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For all the callousness with which Yumi was raised, she was not a killer. She was a sixteen-year-old girl who went to school and studied hard: mathematics, history, fraud, manipulation, lies. As a girl, her elders kept her away from bloody affairs.[break][break]

As the heir, though, she knew she'd have to witness it someday. To make the choice to take someone's life. That was simply the way of things.[break][break]

She shook her head, unbothered by Hitoshi's tone. Worse things existed in the world than death, she knew. "Not yet." Because that was the truth of it.[break][break]

"What's it like?" she asked as they strolled past blooming chrysanthemums, her favorites. Her pace slowed, and she reached a slender hand to caress the blossoms.[break][break]

Glancing at Hitoshi, she tried to imagine the boy killing someone — perhaps a man bigger and older than him. It seemed comical in her mind's eyes, but she didn't laugh, didn't even crack a smile. A good master did not ridicule or demean his dog lest it feel bitter and attack.

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The boy spoke so formally, so stiffly — as demanded of his position within the family's hierarchy. Yumi did not bat an eyelash at it, though in a far future where he spoke crassly in response to her demands, she wouldn't be fazed by that, either.[break][break]

Their bond would surpass the need for politeness, even if it never breached the distance of her rank and his. A good dog never fought his master, and a good master treated his dog well.[break][break]

"Bodyguard?" Yumi echoed, raising a slender eyebrow. Her dark eyes reassessed him for a second time, taking in his short stature and the ill-fitting suit he wore.[break][break]

But she knew she needed another one. Her old bodyguard had entered his fifties and would be relegated to training the younger, lower ranks. One never left the Hasegawa's servitude; one merely changed jobs within the ecosystem.[break][break]

All thoughts of a snack leaving her mind, she turned away from the kitchen and beckoned for Hitoshi to walk with her. Leading him out of the manor, she headed for the estate's gardens, its flowers in full bloom.[break][break]

"You must have really impressed Father and Grandfather if they appointed you to my side. I'm the heir, you know." It was Yumi's treasured destiny. "Have you ever killed someone?"

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Yumi stepped out of her chauffeured black sedan, unrolling the waistband of her skirt so the hem dropped to an acceptable length at her knees. Her mother would give her a scolding if she was caught flaunting the uniform rules imposed by her high school, and in the Hasegawa household, reprimands weren't always verbal.[break][break]

She walked alone into her family's manor, passing beneath her late grandmother's beloved cherry blossom trees until she reached the front door. She kicked off her shoes, leaving them in the genkan for someone on the house staff to put away.[break][break]

Halfway to the kitchen with stray thoughts of demanding a snack, she ran into someone she hadn't expected: Hitoshi Inoue, one of the runner boys her family employed for small jobs.[break][break]

Though, truth be told, she didn't know the full extent of what he did for the Hasegawas. If he was in the house itself, then perhaps he'd been summoned for more important work. Had he proven himself so useful and dependable already?[break][break]

Yumi tilted her head, looking at the other teenager in a new light. Though he was older than her, he was also shorter than her — as if puberty had forgotten that important aspect of becoming a man.[break][break]

"You're Inoue," she said by way of greeting, crossing her arms in front of her to appear like an authority figure. "What are you doing here?"

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Callan's vulgarity elicited a sudden laugh from Yumi, a sound of genuine amusement spilling out through the walls of her defense. "It's nasty, isn't it?" she agreed, grinning despite the topic. "Don't worry, he was older than you by at least a decade."[break][break]

Yumi took the time then to admire Callan, from the handsome sweep of his naturally silver hair to the sharp angle of his jaw. He had a face for posters and a physique that could make any teenage girl blush.[break][break]

"Hmm." She pretended to think, enjoying his gaze as she leaned back against the sofa.[break][break]

She could give him non-answers, the unsatisfyingly vague characteristics women tended to tell men when asked that same question. But if Callan wanted to woo her, he ought to know just exactly how high her standards were.[break][break]

Turning her body toward his at last, Yumi spoke with an undercurrent of challenge in her voice. "I like guys who know how to treat their women like queens. I was an empress in my otome route, right? I'm not interested in groveling sycophants, but all girls want to feel special and adored. I'm no different."[break][break]

She took a sip of her sangria, her gaze never dropping from his.[break][break]

"And you? What kind of women are you usually into?"

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Yumi considered Callan's musings on fame and authenticity. Childhood lessons on deception, cunning, and wit taught her how to manipulate others, while a degree in marketing taught her how to control the public's perception. Yet she enjoyed nothing more than bold defiance of expectations.[break][break]

Could she do what Callan described? Could she sell her true self for money, producing content that didn't have her heart and soul in them? Probably not, she realized, as she took another silent sip of her sangria. He had given much and more to achieve his dream of performing on stage.[break][break]

Yumi, on the other hand, had always been taught to seize her dreams by force of will, everyone else be damned. But look where that had gotten her.[break][break]

"It sounds like you've managed to live without any regrets," she commented. He could confirm if her guess was accurate or not. "I admire that. It's the kind of life I want to live, too."[break][break]

She watched him refill her glass, biting back her instinctive reaction to reject his pity. If she believed him, he was only being honest. Compassionate. Funnily enough, if she did reject his kindness, she'd only confirm his assumption as true.[break][break]

"It wasn't that kind of betrayal," she said instead, attempting not to sound as defensive as she felt. Talking about her parents' actions was one thing, but her own feelings? Unacceptable. "They wanted me to marry an older man, my dad's business partner. I said fuck no and left."[break][break]

She shrugged and knocked back half her glass in just a couple of gulps, then attempted to look carefree again as she flashed Callan another smirk. "You can't blame a woman for trying to take control of her life, can you?"

