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Chapter Text

Megami Saikou celebrated her graduation with all of Akademi’s elites at the Akademi Alumni Ball. Only the best of the best and their families could attend.

So why was this bastard here?

Kaga Kusha was wowing the crowd by mixing drinks, all while ranting about his mental equations for the perfect flavor. Luckily, he hadn’t spotted Megami just yet. She tried to stay away from the punch bar as she socialized and built on her steadily growing network of valuable connections. She smiled and engaged in smalltalk as perfectly as an heiress should until she was suddenly alone. She looked back to the punch table and saw that it was void of Kaga’s presence. Her eyes widened as she whipped around to find him standing right next to her, a devious grin plastered on his face. “Megami!” he cried out in an over-familiar tone. “What a delight it is to catch your dazzling gaze! The whole venue is made resplendent just by your presence tonight!”

Megami forced a smile. If she treated him differently than she treated everyone else, she’d never hear the end of it. “Mr. Kusha, I am delighted you could make it as well. I hope there’s no hard feelings for my winning valedictorian; I know you worked hard for it.”

“None at all, dear colleague! It was only inevitable that you’d secure that title for yourself. No, I earned my invitation to this gathering through other means! I’m sure your father has mentioned it to you, right?”

Megami’s eyebrow twitched exactly once; the only signal that anything at all was amiss in her mind. “My father?” she probed.

“So he said nothing!” Kaga exclaimed, aghast. “Why, Megami, your father recently bought a patent for my newest invention: a personal supercomputer! Of course it doesn’t hold a candle to real supercomputers, but the interface is simple enough for any layman to master, and it’s more powerful than the next top five competing products combined!”

“Impressive,” Megami said, somehow without gritting her teeth. “I congratulate you on your accomplishment.”

“I appreciate the sentiment!” Kaga enthused. “I’m just happy to have established a relationship with the Saikou family. For that reason, I would like to invite you to discuss some delicate matters with me in private.”

“I’m sure my father has given you means by which to schedule appointments.”

“I was hoping I could take some of your time right now, actually.”

“Now?” Megami grew somewhat concerned. Of course she knew that Kaga was after her family’s power, but she didn’t know what his exact plan could be outside of calculated possibilities. She gave absolutely no stock to the rumors of his plans to marry into the family; someone of his ego would never accept being someone’s right-hand man. It was precisely because he was so unpredictable that she discreetly pressed a hidden button on her bracelet. “Well, out of my respect for my father, it’s a reasonable request to make.”

“Fantastic!” Kaga exclaimed. “This way, my fair lady.” Megami rolled her eyes as soon as Kaga turned his back to her. They waded through the crowd to the room’s exit. The crowd shifted behind them as an undercover bodyguard tailed them. Megami’s bracelet had alerted him to a potential threat, as well as started an audio recording. In matters of personal safety, the Saikous had no room for risk.

Kaga led Megami to a secluded hallway. He hadn’t noticed the bodyguard waiting behind the closest corner for an indication of trouble and launched into his proposition. “I’m sure my reputation precedes me, otherwise you would not have tried so valiantly to avoid me tonight.”

“I never made any conscious effort to avoid you.”

“I also know that your pride and elegance won’t allow you to admit that you were trying to avoid me. Megami, do you know why I sold my patent to your father rather than spearheaded distribution of my invention myself?”

“Enlighten me.”

“Miss Saikou, do I detect a hint of attitude in your tone?” He smirked. “I have two reasons. The first is to prove my good faith to you and your father. I hope to become someone that the Saikous can rely on in the future, but most importantly, I want to become someone that you can rely on. To that end, I sold the patent to my invention for the second reason; so that I could spend it all on this.” Megami’s eyes widened in horror as Kaga sank to one knee, holding her gaze while seamlessly pulling a small box from his pocket. A radiant smile accompanied his next words. “Megami Saikou, will you marry me?” He opened the box and presented the most dazzling engagement ring.

