The stars burned.
Not with warmth, but with the cold brilliance of war. Endless fleets clashed in silence across the void, explosions scattering light brighter than suns. And at the heart of it all stood him, taller, older, a man cloaked in regal armor that shimmered like obsidian fire.
Kaidō.
Crowned King of the Stars.
His blade carved through metal, through space itself, each strike heavy with purpose. His enemies were countless, yet none could touch him. Worlds trembled at his name.
And yet, his eyes carried sorrow.
In the fragments of the dream, Kaito saw him sitting on a throne that towered above galaxies. He saw legions kneel, saw planets bow in fear and reverence. And beside the throne, a shadow of someone dear… a woman's face he couldn't see clearly, blurred by the haze of memory.
Her voice reached him through the storm of battle: "Ka…ido…"
But then the stars cracked. The throne shattered. Fire. Betrayal. Screams of countless lives ending all at once. And his own right hand, burning, torn, marked forever by a scar that no healer could erase.
The dream bled away in silence.
Kaito's eyes opened to the dim ceiling of his room. His chest rose sharply, as if he'd been holding his breath for centuries. His right hand throbbed with a phantom pain, and he realized, he'd been clutching it in his sleep again.
Morning light filtered through the curtains. The house was alive with familiar noise: Riko already rushing to finish breakfast before school, Mikan scolding her for dropping rice all over the table, and Ringo humming in the kitchen as Saibai grumbled about deadlines.
Normal. Loud. Messy.
But Kaito sat in silence, staring at his hand. The dream still lingered, as vivid as if it had been real.
"…Kaidō," he whispered to himself, though the name felt strange on his tongue.
He didn't know why he knew it. Didn't know why it filled him with both power and grief. But when he tried to hold onto the images, they slipped away, like stars fading at dawn.
Shaking off the heaviness, he stood, sliding open his door. His reflection in the hallway mirror caught his eye for a moment, no longer a strange baby or quiet child.
Now, he was fifteen. His build lean but strong, his face sharp, unreadable, his presence enough to make neighbors step aside without realizing why.
"Kaito-nii!" Riko's voice snapped him out of thought. She appeared at the end of the hall, already in her uniform, cheeks puffed from chewing bread. "Hurry up! We'll be late!"
Mikan poked her head out from behind Riko, tying her hair with practiced speed. "You can't keep spacing out in the mornings, Kaito. High school waits for no one."
Kaito's gaze softened, just a little. He nodded once, quietly stepping past them.
Outside, the sky was clear, washed clean from last night's rain. The storm that once delivered him to this house felt like a memory from another world.
And maybe it was.
As he walked with his sisters toward the start of a new life, the words of his dream clung to him still:
King. Fire. Loss.
But above all: Ka…ido.
He didn't understand it. But he knew this much: Whatever it was, it would not stay buried forever.
Morning sunlight filtered through the classroom windows, throwing golden light across desks still etched with years of graffiti and pen marks. The chatter of teenagers filled the air, familiar, overwhelming, alive.
Kaito sat by the window, chin propped against his hand, staring at the campus courtyard beyond. The world outside felt distant, almost muted, as though a sheet of glass separated him from everyone else.
Beside him, Riko leaned over her notebook, doodling little stars instead of paying attention to the homeroom chatter. Unlike Kaito, she radiated energy, the kind of brightness that pulled others in.
It wasn't long before their classmates began circling around.
"Good morning, Riko-chan, Kaito-kun!"
The voice was warm, practiced, graceful. Takane Takamine, their class idol, stepped up to their desk with a smile that seemed to shine of its own accord. Her long hair swayed as she placed a neat stack of textbooks down, posture perfect.
Kaito gave a slight nod. Riko beamed back.
Takane was always polite, always kind, the kind of girl who helped carry bags for others and volunteered for classroom chores before anyone else could. Her presence had the same effect as a breeze on a hot day, refreshing, impossible to dislike.
Still, when her eyes lingered a second too long on Kaito before she turned away, Riko noticed.
"Riko, Kaito... hey!"
