Chapter Two 

And the Winner is...

It was December 20th, five days before Christmas, and we were in the middle of battle training class.

“Come on, Kokuya, it’s time for your 1,000th loss.”

“Yeah right. I hope you’re ready to start calling me master.”

Yukihime and I were exchanging taunts like we always did – well, maybe the atmosphere was just a bit more tense than usual. Then, suddenly...

“Could you hold off on that for a bit?”

A lone figure came and interrupted us. He had jade hair, long bangs, and his right sideburn was long and swirly. “Urgh, not Sakisaki!”

“Kurono... How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me by that strange nickname?”

He was Sakito Nagisaki, a member of the Nagisaki family – one of the Seven Great Mage Houses, otherwise known as the Seven Houses.

Back when star sorcerers were known as sorcerers and mages, the Seven Houses aimed to keep sorcery hidden from the world. Powerful spells and the rights to use them were split up between these seven families, and they still possessed them to this day. They were also the ones who built and managed Otherworld City.

All decisions regarding Otherworld City were made by the Council of Seven Houses, which was comprised of the representatives of the Seven Houses along with the Headmistress. Incidentally, the Yukigane family was also one of the Seven Houses.

Nagisaki was a student from the next class over. Whenever our classes had group battle training, he’d always come straight for me. He was a real pain.

Oh yeah... Today’s group training day.

“What do you want, Sakisaki?”

“Didn’t you hear what I said just now?! I’m going to defeat you today, once and for all.”

“...”

“What’s wrong? At least give me a reply!” Nagisaki pointed his finger straight at me.

“...Yukihime. Is this how I act towards you?”

“What do you mean?’’

“You know, being annoying and arguing over every little thing you say.”

“I don’t think so. I don’t mind fighting with you. It’s actually quite stimulating. You do a lot of annoying things that have nothing to do with your fighting, though.”

“Oh.” I ignored the second half.

The moment Nagisaki tried to pick a fight with me, I was already annoyed. I was here to fight Yukihime, after all.

“I’ll be happy to fight you after Nagisaki,” she said.

“Oh. Alright then, let’s go, Sakisaki.”

“I disapprove of how lightly you’re taking me... But so be it. Take your place on the battlefield, Kurono.”

Shaking my head at his choice of words, I stepped onto the stage. Soon, we were standing opposite each other.

“That reminds me,” I said.

“What?”

“Why don’t you ever challenge Yukihime? Everyone would be way more impressed if you defeated her instead of me.”

“So? The opinions of others bear no importance to me.” Nagisaki glanced at Yukihime, who was watching us from the sidelines.

“...Besides, I’m not fit for her yet,” Nagisaki said, as his cheeks turned slightly red.

It was so obvious. Yes, he had a crush on Yukihime. Apparently, he thought that he wasn’t allowed to fight her until he became ‘fit’ for her. And in order to achieve that, he needed to defeat me. That was his logic. I had no right to get in his way, but I wasn’t just going to let him beat me. His thought process was a bit similar to mine, so that made me all the more stubborn.

There was another reason, though: the Star Gate Academy rankings. Students were ranked by their raw strength as star sorcerers along with their strength in actual battles. Yukihime was 1st, I was 2nd, and Nagisaki was 3rd. It made sense that Yukihime was 1st, but I had really worked my butt off to nab that 2nd spot. Unlike the ranks that Otherworld City based on their own standards, students could rise up to higher ranks within the academy as long as they tried hard enough. Well, there was one guy who couldn’t rank-up no matter what, but he was a special exception.

Nagisaki was an A Ranker. Based on the Otherworld City ranks, he was the highest, and I was the lowest, so I definitely didn’t want to lose to some high ranker like him.

“Ready?” I asked.

“Yes, let’s get started. Liberation – Tempestas Falx.”

“Liberation – Chronoslayer.”

I gripped my twinblade and stared down at Nagisaki. His star armament was a giant scythe with a beautiful jade blade.

“I’m going to make the first strike, Kurono!”

