10 Red Strings At Your Service - Chapter 5 - Where Her Fate First Tied

Hurried footsteps echoed down the quiet hallway. Classes had ended, and the once-busy corridors were silent—leaving no one around to interrupt the girl bristly making her way forward.

“I’m finally going to hang out with everyone for the first time…! I’m so excited!”
She voiced her feelings aloud in empty hallway with giddy anticipation.

Each step she took was quick but controlled, her polished shoes clicking against the tile with soft restraint. Even as she moved with urgency, she still obeyed the rule of no running in the hallways—tiptoeing the fine line between excitement and discipline like a well-raised honor student.

Her honey-blonde hair, swayed and shimmered in the sunlight pouring through the windows, catching the afternoon glow in strands of gold. The hem of her skirt fluttered slightly with every step, and her schoolbag, clasped tightly in her hands, swung in rhythm with her excitement.

“Hanging out with friends after school… Fufu, what should we do first?”
She hummed softly to herself, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

“I want to eat crepes… and go to karaoke too! Oh, oh—and maybe watch a movie at the cinema!”
The ideas poured out in her mind one after another, stacking up like a child filling a wish list for Christmas.

It was a simple ordinary high school girl activity. But to her, it’s special.

“I know it’s bad to think this way,” she thought, with a tiny guilty smile, “but I’m kind of happy my piano lesson got canceled today…”

A warm feeling bloomed in her chest. For once, the schedule that always kept her from going, loosened its grip. And with that tiny amount of freedom, she wanted nothing more than to spend it making memories with her friends—laughing, eating sweets. Things that teenagers these days taken for granted.

There was one more reason she’s happy about.

“I’m so glad… Father said okay.”

Her soft whisper vanished into the quiet hallway, but the emotion behind it lingered in her chest warmly.

Just a few hours ago, her piano lesson had been unexpectedly canceled—an exceedingly rare occurrence. The moment her maid attendant informed her. She had mustered up her courage, opened the chat app on her phone, and typed a single, timid message to her father—asking if she could spend her afternoon with friends from school.

Her thumb hovered over the ‘Send’ button for a full minute. The more she stared at it, the more nervous she became, as if the words might come across too childish, and too… selfish.

But eventually, with a deep breath, she closed eyes and pressed send.

Those next few minutes felt like an eternity.

She clutched her phone in both hands, watching the screen that held her fate. Her heart thumped with every second that passed—anxious, hopeful, afraid.

Then… it came.

One new message.
Just a single word of “Ok.”

Her breath caught in her throat.
And then—smile.

It wasn’t a long message. It wasn’t affectionate. But to her, it was everything.

The corners of her lips lifted without her realizing, and her eyes softened with joy.

And now, with her heart just a little lighter, she was on her way—toward her very first after school outing.

—✿—✿—✿—✿—✿—✿—

She arrived at the door of the empty classroom they agreed to meet.

Her friends—the ones she invited—were already inside, waiting.

Chie stood still just in front of the door, her fingers brushing the handle, hesitating. She tried her best to erase the smile tugging at her lips. It was silly, she thought.

Getting this excited over something so ordinary…

She pressed a hand to her chest to calm the fluttering in her heart. Something so ordinary feels like a dream to her, that she’s scared she’s about to wake up from a sleep any moment now.

Just as she was about to slide the door open—

A voice from inside halted her completely.

“Why would you even invite Chie?”

It was a casual murmur, almost lazy in its tone. But the annoyance behind it is clear. Chie’s hand froze mid-motion.

“I didn’t think she’d actually say yes,” another voice replied, “You know how she always turns us down. Lesson this, family obligation that. Honestly, I assumed it’d be the same today.”

There was a short pause, followed by a giggle.

“But Dad did say I should stay close to her. You know… since she’s the future Himemori heiress and all. It can’t hurt to be on her good side.”

The second girl’s voice was charming—but the meaning behind her words felt anything but friendly.

“Still, this could work in our favor!” a third voice chimed in, far more enthusiastic. “If she’s finally joining us, she should treat us to something nice. That’s the least she could do after brushing us off all this time, don’t you think?”

“That’s true! I mean she’s a Himemori. It’s not like money’s a problem for her.”

The first voice returned, this time far more agreeable now that there was something to gain. “She should pay for everything. It’s practically a courtesy.”

