Chapter 258: B - Scuffle in Reimeikan High’s hallway

"Everyone, this is Hakuto Seiko, a new member of the Kurotsuki family. Starting today, he’ll be joining our class," says their teacher, Ms. Misaki Yuunami.

Hakuto stands stiffly in front of Class 1-B at Reimeikan High School, trying not to panic under everyone’s stares.

He can almost guess what they’re thinking.

Who’s this guy? Some stray the prestigious Kurotsuki family picked up off the street?

To his surprise, he only finds out now that Claire is in the same class as him.

Then again, there was no way he could’ve known. They haven’t exactly talked much.

Even though Claire is more polite to them now, her distrust of Hakuto and his father hasn’t faded one bit. She still sees them as gold diggers who somehow managed to worm their way into her home.

Then again, Irina had warned him that her older sister was quiet and introverted.

Irina, on the other hand, is in her final year of middle school.

"All right. Let’s continue the lesson. Who can solve this logarithmic equation?"

Behind Ms. Yuunami, the board is covered in numbers and symbols that might as well be alien runes to Hakuto.

But it’s not entirely his fault. His old school is mostly to blame — a dump full of delinquents on the outskirts of Tokyo.

After Shin lost his real job, it was all they could afford.

A moment later, Claire, sitting in the front row, stands up and gives the answer.

"Excellent work, Miss Kurotsuki. Brilliant as always."

The teacher’s praise is followed by polite applause as Claire solves the complicated equation like it’s the easiest thing in the world.

"Your stepsister is seriously smart. There’s a reason she’s both the student council president and the most admired girl in the entire school. Living with a genius must be pretty awesome, right?"

The voice comes from the desk next to Hakuto’s.

He turns to find a boy with messy blond hair smiling at him.

"Yeah... I guess so..." Hakuto replies, pretending that none of that caught him completely off guard.

"Anyway, I’m Itsu Chihane. Nice to meet you."

"Mr. Chihane! Mr. Seiko has been here for two minutes and you’re already being a bad influence on him?! One slacker in this class is more than enough!"

"Sorry, Ms. Yuunami! I’ll be quiet as a mouse! I promise!"

Itsu jumps to his feet and gives an exaggerated bow.

The class responds with a wave of bored looks — especially Claire.

Hakuto lets out a long sigh.

Yeah... he’s definitely not the most popular guy in school...

DRIIIING!

The moment the bell rings, the entire class pours into the spacious hallways of Reimeikan High School.

As usual, Claire doesn’t even get a chance to enjoy her snack in peace.

Students from all over the school — even upperclassmen — swarm around her like bees to honey.

Some ask for help with schoolwork, others for advice, and some just want a chance to talk to the famous student council president.

Hakuto and Itsu — now officially the outcasts of Class 1-B — watch from a distance, leaning against a wall as they munch on their snacks.

"Your stepsister is a total VIP. No denying that. There isn’t a single person at Reimeikan High who doesn’t admire her. I mean... it’s like she gives off some kind of magic aura that makes people obsessed with her. Basically... yeah, she’s like a cat in heat!"

"Watch what you say. You’re talking about my sister."

"Whoa, relax! You’ve lived with her for one day and you’re already in overprotective brother mode, huh, Hakotto?"

"Mind your own business" Hakuto hisses, shooting him a glare. "And my name is Hakuto..."

"Anyway, what I’m trying to say is... look at how people act around her. Did you know female cats in heat release pheromones that males can pick up from miles away? Claire’s like that. She doesn’t do anything special, but people are constantly drawn to her."

"What kind of ridiculous comparison is that...?"

Suddenly, the crowd around Claire starts to stir.

"Here comes trouble..." Itsu mutters.

A huge, imposing guy pushes his way through as the crowd parts around him.

He stops right in front of Claire.

The look he gives her — somewhere between smug and threatening — immediately sets off alarm bells in Hakuto’s head.

"What do you want from me, Enjou Kanzuro?!" Claire asks, her voice as cold and sharp as ice as she meets his gaze without a hint of fear.

"Enjou Kanzuro...?" Hakuto repeats, confused.

