That outrageously arrogant statent didn't offend the students at all. Instead, it made them look at him with admiration and awe.
Because he was Seiji... youngest recipient of both the Ranpo Award and the Naoki Prize, a genius worth over a billion yen.
His arrogance, when backed by that kind of success, was interpreted as "perfectly justified confidence."
"So, my advice is this."
Seiji spread his hands casually. "If you can't be the one who makes the rules, then at least learn your place... and find a way to survive in the cracks between them. That's all I have to say. Thank you."
The auditorium filled with a strange mix of applause, murmurs, and the awkward coughs of teachers trying to keep order.
Sitting quietly in the far corner, gumi clapped along with everyone else.
Her movents were textbook-perfect, her expression calm and neutral... just like she always was in every group event. She played the part of the "ordinary background character" flawlessly.
Her gaze followed the figure stepping down from the stage.
Seiji.
To be honest, gumi didn't have a strong impression of Toyogasaki's star student.
Genius novelist. Special admission to Tokyo University. A natural-born businessman.
Those titles were so dazzling they almost didn't feel real... like he belonged to another dinsion altogether.
"...Find a way to survive in the cracks between the rules."
Recalling his final words, gumi muttered to herself in that sa flat, detached tone of hers.
Hah. Textbook arrogance from a born winner.
But... considering who he is, I guess you could also call it honesty?
She wasn't like the girls around her, sighing dreamily or stealing lovestruck glances his way. Nor did she share the boys' envious scowls or muttered complaints.
gumi was simply a bystander.
To her, Seiji was like a max-level pay-to-win player giving a motivational speech to a bunch of level-one slis in the starter zone about how "this ga is actually pretty easy."
Annoying, yes... but from his perspective, everything he said was true.
Just then, as if sensing her gaze, Seiji... already back in his seat... turned his head and looked straight at her.
Their eyes t across dozens of ters.
For a brief mont, the noise of the hall seed to fade away.
His eyes no longer carried the arrogance or amusent from before.
Instead, they held a deeper kind of focus... like soone who had stumbled upon a rare, forgotten treasure in a dimly lit warehouse.
gumi blinked, a faint crease forming between her brows.
She tilted her head slightly, her calm gaze colored by a trace of confusion.
Did I get sothing on my face?
That was her honest thought.
But Seiji didn't look for long. He turned back around, picked up his phone again, and went back to scrolling... like the brief connection had never happened.
gumi exhaled softly and returned her eyes to the front.
"Next, all graduates please rise and join in singing the school song..."
She stood and sang along, her voice blending perfectly into the chorus of hundreds.
On the other side of the hall, Seiji thought to himself: I almost forgot about gumi Kato... her presence really is paper-thin.
If not for that little eye contact, I'd have completely forgotten she existed.
He replayed the mont in his mind... the quiet girl with short brown hair, neat and clean.
Not as breathtakingly beautiful as Utaha Kasumigaoka, not as dazzlingly vivid as Eriri.
Just a normal girl, in the sa school uniform as everyone else, with delicate features and a calm expression.
But in that emotional, noisy auditorium, her very "ordinariness" made her stand out in a strange way.
Like a blank, flawless canvas among a wall of colorful paintings.
No hesitation.
Seiji unlocked his phone and sent a ssage.
"Investigate: gumi Kato, Class 1-A, Toyogasaki Academy. Family background, personal connections, recent situation... everything."
Since fate had handed him this encounter, there was no doubt about it... he would make this girl his.
Half an hour later.
Seiji left Toyogasaki and settled into the back seat of his car.
His phone buzzed softly. A report from Aegis Security appeared on the screen.
Aegis Security... the final system reward he'd received after conquering the Ijichi sisters and taking over STARRY: a private paramilitary organization of elite rcenaries, absolutely loyal to him.
Now, that force was both his shield... and his claw.
He opened the report.
Target: gumi Kato
Family Background: Both parents perished one month ago in an international flight accident.
Financial Status: Received a combined compensation of 20 million yen from the airline and insurance company. Owns three detached properties in Setagaya Ward.
Recent Situation: Uncle (Jiro Kato) and aunt (Kazuko Kato) have been visiting frequently under the pretense of "taking care of her," pressuring her to hand over control of her inheritance. She has refused each ti.
Risk Assessnt: Based on surveillance and behavioral data, her relatives are highly likely to escalate soon... possibly using both legal and illegal ans to seize her assets.
Seiji skimd the report, then chuckled.
A gift from heaven.
Orphaned, alone, holding a fortune, and surrounded by greedy, scheming relatives.
The perfect opening.
"Red Blade," Seiji said without looking up, still staring at gumi's photo. "Keep eyes on her uncle and aunt... especially anyone they contact in the legal field."
"Yes, boss," Red Blade replied in a machine-like monotone.
Seiji leaned back, closing his eyes.
He could already picture it... the expression that quiet, transparent girl would make when cornered and forced to sign away her soul.
The train humd softly as it pulled into the station.
gumi stepped out.
Unlike most of her classmates, she went straight ho.
Pushing open the door, a heavy stillness greeted her.
"I'm ho."
Her voice echoed through the empty entryway.
No reply.
Not because her parents were ignoring her... because they were gone.
"...Haa."
She sighed quietly.
After slipping off her shoes, she walked through the living room and stopped in front of the low table at its center.
On it sat a black photo fra beside a small incense burner.