“Ugh, but still that creepy smile she’s always wearing…” the second girl muttered. “Don’t you think it’s so fake? Like she’s obviously looking down on all of us while pretending to be sweet. It’s honestly disgusting.”

“Totally. Girls like her are the worst—pretending to be all gentle and proper, when in reality, they’re probably judging everyone behind that mask.”

Her hand was still on the door handle. Motionless.

Her smile, once so soft and full of quiet excitement, had disappeared without her even realizing.

A faint warmth touched her cheek.

She blinked, slow and uncomprehending at first, before finally noticing the single tear that had fallen down her face.

They… they didn’t mean any of it. Not the smiles. Not the invitations. Not the laughter they shared at school.

Not once.

Her breath caught in her throat.

So that’s what they really thought of me…

Even her excitement—her genuine, wholehearted joy at finally joining them—now felt like a cruel joke she hadn’t been let in on. She had been so happy… so proud of herself that she managed to said what she wants to her father and allowed her a moment of freedom. She had even planned all the things they could do together today to make up for the times she refuse their invitations.

She remove her hand from the door and brought it up to her face and wiped the tear away. She didn’t want another to fall. Not here. Not because of them.

Then slowly, carefully, she stepped back from the door.

Her shoes made the softest sound as they turned against the floor. No one inside noticed. No one even knew she had been there.

She walked away.

Chie reached into her neatly-kept bag and pulled out her phone. She open their group chat with cheerful icons and pastel backgrounds.

She typed with graceful movements:

“I’m really sorry guys, seems like I can’t go after all. I’m so sorry!”
She added a crying dog stamp right after sending the message—a small, floppy-eared puppy with big, wet cartoon eyes. Something that wouldn’t make anyone uncomfortable.

She quietly slipped her phone back into her bag like she hadn’t sent anything at all.

She didn’t check if they saw it.
She didn’t want to see their reply.

She just kept walking.

Her pace didn’t quicken. She didn’t run, even though her chest ached as if she might collapse if she stayed still for too long. No—she walked like the Himemori heiress she was raised to be: graceful, composed, dignified.

“I wish the piano lesson hadn’t been canceled today…”

The shadow, trailing behind her in the soft afternoon sunlight, looked lonelier than ever.

—❆—❆—❆—❆—❆—❆—❆—

The quiet clinking of silverware echoed softly through the grand dining room, the only sound accompanying the neatly arranged table and glasses of water and wine.
The rhythmic scraping of knife against porcelain plate blended with the soft tap of a fork, as slices of steak were cut with practiced grace.

Seated at one end of the long, elegant table was Chie, carefully placing a bite-sized piece of steak into her mouth. Across from her, was her parents mirrored the movements of cutting and eating.

Chie’s gaze flicked up subtly, watching them through her lashes as if trying to read the atmosphere of the room. Her father’s expression was as stern and unreadable as ever, like a stone statue. She often wondered if she’d ever seen him smile again. Her step-mother, wore makeup so flawless it felt more like a mask. Her lipstick was always the same shade—sharp, composed, and somehow cold.

Dinner in the Himemori household always looked like this. Three people sharing a table, but never quite a meal. These brief moments each day were the only times they were physically in the same space, and yet, they never felt further apart.

Her heart thudded softly. There was something she wanted to say—something she’d been rehearsing in her head since that afternoon—but the words caught in her throat each time she looked up. Her father wouldn’t say anything unless prompted. Her mother, meanwhile, continued to slice her food with refined movements, eyes never straying from her plate and the glass of wine.

She’s finding the right time.

But then again, was there ever a “right” time in this house?

Chie forced another piece of steak into her mouth, chewing slowly. The taste didn’t register. All she could focus on was the heavy silence, and her own quiet heartbeat.

Just as she finished swallowing the piece, Chie glanced up from her plate—only to see her father already folding his napkin with rigid, practiced precision. He had wiped his mouth. Her eyes darted to his plate. It was already empty. He straightened his posture, and now rested both hands lightly on the table, a silent signal that he’s now going.

Her chest tightened.

This hastened her even more. She was afraid that if she backed down now, she might never find the courage to say it again.

