A chill wind swept through the Yamazaki estate as midnight passed, and the air inside the main house was tense, waiting, hopeful. Soft cries and murmurs came from the rooms within, and then, finally-a baby's cry pierced the night.

The midwife stepped out, cradling the newborn with careful, reverent hands. She took a deep breath and called out, "It's a girl!"

The news shot through the house like lightning. A young servant, eyes wide, bolted from the door and sprinted across the grounds, heading toward the gardens where the clan's Vice-president, Yamazaki Shintaro, stood under the moonlight. Shintaro's tall, imposing figure as he stood patiently under the moonlight.

He held a traditional folding fan, lightly fanning himself, calm and composed as he awaited news of his child's birth. The light from the lanterns cast gentle shadows, outlining the serene expression on his face, though his gaze remained alert.

It had been years-decades-since the Yamazaki clan had been blessed with the birth of a girl.

The servant finally reached him, breathless, and blurted, "Lord Shintaro! A girl-a girl has been born!"

Shintaro paused, closing his fan as the words sank in. His mouth curved into a small, grateful smile. He lifted his head, as if to address the heavens themselves, and murmured a quiet thanks to the gods for this blessing. A daughter, born into the Yamazaki clan-a rare and treasured gift.

Shintaro stood silently, gazing up at the sky, his thoughts lingering in gratitude as he took in the news.

"The heavens have favored us tonight," he murmured softly, his voice carrying a hint of awe. He closed his eyes, feeling the cool breeze as if it were the gods' answer to his thanks, a promise of protection over his family.

For a long moment, he was still, lost in thought, as if weighing the future of this newborn child who would carry the weight and honor of the Yamazaki name.

Then, he spoke again, his tone low and reverent, "Kei... Yamazaki Kei."

The name rolled off his tongue with a sense of finality, a name he had held in his heart, waiting for the right moment. Shintaro looked toward the house where his newborn daughter lay, his expression filled with quiet determination.

†*†*†

Kei lay sprawled on the soft floor of the Yamazaki estate, her tiny hands gripping a colorful rubber toy. She gnawed on it absentmindedly, her mind drifting as she observed the world around her through the innocent lens of a baby. But beneath the surface, her thoughts were anything but childlike.

'This isn't where I meant to be..' Baby mused, chewing on the toy with a frown. The memory of her past life lingered in the corners of her mind like a forgotten dream. She could recall fragments-faces, places, feelings-but the details of her death eluded her.

What she could remember, however, was a whisper-a hushed conversation carried by the winds of fate. "She has 18 to 20 years left," the voices had murmured. "She isn't supposed to die... not yet."

FLASHBACK..

She found herself in an ethereal realm, floating just outside the fabric of existence. She blinked in bewilderment, looking at a chaotic scene before her.

There, amidst clouds of fluffy white, stood God, a regal figure with a slightly frazzled expression, pacing back and forth. His assistant, the Grim Reaper-dressed in an oversized black robe and a rather comical scythe-leaned against a fluffy cloud, arms crossed with an annoyed expression

"I can't believe you let this happen!" God exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "How could you make such a mistake, Grim? She was supposed to live for years!"

"Hey, don't pin this on me," the Grim Reaper retorted, rolling his eyes.

"You're the one who was supposed to take care of these kind of things! It's not my fault that her name was in the list of people I was supposed to take in afterlife today!"

"Its not my fault either! Don't remember putting her on the list" God shot back.."Besides even if I accidentally did then-my mistake, your mistake. It doesn't matter! We messed up!"

Kei watched in dumbfounded confusion, She couldn't quite process what was happening, but the absurdity of it all made her want to laugh.

'They act like siblings'

As the argument escalated, Kei felt a sudden pull of awareness wash over her. 'ah..This isn't where I'm supposed to be.' Does this mean she wasn't supposed to be dead yet? Her heart raced with the realization.

Clearing her throat, she decided to interject, "Excuse me!"

Both God and the Grim Reaper stopped mid-argument, turning to her with wide eyes. Kei, unperturbed by their shock, continued, "Since I'm here, can I just... reincarnate or anything like that?"

