Naoto Hayashi opened his eyes to the faint morning light spilling through the tall windows of his new room. The ceilings loomed higher than any he'd known, the curtains looked too expensive to touch, and the silence was too heavy to be comforting. Everything about the Hayato mansion screamed opulence—yet none of it felt like home.
He sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The events of the previous day still felt surreal. A strange home. A stranger's rules. And a stranger's daughter who didn't want him there.
It was summer vacation—technically a break from their final year of high school. But for Naoto and Rika, this wasn't the kind of break that brought peace.
Meanwhile, across the hall, Rika Hayato lay in bed, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. She'd been awake for a while now, her arms folded behind her head, frustration burning in her chest.
"A tutor?" she muttered to herself, voice sharp and bitter. "Living here? Dad has lost it."
She threw the blanket off her legs and stormed out of bed, each step pounding with defiance. She wasn't going to play along with this ridiculous arrangement.
Breakfast Showdown
The breakfast table stretched long enough to seat twenty, but only three chairs were occupied. Naoto sat at one end, quiet and composed. He could feel the tension thickening the air like fog. Across from him, Rika sat with her back straight and her eyes locked on her phone, ignoring his existence with practiced ease.
The clinking of cutlery was the only sound for a while—until Mr. Hayato entered the room. Dressed impeccably in a gray suit, he looked every bit the powerful businessman the world knew him to be.
"Rika," he said calmly, settling into his seat, "I expect you to cooperate."
She didn't look up. "You expect me to live with some random guy and listen to him like I'm some helpless little girl?" She set her fork down with a loud clatter. "Are you serious?"
Naoto kept his gaze lowered, already familiar with resentment. He didn't take it personally—he couldn't afford to.
"This is not up for discussion," Mr. Hayato replied, his tone now steely.
Rika finally looked up—not at her father, but at Naoto. Her eyes were sharp, narrowed with blame. To her, he was the problem. The stranger her father had chosen over her opinion. The intruder now living in her home. To be continue.....
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