The view was that of two young persons of my own age, who were busy kissing each other languorously, and coming into this direction, without watching for their steps; the young man's back facing me.
I was too mortified to close my eyes, and when they seemed to notice that there was somebody else in the room with them, they broke their kiss, and the young man turned around to look at me.
He was extremely tall, measuring more than six feet in height, and was slender. He had shoulder-length, curly, reddish-brown hair, and paper-white skin. Some of his hair was tied in a small pony-tail at the back, and he had two cartilage piercings on his left ear; his eyes, hazel. He was clothed in black denims, a blazer of matching color, a white shirt with half its buttons open, a red tie which was hanging loose, and classic shoes. He wore several accessories on his wrists.
The young girl was tall, with a well-proportionated figure. She was of fair complexion, with waist-length, ginger hair, and pale brown eyes. She was clothed in a black, sleeveless evening gown; one of the shoulder straps on her dress having come off.
The young man held out something to me and when I looked at it, I saw that it was a money note.
I was a bit confused.
'Why... Why are you giving me your money?' I asked him, timidly.
He gave me an impatient look and making a sign with his head towards the door, he declared, 'Leave us!'
I stared at the girl and him, understanding rushing through me at that moment.
They-They want to have the room for them to-
My face flushed even deeper, if that was even possible.
'I-I-I-can't!' I stuttered, glancing at the work I still had left to do. 'I need to-'
He held out a second note at me.
'I-I don't want more money. I need to-'
'Eh?!' he uttered, cutting me off, his face scrunching up in irritation now. 'Do you know to whom you're talking to?'
His hand came down onto my head in a grip and he bent down into my face, intimidatingly.
'I am the master of this house! You're going to do what I want you to do!'
I shrank.
The-The master of this house? He is Tsubasa-sama's son?!
I remembered that Ojii-san had once mentioned that she has a son.
All color drained out of my face, and I broke into cold sweat.
'I'm- I'm sorry! I didn't know!' I stammered. 'But- But- But-' I looked back at the sink, unsure about what to do. 'The thing is that I have taken an engagement, and...'
'My! My! What kind of a girl is that?' the young girl snorted, suddenly, watching me with an incredulous look.
Turning to the reddish-brown-haired young man then, she told him that she was leaving and re-arranging the shoulder strap of her dress, she headed for the door.
'No, wait!' he called out to her, in an almost-pleading tone, making a gesture with his hand after her, but she didn't pause down to even look at him one last time, and simply went out of the door.
Exploding with anger, he swung around to face me again, roaring, 'This is all your fault! I was about to spend a good evening with that young girl, but you've ruined everything! Prepare yourself to pay for what you've just done!'
'Wah!' I cried, frantically; abashed.
In all of a sudden, shrill screams erupted from beyond the door at the back of the room, puzzling us, and the next second, the door through which I had entered was kicked open, and we found ourselves confronted to a masked man, who was armed with a gun.
'Come on! Move, move, move!' he shouted, threatening us with the weapon he had in his possession.
Terror coursed through my veins.
What's going on? Is this-
'Come on!' the young master of the house told me, in a low, urgent voice, ushering me away with him by my shoulders through the door behind us.
My mind didn't seem to be able to function normally, so much I was horror-struck; my heart beating so fast that I thought it was going to claw its way out of my chest.
We were moving further inside of the mansion, and at some point, we arrived into a huge hall, which was lit by chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. This, stood high above our head and was covered with divine paintings like in a palace or a church. There was a large staircase which opened in the middle of the room and led upstairs. At the foot of it, was a buffet table.
It was in this hall that the party had been set, and all the people present were regrouped on one side of the room, against the wall. They were all crouched down on the floor, holding their head in-between their hands, their expression reflecting my own.
There were two other burglars present, both equally armed with guns.
The one who was holding the reddish-brown-haired young man and I at gunpoint ordered the two of us to move to join the other hostages, and he barked at us to get down on the floor just as well, and hand over our mobile phones to him, which we did.
