"Exactly!" Kazuko Kato shrieked, her voice shrill and mean. "From now on, this house... and everything your parents left behind... belongs to us! If you behave, we might give you a little allowance every month. Otherwise… hmph!"
Court… summons? Guardianship?
Megumi Kato's mind went blank for a moment.
How could it have happened so fast?
Didn't they just say yesterday they were going to look for a lawyer?
That fake-smiling man cleared his throat and spoke in a falsely polite tone. "Megumi Kato-san, hello. I'm Lawyer Tanaka."
"According to current Japanese law, when a minor loses both parents, they must have a legal guardian."
"Your uncle and aunt are your most suitable... and only... candidates. The judge will agree with us."
Hearing that, Megumi felt both shocked and furious.
But she forced herself to stay calm.
She knew... especially at times like this... panic was the worst thing she could do.
"I'm not opening the door," she said firmly through it, her tone even stronger than yesterday's. "As for guardianship, we'll wait for the court's verdict."
"You little brat! You're really asking for it!" her uncle, Jirou Kato, roared in rage.
"Fine! Fine! Let's see how long you can hide in there!" Kazuko snapped coldly.
A storm of curses and heavy footsteps followed outside.
After a few minutes, the noise faded as the three of them finally left.
Leaning against the door, Megumi listened until their voices disappeared. But unlike yesterday, she felt no peace... only an icy, sinking dread.
Meanwhile, down the street, Lawyer Tanaka was soothing the fuming Kato couple.
"Please, don't worry," he said with a confident smile. "She's just being stubborn for now. Once the court issues the official ruling, we'll have every right to move in. What can a teenage girl do, anyway?"
Hearing that, the anger on the couple's faces melted into greedy excitement. In their minds, the twenty million yen, the house, and all of Megumi's parents' savings were already theirs.
Once they had guardianship, transferring the assets would be easy.
Tanaka smiled broadly, already calculating his generous fee.
At that same time, inside the top floor of the Ultra-Three luxury apartments...
Seiji was calmly sipping his morning tea. On the tablet in front of him, the latest report from Aegis Security had just updated with information on Megumi Kato's situation.
"Oh? They even hired a lawyer and got a court summons? Quick work." He spoke lazily, amusement glinting in his eyes. "But for me, that's good news."
He picked up his phone, intending to text Megumi again... only to find that his message wouldn't send.
Blocked.
Seiji blinked, then chuckled.
"Feisty, huh?"
Completely unconcerned, he switched to another number and sent a new text.
"Kato-san, I heard your situation's gotten worse. Do you need my help now?"
Megumi, sitting restlessly in her living room, heard her phone buzz.
She glanced at the unfamiliar number, suspicious... until she read the message.
Of course. Seiji again.
"…Your intel network's impressive, Fujiwara-sensei," she muttered with a frown.
The message didn't make her angry this time... just weary, uneasy, and uncomfortably aware that someone was watching her life unfold from the shadows.
After a moment's hesitation, she replied:
"No need. Please stop bothering me."
Then she blocked that number too.
On the other end, Seiji's next message bounced back with a red exclamation mark. He paused, then laughed softly.
"Blocked again? Looks like she's not ready yet."
He opened a secure app from his security company and typed:
"Red Blade... dig up everything on that Lawyer Tanaka and the Kato relatives."
"Understood, boss," came the quick reply.
By evening, a letter slid through the slot of Megumi's mailbox.
She cautiously stepped outside, picked it up, and froze at the sight of the Tokyo District Court emblem.
A court summons.
Her hand instantly went cold.
Back inside, she locked the door and dialed the number printed on the notice, her fingers trembling.
After a few tense minutes of verification, the court clerk confirmed it was genuine.
When the call ended, her heart sank completely.
She wasn't stupid. She knew that once it reached the court, all her fragile hopes were gone.
"What do I do now…?" she whispered, clenching her fists.
At that moment, her phone lit up again.
Another unknown number.
"Kato-san, you've received the court notice, haven't you? The hearing's in five days, and you don't seem to have any chance of winning. Do you need my help?"
Megumi stared at the screen, exasperated.
Was Seiji monitoring her twenty-four seven?
What a creep.
But this time, she didn't block the number.
Because deep down, she knew she might really need help.
Yet the price for Seiji's help… was to become his woman.
The thought made her sick with shame.
She bit her lip, torn.
After a long silence, she shut the message screen and tossed her phone aside, pretending none of it existed.
Seiji sent another message. This time, it didn't bounce.
A slow, knowing smile tugged at his lips.
"No reply... but not blocked either… Hesitating, are you?"
"Looks like the timing's just about right."
But Megumi wasn't one to just sit and wait.
Beneath her quiet exterior was a stubborn core that refused to yield.
Once the initial despair passed, she acted.
She opened her laptop, searching for laws, aid programs, and legal assistance. She found community legal centers, the school's student protection office, even charity hotlines.
The next day, after confirming her uncle and his lawyer were gone, she slipped out wearing a hat and mask.
But the entire day ended in disappointment.
"We sympathize, Kato-san, but legally, your uncle is first in line for guardianship…"
"We only offer basic legal advice. Since this case has entered judicial process, there's nothing we can do…"
"The school can offer counseling, but we can't intervene in court decisions…"
Everyone was sympathetic. No one could help.
By dusk, Megumi returned home exhausted.
Before she could even sit down, those three hateful figures appeared at her door again.
"Well, you're back," Jirou sneered. "Got your court summons, huh? Spent all day looking for someone to help? Give it up, Megumi. You can't run."