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Perhaps any other person would have been suckered in by Sen's sweet smile, but Yumi knew better. She scoffed and tossed her hair over her shoulder with a dismissive hand.[break][break]

"Sure you did," she replied, eyes narrowing. "Came all the way to see me when the last thing you said was how you're the favorite grandchild now, and Grandfather will forgive all your past mistakes."[break][break]

Which had been a load of horseshit, as far as Yumi had been concerned. Unlike her, Sen had never given a thought to running the family's businesses one day. Had he even gone to university or graduated high school?[break][break]

"How badly did you fuck up this time?"

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Yumi was not expecting visitors that day. The knock on the door startled her from her current task of sorting through her jewelry. Her Delcatty raised his head from the fluffy Pokémon bed on which he lay and uttered a soft meow.[break][break]

"I don't know, Kumo," she replied, getting up from the table. Crossing the apartment, she tapped the security panel to activate the camera outside the door.[break][break]

The face that popped up on the screen was the last one Yumi ever expected to see in Hoenn. She paused, her eyes wide, her eyebrows risen into her forehead. What was he doing there?[break][break]

Her expression falling into a frosty skepticism, she opened the front door. "Sen," she said in greeting, her tone clipped, her brow furrowed and mouth turned down in a frown. "What are you doing here?"

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Yumi chewed the canape as she listened to Callan and took another sip of her sangria before she spoke. "I suppose the more you exist in the spotlight, the more you treasure privacy," she observed. "I have always craved the spotlight, personally. It's thrilling."[break][break]

She flashed him a Seviper grin and lounged back against the cushions.[break][break]

"I make it pretty clear on social media that I live unapologetically. If someone doesn't like who I am, what I say, or how I act, they can unfollow me. The same applies to real life, too."[break][break]

Yumi spoke casually, as if the notion of people simply dropping out of her life was a natural occurrence. Callan's question about her parents, however, earned him a raised eyebrow and a tightness in her jaw.[break][break]

"They absolutely did. Mind you, I choose to be here willingly. If they had their way, I'd still be home." She lifted her chin, proud, and sipped from her glass again. "But I'm not a pawn in anyone's game."

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Yumi caught the confusion and disappointment as it flashed across Parker's face. The redhead was a walking billboard sign, an open book. In the past few weeks since they'd known each other, Yumi had watched Parker's attitude toward her transform from amusement to friendliness to downright simping.[break][break]

And while Yumi didn't mind simping — honestly, she usually ignored it, most of it coming from the comments basement-dwelling neckbeards posted to her social media — she didn't want it coming from Parker, of all people.[break][break]

"I'm not quitting," Yumi said, slower to finish off her drink. She didn't want to get wasted before making it to that night's destination. "We can do this again. Just right now, I'm going to have a different kind of fun."[break][break]

She watched the bartender pour Parker another drink, wondering what sort of trouble her friend might get into after she left the club. Feeling somewhat responsible and hating it, Yumi took out her phone.[break][break]

"I'll call a taxi for you. Just promise me you won't do something stupid, but you'll go home right away."

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In no way was Yumi on the same playing field as Callan when it came to celebrity status. She made YouTube videos and posted photos on Instagram, occasionally doing livestreams on either platform for extra cash. On the other hand, he was a popular musician with multiple records produced for sale.[break][break]

Though the occasional subscriber would stop Yumi in the street to ask for a selfie or to tell her they follow her, Callan literally had paparazzi follow him whenever he stepped outside of his house. Their lives were incomparable, yet Yumi nodded as if she knew exactly what he felt.[break][break]

A part of her did feel disappointed at his admission of not wanting to be an entertainer, but that was fine. His route in RONDEZ-VIEW OF LUV did suggest he'd prefer to be viewed as a normal person.[break][break]

"Then be yourself. I like it best when people are honest," she said, meaning it. After all, should rockstar Callan Young prove too boring for her tastes, she could simply go home.[break][break]

The tapas restaurant suited her luxurious tastes. She lowered herself onto the sofa, leaving a comfortable space between herself and Callan, and poured herself a cup of sangria. Taking a sip, she savored the rich flavor on her tongue before turning to him.[break][break]

"I picked it at random, actually. I wasn't going to stay in Johto considering my family's influence, and besides, I'd seen everything there is to see there." Yumi picked at the canape tray, selecting one that looked delectable. "Hoenn seemed just as good a place as any."

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Yumi perked at the mention of dim sum. She had already eaten lunch, but maybe she could order an egg tart or some other dessert to go with her tea. "Actually, yes, I'd like to keep the menu with me and pay when I leave."[break][break]

Back into her purse went her wallet.[break][break]

"I'd prefer now," she said about the room tour. "You may be busy by the time I decide to leave, so it's better to get that out of the way before I settle down in a chair."[break][break]

Yumi's lips drew back in a smile that did not reach her eyes, which glittered with silent expectation. She was not the kind of person used to hearing 'no' for an answer.

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Yumi had spent enough time with Parker to know the other woman was already tipsy, though Yumi herself was no better. She giggled at Parker's question, aware of the innuendo but in no place to entertain it.[break][break]

"You've been seeing them," Yumi quipped back with a grin.[break][break]

Because unfortunately for Parker, someone else had piqued Yumi's curiosity that night: another clubgoer dressed more nicely than the others, a whiff of cologne offsetting the smell of sweat.[break][break]

Though he was still on the dance floor, he was close enough that Yumi could pick him out of the crowd. She did not know his name; he was a stranger, met by chance while dancing to the music, but the physical chemistry had been instant and electrifying.[break][break]

"Parker," Yumi said, leaning in, "I'm prolly gonna leave soon. You can get home by yourself okay?" It was a serious question of concern for a friend, worded oddly thanks to the alcohol.

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