Prologue

Ryuichi's eyes snapped open as the icy water cascaded over him, jolting him from his slumber like an electric shock.

He sputtered and coughed, his drenched hair sticking to his forehead as he struggled to comprehend what was happening.

Through bleary eyes, he saw his elder sister, Akane, standing over him with a stern expression, her arms crossed.

"Ryuichi!!!! get up,

You're going to be late for school again," she scolded, her voice cutting through the fog of his confusion.

Dragging himself into a sitting position, Ryuichi blinked away the sleep from his eyes and groaned. Another day of torment awaited him at Elysium High.

He hated the thought of facing the mocking gazes of his classmates, the whispers behind his back, and the endless stream of cruel pranks they subjected him to.

But even worse than the bullies were his so-called friends. They laughed along with the others, never stepping in to defend him or offer any semblance of support.

To them, he was nothing more than a punching bag, a source of entertainment to be exploited and discarded at will.

"Can't I just skip today, Akane?" Ryuichi pleaded, his voice tinged with desperation.

Akane's gaze softened, and she sighed, kneeling down beside him.

"I know it's tough, little brother, but running away won't solve anything. You have to face your fears head-on.

Besides, I'll make sure those bullies don't lay a finger on you."

Despite her reassurance, Ryuichi couldn't shake the feeling of dread that gnawed at his insides.

He longed for a world where he could be himself without fear of judgment or ridicule.

With a resigned sigh, Ryuichi pushed himself to his feet, his clothes clinging uncomfortably to his skin.

As he trudged towards the bathroom to change, he couldn't help but wonder if today would be any different from the countless others that had come before.

As Ryuichi descended the grand staircase of the sprawling mansion. Ryuichi was jolted back to reality by the sight of Lisa, one of the maids, waiting at the foot of the staircase.

She was a vision of beauty, her curves accentuated by the snug fit of her uniform.

As she bowed to him, Ryuichi couldn't help but notice the way her Big boobs strained against the fabric of her shirt, sending a surge of heat through him.

"Y-young master, breakfast is ready," Lisa murmured, her voice soft and alluring.

Ryuichi tore his gaze away, feeling a flush of embarrassment creeping up his neck. He mumbled a thanks and hurried past her, eager to escape the uncomfortable moment.

Despite Lisa's flattering words, he couldn't shake the feeling of being an outsider in his own home.

As Ryuichi sat at the dining table, ready to eat his breakfast, his mind drifted to Karen, his crush in school since Kindergarten.

He occupied her thoughts more often than he cared to admit, but today, the prospect of talking to her filled him with equal parts excitement and dread.

"No, I can't. It's not that easy,"

Ryuichi murmured to himself, his voice barely audible over the clinking of silverware.

He knew the odds were stacked against him. Karen was always surrounded by boys who he is seemed to be out of their league.

They were the ones who tormented him, the ones who made his life at school unbearable.

And to make matters worse, Karen seemed to gravitate towards the cool and popular boys – the ones Ryuichi could never hope to compete with.

"Even if I muster the courage to talk to her, what chance do I have?" Ryuichi thought, his heart sinking with despair...

"My dream is destroyed before it even had a chance to begin."

"Ryuichi, Ryuichi, Ryuichi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Akane's voice pierced through his reverie, snapping him out of his thoughts."Huh? What did you say?" Ryuichi blinked, momentarily disoriented.

"What the hell are you thinking about?" Akane demanded, her tone sharp with concern.

Ryuichi was taken aback by his sister's abruptness. He glanced at her outfit, struck by how effortlessly elegant she looked.

"Where are you going dressed like that?" Ryuichi asked, genuinely curious.

"I'm heading to a friend's party in Italy," Akane replied, her tone betraying her excitement.

As if on cue, their butler, clad in a traditional servant's suit, appeared with Akane's luggage.

"Madam, your things are packed and the car is ready," the butler announced dutifully.

"Tell the pilots to ensure there are no delays. I won't tolerate any excuses this time," Akane instructed firmly.

Ryuichi watched silently as the butler hurried off to carry out Akane's orders. His sister's glamorous lifestyle always seemed like a world apart from his own struggles at school.

"Make sure you behave yourself and go to school tomorrow," Akane reminded him before turning her attention back to her preparations.

Feeling a pang of resentment mixed with envy, Ryuichi glanced at the time on his phone. It was already eight o'clock – time to face another day of torment at Elysium High.

With a heavy sigh, he slung his bag over his shoulder and left the dining hall, steeling himself for the challenges that lay ahead.

As Ryuichi stood outside the classroom gate, his heart pounded in his chest, and his palms grew clammy with nervousness.

He adjusted his glasses, feeling self-conscious about his appearance, and took a deep breath before mustering the courage to enter.

The sound of the science teacher's voice drifted through the closed door, serving as a stark reminder of Ryuichi's tardiness.

With trembling hands, he reached for the door handle, his anxiety mounting with each passing moment.

"I need to man up and go inside like I don't care," Ryuichi whispered to himself, trying to steel his nerves.

But before he could push the door open, the familiar voice of his teacher called out to him, sending a shiver down his spine.

"I know you're there, Ryuichi. Come inside," the teacher said, his tone tinged with mild annoyance.

Ryuichi's heart sank. It seemed that no matter what he did, he couldn't escape the spotlight of attention.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door and stepped into the classroom, only to be met with a sea of curious stares from his classmates.

Panic surged through him, and his legs turned to jelly as he stumbled and fell to the floor with a thud.

The room fell silent, the weight of everyone's gaze pressing down on him like a suffocating blanket.

But to Ryuichi's surprise, no laughter followed his clumsy entrance. Instead, the room buzzed with murmurs of disbelief and disdain.

"He's such a weirdo."

"I can't believe we're in the same class as him."

"What a loser. I hope he doesn't have a girlfriend."

Ryuichi's cheeks burned with humiliation as he picked himself up off the floor and hurried to his desk, keeping his head down to avoid further scrutiny.

The words of his classmates echoed in his mind, reinforcing the crushing sense of inadequacy that gnawed at his insides.

As the class resumed, Ryuichi sank into his seat, his eyes fixed on his science book.

He knew he had the worst grades in school and was hopeless at sports – a total loser in the eyes of his peers.