The Brand Called "Possession"

The air in the library was filled with the scent of old pages and faint disinfectant.

Sakura Airi felt as if her heart were about to leap out of her throat.

She stared fixedly at the boy before her.

His face was clean-cut and handsome, carrying a gentle warmth that made people feel at ease.

Yet the owner of that face had used the calmest tone to utter two words that were enough to overturn her life.

"You're safe now."

She did not know him.

Or rather, she had seen him before—a classmate so quiet that he was almost invisible.

Natsume Yu.

No matter how hard she tried, she could not connect this gentle boy with the mysterious savior who had struck like thunder from the shadows and pulled her back from the edge of hell.

Yet the sense of safety welling up from the depths of her heart, so overwhelming it nearly drowned her, felt utterly real.

So real that her entire body trembled.

"H-How did you..." Sakura Airi's voice was hoarse, choked with tears, as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

Natsume Yu gently pushed the hot drink toward her.

"I happened to work part-time at that convenience store, and I happened to see you being harassed."

He said it lightly, as though he were merely commenting that the weather was nice today.

"As for that clerk..." Natsume Yu lightly tapped the warm cup with his fingertips, producing a crisp sound. "I also happened to discover some secrets he did not want others to know. We had a little talk, and he very 'reasonably' agreed to drop out and never appear before you again."

"J-Just like that?" Sakura Airi could not believe it.

The nightmare that had plagued her through countless days and nights, robbed her of sleep, and nearly driven her to a breakdown... had been resolved just like that?

Natsume Yu smiled.

His smile was beautiful, his teeth white, and his eyes clear.

"Yes. Just like that."

"But..." Sakura Airi still felt as if it were all too unreal, like a dream.

Natsume Yu suddenly leaned forward.

The distance between them instantly closed.

That refreshing, pleasant scent unique to him as a boy wrapped around Sakura Airi even more intensely.

Her body immediately went rigid with nerves. Her back pressed tightly against the chair, unable to move.

Natsume Yu lowered his voice. That gentle tone now carried a hint of bewitching power.

"However, Sakura."

"Aren't you curious why I helped you?"

His eyes were like two bottomless whirlpools, as though they could suck in her very soul.

"There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world."

Those words were like a bucket of ice water poured over her head.

Sakura Airi instantly came to her senses.

That was right.

Why?

They were neither family nor friends.

Why would he take such risks and go so far for her?

Fear clenched her heart once again.

Had she escaped the tiger's jaws only to enter the wolf's den?

She looked into Natsume Yu's deep eyes. There was none of the greed or desire she had imagined within them, only a tranquil, inscrutable deep sea.

She did not know what to do.

But she knew one thing.

She never wanted to return to those sunless days again.

Days when a pervert stalked her and even breathing felt like a luxury—she could not endure another day of them.

Sakura Airi clenched her fists, her nails digging deeply into her palms.

She raised her head to meet Natsume Yu's gaze, gathering the greatest courage of her life.

Her voice still trembled, but every word was crystal clear.

"As long as... as long as you can protect me, I... I'm willing to do anything!"

As soon as the words fell—

The curve of Natsume Yu's lips widened.

He smiled.

That smile carried the satisfaction of someone in control of everything.

This was what he enjoyed.

Watching prey willingly offer everything they had before him.

He reached out his hand.

His long, clean fingers gently brushed across Sakura Airi's cheek, wiping away the tear track that had not yet dried.

The faintly cool touch of his fingertips made Sakura Airi's entire body stiffen.

She felt like a frog stared down by a snake, as though even her blood had frozen.

"Very good."

Natsume Yu's voice carried satisfied approval.

"I like smart children."

His fingertips glided lightly along her jawline before finally stopping at her delicate chin and lifting it slightly.

Forcing her to look directly at him.

"Then listen carefully."

His tone held a faint trace of amusement, yet was filled with unquestionable dominance.

"From today onward, you are my 'possession.'"

Possession?

