The late-spring night mist crept over the window panes, casting a pale gray-green hue over the villa's grandfather clock.
Kageyama Sora pressed his pen to the manuscript for the third time; the ink bled into grotesque spiderwebs on the yellowed parchment.
He had originally intended to use this time to handle some business matters.
But…
Ryūmonen Tōka leaned against the velvet sofa, the silver-threaded patterns of her silk nightdress quivering with the slight twitch of her toes, like a coiled venomous snake.
"When are you going to finish revising, cousin~" Ryūmonen Tōka drew out the last syllable, her tone sticky-sweet like candied fruit, her nails scraping softly against the redwood coffee table.
As Kageyama Sora's gaze passed over the manuscript, it met those blue eyes gleaming from the shadows—a face that should have looked coquettishly innocent, yet had just been caught stealing a glance at him with a mischievous, almost scheming expression.
Ever since Kageyama Sora had pointed out that what she really liked was the **pink little strawberry**, Ryūmonen Tōka had kept up this exact demeanor.
Truly, she had maintained it the whole time.
Think about it: while you eat, work, daydream, or sip tea, a girl is watching you with a sinister gaze, occasionally letting out an odd little laugh, imagining you in an awkward mess after she "handles" you. You'd feel uneasy, wouldn't you?
The clink of porcelain cups against the tray rang crisply. Kageyama Sora watched the tea leaves spinning in his cup and let out a bitter smile.
He had seen countless nobles wearing masks, but never anyone as straightforward as Ryūmonen Tōka.
When she propped her chin and wove the words *"I'm scheming against you"* into every arch of her brows and corner of her eyes, it somehow made her intentions even harder to read.
There was a foolishness to her scheming, yet a subtle unease as if she truly might be hiding something.
The cunning in her eyes was too pure, like a child brandishing a toy sword—utterly harmless, yet unexpectedly tricky because of its careless boldness.
Kageyama Sora felt a hint of helplessness: "Aren't you going to sleep or take a break?"
Ryūmonen Tōka smiled: "Cousin, didn't you say you wanted to study a luck-based mahjong player…? She's on her way."
"She?" Kageyama Sora blinked in surprise. Until now, Ryūmonen Tōka hadn't mentioned that anyone was coming.
Before he could process it, the villa's front door swung wide open.
Silver-threaded moonlight spilled over the carved iron gates, the night wind rustling through rose-covered vines.
A small figure stepped lightly into the moonlight, golden hair trailing behind her like scattered rays, each step in sync with the beat of a heart.
Her pink pleated JK uniform skirt fluttered with each step, over-the-knee white socks soft and cute, a red bow-shaped bunny-ear headband atop her golden hair swaying as if alive.
She paused at the edge of light and shadow, lowering her gaze to adjust her bow at the collar. Her eyelashes cast butterfly-wing shadows beneath her eyes. When she lifted her head, the moonlight illuminated her doll-like face—round apricot eyes, rosy cheeks, a childlike pout at the corners of her lips, yet the aura she exuded made the air feel cold. "Tōka, you asked me here on purpose… is it something important?"
Though petite, her mere presence radiated an overwhelming pressure.
Kageyama Sora had seen her profile on the assistant's files, placed at the very first page.
He had also just read about her in the dossier.
There were said to be three girls blessed by the tiles, and Amakawa Ichi was undoubtedly one of them.
Amakawa Ichi, born September 6, Virgo, 16 years old, second-year student at Ryūmonen High. Standing 127 cm tall, captain of the Ryūmonen Mahjong Club, one of the nation's strongest players, praised by professional player Fujita Yasuko as one of the three high school girls "blessed by the tiles."
She was precisely the luck-based mahjong player Ryūmonen Tōka had mentioned.
A crystal chandelier behind Kageyama Sora cast a spiderweb-like halo of light. He observed Ryūmonen Tōka's deliberately tense lips.
And when he saw Amakawa Ichi, Kageyama Sora finally understood why Ryūmonen Tōka had looked at him so strangely all evening, as if scheming to watch some show unfold.
Next, Ryūmonen Tōka eagerly said: "Ichi… of course it's important… I brought something for you…"
She deliberately drew out the last syllable, like a subtle signal of danger.
The words "new toy" was hidden in her unspoken syllables, yet Amakawa Ichi read them clearly from her lips.
Ryūmonen Tōka's gaze shifted to Kageyama Sora: "This is our cousin, also the designer of that mahjong game. He's here specifically to study luck-based players… As his cousin, I naturally must introduce you, a skilled player, to him…"
Amakawa Ichi's expression flickered slightly. As a relative and teammate, she instantly deduced that this cousin, named Kageyama Sora, must have somehow offended Tōka.
But she didn't mind. After all, he was a new toy.
"Oh…?" She stopped in her tracks, her bow-adjusting motion frozen. The single syllable was stretched, carrying a spine-chilling undertone.
When her apricot eyes lifted, Kageyama Sora caught a fleeting sharpness beneath her sweet face.
The girl tilted her head, her huge bunny ears tilting with it, hair brushing her collarbone: "So, you're the cousin?"
Kageyama Sora properly introduced himself: "Kageyama Sora, my name."
Yet Amakawa Ichi's face brightened with an adorable smile: "Then, cousin, I look forward to playing with you. Today just happens to be… a full moon."
Kageyama Sora stood at the perfect moment: "Does the full moon have special significance?"
The girl suddenly beamed, her pearly teeth glinting in the light: "Because during the full moon, I'm invincible."
As the last syllable fell, the moon outside was completely swallowed by clouds, leaving only the crimson glint in her eyes.
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