KATANAGATARI 3

■　■

At the center of this holy site is the Katana Buddha.

The gigantic buddha erected by the Old Shogun, as the annals now refer to him, who prevailed over the Age of Warring States and unified the nation─and promptly launched the Great Sword Hunt, that appalling piece of legislature which made all swords under the sun government property. The hundred thousand blades seized by the law were melted down to produce the Katana Buddha, the literal embodiment of the spirits of all swordsmen.

Swordsmen crossed the nation just to catch a glimpse of it.

Ostensibly the statue had been built, in the wake of chaos, as a memorial to peace, that such horrific conflict need not ever be repeated, but today it is a well-known fact that the Old Shogun’s motivations were more complicated─indeed, his motives were apparent even then.

He was really hunting swordsmen.

That none might threaten3 his supreme authority─

He robbed the swordsmen of their swords.

To rid their kind from all Japan.

And while he managed to achieve his superficial goal and forge the giant buddha, the Old Shogun, who had managed to unite the nation, failed to rid the warriors from the land─however.

Very few knew that this objective was also a ruse.

Official motive─building a giant buddha.

Ulterior motive─hunting down swordsmen.

But the Old Shogun’s true motive was to round up all the swords of Kiki Shikizaki.

To collect all thousand of the Mutant Blades made by that legendary swordsmith, who reigned over the Age of Warring States─such was his plan and obsession.

He succeeded─one might say ninety-nine per cent.4 Including the Mutant Blades in his possession at the onset of the hunt, the Old Shogun wound up with nine hundred and eighty-eight Shikizaki blades to his name─and if that isn’t ninety-nine per cent, what is?

Yet try as he might.

The twelve remaining swords evaded him.

Regardless of the legislation he enacted, or however many troops he deployed─at best, he ascertained their owners or their whereabouts.

Which is no surprise.

These twelve swords epitomized5 the Mutant Blades of Kiki Shikizaki─they were masterpieces of such consummate perfection that the nine hundred and eighty-eight swords the Old Shogun did manage to collect were considered mere prototypes for the remaining dozen.

Ultimately a failure, the Great Sword Hunt was the undoing of the Old Shogun and led to his demise. Lacking a proper heir, he was forced to cede his power to the present-day Yanari Bakufu─nevertheless.

Gokenji Temple, whose grounds encompass the Katana Buddha, remained a sacred place.

■　■

Gokenji was the home to around two hundred priests.

All of whom, though holy men, were warriors8─whose chosen weapon was the sword.

Most of their kind favor the spear─but at Gokenji Temple, brandishing anything except a sword would be unthinkable.

Toward the end of the seventh moon.

In the middle of the day.

At the Fifth Hall─westernmost of the five dojos on the compound of Gokenji Temple.

We find four souls.

Priests of the order─nowhere in sight.

All four souls present being temple outsiders.

One among them dressed in monkish robes9─so oversized they hardly made a dignified impression. And yet some aspect of her feeble, willowy appearance made the unflattering garment immaterial, setting her well above the rest.

That icy stare.

Almost transparent skin.

Nanami Yasuri─Head of the Yasuri.

Standing across from her, facing her head-on─there was a lanky guy with tousled hair, stripped to the waist, dressed in a hakama. Unencumbered by his usual arm guards and leg guards─ready to rumble.

The Seventh Master of the Kyotoryu─Shichika Yasuri.

Sister versus brother.

Reunited for the first time in over half a year─and facing off in the dojos of Gokenji.

Both empty-handed.10

But these two scions of the Kyotoryu, the swordless school of swordplay─were armed fully even when their hands were empty.

Shichika assumed Form Seven─the Kakitsubata.

Nanami just stood there.

But Shichika knew better─he knew about his sister’s stance on forms. How formlessness was form for her. He knew about her personal addition to the Kyotoryu, Form Zero, the Ichijiku─while he had failed to comprehend its workings, he knew of her peculiar, unique form and its ferocity…

Shichika watched Nanami’s every move, eyes fixed upon his sister and not so much as blinking. In turn, Nanami leveled her icy stare on Shichika─

Observing and examining him.

Her little brother.

In six months, how has he changed and grown─

And how far has he fallen?

“…”

“…”

The air was thick with tension─meanwhile, the other two souls present watched them over by the walls. One of them, as you have probably guessed, was Togame the Schemer, Grand Commander of Arms of the Owari Bakufu Military Directorate. Her brash and brilliant kimono, highlighted by her long white hair, was perhaps not the most suitable attire for a temple visit, but there she leaned against the wall. She was watching Shichika Yasuri─her sword─face off against his older sister, Nanami Yasuri, out on the planking in the middle of the hall.