Nagisaki swung his scythe in a straight horizontal line. Wind star power that had been compressed into the shape of a blade came zooming toward me at a shrieking speed. But I had started running before Nagisaki even started swinging, and took a slide right before the blade swooped by. Afterwards, I immediately stood back up, completing a dodge.

The wind scythe’s range, speed, and power were all frightening, but it moved just the same as any other big scythe. As long as I timed my dodge with the beginning of each attack, I’d be okay. Since I could speed up my thought process, this wasn’t a difficult task at all.

I started out about five steps away from Nagisaki, but he closed that distance with a single step by letting the wind carry his body. I was surprised to see him appear right in front of me, but I wanted to get close to him as well, so it worked out. After all, I didn’t have any long-distance weapons like his wind blade.

The massive scythe came sailing down from above. Swinging my blade to the right and deflecting it was the only choice I had. If I had tried to catch the scythe’s handle with mine, the curved blade would have pierced me. Due to its shape, all Nagisaki had to do was change the trajectory of the blade a tiny bit in order to hit me and prevent me from catching it.

The scythe may have looked cumbersome, but the shape of its blade was dangerous. Just like with a spear, I simply needed to get close to Nagisaki in order to defeat him, but he wouldn’t allow it. He remained just far away enough to deliver his blade to me, and continued to slash out over and over again. Every time I tried to close the distance, he’d use a wind step to create even more space between us. He could also quickly close long distances, which made it impossible for me to predict any of his movements. It was scary.

If he kept this pattern up, I’d be the one to lose. I didn’t have much star power to work with, so battles of endurance were out of the question. I had to break through this deadlock somehow, even if it meant using a little force.

The scythe came zooming down at me diagonally from the right. I grabbed the end of his blade with my right hand, something I could only do to thanks to my prosthetic star armament.

“You’re done for.” I swung the twinblade in my left hand.

“No.” Nagisaki boldly hoisted my entire body up with his scythe. “You are.”

In a flash, he swung his scythe down, planning to slam me straight into the ground. Just before the swing ended, I let go of the blade, flinging myself off into the air.

Then, a thought popped into my mind. Oh no. There was no way to dodge a vertical scythe attack in mid-air. I managed to block the scythe’s blade with my right arm, but the powerful swing sent me flying.

Just before I went flying off the stage, I lodged my twinblade into the ground. Sparks flew as it cut through the tile, slowing me down and keeping me within bounds.

As I stood up, I pulled my blade out and tried to close the distance again. Gusts of wind blew out from ahead as Nagisaki surrounded himself with a violent whirlwind. Blades of wind shot out at me, but I managed to dodge them all and get in close. I swung my long blade down, and then it happened.

An extremely powerful gust of razor-sharp wind shot out, distorting my blade’s trajectory. More wind continued to pour out, and I could feel my body sliding backwards.

“It’s not ideal, but I suppose I’ll have to win this way.”

More wind blades came flying toward me. I crouched down, dodged them, and muttered: “That’s what you were planning?!”

He wanted to pick me off from afar without letting me close the gap again. It was basically the same thing that Yukihime had tried yesterday, when she froze the ground to paralyze me and started shooting icicles. Since I had no long-range attacks at my disposal, there was no way for me to fight back when I was far away. But...

“...How stupid do you think I am, Sakisaki?!”

I spun my twinblade with my right hand and sped up my body. In an instant, I was behind him. He was still surrounded by that violent whirlwind, though, so I had no way to attack him.

I channeled star power into my twinblade and twisted the hilt. With that, the blades disconnected from the hilt, and the twinblade split into two separate blades. I gripped the dagger in my right hand, filled my right arm cartridge with star power, sped it up, and ejected it. A cartridge shell flew out, and I could feel star power overflowing from my right arm.

With the massive star power pulsing, I performed a powerful throw. My blade cut through the wind and stabbed Nagisaki in the shoulder just as he was turning around.

“Ggh...” A groan slipped out from Nagisaki’s mouth.

