Twilight's Embrace

Chapter 2

As the taxi wound its way through the unfamiliar streets of Kaminashi Town, Amara's thoughts drifted back to the worried expressions on her parents' faces when she told them about the mysterious scholarship offer.

Amara fidgeted with the glossy brochure for Ryoutei Academy as she sat at the kitchen table. The lamplight danced across the room, casting shadows that seemed to mirror the doubts and concerns that hung heavy in the air.

"So, let me get this straight," Amara's father began, his brow furrowed in thought.
"A man, going by the name Richter Sakamami, offered you a fully-funded scholarship to a private school we've never heard of before, halfway around the world?" The harsh tone in her father's voice made Amara tense up, and go quiet, too scared to respond, as she's afraid her words would only anger him more.

"Now now dear, let's calm down and think about this," Amara's mother chimed in.
"Mr. Sakamaki said it's in Japan, right?" she asked her daughter who looked up at her mother, and nodded.
"We do have relatives there. If anything were to happen, you can always contact them," Mrs. Higgins reassured both her daughter and her husband.
"Although, Kaminashi Town doesn't ring any bells, neither does Ryoutei Academy. However, the name Sakamaki does sound familiar to me."
"Oh?" both Amara and her father stated surprised.
"If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Tougo Sakamaki is a popular politician in Japan. It could be that this Mr. Richter Sakamaki is related to Mr. Tougo. It certainly would explain the connections with a prestigious school. I'll call my sister, maybe she knows more about Ryoutei Academy," Mrs. Higgins said, and stood up, leaving the kitchen to ring her sister in Japan.

Meanwhile, Amara's father's brows were still furrowed in thought. He eventually grabbed his laptop and just straight up searched all the names that had been mentioned: Ryoutei Academy, Kaminashi Town, Tougo Sakamaki, Richter Sakamaki. He could only find concrete information about Tougo, but it was all in Japanese, so he still couldn't read it anyways.
He sighed, and took a look at the phone number on the business card Amara had brought back home with her.

"I'm gonna call him."
"Wha- Dad?"
"I can't find anything on the internet about anything that this guy mentioned to you, let alone information about the man himself. So, I'd like for him to explain it to my face," Mr. Higgins replied to his daughter, while dialing the number.
Amara's mom had come back into the room as well, agreeing with her husband to invite Richter over, as her sister couldn't tell her anything either, except about Tougo Sakamaki.

The doorbell rang, and Amara's father took a deep breath before opening the door. There stood Richter Sakamaki, his smile as enigmatic as ever.
"Ah, you must be Mr. Higgins," Richter said, extending his hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet you and your lovely wife."

Amara's father shook Richter's hand, his grip firm and unwavering.
"We appreciate you coming over on such short notice. There are some things we'd like to discuss regarding your scholarship offer."
Richter followed Mr. and Mrs. Higgins to the living room, taking a seat across from Amara's parents. The air in the room was thick with tension, but Richter remained unfazed, his expression pleasant and unassuming.

Amara was seated by herself, Gealach laying at her feet. He had looked up when the doorbell rang, but didn't leave Amara's side. However, both Amara and Richter seemed to have noticed the silent hostility Gealach portrayed towards the man, upon a good sniff and evaluation. Gealach's ears flattened and he even growled lowly in his throat, which Amara corrected the dog for, letting him know not to growl at the man. The white Swiss shepherd got the message, but he still remained at Amara's feet, cautiously eyeing Richter.

"I understand you have concerns about Ryoutei Academy and the scholarship we've offered your daughter," Richter began, addressing Amara's parents.
"I assure you, our school is renowned for its excellence in academics, and our benefactors are committed to providing opportunities for deserving students like Amara."