The summer solstice

Your eyes widened as he revealed a set of black wings, unfurling them behind him. They might have been a prop, but in that moment, they felt real, imposing and majestic. You took a step back, admiring the beauty of the wings.

But as you looked up at him, his smile sent a shiver down your spine, a mixture of allure and something darker, something that made you uneasy.

His smile is different from hikaru's yet something about it was so similar. So familiar you couldn't put your finger on it.

Subaru bended forward, taking your hand in his. " May I.? " He asked kissing your hand.

You said yes, and both of you walked towards the pearly double doors of the ballroom.

The double doors were pushed open by the two guards who bended forward to greet subaru and you. As the door opened you could take in the beautiful ballroom. The floor was clearly marble, yet empty. No one had entered yet you were the first ones.

There were balconies on either sides of the ballroom with few visible seats to overlook the dance floor. The musician's area was a slightly elevated platform. Who had already begun the serene music.

It reminded you of summer blossoms. Subaru led you to a adjacent parlor which seemed more intimate setting. As we went in you could hear hushed gasps of other couples who had entered after you.

Inside the dimly lit room Subaru sat you down on one of the cushioned chair, making sure you were comfortable.

" You look beautiful, that deep color suit you well my lady " He said with slight blush adorning his face as he took in your look once again.

" Why, thank you " You said smiling " So now tell me why are we here.? "

He smiled as he started to lead you towards the central staircase.

" The host and their partner have to say a speech to start the ball followed by their opening dance"

"So, do you have the speech prepared?" you ask Subaru.

He smiles and moves his hand towards you. "It's time to go, dear Asuna," he says , cryptically.

As you both reached the center , you took the full view of the ballroom. Lots of familiar faces were visible in the crowd. But none of them friendly. All the girls looked up at you with disdain and anger.

You could feel their death glare angled at you. You tried to find the boys finally you saw them emerge from between the crowd. It seemed like all five of them came ahead without their partners .

As they made their way towards the bottom of the staircase the crowd made a way for them to walk.

A spectacle to see. But not a rare occurrence.

Subaru stood tall at the center of the grand staircase, his voice commanding the attention of the room. His eyes met yours, a silent reassurance passing between you as he began his speech.

"My dear friends," he began, his voice carrying with it a weight of solemnity and celebration, "we are here once again to celebrate the summer solstice. A joyous occasion, despite a few bad tidings, we move forward."

My my those girls are going to tear me to shreds. What bad tidings does subaru mean.?

"Let's raise our glasses to Riley Myers and Michigan Stormhalt," he continued, his voice tinged with warmth. "For they are no longer with us."

You felt a shock ripple through you at mention of their names. It has been less than 48 hours since you last saw them both. They were cruel and bratty but no one deserves death at such young age. You wondered how they passed. Last time you saw them in pe class.

You looked at the crowd seeing many people making a rather sorry expression as if they were afraid of someone. Then you heard a laugh which was so familiar.

It belonged to hikaru who was laughing as akira smirked. You just wanted to ask them was death funny to them or were they laughing for an entirely different reason. But they were too faraway for you to ask either of these questions.

" Sorry akira said a joke" The blonde hair male said trying to control his smile which was shining through brightly , even when yukio covered his face.

Subaru gave him a look.

This straightened hikaru out who made an innocent face as if to say " What did I do.? "

"Make this night one to remember," Subaru concluded, his voice firm yet comforting.

Subaru's arm wrapped around yours, guiding you down the staircase to the dance floor below. As you descended, you couldn't help but notice the flicker of emotions on the faces of Hikaru, Akira, Yukio, Kazuto, and Takumi. Their expressions betrayed a mix of longing and wistfulness, each of them silently wishing it was them who had the honor of dancing with you.

Recultanly they moved away from the dance floor. The crowd parted to make way for the first dance, leaving the dance floor empty except for you and Subaru.

You could feel glances and listen to their hushed whispers. Just one dance and you could hear all that they have to say. So now you should focus on dancing.

The music swelled into a fast waltz, and Subaru took you in his arms, moving with a rapid rhythm that matched the pace of your heartbeat. Each glide, each step was executed with precision and grace, as if he were orchestrating a complex dance on a chessboard.

It was fun.

As the dance reached its climax, Subaru prepared for the final move-a dramatic dip. But before he could execute it, you surprised him and everyone else in the room by dipping him instead.

The gasps and murmurs spread across the room as you dipped Subaru, but they were quickly drowned out by the applause of those who appreciated the unexpected twist. Subaru smiled at you, his eyes shining with admiration and affection. In that moment, you were his perfect queen, and he couldn't have been happier.

As everyone else joined you on the dance floor and the music shifted to a slow-paced song, you found yourself lost in Subaru's grey eyes.

The question about Riley and Michigan lingered in your mind, and you couldn't resist asking. Subaru's expression turned somber, and he replied, "It's better if I don't spoil your good mood."

The rest of the dance passed in silence as you both simply gazed into each other's eyes, a sense of unease settling over you.

