Chapter Text
Only a few days remained before Rui Kamishiro’s arrival — before the story Tsukasa thought he knew would unfold. Yet already, the Tenma household was unraveling
Before Akito could strike Tsukasa to bring him back to his senses, the guard returned to the room, and at that same moment, Tsukasa was unceremoniously dropped to the floor.
After that arrogant prince had departed, Tsukasa believed that peace would return — that life would fall back into its predictable rhythm. Perhaps it was fate’s way of reminding him that destiny could not be altered.
He was wrong.
He could not change his role, but he could twist the narrative.
Apparently, when the “prince” got back to the capital, he told everyone that Tsukasa Tenma — the next heir to the Tenma family — was attracted to men.
And as if that wasn’t enough, he announced that Tsukasa had fallen madly in love with him!
Everything was even more ruined than before.
Because of that stupid rumor, Tsukasa had to meet the old Tsukasas parents — who, unsurprisingly, weren’t thrilled to hear their beloved son was supposedly gay.
During that meeting, he also met the younger sister — who, unlike her brother, was actually a sweetheart. She swore that if Tsukasa ever had a lover, or even thought about having one, he should tell her immediately, and she’d help him however she could.
Now Tsukasa was lying on his bed, frowning at the disaster he’d created.
If only he’d stopped when that dumb idea first came to mind… if only he’d just lived the lazy, comfortable life of the original Tsukasa Tenma.
He sighed, frowned again, and finally got up.
He’d been lying around all day anyway.
He picked the most modest outfit he could find and threw on a hooded cape to hide himself.
He hadn’t expected the rumors to spread so far — but wherever he turned, people were whispering. Whether he looked right or left, he was met with gossip. It was all his fault. If only he’d kept his mouth shut, none of this would’ve happened.
Lost in thought, he suddenly felt someone slam into him at full speed, pushing him slightly off balance.
Startled, Tsukasa grabbed the person’s arm and yanked them to a stop.
The man turned around immediately, his expression dark and irritated.
Tsukasa froze. If he dropped his act, he’d be done for. So instead, he tightened his grip, trying to look intimidating.
The man scoffed, raising an eyebrow. He wore a hooded cape like Tsukasa’s, but his face was visible — sharp features, cold yellow eyes that gleamed like a cat’s.
“...What?” he said, his voice deep and a little cracked.
Tsukasa tried to sound confident, but his voice came out trembling.
“I-I-I… YOU PUSHED ME!”
He quickly released the man’s arm and hid his face in his hands, mortified.
He couldn’t believe it. The man looked like a wanted criminal, and he’d just yelled at him!
Not to mention — the guy was much taller than him. Sure, he didn’t look particularly strong, but the height difference alone was intimidating.
The man stared at him, unmoving. His eyes were unreadable.
“...Oh. Sorry,” he said flatly.
Tsukasa peeked out from his hands, meeting that icy gaze. Was he actually sorry? Or was he just mocking him? He couldn’t tell.
They stared at each other for a long moment before Tsukasa slowly backed away and hurried off.
After that awkward encounter, he ran all the way home, red-faced with embarrassment.
Once back inside, he hung up his cape and collapsed into an armchair, reflecting on his poor life choices.
But before he could fully process the situation, a loud thud echoed from downstairs.
Tsukasa shot to his feet and rushed down the stairs — only to find every guard and maid lying unconscious on the floor.
And standing in front of the main entrance was the same strange man from earlier.
Tsukasa’s eyes widened, his body trembling. His voice came out in a whisper.
“Who… are you?"
The man lifted his head slightly, as if he’d heard the words perfectly, and pulled down his hood — revealing his face.
It was none other than Kamishiro Rui — the protagonist. The man who was supposed to take his head.
Before Tsukasa could react, Rui was suddenly in front of him, a blade made of mana hovering dangerously close to his neck.
“I’m Rui Kamishiro,” he said coldly. “And you must be Tsukasa Tenma. I came here to make a deal.”
Every instinct in Tsukasa screamed that something was wrong.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen.
Rui was supposed to arrive in a few days, disguised as one of the servants. He should’ve locked Tsukasa in a room, introduced himself, and asked for his support.
Giving supplies and a few guards to a person meant nothing to Tsukasa — but in the original story, he refused and humiliated Rui, forcing him to resort to threats of life and death.
But this? None of this was in the script.
And just when Tsukasa thought things couldn’t get worse — here he was.