The spring air on campus carried the scent of fresh leaves and distant sakura, but it did little to ease the tension humming just beneath the surface of Hina's third and last year in college.
Her days were filled with lectures, group projects, and occasional glances across campus at Yuto, whose law faculty schedule barely lined up with hers anymore. Still, they carved out moments, shared coffee under trees, quiet dinners when he wasn't attending meetings with her father.
Hina rounded a corner near the humanities block, flipping through her notes, when she abruptly collided with someone.
Her papers scattered.
"Ah—sorry—" she started, kneeling quickly to gather them.
A slow, familiar voice interrupted her. "No need to apologize, princess. Been a while, huh?"
Reiki.
She froze for a heartbeat, then looked up to see him crouched across from her, already picking up one of her pages. His smile was sharp, too calm.
Hina straightened without taking her eyes off him.
"Don't call me that," she said flatly.
He stood slowly and handed over her notes, gaze flicking over her face like he was reading something no one else could see.
"I've been meaning to catch up," he said smoothly. "You've been hard to find these days. Guess that's what happens when the Kazama name starts moving in the dark."
Her expression didn't change.
Reiki took a step closer. "My family's been bleeding deals, contacts, assets. All disappearing. Quiet. Clean. Surgical. And we both know who's pulling the strings."
"Talk to my father," Hina replied coldly. "Not me."
"Oh, I would," he said with a smirk. "But he's not nearly as fun to look at."
Her jaw clenched.
"You walk around like you're above it all. Playing the quiet, perfect girl. Still untouched, right?" He cocked his head. "Tell me, Hina, are you still a virgin?"
Her heart thudded hard in her chest.
"Yuto's a patient man, isn't he?" he continued, eyes glinting.
Before she could answer or move, he leaned closer, breath brushing her ear.
"Because if you ever need someone to help you figure out what you're missing," he murmured, "I'd be happy to satisfy those… princess needs."
She stepped back sharply, disgust flaring in her eyes. "You're disgusting."
Reiki chuckled, unbothered. "Just honest."
He slid his hands into his pockets, then added with mock casualness, "You and Yuto look cute. Real cute. But I have to wonder, how do you know it's real?"
"Watch your mouth," Hina said coldly.
Reiki tilted his head, amused. "I'm just asking the questions others are too polite to. Don't you ever wonder? How do you know Yuto isn't after what you represent? Kazama's future. All that power."
Hina's eyes narrowed. "I don't have to prove his love to anyone. Least of all, you."
That made him pause only for a beat. Then he laughed and took a few steps back, as if satisfied.
"Just don't forget," he said, still smiling, "when people want something bad enough, they'll wear any mask to get it. Even love."
Then he turned and walked off, whistling softly as if none of it had ever happened.
Her grip on her folder was tight. And her heart was burning.
Hina kept her expression steady for the rest of the afternoon. On the outside, she was calm.
But inside, Reiki's words echoed like rot beneath the floorboards.
Are you still a virgin? How do you know he's not after your family's power?
The questions festered long after she left campus, long after she had returned to the estate and slipped quietly into her room.
She didn't tell Yuto. Not because she didn't trust him but because Reiki's poison had worked, even if only slightly. It wasn't about doubting Yuto.
It was about doubting herself.
And when someone finally knocked gently on her door that evening, it was Emi.
"Hina?" her mother called softly.
Hina opened the door just wide enough to reveal her face. One look, and Emi stepped inside without another word.
They sat in quiet on the edge of Hina's bed. The lamp beside them cast a soft golden halo over their shadows.
"He cornered me," Hina said finally, her voice barely a whisper.
"Reiki?"
She nodded.
Emi's expression tightened.
"He knows Kazama's behind his family's downfall," Hina continued. "And he said things… twisted things. About me. About Yuto. About whether I'm still—"
She stopped, the words choking.
Emi placed a warm hand over hers. "He tried to shake you."
Hina's eyes glistened. "He made it sound like Yuto only wants me because of the Kazama name. That everything we have is just… convenience. Access to power."
"Do you believe that?"
"No," Hina whispered quickly. "But it still got to me."
Emi didn't speak right away. She gently tucked a strand of hair behind Hina's ear.
"Sweetheart, when someone can't touch your light, they'll try to stain it. Reiki knows he's losing. That's why he's trying to make you doubt what you've built."
"I just… I didn't expect to feel this ugly afterward."
"You're not ugly," Emi said gently. "You're hurt. And being hurt doesn't make you weak. It makes you human."
Hina let her head rest briefly on her mother's shoulder. "How did you get so good at this?"
"I married your father," Emi said dryly. "You learn fast or you drown."
That earned a small, grateful smile from Hina.
"Talk to Yuto," Emi added. "Don't let shadows fester where light belongs."
Later that evening, Hina stepped out into the garden. Yuto was already there, standing by the koi pond. He turned the moment he sensed her.
"Hina?"
She walked toward him slowly.
"You didn't text," he said gently. "I knew something was wrong."
"I'm sorry."
He shook his head. "Don't be. Just… talk to me."
She stood in front of him, eyes searching his face.
"Reiki cornered me today," she said. "He said awful things. He wanted me to question you and us. And even though I know none of it's true, it still hurt."
Yuto's jaw tightened. "What did he say?"
She hesitated, then said softly, "He said… how could I be sure you weren't just after the Kazama name. The power."
The silence between them was sharp.
Then Yuto stepped forward, his hand lifting to her cheek.
"I chose you before I even knew what that name meant," he said quietly. "You were the girl who climbed trees barefoot and stole my pudding. I loved you before I understood what power was."
She smiled faintly and tearfully. "He also asked if I was still a virgin."
Yuto's brows lifted. "He said that?"
She nodded.
A flicker of fury passed through Yuto's eyes, but he didn't explode. He just held her closer, his forehead resting against hers.
"You don't owe him or anyone your answers," he murmured. "But if anyone ever touches you like that again, even with words, I won't hold back."
"I know."
"I love you," he whispered. "Not Kazama's future. Not the name. You."
She nodded, tears spilling quietly down her cheeks.
"And I love you," she breathed.
Hina remained in Yuto's arms, forehead still resting against his. He didn't rush her. He didn't ask again. He just held her.
"I told myself I wouldn't cry," she murmured.
"You can cry with me," Yuto whispered. "You don't have to wear armor when I'm here."
That was all it took.
She sank into him then, completely wrapping her arms around his waist as his hand gently stroked her hair. There was no shame in her tears now. Only the quiet release of fear she hadn't admitted even to herself.
After a while, she spoke again, her voice hoarse but steady. "Reiki said I was pretending to be innocent… when really, I was born into the shadows. That I couldn't fake light forever."
Yuto pulled back just enough to look into her eyes.
"You don't have to fake anything," he said. "You are light. You've always been. Even if you walk through shadows, it doesn't change who you are."
Her throat tightened again, but this time it wasn't from pain, it was from how deeply he saw her.
"I'm going to keep walking forward," she said quietly. "No matter what anyone says. No matter what I have to face."
Yuto nodded. "And I'll be beside you. Always."
They stood there for a long time beneath the sky, her hands curled into the fabric of his shirt, his lips brushing her temple.
And when she finally pulled back, her eyes were clear again.
Later that night, as Hina lay curled in bed, her phone buzzed once on the nightstand.
Yuto:Sleep well, Hina. You're braver than you think.
She stared at the message for a moment, then placed the phone on her chest, her fingers resting gently over her heart.