There are two faces to every life: the one we show and the one we hide. For most people, the face they hide is filled with fears, regrets, or secrets. For me, it's a legacy that's followed me since birth ; a shadow I didn't ask for, but one I've embraced as my own. Some would call this a destiny ; I call it a burden. But even shadows must find a place to rest.
Requiescant in pace, Grandfather"
Akihiko Mochizuki.
---------
Nerima Ward, Tokyo.
Akihiko stepped off the bus and gazed up at the imposing gates of Hachimitsu Academy. The wrought iron bars gleamed under the morning sun, their sharp edges a stark contrast to the meticulously trimmed hedges lining the driveway. Beyond the gates, the school grounds stretched out like a fortress : clean, symmetrical, and almost suffocating in their perfection.
The main building stood at the center, a grand structure with tall windows that reflected the sky like mirrors. Its walls were a pristine white, almost sterile, and its towering spire loomed over the campus like a silent sentinel.
It was also connected to another building of equivalent, if not greater size right beside it, which was shaped like an 'H'.
There were smaller buildings connected by covered walkways, each one as uniform as the last. The entire campus felt like a meticulously arranged chessboard, where every piece had its place.
Akihiko adjusted the strap of his duffle bag and stepped forward, his footsteps crunching against the gravel pathway. Despite his calm expression, his senses were heightened, his eyes scanning every detail of his surroundings, a habit ingrained from years of training.
The gravel path leading to the main building felt longer than it should have, but Akihiko Mochizuki moved at an unhurried pace. As he approached the towering front doors, the sound of faint laughter and chatter reached his ears, carried by the wind from the nearby cafeteria.
'So this is where it begins', he thought, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
He opened the doors and stepped inside, his sharp gaze taking in the interior. The main hallway was wide and polished, with a marble floor that reflected the fluorescent lights above. Students bustled through the space, their uniforms immaculate and their faces filled with excitement or dread at the beginning of a new term.
------
Akihiko had been provided a dorm assignment prior to his arrival, and after stowing away his belongings, he made his way toward the cafeteria. As he pushed the door open, the distinct hum of student conversation filled the air. The room was vast, with rows of long tables and benches stretching across the space.
He could easily tell that he was attracting attention, given the rather weak male population of the academy. Akihiko is a tall man with a rather athletic physique, his face had a slight mustache as well as a light down under his chin, a well-defined jawline, which is rather rare for a young Japanese man although he has a European face with Asian features like his slightly slanted green eyes. His black hair was parted in the middle, framing his face. (Look like Ezio Auditore)
At one of the farthest tables sat a group of five boys, huddled close together like cornered prey.
Akihiko approached casually, his footsteps drawing their attention. His face isn't really visible, he was wearing a hoodie just under his uniform, the latter being placed on his head.
"Yo," said a lanky boy with messy brown hair. He waved awkwardly, his face breaking into an uncertain grin. "You must be new here too."
Akihiko nodded. "I guess that makes us all part of the same club, huh?" His voice was deep and more mature than it sounded, not surprising given the age difference between him and them.
"Club of the damned, more like," muttered a boy with round glasses. He adjusted them nervously, his eyes darting around the room.
"C'mon, Gakuto, don't scare the guy," the lanky one said before turning back to Akihiko.
"I'm Takehito Morokuzu, but everyone calls me Gakuto. And this here is Kiyoshi Fujino, the one with the sour face."
Kiyoshi offered a polite nod, his expression neutral. "Nice to meet you."
Another boy, larger and rounder than the rest, leaned forward with a shy smile. "I'm Reiji Andou, but everyone calls me Andre."
"And I'm Shingo Wakamoto," said a blond-haired boy with a confident smirk. He leaned back in his seat, folding his arms behind his head. "Finally, someone else who looks like they can handle themselves. These guys?" He gestured to the group. "Not so much."
"Oi!" Gakuto protested, while Andre chuckled nervously.
"And you?" Kiyoshi asked, his eyes studying Akihiko curiously. "What's your name?"
"Akihiko Mochizuki," he replied, taking a seat at the edge of the table. "Looks like we're in the same boat."
