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Chapter 3: "When I First Met Him"
The golden room remains still—only the quiet hum of magic and mystery echoing in the walls. The Suzunes have just finished speaking about their Ayanokojies. Some proud. Some wistful. Some aching.
Rei slowly rises from their chair, their white robes flowing like liquid light.
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Rei:
> "Thank you for your truths. But now…
Let us return to the beginning."
They raise a single glowing hand. The room darkens slightly, except for a soft spotlight on the circle of chairs.
> "Tell me… How did you meet him?
What did you first think of Kiyotaka Ayanokoji?"
The Suzunes glance at each other—some smiling at the memory, others… not.
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🌸 Suzune #2 (Gentle Wife)
> "I met him in school. He was... invisible. Quiet. I thought he was lazy. Maybe even stupid."
She laughs softly.
"But then he saved me from being expelled. Secretly. I didn't even know until weeks later. He kept doing things from the shadows. One day I told him, 'You're not ordinary. And I don't think you ever were.'"
"That's when he smiled. For the first time. And I fell in love."
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⚔️ Suzune #3 (Battle Queen)
> "He saved my life in a warzone. I was reckless. A trap had been set. I was seconds away from death."
"He appeared from the smoke. One man. No armor. No fear. He disabled an entire enemy squad with a flick of his wrist and said, 'Move smarter next time, Horikita.'"
She pauses.
"I hated him at first. No respect. No rank. But I couldn't stop thinking about him. So I challenged him to a duel."
"He won. And then... he kissed me."
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🧠 Suzune #5 (Logical One)
> "Our first meeting was uneventful. I was top of the class. He was at the bottom. I considered him unworthy of attention."
"Then I found out he was manipulating our exams from the shadows. Perfect scores under aliases. Psychological games. Predicting outcomes before they happened."
"I became obsessed. Not with him, but with understanding him."
"...And I still don't."
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🌼 Suzune #4 (Sweetheart)
> "I tripped and fell on him. Literally."
"He didn't even move. Just blinked, looked at me, and said, 'Next time, watch your step, Horikita.'"
"He was so cold... but I caught him feeding a stray cat later. I knew right then—he wasn't what he pretended to be."
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👑 Suzune #6 (Royal Wife)
> "I was a rival noblewoman sent to outwit him politically. But in our first debate, he dismantled me completely. I hated him. I was humiliated."
"But after the audience left, he walked up to me and whispered, 'You'll defeat me next time. I want you to.'"
"He gave me strength. I think… I started loving him because he wanted me to surpass him."
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🧍♀️ Suzune #1 (Unmarried)
> "I didn't even notice him at first. He made sure of that."
"But he noticed everything. My weakness. My pride. My loneliness."
"I hated how much he saw. How easily he read me."
"And yet... I started to crave that gaze. The way he'd glance at me and already know what I was thinking. That was when I knew—he was dangerous. And irresistible."
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🕯️ Rei steps forward again, voice solemn:
> "Thank you. But now…
Two more of you have arrived."
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In a flash of red and grey light, two new chairs appear. Two figures sit in them. Both with the same face… but vastly different auras.
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⚫ Suzune #7 — The One Whose Ayanokoji Is Dead
She wears black. Her hair is tied back. Her eyes are hollow, grieving.
Her hands rest on her lap, trembling slightly.
> Suzune #7:
"…He's gone."
The room falls silent.
"He died saving me. We were being hunted by the government. He created a diversion. Told me to run."
"I watched… as he was shot. Again. And again."
She breathes shakily.
"I hear his voice sometimes. In dreams. I wake up reaching for him."
> Suzune #4 begins to cry silently. Suzune #2 places a hand on her shoulder.
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🔪 Suzune #8 — The Yandere
She wears a crimson dress. Her eyes burn with intensity. Her smile is wide. Too wide.
> Suzune #8 (smiling):
"Oh, my Kiyotaka? He's perfect."
"At first I hated him. He ignored me. So I made him notice. I ruined every girl who looked his way. Slowly. Secretly."
"Then I confessed. I held a knife to his throat and told him, 'Say you love me, or I'll die right here in front of you.'"
She giggles sweetly.
"He didn't blink. Just said, 'Put the knife down. You'll catch a cold.'"
"We've been together ever since."
> Suzune #5 (coldly): "That's not love."
Suzune #8 (grinning): "It is in our world."
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Rei speaks again, tone heavier now:
> "Love. Loss. Madness. Devotion.
So many paths, all leading to the same name:
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka."
> "But now I must ask…
If you could switch places—would you?"
The Suzunes all look around.
Some afraid.
Some intrigued.
Some already thinking about it.
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TO BE CONTINUED...
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