The rumors had been true. His plan had been something this idiotic the entire time. How shameless must he be? Was his intention to control Saikou Corp from the shadows? The impudence of it all disgusted Megami to a level she hadn’t realized possible. She found herself appraising the ring; anything to distract her from her turmoil. A large sparkling diamond laid surrounded by smaller diamonds, all set in a platinum band. He must have been awarded a sizable sum for his computer. The objective evaluation helped her emotions to fall from her face. Expressionless, she turned her head aside and held up a hand. “No thank you.”

“Megami!” Kaga cried out. “This is no thoughtless gesture! Are you not tired of being the heiress? All you’ve done tonight is make small talk with those who are lesser than you; regardless of duty, I know you’re bored to tears of it. I’m the closest thing you’ll ever find to an intellectual equal outside of your family. Wouldn’t it be nice to just drop the act every now and then? I will give you that outlet, and my inventions will enrich Saikou Corp more than ever!”

“My answer remains the same,” Megami said curtly, snapping her fingers. The bodyguard walked out from behind the corner. “I will not tolerate this harassment. I suggest you leave me alone for the rest of the night, or you will be escorted from the premises. I also suggest you sell that ring and set your ambitions elsewhere first thing in the morning.”

Kaga sighed. “So it’s come to this, hm? I had hoped you wouldn’t call your friend out. A man such as myself would never miss being so obviously tailed, Megami.” Kaga put away the ring and rose to his feet. “Fine, I will concede for tonight. But I will not give up. Heed my predictions: by the time I propose to you again after we graduate university together - by the way, I got accepted at your university - you will have fallen for me. I can promise you that.” He swiftly took Megami’s hand and kissed the back of it. Megami nearly gasped as she recoiled from his touch. “You may tell your brute to drag me away now.”

Megami glared. “I don’t have to.” The man grabbed Kaga and began walking away with him.

“Quite a grip you have there, chum! I can’t wait to see how bruised my arm will be after this!”

Megami cradled her soiled hand, spitting silent curses at the infidel. She had never been thus tainted by anyone before; the nerve of the man was appalling! And the audacity to propose when they had barely spoken! Megami fumed by herself, unable to get images of his face out of her head. Her hand burned where he had kissed it, and the burn was spreading across her face. Even amidst her anguish, she noted how warm and delicate his touch had been. She’d never been touched like that before, not even by her parents. The newness of the sensation intrigued her, which directed some of her negativity towards herself. After a moment, she composed herself and returned to the party, keeping her future in mind. She decided to view the situation as a challenge, and her competitive spirit would not let her lose.

The next four years would be nothing if not interesting.

Chapter Text

Megami worked the next day in a daze. Her outward appearance and functionality didn't change, but she couldn't clear the fog of Kaga's words from her mind. She needed to meet with her grandfather. Would it really be so easy? She'd never had a private audience with him before; he was so busy that even entertaining the idea was off her radar. Now, more confused than ever, she couldn't get it out of her mind. When she finished her work for the day, she paged her secretary. "Please contact the assistant of Saisho Saikou and find out if he is available for a meeting."

"His assistant? Um..."

"Is there a problem?" Megami raised an eyebrow, staring down at the trembling woman.

"N-No, Miss Saikou, just that... well, I thought you knew."

"Do you intend to continue being vague? Speak clearly or not at all."

"Yes, Miss Saikou. My apologies, Miss Saikou. It's just that... after he handed the company over to your father, he retired all of his personal staff except for his medical assistants. He doesn't have an assistant anymore."

"He doesn't?" Megami's eyes narrowed. "Then how is anyone supposed to arrange an audience with him?"

"I believe his schedule is assumed to be open, Miss Saikou."

Megami's chair clattered as she suddenly stood, causing her secretary to flinch from the sound. "Take the rest of the day off," Megami ordered. "Have my auto-responder answer any calls or emails sent to me until tomorrow."