Haruna Sairenji appeared next, her smile more genuine, less polished than Takane's, but every bit as comforting. With her blue hair tied back neatly, she carried herself with quiet responsibility.
She'd known the twins since junior high—one of the few steady presences in their lives. To Riko, she was like a dependable sister. To Kaito… Haruna's heart squeezed whenever she looked at him, though she told herself over and over that he'd never return the feeling.
She smoothed her skirt nervously and sat down beside them, ignoring how her pulse quickened when Kaito's unreadable gaze briefly met hers.
"Harunaaa, what are you looking so stiff for? Relax... it's homeroom, not an interview."
A new voice cut in, dripping with amusement. Momioka Risa, Haruna's mischievous best friend, sauntered over, one hand already reaching to poke Riko in the side.
"Eep!" Riko jumped, laughing.
Risa smirked. "So easy. You're way too pure, Riko-chan. I bet your brother has to save you ten times a day."
"D-Don't say stuff like that!" Riko protested, cheeks red.
Risa leaned close to whisper something entirely inappropriate in Riko's ear, making the poor girl flail, while Haruna smacked Risa's arm in scolding but half-laughing exasperation.
Kaito didn't react outwardly, but his gaze sharpened, as if silently deciding how far Risa could push before he stepped in.
The door slammed open.
"Will you people please show some dignity?!"
Kotegawa Yui stormed into the room, her expression already twisted in frustration. With arms crossed, she scanned the scene: Risa teasing Riko, Haruna looking flustered, Takane trying to politely intervene, and Kaito sitting aloof as ever.
"You're supposed to be first-years now, not children in a playground!" she scolded.
Predictably, Risa immediately wrapped an arm around her waist. "Aw, Yui-chan, don't be so stiff. Want me to help you loosen up?"
Yui shrieked, slapped her away, and turned beet red when she realized the position she'd ended up in, her skirt riding higher than intended, her blouse slipping just enough to expose skin. Her glare swept across the room, only to find Kaito watching calmly, his gaze unreadable.
Her heart jumped, but she masked it with another loud huff.
"Yo, Kaito! Riko! Ladies~!"
The booming voice of Saruyama Kenichi filled the classroom as he dropped his bag on a desk and threw himself into the conversation uninvited. Loud, openly perverted, his grin made his intentions plain as his eyes darted between Takane, Haruna, Risa, and even Yui.
"Man, it's like I've hit the jackpot... so many hotties in one class. Guess this year's gonna be awesome! Haha!"
Riko groaned. "Kenichi, you're so embarrassing…"
"Don't knock it, Riko! A guy's gotta dream big!" he declared, earning a round of exasperated sighs from the girls.
But even as everyone rolled their eyes, nobody could entirely dislike him. He was harmless in the way only a fool could be.
The classroom settled into its usual rhythm: chatter buzzing, desks squeaking, the morning light shifting across the floor.
Riko, restless as always, stretched her arms behind her head with a yawn. "Man, I can't wait for lunch already…"
"Don't say things like that before first period," Haruna chided softly. "You'll make the teacher mad again."
"Eh, it's fine," Riko grinned. But as she leaned back, the leg of her chair caught on the uneven floor tile.
"W-Whoa!"
The world seemed to slow in that instant. Riko lurched forward, her chair tipping dangerously. Her hands reached out blindly for balance, straight in the direction of Kotegawa Yui, who had just bent down to retrieve a dropped pen.
The angle was cruel. One wrong second, and Yui's blouse and skirt would have ridden up in front of half the class.
"Not again...!" Yui gasped.
But Kaito was already moving. His hand shot out with uncanny precision, gripping Riko's wrist and pulling her sideways at the exact angle to redirect her fall. With his other hand, he smoothly tugged the edge of Yui's skirt back into place before anyone caught more than a hint of what almost happened.
The class blinked. To them, it looked like Kaito had simply reacted with reflexes far sharper than normal. To Yui and Riko, it was much more.
Riko ended up sprawled safely against Kaito's side, blinking up at him."O-nii… you saved me again…" she whispered, cheeks pink.
