Silence settled over the room. Everyone probably had things they wanted to say, but no one had time to butt in before Shiren answered. “I want to go back.” Shiren formed each word carefully as she spoke. There was strength in her eyes, as though she was ready for the fight ahead. “All right. And because I’m your minion, I’ll make that happen,” Ryouta replied with a smile. Sairi looked like she’d just been robbed. Ouka’s expression remained unchanged. She was merely observing the scene as it unfolded. Shiren slowly turned to look at Sairi, letting go of Ryouta’s hand. “I’m leaving, Mom.” “You are not.” “Try and stop me.” Shiren had known this would come down to a test of strength. If she was truly powerless, she would never have the chance to obtain her own happiness. And that was why she intended to fight back with everything she had. “Very well, new order of the Virginal Father, stop Shiren! Show her what the executive class can do!” Sairi roared out her orders. “Ma’am, I’m sorry…but…” “Bishop Tamura? What is it?” “We ate so much, we can barely move…” Apparently, they had gorged themselves on the food, and none of them were prepared for this. “I could barely fit the dessert myself…” “Sheesh! You should be able to handle that much easily! And we were planning on ramen for the after-party!” It sounded like Sairi’s stomach was a bottomless pit. “I wish we could have gone to the after-party… We rarely ever come to Japan… If only I had an hour of free time…” “Sasara! The ramen isn’t the important part here!” The order of the Virginal Father was now severely limited in what it could do. “But team Akinomiya didn’t bring much in the way of security, did they? I doubt your guards are fully healed from our last fight.” Sairi was still confident in her power. This was her home turf. She wasn’t going to lose. Even though the executives of the order seemed dazed from overeating, they still took up their fighting positions. “And what, exactly, were you planning on doing without any input from your emperor, Ryouta?” Ouka stared at him coolly. “Oh, Ouka—” “I said I would take in the defector, but I don’t recall ever saying I would fight for her.” A shadow fell over Shiren’s face. Ouka hadn’t promised to help them, but she and Ryouta could not win alone. “However, I will act upon a request made by another national leader. I am willing to deploy my soldiers in order to suppress a revolt.” Ouka sounded genuinely annoyed. “Thanks, Big Sis!” Shiren shouted, her eyes sparkling. “Don’t get the wrong idea. This is all for my country’s profit. And my grandstanding minion will not be receiving pay for a while.” Ouka glared at Ryouta. “Lady Ouka, I’m sorry, but…I don’t think I’ll be able to fight due to my injuries…” Sasara came to Ouka’s side and apologized. “Don’t worry; you may rest, Sasara. You didn’t even bring your weapon today.” “But we don’t have enough people.” “Yes, we do. Look at them. This will be an easy fight.” A lone swordsman came to stand before the order of the Virginal Father. “It will be so. I, Masatsuna Toraha, shall emerge victorious.” Masatsuna Toraha was said to be the most powerful swordsman in the Empire. He was also Sasara’s cousin, and he had once faced Ryouta in a serious battle. “I should hope so. And when you do, I’ll give you the right to marry whoever you like as your prize.” “Your Majesty… A-are you sure…?” Toraha flushed. “Wait! That cannot be his prize! Pick something a little more uninspiring, please!” “I suppose you’re right. Maybe I should narrow his choices to only someone he’s related to.” “That’s even worse!” Sasara was on the verge of tears. “I can handle this. I—I can take these guys i-in an instant if I just stay c-calm.” “You’re not calm at all. Are you okay? Though I guess you’re powerful enough you don’t need to stay calm.” Toraha held his wooden training sword at the ready. “A real blade would be wasted on an enemy such as this… Yah!” He closed the distance between them in an instant and jabbed all the men from the order in the stomach. “Bluh—” “I’m gonna—” “Where’s the bathroom?!” The bloated executives quickly left the scene. “No one could fight in such a condition. Fools.” He was right; no one should be fighting on a full stomach. “But you got through dessert,” Ryouta said. “Guess you’re secretly a big eater.” Even Ryouta was finally feeling the effects of all that dessert. “Well, I had everything I couldn’t eat wrapped up so I could take it home,” replied