"R-Right away, Miss Saikou!" She barely heard the woman's stuttering as she strode out of her office.

Her mind swam as she made a beeline for the most sacred wing of the Saikou estate. Retired his staff? As in paid all their pensions? Some of them had to have been below middle-aged, and yet he still decided to pay for them all. More importantly, an open schedule? That was unheard of for any Saikou family member. Megami had to test this information immediately, and fire the secretary if it turned out to be wrong.

But when Megami approached the entrance to the wing, security did nothing to stop her. They recognized her face and allowed her inside. The same went for any other general staff she passed by; as soon as they saw that she was Saisho's granddaughter, they paid her no mind. Finally, she made it to his suite. She stood frozen in front of the door. No one was moving to let her in. Did her grandfather expect her to barge through the doors? How did people normally introduce themselves to their superior? Hesitantly, she raised her knuckles and rapped on the door. A moment later, it cracked open and a nurse peeked her head out. "Hello, Miss Saikou. This is rather unexpected."

"Meichi," a scratchy voice called from inside the room. "Who's at the door?"

The nurse turned back to face the source of the voice. "It's your granddaughter, sir."

"Megami? About time. Let her in."

The nurse obliged, fully opening the door and allowing Megami to step past her. She saw her grandfather lying in an elaborate hospital bed with an IV drip attached to his arm. Her nerves bristled at the sight; perhaps he truly was not long for this world. "Scared of your grandfather? You were taught to be stronger than that," Saisho chided. Then he glanced at the nurse. "Leave us for now."

But sir-"

"With all the machines you have hooked up to me, you'll know if something happens. I'll have my granddaughter send for you once we're done chatting." The nurse, unable to argue further, bowed her head and left the room. "Come closer so I can properly see you," Saisho ordered. Megami complied, and he reached out a shaking hand to touch her cheek. "You're the spitting image of your mother, now that you've grown. That's good. I was wise to choose her for your father."

"Thank you," Megami replied. She wanted to ask her questions, but it would be rude to speak out of turn. She hoped to even get a chance.

Saisho dropped his hand back to the bed. "You should have come sooner than this. I was expecting to hear from you right after your engagement."

"Grandfather, why-"

"Because I explicitly told that Kaga fellow to send you to me. That was one of the conditions of giving him my blessing, you know."

"I'm sorry, Grandfather, I didn't know."

"Bah." He sighed, and Megami thought she could hear his lungs creaking with it. "I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he was waiting for the right moment. This will be fairly difficult for you to hear, after all."

"Grandfather, are you-"

"Dying? No, not yet. Getting awfully close, but not yet. That's not what I need to tell you. What I really need to say is that..." He sighed again, and wouldn't meet her eyes. "This family, this company, everything I've planned and cooked up... it's horseshit."

Megami tensed at his words, as if all of her veins had turned to cold steel. "Grandfather, how could you say such a thing? The Saikou group is... we're supposed to be perfect."

"Perfectly out of touch is more like it," he remarked with disdain. "I'm sure Kaga told you some of what I said to him. Did he go into detail?"

"No, Grandfather."

"You know that I was in the second world war. Me and a buddy of mine were drafted. I didn't mind; I was proud to serve my country. I was proud of everyone in my squad, too. But they all died. I laid in the debris of the dorm for ages, forced to stare at their crushed corpses. That was when I swore to destroy the Allied Powers and create a new Japanese empire." He chuckled. "Your fiancé might call it world domination. He tried to lie to me, you know. Told me he truly loved you. I made him spill the beans about how he planned to use you to control the world from the shadows."

Megami clenched her fists as horrible emotions filled her from head to toe. She was enraged at Kaga's treachery, confused at her grandfather's words, frustrated at his attitude - she was beginning to feel that coming to see him was a mistake. "Then why did you give him your seal?"