Panic surged beneath her calm exterior. Her throat tightened, her fingers clenched slightly under the tablecloth. The moment she had steeled herself for all evening was slipping away. She couldn’t afford to let it.

Hurry, hurry…!
Say it, me…! Please, just say it…!

She forced herself to breathe—one quick, shallow inhale. Then she opened her mouth.

“U-Um, F-Father…!”

Her voice cracked louder than she meant it to. Not harsh or impolite, but far from the composed tone she had envisioned. It echoed slightly in the room, cutting through the silence, as if a utensil has been dropped.

The effect was instant.

Both her parents paused, fork mid-air. Her father’s gaze turned to her, expression unreadable as ever. Her mother’s eyes lifted slowly, cool and narrowed, as if assessing the sudden noise rather than the daughter who made it.

Even the maids standing in quiet formation behind the chairs instinctively turned their heads toward her.

Her heartbeat rang louder than the ticking antique clock on the far wall.

But there was no going back now.

They were listening.

“U-Um… I have a request to make, Father.”

Her voice trembled—no matter how hard she tried to compose herself, the waver in her tone betrayed her nerves.

“I… I wish to transfer schools.”

She forced the words out all at once, not giving either of her parents the chance to interject. She knew that if she paused for even a moment, their presence—the pressure—would swallow her whole, and the courage she’d painstakingly gathered would vanish.

The dining room that was already quiet, fell into a different kind of silence. A tense, suffocating one.

Her father slowly lifted his eyes to meet hers. His expression remained unreadable—those cold, sharp eyes stared straight through her, making her feel as though she had spoken out of turn in a courtroom rather than her own home.

To her right, her mother’s eyes widened for the briefest second, before hardening into a resentful glare. Her once pleasant mask hardened, the corners of her lips tightening in disapproval.

Chie, however, remained unaware. Her gaze remained locked on her father, his response alone would determine her fate.

Behind them, the maids that keeping their expression in check up until now, clearly looked visibly uneasy. Once again, reminding them that a single word from the head of the Himemori family could tilt their entire career.

“Chie, if this is a joke, stop it right now. We don’t have the time to entertain your childish whims.”

The sharp voice came from her right. Chie instinctively turned toward the source, only to meet her mother’s frigid gaze. Her expression was unreadable—void of warmth. Just a cold, deadpan stare that sent an unmistakable chill crawling down Chie’s spine.

Gulp.

“B-But, Mother, I’m serious about this…”
Chie mustered what little strength she could to speak, her voice shaky but sincere.

Her protest, however, was instantly dismissed.

“I see. Then should we take this as your way of saying that the prestigious school we enrolled you in was a mistake on our part?”

“N-No! Tha–That’s not it, Mother!”
Chie replied hastily, her tone laced with panic.

I… I don’t want to go to that school anymore…

That’s what she wanted to say. It’s right on the tip of her tongue—but she swallowed it down. If she said that now, she’d only prove her mother’s point, confirming her accusation of childishness and ingratitude.

No… I have to be smarter than that. I need to find the right words… I have to convince them, not confront them.

“I… want to experience the real world,” Her tone had changed to more composed now.

“I’m not saying the school you chose for me is wrong. It offers exceptional education and the finest resources for nurturing, us, future heirs of the family. I understand that. I truly do.”

Slowly, deliberately, her gaze shifted back to her father. For Chie, it was clear—he was the one she needed to reach. The one whose opinion held the final weight.

Her mother, noticing that subtle shift in attention, felt the sting of being ignored. Her perfectly composed expression cracked ever so slightly, revealing the irritation simmering just beneath her powdered facade.

“Father,” she began, trying her best to sound calm and collected. “I don’t believe my current environment is enough to mold me into a capable heir for our business. Of course, I’ll continue my lessons as always, but… the school I’m attending now feels too secluded. In my opinion, it no longer challenges or prepares me in the way I need.”

Her voice was steady—impressively so—but inside, Chie was a storm of nerves. Her heart leaping in her chest, her fingers dug into the hem of her skirt beneath the table, and her mind screamed at her to retreat. Even she couldn’t believe that she was standing up to her father of all people.

A long, suffocating pause settled between them.

Then, finally, he spoke.

“Chie.”

A single word. Softly uttered.

Yet the weight it carried silenced the entire room. Even the air seemed to tighten around them.