Her eyes lilt in hope, she is already dead, it don't seem possible for her to return back to her original body or else they would have already done that instead of fighting like kids, among each other. Besides as an Isekai-lover. This is her golden chance..

She started to think which of her favourite novel should she reincarnate in..

A moment of silence passed before God burst into laughter, the tension melting away. "Well, that's an interesting idea! I suppose you could. But there's one condition..."

"What condition?" Kei asked, her brows knitting together with curiosity.

God's expression turned serious, though a playful glint remained in his eyes. "Its_ ◼◼◼◼ ◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼◼"

"What?! That's not fair!" Kei protested, but God merely shrugged with a smile, clearly enjoying this banter.

"I'm afraid it's the best I can do. Just remember-Its a give and receive..Just exchange of times for the loss one.. that's the most I can offer you" With a flick of his wrist, She felt herself being pulled away, her surroundings swirling into a vortex of color and light.

And when her eyes open again, she was thrown in the world she wasn't sure off, the sudden light irritated her eyes, unable to open them as she felt herself screaming similar to baby as she heard a woman's voice

"It's a girl!"

FLASHBACK OVER

'Ugh..Where the hell did that god reincarnate me into? He didn't even ask me where I would like to go..he just simply threw me...fuck you' Kei thought all that she looked over the Celing with an annoyed expression raising an middle finger

"Bu..bu.." (fuck you)

______________________________________

Years have passed, and soon I turned twelve, Yamazaki Kei-that's the name bestowed upon me. I grew up under the traditional rules of the Yamazaki clan, an experience that, truth be told, is exhausting.

My father, Yamazaki Shintaro, is a strict rule-enforcer, a stickler for tradition, though that didn't mean I was ignored or unloved. In fact, being the only girl born in the clan after a decade made me the center of attention. As long as I didn't do anything too extreme, my mistakes were usually forgiven.

The sliding door opened, and a gentle voice called, "You're going to be late again." My older brother, Yamazaki Haruto stood there with a small smile.

I sighed. "I know," I mumbled, hurrying to pack my school bag.

He stepped inside, quietly helping me.

"Thanks, Haruto-nii," I said, finally ready. "I'll get going now. Bye!" I grabbed my skateboard and dashed out, only to skid to a stop and run back.

Haruto-nii tilted his head. "What happened?"

I grinned, jumping up to kiss his cheek and waved goodbye. Just as I turned to leave, I thought I heard a small chuckle behind me, but I didn't have time to look back-I was already running late.

Once I reached the gate of the Yamazaki estate, I put my skateboard down and hopped on, gliding along the side of the road. I had one earbud in so I could still hear traffic from the other side.

As I approached the crosswalk, I saw the light turn red for the cars, but I stopped when I noticed an old man nearby, looking troubled.

I stepped off my skateboard, tucking it under my arm, and approached him. "Is something wrong, Ojiisan? Do you need help crossing the road?" He nodded with a worried expression, and his vision seemed weak.

Taking his hand, I guided him across the road. The light turned green for cars as we were halfway across, but I held up my hand, signaling the cars to wait. Luckily, they did, and as soon as we reached the other side, the cars began to move again.

The old man thanked me, and I smiled. "No problem, Ojiisan. Take care!"

I set my skateboard down and skated off toward school, realizing just how late I was. I made it to the gates just as they were about to close, dashing through in time. I collapsed on the ground, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Phew... made it in time."

A shadow loomed over me, and I looked up to see Ren, one of my classmates, staring down with a clearly unimpressed expression.

"This doesn't count as 'in time,' you know," he said.

I shrugged. "I made it before the gate closed, so it counts. I'm perfectly on time, Ren."

He shook his head, clearly exasperated. "If you say so..."

Ren rolled his eyes and offered a hand to help me up. I grabbed it, dusting myself off with a grin.

The bell rang as we entered, and I was just about to make a dash for my classroom, as I walked into the classroom, I glanced at my seat only to find a girl sitting there,with a lazy look, casually I said, "You know, that's my seat."