That word—possession?

The word was like lightning, splitting apart Sakura Airi's muddled thoughts.

Her pupils suddenly contracted.

Such a domineering declaration should have frightened her.

Yet strangely, after the fear came an unprecedented, immense sense of relief.

As though a ship that had drifted for far too long had finally found a harbor.

Or like a drowning person grasping their final lifeline.

She felt herself enveloped by a powerful force, one strong enough to ward off all malice from the outside world.

Natsume Yu's fingertips gently stroked her chin.

"Your safety is my responsibility."

His voice was low and magnetic. Every word seemed to carry a kind of magic, branding itself deep into Sakura Airi's heart.

"And everything about you, including your time, your secrets, even your future..."

He leaned down slightly, his breath brushing against her ear.

"Belongs to me."

There was no negotiation in those words, only a naked declaration.

Sakura Airi trembled all over.

She looked at the boy before her. Deep in his eyes was not the slightest trace of teasing, only an almost cold, matter-of-fact certainty.

She knew he was not joking.

She also knew that from this moment on, her fate would be completely under his control.

Yet she was not afraid.

On the contrary, she nodded hard.

Once, twice, three times.

As if she intended to nod her head off.

"Yes... I... I'm Yu-kun's..."

Her voice was choked with tears, yet full of determination.

This was her choice.

And her only salvation.

Natsume Yu withdrew his hand and sat back up straight.

The expression on his face returned to that gentle, harmless appearance.

As though the domineering, forceful boy from moments ago had only been her imagination.

"Very good."

Natsume Yu picked up his hot drink and took a light sip.

"Then, as my possession, your first task."

He set down the cup, his gaze falling on Sakura Airi's tear-streaked face.

"Smile for me."

His tone was as calm as if he were giving the most ordinary instruction.

"I don't like my things always looking so miserable."

Sakura Airi froze.

Smile?

How long had it been since she had truly smiled from the heart?

Ever since that nightmare began, her world had contained nothing but endless fear and despair.

The corners of her mouth stiffly pulled upward.

It was an expression uglier than crying.

Tears still silently rolled down her cheeks.

But she tried.

For him.

For the boy who had pulled her out of the abyss.

For the "master" who had declared that she belonged to him.

She tried to think.

Tried to recall the moments that had once made her happy.

Natsume Yu did not urge her.

He simply watched her quietly.

There was neither impatience nor pity in his eyes.

It was as though he were admiring a work of art that was about to be remade by his hands.

Sakura Airi took a deep breath.

She looked at Natsume Yu, at his clear eyes.

Suddenly, she felt that perhaps the world was not quite so terrible after all.

At least, she was no longer alone.

At least, she had him.

Someone who would protect her, control her, and make her feel safe.

The corners of her mouth finally stopped looking so stiff.

The tears at the corners of her eyes gradually ceased as well.

A smile bloomed across her face, marked by faint tear stains yet incomparably sincere.

At first, that smile still held a trace of reluctance.

But soon, it became radiant.

It was the first smile she had given from the bottom of her heart in many days.

Natsume Yu watched her smiling face with satisfaction.

There was not the slightest ripple in his eyes.

Only the pure satisfaction of control that came with having caught his prey.

He took out his phone.

Right before Sakura Airi, he opened a folder.

Inside were all the photographs the clerk had secretly taken of Sakura Airi.

As well as certain unknown "collections" belonging to the clerk himself.

Natsume Yu lightly tapped the screen.

"Delete."

He said it softly.

All the photographs, all the videos, all the dirty evidence concerning that clerk vanished in an instant.

"Trash should be cleaned up properly."

His voice was as calm as if he were talking about today's weather.

Sakura Airi watched his clean, decisive movements.

She watched his gentle yet faintly cold profile.

She felt her heartbeat racing as though it were about to burst through her chest.

In her eyes, love and worship were almost overflowing.

She knew.

She had truly been saved.

And all of it was thanks to him.

Her master.

Her god.