Time moved steadily toward Hina's second year of college. She had turned nineteen just weeks earlier, and with her age came new responsibilities and new expectations. It was her first time attending the biggest event of the year held by Kazama Group. She had heard about it for years, whispered between relatives and staff, mentioned in passing by her father but never in detail.
The grand auction hall shimmered with low chandeliers and soft golden lighting, casting a warm glow over a sea of silk gowns and tailored suits. Every face in the room was known to someone powerful. Every glance carried weight. Everyone in the room understood this was more than just an auction. It was a show of power.
The room stilled slightly when the Kazamas entered. Not with fear but with the quiet shift of attention reserved for those who mattered. Ren greeted a few of the other heads with brief nods. Emi remained silent, absorbing everything. The way people moved, the coded small talk, the subtle exchanges of envelopes and glances.
Hina's heels clicked softly against the marble floors as she entered with Yuto by her side. Her sky-blue dress, the one designed by Sora, hugged her figure with graceful ease. The beaded detailing along her waist sparkled gently under the lights.
Yuto, dressed in a black suit with a deep blue pocket square to match her dress, held her hand with quiet certainty.
All around them, heads turned.
It wasn't just because they were young. It was because of who they were.
Ren Kazama's daughter. Daiki's son. Walking in together.
"Is that…?"
"Kazama's daughter?"
"And Daiki's boy. Together?"
"So it's true then. They're a pair."
"No wonder the Kurosawa boy's been sulking for weeks."
For many in the room, it wasn't a surprise.
For others, it was a message.
From across the room, Emi raised her glass slightly in their direction, her lips lifting in subtle approval. She stood beside Ren, elegant in a black velvet gown, her presence as commanding as ever.
Great Grandma Chiyo, whose age was finally catching up with her, had chosen not to attend.
"Take it all in," Yuto murmured beside Hina, sensing her quiet tension.
"I didn't realize…" she said softly, her eyes scanning the hall filled with whispers and nods toward her father. "I knew Papa had influence. But this… it's like watching a king move through his kingdom."
Yuto looked at her, his voice warm. "And you're his heir."
Hina swallowed hard, trying to keep her shoulders straight. "No pressure, right?"
He squeezed her hand. "You were born for this."
Before she could respond, the low chime of a bell signaled the start of the auction and Ren stepped forward to deliver the opening.
The crowd fell into a reverent hush.
Ren's voice rang out with calm but layered with unmistakable dominance.
"Welcome," he began, "to those who understand that strength need not shout… and to those still learning that respect is not given by blood, but earned through legacy."
Every gaze was locked on him now.
"These auctions are more than transactions. They are affirmations of who we are. Of what we protect. Of how we move beneath a world too afraid to name us aloud."
A pause. Then his gaze swept across the room.
"But let it be known tonight," he continued, voice steady as stone, "that the Kazama name has not faded with time. We have not grown soft with peace. And to those who mistake our restraint for weakness, let your offers tonight remind you what legacy truly looks like."
A murmur of approval rippled through the hall. Several heads nodded. Others simply straightened their posture.
Yuto leaned close to Hina's ear, voice low. "He just put every rival in check without raising his voice."
Hina didn't speak. She was watching her father with new eyes, not as the man who raised her, but as the man the world watched.
The bidding began with smooth efficiency.
Rare gems. Private villas. Antique weaponry with centuries-old histories. Art pieces painted in silence, sold with reverence.
But the true spectacle wasn't in what was offered. It was in who offered, and how others reacted.
Hina sat beside Yuto near the front, close enough to be seen but just far enough to remain untouchable.
"Watch how they bid," Yuto whispered beside her. "Some raise the price just to assert control. Some back off not out of weakness, but strategy. It's less about the item and more about the message."
Hina nodded slowly, her eyes trailing from a sleek marble sculpture to the trio of young heirs sitting just behind them. She recognized two of them, Toma Ichijou from Osaka and Kaito Kurosawa's cousin. Both leaned forward, their eyes flicking between her and Yuto more than the auction stage.
