Case Seven: The Festival Shoe

Hina kept one chess piece in her pocket as she walked into the academy, because it was the last thing that still felt like hers. As the third child of the royal family, she had spent years being watched and ignored at the same time, and a failed marriage had taught her how fast polite rooms could turn cold. She came to the village school under a thin cover name, hoping to stay useful without becoming a target. Instead, she found a class where every glance measured her worth, a festival that needed her skill, and Saeki, the quiet boy who noticed her shaken hands before anyone else did. He offered no rescue. He offered tea, silence, and the kind of care that asked nothing back. But someone had...