Noticing something─she addressed the man beside her.

“Lieutenant Emonzaemon,”11 she whispered.

The man she had spoken to was watching the siblings in the center of the hall as well─but when Togame uttered his name, he turned his eyes on her.

A thin man.

Dressed in nothing quite so brash and brilliant as robes worn by the Schemer, but nevertheless wrongly for a temple.

Indeed, his outfit was wrong for the entire era.

He wore a coat and trousers.12

Upon entering the dojo, he took off a pair of shoes, rather than sandals.

But to top it all off─Emonzaemon wore a mask that covered half his face.

And scrawled across the mask─the word “NON-NINJA.”13

“What is it, Madame Schemer,” Emonzaemon said─he, too, in a whisper.

“We made it here. You’ve served your purpose─you’re free to head back to Owari. Wouldn’t want to keep that precious princess of yours─waiting.”

“No need 14─don’t worry about me, Madame Schemer. I’m enjoying the opportunity to witness this event firsthand. I’m not so cheerless15 as to turn back now. Unless, Madame Schemer, my presence is some kind of an inconvenience to you.”

“An inconvenience. Hah!”

Togame grimaced at the thought.

“Don’t flatter yourself─neither you nor your precious princess─could do anything to inconvenience me. Frankly, I’m surprised that you have nothing else to do. I meant only to suggest there might be better ways for you to spend your time than sitting on the sidelines.”

“Not at all─don’t fret, Madame Schemer. Simply sitting here with you─is all I need to do today. Learn more about your sword firsthand─and I’ll have done a full day’s work.”

“…”

Togame clicked her tongue.

She had no more to say and turned her gaze back to the action at the center of the dojo.

Of course, however softly they may have tried to speak, it was one giant open space, which meant that everything Togame and Emonzaemon discussed had made its way to Shichika and Nanami.

Shichika, however, did not move a muscle─16

Not so for Nanami.

“…Whew.”

She sighed.

That sigh─which suited her so well.

“Get your act together, Shichika─look how bored our audience is getting. Can’t you hear them chatting over there? Don’t just stand there staring at me, make a move.”

“Same old sis,” responded Shichika.

Without breaking from the Kakitsubata.

“Quit talking down to me. I know you’re strong and all, but it’s not like I’ve been sitting around the hut the past six months. This fight won’t be a repeat─of last year.”

“No?”

Nanami smirked.

She had no form to break from─and yet it seemed as if her posture had relaxed.

“I suppose that I can sort of see it─but let me ask anyway. What have you been up to for the past six months?”

“Well, first I fought a swordsman named Ginkaku Uneri, in Inaba Desert. That guy was a master of iainuki─so fast you couldn’t even see him draw his sword.”

Shichika did what he was told─and caught Nanami up on what had happened.

“Then came Meisai Tsuruga in Izumo─who used a style of swordplay called the Sentoryu. It actually has a lot in common with the Kyotoryu. She put up a good fight─and after that came yet another swordsman, Hakuhei Sabi…the strongest swordsman in Japan. He put up a good fight, too, but I won in the end.”

“Ah,” Nanami interjected17 without suggesting she approved. “I suppose that means that you’re the strongest swordsman in Japan now?”

“That’s right. I had to fend off a whole bunch of challengers─but let’s not count those guys. My next big fight was with a guy named Kanara Azekura, down in Satsuma. His armor class made him unbeatable, until I cracked him like an egg. My last fight was against Konayuki Itezora, who was a little girl but had this monstrous strength. Still, I won without a scratch!”

Shichika lied to his sister.

The heat of battle got the better of him.

But nothing got past her.

“Show me a liar, and I will show you a thief,”18 she chewed him out. “One look at you and I can tell you hurt your left arm not that long ago─Konayuki Itezora’s doing, I suppose? Still…it seems to have completely healed.”

“Just a flesh wound,” whined Shichika, flustered at being called out on his lie, but he didn’t let it hamper his bravado: “I’ve come into my own─way stronger than the first time that we fought each other. Don’t underestimate me, or you’ll get hurt.”

“Hurt?” Nanami looked puzzled at his choice of words. “We’re not here to play games, Shichika─this is the real deal. Kill or be killed.”