Toraha. “Despite our history, my family is poor. We cannot afford to waste food…” “A victory for the thrifty, I suppose…” With that, all the enemies aside from Sairi were out of the picture. But this was Sairi’s stronghold. “I’m impressed. But you can only fell so many enemies with your sword alone.” Members of the order of the Virginal Father soon flooded the room—there must have been a hundred of them. “Where were all these people hiding? This makes no sense.” Ouka was amazed by their sheer number. “But this is how many I needed.” “Um… I’ll do my best to keep fighting, but…I don’t think the circumstances are in my favor with this many of them…” Toraha was already giving up. “I suppose so. Then I will simply have to call in reinforcements,” said Ouka, calm as ever. She’d seemed much more troubled earlier, when talking to Shiren. “We’ll fight fire with fire. All right, you can come out now.” Shwump. Several people dressed in all black descended on the members of the order. By the time they looked up, it was already too late. At some point, an entire group of people dressed in black had affixed themselves to the ceiling. As soon as they dropped down, the fight began. “Well, things have certainly escalated… Is this my fault…?” Shiren recoiled slightly. She hadn’t anticipated a fight involving this many people. “Goodness. All this chaos because one girl wanted to be selfish.” One of those dressed in black peeled off her mask. Kiyomizu Jouryuuji stood before Shiren with annoyance on her face. “Sorry…,” replied Shiren. “I didn’t think about what effect it would have…” “What are you apologizing for? You wouldn’t have made this decision if you were worried about causing trouble. You did what you thought was right, so own it.” “I owe you so much.” “If I wasn’t getting anything out of this, I wouldn’t be doing it! Either way, we need to beat this new order of the Virginal Father into submission!” Voices yelling “Don’t underestimate the Jouryuuji family!” could be heard from the direction of the brawl. It seemed a number of people from the exiled Jouryuuji clan were partaking in the fight. “This will take a little time. I’ll leave the rest to you all.” And with that, Kiyomizu moved to dive back into the fight. But just before she did, she turned around one last time. “Ryouta dearest, I’m going to use my right to have you do whatever I wish right now!” “Wait, now…?” “Yes. There was never a rule that I couldn’t use it in a fight.” She looked at Ryouta smugly. “Let me tell you before I go back in.” “Uh, okay… Go ahead…” “Make Shiren happy! And if you don’t, I’ll sue you for breach of contract!” Ryouta couldn’t believe his ears. Kiyomizu had used her one free pass on him not for herself, but for Shiren. “Hey, has someone brainwashed you or something? Are you actually Kiyomizu’s twin?” “How rude! I would punch you if you weren’t my Ryouta dearest.” She huffed, pouting. “I was never going to use my pass to keep you for myself. What’s the point if I don’t seduce you with my own charm?!” “Y-you…really are nice to your friends…” Ryouta was seriously impressed. “She and I aren’t friends! We’re rivals!” And with that, Kiyomizu leaped back into the fight with the new order of the Virginal Father. “Well. It seems they’ll be settling that matter among themselves.” Ouka took a step forward—toward Sairi’s side. “Your Imperial Majesty of the old Empire, I think it’s time you return to Akinomiya,” said Sairi. One of her underlings brought her a sword. She grasped it silently. “At the end of the day, the strongest member of this organization is me. Though I do wish the others would try a little harder sometimes…” “If you’re getting serious, then I suppose I must do the same.” Ouka turned to Ryouta. “Come here, Ryouta. You have a more important role than wielding a sword.” “What?” He approached, and Ouka ripped into his arm with her teeth. “Ow—!” Blood oozed from the wound. “Better than a fight to the death, no? Deal with it. You are my minion.” Ouka quietly lapped up the blood. Pure-white wings of light unfurled from her back. Judging by the color alone, they looked like angel wings, but a terrifying aura emanated from them, like that of a devil risen from the earth. “You’re like the Goddess of Blood,” Sairi said flatly. “Your ancestors, too, worshipped this form. I never thought I’d be fighting a descendant of the first archbishop, but I suppose this is destiny.” Rights to the Imperial throne were not