Iseri Nina had never slept in such an unfamiliar place before.
And it was obvious—she hadn't slept well.
Lying on her side, her mind drifted in and out of consciousness. The walls before her blurred with a half-awake haze, and a lazy part of her wanted to keep hiding beneath the blankets.
But another part of her—the part that had chosen to start a new life on her own—forced her to open her eyes.
I dropped out of school.
But that wasn't her fault.
She wasn't the bully—she was the one who got bullied.
And yet… she was the one who had to leave.
She was the one who couldn't stand the way her family blamed her, the one who had run away to prove she could be independent.
No matter what, she had to prove to her parents and her sister that she was right.
Even now, she had to make it into university—on her own.
"Alright, time to get up!"
Nina kicked the blanket off as if trying to shake off her laziness. But when she turned over and sat up, she froze.
The floor next to her was empty.
The blanket Chihiro had used was neatly folded on the coffee table, as if it had never been touched.
And sitting atop it—
Wait… is that a note?
To the not-so-bright little Nina:
Your dear big sis has fled.
After freeloading a meal and a place to stay, my conscience got the better of me, so I decided to escape before you figured out the truth—
"Eh?!"
Nina stared at the slip of paper, clearly torn from the notepad she had seen in Chihiro's suitcase.
Her brain, still sluggish from sleep, felt like it was full of water, sloshing around inside her skull.
Flipping the note over, she found even more text scribbled on the back.
Congratulations! You've won a prize: One Wish Ticket.
Redeemable for one reasonable request from yours truly.
…If you can find me first <(￣∇￣)ゞ
Oh, right—I took a bit of your money for my escape fund. I'll totally pay you back next time, I swear on my honor (ノ_．)ノ
"Chihiro-nee…"
Still not giving up, Nina searched the apartment.
But there was no sign of her anywhere.
Aside from the note in her hands, it was as if Tsuzuki Chihiro had never existed.
"…I was going to invite you to see my favorite street musician tonight, too. Geez…"
---
April 27th, 9:00 AM
Elsewhere, Tsuzuki Chihiro strode confidently through the lobby of a luxury hotel—Tokyo Four Seasons.
Her long golden curls cascaded down her back, the waves of her wig framing a face meticulously enhanced by elegant, mature makeup. A stylish pair of designer sunglasses perched on her nose, completing the look.
If she weren't only sixteen, she could have easily passed for an entertainment industry veteran.
Four Seasons was a boutique luxury hotel—not the biggest, but it more than made up for its size with impeccable service.
Its location near Tokyo Station made it a prime spot. And for that little bit of extra travel money…
Well, let's just say Nina's wallet had suffered for the cause.
Sorry, kid.
But there was a reason she had chosen this hotel in particular.
Smaller in scale, yet highly exclusive, it was known for personalized services and tight privacy controls—
perfect for someone like her to weasel her way in under the guise of a "friend's" reservation.
"Good morning, ma'am. Do you have a reservation?"
"Apologies, do you speak English?"
Chihiro adjusted her sunglasses, exuding the aura of a foreign guest. The words that left her lips were spoken in a flawless London accent.
Her appearance alone hinted at mixed heritage, and combined with her fluent English, the receptionist didn't question it.
"Yes, of course. How may I assist you?"
Chihiro had to admit—while the pay at luxury hotel front desks must be decent, the English skills weren't quite top-tier.
Still, they were passable.
"I'm the manager for Mizushima Ayano. Here's my business card."
"Mizushima Ayano? You mean… the world-renowned pianist, Mizushima Ayano?!"
"That's correct."
Chihiro smoothly handed over a pre-prepared business card.
As the receptionist inspected it, she quickly added:
"Ayano will be coming to Japan this week for a concert collaboration. I believe someone from our team should have booked a reservation in advance?"
"Ah… One moment, ma'am. Let me check."
Mizushima Ayano was a real person.
Chihiro had even dragged Anon to one of her performances before—though Anon had been the one who paid for the tickets.
But Ayano was more than just a famous pianist.
She was also an old bandmate.
Back in England, Chihiro had been in a band for a while, but her playing style—too dominant, too self-centered—had made it hard to blend with others.
Eventually, she had left the band on her own.
…After pocketing some of Ayano's money.
And in return, she had left her an "IOU."
The exact same kind I left Nina.
"Apologies…" The receptionist finally looked up, her expression uneasy. "I don't see any reservation under that name."
"Tch. These people can't do anything right… Whatever. Just book me two rooms now—one of them needs to be quiet. Ayano hates noise."
On its own, her statement was convincing, but easy to doubt.
So just as the receptionist hesitated, Chihiro's phone rang.
Of course, it was an alarm she had set in advance.
Feigning urgency, she picked up.
"What? You're saying Four Seasons is too small? You'd rather book at Mandarin Oriental next door?"
"…Fine, fine, I'll tell them."
Hanging up, she turned back to the receptionist with a reluctant expression—before she could even say anything, the woman hesitated.
It was clear she was weighing the value of hosting a high-profile guest against losing them to a competing hotel.
Finally, the receptionist spoke up.
"Ma'am, may I ask you to wait a moment?"
"Hm?"
"I'd like to check with my manager. It won't take long."
The woman made a call, spoke in hushed tones, then nodded eagerly before turning back to Chihiro with a smile.
"If you choose to stay with us, we can offer you a 15% discount. And truthfully, our hotel's personalized service is second to none—I'm certain Miss Mizushima will be satisfied."
"…Fine."
Chihiro let out a reluctant sigh, as if she were making a difficult decision.
Of course, she didn't ask about the room rates.
People with real money didn't bother with such trivial things.
"Take me to my room first. I need to drop off my luggage—I have a busy schedule ahead."
"Of course! Right this way."
"Oh, one more thing."
Just before leaving, Chihiro turned back, lowering her voice.
"This concert hasn't been publicly announced yet, so please keep this confidential."
"Naturally, ma'am. You can rest assured."
Leaving the lobby, Chihiro pulled out her phone and found Mizushima Ayano's contact.
She sent a message:
[Ayano, weren't you always saying I owed you money? I'm at Four Seasons Tokyo. If you have the guts, come collect it.]
A reply came almost instantly.
[Oh, you little—!! You actually dared to contact me?! I swear, if I fly over there, I'm going to skin you alive!!]
Then, another message followed.
This time, the tone had completely changed.
And it was long.
[Forget it. I won't fly back.]
[I know you're broke again. I don't really care—I have plenty of money. Just pay me back when you can. Honestly, once you reconnect with your grandmother, I doubt you'll be struggling for long.]
[Also… you really should've returned to Tokyo sooner. Wasn't your grandmother always the musician you respected most? Don't let your parents' accident and some stupid argument from years ago keep you away forever.]
[Hell, you might even start a band with that cousin you're always going on about, Raana. Start fresh.]
[Though, honestly? Maybe you should switch to bass. Just goof around and do some street dancing instead. With your looks, no one's kicking you out.]
[If that doesn't work out… try delivering food. Trust me, it's a solid plan.]
"…Bass? Me? Like hell I'm playing that mute-ass instrument!"
---
T/N: ERMM idk who Ayano is... AYANOKOUJI? Ahem if you know let me know so i can fix hehuheu