"He’s a third-year. Heir to Kanzuro Industries, the biggest pharmaceutical company in Japan. Or at least, it was until Seiryu Biotech — the company your stepmother runs — took the top spot. Seriously, you live with one of the richest women in Japan and you didn’t know?" Itsu asks, baffled.

"Honestly, no... I mean, I knew they were loaded the second I saw their house. I just didn’t realize they were that loaded..."

Hakuto clenches his fists as Itsu’s words sink in.

"So... he’s not here to offer her a drink from the vending machine, is he?"

"No. Definitely not."

"Have you thought about my proposal, Claire Kurotsuki?" Enjou asks.

"There’s nothing to think about. I already gave you my answer, and it hasn’t changed one bit. I’m not marrying you."

T-That guy... actually asked Claire to marry him?! Isn’t it a little early for that kind of thing? Then again, after what Itsu told me, there’s obviously money behind all this...

Now I get why Claire is so convinced my dad is just trying to take advantage of her mother. He’s probably just one more guy in a long line of them.

I wonder how many gold diggers she and Irina have to deal with every day...

"H-How dare you reject me, you stuck-up bitch?! Do you have any idea how many girls would kill to marry into the Kanzuro family, you arrogant little shit?! You really think you’re that much better than them?!"

Claire shrugs.

"All the more reason to leave me alone. If you have so many options, go bother someone else."

Claire says it with such confidence and indifference that Enjou immediately feels the weight of everyone’s stares on him.

Humiliation hits him hard and just like that, his anger boils over and he completely loses control.

Enjou lunges at Claire and tries to grab her shoulder, but she stops him with a flying kick to the stomach.

The impact makes him cough up blood, and Enjou doubles over in pain.

The instant her kick lands, Hakuto notices something strange about Claire.

A reddish-purple glow flashes through her eyes for a split second.

Right after that, he catches the surprised look on Itsu’s face. But he can’t tell if Itsu is shocked by Claire’s incredible fighting skills or if he noticed that strange glow too.

Blinded by rage after being rejected and humiliated, Enjou charges at Claire again, this time throwing a punch at her face.

But before she can react, Hakuto steps in.

In one quick move, he grabs Enjou by the wrist, throws him off balance, slams him to the floor, and pins him down with a knee pressed against his back.

"L-Let me go... I said let me go, you fucking asshole!" Enjou screams in a rage.

His shouting draws the attention of practically everyone at Reimeikan High.

Only when two teachers rush over does Hakuto finally lift his knee off Enjou’s back, allowing him to get back on his feet.

One of the teachers escorts Enjou to the principal’s office, while the other — Ms. Yuunami — gives Hakuto a disapproving look.

"This is a school, not some back-alley street. Getting into a fight on your first day isn’t exactly a great first impression," Ms. Yuunami says sternly, scolding him in front of everyone.

And yet, Hakuto can almost hear a hint of pride in her voice.

As a teacher, she obviously can’t say, "You did the right thing beating him up," but her eyes seem to say exactly that.

"I’m sorry. It won’t happen again," Hakuto says, bowing his head dramatically.

Finally, she follows the other teacher and Enjou to the principal’s office.

There isn’t much time left before class starts again, and Hakuto is about to head back inside when Claire stops him by tugging on the sleeve of his uniform — a dark blue jacket and matching pants for the boys, while the girls wear white blouses and short skirts.

"I didn’t know you were that good at martial arts..." she mutters, her voice low and her cheeks red.

"When you grow up in the kind of places I did, knowing how to defend yourself is pretty much a necessity. If anything, I should be the one surprised. You took down that mountain of muscle with one well-placed kick."

"D-Do you think I can’t take care of myself just because I’m a girl?!" she snaps, only to immediately go back to the shy, awkward tone from before. "A-Anyway... thanks for stepping in. You put yourself at risk just to protect me, even though we’ve only known each other for a day and I haven’t exactly been nice to you or your dad..."

Hakuto gives her a warm smile.

"Like Irina said, we’re family now. And as your brother, it’s my job to protect you and your sister, right?"

"Y-Yeah, I guess so. Looks like we are a family now..." she replies with a hint of sadness in her voice.