Chapter Dos
1460 Words
Before Himari could even fully process the shock, her lips parted, the ghost of a name trembling on her tongue. "Ikaw na ba 'yan? Cass—"
"I almost forgot," the professor’s voice boomed, cutting through the electric tension like a blade, "Miss Sorana is here with her trustworthy companions."
Companions?
Tangina. My head snapped toward the door. One by one, they filed in — not just guards, but a literal wall of people surrounding my Sunlight. Anim? Pito? Putangina, sino 'tong mga 'to? Hindi niyo naman ako in-inform na may mga 'companions' na baby ko habang wala ako! I felt the "wild" side of my personality flare up, my fingers twitching inside my pockets, brushing against the silk scrunchie as if to remind myself to stay grounded.
"Please introduce yourselves," the professor instructed, sounding far too casual for a man inviting an entire army into his classroom.
First was Yuki Mori. He stepped forward with a sharp, handsome face that looked too much like Himari’s for it to be a coincidence. Her cousin. He didn't just walk; he moved with the calculated grace of someone who knew exactly where every exit was located.
Then came Haru Sato. He looked like a soft-spoken poet, the kind of guy who would read you literature under a tree, but I saw the way his eyes scanned the room. Master of Aikido. He carried a medical kit with a grip that told me he’d break the neck of anyone who made Himari need it.
Renjiro Takahashi followed, looking bored as he toyed with a handheld console, but his eyes were sharp behind his glasses. My gaze flickered to Killian in the back; I knew the two of them were already mentally hacking each other’s servers.
Then there was Takeru Moraga. Flamboyant, loud, and incredibly rich. He looked like he walked off a runway and into the wrong movie. When he winked at a group of girls, I wanted to roll my eyes, but when he leaned slightly closer to Himari while I'm literally just beside her? My blood began to boil.
Then came the Russians. Alexei Volkov, the diplomat—sophisticated, charming, and looking way too comfortable in a suit. And Maxim Sokolov, the "Muscle." A literal giant. He stood infront of Himari like a human mountain, his nonchalant expression masking a lethal strength that even made Vel sit up a little straighter.
Finally, a girl stepped up. Mio Yamato. She looked fierce, a total "girl boss" who stood right next to the guy's as if challenging anyone in the room to even breathe in Himari's direction.
But the final blow came when the guy we had been hacking for months — the one who occupied every dark corner of my jealousy — stepped into the light.
Setagaya Ken.
He didn't just introduce himself; he took over the room.
"Sayang, fourth year na ako, makakasama niyo sana ako," he said with a polite, calculated smile that didn't reach his eyes. He looked directly at me, his gaze lingering on my hands as if he knew about the Haphephobia, the trauma, and the desperate way I was staring at Himari.
The girls in the room were practically drowning in the presence of these seven. They were handsome, sure, but hindi sila tutumbas sa mga ulupong ko. My squad — Ace, Vel, and Killian — were the monsters of the underground, but these newcomers were the polished shields of the high society.
Gago. Subukan lang talaga nila hawakan ang Sunlight ko.
I felt the heat of a blush creeping up my neck, not out of shyness, but out of a possessive rage I could barely contain. Sampung taon akong naghintay. Sampung taon akong nagtiis sa dilim habang pinoprotektahan siya ng mga taong 'yon.
But I’m here now. I don’t care if they are the "top students" or the "gentle blades." I am Five. I am the heir to the most ruthless empire in Russia. And if any of them — especially that "Gilded Rival" Setagaya — thinks they can keep me from my flower, they’re about to find out exactly why I don't let people touch me.
Kaya ko na siya protektahan. And this time, I’m not letting her go.
The moment Ken left the room, the atmosphere should have thinned out, but instead, it felt like the oxygen had been completely sucked out of the four walls.
The six companions finally moved, claiming seats like a calculated defensive perimeter — Yuki and Haru flanking her, while Max and the others occupied the row directly behind. They were like a wall of elite guards, their eyes burning holes into the back of my head.
But I didn't give a damn about them. Not right now.
Because Himari’s gaze? It didn't follow Ken. It didn't look at her "army." It shifted right back to me.
"Cassi?"
The name was a soft exhale, barely more than a whisper, but to me, it sounded like a thunderclap in a silent desert. Dang it. I felt my heart skip a beat, then two, before it started racing so fast I thought it might actually break through my ribs. Hearing her voice call me that — the name only she was allowed to use, the name that belonged to the boy before he became a number — was going to be the death of me.
I slowly turned my head to face her, my nonchalant facade hanging on by a single, fraying thread. Up close, the sunlight was blinding. She looked happy to see me — her eyes shimmering with a light I thought I’d never see again — but there was a deep, underlying sadness there too. A reflection of the ten years we spent as ghosts in each other’s lives.
The silence between us was heavy with a decade’s worth of unsaid words.
"H-himari..." I managed to rasp out. My voice was deeper than she remembered, roughened by years of barked orders and the cold Russian air, but her name still felt like silk on my tongue.
I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks. Putangina, Cassian, umayos kang gago ka, I scolded myself internally.
I’m supposed to be the terrifying heir of the Kuznetsov empire. I’m supposed to be "Five." But under her gaze, I was just a blushing mess of nerves and possessiveness.
I was acutely aware of the audience. To my left, my three "ulupong" — Ace, Vel, and Killian — were watching us like it was the season finale of a high-stakes drama.
Vel had this annoying, s**t-eating grin on his face, probably already thinking of ten different ways to tease me later.
Ace looked intrigued, his analytical mind probably realizing that Himari was the only "manual override" for my temper.
And Killian? Killian was staring at Himari's Japanese guards, his hand hovering near his tech, ready to engage if any of them moved an inch closer to me.
On the other side, her six companions were vibrating with distrust. Yuki’s eyes were narrowed, his hand resting on the strap of his bag as if he was ready to pull out a weapon the moment I breathed too loudly. Haru looked like he was assessing my "threat level," and Maxim — the giant — was looming so close I could feel his shadow.
But Himari didn't seem to notice the war brewing around us. She reached out, her hand hovering just inches from my sleeve.
My Haphephobia screamed. My skin tingled with that familiar, defensive itch, a warning to recoil, to snap, to protect my space. But as her hand moved closer, the "wild" instinct didn't take over. Instead, my body leaned in. It was a magnetic pull I couldn't resist.
"You grew up," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. Her eyes searched mine, looking for the boy she lost in the snow ten years ago. "But your eyes... they’re still the same, Cassi."
Tangina. My throat was so tight I couldn't even swallow.
I wanted to tell her that I’d searched for her every single day. I wanted to show her the silk scrunchie in my pocket.
I wanted to tell her that I’d become a monster just so I’d be strong enough to never let anyone drag me away from her again.
Instead, I just sat there, the "scary" Kuznetsov heir, blushing like a fool while my three idiots and her six guards watched us like we were a ticking time bomb.
"You're late," I finally blurted out, the most stupid thing I could have possibly said.
"Ten years late, Sunlight."
A small, sad smile touched her lips, and for a second, the gray Russian winter outside that window didn't matter anymore.
The sun's light is finally back on its flower.
- Writer
