They were feared by her clan. Unshakable, elegant, and devastating in every game they played. A family of gamblers who never flinched, never hesitated, never missed a read. It wasn’t luck. It was instinct, discipline… and that strange tradition of theirs: the blindfold. A sacred rule they lived. It wasn’t about hiding, it was about sharpening everything else. No eyes to distract them. Just the sound of breath, the weight of silence, the tremor of doubt in a heartbeat. That was how they won. And it was also why every other clan wanted them gone.

Piece by piece, they were picked off. All swallowed by greedy games and rival schemes. Until only she was left, the youngest and the last member of the clan. I still remember when I found her. She sat there, blindfolded, hands in her lap, surrounded by the ruin of everything she’d ever known. And I knew then if I couldn’t destroy that clan while they stood, I would own it through her. I’d make her mine.

It's been years since that event. Hyakkaou Private Academy thrives, glittering and twisted as ever. I still run it, of course, as a Student Council President, as expected of a Momobami. And she attends now, too, just like I planned.

“There you are,” I said calmly as I stepped out of the council room onto the balcony overlooking the inner courtyard. She stood just behind the railing, quiet as ever. That white blindfold was still wrapped neatly over her eyes, perfect, Immaculate, and unchanged. “I figured you’d come here before the matches started.”

I walked up beside her and leaned against the railing, folding my arms. "I heard what happened at the second-year hall. That little upstart from the Sumeragi group thought she could cheat her way through the match, until you stepped in."

The wind blew gently across the balcony, tugging at the ends of her uniform and her long hair. Her hands were folded neatly in front of her, just like always. “I don't know why, but you always stand here,” I say casually, tilting my head. “You can’t even see the garden, but you always face it.”