12 years ago
"Miss, who's that ?" a little girl asked, her finger pointed towards a young Aki, standing by the staircase of his family Mansion
Maria looked up from her papers, looking at the little girl,
"sweetheart, Lue is sick, so he can't play with you"
The girl's mother chuckled, thinking to herself
(I always thought Miss Maria was monster made of ice, seems she actually has a soft side to her)
Aki, with his expressionless face, walked towards Maria, then sat on her lap, his head down, silent.
"What's wrong ?" Maria asked, her gaze soft as she rubbed her nose against his, her voice gentle
Present
Amy snaps out of her dream, opening her eyes to the announcement of the start of the beginning.
"Child !" A voice snarled beside her
"You're going to the Hoshino estate today, don't you dare do anything that'll threaten our partnership"
"Understood" she managed, her head down.
The competition began, preliminaries deciding the top 10 students who will compete
Meanwhile, Aki's mind was filled with thoughts fragmented memories, internal monologs.
With each passing thought, one name always stood out-Lue.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!!" The shout snapped Aki out of his thought and back to the present
On the ring below stood a an instructor, meticulously Informing the entire audience of the rules of the tournament
"No weapons allowed "
"No magic above tier 2 or lvl 10"
"No excessive force"
As the instructor continued, Aki got up from his seat, his legs unsteady and left for the restroom
Along the way, he summoned Ragnar
"Ragnar"
Ragnar materialized on his shoulder
"Yes master?"
We share consciousness, right? I need you to look at my memories from beforei was 9"
"If that is what you wish, I will see to it immediately "
In the restroom, he looked at himself in the mirror, reflecting his lost, his crimson eyes.
"I feel disturbed" he said, turning to leave
"I should just go home"
With that he went back to the seating area to inform Rose of his departure.
"Sure, I'll stay behind and watch, bye" Rose said, smiling at him.
Ronald, seeing Aki walk out, immediately nudged Amy
"He's leaving, what are you waiting for?"
Biting her lip, she slowly got up, looked at
Ronald's indifferent face, and followed Aki
Down the hallway, she maintained distance between them, her steps quiet
"Are you following me?"
The question made her pause, her hands trembled as she nodded in agreement
Taken aback, he stared at her, his gaze so intense that she flinched
"Come on" he said, extending his hand
His sudden gesture drew her back into another memory
She and and her mother had returned to the Hoshino clan, and this time, although still gloomy, Aki seemed to be brighter than usual, so they had started to bond
One day, as they were running around chasing each other, Amy had become agitated and started crying when Aki moved too fast, so even at that time, it was the same gesture
(Habits never change) she thought to herself, approaching him timidly.
Seeing her anxious expression, he finally remembered that he's been wearing a poker face, softening his expression, he smiled at her
The two fell into steps beside each other, silent
Stepping out of the academy gates, Aki immediately took out his phone to contact his driver
"Understood, Young master, ill be there in 5 minutes" Phineas said through the phone.
The summer heat made them sweat as they stood below it
"Wait here, I'll get an umbrella" he said, walking across the street to a convenience store
A minute later, he walked out holding an umbrella and an ice-cream cone
"Well well, pretty lady, you waiting for someone" A man asked, flanked by a flock of delinquents, targeting Amy
Amy, showing no reaction, angered the men
"Wait, you came from this academy..right?"
"Brats like you fetch a high price, wouldn't you agree, trust fund kid?"
"Look over there, boss!" One man shouted, his eyes like dollar signs
"There's another one"
Everyone turned to see Aki glaring at them, releasing a terrifyingly dark aura
As if naturally, Amy muttered "Lue"
The men, oblivious to the danger advanced on him, "don't make this harder than it needs to be"
'Clasp'
A ring of mana closed around the neck of the leader, squeezing tightly
(The hell?! Im fading, what's going on, no one mentioned he was capable like this) he thought, turning blue
The entourage watched in horror as their boss was getting strangled
"Two options " Aki spoke, his voice cold
"Kneel or Die"
At his words, all the terrified delinquents fell to their knees, shaking uncontrollably
"Please forgive us" the pleaded in unison
The man's face became even more twisted as Aki refused to release him.
"I'm not the one you harassed, so why are you apologizing to me?"
"You little shh...." the man gasped, unable to speak clearly
Seeing the light dimming in their leader's eyes, they all turned to kneel in front of Amy, kowtowing and begging for forgiveness.
At Amy's nod, Aki let the leader go, but not before warning him to know his targets
Running off, the leader glanced back at Aki, a scowl on his face
"Captain, I got news for you "
"Are you ok?" He asked gently, extending the umbrella above her head"
"Here" he handed the cone to her
"Thanks"
Aki stood covering Amy from the heat, causing meaningful glances their way
"So cute" a lady cooed, passing by with female companions, causing them to blush.
Then, right on time, a sleek, luxury car stopped before them
Out stepped Phineas, who hurried to open the door for Aki
"Miss Nagami, are you?..." Phineas asked
"Yes, she is" he interrupted, waving his hand dismissively
The car soon pulled away from the academy, heading to the Hoshino estate
"Master, I have finished " Ragnar said, materializing on Aki's shoulder
"I have discov...."
It paused, looking at Amy
Amy, recognition on her face, looked at the fox with familiarity
"Young miss, we have met again" it said,a competitive edge in its voice
"Again?, what are you talking about " Aki asked, opening his palm for Ragnar to stand on
"Do you not remember, this is your childhood friend, she seems to remember me, Master, which should not be possible"
Embarrassment flushed across her face as she turned and looked away
Noticing her evasive reaction, he decided not to push for details just yet, and instead asked Ragnar
"So"
"Who is Lue?"