Her father was never one for elaborate speech. Most days, a nod or slight glance conveyed all he needed to say. So when he did speak, each word felt like a declaration.

“Y-Yes, Father,” Chie answered, her voice modest, sincere—her eyes locked on his with an unflinching gaze.

He looked at her for a moment. A quiet, unreadable look. Then.

“I trust you will show me the results of this decision… won’t you?”

Her breath hitched.

For a second, her thoughts ceased. It was as if the world paused just to let the words echo in her mind, again and again.

He didn’t say no.

He didn’t stop her.

Instead, he—trusted her.

“I—Yes! Yes, Father!” she stammered, unable to suppress the joy swelling in her chest. “I’ll make sure I meet your expectations! I won’t let you down”

Her composure crumbled completely—overwhelmed not by pressure, but by happiness. Her tone was brighter, her posture straighter, and her eyes shimmered with a soft light.

For the first time in a while, the cold dining room felt a little warmer.

“D–Dear!?”

Just when Chie thought she had passed the most difficult part of her trial, another voice cut through the air.

She had completely forgotten—her mother was still there. And she was not convinced.

Chie’s body tensed again as her eyes turned toward the voice. Her lips parted slightly, already trying to shape a response, to defend her decision.

A calm voice beat her to it.

“…It’s fine.”

Her father’s reply was brief.

“But, Dear!” her mother raised her voice, her perfectly painted lips quivering with frustration. “What will people think if they hear that Chie switched schools!? They’ll say that the Himemori heir couldn’t even keep up with her studies in prestigious school!”

Her voice rang sharply through the dining room, bouncing off the expensive walls. The silverware trembled slightly. Even the maids looked visibly pale, their bodies frozen in place like statues as they could only wait for this storm to pass.

Chie gripped the hem of her dress beneath the table once more. Her nails dug in.

Just as she opened her mouth to counter her mother’s harsh words, her father once again spoke—this time with more weight, more words than she was used to hearing from him.

“Chie’s point makes sense,” he said, his tone as composed as ever, not a hint of agitation in his voice. “Instead of remaining in a secluded place full of pampered kids who know nothing beyond their status, she’d be far better off learning in the real world—where the majority of our customers actually live.”

While he said all of this with no change in expression and the same calm tone, it was rare to see the head of the Himemori family speak this much, let alone say something so harsh. It was as if her mother’s words had touched a nerve. But, no one in this room could possibly know for sure.

Her mother stiffened, the once-glistening charm in her expression gone completely, replaced by a cold silence. Her eyes narrowed slightly as if something anything within her sought to protest, but no words came. Not after that.

Even Chie couldn’t fully grasp it at the time, but somewhere in her father’s calmly spoken words, a quiet line had been drawn.

She blinked. Her heart was still pounding, her palms slightly damp with sweat hidden beneath the tablecloth.

For the first time… she felt like someone had taken her side.

“I’ll permit the transfer,” her father said, rising from his seat with his usual calm, unreadable expression. “But on one condition—I will decide which school you’ll be attending.”

Leaving only those words behind, he turned and exited the dining room, the quiet click of his shoes fading into the hall.

—❖—❖—❖—❖—❖—❖—

A week had quietly slipped by since that dinner.

Now, seated in the back of a glossy black car, Himemori Chie leaned slightly toward the window as she gazed out the window, her golden eyes sparkling with quiet excitement.

For someone who had only ever known the route between her home and her former school—a path lined with elegant mansions, and perfectly sculpted rose gardens—this new scenery felt like stepping into an entirely different world.

Outside the window were ordinary houses trees growing freely without being shaped into perfection. There were simple flower pots in front of houses, children walking in pairs, their laughter echoing down the streets. A salaryman sipping his coffee as he rushed off, and in the distance, students in the same school uniform as hers walked along the sidewalk, heading toward the same destination.

Everything was ordinary.

And yet, to Chie, this ordinary scene was dazzling. Her heart stirred. It felt as if, for the first time, she was truly living her own life.

Just as the car slowed to a gentle stop at a red light, the voice of the elderly chauffeur in the front seat broke the silence.

“Ojou-sama,” came the warm, gravelly voice from the front. “Your new uniform suits you very well. I wish you the best at your new school.”