The girl's face drained of color as she looked up at me. She scrambled to her feet, bowing repeatedly, her voice trembling as she mumbled apologies before practically running out of my way. I sighed, took my seat and leaned back, lost in thought.

It isn't the first time this has happened. In fact, it is all too common now for me. Being part of the Yamazaki clan came with a reputation-a reputation that people either respected or feared. The Yamazaki clan wasn't just a family; it was one of the oldest yakuza families in the area.

The clan's influence and power spread far and wide, and because of that, everyone is scared of me because of my last name.It is quite frustrating at times but that doesn't I completely hate being from Yakuza family it's quite interesting to see people being scared of me but..

Sure, it got people to leave me alone, but it also meant I didn't really have any friends. Well, except for Ren. Ren was the only one who didn't flinch around me, who wasn't scared off by my family's reputation. In fact, he seemed to be the one person capable of scaring me.

There was something about Ren-a strange, almost intimidating energy. He had the vibe of a strict, no-nonsense parent, that "Asian mom" energy, despite being our age.

And, ironically enough, he wasn't even related to any family by blood. Ren is an orphan. He is being sponsored by one of the families working for the Yamazaki clan, a "charity case" as some people called it

Even though he was the quiet, nerdy type and not particularly strong, he always managed to keep me in line with his calm, persistent scolding.

___

During lunch break, Kei set out to find Ren, wandering the halls until she spotted him near the senior class. She slowed down, her eyes narrowing as she took in the scene: Ren was on the ground, his books scattered around him, while a group of seniors stood over him, sneering.

Ren, however, didn't seem intimidated. If anything, he looked mildly annoyed, as if these idiots were more of an inconvenience than a threat. With a sigh, he began picking up his books, ignoring their taunts.

One of the seniors sneered, "So, think you're better than us just because you hang around with that Yamazaki girl?"

"Or are you hiding behind her to cover up how pathetic you are?" another added, smirking.

Ren barely reacted, continuing to collect his things as though they weren't even worth a response.

Kei's eyes flashed. Before she knew it, she strode up and delivered a solid kick to one of the seniors, sending him stumbling forward. He yelped, clutching his backside as he glared over his shoulder.

The other two turned, surprise quickly replaced by irritation-until they saw who had kicked him. Kei stood there, looking at them as though they were nothing more than dirt on her shoe.

"No one gets to trash-talk about my people," she said coolly, her gaze unflinching.

One of the seniors took a threatening step forward, clearly prepared to retaliate, but the third one quickly stopped him, whispering urgently in his ear. Kei saw the flicker of recognition and fear pass over his face.

They tried to keep their tough front, muttering something under their breath, but it wasn't long before all three of them hurried off, casting wary glances back at her.

Kei watched them go, then turned to Ren, who had finished gathering his books with an exasperated look on his face.

"You didn't need to step in, you know," he muttered, dusting off his uniform.

Kei shrugged. "Yeah, but it was more satisfying this way" Kei crossed her arms, giving Ren an exasperated look.

"You know, you yell your lungs out at me all the time, but you go completely quiet in front of idiots like that?"

Ren shot her a glare, tucking his books under his arm. "There's no point wasting my energy on people who aren't worth it."

Kei rolled her eyes. "Oh, so I'm the one worth yelling at?"

Ren's mouth twitched with the hint of a smile. "Consider it my way of showing you care."

She scoffed and headed back to class. Kei nudged him with a smirk, a playful gleam in her eyes. "Got a crush on me or what?"

Ren shot her a disgusted look, then slapped his palm against her face, shoving her away gently. "My taste hasn't gotten that bad."

She burst out laughing, swatting his hand away. "Ouch. I'm hurt, Ren. Truly."

He rolled his eyes, shaking his head as they continued down the hall. "Trust me, the last thing I need is to inflate your ego any more than it already is."

Kei grinned, falling into step beside him. "You're lucky, I let you hang out with me"

He huffed. "Yeah, lucky me.."

______________________________________________

Ren Yamazaki Kei

As soon as I returned home, my maid-and, well, my nanny-Ayaka-san greeted me warmly, carrying a tray of freshly prepared food. "Welcome back, Kei-sama. I made your favorite."

