she'd just seen heaven.
She jumped on her bed, shouting:
"I LOVE YOU, HANA-CHAN!! You're my guardian angel!!!"
"Don't cry on the way here. It's annoying," Hanabi replied flatly.
"Haaah?!"
Click. The call ended.
Aria stared at her phone, then smiled softly.
"Even when she's cold… I still love her."
She pulled the blanket over her head, curling up on her bed, whispering half-asleep:
"I just hope I survive till the end of the week…"
_________________________________________________________
The next day...
After several minutes of dramatic running, Aria finally arrived in front of Hanabi's house—
an old Japanese house with a mysterious garden and trees that whispered strange sounds in the wind.
Black wooden doors, eerie stone statues lined up at the entrance…
But Aria?
She just sighed in relief, as if she'd finally reached her second home.
"Ahh… finally, I made it…!"
She rang the doorbell gently.
Footsteps echoed slowly from inside…
The door creaked open, revealing Hanabi, just as calm and elegant as ever—
her long black hair draped over her shoulders, her cold eyes half-lidded, expression unreadable.
"You're here early, Aria…"
Aria laughed awkwardly, waving her hands.
"Hahaha— a-as always! I woke up super early… because I didn't sleep at all!"
Hanabi tilted her head slightly, observing her.
"Your eyes are swollen… you look like a tiny ghoul."
"Haaaana!!! Don't say that so coldly!"
Aria stepped inside, taking off her shoes like she'd done it a hundred times before.
The house was dim, curtains drawn, yet filled with the soothing scent of herbs.
Rows of dolls stared down from the shelves with glassy eyes—
but Aria smiled at them sweetly.
"Good morning, Misa-chan! Good morning, Koko-chan!"
(She waved at them as if greeting old friends.)
Hanabi followed her with her calm gaze and said softly:
"I haven't seen you in a week. Koko missed you a lot…
She kept staring at the door all night."
Aria froze.
"Wha… all night?!"
"Yes. Without blinking."
Aria laughed nervously, raising her hands.
"Hahaha! C-cute as always!"
The two sat down at the table.
Hanabi quietly brewed her herbal tea while Aria placed a box of chocolate cake on the table.
"I brought this! For our mission: Operation Survive Kai's Fangirls!
We need positive energy to start the day!"
Hanabi slowly lifted her teacup, her gray eyes calm as ever.
"We'll need supernatural energy, not positive."
Aria burst into laughter, tapping the table.
"Hahaha! You always say scary things with such a calm face!"
☕ A Few Minutes Later
After a few minutes of tea and cake, Hanabi led Aria down a long, dim hallway lit by faint paper lanterns.
The wooden floor creaked softly beneath their feet, and the air smelled of incense and mint.
Aria clung to her friend's arm, her voice trembling.
"H-Hana… where are we going?
Don't tell me you're going to sacrifice me to your dolls!"
Hanabi replied calmly, without even looking back:
"If I were going to do that, I would've done it long ago."
"H-HAAAH?! That doesn't make me feel any safer!!"
They stopped in front of a massive black wooden door carved with strange symbols.
Hanabi slowly pushed it open…
Aria's small scream echoed through the corridor.
The room was filled with… masks.
Thousands of them, covering every wall—
animal faces, human faces laughing, crying, blank…
All of them staring straight at Aria, as if alive.
"H-hehe… H-Hana… is this a museum… or some kind of ritual?!"
Hanabi stepped closer with quiet, almost ghostly footsteps.
Aria instinctively took a step back.
"These are my personal collection," Hanabi said softly.
"Each mask has its own story… and some of them don't like being touched."
"E-EXCUUUSE ME?! They don't like being touched?!"
Hanabi picked up a simple white mask, painted with a gentle smile.
"Today's plan… is camouflage.
You'll go to school wearing a mask until we find a way to deal with Kai's fangirls."
"A m-mask?! You mean I'll look like I'm going to a horror festival, not school!"
Hanabi placed the mask into Aria's hands, her calm tone turning quietly eerie:
"The mask hides the face…
the face hides the soul…
and when the soul hides itself… it cannot be hunted."
Aria froze, eyes trembling, then laughed nervously.
"A-ahaha… such a comforting philosophy, Hanabi! I feel sooo much safer now!"
Hanabi rested a hand on her shoulder, her expression deadly serious.
"Choose one that suits you, Aria.
But remember… sometimes, the mask chooses you."
"HAAAANAAAA!!! NOOOOOOOOO!!!"
Aria dashed around the room screaming, covering her eyes, while Hanabi watched her with a faint, amused smile—
as if enjoying a delightful little show.
Aria wandered nervously between the rows of masks, brushing her fingers lightly over them.
The wooden floor creaked softly under her feet… and some masks almost looked like they were smiling back at her.
"Why… why do I feel like these masks are breathing?"
she whispered shakily.
From behind her, Hanabi answered in her usual calm tone:
"Maybe because… some of them do."
"H-HANAAA!! Stop saying creepy things like that!!"
But then, Aria's eyes froze on something—
a mask unlike any other.
It was pure black, glossy like ink, covering the whole head with no mouth, no nose… only two dimly glowing eye holes.
It looked terrifying—
and yet, Aria's face lit up with excitement.
"Waaah! This one's awesome!! It looks like… a superhero mask!"
Hanabi raised one eyebrow, giving her a "are you serious?" look.
"That one is… special. I never intended for anyone to wear it."
"Perfect! That means it's mine!"
Aria declared proudly, snatching it before Hanabi could stop her.
The moment she put it on, the mask sealed tightly around her head.
Her voice came out muffled and strange through the black shell.
"Do I look… mysterious?"
Hanabi sighed and rested her cheek on her palm.
"More like a horror movie creature that makes children scream."
But Aria looked at herself in the mirror and gasped in delight.
"Yaaay! It's amazing! I look like a dark anime heroine! Aria Dark Mode!!"
"Yes… very dark mode indeed," Hanabi murmured, her lips curving into a faint smirk.
"At least no fangirl of Kai will dare approach you now."
"Exactly! This is Hanabi Saikou's Genius Plan No. 1!!"
"Only No. 1?" Hanabi asked, chuckling softly in her usual monotone way.
Aria struck a heroic pose, waving her arms dramatically and making sound effects with her mouth, while the other masks on the walls swayed slightly—
as if laughing at her.
---
⏰ One hour later...
The school grounds were buzzing with the usual morning chatter—
until, suddenly, silence swept across the courtyard.
A strange creature had appeared.
A student wearing a pitch-black mask that covered her entire head.
No face. No expression. Just slow, eerie breathing.
Every student she passed screamed and jumped away.
Even the teachers whispered nervously among themselves.
"Wh-Who's that…? Is she… a new transfer student?"
Meanwhile, under that terrifying mask,
Aria was absolutely thrilled.
Finally! No fangirls chasing her,
no death stares, no jealous whispers—
just a clear, peaceful path ahead.
She lifted the mask slightly and whispered with a proud smile:
"Hanabi… you're a genius!"