School library. Rain drums lightly on the windows. Ren and Aika are studying at the same table, surrounded by silence and tension.
Aika:
"Do people treat you differently... because of where you're from?"
Ren:
"Only when they think it matters."
Aika:
"And does it?"
Ren:
"To some, yeah. To me? Not enough to quit."
[She watches him. His determination both fascinates and unsettles her.]
Aika's world had always been clean-cut: power, money, status. But Ren carried a quiet fire she couldn't define—and that terrified her more than any enemy ever had.
Ren walks home through rain. A black car pulls up beside him. A suited man steps out.
Man:
"Ren Hayashi? Come with me."
Ren (defensive):
"Who's asking?"
Man:
"Hiroto Kisaragi. Your presence is requested. Refusal isn't an option."
Hiroto's study, dark and vast. Ren stands soaked before Aika's elder brother.
Hiroto:
"I admire ambition. But climbing above your place is dangerous. Especially when it involves my sister."
Ren:
"I never asked for her attention."
Hiroto:
"Then lose it. Or I'll make sure you lose everything else."
The lines weren't just drawn in ink anymore. They were drawn in blood, power, and fear. And Ren just crossed one.