The wind had knocked my blade off its target, so that single attack wasn’t enough to win it for me. I wasn’t really surprised, though. That wasn’t a real long-distance technique, but something I had done out of desperation. I couldn’t have expected it to be perfectly accurate. But it did manage to stop the wind, if only for a moment. I didn’t miss this chance, and quickly threw my long blade. Without enough time to fill it with star power, it was weaker than my last throw, and Nagisaki simply used his scythe to deflect it. But the opening he made when he did so – that was what I had been waiting for.

Before my long blade even left my hand, I had already kicked off from the ground in order to fully close the distance. Another cartridge went spinning into the air as I ejected it. After swinging his scythe again, Nagisaki was wide open, and I swung my fist down hard. His body flew off the stage and went crashing into one of the arena’s walls.

A soft clink echoed as the cartridge shell hit the ground.

“I win.”

The moment I said that, Nagisaki staggered to his feet. “I-I... I’m going to win next time, you hear me?”

“You say that every time.”

Suddenly, I realized that Yukihime and I also said the exact same things every time.

...No. I’m going to beat her today, once and for all.

Soon, Yukihime and I were staring each other down again.

“Nice fight. Ready to do this?” she asked.

“Yeah. Did you practice saying the word ‘master?’”

“Did you decide on the color for you collar? I’m merciful enough to let you have a say on that.”

“Hah. Yeah right... C’mon, let’s do this!”

It was our thousandth battle. And the winner was...

“Big brother... What are you doing?”

With a thud, Towa dropped her bag on the ground.

When Towa got back from school and saw Yukihime and I inside the house, her eyes grew wide, and that question coldly slipped out from her mouth. It came as no surprise, though. After all, I was on my hands and knees, and Yukihime was sitting on my back.

“Welcome home, Towa,” we both said.

“I-I’m home...”

I locked eyes with my little sister. Yukihime was sitting on my back and doing her homework. I was also doing my homework, albeit on the ground.

“Big brother.”

“What?”

“Can I ask you again?”

“Sure, ask me whatever you want.”

“What are you doing?”

“Don’t keep asking me that...”

“Make up your mind.”

“You can ask me anything that doesn’t have to do with my current situation.”

“But that’s the number one thing I want to know...”

Yukihime spoke up. “Towa. I’m sorry, but as of this day, your brother, well, he’s become my servant.”

I had fought with Yukihime, and I had lost yet again. Thus, I was now her servant. I just couldn’t beat her...

“Y-your... your servant...?”

“It’s okay,” I said. “It’s okay. Towa. I’ll be back to normal soon.”

“Big brother...”

“What?”

“Can I take a picture of you?” Towa already had her phone out.

“What? Why?!”

“It’s so rare to see you at Yukihime’s mercy like this.” Towa chuckled.

She was just so adorable. But why, dear sister? When did you ever awaken to such a twisted fetish?

“Hey, Towa, that almost makes it sound like I’m at his mercy most of the time.”

“But it’s true–” Before I could get the rest out, Yukihime spanked me.

“You are to remain silent until I give you permission to speak.”

“Yes, mistress...”

“Towa, you can take as many pictures as you want. As his mistress, I give you full permission.”

“Okay!” And so, Towa happily documented me as I crawled along the ground.

“You really like Kokuya’s new appearance that much?”

“It’s just kind of nice to see someone who always pushes his luck get humiliated like this,” Towa explained happily.

It appeared that my little sister had some problems of her own. Although I guess I sort of understood how she felt. After all, I loved humiliating Yukihime, who also had an inclination for getting carried away.

Ohh, we’re so alike... She really is my sweet little sister, through and through... I just wish she wasn’t enjoying my humiliation so much... No, seriously...

“I’m finally free...” I muttered, alone in my room.

Yukihime had been getting back at me for all the times I had toyed with her. I had become her plaything... But now, Yukihime was taking a bath, and Towa was in her own room. Once Yukihime got out, I was sure that she’d start messing with me again, so I racked my brains and tried to think of some way to escape.

“Eeeeeeeeeek!” Suddenly, Yukihime shrieked.