Shingo raised an eyebrow. "Mochizuki, huh? That's a pretty serious name. You some kind of big shot?"
"Not really," Akihiko replied smoothly, brushing off the question. "I'm just here to study like everyone else."
Gakuto adjusted his glasses again, leaning forward conspiratorially. "You should know… the ratio of boys to girls here is..."
"Ridiculous," Shingo interrupted with a grin. "Six guys, hundreds of girls. We're outnumbered, but hey, that's not a bad thing, right?"
Kiyoshi sighed, shaking his head. "Yeah, except most of them won't even look at us."
As the conversation continued, Akihiko listened with mild amusement. The boys seemed harmless enough, each of them had their quirks, but they clearly shared a camaraderie born out of their shared predicament.
Even tought, the one who surprised him the most among them was Andre, how could this guy have such a disproportionate face compared to his body? His face is tiny while his body is huge. He didn't ask himself any more questions than that.
"I had so many dreams about this place before I even enrolled."
Shingo remarked honestly without a care in the world as his eyes caught a girl's legs moving underneath a table one row down, allowing him a perfect peek at her pink panties underneath, which to his delight, fit so snuggly around her lower body that it showed some of her lower parts.
"Like losing your V-card before spring?" Asked Kiyoshi rather nonchalantly.
"Forget that. I haven't done so much as talk to a girl yet." He replied, sounding a little annoyed.
Akihiko almost felt the need to facepalm at the current discussion they were having. These guys are really only talking about girls and panties ? He thought they were normal guys, but they were actually pretty perverted teenagers. He couldn't help but sigh, although he hadn't been through that and was a virgin himself, he wasn't a pervert to the point of checking out every girl.
The main interest of theses guys are the pretty girls, what a special objective...
He had to admit that each of these girls was rather attractive, even if he didn't really have an interest in pursuing any of them at the moment.
Or at least, he couldn't do it because of someone.
"Will you lot hold your tongues?!" Demanded Gakuto, turning in Shingo's and Kiyoshi's direction with a rather angry expression on his face.
"You're making it hard to concentrate!"
"Hard to concentrate on what?" Questioned Shingo with an uncaring gaze, already knowing the answer to his own question.
"Do you jest? On watching for up-skirts and nip-slips!" Gakuto replied brazenly, confirming what Shingo had known from before and the others.
"Have any of you guys talked to any of the girls yet?" Asked Kiyoshi curiously, changing the subject quick.
"Nary a one!" was Gakuto's reply.
"Same…" Said Joe in between coughs.
"M-Me too…" said Andre, a small blush on his face as he continued to stare out at the girls, spotting the add panty shot here and there of different girls' enticing crotches, looking all of their panties.
'Fuck... they really are crazy.' He chuckled inwardly. Seriously, what kind of people did he mix with from day one? That perverted nature disgusted him but he didn't care, as long as it didn't concern him.
---
While the others bantered, Akihiko's eyes wandered the cafeteria. The room was abuzz with activity, students chatting and laughing in groups. Yet amidst the noise, certain figures stood out.
At a table near the center sat a group of girls whose presence commanded the room. They were the Student Underground Council, or so Akihiko had read in the files his grandfather had provided before his enrollment. Mari Kurihara, the President, sat at the head of the table, her long black hair cascading over her shoulders like a silken cloak. She exuded an air of authority and elegance, her sharp eyes scanning the room like a predator surveying its territory.
Mari is a tall and lithe young woman who is frequently described as one of the most beautiful students in the school with back-length black hair that has two front shoulder-length hair strands hanging in the front with bangs swept to the right side, blue eyes and full pink lips.
Beside her sat Meiko Shiraki, the Vice President, whose quiet demeanor belied the intensity in her gaze. And finally, Hana Midorikawa, the Secretary, whose towering presence and imposing figure seemed to cast a shadow over the entire cafeteria.
Akihiko's eyes widened as if he had a revelation. This was the first time he had seen a chest as large as Meiko's, and what was with this indecency of showing so much? He could swear that with a sudden movement they would come out of their place. Unlike his table mates who stared lustfully at the girl, he did not linger long on her, but especially on the girl right next to her. A wry smile formed on his face.
