HYOUTA'S POV
"Do not try to be unreasonable young Sir," a man in his late twenties earnestly implored a boy wearing a defiant expression and appeared to be no older than a college student.
"He's right, my young lord," another individual chimed in, adding their support. However, I responded to their inane ramblings with a defiant expression.
"No means no!" I declared loudly.
"I don't care if she is betrothed to me; I will not accept the engagement to Yuki Ronadtz! And to that effect, I officially decline the invitation to their anniversary celebration!" My voice resonated with my annoyance.
I was born into a mischievous family. My parents were the most established drug lords in the history of Asia.
Their constant conquest for power and wealth drove them to the depths of darkness, making them unparalleled in the underworld.
At my birth, they signed a betrothal contract with the daughter of the prime minister in exchange for a settlement and a few illegal benefits.
"But sir, how are we to explain this to your father? That you have declined Miss Yuki's hand. Or is it because of that accursed human girl? If that is the case, I must say—'' he began, but his words were immediately cut short.
"Don't you dare refer to Anna in that manner? Do you court death?" I warned with a rather irritated face.
My expression of defiance swiftly warped into intense fury as he mentioned the one name that should not be trifled with, the one line no one must cross.
"I apologize, my young lord, but please consider our position as well," the young man pleaded, now aware that he had touched a nerve.
In response, his annoyance rapidly took a meek turn at my rage.
"I will refuse the engagement with Yuki, and that is final! Do not trouble me with this matter again. You have made me late," I instructed before gathering my belongings and leaving the hall, slamming the door as hard as I could.
"What shall we do now, Paule?" the other individual inquired from the frustrated young man.
However, his question was met with silence, accompanied by a weary sigh.
"What a troublesome young lad," he exhaled.
ANNA'S POV
With crossed arms, I stood by the window, captivated by the ceaseless downpour.
Raindrops cascaded from the somber sky, creating a symphony of plops and platters as they collided with the ground.
A flash of lightning streaked across the heavens, followed by a deafening roar of thunder, causing my fellow students to jerk back in surprise, disrupting the once-serene atmosphere of the room.
Alas, I stood alone at the window, gently stroking my lengthy crimson hair over my ears, which complimented my Spotless white shirt.
A solitary figure seeking "allure" or sadly, some attention.
I had hoped that my enigmatic gaze into the rain would draw the curiosity of others, gathering a crowd around me.
However, it turned out to be a miscalculation.
Not only did my rain-induced contemplation fail to incite the tiniest bit of interest, but after the first ten minutes, my grand display was shattered by uncontrollable sneezing.
Although my attempt at being mysterious had received attention, it certainly wasn't the envious eyes of admiration I had envisioned.
I could still feel the eyes of sympathy on me, which is precisely why I remained fixated on the window, unable to meet those concerned gazes.
Approaching footsteps echoed along the hallway, steadily growing louder with each step, almost as if someone was running toward this place.
I finally turned around and headed towards my desk and seized my bag, the source of all my current troubles was on its way.
The door of our class flung open, once again startling the other students who redirected their attention to this intruder.
Standing at about five feet tall, a young boy of about Twenty years emerged, with bright yellow hair and ember eyes complimenting his overly handsome look.
Dressed in a White overall and dragging along his bag, he made his way towards me wearing an apologetic expression, captivating the attention of most females present.
"I'm really sorry Anna. I didn't know the meeting would take that long, so I rushed here as soon as I could." He apologized.
"Hyouta," I responded, almost cutting him off.
"What time did you leave and tell me to wait?" I asked with a menacing smile on my face.
I possessed a good amount of the virtue of patience, especially with others, but due to the events that unfolded during my wait, I wasn't going to let him off the hook easily.
"Uhmm, 3:30. Please don't get mad" he answered with a slightly scared expression.
"Good, and how long did you tell me it would take?" I continued still maintaining my menacing face.
"Thirty minutes… C'mon Anna, I'm actually starting to get scared now." He took a step back this time and shifted his eyes from my own, the onlookers now curious about the sort of relationship we share.
He very well knew the implications of annoying me, and he still decided to take such a gamble.
"Haha, I'm sorry I scared you, get your bag, and let's head on home" I let off a little laughter while tossing my bag around my shoulders.
He flinched a bit when I moved him out of the way, gazing at me with eyes filled with uncertainty as I headed toward the door.
