(Hanazono Suzuran)
"Suzuran—over here!"
Amamiya Yuzuka waved enthusiastically from the university cafeteria entrance, her smile as bright as early summer sunlight.
Suzuran's eyes instantly curved into crescent moons when she saw her, and she trotted over happily.
"Hey, did you finish your biology report?" Yuzuka asked as she pierced the straw into her bubble tea.
"Just about to start… but honestly, anatomy is giving me a bigger headache than biology," Suzuran replied with a wry smile, tapping her temple.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8Ls1ozVQ4
" No matter how hard I try, those Latin anatomy terms just won't stick."
"Oh, come on~ Isn’t your tailor-made butler helping you with everything—studying, vocabulary drills, even editing your papers?"
Yuzuka grinned with mischief gleaming in her eyes.
Suzuran didn’t respond—she just poked at her paper straw, but the corners of her lips couldn’t help lifting slightly.
Suddenly, Yuzuka leaned in, lowering her voice with a secretive tone.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQiBbQyMf6N
"By the way, I saw something so juicy this morning!"
"Hm? What?" Suzuran looked up, confused.
"I saw Kimijima at the biology library!" Yuzuka's eyes sparkled.
"Oh, I asked him to borrow some reference books for my paper." Suzuran replied calmly.
"No, that’s not it! The point is—he got confessed to again!"
Yuzuka’s tone shot up in disbelief.
"Ah, really?" Suzuran nodded gently, expression unruffled.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLafgIHQzZ
"It’s not the first time he’s been confessed to."
Yuzuka puffed up her cheeks in protest.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiM8ryJ33uK
"You’re way too calm about this! Ever since high school, girls have lined up at the school gates every time he drops you off—just to confess!"
"Maybe… it’s just something I’ve gotten used to," Suzuran said with a soft smile.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4piTigIDIk
Her tone was gentle, but her eyes carried a trace of hidden exhaustion and restraint.
She hesitated for a moment, as if trying to bury her emotions, but couldn’t help lowering her voice:
"…So what did he say to her?"
Yuzuka grinned like a little fox, as if to say I knew you cared.
"What else could he say?" she teased, lowering her voice with dramatic flair.
"He gave that classic gentleman expression of his, slightly bowed his head, and in that steady-as-ever voice said—"
She cleared her throat and mimicked:
"‘I’m sorry. I cannot accept anyone’s feelings—except for my lady’s.’"
She glanced at Suzuran after finishing, smirking.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQEdPk6eAq8
"Well? Pretty direct, huh?"
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOS3FELkeEk
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnrjLCXbxTt
This wasn’t the first time.
Since high school, Kimijima had turned down every confession with nearly the same line.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1U6U2jhYMO
Each time, he placed her—his “lady”—in front of him,26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr7FX60GtC8
like an invisible but impenetrable wall of steel.
Suzuran muttered quietly, trying to sound unaffected:26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaDckGiBRK2
"He always says that… He’s just… avoiding trouble from random girls."
"Is that really all it is~?" Yuzuka stretched the final syllable, arms crossed, clearly unconvinced.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyuXqLZHeKA
"Sounds more like our little Suzuran’s been spoiled and doesn’t even realize it."
Suzuran shook her head quickly, flustered.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTOdPifAFTT
"N-not at all! He’s not even that gentle with me!"
"Oh really~?" Yuzuka raised a brow, voice brimming with laughter.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPaS3qA3Cww
"Then who makes your lunch box every morning?
Who remembers you can’t handle salty food during your period, and brews red sugar ginger tea with just the right amount of sweetness?"
Suzuran’s face turned a little red, her voice barely audible:26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkxNyW5flD9
"…That’s just part of his job…"
(Kimijima Kouichi)
Ten years ago—
On the map of the Republic of Orinthmus, there was a zone almost deliberately erased.
At the far western edge of the border lay the Rother Peninsula—a long-abandoned, lawless region.
Its core was a chaotic slum built from the remnants of postwar military wreckage and illegal architecture—Shadowtrace Alley.
Buildings stacked like disorderly bricks, concrete, tin roofs, and rusted beams intertwined.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcNYYsMV23i
The alleys, barely wide enough for one person, wound like a spider’s web.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbYPrBTOOQ9
A mix of damp mold and chemical residue hung in the air, decaying everything it touched.
Sunlight couldn’t reach here. Even the wind was trapped and turned into rotting breath.
There were no laws—only guns and protection fees.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH5uz2JwI6S
The upper class secretly called this place: “The Tuberculosis of the Empire.”
That night, Hanazono Masaharu was speaking in low tones with his bodyguards in the study.
"…A contact reported that a necklace—one very similar to the one Madam’s grandmother lost—was seen at an underground auction in Shadowtrace Alley."
His voice was steady as he laid a blurry surveillance photo on the table.
"Prepare the team. I’ll go there myself tomorrow."
And this sentence—just happened to be overheard by Suzuran, who was secretly playing with her tablet behind the bookshelf.
Nine-year-old Suzuran’s eyes lit up.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkUmsz1MUh9
She peeked her head out excitedly:26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZ1gEWbZS4
"Papa! Are you going to Rother Peninsula? That’s the maze-like city I saw in that video, right? Can I go too?"
Masaharu frowned.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVVOOWYKhOm
"No. That’s not a place for you."
"Please~ Didn’t you say you wanted me to see different sides of the world? I promise I won’t wander off!"
She clung to his arm and shook it, her eyes sparkling like the brightest star in the observatory.
Eventually, Masaharu sighed—and nodded.
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