He handed the bag in which he had put them to one of his compeer after that, and ordered the latter to gather all the valuable things- jewellery, and others- that the guests were wearing on them, while he ordered his other accomplice to search the mansion and collect any cash and valuables that could be carried in a bag.
All three of them were males, judging from their voices, and the one who was giving orders was apparently their boss. The three men were clothed in casuals, their face hidden behind Japanese animal masks. And all three of them were extremely agitated in their manners and speech, which terrified me even more.
'It's alright,' the reddish-brown-haired young man whispered to me, in a reassuring tone, and I looked at him where he was crouched right next to me.
His eyes were traveling across the faces in the crowd stoically in inspection.
'I can't see many of the employees around. Somebody will call the police. All of this doesn't seem very well-planned to me. I strongly believe that there are only the three of them, otherwise the others would have brought in other hostages by now.'
I believed the same thing too; I couldn't see Hinagiku-san anywhere around. The problem was that, if this was not well-planned, then this meant that the burglars could end up doing anything in a situation of panic! The thought made my stomach churn with dread, and I jumped when the loud, booming voice of the boss came, shouting, 'Darn it! That little brat is really starting to hit on my system! Will you make her shut up?!'
He was addressing himself to a young woman who was holding herself an arm-length away from me. The said-woman was a guest to the party and she was holding a crying toddler frantically in her arms. She was trying to quieten the child, but to no avail.
'Make her shut up, I tell you! Otherwise, I'm going to empty the barrel of my gun in your head!' the man yelled, pointing his weapon at the woman's face.
My heart jumped to my throat. No, not only my heart. My whole body moved, jumping to place itself in front of the terrorized woman, protectively.
'No, please, don't kill her! Not her!' I cried out, in a pleading tone. 'This child- She needs her mother!'
Nobody was breathing anymore. The only sound that came was a growl from the man who was at the head of the operation.
'Who the heck are you?' he demanded at me, in half a snort, half raging tone. 'Have you got something to say to me?! Come here! We're going to have a talk!'
Seizing me by my left forearm, he yanked me brutally to my feet to pull me away with him.
Unexpectedly, the reddish-brown-haired young man intervened.
Jerking to his feet, he grabbed my forearm and that of the man to try to break the latter's grip on me, exclaiming, 'Stop it! Let go of her!'
My heart shook as the man raised his gun again to point it at the young master's face, threatening him with it as he ordered him to back off and get back on the ground.
Something seemed amiss suddenly.
It was the expression of the young man. He was studying the gun with a peculiar look now. His expression resembled a mixture of disbelief and indignation.
'I can't believe it!' he exclaimed, in an incredulous tone. 'This gun is a fake one!'
Eh? Eh?! EH?!
Instantly, the man released me to try to lay upon him a blow, but to my utmost amazement, the reddish-brown-haired young put him K.O. in one or two swift martial arts movements.
His two compeers dashed at him at that moment, but he took them out with equal agility and swiftness.
I could only stare at him, with my mouth hanging wide open, completely awe-struck by his prowess.
He- He's good!
***
Three weeks later, in the late afternoon…
Hime Kirigakure... Shunsui Shigeizumi thought to himself, as he watched the young, dark-haired girl brooming the pavement in front of her grand-mother's sweets shop, from where he was sitting in the backseat of his car, parked across of the building on the busy city street. Hinagiku-obāchan has told me that you are Ryutsuki-san's grand-daughter, and it was not difficult for me to find you. I have been able to observe you during these past few weeks. You are easily intimidated, and yet there is something heroic about you. You look like someone very honest to me; not easily corruptible. And when you take an engagement, you don't back out of it until you've fulfilled it. You wear your heart on your sleeve. Hime Kirigakure, it's you that I choose. Fate is such a strange thing when I think about it.
He smiled faintly to himself.
It brought us to meet just in time. Our encounter was destined.
'Takara-san?' he called, and the old man looked up at him in the rear-mirror, replying, 'Yes, Wakatono?'
'To Shigeizumi Zaibatsu head office, please!'
