《The President's daughter is my roommate》


 Chapter 1: Unusual encounter (1)

    In the Alleyways of Tokyo


    "Let me tell you about peace and non-violence, alright? It''s so much more fun to solve conflicts with hugs than with punches, don''t you think? I mean, who really wants to live in a world where you have to fight to be heard? Peace, my friends, is like a good cup of coffee: it warms the heart and does wonders."


    "Piece of shit! Wiping your shoe on my head, does that promote peace too?!"


    "Of course, it promotes my peace and warms my heart, lol."


    The boy, casually sitting on the back of an unconscious man, flashed a mocking smile. He pressed his shoe harder onto his victim''s head before glancing at his latest opponent, an older man clenching his fists, his face bruised and bloodied.


    "Lol? Go fuck yourself! You gambled and lost! All I want is my money back!"


    The young man raised an eyebrow as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.


    "Wait¡­ Are you telling me that a guy as handsome as me went to gamble, lost, and now has to fight a whole bunch of people I owe money to?"


    He burst into laughter while glancing around him.


    On the cobblestone floor of the alley, a dozen guys lay unconscious. The air was thick with the scent of blood and sweat. He wasn''t in better shape himself: a split lip, a bruise covering half his face, and his right fist numb from too many punches.


    Then, in one swift motion, he stood up.


    "Where¡­ Where are you going?! My mooooney!"


    But he was already gone.


    "I¡¯ll kill you, kid!!! Wherever you are, I¡¯ll find you!"


    ---


    That¡¯s me, Renjiro Tanaka.


    My friends ¨C well, if you can call friends people who are 10 to 30 years older than me ¨C prefer to call me by my last name. "Ren" apparently doesn¡¯t suit me. Too cute, too romantic.


    Whatever. I like to fight.


    I think I got that from my mom. She loves a good brawl and always pushes me to the brink of death with every training session.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Today, I might¡¯ve gone a bit overboard. My right eye hurts like hell, my shoulder is on fire, and I¡¯m limping slightly. Normal when you¡¯re facing a bunch of adults and you''re just a 16-year-old high school student.


    But hey¡­ that¡¯s life, right?


    I sigh as I check the time: 6:20 PM.


    Shit. My roommate should be arriving any minute now.


    Yeah, I¡¯m sharing my apartment with someone I¡¯ve never met. All I know is that he goes to the same high school as me.


    Honestly, I hope he¡¯s cool.


    Please, God, let him be stylish. Amen.


    ---


    After 5 minutes, then 10, then 20 minutes of walking, I finally arrive in front of my building.


    I grab the door handle, ready to enter when¡­


    Fshhh¡­


    A sharp whistling sound echoes in my ears. A moment later, my body collapses.


    What¡­?


    My vision blurs. I try to move, but my limbs aren¡¯t responding anymore.


    I open my eyes with difficulty.


    Where¡­ am I?


    A cold metallic feel against my wrists. My arms and legs are tightly bound. A flickering pale light on the ceiling. The smell of leather and cold cigarettes fills my nostrils.


    I try to speak, but¡­


    My mouth is taped shut.


    My breathing quickens. I look up: I¡¯m in a black car speeding down the road.


    Two bodybuilders are sitting on either side of me.


    Shit¡­ I¡¯ve been kidnapped?!


    I struggle, but the ropes are too tight.


    Fuck!!!


    Of all nights, it had to be tonight¡­ I was planning to binge-watch Perfect Run all night¡­


    ---


    The car drives for a long while before stopping in front of¡­


    A luxurious mansion.


    Its white walls reflect the light from the street lamps, and large golden inscriptions adorn the facade.


    One of the goons lifts me up like a sack of potatoes and drags me inside.


    CLACK.


    The door slams shut behind us.


    As my eyes adjust to the light, I see¡­


    An old man sitting in an armchair, a steaming cup of tea in hand.


    The old man stares at me for a moment before folding his hands under his chin.


    "Renjiro Tanaka, right?"


    His broken Japanese clearly shows he''s a foreigner.


    I can¡¯t answer because of the tape on my mouth, but my eyes shoot daggers at him.


    He sighs and gives a nod.


    One of the goons steps forward and rips the tape off with a swift motion.


    "FUCK!"


    My voice echoes in the room.


    I take a deep breath before shouting:


    "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU, YOU BUNCH OF IDIOTS?!"