"Be smart and open the door," Kazuko hissed. "We'll be kind enough to let you keep a room here. Otherwise, once the trial's over, this whole house won't have anything to do with you."
They wanted to take even her home... to leave her with nowhere to belong.
Megumi's fury burned.
"Come now," Lawyer Tanaka chimed in, feigning warmth. "Your uncle and aunt just don't want you to lose such a big inheritance to some con artist. You're still young. Just let them take care of you until you're eighteen, and everything will be fine."
Megumi only responded with a cold, bitter smile.
When her uncle realized she wouldn't budge, his patience snapped.
"Fine! Just wait! In five days, we'll see what you've got left!"
They stormed off, shouting curses.
Megumi leaned against the door, trembling with anger and fear.
She pulled out the court letter again, staring at the hearing date... five days away.
"All by myself… there's no chance," she murmured.
But if she relied on someone else... there might still be hope.
A hopeless smile tugged at her lips as she picked up her phone.
Scrolling through her messages, she found the ones Seiji had sent.
Two paths appeared in her mind.
In one, she lost the case... her relatives stole everything, threw her out, maybe even sold her off for money.
In the other, she accepted Seiji's "deal," giving up her freedom and body, becoming a woman she'd hate herself for being.
Neither path was good.
A bitter smile crossed her face.
So this was it... choosing the lesser of two evils.
"…Guess it's time to decide," she whispered.
She wasn't someone who waited for rescue.
Before making her final move, she wanted to know exactly what she was getting into.
Taking a deep breath, Megumi typed "Seiji" into the search bar.
The internet flooded with results...
A genius novelist. A business prodigy. The mysterious CEO of Genesis Corporation… and an endless list of scandals.
Toyogasaki Academy's internal forum was full of gossip about him and Utaha Kasumigaoka, as well as Eriri Spencer Sawamura.
Entertainment news detailed how Seiji had saved a rock band's bassist, Ryo Yamada, from exploitative investors and built a new label just for her.
Financial magazines praised his success in recruiting Kasumigaoka and Sawamura into Genesis and launching the hit anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica.
Megumi calmly read every bit of information.
An hour later, she closed all the tabs.
Her mind was clear.
Seiji was an arrogant, manipulative, shameless man...
... but one who treated his women with generosity and protection that bordered on obsession.
Compared to her uncle's cruelty, his brand of "possessive shelter" didn't seem so bad.
With that realization, Megumi stood and lit a stick of incense before her parents' framed photos.
As the smoke curled upward, she whispered in her heart:
Dad, Mom… I'm sorry.
I couldn't become the independent adult you wanted me to be.
But to survive... to protect what you left behind... please forgive me.
When she opened her eyes, all confusion and despair were gone. Only calm resolve remained.
She pulled up her contacts list and removed the first number she'd ever blocked.
Then, she pressed call.
Beep... beep...
A click.
"Hello?"
That lazy, amused voice... it was Seiji.
He sounded anything but surprised, even faintly entertained.
Megumi's fingers whitened around her phone. When she spoke, her tone was steady.
"Good evening, Fujiwara-sensei. It's me... Megumi Kato."
"Oh? Kato-san," Seiji said smoothly. "Calling me this late... did you finally make up your mind?"
His flippant tone made her stomach twist in humiliation.
But she knew... once she made this call, she had no right to complain.
From this moment on, she was no longer in control.
"Yes," she said quietly, eyes closed. "I need your help, Fujiwara-sensei. Please… help me."
Seiji's smile deepened, satisfaction coloring his voice.
"A wise choice."
"What should I do to earn your help?" Megumi asked.
That question sealed it... the unspoken contract, her silent surrender.
Seiji chuckled softly. "I'll send someone to pick you up."
"…I understand."
"Then, I'll be looking forward to our meeting, Megumi."
The call ended.
Megumi lowered her phone slowly, expression blank.
It was done.
She turned toward the bathroom.
Steam soon filled the room as warm water cascaded down her trembling body.
She scrubbed her skin hard, as if she could wash away not just dirt... but the naïve, powerless version of herself.
Fifteen minutes later, she dried off and entered her bedroom.
Her wardrobe was filled with simple, muted clothes... befitting someone used to blending into the background.
Her eyes drifted over them until they stopped on a dress she'd barely worn: a light blue knee-length one trimmed with lace.
Her mother had insisted on buying it for her last summer.
"You'll look like a little princess in this, Megumi," she'd said.
Back then, Megumi had felt embarrassed. It seemed too pretty for her.
Now…
She hesitated briefly, then took it out.
After changing into it, she brushed her hair neatly and sat quietly on the sofa... like a doll waiting to be claimed by fate.
Elsewhere, in a luxury duplex apartment in central Kyoto...
Seiji hung up, a satisfied smile on his face.
He admired smart girls like Megumi Kato.
He opened his phone and launched Aegis Security's private app.
Selecting one of his female operatives, he sent a message.
"Understood, boss," replied Nightingale within seconds.
Closing the app, Seiji dialed another number.
Beep... beep...
"Hello, this is Kuroiwa Law Office. How can I help you today?" came a polite, professional voice.
"It's me, Seiji Fujiwara."
"Ah... Fujiwara-san!" The woman's tone instantly turned deferential. "Good evening, sir! What can we do for you?"
"Just a small matter," Seiji said casually, as if discussing the weather. He briefly described Megumi Kato's guardianship dispute.
"…That's the situation. The opposing side hired some third-rate lawyer exploiting legal loopholes. The court's already issued a summons."
He leaned back on the sofa, smiling faintly, eyes glinting with amusement.