"I'm getting to that, Megami. Be patient. At any rate, you can see that I failed to accomplish my goal. I got caught up in running the business and before I knew it, I had indeed conquered the world, but by culture. I didn't get my revenge. And when I look back on it, I realize that I didn't want revenge for myself, just to avenge my dead friends. That was what really mattered to me, Megami. The people I lost in the war. I would give my whole fortune for my buddy to see what I've created." Saisho frowned suddenly. "I tried to tell all this to my son, but he wouldn't hear it. He declared me senile and said he would take the company if I didn't want it. So I gave it to him. I've ruined him. He'll never change. But you, my dear... you're still young. You grew up in the same environment, but I have hope for you yet."

"Hope for what? Grandfather, I don't understand..."

"Love, Megami. Truly connecting with another person. Understanding them and appreciating them. I want you to make meaningful connections and I want you to use the strength you've been trained for to never let go of those connections until your dying breath. I believe that Kaga is going to help you do that. We've reached an understanding, him and I. We both wanted the same things. Out of respect for me, he's decided to try and follow my wishes, and I'll ask you to do the same. Megami, I want you to try to love him. I want you to hold your friends close and your family closer. I want you to use the fortune you've been given to find the happiness that I couldn't achieve. My granddaughter, can you do that?"

Megami simply stared into her grandfather's eyes. He scowled as always, but now there was a hint of desperation in his brow. How could she answer such a ludicrous request? As she tried to think of a way to respond, Saisho suddenly broke out into a fit of violent coughing. His body jerked as he desperately tried to gather oxygen. "Grandfather!" Megami cried out, reaching out to brace him.

Nurse Meichi heard the commotion and scurried into the room, followed by a flurry of medical professionals. "Miss Saikou, we'll take it from here. I must ask you to please be on your way so we may tend to him." Megami stared at her grandfather for a moment more before turning tail and fleeing the scene.

"Megami!" he called out between hacking fits. "Promise me you'll do it! Megami!!"

Friday nights were scheduled for family dinners. Megami's grandfather used to sit at the head of the table, but he stopped coming once her father had taken over the company. Everyone else had their seat, even Kaga. For the most part, they ate in silence, but reports to Ichirou Saikou were mandatory. Kencho began by rattling off his various college accomplishments he'd made the past few week. He still hadn't realized that gloating would never convince their father to hand the company over to him. Once he was done, Ichirou looked over at his daughter. "Megami, I assume that your department has been faring well."

Megami put down her silver utensils and began to speak. "Yes, Father. Profit margins have increased by a significant percent."

"Mmm. I also hear that you met with your wedding planner today."

"I did, Father. Everything has been planned, but further coordination will be required if something unusual occurs."

"Of course. A Saikou is always prepared for the unexpected."

Megami decided that now would be an appropriate time to come forth with her proposal. She glanced at Kaga, who only looked back at her with a questioning look. Steeling herself, she spoke up again. "There is another matter that I'd like to discuss with you, Father."

The room seemed to freeze once Ichirou stopped eating. Without taking his cold eyes off of his daughter, he set his own utensils down. "I'm listening."

"The Saikous are a coveted family throughout the entire world, not just Japan. We've become something like celebrities. I believe it would increase our profits even further if we were to capitalize on that idolization and make ourselves more known to the public."

"I assume you have something in mind."

"I do." Megami took a short breath. "A second public ceremony. Something that will show off our prowess but allow people a glimpse at what makes us... human. The original ceremony at Meiji Shrine will go on as planned, but I think that if we open ourselves up to the public in this manner, we can form a parasocial relationship with our customers and advertise our company at the same time."

