Located around Sengaku-ji in Minato, was a large mansion that was only smaller than the size of the Sumeragi Estate.
This was the Shinomiya Mansion.
On the second floor, a young girl with long black hair and a cold expression looked outside the mansion's large windows, staring at the people talking outside.
The afternoon sun was warm, but the light that hit the windowpane felt as cold as the glass itself.
Below, on the meticulously manicured lawn, two figures stood in conversation.
They were her older brothers, and even from this distance, she could tell they were at odds.
It was a common sight, a daily performance in the grand theater of the Shinomiya household.
One of them was Un'yo Shinomiya.
A slim man in his late thirties with shoulder-length black hair and cold, sharp eyes.
He was dressed in a pristine, dark business suit, a symbol of the authority he held within the family.
His posture was rigid, his hands clasped behind his back as he listened to the other man.
The second man was Seiryu Shinomiya, a man in his early fourties.
His face was calm, almost placid, with short, neat hair.
He wore a fedora and a well-tailored brown suit, an air of casual elegance about him that didn't quite match the sternness of his younger brother.
He was gesticulating, his hands moving to emphasize his points as he spoke.
Seiryu tilted his head, a small, knowing smile on his face. "Did you hear, Un'yo? It seems like the Shijo Family is planning to return to Japan soon. They've grown quite powerful over the years. I'm guessing it's only a matter of time now until we clash with them."
Un'yo's expression remained unchanged, but a new sharpness entered his eyes. "They're not a threat to us. They were cast out for a reason. Their return is a minor inconvenience at best."
"Perhaps," Seiryu said, his smile widening slightly. "But a minor inconvenience can become a major one if not handled properly. After all, they have a certain… stubbornness. They might not be as easy to control as you think."
"Control is not the issue," Un'yo said, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "They will bend, or they will break. It's that simple."
Seiryu's smile didn't waver.
He took a slow, deliberate step forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "But wouldn't it be so much more efficient to use a third party? A neutral party, perhaps? Someone who could be an... ally in this little game?"
He paused, his gaze drifting from his brother's face to the mansion behind them. "Someone like, say, our dear sister?"
The words hung in the air, a silent bomb.
Un'yo's calm facade shattered in an instant. His hands clenched into tight fists behind his back, and his sharp, cold eyes narrowed into slits.
"I don't care what you and your master, Oko, plan to do with the Shijo." Un'yo's voice was low and menacing. "But don't you ever dare bring Kaguya into this. Do you hear me?"
In the entire Shinomiya family, Un'yo only cared about this half-sister of his.
He was the one who was in charge of her education and raised her to be similar to himself by instilling the distorted views of the Shinomiya family in her without any sort of brainwashing.
At least it was better than being raised as a tool by his two older half-brothers.
Perhaps there was some scheming in his actions, but he did view the young girl as family.
Seiryu raised his hands in a gesture of temporary surrender, a look of mock innocence on his face. "Alright, alright, Un'yo. No need to get so worked up. We'll talk about it if we ever get to that point, then." He let his gaze linger on the window from which Kaguya was watching them. "However, I've heard that the Sumeragi heir is similar in age to Kaguya..."
The look Un'yo gave him was so intense, so filled with a quiet, lethal warning, that Seiryu's words died in his throat.
He held his brother's gaze for a long moment before letting out a small, quiet sigh.
He was not a fool.
He knew his limits, and he knew that for all their squabbling and plotting, there was a single, unspoken line that his brother would not allow to be crossed.
The two brothers stood in silence for a few more moments, the unsaid words hanging heavy in the air between them. They exchanged a brief staredown and then turned away.
A black car with tinted windows pulled up to the front, and Un'yo got in, the door closing with a soft thud.
Seiryu walked towards a sleek, expensive brown car, his fedora tilted at a jaunty angle.
He got in, and with the sound of the engine starting, the car pulled away. One after another, the two cars drove out of the Shinomiya Estate, leaving only the quiet expanse of the lawn behind.
Kaguya continued to stare at her older brothers as they left the mansion.
Their conversation had been inaudible, just a silent play of gestures and expressions.
But she had seen the shift in her brother Un'yo's posture, the way his hands had clenched, and the cold fury that had flashed in his eyes.
Another sibling fight in the Shinomiya household.
And she knew, with a certainty that chilled her to the bone, that it had been her name on her brother Seiryu's lips.
It was always her.
She was a pawn, a tool, an asset to be used, to be traded, to be sold off to the highest bidder in the grand game of the Shinomiya family.