"I'm fine, but I'm still really sorry. I'll make it up to you if I can!" He grabbed his bag and followed behind me enthusiastically, it seemed like he had calmed down a bit. That's good.
"Oh, you don't need to do anything. There's always your mother to tell" I declared as I entered the hallway.
"Eh?"
/.../
The rain continued to pour relentlessly, not showing any sign of letting up as we stood together at the entrance of our school building, looking into the distance, searching for a solution.
"I knew you were dumb, but the fact that you didn't even bother to check your weather forecast or even bring an umbrella just in case surprises me." I let off a sigh of frustration.
Running under the rain today was completely out of the options considering I had to pick up my little brother from school.
The staff would be furious at my lateness.
"Uhm, not to talk back, but you do realize you also didn't do those two things no?" he retorted in a subtle tone.
"Hm, Did you say something?" I reformed my expression and glanced at him with a gentle expression.
"No, it's nothing." He quickly averted his gaze, a sliver of fear in his eyes.
As I implied earlier, Hyouta is destined to inherit his father's position as the "Boss" in the future.
Earlier, he had a meeting with some of the family's subordinates, and naturally, they wouldn't allow someone like me, a normal girl, to intrude.
However, He and I had been close friends for as long as I could remember.
We met in kindergarten when even the most belittled daughter of a certain politician had a higher standing than me, yet he was the first person who accepted me despite my social standing.
It had been over 10 years now, and nothing has changed.
I knew I could never be with him, but I found happiness in simply having him by my side.
Soon after we became friends, our mothers also became friends on their first conversation.
They would bring us along during their occasional chats, giving us a lot of opportunities to experience life in the Boss's district.
Despite the obvious prejudice that often followed, I held tight to my occasional interactions with him. I refused to let anything come between our bond.
Without a doubt, I had an intimate understanding of this guy, like he was the back of my hand. Including the fact that he has a crush on me.
Even now, I can feel his intense gaze fixed on me. I chose to keep quiet about it for a while, and judging from his antics, I can reduce two possibilities:
Either he knows that I know but is still trying to push on and pursue my heart undeterred or he's just a dense idiot who's unaware of the fact that I already know and carries on a persistent attempt to win me over.
Well, either way, it may be really sad that his dreams will remain unfulfilled.
After all, Love is a phenomenon so surreal and ephemeral, that I have no interest in something like that.
"Are you going to keep staring?" I break the silence and begin raising my skirt in a gesture that conveys my intention of heading into the rain.
It seems there's no other way out of this than to go to the nearest store to buy an umbrella.
"Sorry, I was just pondering on how we would make it out of this situation," he says, scratching the back of his head and letting out a slight chuckle.
"Oh, is that so? Then here's the plan. You still have some money on you right?" I ask vividly.
"I'll rush over to the store the next block from here and get us some umbrellas," I explained succinctly.
Time is of the essence, I can't waste anymore since my little brother is still waiting for me at their school.
"Eh!? I can't do that! I allow you to do a lot of things but don't compromise the pride of a man. I'll go get the umbrellas myself." He quickly retorted just as I finished speaking, as expected, he comes off with that.
"Hey, your pride doesn't matter right now! And besides you're paying for both umbrellas so consider it as getting service for your payments. I'll be fine, the rain is already easing up." I refused.
Of all the defensive cards to play… Pride.
were really ticking against the clock, we needed to get home before dark.
Besides, if one of the family subordinates were to hear that I sent their young master out in the rain on an errand, there's no telling the amount of trouble that would cause.
"So you were planning on making me pay for both of them!? Your attitude really hasn't changed" he winced at the realization of my intentions.
"Even still, I can't let you out in the rain like that. I'll be right back." Before I could even argue, he leaped out of the entrance, merging with the endless downpour.
He waved at me and started sprinting forward. I watched him run until he followed the turn at the end of our school street disappearing from my line of sight.
With a heart mixed with gratitude and worry, I stood alone, immersed in my thoughts.
One thing that's unmistakable about him is the fact that he always takes the initiative when it comes to me.
He had always been there to defend my cause whether I was right or wrong, if I was to get hurt or discomforted, he would always volunteer to take the trouble despite our current difference in status.
A normal person like me wouldn't dream of being nominated as one of his personal caretakers, but yet he had become my own. Love?
His actions towards me and his passion, could it really all just be characterized by "Love"?