The girl still remembered that night four years ago.
Her family's bodyguards lay dead in pools of blood. A boy stood atop the corpses, holding a gun, his cold eyes locked on her.
He wiped the blood off his face and said chilling words:
"No matter how powerful a family you have, no matter how glorious your history is—when the flames of war come, it all turns to dust. You high-and-mighty types... are nothing."
"..."
"Tell me."
The boy's eyes, glowing crimson, pierced through the young girl.
"Where is your father, Gan'an Shinomiya?"
That night was destined to be a nightmare.
---
"Eldest Daughter of the Shinomiya family—it really has been a while... But seriously, what the hell happened in the last four years?"
Takamine, who had been smirking, suddenly froze.
He started doubting whether he had the right person.
He remembered very clearly: four years ago, this lady had a cold expression and a condescending attitude. But now…
Her straight black hair was tied behind her head, and her expression had changed from icy arrogance to that of a normal, graceful young lady.
"...Hmm, maybe I mistook you for someone else."
"No, you didn't."
Kaguya Shinomiya spoke.
"It's been four years, hasn't it, Takamine Rinji?"
"Tch. So it really is you, Lady Shinomiya. You've changed a lot."
"So have you."
She clearly remembered that four years ago, the boy who stormed the heavily guarded Shinomiya estate had glowing red eyes. But now… they were black.
Shirogane stood between the two, bewildered.
The atmosphere was so tense it was suffocating—like enemies meeting after years apart.
"How's that old man of yours doing?"
"Thanks for asking. My father's in good health."
"Tch. Lucky bastard."
No doubt about it—there was serious hostility between them.
"So... you two know each other?"
Takamine: "Kind of."
Kaguya: "We've met once."
"Somehow... your relationship doesn't seem that good…"
"Of course it's not," Takamine scoffed. "My entire allowance was screwed over by the Shinomiya bastards."
Back then, he came to Japan with a hundred million dollars his father had given him. Planning to live comfortably for the next five years, he decided to invest some of it.
With help from one of his father's old friends, he put $40 million into real estate. But it turned out the land was targeted by a Shinomiya-owned company, which used shady tactics to destroy his investment.
After that loss, he backed off and invested another $40 million in a decently-sized pharmaceutical company.
But apparently, that company had beef with the Shinomiya family. They used media pressure and fake news to bankrupt the firm.
In under a year, Takamine was down to $20 million.
Enraged, he used his father's connections to buy military drones and firearms with $10 million, hired a few men, and—well, the rest is history.
"You bastards even go after a twelve-year-old kid's allowance. Are you even human?!"
"Why do you sound like the victim here? Don't forget what you did to us," Kaguya countered.
"Fair enough. I wasn't too bright back then. Did some dumb things. But come on—if your Shinomiya family had a shred of conscience, would I have done all that? I've heard plenty about your scandals in recent years."
Takamine sighed. "Anyway, let's not talk about that. What about the matter with Ai Hayasaka?"
"Huh?"
Ai Hayasaka was Kaguya's personal attendant and handled her daily affairs. Her family was part of the Shinomiya corporate upper echelon.
She was also Takamine's first friend in Japan.
Kaguya didn't understand why her maid was suddenly brought into the conversation.
"A month before everything went down, I finally got the courage to confess to her. She rejected me... and quoted the Shinomiya family code."
"..."
The Shinomiya family code went something like this:
– Don't rely on others—exploit them.
– Don't accept others—plunder them.
– Don't fall in love.
"I didn't have many friends back then. Meeting someone as kind as her really gave me hope. I thought I had a chance. And then... she pulled that crap."
"I remember now. The tutor who taught that code to both of us ended up in the hospital for two months. That was you, wasn't it?"
"Yes. I am."
"You sound proud of that."
"Of course I'm proud. My beef with your family's been going on for years. Ruining the Shinomiya family's day is my favorite pastime."
Takamine sneered.
"That tutor wasn't any better. Ai told me he used to hit her with a ruler when she couldn't memorize things. When we dragged him out, he still had the nerve to say, 'I serve the Shinomiya family. You lowlifes better know your place.' So I broke his leg."
"...You're really saying that out loud?"
"None of us are saints. So let's stop pretending. If we're going to settle this, let's do it the dirty way—see who's willing to stoop lower."
As they bickered back and forth, Shirogane grew more and more confused.
Wasn't Takamine supposed to be from a farming family? How did he get involved with the colossal Shinomiya Group?
"Wait a second…"
Takamine's gaze suddenly turned sharp.
"Don't tell me your family's companies came after me because I beat up that tutor?"
"I don't keep tabs on family business, but it was probably a coincidence."
"Let's go with that."
"Why did you come to Shuchiin this time?" Kaguya asked. "Here to take me down?"
"That was my original plan. But Aunt Kaya didn't allow it, so I had to back off," Takamine replied calmly. "This time, I'm just here to study. No other goals."
"I see. Then let's get along these next few years."
Kaguya quickly returned to her proper, noble-lady demeanor.
"What year are you in?"
"First year."
"Then how about calling me 'senpai'?"
"Wow, you're really feeling yourself now, aren't you?"