As the song changed, you excused yourself under the pretext of wanting desserts and retreated behind a pillar, munching on a strawberry truffle. Subaru smiled cryptically as he watched you do that. Sometimes you wondered why does he smile like that.

Soon enough, two girls dressed in fluorescent colors, one in pink and the other in yellow, arrived, chatting loudly as they nibbled on pastries. Intrigued, you listened in, trying to catch their conversation amidst the music.

Stupid music

The girl with freckles exclaimed, "I know, that was so brutal. Only a sadist would put so many nails in someone's body and then scribble 'sorry' on one person's hand while cutting off the other person's hand."

You figured they were talking about riley and Michigan. This was murder and the killer seemed to hate them a lot. You would be a suspect , since you have been in a fight with them twice already.

Her companion grimaced and replied, "I think it must be the new girl, Asuna. You know how dangerous she was, kicking all those people. Rumor has it she is the fourth granddaughter of the Ikari family."

The girl with freckles gasped, her hand flying to her face in an exaggerated motion. But her expression dropped as she saw Akira standing in front of them, his gaze as red as his hair. Akira's two-colored eyes shone brightly as he glared at the girls. They trembled in his presence and left, making a flimsy excuse about being late for studies.

They were scared of him. But you noticed how they looked at his eyes in disgust. You hated that look.

You quickly hid behind the pillar again, hoping to avoid Akira's gaze, but it was too late. He had already spotted you and smirked. "Do all Ikari family girls hide behind pillars when they are being accused of murder.?" he quipped sarcastically.

You sighed, feeling caught, but before you could respond, Hikaru appeared, taking a bite out of your truffle. He placed both of his hands on either side of the pillar, trapping you against it. With his million-dollar smile, he said, "Found you, dove."

Akira's eyes winced slightly with jealousy, but he just walked over and leaned against the pillar beside you.

Akira's smirk widened as he saw a few girls who had come to eat desserts nearby. He called out, "Hikaru, let's go to the dance floor." This caught the attention of the girls around. Hikaru's eyes widened as he saw the girls rushing towards him, and he made a swift escape, leaving you alone with Akira. You laughed and said, "You really used your wits to help me there, didn't you.?"

Akira smirked and grabbed your wrists, trapping you more effectively than Hikaru did. "Who said I was helping you.?" he replied, his mouth close to your ear. "The music is loud, no one is around; it's the perfect time to have some fun."

You rolled your eyes and said, "Mr. Beautiful, I know you look awesome today, especially your eyes, but be less stupid and ask me to dance already," smiling as you spoke.

Akira couldn't get used to it. You calling him beautiful, complimenting his eyes. All his life, people called him a monster because of his eye color. But to you, these "monstrosities" were beautiful.

Everyone here thought he was wearing contact lenses and that his real eyes were something to be shunned, but you were different. Even those fangirls of his stayed away from him because of his eyes. That's why he decided not to hide them anymore.

For you he would not hide his multicolored eyes.Only for you.

You urged the red-haired male to join the dance. Despite the tears you thought you saw, when the bright lights cleared, you noticed his eyes were dry. He swept you into a powerful dance, making it feel like you were playing with the rhythm rather than dancing to it.

As the song ended, all the dance couples formed small circles, and the music changed to a style where partners changed until you found yours again.

It was fun twirling and dancing with various partners until you stopped and found yourself facing a ghostly figure. You giggled at Takumi's costume and patted his head, and you both started to dance. However, Takumi turned beet red .

"You know, Takumi, you're a terrible dancer," you teased as he kept stepping on your feet.

Takumi looked down, clearly embarrassed. "I- I am sorry, asuna. I wanted to dance with you, but I can't seem to get it right."

"Don't worry about it," you said reassuringly. "Just look at me and follow my lead."

Takumi nodded, his lavender eyes meeting yours. "Okay, I'll try."

With that, you guided him through the dance, helping him with his steps and movements. As the dance progressed, Takumi's confidence grew, and he began to relax. Eventually, he was able to keep up without stepping on your feet as much.

"See? You're getting the hang of it," you said with a smile.

Takumi meekly nodded. But then something happened.

Takumi's heart sank as he watched Akira whisk you away from his grasp. He raised his hands instinctively to try to reach you, but then hesitated as he caught sight of the scars on his hands.

Quickly, he covered them up with his sleeves, gritting his teeth in frustration as he saw you getting farther away, dancing with Akira.

You protested to Akira, saying, "You should have at least let me say goodbye." He smirked and replied, "Well, the music is ending, and I am your partner, so it is only right I get back what's mine," looking down at you with a smirk.

You gave him a look.

As the song ended, you both stepped off the dance floor. You asked Akira, "Do you know how Riley and Michigan died? They said several nails were stabbed in them."

Akira went silent for a moment. After that, he said, "There were no stabbing nails. They were impaled by a hammer."

Your eyes widened and you asked, "How did you know. ?"