The Lady Vs. The Genius (Battle of Campus Elites)

Ep. II: Ribbons and The ties

The Lady Vs. The Genius

(Battle of Campus Elites)

Ep. II: Ribbons and Ties

Yurime's POV

[Hachiban University]

I ran like a bat out of hell and found myself staring at my feet in freshly cut grass—it was so fresh I could smell it. I looked around and realized that I was in an unfamiliar place. This place is so big that I manage to get lost. I decided to sit under this tree to shade myself under the sun. My heart beats a little louder as I close my eyes.

It was not even a minute when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Excuse me, did you lose your way to your homeroom?" someone asked me from behind.

My eyeballs almost fell off the ground in fear when I opened my eyes. "Hachiban!" I whispered above my breath as I stood up and swallowed the saliva gathered in my mouth. I took two steps backward. "What do you want, huh?" my voice shakes as my knee trembles. I protected myself by posing in a fighting form.

'What are you talking about' was written all over his face.

"Why did you follow me?"

My fear intensified as he kept staring at me with his confused face since I opened my eyes. Now that I have been looking at him for more than ten seconds, I realized that his hair has a nice cut—bangs went on an early vacation. The uniform is buttoned up, and the golden ribbon is on point.

The silence broke when he cleared his throat.

"Look, I did not follow you," he tried to put my clenched fists down by gently holding it down. "I'm Seiichi Hachiban—you must have met my twin brother, Seiko Hachiban. The guy with long bangs and a little skinnier than me."

"How convenient to say you have a twin brother. You bully," I rolled my eyes.

"You're funny!" Hachiban laughed. "I don't know how to make you believe I'm not my brother. But look, the school entrance is nearer than the classroom you were from, right? How can I run to you without panting like a dog? I mean, rovers are not allowed inside."

I paused and clam down. If I will use logic, this guy makes sense.

"Ok. I will give the benefit of the doubt, Seiichi Hachiban," I said.

"Thank you?" he continues giggling. "If you met my brother, you must be in the same class as me. Right?"

"Class 2-B. The curly girl with a gold ribbon like you dismissed the class. Then the guy who wears your face held me up in my collars, so I pushed him and called him dog face," I answered.

He laughed even harder, which got other students looking in our direction.

"You did that?!" he wiped his tears of joy. "You're so brave."

"He's such a bully, and I must fight for myself!" I defended myself.

"Right. Right, I'm going into class now. Would you like to go with me?" Hachiban offered.

This may be a trap, and I can't trust people with a golden bow tie. I looked at him and thought again. This is paranoia.

I followed Hachiban 10 feet away. I followed him until the surroundings became familiar again. I noticed he was not looking or watching his back as we approached the classroom. He then reached the door before he opened it.

Hachiban turned to me, smiling, "We're here!" He slid the door open, and it appeared to me like a slow-motion thriller scene in the movie. He entered the room and heard the class greet him like he was a teacher. "Come in!" he whispered to me.

My feet were stuck on the floor. I can't even move closer to the door. This guy grabbed my left arm and pulled me in, "'Zup, everybody! Sorry, I missed the first period. Anyway, this is my best friend! She belongs to this class. Be nice to her," he said.

The class, just like me, is looking at him.

He's smiling widely, "What's your name again?" he whispered.

"Hanazaki," I whispered to him. "Yurime Hanazaki."

"Hey!" the evil twin raised from his throne, "Take your hands off that rubbish. That thing pushed me!"

So it's true, they are twins!

"Huh?" He held me closer, "What's wrong, bruh?" he walked us to the seat in front, "This is your seat, next to mine," he said aloud.

Some assurance that I won't be hit by eggs or tomatoes crept into me. This is better than having everyone against me.

"Good morning, 2-B," a female teacher entered with eyeglasses and a clean bun, standing five and three inches approximately.

"Good morning, Ms. Horida!" everyone greets her.

Is it me, or did I enter another dimension? Earlier, that group of golden bow bearers dismissed the teacher's class, and now they look like well-behaved grade-schoolers. The teacher wrote her name on the board.

"Just in case you have forgotten me," she said. "New face, huh. Let's have introductions. I'll start. I'm Midori Horida, your English teacher. My requirement for this class is your physical and mental attendance. I don't want anyone to be absent-minded during class, or you'll fail my subject. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" echoed the once chaotic room.

"Alright, I want the gold bearers to continue," she commands.

The curly-haired girl stands up, "I'm Ara Uehara. 17 years old. I've been studying here since kindergarten, so you probably know me already. I have a golden bow tie because my father is a co-owner of this school. Happy first day in High school!" then she sits down.

"Uno Yoshida, everyone!" the bald bowless guy stands up, "17, and I've been here since first grade. Like Ara's dad, you all know this man. My father is also a co-owner of this school. Happy first day of class." —Wow, he's acting so refutable.