maintained by tradition, but by pure power. The Imperial family was not merely of noble birth, and their station was not symbolic. “I will show you what it means to make an enemy of the Sarano family.” “You know, I’ve always wanted to face you in battle.” Sairi drew her sword. The first one to attack was Ouka. She closed the distance between them in a blink of an eye. Her nails had transformed into the sharp claws of a beast. These were not just for ripping flesh—they could also tear a person in half. Sairi faced those claws with tranquility, sword in hand. She wouldn’t strike yet. It was much too dangerous to engage before knowing how the enemy would attack. Sairi had made it through life essentially undefeated, but that was because her fighting style emphasized defense. She did not expose herself to risk. She only attacked when she was safe. It was almost impossible to break down the defenses of a human on her level. All she had to do was wait thirty minutes, or an hour at most, until her opponent started showing signs of weakness. If it looked like she was one-sidedly attacking, that was only proof of how much less skilled her opponent was. This time, too, her defensive tactics were successful. Mouths appeared in Ouka’s wings and bared fangs. Her claws were just the opening act. This was the real deal. The mouths aimed for Sairi’s shoulder. She could have blocked them with her sword, but— This is bad! —Sairi decided to leap backward. The darkened mouths stretched forward, as though they had a will of their own, chasing Sairi. They scraped against her shoulder, and it didn’t feel like a bite. Instead, it was like she’d been touched by dry ice. Blood streamed from the wound, but it wasn’t that deep. “I was right to pull back,” said Sairi. “You would have ripped my head clean off if I hadn’t.” “It seems seventy percent of your skill is animal instinct.” At a distance of thirty meters, they laughed at each other. “I figured if I blocked with my sword, they’d simply eat it.” “A good assumption. It’s practically impossible to physically block these wings.” There was majestic dignity to Ouka’s countenance. “According to my own rules, I only use my power when I need to. Most things can be solved with this level of force, but doing that would make me a complete dictator, wouldn’t it?” “I’d expect no less from the Goddess of Blood’s power.” “No one would pray to her if she wasn’t powerful. Unless the one in authority is insurmountably strong, people only grow jealous and resentful.” “Indeed. But thanks to you showing your hand so quickly, I can tell that your absolute power isn’t so absolute.” Sairi’s expression grew confident. Ouka frowned and clicked her tongue. “What level are you operating on…?” Shiren stood still, watching the fight, but not because she was frozen with fear. This battle would determine her destiny, and she couldn’t afford to run or look away. Even if she managed to escape, it wouldn’t make a difference if they couldn’t stop Sairi. Since she wasn’t running, her friend Ryouta stayed by her side. She was no longer his master, but he still had to do what he could to keep his friend safe. I’m not sure if I can actually protect her, though… As much as he hated to admit it, there was no space in the battle unfolding before him for superficial power. If he thoughtlessly stepped in, he would immediately die. He wanted to help, but there was nothing he could do. “It’s time to finish this.” Sairi pulled back her sword, then thrust it toward Ouka like a spear. She closed in on Ouka like it was nothing, like she herself was a bullet fired from a gun. The expression on Ouka’s face said she knew she was in trouble. Though she was borrowing her ancestors’ powers, there was only so much Ouka could do in the face of changing momentum. She was helpless before such a rapid approach. Big Sis! Shiren was about to shout, but before she could, Ouka was sent flying. All the leftover plates on the table clattered to the floor. “Ouka!” Once his head caught up with the awful sight, Ryouta finally found his voice to call out. There was no way Ouka would walk away from that thrust unharmed. In fact, it was hard to believe she’d even survive. That was why, when he saw Ouka sit up, he felt relief wash over him. “That’s…only a replica of your regular sword…” “Yes. This was just a friendly get-together, after all.” A replica wouldn’t even be able to pierce her skin. “You’re taking me for a fool…” “You