The photo showed her parents smiling gently, taken during last year's trip and later turned monochro. Her father, wearing glasses, looked calm and scholarly; her mother, arm linked with his, smiled warmly at the cara.
"Dad, Mom..."
gumi stared at the picture for a while, then took out three sticks of incense, lighting them carefully.
Thin trails of smoke curled upward, filling the room with the faint scent of sandalwood.
She placed the incense into the burner, pressed her hands together, and bowed deeply three tis.
A month ago, her parents had died in a plane crash on their way ho from abroad.
She'd cried until her tears ran dry. Now, all that remained was quiet, hollow grief.
It lingered like a long rainy season... sothing that could only fade with ti.
"Dad, Mom... I'll be starting my second year soon," she said softly. "Everything's fine at school and at ho. Don't worry, I'll keep living properly."
But living properly wasn't as easy as it sounded.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
"Ding dong... ding dong... "
gumi frowned.
She walked to the door and peeked through the peephole... only to see two faces she wished she hadn't.
Uncle Jiro Kato. Aunt Kazuko Kato.
Ah, here we go again. The daily 'check-in.'
Ever since learning about the 20 million yen compensation, those "relatives" who barely contacted her over the years had been showing up almost every day, pretending to care.
Their intentions couldn't have been clearer.
gumi didn't open the door. She stood silently, expression blank.
"gumi-chan, you ho? It's your uncle and aunt!" Jiro called, trying to sound friendly. "You'll be in your second year soon, right? We brought you so of your favorite strawberry mochi!"
Her gaze dropped to the cheap plastic bag in his hand.
Hm. I'm pretty sure I've always preferred matcha mochi. Guess they didn't do their howork.
When she didn't respond, Kazuko piped up shrilly, still forcing a smile. "That's right, gumi-chan! Open up, okay? We're worried about you living alone. Why don't you co stay with us? It's so much livelier at our place!"
"No, thank you." gumi's calm voice ca through the door, polite but distant. "I like the quiet."
The couple's smiles froze.
"You ungrateful brat!" Jiro's tone hardened instantly. "We're your family! We're trying to help! You're just a minor sitting on all that money... it's dangerous! Let us take care of it for you. When you're older, we'll give it back. That's what's best for you!"
There it was.
"No, Uncle," gumi replied evenly. "My parents' things... I'll take care of them myself. If there's nothing else, please leave."
That blunt dismissal snapped sothing in him.
"You little brat!" he roared. "You think you can just ignore us? Don't get cocky, girl!"
"gumi Kato, you'll regret this!" Kazuko's shrill voice followed as their footsteps stomped away.
gumi caught faint bits of conversation... "...that lawyer... pay him off..." before it faded down the hall.
She didn't think much of it.
As long as she didn't open the door, they'd give up eventually.
Turning to go back to the living room, her phone suddenly lit up.
A text from an unknown number.
"Need so help, Kato-san?"
gumi frowned.
"Kato-san?" That ant whoever it was knew her from school.
But who?
Before she could think further, her phone rang.
She hesitated, then answered. "...Hello. Who's this?"
"It's . Seiji Fujiwara."
Her mind blanked.
Seiji?
The prodigy novelist who'd just shocked everyone at graduation? The person she'd never even spoken to?
Her first reaction wasn't surprise... it was suspicion.
"...Fujiwara-sensei?" she said cautiously. "May I ask what this is about? And how did you get my number?"
"Heh."
A low chuckle ca from the other end. "Kato-san, for certain people, finding a phone number isn't exactly difficult."
"As for why I called... simple."
He paused, his voice calm but coldly confident.
"Because I've taken a liking to you. Be my woman, and I'll take care of those two annoying flies for you."
gumi froze.
For a mont, she thought she'd misheard. Or that the world had suddenly gone mad.
The brilliant, celebrated prodigy of Toyogasaki... talking like so sleazy thug out of a third-rate cri drama?
The absurdity was so great she didn't even feel angry... just dumbfounded.
"Fujiwara-sensei," she said slowly, taking a breath, "I think you might have the wrong number. Or maybe one of your novel characters is talking through you? Either way, thank you for the... offer. But I'll pass. Goodbye."
She hung up before he could reply.
A second later, her phone buzzed again.
A new ssage.
"Kato-san, my offer still stands."
The words dropped into her mind like a pebble in a still pond... not enough to cause waves, just mild irritation.
She sighed, blocked the number, and muttered, "Boring."
She didn't need help, and she definitely didn't need so shady deal like that.
Her troubles would pass eventually.
After all, she was still just a student.
But she underestimated how cruel the world could be.
The next morning was a rest day.
No school, no people... gumi allowed herself to sleep in for once.
Until a furious pounding on the door jolted her awake.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
"gumi Kato! Open up! Stop pretending you're not ho!"
Her uncle's coarse voice bellowed through the apartnt.
gumi frowned, glancing at the clock. 8:30 a.m.
"…Persistent, aren't they," she muttered.
Dragging herself out of bed, she slipped into casual clothes and walked to the door.
Through the peephole, she saw her uncle and aunt again... but this ti, the fake smiles were gone.
They looked smug, triumphant.
And standing beside them was a man in a suit, grinning like a snake.
"gumi Kato! You'd better get this through your head!" Jiro shouted. "The court will be sending a summons soon! We've already filed for legal guardianship! Once the judgnt's in, we'll be your guardians!"
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