Blooming Warmth (Finder no Hyouteki)

1

Asami Ryuichi remembered the day his vision burst into his soulmate colors.

On the morning of May fifth, he woke up and noted the sudden pop of color of his comforter. Certain stripes made his eyes hurt while the rest stayed grey or white. His room exploded in different shades that a headache prickled in the back of his mind. His eyes ached even more as he went through his morning routine before he left for school.

For the rest of that the day, he tried not to react as certain colors popped out at him. As someone who didn't react to much, he concentrated in hiding his newest discovery through a blank face. His reserved personality kept anyone from questioning him for differences or bother him with their useless chatter.

He wondered why it took twelve years for his world to change. Most people saw colors during their formative years in primary school. His knowledge of the colors and their descriptors brought the assumption that he already met his soulmate. Once he revealed he still saw in monochrome, his teachers gave him pitying glances.

There was always a slight pause whenever they spoke about soulmates and Ryuichi felt their stares. After all, he was one of the few people in the whole school who didn't have a soulmate color. Which prompted those who hated him for his riches and status to go against him. The attempted bullying was stopped due to his quick thinking in showcasing a sliver of vulnerability in front of his teachers. Teachers who either found their soulmates or empathized with Ryuichi's lack of a soulmate.

Those teachers and children of his parents' associates stood in the way of those who wanted to do harm. A clean way for Ryuichi not to burden himself with ruining these people in a careless manner and to showcase his ability to sway people onto his side.

Of course, their involvement painted an image of closeness. Ryuichi ignored their platitudes but wasn't otherwise rude to them. His father would reprimand him for making a possible enemy for the future. Despite the fact they were kids, they were children of powerful people. Best to keep them happy and satisfied.

Having grown accustomed to his monochrome life, this sudden adjustment was nothing more than bothersome. A slight disturbance in his life. No matter how hard he tried, his eyes wandered to the warm, but soothing colors that littered his home. Luring him to stand still and give into his temptation to look.

He figured out the name of his soulmate colors through using the large color chart in the classroom. A means for students to figure out their soulmate colors without alerting anyone. There were shades of orange, all shades of green, with speckles of brown. A stunning display of colors that signified a unique eye color that his books described as hazel. Meaning, his soulmate was foreign, mixed with another ethnicity to develop those colors.

As someone who previously described seeing in monochrome, Ryuichi didn't want someone to know about his soulmate.

Talking about his colors didn't help when it came to the chaos of his home life. For a child born between a couple who were not soulmates, he overheard his parents insult the others soulmate every day. He picked up more than enough to know that his mother saw in browns while his father saw all the colors. Meaning, his father found his soulmate and kept her a secret from his family. As much as his mother screamed at his father to reveal his soulmate, his father said nothing to her.

Just as well, Ryuichi overheard the maids talking about the ways his mother got rid of people who offended her. He witnessed a few events through peeking in keyholes when he heard screaming. At some point, he would see these women escape with ripped up clothing, blood in different areas, scratches on their faces. It wasn't pretty, but she was creative in how she instilled fear.