would have died if this had been my real sword, you know.” Ouka had nothing to say in response. She was alive because Sairi had spared her. “You are the emperor, and we need you as part of our plan for the new Empire. I cannot afford to kill you. But the closer we are in strength, the harder it is for me to hold back. Admit defeat. Even this replica could have killed you instantly if I’d hit you in the wrong place.” “I’ve always been a sore loser. I thought you knew that.” “Push yourself any more, and you will lose.” All emotion vanished from Sairi’s face. “I was never going to separate you all forever. But this is premature. We need to be patient until the country gets on track. I thought you understood that, Ouka.” “Why should Shiren and I have to live apart?! We’re sisters!” shouted Ouka, glaring hard at Sairi’s blank face. This was the first time Ouka had ever verbally acknowledged Shiren as her sister. “I mean, sure, there are probably plenty of justifications! But if you think I’m going to let adults pull us apart based on any of those, you are gravely mistaken! If my baby sister wants to come home, then I’m going to fight to make sure she can!” Shiren unconsciously balled her hands into fists. “Big Sis…” Ouka was clearly fighting for her sake. “Aren’t you glad Shiren isn’t coming back to the Empire, though…?” Sairi glanced at Ryouta. Ouka drew her lips into a thin line. “…” “See? Our interests align.” “…Ha-ha-ha! I see your true colors now, Sairi Fuyukura!” Ouka gave a hearty laugh, as if dispelling all her ill will. “You were never doing this for Shiren. You were doing this for yourself. What do you mean, ‘our interests align’? You’re hopeless. Your daughter is much more of an adult than you are.” “I—I wasn’t… That wasn’t… Look, I need to protect the new Empire…” Sairi went pale. The truth she had been trying to hide even from herself had slipped out, just like that. “You aren’t wrong, though. If Shiren comes back, I’ll only have more rivals. I won’t deny that. But…” Ouka was brimming with the pride of a ruler. “Even though she’s naive and childish, my baby sister still managed to use all her strength and smarts to create an opportunity to tell us she wants to come home. I have to take her back—I don’t have a choice. If I can’t even make my only sister happy, how am I supposed to do it for a whole nation?” At some point during this conversation, Ouka’s wounds had begun to close. That must be due to her awakening; she could heal much faster in this state. “You’re small, Sairi Fuyukura. You’re like a little puppy that’s all bark and no bite.” Sairi readjusted her grip on her sword. “Say what you like. I’m going to win.” Even Ryouta could sense the obvious bloodlust emanating from her. This wasn’t good—Sairi wasn’t going to go easy on her this time. “Ryouta, help me out here.” Shiren grabbed Ryouta’s arm. She didn’t wait for an answer, but she didn’t have to. There was only one answer he could give. “Okay. Be careful.” Shiren bit into Ryouta’s arm… …and sucked his blood. It was tentative. Nostalgic. She was careful at first, but as she got used to it, she drank more. The flavor was a reminder of simpler times, and it made her heart beat harder and faster. “Oh, Ryouta. I finally figured out why I never felt fulfilled here.” “What?” “No matter what kind of delicious foods I ate, I could never find a replacement for your blood.” “You must not have been eating very well if you couldn’t forget that.” “The best dish in the world couldn’t replace your blood. It’s not about flavor—your blood is precious to me.” Jet-black wings sprouted from Shiren’s back, ripping apart her dress. Unlike Ouka, Shiren didn’t have enough Sarano blood in her. Half of her was not Sacred Blooded—it was human. And so her wings were not formed from light but took physical shape, like bat wings. But that didn’t mean she was powerless. “I’m here to help, Big Sis.” Shiren, wings spread, stood beside Ouka. “No, wait, that’s not exactly right. I should be forging my own future with my own hands. I shouldn’t have let you fight on my behalf.” “You’ve matured since you moved, Shiren. Why don’t you stay a little longer and continue your studies?” “I got bored of it. I want to go back to the old Empire for a while.” “How cheeky of you.” The two sisters smiled at each other for the first time in a long while. “Shiren… Move. I can’t hold back now… I have to concentrate on putting my all into this fight.” “Don’t hold