And then—
"Lot 12," the announcer declared, "a signed treaty from the Meiji era, untouched since the private archives were sealed."
Whispers rippled through the hall. Even the older generation sat straighter.
And then, casually, Toma Ichijou raised his paddle. "Fifty million yen."
A pause.
Then a voice behind him: "Sixty million."
All heads turned.
It was Yuto.
He didn't look at Toma. He didn't have to. His posture was relaxed, one arm resting behind Hina's chair, his expression unreadable.
Toma smirked, raising his paddle again. "Seventy-five."
Yuto didn't even blink. "Eighty."
The announcer's voice was tight with excitement. "Eighty million from Daiki's heir. Do I hear ninety?"
Toma leaned forward, clearly irritated now. But Hina turned slightly in her seat and spoke for the first time all evening.
"Let him have it."
Yuto blinked and looked at her. So did everyone else within earshot.
Hina met his eyes, calm and composed. "It's a beautiful piece, but I know when something is only being raised for show."
She turned her gaze back to the stage. "That treaty deserves someone who understands its meaning. Not someone using it as a move."
There was a ripple in the silence.
Then Toma laughed, caught off guard but impressed. "Sharp tongue, Kazama."
Yuto smiled faintly. "She's more than a name."
The announcer recovered quickly. "Eighty million, then. Final call. Going once… going twice… sold."
The paddle fell, and so did the tension.
Whispers broke out again.
"She just silenced Ichijou."
"She didn't need her father to do it."
"She's really… Kazama's blood."
Yuto leaned close, his voice barely a breath against her ear. "You handled that perfectly."
"I learned from the best," she whispered. "And from watching you."
As the final lot was sold and the sound of polite applause filled the room, the atmosphere gradually loosened. Waitstaff moved through the space again, offering wine, delicate confections, and small velvet-wrapped favors to the VIP tables.
But all Hina could feel was the quiet buzz still pulsing beneath the surface.
She wasn't imagining it. People looked at her differently now.
Not just as Ren Kazama's daughter, but as someone who spoke for herself and was heard. One sentence had quieted one of the most entitled heirs in the room, and she did it with calm, not pressure.
As couples and families began to rise and mingle again, Ren made his way toward her and Yuto. His steps were deliberate, and the way the crowd instinctively shifted to make space for him never failed to impress.
He paused before them, his gaze falling on his daughter.
"You handled that well," he said.
Hina met his eyes. "I wasn't sure at first. But I knew I didn't want to be quiet."
Ren gave the barest nod, but full of approval. "You didn't speak as a daughter. You spoke as someone meant to lead."
Yuto bowed respectfully beside her. Ren's gaze shifted to him for only a moment, then back to Hina.
"When you're ready," he said quietly, "there will be more than just auctions."
Then, with that, he turned and disappeared into the conversation around them, leaving a silence that settled deep in Hina's chest.
She looked up at Yuto.
"I didn't expect any of this tonight."
He offered her a small, reassuring smile. "But you didn't run from it either."
"I think…" she hesitated, then looked down at her hands, "I was waiting for someone to push me into the spotlight. I didn't realize I could walk into it myself."
Yuto took her hand gently. "You were born in it, Hina. The spotlight was already yours."
*****
But as the night wore on, the admiration turned into something else.
More than a few sons of other families came forward with champagne and casual conversation, most of it aimed at Hina. They were charming, polished, and masked their ambitions with smiles.
Toma Ichijou, son of a powerful Osaka syndicate, took it a step further.
He walked up confidently in a deep burgundy suit, holding a half-glass of whiskey. He stood out and clearly liked the attention.
"So you're Hina Kazama," he said, stopping just short of her with a slow, cocky grin. "The girl everyone warned us not to cross."
Hina turned, her expression calm, composed, her posture poised.
She offered a polite smile. "And you are?"
"Toma," he replied, extending his hand with just the right touch of charm. "Toma Ichijou. Though I imagine my name's reached your circle already."
"It has," she said, her smile not reaching her eyes. "Some say it's best to keep an eye on you."
