Tōriku International College gleamed under the late-morning sun, its glass towers cutting the sky like knives. Students in designer uniforms flooded the courtyards, laughing, posing, pretending. The perfect facade of a perfect society.
But Hiroshi Kurogane saw the cracks.
Beneath the fake smiles and polite bows lurked ambition, envy, and fear.
This wasn't a school.
It was a battlefield.
He moved through the crowd unnoticed, head low, steps quiet. Just another shadow in a city full of them.
Ahead, Yuki Kurogane—the empire's face—walked like a storm in human form. Her silver hair caught the light. Her cold gaze scattered the weak. Every step she took was deliberate, calculated, queenly.
Every move she made... was orchestrated.
Hiroshi didn't need to tell her anymore.
She understood the game now.
Be the star. Shine so brightly that no one noticed the puppeteer in the dark.
But every rising star draws attention.
And danger.
---
Target One: Arata Shinjiro.
Third-year student. Son of the Shinjiro Heavy Industries CEO. Rich, connected, ruthless. Beneath his carefully styled smile was the stink of old blood and dirty deals.
Hiroshi watched from a distance as Arata approached Yuki in the courtyard, a rare blue bouquet cradled in his hands. Students paused, sensing drama. Cameras rose like weapons.
"Lady Kurogane," Arata said smoothly, bowing low. "It would be my greatest honor to escort you to the Winter Gala."
He presented the flowers with a grin that screamed money and entitlement.
Yuki stared at him for exactly two seconds.
Then, without a word, she crushed the bouquet under her heel.
Crunch.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Yuki's voice cut the air like a blade. "I don't accept weeds."
Arata's mask cracked for half a heartbeat. His lips twitched. His eyes darkened.
But pride forced a tight smile back onto his face.
He bowed stiffly, then melted into the crowd, humiliated.
The students buzzed with whispers. Alliances shifted. Fear took root.
Message sent.
Hiroshi leaned against a tree, watching, amused.
A single move, and the hierarchy of the school had tilted.
But not all enemies were foolish enough to show their teeth.
---
Target Two: Aika Moroboshi.
Daughter of Moroboshi Tech Conglomerate. Smarter than most. Sharper than most. And more dangerous.
Aika didn't approach Yuki with flowers or smiles. She watched. Calculated. And when classes ended, she slipped away from the crowd, moving with a purpose.
Hiroshi followed her silently.
Through the side gates. Across the empty train station. Down into the abandoned magrail tunnels—the veins of the old city, forgotten but not dead.
The tunnels were damp, the air thick with mildew and secrets.
Aika wasn't alone.
Hiroshi stayed in the shadows, listening.
Two figures met her, faces hidden under hoods.
Their voices murmured through the dark.
"Project ECLIPSE is accelerating. The Board wants results before the fiscal cycle ends."
"What about the Kurogane girl?" Aika asked sharply.
"She's a threat to the balance. If her empire rises, others will fall."
"Then we crush it."
A pause.
"Not yet," Aika said. "Someone's moving behind her. I want to know who."
Her next words cut like a scalpel.
"Find the ghost."
---
The rain outside the tunnel mouth trickled down the cracked concrete. Hiroshi tilted his head slightly, a small smile playing on his lips.
The ghost, huh?
They were smarter than he thought. Cautious. Patient.
Good.
He was tired of hunting insects.
It was time to hunt wolves.
And wolves...
bled just like anyone else.
He slid the reinforced chopsticks into his sleeve and melted back into the night.
The game had truly begun.