back, then. I’m going to put my all into this fight, too—for my own future.” Clearly, she wasn’t going to pull back anymore just because her mother asked her to. “Then I’ll make sure she can’t concentrate.” Ryouta had moved to stand behind Sairi. Ryouta wasn’t strong enough to join in this fight. That said, no matter how powerful Sairi was, she couldn’t attack on two fronts at the same time. She could cut down Ryouta easily, sure, but that would require her to turn her back to Ouka and Shiren. “You’re going to die, you know… No one with their head screwed on right would try and interfere.” “But I’m Ouka’s minion and Shiren’s friend. If I didn’t try to help, I wouldn’t be human.” “Fine. Then first, I’ll make sure you can’t move.” Sairi whirled around and rushed at Ryouta, but she seemed a little different from before. She was panicking. She’d forgotten about biding her time. If they could make her panic just a little more, then they could win. They just needed to wait. That said, if Ryouta fought her head-on, he’d die. I don’t plan on doing that anyway. After all, this wasn’t a one-on-one battle. Ryouta reached out toward the tablecloth to his side and pulled with all his might. A giant white sheet appeared in front of Sairi. For a second, she flinched. She didn’t know exactly where Ryouta was. But since she was already in motion, she didn’t stop. The moment she stepped into the tablecloth’s embrace… …the other two rushed at her from behind. “This is child’s play!” Sairi yelled. She sliced the cloth in half, but Ryouta was gone. “You missed!” Ryouta brandished his sword. She could easily block his attack, but then she would be unable to stop the two behind her. As she whirled around, two hands reached out toward her own, gripping her sword. She was a seasoned fighter—she could have thrust Ryouta aside and then fought back against the other two. But when she saw her daughter, she balked for just a moment. As she sliced through the air, her sword went off course, and the girls’ hands grabbed on to Sairi’s. The hands wouldn’t cut into her, but the force was more than enough to eject the weapon from her hands. Clatter. The sword fell to the ground. The fight was over. Despite how powerful she was, Sairi could not take down two awakened Sacred Blooded with her bare hands alone. The room went quiet. Shiren stared at Sairi. Her mother’s eyes were still brimming with bloodlust. But there was no sound. No words. Slowly, Sairi raised both her hands. “You win.” At last, the tension eased, and a grimace crossed Sairi’s face. “What can I do when the emperor herself commits treason? It seems the new order of the Virginal Father is having a rough time of it, too.” “You’re nowhere near strong enough to carry the Virginal Father’s standard!” Kiyomizu was just finishing up with the new order. In the battle between new and old, victory had landed in the hands of the old. “Fine. I’ll carry on by myself, like I’ve always done.” “Mom…” Shiren knew Sairi’s loneliness well. It was a lot like her own. “I don’t need sympathy. I’m too selfish for that. I’m a bad adult, and I lost. That’s all.” As the battle came to a close, they heard the ding of an elevator arriving on their floor. “Oh dear, what bad timing. I wonder if someone called the police.” Sairi didn’t know who it was, but she was sure they’d be shocked at the scene before them when the elevator doors opened. “Oh! You must be Sairi.” A girl wearing a big ribbon on her head stepped out from the elevator. Perhaps not a girl—she was short, but she seemed much too calm to be a child. “Who are you?” “Ehem, I have come to deliver a message to you. Ehem, ehem… I worked so hard, my cough is acting up again… It’s so dusty in here…” “Rei? Where were you?!” Ryouta was shocked at Rei’s unexpected appearance. He’d never expected to run into her in Japan. “Oh, Ryou, you’re here! This must be destiny. But I’m sorry—I need to deliver this message before we have our touching reunion hug. I don’t want to forget again and have to go through the trouble of going back to the other side.” “Who is this message from?” Sairi was bewildered, unable to follow the conversation. “Someone named Owen… Oh, no, sorry—Ouen.” “What?!” Sairi’s voice cracked. “That cannot be. He is dead… It must be an impostor…” “A long time ago, you went to an eating contest in Tokyo, but you’d gone to a buffet just before and had to forfeit partway through. If you’d gone in without eating beforehand, you