    The old man doesn¡¯t flinch. He just pours some tea into his cup.


    "Peace, my friend, is like coffee: it warms the heart and does wonders. Hahaha, that''s right, my boy? You¡¯re interesting, ah, youth, hahaha."


    ¡­ Huh?


    Did he just quote me from earlier?


    I wanted to ask, but that wasn¡¯t the most urgent thing right now.


    "If you wanted to send me a message, there were other ways than KIDNAPPING ME!"


    He smiles.


    "I¡¯ve always believed that communication works best face-to-face."


    I roll my eyes.


    "Yeah, sure. And I prefer talking without being tied to a damn chair."


    He ignores my remark and continues, in a calm tone:


    "Tell me, Renjiro¡­ What do you think of the United States?"


    ¡­


    What?


    I furrow my brow.


    "Uh¡­ I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s cool, I guess? The burgers are great."


    He nods thoughtfully.


    Then, without a word, he pulls a photo from his jacket and places it on the table.


    I glance down.


    A girl. Light skin. Sky-blue hair. A cold gaze.


    If you know anything about the United States like I do, you¡¯d immediately recognize who this girl is.


    Scarlett Bidan.


    My heart stops.


    Why¡­ Why is he showing me this?!


    A bad feeling crawls up my spine.


    In a deep voice, he finally says:


    "This girl will be your new roommate."


    ¡­


    ¡­


    Scarlett Bidan¡­


    Bidan¡­


    My eyes widen and slowly raise my head.


    I stare at him.


    His imposing figure. His impeccable suit. His face so familiar¡­


    ¡­


    Oh shit.


    A chill runs down my back.


    This isn¡¯t just some eccentric rich guy¡­


    The man in front of me¡­


    HE¡¯S THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!!!


    Oh. My. God.


    I swear on my life, the devil must¡¯ve taken over my body because there¡¯s no way I¡¯m about to say something like this:


    "What the hell are you talking about, you crazy bastard?"


    DZ: Read at least until chapter two. If, after that, you haven''t smiled even once, I¡¯ll agree that you can abandon the story. But I bet it won''t happen!

 Chapter 2 : Unusual encounter (2)

    I can¡¯t believe I just called the President¡ªa lunatic. Isn¡¯t that basically an act of terrorism? (Mom, you can be proud of your son.)


    Feeling the atmosphere turn as cold as Alaska, Renjiro let out a resigned smile, a small tear rolling down his cheek. (It¡¯s an honor to die at the hands of your guards, Your Excellency.)


    The President slowly approached Renjiro. (Ah¡­ Looks like he wants to take care of me personally.) Renjiro thought before letting his frustration explode internally. (Damn it¡­ What did I do to deserve getting killed by America¡ªoops, I mean, by the President of America!) By now, tears were streaming down his face, but his resigned smile remained intact.


    The President gently placed his hand on Renjiro¡¯s shoulder, making the boy, shocked, look up at the older man, who was smiling warmly. (I was an idiot for thinking such things¡­ ALL IS GOOD.)


    "Don¡¯t worry, kid. Even though you¡¯ll be sharing an apartment with my daughter, I trust you. I can tell you¡¯re a good person. You won¡¯t do anything inappropriate, will you?" the President said in a calm, reassuring voice. (Now¡¯s not the time to hesitate,) Renjiro thought.


    With a swift motion, he threw himself to the ground, face-first, and shouted solemnly, "Your Excellency! I swear on my humble life that I will even divide the air we breathe to ensure there is never an awkward situation!"


    "Don¡¯t worry, kid. I take your word for it."


    "Thank you, Mr. Pre¡ª" Renjiro started, but something felt off. (Why do I feel like the entire house is watching me?)


    "Enough joking around!" the President suddenly thundered, his voice echoing through the entire house. He had this uncanny ability to manipulate the atmosphere at will¡ªthe privilege of the powerful.


    "You will be monitored 24/7. The apartment is already bugged, and so are you. Special agents will be following you everywhere. Even in your school, we already have informants."


    The President glanced at the clock before continuing. "If she gets hurt, even a scratch, or if she sheds a single tear, consider yourself a martyr. If she fails her exams, if she doesn¡¯t make at least five friends, or if her identity is exposed¡­ I don¡¯t need to tell you what will happen."