Her brothers, all three of them at least a dozen years older than her, were constantly vying for their father's position, constantly battling for power within the Shinomiya Zaibatsu.
Her father, Gan'an Shinomiya, a man who seemed to exist only in the abstract, was a distant, unreachable figure.
He had no time for his daughter, no interest in her accomplishments, only in her existence as an asset.
She had been born into this gilded cage, a prisoner in a magnificent mansion, a girl with no voice, no say, no freedom.
She was Kaguya Shinomiya.
The youngest of the four children of the Shinomiya Zaibatsu and the only daughter of Gan'an Shinomiya.
Being born in such a large family like the Shinomiya was not a blessing, but a curse.
She had been raised to be a perfect girl, a perfect pawn.
She was not a daughter, but a tool.
She was taught to excel in everything, such as academics, arts, music, and foreign languages.
Not for her own fulfillment, but to make her a more valuable asset to the family.
Everything she did was to serve the greater purpose of the Shinomiya Zaibatsu.
Her entire life was a performance for an audience of one: her father, who was never impressed, and who was always just out of her reach.
A soft, almost silent voice broke through her thoughts. "Kaguya-sama. Your bath has been prepared."
Kaguya did not turn around.
She knew who it was.
The other girl was a constant presence in her life, a shadow, a confidante, like a sister.
The blonde-haired girl behind her was Ai Hayasaka.
She had been her attendant ever since she was a child.
Hayasaka was the daughter of her godparent and wet nurse, who had served the Shinomiya family for as long as she could remember.
The Hayasaka Family was once prominent, until they lost their conflict to the Shinomiya Family and were absorbed into it due to their fine bloodline.
Hayasaka was a child of a prestigious family, and yet here she was, serving Kaguya.
She was a prisoner too, just like her.
"Hayasaka," Kaguya said, her voice soft, barely a whisper. "Do you think I'll ever be free?"
Hayasaka stayed silent for a bit, a long, quiet pause that stretched between them.
Her face was as emotionless as Kaguya's, a perfect mask that revealed nothing.
Then, her voice was a quiet comfort, a gentle assurance. "I believe that Kaguya-sama will be able to do so one day."
Kaguya smiled.
It was a small, almost imperceptible smile, but it was there.
She knew the difficulty of it all.
She knew how impossible it was.
The Shinomiya Zaibatsu was a tight cage with unbreakable bars.
But hearing Hayasaka say it, hearing her quiet, unwavering belief, made the impossible feel a little less so.
She finally turned around to face her. "Do you truly believe that?" she asked.
Hayasaka's blue eyes met hers, and for a brief, fleeting moment, the mask slipped.
A raw, unwavering sincerity shone in her gaze. "I do."
Kaguya's heart, which had been a cold, hollow space for as long as she could remember, felt a small flicker of warmth.
It was a fragile feeling, one she was not used to, but it was there.
She looked at her attendant, this girl who was both her servant and her closest friend, and she saw not a pawn, but a sister.
"Thank you, Hayasaka," Kaguya said, her voice still quiet. "Thank you for believing in me."
Hayasaka's mask returned, and she gave a small, respectful bow. "It is my duty, Kaguya-sama."
Kaguya shook her head slightly. "No," she said, a new resolve in her voice. "It is more than that."
She looked back at the large window, at the empty space where her brothers had been.
The sun was setting now, casting long, dark shadows across the lawn.
The golden light was beautiful, but it could only ease her heart a little.
She would be free.
One day.
She would break free from the cage, no matter the cost.
She would find her own path, her own voice, her own way in this world.
And by then, she hoped that she would not be alone.
"Let's go, Hayasaka," she said, her voice stronger than before. "The bath is ready. And we have a lot to talk about."
She walked towards the door, and her loyal attendant followed.
Their shadows moved together, two figures, one in front, the other in the back, but their paths were now intertwined.
Two young girls on a quiet, shared path towards an uncertain future.
...
A/N: And with this, the future power struggle of big families has unknowingly started. It's still far into the future, but this will be the plot to bring in the cast of Sakamoto Days.
This is also the chapter to introduce the first series to have more than one potential love interest. And yes, Kaguya Shinomiya and Ai Hayasaka. And maybe even...? Stay tuned.
...
POWER STONE GOAL - 1 EXTRA CHAPTER WHEN REACHED:
50 POWER STONES (✔)
100 POWER STONES (✔)
150 POWER STONES (X)
200 POWER STONES (X)
250 POWER STONES (X)
300 POWER STONES (X)
350 POWER STONES (X)
400 POWER STONES (X)
450 POWER STONES (X)
500 POWER STONES (X)