definitely would have won.” “Wh-why do you know about that…?” It seemed Rei was telling the truth. Sairi’s mouth hung open in shock. “You were so disappointed, you went to a Korean barbecue place to eat away your stress, and that’s when you met Ouen.” “Huh, that’s not a very romantic story…” Ryouta couldn’t help but speak up. “And why would you go for Korean barbecue if you’d just lost an eating contest…?” “A few hours passed, and I got hungry again.” Despite coming from the former competitor herself, the answer wasn’t very convincing. “That’s when Ouen turned to you and said, ‘Are you eating alone? So am I. Let’s eat alone together.’” “He did. I then ate a surprising amount, and through tears, he declared he would pay half the bill. He said making me pay for what I ate would hurt his pride as a man, but he didn’t have enough to pay for both of us.” “There’s not a shred of romance in that story…” “But you’ve only just met me. How do you know all that…? Were you another one of his girls on the side…?” Sairi looked at Rei dubiously. Ouen was apparently a notorious cheater. “No! I would never do something so immoral! I only have eyes for my little brother, Ryou!” Her statement was problematic for a different reason, but pointing that out would only cause trouble, so even Ryouta let it slide. “And even if he was cheating with me, he wouldn’t tell me a story like that!” “I guess you’re right… So how did you learn this, then…?” “I’m often on the brink of death, and it was during one such time that I met him on the other side, ehem. He tried to seduce me out of the blue…” “He was always, always like this…” There was anger and exasperation on Sairi’s face. She’d never imagined she’d be hearing about his scandals in the afterlife, too. “Fine. I’ll believe that you met him on the other side.” “Very well. Then let me give you this message before I forget—‘I’m sorry.’” Those two words caused Sairi’s mouth to fall open. There was a fragility about her; it was hard to believe she’d been in the midst of battle mere moments earlier. “‘I’m sorry, Ominaeshi. Sairi. If things have soured between the two of you, I am to blame. I want you to hate me, curse me to die. Well, I’m already dead, though. I’m a child. I could never love just one person.’” “Oh, boo-hoo. I’ll be sure to hate you and more, just as you asked.” “‘And so, please hate me alone. No one else. Don’t let this affect the girls.’” “…” She had known their words and actions would affect their daughters. There was a small part of her that had acknowledged it was inevitable. But hearing it put so clearly into words gave the statement a power beyond what she’d imagined. It sounded as if she’d pretended not to know, and he was blaming her for that. “‘No one can choose the circumstances of their birth, and sometimes, that is painful. But adults who understand the unfairness of life should never take that out on children.’” “I know, I know… No, actually, maybe I never knew…” Sairi continued to listen, not looking at Shiren or Ouka. “‘Unfortunately, I can’t solve your problems for you, but I know you’ll be okay. And one last thing—this is a little embarrassing, but I can’t send a message and not say it. Sairi, Ominaeshi, Ouka, and Shiren…’” The daughters made quiet noises in response to hearing their names. “‘…I love you.’” It was a mundane phrase, but it held special power for Sairi, Ouka, and Shiren. “‘I love you. And that’s why I hope you’ll stay away from here for some time to come. I’ll be fine on my own. Keep on forging through life’… And that’s the end of the message.” Sairi collapsed to her knees. Tears were flowing down her face. The control she had been trying so hard to maintain had been shattered in one fell swoop. At this point, there wasn’t much she could do. Even if she tried to calm herself, her heart was going in every direction at once, and she couldn’t rein it in. “I’m sure you have a lot to say, but you may cry for the time being, ehem. Everyone, please leave her be.” Perhaps Rei was able to understand Sairi as a fellow adult, because she remained calm even as she watched the other woman cry. “I don’t really understand what’s going on, but nice work, Rei.” “Gosh, I really did my best! Could you give me a pat on the head?” “I guess so.” Ryouta slowly ran his hand over her head. It wasn’t easy, though, considering how her big ribbon got in the way. “Hee-hee-hee~. This was worth dying over and over for~!”
Chapter 114
25 min read