"Good morning, guys! Seiichi Hachiban, 17, is like most of you. And obviously, from my last name, my parents own this school. Thank you for choosing this school," he then bowed.

The dead tone with the screeching of the chair on the floor.

"Seiko Hachiban. 17. Enjoy your stay here, people," he slouched on his seat.

"Is that all, Seikun?" Ms. Horida asked, "I'm expecting something grandiose with your introduction, my little nephy."

Little nephy? Ah, so that is why we can't dismiss her class. They don't have absolute power over this school, after all. Then, the evil Hachiban stands up again.

"Seiko Hachiban, 17," his tone became livelier. "This school was founded when I was 2 years old because no school wanted to accept me as a first-grader, so there. This school aims to train future leaders like me. As you all have heard the rumors, I'm the Lady of Cambridge's betroth~

"Cambridge?" I whispered aloud.

Wait.

WHAT?! No. I heard it wrong.

"Yes, Miss VIP?" ~ Ms. Horida asked me, "You're next," I responded with a nod.

I stood up like the rest did.

"Hi, I'm Yurime Hanazaki, 17, from Kyoto Science Institute. The government decided to transfer me here, where my sister also attends. I hope I can stay here with a peaceful exit. Nice to meet you." I bowed.

"Thank you, young lady. Next," she said.

The rest of the VIPs and Redsters continued, but I couldn't believe the evil Hachiban said. He's not kidding, but why it has to be Cambridge. There were other territories like Edinburgh or Wales. If he's the future duke, then he's—I don't want to blurt it out.

The time gets us through until it's time to go home. I exited immediately to find Chiyo, and we took the bus to get home since my uncle could not pick us up from school.

Today was a nightmare in broad daylight. I went straight to our room and changed. I looked in the mirror and took a canister. The girl I see in the mirror is made-up, but this has been the armor I'm wearing to protect whoever is inside over the years. I removed the dark brown contact lens, revealing my green eyes. I'm getting emotional whenever I see this person in the mirror.

"Hey, dinner is up!" Chiyo knocked, "Dad's still in a meeting with his boss."

She noticed that I was checking out my roots, so she checked it, too, "This doesn't look good, you know? I have a washable black hair color. You can use it until we get to take you to your hairdresser," Chiyo took a bottle of spray can from her closet, "Here. I saved it for an emergency," she handed it over to me.

"Hair emergency..." we both chuckled, "Thanks, though." I took the bottle and shook it a bit.

"Yeah, whatever. Let's go." Chiyo went back downstairs.

•>>>O>>O>>O

Seiko's POV

[After class]

My brother and I went inside the car so we could go home. As usual, I put my headset on and turn up the music- my favorite Mozart composition on the playlist is Symphony No. 40. He's browsing through his phone constantly, but this time he's smiling. It got me dead curious.

"Seiichi," I called him up.

He just looked at me, "What?" he returned to his phone.

"Who are you looking at?" I asked. He showed me his screen; it's a manga he's reading.

"That's it?" I asked.

"What? Should I be looking at a girl's photo?" my brother responded.

I almost throw my phone at him, "Id1ot. That's not what I meant. Tch."

"Anyways, about Hanazaki," he began, and I snorted. "Be nice to her."

"No way. Wait, you like her or something?" I responded.

He chuckled, "Dude, someday you'll gonna thank me for telling you that."

When we arrived home, the maids took our things to where they should be.

"Your parents arrived an hour ago with Duchess Vaughan-Cromwell’s brother, Monsieur," our butler Kazehaya said. “They are in your father’s office.”

"Wow! I thought Mom and Dad would stay in London for two weeks. Hmm, I wonder if they got me something," Seiichi said and headed to the dining area.

"Lily Anne's uncle? I'm curious," I told him. "Prepare me my bath and the recreation area. My friends are coming over."

Lily Anne Vaughan-Cromwell is the girl I have been betrothed with since childhood. I only saw the girl in a single picture and a few paintings in their palace. Lucky her, she got all my care in the world. For some reason, she makes me feel powerful among the rest. I imagine she's an average London girl with green eyes and brown hair.

I was heading to the recreation area when I saw my parents with a man in a familiar uniform.

"General Hanazaki," my mother forcedly made my introduction. "This is our son, Seiko," she pulled me closer. "You met him in Kensington Palace when he was 5 years old."

"Of course! Greetings to the Cambridge lord consort." He bid me curtsy. "Nice to meet you again. I'm excited about your upcoming coronation. Please take care of our Lily Anne," he said.

I bowed, "I will."

They proceeded downstairs to chit-chat– they must be talking about the upcoming wedding. I'm too young for this silly tradition the royal family adheres to. My room was only steps away, so I could get in and go straight to the bath. I can't forget about that girl who called me dog-faced.

She really needs to learn her lesson.

[To Be Continued]