    At that moment, one could almost see Renjiro¡¯s soul trying to leave his body, only for him to unconsciously force it back in.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Renjiro enjoyed his peaceful, uneventful life. He didn¡¯t really have any friends, but that never bothered him. His mother had raised him to be independent from a young age. But now, he was being forced to live under the same roof as a person who, by herself, represented a potential diplomatic crisis between two nations. And on top of that, he would be under constant surveillance. As if that wasn¡¯t enough, he was also responsible for looking after the "Princess."


    "Hahaha, kid, don¡¯t pass out just yet. The fun part is still to come. Look on the bright side¡ªfollow all my conditions, and I¡¯ll give you ''everything.''"


    Renjiro lifted his head upon hearing that. (Everything?)


    With tears still in his eyes, he murmured softly, "An island for myself (an island for my mom), and enough money so I¡¯ll never have to return to the city¡­ (enough so that my mom can stay on her island, prolonging both my dad¡¯s and my lifespan). Can you do that for me? (Please save two innocent lives.)"


    At that moment, Renjiro¡¯s only thought was increasing his life expectancy. That alone showed how terrifying his mother was¡ªeven more than America¡­ or rather, the President.


    "Hahaha, you¡¯re quite greedy, kid. I like that. Fine." The man turned and headed toward his room on the top floor of the luxurious villa.


    "Take him away! And kid¡­" The guards were already moving to escort Renjiro out, but they momentarily froze at the sudden, terrifying aura the President emitted.


    "Kid, I agreed to let her live with a thug like you¡ªthe same thug who had the audacity to call the President of a country a lunatic¡ªbecause I had no choice¡­ But all I need is one excuse to bring her back to me immediately." The man spoke without turning around, yet his terrifying gaze was enough to make even his guards lower their heads.


    "You understand what that means for you, don¡¯t you? Well then, I hope we see each other again soon¡­" With that, the man lost interest and walked into his room without another word.


    (Hahaha¡­ I hope I don¡¯t see you again until I¡¯m 80, just so I can tell you exactly what I think. Though she is way more terrifying!) At that moment, Renjiro felt like an entire nation was watching him.


    "Ha¡­" A small sound escaped Renjiro¡¯s lips as the guards approached. (Mom, your son just received his first national mission.)


    As he prayed internally, the guards tied him up¡ªagain¡ªand took him to a black car, flanked by two gorillas in suits. After three hours of driving, the car finally stopped, and the guards untied him.


    "Admit it¡ªtying me up again wasn¡¯t an order from the President but your own initiative," Renjiro said, frustrated after spending three hours in silence, alone, when it wasn¡¯t necessary. The guards got back into the car without a word and drove off. (Gone? Yeah right, they¡¯re probably watching me from somewhere.)


    "Ha¡­ it¡¯s already this late, damn it. I need to lie down and process all this calmly," Renjiro muttered to himself.


    He was standing in front of his apartment¡ªthe one he would now be sharing with someone¡­ someone very special.


    Renjiro pulled out his keys and unlocked the door. (Ah, I guess she¡¯s already here.) He spotted a pair of women¡¯s shoes, letting out a deep sigh.


    After hesitating for a moment, Renjiro stepped inside. "I¡¯m coming in."


    When does a man use all the adrenaline stored in his adrenal glands? Is it when he fights with rage in a boxing ring? When he confesses to his crush? Or when his mother visits him? No. The moment a man surpasses his natural limits is when he faces a life-threatening danger. (Maybe also when his mom forces him into two years of hellish training¡­ but I think I¡¯m the only one in that category.)


    (What a shitty day!)


    A girl with blue hair was coming down the small stairs leading to her room. By "instinct," "fear," and above all, "a strong desire to live," Renjiro noticed a wet spot on the last step. He moved as if his life depended on it.


    As the girl stepped on the slippery spot, she lost her balance, but it was too late¡ªshe was already falling.


    Renjiro moved with almost supernatural agility for someone of his build, catching her just before she hit the ground, landing on his back in the process. He had prevented the worst¡­


    "That damn brat¡­" The man watching the scene had an expression of rage.


    (So young, yet already so close to death!)


    Renjiro, having caught the girl, realized his hands were placed directly on her chest¡­


    With fresh te


    ars in his eyes, he screamed internally, (Damn destiny, I will survive!!!)