Chie turned her gaze toward him, she met the eyes of the dandy older gentleman in the driver’s seat, his well-kept white beard matching the dignified air he always carried.

The uniform of her new school. A different shade, a different crest. Just that alone made her heart flutter with nervous excitement.

“Thank you, Alfred-san,” she said sweetly, her voice laced with gratitude. “Once again, I’m counting on your company for my daily trips. Fufu~”

“Haha! Leave it to me, Ojou-sama!” Alfred replied with a hearty laugh. “This old man’s still got plenty of drive left in him!”

The light turned green. The car began moving again, so did the wheels of Chie’s brand new life.

—❖—❖—❖—❖—❖—❖—

The two sets of footsteps rang faintly through the quiet hallway—one belonging to an older man in his mid-forties, and the other, softer and slightly delayed, belonged to Himemori Chie, walking a respectful half-step behind.

After sorting few paperwork in the faculty office, Chie’s new homeroom teacher had come to retrieve her. Now, they walked together toward the classroom where she would be spending the remaining time of her second year high school.

“It might take them some time to warm up to you,” the teacher said without even glancing back at her, his voice dry and devoid of emotion. “Even more so, since you’re that Himemori family’s daughter. But they’re good kids. Just be patient with them.”

The teacher spoke with an uninterested tone that will made some question if he actually knew his class well enough to call all of them good kids.

“No, I’m the one who should be asking for patience,” Chie replied politely, like a well-mannered honor student. “I’m looking forward to becoming friends with everyone.” Those words were sincere.

“We’re here,” the teacher said, stopping in front of a door with a sign labeled Class 2-C hanging above it.

Chie took a deep breath and quickly smoothed out the hem of her skirt. She could already hear faint voices slipping through the cracks of the door.

Without hesitation, the teacher slid the door open. The sound of metal scraping snapped Chie back to attention, and she quietly followed the teacher inside.

The lively voices from just a few seconds ago vanished. She could feel the weight of everyone’s gaze, but she didn’t let it show on her face. She kept her composure and maintained a proper posture the entire time.

She stopped just beside the teacher’s podium and turned to face the class.

“Nice to meet you, everyone,” she said clearly, her voice gentle yet firm. “I’m Himemori Chie. I look forward to studying with you all.”

She gave a small bow and offered a modest smile—a simple, courteous gesture.

She had no way of knowing just how devastatingly effective that smile was.

As she lifted her gaze, she scanned the room, casually observing her new classmates’ reactions.

As far as Chie could see, their expressions varied. Some boys were blushing. A few girls were looking at her with sparkling eyes. One girl near the back seemed more interested in her book than the new student in front of the class—While the male student to her right had his eyes and mouth wide open, staring at Chie as if he’d just seen a ghost.

But she quickly brushed this aside when the teacher spoke to her.

“You can sit in the empty chair next to Youhei,” the teacher said, lazily pointing toward a seat to the right of a student with bleached hair.

“Yes.”
Chie gave a short nod and began walking toward the seat, her footsteps graceful and composed. The entire class, still caught in a daze, followed her movements with their heads almost moving in unison.

She came to a stop at her desk and turned toward the boy with bleached hair, who was now gazing up at her in a daze.

“Pleased to meet you, new seatmate-san.”

Her voice was soft, but there was a playful put into it that immediately tugged Youhei’s heartstrings that clearly caught him off guard.

“Y-Yeah! I’m Kanzaki Youhei, nice to meet you!”
He straightened up and responded in a polite tone, a stark contrast to his rough appearance.

“Fufu, no need to be so formal. Let’s get along, Kanzaki-san,” Chie giggled lightly, finding the gap between his looks and manners rather charming.

“L-Likewise…”
Youhei’s voice wavered as he replied, a faint blush rising to his face.

With the greetings finished, Chie gently pulled her chair back and sat down. A seat—ordinary to anyone else—now marked the beginning of her new school life. She took in a quiet breath, her chest slightly swelling with the quiet joy of stepping into the unknown.

The classroom’s buzz beginning to rise again.
And as she sat there, peacefully savoring the small happiness of her first day…

She remained unaware.

Unaware that a thin red thread—one invisible to everyone else—but one person—was tied around her finger.
A thread that would change the course of her life in more ways than she could ever imagine.