The voice faded, leaving me alone with my thoughts—and the gentle pressure of Natalia’s fingers in my hair.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked, breaking the silence. "You’ve got that look."
"What look?"
"The one where you’re plotting something." Her fingertips traced the outline of my ear. "Like you’re playing chess against an opponent no one else can see."
I opened my eyes and looked up at her. "Just thinking about tomorrow. The exam."
"Nervous?"
I laughed. "No. But I am... anticipating it." I reached up and caught her hand, bringing it down to press a kiss against her palm. "Finally, a chance to show what I can do."
"Don’t show too much," she warned.
I sat up, meeting her eyes. "I know how to play the game, Princess."
She withdrew her hand and resumed scrolling through her phone, the blue light illuminating her delicate features in the dimness of my room. "Speaking of games, Emi texted me earlier. She wanted to know if we’re still planning to meet up after the exam."
"And what did you tell her?"
"That we would, of course." Natalia’s tone maintained casualness, but there was an unmistakable undercurrent flowing beneath her words. Her thumb paused mid-scroll. "She’s very excited about seeing you again. Practically gushing about it, actually."
I caught the slight tightening around her eyes, the almost imperceptible edge in her voice. "Jealous?"
"Of Emi?" She scoffed. "Please. I know exactly what she is to you."
"And what’s that?" I pressed, curious to hear her assessment.
"A useful asset. A convenient cover." Her fingers unconsciously tightened in my hair, the gesture possessive and telling. "And..." she hesitated, "someone who genuinely adores you, which I’m sure strokes your ego quite nicely."
I reached up and gently pulled her down until our faces were inches apart, my thumb tracing the outline of her lower lip. "You know me too well."
"I’m starting to," she murmured against my lips, her breath warm and sweet.
When she pulled back, I noticed the shadow crossing her expression, the tightness around her eyes deepening. "What’s wrong?"
Natalia sighed, her shoulders dropping slightly. "It’s... Emi. I know the plan. I know why we need her. But she’s still my friend, Satori." Her voice grew softer, more vulnerable than she typically allowed herself to be.
I sat up and turned to face her properly, studying the conflict playing across her features. "You having second thoughts about our arrangement?"
"No," she said quickly. Her hand found mine, squeezing it with surprising force. "I want what we’re building. I want to be your queen." Her voice dropped to barely above a whisper. "But sometimes I wonder if we’re... if I’m..." She struggled, the words catching in her throat.
"If you’re what?" I prompted, my tone deliberately gentle.
"A bad person," she finished quietly, her eyes finally meeting mine, searching for reassurance.
I climbed onto the bed beside her, lifting her chin with my finger so she couldn’t look away from the certainty in my eyes. "You’re the best person I know."
She let out a short laugh. "That’s not saying much, considering your standards."
"Listen to me." I held her gaze. "People like us, we play by different rules. We see the game for what it is. The others—the Julians, the Luka’s, even the Emi’s—they’re all following a script written by someone else. We’re writing our own."
"And that makes it okay?"
"It makes it necessary," I corrected. "This world is built on power. Those who have it, keep it. Those who don’t, serve. We’re just making sure we end up on the right side of that equation."
She leaned into me, resting her head on my shoulder. "And Emi?"
"Will be protected," I promised. "As part of our inner circle. Better to be the treasured healer of a king than cannon fodder for the VHC, wouldn’t you say?"
Natalia was quiet for a moment. "When you say it like that, it almost sounds noble."
"That’s my specialty," I said with a smirk. "Making the selfish sound selfless."
She laughed and pushed me away playfully. "At least you’re honest with me."
"Always," I lied smoothly, pulling her back into my arms.
We settled back against the headboard, Natalia curled against my side, her head on my chest. I absently stroked her hair, thinking about tomorrow’s exam and all it represented. The first real test in this new world. The beginning of my ascent.
"Do you ever wonder," Natalia began softly, "what would have happened if you hadn’t changed? If you’d stayed the way you were before?"
I considered the question. The real Satori Nakano—the original owner of this body—had been a pathetic waste of space. A fat, lazy, entitled brat who’d spent his days playing games and eating junk food. A zero in every sense of the word.
"We wouldn’t be here," I said finally. "You’d still hate me. I’d still be invisible."
"I didn’t hate you," she protested weakly.
I raised an eyebrow.
"Fine, I hated you," she admitted. "But only because you were such a..."
"Such a what?" I prompted, amused.
"A leech," she finished. "Taking everything for granted. All the opportunities you had. All the potential you were wasting."
"And now?"
She looked up at me, her purple eyes gleaming in the dim light. "Now you’re the most dangerous person I’ve ever met. And I can’t get enough of you."
I kissed her then, slow and deep. She melted against me, her body soft and pliant in my arms. When we broke apart, her eyes were slightly unfocused.
"We should sleep," I said reluctantly. "Big day tomorrow."
Natalia nodded but made no move to leave. Instead, she snuggled closer, throwing one leg over mine. "I’m sleeping here tonight."
"Your father—"
"Won’t check," she interrupted. "And Kimiko knows anyway. What’s the point of pretending?"
I couldn’t argue with that logic. "Fine. But don’t blame me if you’re too tired to perform well tomorrow."
She smiled wickedly. "Who said anything about being tired?"
As it turned out, we didn’t get much sleep that night after all.