“What happened?!” I shouted, and hurried to the bathroom. I opened the door, and Yukihime grabbed on to me – with her bra unfastened, and her panties pulled down, that is.

Not only that, but her hair had been freed from its ribbon. Her snow white skin and bony, slender body were in full view. Her chest and her butt were both small, but I saw beauty in their ephemeral natures.

“Ko, Ko-Ko, Koku, Koku, kuya, ya, Ko, Kokuya! Kokuyaaaa!” Yukihime crowed like a mad hen.

“What? What happened?!”

“In here! There’s one in here!”

“One... what?”

“One of the skittery things!”

“Skittery things?”

“They’re black!”

“Black?”

“Starts with a C!”

“C? ...Oh, you mean a cockro–”

“Don’t say it out louuud!” She punched me. “Koku-Koku-Kokuya! Kill! Now!”

I nodded sagely, embracing my new name. Yukihime was so panicked that she was speaking in baby talk.

“Okay, I’ll exterminate it for you. On one condition.”

“Wh-what?”

“You know what. ‘Master.’”

“...No. You must be out of your mind if you think–”

“I’m tired. Goodnight.” I feinted a heel turn.

“Please, master.”

“Will you obey me for the rest of your life?”

“The rest of my life?!”

“If not, then I’m going to sleep.”

“Okay! I will, I will...”

“So be it. Step aside.”

I pushed Yukihime out of the way, and prepared to do battle with the ‘creature’... Until I saw what had become of it.

“...Yukihime.”

“Wh-what?”

“Did you... freeze it?”

“Of course I did! Otherwise it would have kept moving!”

Well, yeah. Cockroaches move. Yep. I stared at the cockroach-cicle, then realized something.

“...Oh.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing.”

The ‘creature’ inside the fist-sized block of ice was just a toy. And not just any toy, but the one I bought yesterday. It wasn’t going anywhere, even without the ice.

Yesterday, I hid Yukihime’s present in the bathroom cupboard where we stored the laundry detergent, since I figured she’d never look there. I must have dropped the toy when I did... Besides, it was winter. You rarely saw cockroaches in winter.

I wrapped the frozen toy up in paper and threw it away. It was a waste of a good toy, but that was a small price to pay if it would allow me to turn the tables on Yukihime. I did feel a little guilty, though.

“K-Kokuya... Is it safe now?”

“Yep, totally safe.” I patted Yukihime on the head. “Now hurry up and get back in the shower, or you’ll catch a cold.”

The moment I said that, Yukihime finally realized the state she was in, and turned beet red.

“Don’t look at me!” After punching me, she ran into the bathroom. How dare she treat her master that way!

Afterwards, the three of us gathered and sat down at the dining table.

“Am I done being your servant now?” Yukihime asked nervously.

“Hmm...”

“H-hey, come on... We’re done, right?”

“I haven’t made up my mind yet.”

“You’re such a...”

Towa chuckled softly as she watched us.

“Hey, Towa, this isn’t funny!”

“Oh, yes it is,” I said.

“I’m sorry, but you two are always so funny together,” Towa said. “You really get along so well!”

“What?!” Yukihime and I both shouted.

“See?” Towa laughed again.

“We’re just no match for you, Towa,” Yukihime joked.

“Yeah, I guess we are pretty close,” I added. “A master and his servant should strive to stay on good terms, right?”

“Would you knock it off already?” Yukihime growled.

“Wh-what are you planning to do? It’s not gonna work on me!”

“The promise you made for losing to me a thousand times is still in effect, isn’t it? Which means that you’re my servant!”

“Says who? That was just overturned back there in the bathroom. You’re my servant now!”

“No, you’re mine!”

“No, you!”

“Pfft...” Towa laughed again as she watched our futile bickering.

Yukihime and I glanced at her, then turned back to each other.

“...Want something to eat?”

“...Yeah.” I nodded.

I didn’t expect that these peaceful days would just continue on forever. Towa, Yukihime and I each had obligations that kept us from being completely free, but I did assume that we’d be able to go on living together for at least a little while longer.

I never would have imagined that destruction was waiting right around the corner.