EPISODE 7~AFTER NO
717 Words
The school day ended not with a bell, but with the heavy, synchronized thud of car doors.
As Class 1-A emptied out, a sleek, obsidian-black sedan—bearing the unmistakable silver crest of the Ishikura Group—was idling directly in front of the main gates. Two men in sharp charcoal suits stood like stone pillars beside the rear door. The atmosphere in the courtyard shifted instantly; students began to whisper, pulling out their phones to record the "fallen princess" being summoned by her kingdom.
Shisei stopped at the top of the stairs, her grip tightening on her bag. Her "adorable" school persona didn't just slip; it shattered. Her eyes turned to liquid nitrogen as she stared down the men sent by her father.
"Look at that," Saito muttered, walking a few paces behind her with Toshiro. "The empire doesn't take 'no' for an answer, does it?"
"It’s not an empire," Shisei said, her voice low and dangerous. "It’s a graveyard. And they’re here to see if I’m ready to be buried in a suit and tie."
One of the men stepped forward, bowing deeply—a gesture that felt more like a threat than a sign of respect. "Ms. Shisei. Your father requests your presence at the main estate immediately to discuss your... recent public indiscretion."
Shisei didn't move. She glanced back at Toshiro and Saito. For a brief second, the "cold" heir looked human, her gaze flickering with the weight of the choice she had made.
Toshiro stepped up beside her, adjusting his bag over his shoulder. He gave the men in suits that same mysterious, infuriating grin he had given the teacher. "Sorry, gentlemen. Shisei has a 'Reality Check' study session with her new deskmates. And according to our teacher, failing to cooperate with your partner is a one-way ticket to academic ruin. You wouldn't want her to fail, would you?"
The lead suit narrowed his eyes. "This does not concern you, boy."
"Actually," Shisei interrupted, her voice regaining its icy strength as she caught onto Toshiro’s lead, "it does. My father wants a CEO? Then he should respect the schedule of a top-tier student. Tell him I’ll be home when my lyrics are finished—and not a second sooner."
The tension from the Ishikura Group’s departure left a heavy silence in the school courtyard. Shisei stood trembling, her "cold" mask finally cracking under the pressure of defying her father and the entire world.
Saito stepped closer, his usual teasing tone gone. "Hey... Ishikura."
Shisei didn't look up, her voice small and jagged. "Did you... come over here to mock me? To tell me how much I’ve messed up?"
Instead of a sarcastic comeback, Saito stepped forward and pulled her into a firm, protective hug. Shisei froze, her hands hovering in the air before she finally collapsed against him.
"If you want to cry, you can," Saito muttered into her hair, his voice unusually soft. "I'm hugging you like this so I can't see your face. No one else can see it either. Just let it out."
The dam finally broke. Shisei, the poised heir and aspiring idol, sobbed into his shoulder. She cried for the weight of the company, for the fear of her father, and for the sheer exhaustion of being "perfect." Twenty minutes passed before her breath finally hitched and she pulled back, wiping her eyes with her sleeves. Her face was flushed, but the icy tension was gone.
Saito looked at her, his expression serious. "Promise me something. Promise you won't give up on that stage, no matter what your father or those suits say. At any cost."
Shisei looked at him, surprised by the intensity in his eyes. "And why should I promise you that?"
Saito rubbed the back of his neck, looking away awkwardly. "Because... if you promise not to quit, I’ll obey any three orders you give me. Anything at all. A contract between deskmates."
A small, genuine smile—neither cold nor "idol-fake"—tugged at Shisei’s lips. "Any three orders? You have no idea what you just signed up for, Saito."
"I have a feeling I'll regret it," he grumbled, though he didn't pull away.
"Fine," Shisei said, her voice regaining its strength. "I won't give up. And don't you dare forget your promise."
- Writer