Toma laughed. "Only if you're afraid of ambition."
He took a small step closer, eyes scanning her dress, the way her hand rested in Yuto's.
"And if you're still single," he said, voice softer, "I'd like a chance. I'd treat you right. You're too smart to be treated like a doll."
Before Hina could respond, Yuto moved.
He took a small step forward, standing between them. His face stayed calm and casual.
"She is taken," Yuto said, stepping in with calm certainty.
Toma's eyes flicked over him slowly, lips twitching upward. "You must be Yuto. Heard about you. Paris boy, right?"
Yuto smiled. "That's right. And I've heard about you too."
He took one slow step forward, his voice lower now. "Would be a shame if your reputation followed you to Tokyo. I hear people are less forgiving here."
The two locked eyes. The tension between them tightened like a stretched wire.
Toma chuckled lightly and stepped back, lifting his glass with mock politeness. "Well. If you ever change your mind, Hina…"
He let the words hang in the air.
Yuto's arm slid protectively around her waist, pulling her gently but firmly against his side. His voice was soft, but it cut through the noise like steel.
"She won't."
Toma held his gaze a moment longer, looking for weakness. He found none. He then turned with a smirk and disappeared into the crowd.
Hina exhaled slowly.
"Are you okay?" Yuto asked without looking away from the direction Toma had gone.
"I am now," she murmured. "But you—"
"I'm fine," he said, finally looking back at her. "He's not the first, and he won't be the last. But I won't let anyone treat you like you're up for the taking."
Her heart thudded. "You didn't even blink."
"I didn't need to." He looked at her gently. "I knew you'd still be standing beside me."
And she was, with him, not just beside him.
*****
Later that night, they left the ballroom behind and stepped onto a private balcony. The city lights spread out below them, bright and full of motion.
A cool breeze brushed Hina's shoulders, making her sky-blue dress shift slightly.
Yuto quietly placed his jacket over her.
She looked up at him. "Thank you."
"You looked cold," he said simply. "And too beautiful to be shivering."
Hina smiled, but it faded as her eyes drifted back to the city. Her voice was quiet. "I didn't expect that much attention tonight."
Yuto tilted his head. "The flattery?"
"No," she said, eyes serious. "The weighing. Like I'm not a person, but a title. A move. A legacy."
Yuto stepped closer, his hand rising to brush a strand of hair from her cheek. "You're not a prize," he said softly, his voice steady and low. "You're not something to be claimed or flaunted."
His fingers trailed gently along her jaw. "You're a future. And not just theirs. Mine."
She looked up at him, eyes wide, heart thudding. "I've already chosen."
Yuto's eyes flickered with something tender, something deep. "Say it again."
"I've chosen you," she whispered.
That was all it took.
He leaned in and kissed her, slow and deliberate. One hand on her cheek, the other on her back, pulling her close. Her arms went around his neck, fingers in his hair.
The kiss deepened, steady but intense.
When they pulled apart, their foreheads touched.
"Do you feel it too?" Hina whispered, her fingers still curled in the fabric of his suit. "That this… us… it's bigger than just a relationship?"
Yuto nodded. "I do."
She looked up at him, searching. "Doesn't that scare you?"
He brushed his thumb gently along her cheek. "Sometimes. But not enough to make me step back. Being with you might come with pressure, attention… even danger. But I've never been more certain of anything."
Hina's eyes softened, but a quiet sadness flickered in her gaze. "Sometimes I wish we weren't born into all of this. That we could just… exist. Just be two people, not two names."
Yuto smiled faintly. "But if we were just two ordinary people, I might not have met you."
She blinked. "You really think that?"
He nodded. "I think fate has always had its eye on us. Even when it pulled us apart, it made sure we found our way back."
She leaned into him again, resting her head against his shoulder. "It's heavy, isn't it? Being born into something that expects so much from you."
"It is," he said quietly. "But standing here with you… makes it feel lighter."
For a long, quiet moment, they stayed like that, held close under a sky full of stars.