"This is going to be… interesting." Akihiko thought, suppressing his smirk.
---
As if on cue, Mari's gaze shifted, landing squarely on Akihiko. For a moment, their eyes met, and the world seemed to fall silent. Then, without a word, Mari rose from her seat and strode toward him, her movements precise and deliberate.
The boys at the table fell silent as Mari approached, their jaws practically hitting the floor.
Everyone had perverted and surprised thoughts, WHY THIS GODDESS WAS COMING TO THEIR TABLE?
"Akihiko Mochizuki," she said, her voice cold and clipped. "A word."
Akihiko stood, meeting her gaze evenly. "Of course, President Kurihara."
It was the first time Akihiko had seen her. The whispers he had heard about her since the morning, thanks to his hearing, which was a little more developed than the others, confirmed his thoughts.
She really is more beautiful up close.
Unlike the other boys, Mari didn't feel that lustful look coming from him. But it doesn't change that he's a man, and that he's also him at the same time.
The boys stared in stunned silence as Akihiko followed Mari out of the cafeteria, their whispers trailing behind him.
Meiko, the vice president, looked at Mari with worry but her gaze on Akihiko was only hatred and disdain, if her gaze could stab someone, Akihiko would have died hundreds of times already.
"Did he just…?"
"Do they know each other?"
"What the hell is going on?"
Shingo leaned back, shaking his head in disbelief. "This guy's got more secrets than he's letting on."
------
The room Mari led Akihiko to was stark and imposing, with walls painted in a somber gray and a single large window that allowed in the bright midday light. A long wooden table stretched across the room, and Mari stood at its head, her posture straight and commanding.
Akihiko closed the door behind him, his hands slipping casually into his pockets. His expression was calm, but there was a hint of mischief in his green eyes as he leaned against the doorframe, observing Mari.
"Well, President," he began, his tone light. "What's the urgency? You pulled me away from an enlightening discussion on… panties, I believe. Do you wanted to see your fiance that much ?
Mari's eyes narrowed. "Spare me your insolence, Mochizuki Akihiko. Let's get one thing clear right away ; I don't care who you are or why you're here. You're nothing more than another useless man polluting this academy."
Mari bit her lips in anger, the contempt in her eyes not even concealed. She hated every man on this earth, being all the same, even her father.
Just before the start of the school year, she learned from this man that she got engaged to a transfer student this year named Mochizuki Akihiko.
When this news hit her, she wanted to throw up and just slit the throat of the person who was supposed to be her father. Her, engaged to a man? Just thinking about it, she felt her stomach churning.
"Useless?" Akihiko repeated, feigning offense. He stepped forward, a teasing smile playing on his lips. "You wound me, President Kurihara. At least wait until I've had a chance to prove my worth before you write me off entirely."
Mari's expression didn't falter. Her sharp gaze followed him as he approached the table, where he stopped and leaned against its edge. "Your worth means nothing to me," she said coldly. "And neither does the ridiculous arrangement your family and my father forced upon me."
"Ah, so you've heard about that." Akihiko's voice remained light, but there was a glint of seriousness in his eyes now.
"Of course I've heard," Mari snapped, her voice laced with bitterness. "You think I wouldn't know about my father's pathetic attempt to tie me to some stranger for his own convenience? Let me make something clear, Mochizuki Akihiko: I have no intention of being anyone's fiancée, least of all yours."
Akihiko chuckled softly. "Good to know we're on the same page, then."
Mari blinked, momentarily caught off guard. "What are you talking about?" She was confused. Did she hear correctly?
"You think I'm thrilled about this arrangement?" he asked, straightening up. His tone turned colder, more serious. "I'm not here to play house, President. I've got my own reasons for being at this academy, and they have nothing to do with you. This 'engagement', if we can even call it that, is nothing more than a relic of old men clinging to outdated promises."
Mari's lips pressed into a thin line. "Then why are you here?" She just wanted to finish this conversation and get out of here, talking to this man made her feel disgusted
Akihiko tilted his head slightly, his teasing demeanor returning. "Would you believe me if I said it was fate?"
"No."
"Good," he said with a smirk. "Because that's bullshit."