Usually by this time of day, I'd be buried under my blankets, either snoring away or scrolling through my favorite webtoons. I don't step out of my room unless absolutely necessary — grocery run, maybe class. Even that's online. That's how much I hate mingling.
And yet… here I am.
Inside a manga.
Sitting at a huge dining table, surrounded by strangers, eating dinner like some kind of normal person.
Well… pretending to eat, at least.
"Cousin Rin, why are you not touching your food?"
The voice came from right next to me — smooth, teasing. I turned and nearly flinched.
Shion.
The eldest Hoshino daughter.
The strongest. The scariest. The… prettiest.
Her long purple hair shimmered under the candlelight, and her eyes — those sharp violet eyes — were fixed directly on me.
"I… usually eat on my bed," I muttered, poking at my food with my chopsticks.
She tilted her head at me, lips curling into a faint smile. Then — without warning — she leaned over, took a piece of fish from her plate, and gently pushed it into my mouth.
"Wha—?!" My eyes went wide as the flavor hit my tongue, but she was already smirking.
"I can feed you if you want," she whispered, low enough that only I could hear.
I nearly choked.
Then, from my other side, another voice cut through the tension — this one sharper, more annoyed.
"Uh, sister Shion… you know she has hands, right?"
I whipped my head around to find Akari glaring at us. Her blue eyes narrowed at her older sister while Shion just… shrugged, still smiling calmly.
"Obviously I know," Shion replied coolly, picking up her own chopsticks again as though nothing happened.
I swallowed hard, gripping the edge of the table.
Oh.
So this was it.
The first daughter of Master Hoshino.
The strongest water wielder in the clan — no, in the entire region.
Even Selene's power is nothing compared to hers. She trains every day, honing her magic to perfection. She supports the rivalry between the clans because she thrives on it.
And one more tiny little detail…
I glanced at her again, at the way she sat gracefully beside me, her eyes flicking toward me every so often, a faint smile ghosting her lips.
Yeah.
She has a huge crush on me.
On Rin Kisaragi.
And the way her gaze lingered — cool but intense — made my stomach twist in ways I wasn't ready to think about.
"Shion, how is the land?" Master Hoshino asked, wiping his mouth from his seat at the head of the table.
"The land will soon be ours, Father," Shion replied calmly, her purple hair shimmering under the lantern light. "If only the Arakawa clan would stop meddling."
"The Arakawa should not win this time," he said with a heavy frown. Shion simply nodded in agreement.
Then his eyes shifted to Akari. "And you, Akari. From now on, Shion will train you herself. You must learn to defend yourself. And starting tomorrow, two guards will follow you everywhere."
Akari slammed her chopsticks on the table. "Father, I don't want anything to do with land or politics! I enjoy the ladies' gatherings, that's enough for me!"
"So you can run off with your lover?" he snapped.
The entire room fell silent. Everyone gasped and stared at Akari.
My heart skipped.
"If Rin hadn't told me" he continued, glaring at her, "who knows what disgrace you would have brought upon this family. You can have any girl from the ladies' gathering… but not an Arakawa."
My stomach turned, and I felt Shion's sharp gaze on me — but when I glanced at her, she gave me the smallest nod. Like she was… proud of me?
"Why, Father? Why can't I be with the person of my choice?" Akari shot back, her voice cracking.
"Shion," he said, standing up and fixing his robes, "teach your sister some manners. She's getting far too spoiled."
With that, he left the dining room.
Shion leaned her elbow on the table and looked at Akari coldly. "Sister… I wonder what you see in those Arakawa. They're snakes. Cunning and ruthless. We should hate them, not love them."
Akari rose from her seat, her eyes red and glossy, and threw me one last sharp look.
"You better stay away from me, Rin," she hissed, then stormed out of the room.
I sat there, frozen, clutching the hem of my robe.
"Well," Shion finally said, her voice smooth as silk, "are you going to attend the event today?"
"Uh… what event?" I asked, blinking at her.
"The Clan Lord is hosting a party. Every clan was invited," she said, her eyes narrowing just a bit — almost like she was asking me to be her date or something.
"Every clan, you say?" I repeated.
Oh.
If every clan would be there… then that meant Selene would show up too.
I swallowed hard.
I don't usually like parties. In fact… I hate them.
But if Selene would be there… I had to go.
I needed to watch her.
And stop whatever she was planning next.
"Yes," I said, forcing a smile. "I'll be attending."
"Good." Shion rose gracefully, her purple hair catching the light. "Then I'll see you at the party, cousin."
She placed her chopsticks down and left with her usual cool elegance.
As soon as she was gone, I stuffed some food into my sleeve and rushed back to my room.
THUD!
My back hit the bed and I sprawled out, sighing.
"Finally… now this feels like home…" I mumbled through a mouthful of bread. "All that's missing is my phone… and some manga…"
I snuggled into the blankets, biting into another snack.
Then—
CREAK. THUMP.
My ears perked up.
"Eh? …What was that?"
I froze mid-bite.
Another sound.
From the window.
I slowly sat up, hugging a pillow like a shield.
The window lock jiggled.
Someone was… climbing in?!
Without thinking, I leapt off the bed.
"THIS IS A BREAK-IN!"
The moment the figure's head popped through the window—
WHACK!
"YAHHHHHHHHHH!!!" I screamed, slamming the pillow down like a hammer.
WHUMP! WHUMP! WHUMP!
The intruder tumbled halfway in, getting smacked in the face, the shoulder, the head.
"GET OUT! THIEF! PERVERT! DEMON!!!" I yelled, flailing wildly.
WHOOSH!
The pillow suddenly caught fire, flames licking up the seams.
"—HEY! HEY!!!"
The figure finally shoved the pillow aside and stood up, hair smoking.
When I saw her face clearly—
My jaw dropped.
"R–R…REI?!"
Rei stood there in the moonlight, brushing soot off her shoulder, completely unbothered.
She blew on her singed bangs and muttered,
"Seriously? You try to kill everyone who visits your room, or just me?"
I gawked at her, still clutching the charred pillow.
"W–Why are you here?! In my room?!"
Rei leaned casually against the window frame, crossing her arms.
"Well, your room's closer to Akari's. Easy to climb. No guards. Quiet."
Ah… right.
This is how she used to sneak in to see Akari.
My heart sank a little.
"Okay then!" I said quickly, moving toward the door. "I'll go get her for you—"
GRAB.
Her fingers caught my wrist.
I froze.
She tugged me back toward her, her red eyes glittering mischievously.
"No," she said simply.
"Huh?" I blinked at her.
Rei tilted her head, her grin sharp but warm.
"I didn't come here to see Akari."
I blinked again, stunned.
"…You… didn't?"
She smirked, leaning closer, her warm breath tickling my cheek.
"Nope."
Her gaze locked onto mine, her tattoos faintly glowing in the dark.
"I came here to see you."