(Scene: A Quiet Evening)
It was supposed to be an ordinary day.
Class ended, the sky burned orange with sunset, and the streets were empty — just the way I liked it.
No noisy crowds.
No bothersome classmates trying to "get to know me."
Just the peaceful click of my boots on the sidewalk, heading home to my tiny, blissfully quiet apartment.
Ren Arisaka. Age: 18. Hobby: Mindin' my own damn business.
That was the life.
Or so I thought.
Until she came crashing into it — quite literally.
Thud!
Something slammed into my chest.
I stumbled back, almost dropping the convenience store bag in my hand.
Blonde hair — no, practically golden hair — shimmered before my eyes as a girl clung desperately to my jacket. "Please hide me!" she gasped. ...Huh? (Scene: Trouble Approaches)
Before I could react, heavy footsteps echoed down the street.
I turned my head and spotted them — three men, built like bouncers, wearing cheap suits and mean expressions.
They were scanning the area, looking for someone.
Her.
The girl's fingers tightened around my sleeve. Her violet eyes — wide and desperate — stared up at me.
My instincts screamed: Walk away. Not your problem. Don't get involved. ...
I sighed, shoved my bag into her arms, and grabbed her wrist. "This way," I muttered. (Scene: Fight Breaks Out)
We ducked into a nearby alleyway.
Or, at least, that was the plan — until one of the thugs spotted us at the last second. "Hey! Over there!"
Two of them broke into a run toward us. "Tch," I clicked my tongue.
The girl — whoever she was — cowered behind me.
I couldn't exactly leave her to get snatched right in front of me.
One of the men lunged.
Big mistake.
I stepped forward, shifted my weight, and used his own momentum against him — flipping him clean over my shoulder onto the asphalt.
He landed with a grunt, rolling onto his side, dazed.
The second one growled and threw a punch.
I slipped to the side easily, his fist whiffing past my ear. "You little—!"
Before he could recover, I drove my elbow into his gut.
The thug doubled over with a strangled gasp.
I grabbed his jacket, twisted, and slammed him into the wall of the alley with a satisfying thud.
Both men groaned on the ground.
I blew out a slow breath, feeling a small twinge in my shoulder. (Guess I was a little out of practice.)
(Scene: Aftermath)
The third man, seeing his buddies taken out so easily, hesitated — then decided he had better places to be.
He bolted down the street, disappearing into the evening shadows.
Good.
I turned back to the girl.
She was staring at me with stars practically exploding in her eyes. "...What," I said flatly.
Her hands clapped together in front of her chest like she was praying to some kind of hero god. "You're amazing!" she breathed.
I groaned internally.
(Scene: In Hiding)
Dragging her by the wrist again, I pulled us deeper into the alley.
We crouched behind a dumpster, both breathing heavily.
The men didn't come back.
I peeked out — the coast was clear.
Finally.
I pulled away from her and dusted off my hoodie. "You're safe now," I said. "Go home."
But instead of running, she looked at me — straight into my eyes — and smiled like the sun breaking through storm clouds. "Found you at last, my destined hero."
I blinked. "...Huh?" (Scene: Destiny Declared)
Before I could even begin to untangle the weirdness of that sentence, she curtsied — actually curtsied — right there among the garbage bins. "I am Lilia Estelle, Princess of Arcelis. By royal decree, you have saved my life. Therefore, you are now bound to me by fate."
I stared at her.
She stared back.
The world tilted slightly on its axis. ...What