Yui, red from head to toe, clutched her blouse with trembling fingers."Y-you...! D-do you have any idea what...?! Ugh, th-this always...!" She stomped her foot, flustered beyond words, then froze when she realized Kaito's steady gaze was on her.
He wasn't smirking. He wasn't flustered. He was calm, collected, as if he'd been expecting it from the start. Somehow, that only made Yui's face burn hotter.
Haruna hurried forward, kneeling beside Riko. "Are you okay? You didn't hit your head, did you?" Her voice was worried, gentle, though her eyes flicked nervously toward Kaito.
Riko waved her hands. "I-I'm fine! Really! It's just… um… thanks to Onii." She looked up at her brother with a mix of admiration and embarrassment.
Behind them, Risa burst out laughing."Pfft...! Priceless! Riko-chan, you almost pantsed Yui-chan in front of everyone!"
"R-Risa!!" Yui shouted, mortified.
Takane quickly tried to smooth things over, offering Yui a handkerchief she didn't need, her smile strained. Saruyama, meanwhile, looked like he was watching the best live drama of his life.
Kaito exhaled quietly, releasing Riko's wrist at last. For him, this wasn't unusual. These accidents happened far too often around his sister, so often that stepping in before disaster struck had become instinct.
He could already feel it: this was only the first of many such "chains" to come.
And right on cue, the chaos continued.
While Yui fumed and Riko clung to her brother's sleeve, Risa leaned in with a sly grin, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Aw, Haruna-chan, you look so tense. Let me help~"
Her hands darted before anyone could stop her, cupping Haruna's chest with a playful squeeze.
"Kyaa!! R-Risa!!" Haruna squealed, jerking upright in shock.
Her elbow swung out wildly, smacking straight into Kaito's arm. He staggered half a step, which sent Riko tipping again against his chest.
"Ahh... Onii!" Riko gasped, hugging tighter for balance.
To the watching classmates, it looked like Haruna had just flung herself into Kaito's side while his sister clung to him like a lover.
A stunned silence rippled through the room.
"K-Kaito-kun!! I-I didn't...!" Haruna stammered, her face crimson as she scrambled to steady herself. Her hand, by pure accident, landed right on Kaito's thigh under the desk.
The sound of a dropped pencil echoed.
Every eye in class zeroed in.
"K-Kotegawa-san, it's not what...!" Haruna tried to explain, but her words tripped over themselves.
"U-unbelievable!!" Yui shrieked, her voice at maximum volume. Her entire face was red, her hands balled into fists. "W-we're still in class! Have you no shame?!"
Kaito sighed inwardly. This was precisely why he tried to interfere early. He reached out, calmly placing a steadying hand on Haruna's shoulder."Relax. It was just an accident."
His voice, low and collected, cut through the storm like a blade. For a moment, Haruna froze under his touch, her heart pounding as though he'd whispered something far more intimate.
Riko, still pressed against him, pouted. "Geez, Onii, you make it sound like she wanted to fall into you…"
"R-Riko!!" Haruna yelped.
Meanwhile, Risa, utterly delighted, was doubled over in laughter."Oh my god, this is gold! Riko trips, Yui almost flashes everyone, Haruna grabs Kaito's thigh, this is like something out of a soap opera! Do it again, do it again~!"
Even Takane had to cover her mouth to keep from smiling, though her eyes darted toward Kaito with something more thoughtful than amusement.
And in the back of the room, Saruyama clenched his fists dramatically."Damn it! Kaito, why does this stuff always happen to you and not me?!"
The teacher's arrival finally broke the madness, clearing throats and snapping at everyone to sit down. But as the class filed into order, whispers buzzed like static in the air.
Kaito sat back, his expression unreadable as Riko leaned close to him with a mischievous grin."You know, Onii," she whispered just for him, "I think Haruna-senpai's heart skipped more than one beat back there…"
Kaito didn't answer. He only glanced sideways at Haruna, who was burying her face in her notebook, ears still burning red.
Yes. This was only the beginning.
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:)