The final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. The Kaisers gathered their things and left together. As they arrived home, Yuki, the family's trusted butler, opened the door for them. Before Kaiser could even take a step inside, Hana came rushing toward him, throwing her arms around his waist in a tight hug.
"Welcome home, big brother!" she said with a bright smile.
Kaiser blinked, momentarily surprised by her enthusiasm, then placed a gentle hand on her head. "Thanks, Hana. I'm home."
Despite the warmth of the moment, something felt off. Kaiser glanced at his siblings, noticing the same confusion in their eyes. It wasn't unusual for Hana to greet them, but she and Sora were always the last to arrive home. Their school schedules and pickup route made it so.
Sakura frowned, her voice laced with concern. "Hana, why are you home early? Where's Sora?"
Hana pulled away slightly, tilting her head. "I don't know. He just told the driver not to pick him up."
The room fell into an uneasy silence.
"What do you mean, 'he told the driver not to pick him up'?" Sakura pressed.
Hinata quickly took out her phone, dialing the driver's number. The call connected within seconds.
"Where's Sora?" Hinata asked, her voice carrying a hint of urgency.
The driver hesitated before answering. "Master Sora told me not to pick him up. He said he had business to take care of."
"Business?" Rika repeated, confused. "What business?"
The driver exhaled, as if reluctant to speak further. "He said… he was going to take revenge."
The room tensed instantly. Rika's breath caught in her throat.
"Revenge?" Kaiser asked, his tone sharp. "On who?"
The driver hesitated again before replying, "The girls who bullied Miss Rika."
Rika's heart pounded. "Why would he do that?"
Kaiser sighed, his expression darkening. "Because the day you were bullied, Sora was there. He didn't stop it… not because he was afraid, but because he was waiting. Waiting for the right moment to make them pay."
Rika's mind reeled. She knew Sora could be intense, but this? This was beyond anything she expected.
She exhaled sharply, shaking her head. "Man, that boy is difficult."
Jin let out a small chuckle. "That's Sora for you."
Despite the tension, the group shared a brief, nervous laugh before dispersing into their rooms, but unease lingered in the air.
---
**Elsewhere…**
Sora watched silently from the shadows as two girls walked home, completely unaware that their fates had already been sealed. His knights flanked him, awaiting his orders.
"They're about to split up," one of them observed.
Sora's crimson eyes gleamed. "Take them. Bring them to the place where they tormented Rika."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Within moments, the girls were seized and dragged to the very alley where they had humiliated Rika. They struggled, trying to scream, but fear choked their voices. Sora stood with his back to them, exuding an aura of cold dominance.
"Scream, and you die," he stated flatly.
Their breaths hitched. Silence fell.
Slowly, Sora turned to face them, his crimson eyes glowing under the dim streetlights.
"Your names?" he asked calmly.
They hesitated, but when Sora's gaze darkened, one of them—her voice trembling—answered.
"H-Hikari..."
The other, the one who had been obsessed with Kaiser, swallowed hard. "A-Akane…"
Sora nodded, as if engraving their names into his mind. "I have a question for you both. Today, when you saw Rika, what did you think of her? How did you feel?"
Neither of them answered.
A knight seized Akane by the hair, pressing a sword close to her neck. "A prince is talking to you. Answer quickly."
Akane's breath came out in shallow gasps. "S-she was… s-she was… beautiful."
Sora tilted his head, an eerie smile curling his lips. "Beautiful, yes? Then clap for yourself."
Akane blinked. "H-huh?"
His voice was steel. "Did I stutter? Clap for yourself."
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she hesitantly clapped.
Sora let out a soft, menacing chuckle before his gaze turned ice-cold once more. "Now… fight each other."
The girls stiffened. "W-what?"
His voice carried undeniable authority. "Fight. Until I say stop."
Their bodies moved against their will. Fear twisted their features as they clawed, slapped, and struck each other with increasing brutality. Wounds formed. Blood dripped. Tears mixed with dirt. Yet, they couldn't stop.
Minutes stretched like eternity before Sora finally commanded, "Enough."
They snapped out of their trance, collapsing to the ground in a sobbing mess.
Hikari trembled. "Why… why are you doing this? Just for one dirty girl?"
Sora's expression darkened instantly.
"Dirty?" he repeated, his tone frigid. "Then let's see how clean you are."
He pulled out a pair of scissors from his bag and handed them to Hikari, leaning in close to whisper in her ear. "Do exactly what you did to Rika… to Akane."
Hikari's eyes widened in horror. "No… I can't! Please!"
Sora's smile was cruel. "You have no choice."
She dropped to her knees, clinging to his leg. "Mercy, please!"
With a look of pure disgust, he kicked her away. Gripping her chin, he forced her to meet his gaze. "Do it."
A chilling silence fell before Hikari's trembling hands took the scissors. Akane's pleading screams filled the air as Hikari, under Sora's control, began her gruesome task.
The knights didn't turn away. Sora didn't either.
When it was done, Akane lay nearly unconscious, her uniform in tatters, her body bruised beyond recognition.
Hikari gasped, dropping the scissors. Realization crashed into her like a tidal wave. "Y-you're a devil!"
Sora remained unfazed. "Then let me give you a devil's command."
His eyes gleamed as he whispered, "Blind her left eye."
Hikari shook her head violently. "N-no… please—"
"Now."
With a broken sob, Hikari drove the scissors into Akane's left eye. The scream that followed echoed through the night.
And then, without warning, Sora turned, driving the blade into Hikari's right eye.
Their agonized cries filled the alley as they writhed on the ground, barely clinging to life. Sora took a few steps away, pausing only for a moment.
"Their names aren't worth remembering," he murmured before erasing them from his memory and walking away into the night.