As Ichirou thought over the idea, Kencho scoffed at his sister. "Are you that desperate to desecrate our family values? I bet you just want a super fancy wedding and all of the attention that comes with it. Father, don't be fooled for a second by her-"

"Quiet, Kencho." He immediately shut up at Ichirou's words. Ichirou stared at Megami a moment more, evaluating her idea before speaking up. "We must get with the times if we are to continue to grow. Social media and parasocial relationships with influencers are on the rise. If you promise to represent our family in a sophisticated manner, Megami, and to take responsibility for whatever goes wrong, then I will agree to your proposal."

Kencho's jaw dropped at his words, but Megami's mother simply continued eating as if the whole thing had never happened. Megami thanked her father and that was that. The meal soon ended and everyone went on their way.

Except, of course, that Kaga had decided to follow Megami out of the dining room like a puppy for some reason. "Did you do that for me?"

"I..." Megami didn't have an answer. It was Kaga's desire that started this whole issue, but her argument wasn't incorrect. Did she do it for Kaga or for the Saikou name? She suddenly thought of her grandfather's pleas for her to try and love Kaga. She still didn't know what to make of them."

"You're spacing out again." Before Megami could deny Kaga's accusation, he snapped his fingers. "You went to see your grandfather, didn't you?"

Megami frowned. "He was rather incensed that you took as long as you did to send me his way."

"Yeah, that sounds like the old man."

"Quiet!" Megami hissed before dragging him into a broom closet. "You do not speak of Grandfather in that manner, especially where people can hear you! There's personnel everywhere!!"

"Sorry, sorry! Geez, I can't believe you have to be so careful in your own home - with your own family."

"There's absolutely nothing wrong with it. This is how you facilitate strength."

"Strength? This isn't normal, Megami!" Kaga suddenly grabbed your hand. "That's why I want you to rely on me more. Megami, let's create a happy family together without all the pressure!"

"Pressure turns coal into diamonds, Kaga. I won't be fooled by your pretty words. Grandfather told me that you don't have any feelings for me."

"Megami..." Kaga bit his lip, trying to find the right words. "Yes, that was true at the time. Did he also tell you that I agreed to do what he wanted? I don't want to end up like that when I'm old and bedridden, Megami. He looked so void of... anything. And I know that if you keep on living in this family without anyone that you can truly be yourself with, that you'll end up like that too. Even if you don't believe that I love you, you at least have to believe that I respect you more than any woman I've ever met, and I can't watch you end up like him either." Before Megami could say anything, Kaga's lips crashed into hers. His arms circled around her waist, pulling her close to him. Megami felt a surge of emotions - rage, powerlessness, and eventually resignation. When Kaga's lips pulled from hers, he looked down and realized that there were tears brimming in her eyes.

"S-Stop it..." she whispered. Her voice cracked as she pleaded with him. "I'm... so confused... everything he said... and everything you're saying - it goes against everything I've ever known!"

Kaga's heart broke at her words. Choking on his breath, he held her close to his body and let her cry it out. "I'm sorry. You've had a hard day; I shouldn't have pushed you further." Megami continued to cry as quietly as she could into his chest. His firm body was so warm against hers that it drove her crazy. She had never felt such brilliant warmth in her life. He didn't expect anything from her in that moment, and she felt like she would float if not for Kaga holding her so tightly. Slowly, her tears stopped, but Kaga didn't let go.

Megami had only one question for him. "Have you really given up on world domination?"

"I don't need it anymore. It's the fantasy of a child. A man knows to keep in front of him the things that are truly important."

He echoed the words of her esteemed grandfather so easily. Either he was a master manipulator, or the two men really were alike. "Let me go," Megami whispered. Kaga obliged, though it hurt him to do so. Megami wiped her tears and took out a pair of glasses to hide her puffy eyes. "Do not touch me unprompted again."

"Megami-"

"I will... attempt... to ask for your comfort when I need it, so don't do it unless I ask."

Kaga blinked just once before erupting into a radiant smile. "As you wish." Megami rolled her eyes and carefully left the closet, making sure that no one was watching. Kaga left a few minutes later, relieved that he had managed to melt even a small corner of Megami's icy heart.