Fame, In the Eye of the Beholder
It was hard not to resent Ohtori Kanae. She had beauty, elegance, and the status of daughter to the (real, not acting) chairman on campus. An engagement to the charming Ohtori Akio. Flawless perfection.
Nanami reminded herself that she was just as perfect as Kanae, if not more so; perfection had levels, after all. She was the sister of Kiryuu Touga. He had power, and so did she. Her brother was a prince, and as his sister, she was the true princess of Ohtori Academy.
But occasionally, even royalty needed to mingle with the commoners. Which was why she sat here now, engaging in this coffee shop conversation.
Kanae saw her frown and smiled at her, slowly. "What's wrong, Nanami-san?"
She was polite. Nanami hated polite girls.
"Nothing," Nanami replied, forcing her lips into a smile like rancid sugar. "I was just wondering," she used the spoon to stir around the center of her cup. "If you had the world in the center of your hands, what would you do with it?" Her ash-blonde hair curled over her shoulders.
Kanae leaned back, mild bemusement written on her features. "That's a strange question. If I had the world in the center of my hands?"
"That's right."
Kanae pressed a finger against her lips. Her hair was perfectly coiffed, and her pale green dress curved out from the small of her waist. Her tea was butter-brown. She was perfect. "I don't know," she said. "I don't think I would do anything, because I already have everything that I could ever want."
"Like?" Nanami said.
"Like...a loving family, and an affectionate fiancee. Peace and security, along with the comfort of being surrounded by such wonderful people in my life." She smiled again, now generous with warmth.
"That's it?"
"Yes, I think so."
Nanami deflated. "Oh."
"Well, actually. There is something else that I'd like." The set of her face darkened ever so slightly, and her eyes began to take on a distant look.
"Something else?"
"Yes, it's something that I do want," she said. ("Very badly," she thought. "And only for myself.")
"Like -- like what?" Nanami leaned across the table; she heard the quiet desperation in Kanae's voice, and Kanae recognized the aching curiosity in hers. She had never been more aware of the Rose Crest signet that she wore.
(Respect, love, and admiration. A chance to be acknowledged for who she was, rather than who she was related to. The screamed unspoken.)
"It's selfish."
And as Nanami said, "Tell me," she realized, So am I.
Then Kanae tugged her scarf a little closer around her neck, pulling back in her seat. She laughed.
"Oh, I don't know anymore," Kanae said. "To be honest, I'm not sure I ever did. But that doesn't really matter, right?"
She laughed, stretching out the uneasy words to each brittle edge (shifting the frown away from her features, a princess to the last). "In fact, I'm not sure if it ever did."
She helped herself to an tea-flavored biscuit, taking a delicate bite before setting the cookie back down on her plate. "More tea, Nanami-san?"