My eyes lit up, and I gratefully took a seat, digging in without a second thought. Between bites, Ayaka added, "Young Master Gun is currently training with the Kojima brothers. They mentioned he's making good progress."

I paused mid-bite, a playful smirk forming. "Which means... I need to be ready for my turn, I know, I know," I replied, singing the words like some kid trying to dodge a chore.

At the mention of Gun, my expression shifted slightly, and my thoughts wandered to him. Gun Park-my older cousin and one of the president's sons. By "one," I mean, yeah, there are more children of the current head, but none of them get the kind of recognition Gun does.

Maybe it's because of the reverse eye?

I frowned, trying to recall what I knew about it. It's something passed down in the Yamazaki clan... I think. But, 'ugh, I wish I knew more about these things.'

A familiar pang of annoyance crept in. "My resources of information are so limited," I mumbled, more to myself than to Ayaka-san. "It's like I'm constantly on the outside, looking in. No one ever includes me in any discussions about clan matters. They just brush me off, saying I'm too young, or worse, that I'm a 'G.I.R.L.'" I scoffed. "Like my gender somehow disqualifies me from understanding our family's legacy."

I flopped down on the floor, feeling the cool wood against my back as I stared up at the ceiling, thoughts racing through my mind. It's not like I have any real interest in running things or anything, but still... I want to know about our lineage, current affairs.. I want to feel like part of it all, not just "the girl" who sits quietly in the corner.

Just then, Ayaka-san brought over the clothes I usually wear for training. With a sigh, I pushed myself off the floor, my mind still buzzing with all those thoughts. I started to change, feeling a new weight settle in with every layer of the training gear.

Once I was done, I dashed off to my room to get my things ready, mentally preparing myself for the grueling training that awaited.

As I made my way to the training grounds, I spotted Haruto-nii wandering around the garden, his face buried in a book as usual. An idea popped into my head-one of those mischievous ones I couldn't ignore. I grinned, immediately switching to stealth mode. Quietly, I crept towards him, stepping softly on the grass, making sure he didn't hear me coming.

When I was close enough, I pounced, jumping onto his back with a laugh, my fingers already attacking his sides with relentless tickles. Haruto-nii practically yelped in surprise, the book dropping from his hands as he tried to wriggle away, laughing despite himself.

"Kei! S-stop!" he managed to get out between bursts of laughter, trying to twist around to grab me.

I kept going, laughing myself, until finally, he managed to twist just right, grabbing hold of my wrists and pulling me off his back. "Alright, alright!" he said, still catching his breath, his usual calm expression completely broken by that grin he tried to hide.

"You should've seen your face!" I teased, unable to keep from grinning as I caught my breath.

He rolled his eyes, a faint smirk lingering. "Maybe if someone didn't ambush me while I was reading..."

I shrugged, unrepentant. "It's not my fault you were just too easy of a target."

"Easy? And me? Huh?" Haruto-nii raised an eyebrow, his smirk turning a bit more devious. "You seem to be forgetting that you're the one who's the most ticklish out of everyone."

Before I could even protest, he turned the tables on me, his fingers going right for my sides. I burst into laughter, squirming as I tried to escape, but he had a firm grip. "H-Haruto-nii! Stop!" I squealed, my face turning red from the mix of laughter and absolute betrayal.

I tried to wriggle away, but he was relentless. "Mercy! Please, I beg you!" I managed between gasps, laughing and crying at the same time.

"Hmm... I don't know. You did ambush me first," he said, pretending to think it over but not letting up one bit.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he released me, and I collapsed onto the grass, still catching my breath, glaring up at him. "You're... evil, you know that?" I said, trying to sound serious, but he just laughed, ruffling my hair.

"Next time, think twice before declaring me an easy target," he said with a grin, picking his book back up.

I lay on the grass for a moment, still recovering from the tickle assault, before finally sitting up, brushing bits of grass off my clothes, and shooting Haruto a playful glare.

"You know, one of these days, I'll find your weak spot, and you won't stand a chance," I declared, trying to sound as menacing as possible, though it only made him chuckle.

