Looking at his parents in the kitchen, Ren walked to the dining table and sat in his usual spot. Propping his head on one hand while browsing his phone with the other, he sat silently, listening to his parents' playful bickering.
Ren unlocked his phone and navigated to the main page of his new school, Kuyogasaki High, a name that felt oddly familiar.
After his junior high school years, while visiting his grandparents in Scandinavia, Ren had decided to spend quality time with his mother's family. It was a well-known plan that he would attend university in Japan and then take a more serious role in the family business.
To avoid upsetting his mother's side of the family, Ren had chosen to live in Scandinavia for two years until his 18th birthday. It had long been decided that he would return to Japan by then.
"Kuyogasaki High, huh…"
Looking at the school's location, he noted it was situated between four of Tokyo's busiest prefectures—perfect for the city's elites who chose to attend.
Pinpointing his house on the map, he mused, "One busy station away or three longer but less crowded metro rides. Sigh. I'll just ask Ai and the family driver to take me the first few days."
Though the metro ride wasn't long, Ren preferred to ease back into Tokyo life. For now, a car ride would do.
The usually mature and thoughtful Hoshino Ren still favored the easier path when possible. If he could afford a lavish lifestyle, why not?
Reflecting on his family and their influential position, Ren preferred not to stand out too much. Too many childhood memories of attending lavish gatherings and red-carpet events with his family left him with lingering nightmares and a touch of unease around large crowds.
"Thank goodness we decided to keep a low profile early in my life. I can't imagine being like the Yukinoshita sisters."
Ren chuckled softly, thinking of other young elites who had been exposed to relentless paparazzi attention since childhood.
"Kuoh Town?"
Noticing a large town on the outskirts of Tokyo, he examined its size remembering things about it.
"Kuyogasaki High, formerly Toyogasaki High, upgraded its status by securing substantial funding from certain groups to attract talented students while appeasing wealthy patrons."
Many less influential but still affluent families from Kuoh Town had taken notice of Toyogasaki's ambitions and invested or donated generously.
"That happened right before I left for Europe, which is why Mother and Father asked which high school I wanted to attend after living abroad?"
He opened the school's website and quickly spotted a familiar name—HoshinEnt—prominently listed among the companies and families that had funded the school's upgrades: new facilities, better-educated teachers, and more.
"Damn capitalism. Even schools can't escape that mindset… Wait, who am I kidding?"
As a Hoshino, Ren couldn't exactly criticize others for chasing wealth.
Just as he considered asking his parents about the school's odd name, he saw them approaching with plates and cups, giggling and whispering sweet nothings to each other.
"My new school, Kuyogasaki High—why name it something so absurd? It's like someone childishly mashed two names together to create a weird hybrid…"
Meanwhile, in a certain old, lavish estate, in a grand dining area, a certain redheaded high school girl was eating breakfast with her dark-haired friend, chatting about a new BL manga she'd picked up last night.
"Listen, Akeno! I'm telling you, if they made BL manga more mainstream—or even created a new shonen with two male leads going on an adventure together, facing a Demon Lord! No, scratch that—a Devil! One of the four Satan Lords! And then they…" ACHOO!
SMACK
Two jiggling mountains hit the table as the redhead sneezed, spraying food from her mouth toward her dark-haired friend.
Akeno, a stunning beauty in shrine miko clothing, snickered and waved her hand. The food projectiles veered off course, landing neatly in a trash bin by the dining area's entrance.
"Ara, ara, Rias. All the stress you've been under these past two years has clearly done something to your brain."
She laughed lightly, covering her mouth with her hand, and glanced at her gasping friend.
"What would've happened if that chicken hadn't offended both your brother and our president's sister?"
The redhead finally caught her breath and shot her friend a sharp look.
"Don't remind me! With their family under constant pressure from other nobles and our deal falling through, I'm as free as Frieren! I just need to find a suitable partner by the end of university, and it's a done deal!"
Akeno smiled. Indeed, a certain "chicken" had done something foolish, plunging his family into trouble and unraveling their plans.
"That gives you, what, five years?"
"Damn right!" Rias grinned. "In the meantime, I'll keep doing what I love most!"
"Being a stinky otaku?" "Being a cultured reader!"
They spoke in unison, locking eyes before bursting into laughter and preparing for the new school year.
Back at the Hoshino family's more modest—yet still grand and strikingly modern—estate, all three family members moved from the kitchen to their rooms to prepare for the day ahead.
As Ren finished packing his essentials for the new school year and gathered his daily necessities, he left his room and headed downstairs to the entrance. There, he found his parents standing and chatting with their security personnel about their upcoming trip to Kyoto.
Hoshino Ren and Hoshino Alice stood hand in hand, speaking to the staff packing their luggage into a deceptively simple but, upon closer inspection, luxurious brand-name car.
Hoshino Alice stood directing two serious-looking men. "Mr. Wick, can you pack these two bags in the back? Right, and those two in the trunk! Yes, thank you!"
She chatted with a black-bearded, seemingly relaxed older gentleman while Ren's father, Zen, approached the other bodyguard—a grey-haired, clean-shaven man—and patted him heartily on the back.
"Sakamoto! Back from your vacation, I see? Great job with the weight loss, but I must remind you that our head of HR is still nagging me about large amounts of food going missing from the headquarters cafeteria!"
Hoshino Ren closed the door, quickly punched in the security code, and turned to face his two beaming parents.
"Ren-kun, Ai-chan said she's five minutes away and has finished all the remaining documents for your boarding later. As soon as you get there, find the Hiratsuka family's girl and head to her office…"
As his mother delivered her seemingly rehearsed lecture, Ren stared blankly at both of them, his thoughts drifting. One llama, two llamas, three llamas…
Seeing his son's thoughtful expression, Zen couldn't have been prouder. His family's future had grown up so quickly that tears welled in his eyes. He placed both hands on Ren's shoulders.
"Son! This is it! A new chapter in your life. Call Ai or her mother if anything happens, eat well, and bring home our future daughter-in-law sooner rather than later!"
"W-what are you talking about?!" Ren stammered, flustered, taking a couple of steps back. Honestly, romantic thoughts rarely crossed his mind. With the pressure of finishing his second high school year earlier that most in Europe and returning to start his third year in early April, he hadn't had much time for such things. Not that he never considered romance—it's just that, his position in the Hoshino family never left much room to dwell on it, not that he wouldn't be able to be partnered later on.
[Admin...admin?.....Chat...Room!]
Hoshino Zen patted his son's shoulder once more, then turned to his wife, taking her hand. "Come, my love, we must head to Kyoto!" he declared, puffing out his chest and striding toward the car with exaggerated steps.
Alice, tugged along by Zen, turned to her son one last time. Gazing at his face, she quickly called out, "Don't forget, we—especially your grandfather—will be waiting for you during the summer and absolutely for New Year's!" She finished just as the car door closed, and she and Ren's father settled inside.
The two bodyguards gave Ren a quick, deep bow before heading to their respective cars.
Watching the three cars drive away, Ren let out a soft sigh.
Gazing at the sky, Ren's mind wandered to strange places, unfamiliar girls' faces, and a persistent, unsettling feeling he couldn't shake off for the past two days.
"Right, Mom said Ai would be here any moment," he thought. As he finished the thought, a sleek black Phantom pulled up before the house gates. Smiling, Ren made his way out.