Akitsu Shouga walked through the town streets as morning light spilled gently between tall stone buildings. Sunbeams reflected off glass windows and pale stone walls, casting shifting patterns across the road as the day fully awakened.

  The city was already alive.

  Merchants called out to one another as they prepared their stalls, arranging fresh produce, polished trinkets, and neatly wrapped goods. Students in red-trimmed uniforms hurried past in groups, their voices overlapping with laughter, complaints, and excited chatter. Somewhere nearby, the rhythmic clatter of carriage wheels echoed against the stone streets, blending with the distant ringing of bells.

  Compared to the quiet village they had stayed in before, the town felt overwhelming—loud, crowded, and full of motion.

  Shouga walked steadily through it all, hands tucked into the pockets of his usual white zip-up sweatshirt and sweat pants. His pace was calm, but his mind was anything but.

  “Today is the first day that I’m going to an academy,” he murmured to himself.

  The words felt strange as they left his mouth, as though he were testing whether they were real.

  “How will it be like…?”

  The thought lingered uneasily in his chest, a tightness he couldn’t quite explain.

  Soon, the gates of their new residence came into view.

  The mansion stood tall and imposing, far larger than the one they had lost. Polished stone walls gleamed under the sunlight, flawless and cold, while iron gates decorated with elegant, intricate patterns spoke clearly of wealth and status. Everything about the place felt excessive—designed to impress and intimidate at the same time.

  Akitsu stepped through the gates and climbed the wide staircase inside.

  “This new mansion is bigger than the previous one,” he muttered under his breath.

  His eyes drifted across the walls, the polished floors, the sheer scale of the place.

  “How does Renjiro-san even afford to live in luxury…?”

  He reached his room and closed the door behind him.

  The room was spacious—almost too much so. Tall windows allowed sunlight to pour in freely, illuminating neatly arranged furniture and spotless surfaces. For a brief moment, everything felt unreal. Too clean. Too quiet. Too peaceful for someone like him.

  He changed clothes, then paused.

  His gaze fell to his wrist.

  The pink charm bracelet rested there, soft and out of place against his sleeve.

  Kaoru’s bracelet.

  His fingers brushed against it unconsciously, thumb grazing the tiny charms with familiarity and care.

  On the bed, Seraphine Orion lay sprawled out in her small white kitsune form, tail flicking lazily as though she owned the room. She looked far too comfortable.

  “Don’t be late today, alright??” she said casually.

  “Get out of my room!” Akitsu snapped.

  “This is not your room,” Seraphine replied smugly.

  “It’s my room now!”

  Akitsu ignored her entirely and put on his Fiester Academy uniform.

  A white button-up shirt.

  A red blazer that felt strangely heavy on his shoulders, both in weight and meaning.

  Black pants that made everything feel far more formal than he was used to.

  Once dressed, he left the room.

  Kaoru was just stepping out of hers.

  She wore the academy uniform as well, standing straight as she adjusted herself. Her movements were composed, but there was something subtle in her posture—a faint stiffness, nervousness carefully hidden beneath calm control.

  She walked toward him.

  “Let’s go eat,” she said.

  “I can’t go on an empty stomach.”

  “Okay.”

  They went downstairs together and sat next to each other at the dining table.

  Rikuya soon arrived with plates of eggs and toast, placing them gently in front of each of them as though afraid to disturb the moment. Renjiro watched the scene quietly, his eyes softening as he took it in.

  “I never thought I’d see Kaoru going to school,” he said quietly.

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  “This moves my heart.”

  “Yes,” Rikuya added with a small nod.

  “It’s certainly rare.”

  Akitsu glanced at Kaoru.

  “Why doesn’t Kaoru go to school?” he asked.

  Renjiro hesitated, his expression tightening just slightly.

  “Well, that’s because something happened when she was little,” he said carefully.

  “From that day onwards she never wanted to go to school.”

  Kaoru stared down at her plate, fingers tightening around her fork just enough to be noticeable.

  Akitsu straightened.

  “Alright,” he said firmly.

  “If anything happens to Kaoru I’ll take care of it.”

  Rikuya smiled faintly, relief slipping through her concern.

  “Please do. We’re worried about her.”

  “Yes,” Akitsu replied.

  After breakfast, Akitsu and Kaoru walked toward Fiester Academy together.

  The streets grew busier the closer they got. Students in uniform filled the roads, their laughter and conversations weaving together into a lively hum that made the air feel charged.

  “How are you feeling, Kaoru?” Akitsu asked.

  “I’m fine,” she replied.

  “You don’t need to worry about me all the time, Shouga-kun… You should instead enjoy it.”

  “I can’t really do that unless I know you’re doing alright,” he said.

  Something caught his attention.

  A narrow alleyway.

  Dark. Silent. Too still compared to the surrounding streets.

  “I wonder what that’s about?” he whispered.

  “It’s too dark inside there, I can’t see what’s inside…”

  “The academy is up ahead,” Kaoru said.

  “There sure are a lot of people around.”

  “Yeah… there is.”

  They passed through the academy gates.

  Fiester Academy spread out before them in breathtaking scale.

  Massive buildings rose high into the sky, their stonework ancient yet immaculate. Wide paths and arched bridges connected the structures, while students moved in every direction across the grounds. At the center stood a towering statue of a man in robes, one hand raised as if guiding the future itself.

  Akitsu felt a subtle pressure settle in his chest.

  An old woman in a blue robe approached them.

  Her face was deeply wrinkled, etched with years and wisdom, yet her posture was perfect—straight, dignified, and commanding without effort.

  “Excuse me,” she said kindly.

  “Are you Ryozen Kaoru?”

  “Yes, I am…” Kaoru replied.

  “Are you acquainted to my father?”

  “Yes,” the woman smiled.

  “I’m Shiraishi, Itsuki Shiraishi. Your father told me all about you and he was very happy that you finally decided to go to our academy.”

  “Is that so?” Kaoru asked.

  “Did he say anything personal about me?”

  “No, he didn’t,” Itsuki replied.

  “And you must be Kaoru’s husband, right?”

  Kaoru’s cheeks turned bright red.

  “Yes,” Akitsu said calmly.

  “It’s a pleasure meeting you. Headmaster.”

  “Oh my,” Itsuki laughed.

  “How did you find out that I’m the headmaster? You must be a smart young lad, aren’t you?”

  Akitsu chuckled lightly.

  “It’s easy to figure it out since every single student is staring at us.”

  “Please follow me to the auditorium.”

  They followed her through wide halls into a massive auditorium already filled with students.

  “Please sit here,” Itsuki said.

  “You’re our special guests for today.”

  They took their seats in the front row alongside several teachers.

  The headmaster stepped onto the stage and stood behind the podium.

  Then she spoke.

  Her voice filled the hall.

  “Welcome, new students of Fiester Academy…”

  The speech carried weight—firm, inspiring, and unyielding. Every word struck with purpose, echoing through the auditorium as students listened in silence.

  Akitsu sat still, absorbing it all.

  Then—

  “Students of Fiester Academy, please rise and prepare yourselves.

  It is my honor to welcome the Head of the Disciplinary Committee—Kael Ardent.”

  The auditorium fell into complete silence.

  Akitsu’s heart beat once—hard.

  So this was it.

  The beginning of everything.