'Hai!' the man said, and he started the engine immediately.
***
A short while later, at Shigeizumi Zaibatsu head office...
'Oh no! Where did I keep it?' wondered Tsubasa Shigeizumi, as she went through the pile of files on her desk, searching for a document. 'My desk is in such a mess! I really should learn to-'
A knock came on the door at that moment, and she turned around to see the door open and Shunsui enter.
She froze at his sight, and could only stare at him without blinking or speaking, so much she was surprised and overwhelmed to see him. He rarely came up at the office and it had been days since she had not seen him or heard his voice.
'Hi!' he said, averting his eyes and scratching the back of his head uncomfortably.
'Shunsui...' she breathed, fazed.
'I have something to ask from you,' he told her, in the same uncomfortable tone.
'Yes! Yes, please, tell me!'
'Do you remember that until a few years ago, the corporation would grant scholarships to needy students? I would like this to start again. And Ryutsuki-san's grand-daughter should be amongst the candidates to obtain a scholarship.'
'Okay,' she replied, promptly, bobbing her head up and down, 'It will be done.'
'Alright! Great,' he said, giving her an awkward smile. 'Thanks.'
Turning around then, he left.
The young woman stared at the close door for a whole minute after he was gone, before she blinked and leaned back against her desk.
She couldn't believe it.
Did he just- ask her something?!
Never once before, in his entire life, has he ever asked her anything!
Her heart swelled.
Ryutsuki-san's grand-daughter, huh?
A cocky smile came to her lips.
Interesting!
***
In the morning of the next day…
'I'm being transferred to Shigeizumi High School?' I asked, in puzzlement.
'Yes,' replied Ojii-san. 'Here is the official letter!'
He placed the white envelope down on the low table around which we were sitting with Obā-san in the living room, to slid it across of the surface up to me.
I picked up the envelope, but did not open it, still very much puzzled.
Shigeizumi High School…
It belonged to Shigeizumi Zaibatsu.
All the students who attend it are very intelligent, with marks above the average. And they belong to the upper-class society; their parents occupying high professional posts.
After high school, its students are sure to obtain entry into the most prestigious universities of the country without any difficulty.
I didn't match any of the criteria required for admission in such a reputable school. I was an average student, who was not at all good in sports, and who belonged to a very different background.
I will never fit in such a school.
I feared that it was not possible for me to find my place there.
However...
'Tsubasa-sama has typed it with her own hands,' Ojii-san informed me, and I looked up to see him smilingly happily. 'Take pride in it!'
Ojii-san…
My grand-father's name was Ryutsuki Nara. Aged sixty, he was quite tall and slender in appearance, with flip-level, gray hair, that he kept slicked back; his eyes, black. He was a kind and gentle person, of good temperament.
My eyes shifted onto my grand-mother, where she was sitting next to him, just across of me. She was of the same age as Ojii-san. Obā-san was quite short, with shoulder-length, dyed, black hair, and she wore spectacles. Her name was Shigure Nara.
After my mother slipped into a coma six months ago and my father disappeared in the nature, my grand-parents took me in. They take care of all my needs and finance my education, as well as the cost of the medical treatment of my mother. It was not easy for them, and I worked part-time to help with the expenses.
If I joined Shigeizumi High School, it would remove a huge burden off their head. Not to forget that Ojii-san seemed so happy; he felt so honored.
'You don't look very enthusiastic!' pointed out Obā-san, with a scathing look. 'I hope that you will not be such a monster as to kill the expectations of your grand-father or impose on us unnecessary expenses!'
'Shigure!' scolded Ojii-san.
I had stiffened, and unconsciously, hugged myself; her words tearing my heart.
'No-no,' I whispered, lowering my eyes.
'Such an education will open new doors for you, Hime,' Ojii-san told me, with enthusiasm. 'It will ensure you a good future.'
I nodded in acknowledgement, smiling meekly.
'This is your new uniform!'
Thank you for reading!
Glossary
Hai - means 'yes'
Obā-san/Obāchan - Grand-mother
Wakatono - Young master