Chapter 8: A Queen’s Embrace, A Spy’s Mistake

Under the cold moonlight by the swimming pool, two figures sat side by side. More accurately, they sat closely snuggled together.

The girl rested her cheek affectionately against the boy's still-wet shoulder. Her movements were natural, without a hint of hesitation or stiffness—just like a girl in love clinging to someone dear.

The young man simply let her be, allowing the warm atmosphere to settle silently between them in the quiet night.

What a nostalgic feeling… It's been so long…

Sakayanagi Arisu closed her eyes for a moment, taking a slow, shallow breath. Then, as if finally ready, she spoke.

"Kure Ragna."

"Eh!?" The boy flinched slightly.

"…What kind of reaction was that?"

"Ah, no, nothing." Kure Ragna's mouth twitched.

"It's just… you always call me 'dear,' and now you suddenly switched to my full name. It feels… weird."

"Weird how?" Arisu tilted her head slightly, clearly taking this matter seriously.

"Probably like… when your usually affectionate girlfriend suddenly turns cold, stops initiating conversations, and when you ask about weekend plans, she just says it has nothing to do with you. You have no idea what you did wrong, so you spend your days anxious and depressed, trying to convince yourself that she just needs space… but you still can't shake the feeling. Eventually, you snap, go out and buy a high-caliber shotgun from the local gang, and prepare to turn the little shit who toyed with your feelings into a puddle of minced meat—then toss it into molten asphalt to erase all evidence."

"…"

=_=

Arisu blinked, her expression frozen.

It started as a story about a heartbroken boy, only to take an extremely violent turn in the second half. The shift was so abrupt that it was almost absurd. But… that was just his style.

"…Sakayanagi." Kure Ragna tested carefully.

"Hm?"

Her slender brows lifted slightly, and though her response was short, the displeasure in her voice was obvious.

"Alright, Arisu."

Kure Ragna gave in, pronouncing her name clearly, syllable by syllable.

"What is it?" she asked, her tone returning to normal.

"Be reasonable…"

Kure Ragna gestured toward the small, fair feet beside him, submerged in the pool water just like his, but noticeably more delicate.

"With your physical condition, is it really okay to soak in cold water like this? You're not going to catch a cold and end up sick on the first day of school?"

"I'm happy."

"…What?"

"Isn't this you caring about me?"

The girl lifted her face, the usual elegant, untouchable aura around her completely vanishing. Instead, she smiled playfully, like a mischievous kitten.

"I do care. I just don't want your father charging out of the chairman's office on the first day of school to fight me over it." Kure Ragna sighed.

"Don't worry, that won't happen."

Arisu chuckled softly and leaned her head back onto his shoulder.

"Even if I still can't move as freely as my peers, I'm not as fragile as I used to be. I can at least take care of myself."

"The weather isn't that warm yet. Just be careful."

Kure Ragna shook his head, then, without thinking, lifted her legs onto his lap, gently cupping her icy feet with his heated palms.

Arisu's cheeks flushed red, but she didn't pull away.

Having spent so much time together, he knew her condition better than anyone.

Sakayanagi Arisu, 16 years old, was the only daughter of Chairman Sakayanagi, the man who controlled Advanced Nurturing High School from behind the scenes.

She had suffered from congenital heart disease since birth, leaving her physically frail. All physical activity—even simple walking—had been forbidden her entire life.

In a desperate attempt to cure her, her father had spent a fortune seeking out the world's top medical experts, but every effort ended in failure.

Then, through a chance recommendation from an old friend who ran a bone-setting clinic, Chairman Sakayanagi learned of the Kure clan—an ancient assassin family that had migrated to Japan over 300 years ago. With nothing left to lose, he sent his then eight-year-old daughter to the clan's hidden compound in Kyoto for treatment.

And that was where she met him.

—

"Hey, my name's Kure Ragna. What's yours?"

"…Sakayanagi."

"Sakayanagi has a 'C'? Wait, do you have a C?"

"…What?"

"No, nothing."

—

Snapping back to the present, Kure Ragna changed the subject.

"Speaking of which, it's impressive you managed to find this place."

"What about the servants that were with you earlier today? Didn't they come along?"

"I told them not to." Arisu shook her head with a smile. "It's been so long since we last met—having outsiders around would've made it feel too formal. And they're not servants, they're classmates."

"Really? You act more like a queen than a classmate."

"Hehehe…"

The silver-haired girl laughed softly, her voice like delicate wind chimes.

"When the environment is still in chaos, forming a strong faction early on is essential. If you want to be a leader, you can't let anyone else claim the best resources first."

"Well, that's true."

Kure Ragna nodded, immediately recalling how Yukinoshita Haruno had pulled off something similar that morning—grabbing attention and establishing an image for herself in the shortest time possible.

Instead of blending into the crowd, she had made herself impossible to ignore.

"As for how I found you here…"

Arisu suddenly circled back to an earlier topic, her sharp purple eyes narrowing as she peered at him dangerously.

Kure Ragna quickly waved his hands.

"No need."

He knew better than to question it. After spending a year together at the Kure clan, she had learned everything about him—his habits, his preferences, even his thought patterns.

Arisu opened her mouth as if to say something else, but before she could, Kure Ragna raised a finger to her lips.

His expression turned sharp.

"Shh. Someone's here."

Arisu frowned. "Someone followed me?"

"I don't know. I'll check."

Before she could respond, Kure Ragna pushed himself up and moved swiftly toward the source of the noise.

If the approaching footsteps had sounded normal, he wouldn't have been so wary. But whoever it was… they were trying to move stealthily—and failing miserably.

The result was a sneaky yet clumsy presence, like a bad spy fumbling through a mission.

Meanwhile, in the dark men's locker room, Masayoshi Hashimoto carefully made his way forward.

Sneaking around at night wasn't easy, especially for someone used to modern conveniences. But Hashimoto believed in having multiple backup plans.

Right now, Sakayanagi's faction was leading Class A, but that didn't mean other factions wouldn't emerge. If that happened, he had no problem switching sides.

To do that, he needed leverage. And tonight, he was going to get it.

"…Meeting at the pool in the middle of the night with all the lights off… Miss Sakayanagi's taste is very unique," he muttered, pulling out his phone to prepare the camera.

Then, as soon as his screen lit up—he froze.

A tall figure loomed right in front of him.

There was barely a phone's width between them.

But I… didn't even notice him…?

Cold sweat trickled down his spine as he stiffly looked up—

And met a pair of pitch-black eyes.

The next second, a bloodcurdling scream shattered the silence.

"G-GHOST!!!"

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