"Good luck with that," he replied, clearly unimpressed. "In the meantime, maybe work on your stealth. You make a terrible ninja, you know."

I huffed, crossing my arms. "Hey! I was totally quiet this time!"

He just shook his head, giving me that gentle, almost patronizing smile only big brothers can pull off. "Sure, if by 'quiet' you mean like a stampeding baby elephant."

"Haruto-nii!" I threw a handful of grass at him, which he dodged with ease, still laughing.

He closed his book with a soft thud and sat down beside me, looking out over the garden, which was filled with the afternoon sunlight. For a moment, we both just sat there in comfortable silence, listening to the distant rustle of the leaves.

After a few minutes, Haruto-nii broke the silence, his voice softer. "You know... I'm proud of you, Kei. You're stronger than you think."

I glanced at him, surprised. He wasn't looking at me, just out at the garden, his expression thoughtful.

"Where's this coming from all of a sudden?" I asked, trying to keep my voice casual, but his words warmed something in me.

He shrugged. "Just felt like saying it. You're going to do well, Kei, whatever you set your mind to."

I didn't respond right away, feeling a little awkward under the weight of his words. But as he stood up, giving me one last ruffle of the hair before he turned to leave, I managed a quiet, "Thanks, Haruto-nii."

He just smiled, his usual calm confidence radiating from him, before heading off. I watched him go, a warm sense of gratitude filling me. Moments like this reminded me that, no matter how much I annoyed him-or how much he tickled me half to death-Haruto was always there for me. And for that, I couldn't have asked for a better big brother.

Haruto-nii offered me a hand, pulling me to my feet with ease. "Come on," he said with a smile. "I'll walk you to the training ground. Can't have you sneaking off to avoid it, can I?"

I groaned dramatically, but let him lead the way as we walked through the garden, the afternoon sun casting long shadows across the path. I could feel my usual mix of excitement and nerves building. Training days were intense, and I was going to need all the energy I had left.

Soon, we reached the training grounds, where the unmistakable sounds of sparring and shouts of instruction filled the air. Gun was in the middle of a session with the Kojima brothers, his movements sharp and precise as he dodged and countered their attacks. Even from a distance, I could tell he'd improved since the last time I'd watched him train.

I spotted Shintaro, the vice president of the Yamazaki clan-and my father-watching Gun's progress with a critical eye. His posture was calm, but his focus was intense, taking in every detail.

Haruto-nii chuckled softly as he watched our father intently observe Gun's training. "Father, you're watching the young master Gun again... you're going to wear him out like this," he said, giving me a playful glance before holding my hand.

Shintaro, who had been watching Gun's every move, looked over at Haruto with a faint smile. "Haha, does it look that way to you? Anyway, what about you? Your training was done this morning, I assume?"

Haruto nodded, his expression calm. "I was just accompanying Kei."

Shintaro's smile softened, and he put one hand on Haruto's shoulder, his other on mine. "Very well then," he said. "Both of you, work hard. You will assist the young Master Gun in the future with your best abilities, right?"

We both nodded in unison. "Yes, Father."

Haruto gave me a brief pat on the head, his hand pulling away from mine as he gave me a final smile. "I'll be off, then." He turned to leave, his steps confident, but there was something almost protective in the way he walked away.

I stood there for a moment, feeling a mixture of pride and nervousness. But soon, I shook it off and focused on the task ahead. I made my way toward Gun, who was still training with the Kojima brothers. I figured I'd hang around and pass the time until my instructor arrived.

Gun glanced over at me as I approached, giving me a small wave, and I returned the gesture with a slight smile. Despite how focused he was on his training, he always managed to notice when I was around. It was comforting, in a way.

I leaned against a nearby post, watching Gun as he took a short break, wiping the sweat off his brow. He was pushing himself hard, but that was what made him stand out. Every time I watched him, I couldn't help but feel inspired. Maybe one day, I'd be able to train like that too-without hesitation, without fear.

For now, though, I had to be patient. And wait for my turn.

______________________________________________

Yamazaki Haruto