Chapter 183: How to Manage a Harem in the Back of a Limo
The car door closed with a sound like a coffin lid. Soft, cushioned, final. I watched the cityscape of New Vein blur past through tinted windows, thinking about how I’d just weaponized the word "love" against my own mother.
Across from , Natalia sat with her spine straight, hands folded in her lap. The NVA uniform transford her into sothing else entirely. The black military blazer hugged her fra, gold buttons gleaming against the charcoal fabric. The gray skirt fell to mid-thigh, regulation length, but on her it looked like a weapon. Her purple hair caught the morning light, and those sharp violet eyes stared out the window at nothing, processing everything that had just happened.
The Liar’s Brooch sat heavy in my breast pocket. The lie I’d told Kimiko wasn’t really a lie at all, and that was the most disturbing part. Sowhere between the manipulative sches and the strategic corruption, sothing real had taken root. I did love Natalia. Not despite her pride and cruelty, but because of it. Because she was strong enough to stand beside
without flinching.
That didn’t make
any less of a scumbag. It just ant I was a scumbag with actual feelings now.
Gods, Apollo must have been laughing his ass off.
Nel’s voice whispered in my mind. [Oh, he is. Current viewer engagent is through the roof. The gods do love a villain with a tragic flaw, and you just discovered yours. Congratulations, King. You have a heart. How inconvenient.]
Shut up.
The AI driver’s voice interrupted my thoughts. "Approaching Asahi District. Estimated arrival in four minutes."
I watched the neighborhoods change. Veridian Hills gave way to the tro areas, gleaming towers replaced by squat apartnt blocks. Holographic advertisents shifted from luxury watches to discount gym mberships. This was Emi’s world. Honest. Simple. A place where people still believed in heroes without knowing what heroes actually cost.
Natalia’s hand found mine between the seats. Hidden. Secret. Her fingers intertwined with mine, and she squeezed once. Hard.
I squeezed back.
No words. We’d said everything that mattered already.
The car slowed. Outside, I spotted her imdiately. Blue hair like a beacon, bouncing as she practically vibrated on the curb. Emi wore the sa uniform, but she’d made it her own. A ridiculous oversized blue pin on her collar that looked like so ani mascot. White thigh-highs instead of the standard black. Her backpack had approximately seven thousand keychains dangling from it.
She was sunshine personified. A cinnamon roll in a world of wolves.
And I was about to devour her.
The car stopped. The door opened with a pneumatic hiss.
"Morning!" She climbed in, imdiately filling the space with energy. "Sorry, I hope I didn’t keep you waiting! Mom made
eat breakfast three tis because she’s convinced I’ll starve at the academy, and then I couldn’t find my lucky charm, but it was in my pocket the whole ti, and—"
She stopped mid-ramble. Noticed Natalia sitting with perfect posture, looking like an ice sculpture co to life.
"Oh! Natalia! You look amazing!"
Natalia’s expression softened. Just slightly. "You look cute."
Emi bead and turned those bright brown eyes on . Her breath caught. Just for a second.
"Satori," she breathed. "Wow. You look..."
"Like I got dressed in the dark?"
"Like a model!" She laughed. Settled into her seat across from Natalia, next to . Close enough that her thigh pressed against mine in the tight space. "Seriously, that uniform should be illegal on you."
"I could say the sa." I let my gaze travel over her. "The pin’s cute. What is it?"
"Oh!" She touched it, suddenly self-conscious. "It’s Pyon-chan. From that old show, Celestial Guardians? I know it’s silly, but—"
"It’s perfect," I said. "Matches your energy."
She lit up like I’d just given her a crown.
Natalia’s hand tightened on mine. A warning. I was being too smooth. Too forward.
I pulled my hand free. Casual. Reached into my bag and produced a small paper bag.
"Got you sothing. Thought you might want fuel for the journey."
Emi opened it. Inside, three cream puffs from ??toile Céleste. The expensive ones. Her favorite.
Her eyes went soft. "You rembered."
"Hard to forget when you took seventeen pictures of desserts last ti."
She clutched the bag like it contained state secrets. "Thank you. Really. This is... you didn’t have to."
"I wanted to."
The Liar’s Brooch was cool against my chest. Truth. Sowhere along the line, I’d started genuinely wanting to make her smile.
Fuck.
Natalia cleared her throat. "So, Emi. Nervous?"
The conversation shifted. Emi rambled about packing lists and whether she’d brought too many sketchbooks. Natalia offered advice with the tone of a senior guiding a junior, establishing herself as the experienced one, the ntor. I leaned back, watched them interact, and felt sothing settle into place.
This was my ensemble. The queen and the healer. Ice and light.
My phone buzzed. Social dia notification. I pulled it up.
"Stray Dog Watch" had apparently beco a trending hashtag. Great. Just what I needed. My follower count had exploded overnight. Comnts ranged from supportive to absolutely unhinged.
’@PhoenixFire99: SATORI NAKANO IS THE FUTURE OF HUNTING CHANGE MY MIND’
’@LegacyHunter: this zero trash is disrespecting everything our families built. soone needs to put him down’
’@CutiePieHealer47: um excuse
is anyone going to talk about how HOT he is??? those ARMS???’
I scrolled past dozens more. s. Analysis threads. Soone had already made fan art of
standing on a pile of defeated legacy Hunters, which was both flattering and deeply concerning.
Emi leaned over to peek at my phone. Her shoulder pressed against mine. She slled like vanilla and hope.
"Oh my god, you’re trending! Look, soone made a compilation of your best monts at the Gala!" She grabbed her own phone, pulled up the video. "Watch, watch!"
The video was set to dramatic music. It cut between my speech, Julian’s face turning red, and reaction shots from the crowd. Whoever edited this had skills. They’d made
look like a revolutionary hero.
The comnts were even more intense.
’This guy gets it. Im so tired of these rich kids acting like they earned their power.’
’Onyx Hounds about to be ELITE this year’
Emi scrolled through, reading them aloud with increasing amusent. Natalia watched with a complicated expression. Pride mixed with sothing darker.
"You’ve beco a symbol," Natalia said quietly.
"Symbols are useful. They inspire people to follow you even when following you is a terrible idea."
"Is it?" Emi looked up at , those earnest eyes searching. "A terrible idea, I an. Following you."
"Ask
again after we survive orientation."
She smiled. "Deal."
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