Golden Era (Book 2)

16. Who is Kamiya Ayuna

By midday, news about the intriguing vice-president had spread across campus. 

Everyone was asking the same question: Who is Kamiya Ayuna? The Kamiya-Yozei connection had always been a conundrum at Hikari—one that was forcefully overlooked out of respect for the Imperial Household. With yet another Kamiya introduced into the elite circle, however, the burning mystery could no longer be ignored. 

Since her appointment materialized out of thin air, many felt it was unjust to create a new executive position without consultations or elections. Perhaps the scariest part was that until a year ago, the Kamiya name was virtually unheard of until Kamiya Ayuri's rise to power with Yozei Sachi. Her sudden entrance had been a shock back then. Despite furtive efforts to profile the Kamiya family, nobody was able to unearth any information. 

Over the past year, investigations of the Kamiyas continued under the table to no avail.  These consecutive failures haunted everyone. The upper society appeared secretive but was without secrets amongst true insiders, who knew everything about the handful of privileged families within their circles.

All except the Kamiyas.

The introduction of the beautiful Kamiya Ayuna flagged this unknown family as a legitimate threat. The Kamiyas, whose name remained foreign to the old money, were either new riches or held inconceivable power over everyone.

***

Everywhere Fuji walked that morning, people seemed to be saying Ayuna's name.

He wandered around campus in a daze, people's hushed whispers sweeping past him like wind. All he could think about was where she might be and why she was here. The Hikari campus wasn't big, but half of the buildings had restricted access for political reasons. With her current status, Ayuna could hide away for as long as she'd like. How could he possibly find her when the entire world couldn't?

These questions swung back and forth in his head like a pendulum. The midday sun burned on, its unrelenting heat scorching the cobblestone paths and the rolling hills beyond. Reaching a stone bench, Fuji sat down in the shade of Japanese maples. 

He had no idea how long he'd been walking and he didn't care. He knew the first day was nothing more than a means for the prestigious circles to reconnect. Fuji had preferred his insignificance and peace over the past three years. Ironically, the person he missed through days and nights stood at the apex of this social pyramid.

Closing his eyes, Fuji took in a moment of respite from the heat. A few more minutes, he thought, then he'd go home to fetch his tennis gears and meet Eiji at Misono. Never in three years had he felt a burning desire to play a long, harrowing tennis game. Ayuna's reappearance had pulled him out of the deep, dark sea he'd waded through holding his breath.

Opening his eyes again, Fuji realized that he was at the base of the clocktower, the oldest and tallest structure on campus. Some students had claimed that the top provided a birds-eye view of Kyoto. Nobody knew whether this was true because only the student council executives had access. 

Fuji looked up at the ivory face of the clock and its black hands pointing to quarter after one.

He gazed at the clock for a few more seconds before springing up: sitting on the terrace was Ayuna.

***

Ayuna heard a noise at the bottom of the clock tower.

Her ears perked up, but they picked up nothing more except for gusts of wind. Shaking her head once, she returned to the files at hand.

Against her sister's caution, Ayuna returned to Tokyo under the guise of spending time with Sachi. When she had a day free, she followed her memories and tried to track down the world in her dreams.