“Kill…”

Was it because Shichika was showing signs of hesitation?

“Don’t tell me you’ve gone soft,” Nanami snapped.

“S-Soft?”

“Ugh, I was afraid this was going to happen. Oh boy…who’s to blame for this? Ginkaku Uneri? Meisai Tsuruga, Hakuhei Sabi, Kanara Azekura, maybe Konayuki Itezora? Or perhaps…”

That stare.

Turning slightly─Nanami eyed the Schemer leaning against the wall.

“Is this your doing─Miss Togame?”

“…”

Togame stared right back─saying nothing, not shying from her gaze, simply facing her.

“You’ve got some nerve,” Nanami admitted. “But no matter. Listen, Shichika. I’ll say it again─this is not a game or contest. It’s a real fight, to the death. I aim to kill you─and ask you to do the same. If you’re too soft for that, at least come at me─aiming to die.”

“I told you not to underestimate me, sis,” warned Shichika. “I’ve never fought someone as strong as you─but I’m stronger than you now. If we fight each other, fight for real, you’re definitely the one who’s gonna die.”

“Exactly─that’s more like it.”

“Look, if you’d just give up that Shikizaki blade…Akuto the Eel, we can end this before anyone gets hurt. Just hand it over to Togame and everything will be okay. Why do we have to fight each other, anyway?”

“What a foolish question.” Nanami laughed─sneered. “When two swordsmen chance upon each other, what reason have they not to fight?”

“Sis, you’re not a swordsman.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

Nanami floated19 forward.

“Like you─I am a sword.”

“…”

“Are you so different? But Shichika─I figured you would need a reason for us to fight. That’s why I went to all the trouble of tracking down the Twelve Possessed of Kiki Shikizaki and finding you. Is that not clear enough for you? If you want the sword─you have to take me down. Okay? Dad didn’t raise you to ignore whoever owns you for my sake.”

“Fine, then,” said Shichika. “What the hell─why not. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you. Hey, Togame.”

“Hm?”

Naturally, the Schemer perked up when Shichika called her name.

“Give us the signal,” he said. “From the top.”20

Here goes, she thought.

Shichika was not the only one who had misgivings about the match─but after a moment’s hesitation, she raised one hand high, up toward the ceiling…

“May the best sword win─fight!”

As Togame cried the words, Shichika leapt forth.

Launching from the Kakitsubata, in a straight line for Nanami.

No─not exactly a straight line.

What makes and brakes21 the Kakitsubata is its kaleidoscopic footwork. By the time he made it to his sister, standing there in no stance in particular, he’d pulled off a total of twenty-four feints both big and small.

For someone with his legs, Nanami was about five steps away─this was the maximum number of feints imaginable.

He knew─

Shichika knew how strong his sister was.

He wasn’t planning to pull any punches.

He’d go all in, at full speed, from the get-go.

“Shichika,” Nanami addressed him casually.

As if her brother wasn’t charging at her.

“I know we’re in the middle of a battle, but for old time’s sake─I’ll let you know that you messed up.”

Fixated.

Her eyes observed Shichika’s movements.

“First off…it doesn’t matter one bit if your six months of experience battling all kinds of enemies has made you stronger than me. I have my eyes─eyes that devour all─and once I see you move, your strength becomes my strength.”

Watch and Learn─this was her genius manifest.

The martial talent22 let her pick up any move by seeing it in action.

Her father, Mutsue Yasuri, had forbidden her from taking part in any kind of training─but thanks to her genius, she had made the Kyotoryu hers without moving a muscle, just from watching her family practice.

She was the Kyotoryu, yet she was not the Kyotoryu.

Left out of the school, she was the school personified.

Nanami Yasuri.

But the power of her vision went beyond acquiring the moves of others─nothing could get by her.

No trick, no motion.

No weakness.

Seeing through it all, without exception─Nanami Yasuri watched and learned!

“…then!”

Of course Shichika knew.

He’d spent most of his life beside his sister, and her eyes were a fact of life. Not even twenty-four feints sufficed─she must have seen every last one of his feints for the fake it was.

And that was only the beginning.

His sister knew everything about him.

She knew every move the Kyotoryu had─and knew them better than anybody in the history of the school. The ins and outs. The pros and cons.

She knew exactly how to fend him off because she understood all of his moves─except for one!

The Last Fatal Orchid─Shichika Hachiretsu.

He called it a secret move, but it was no such thing, having no history or place in the tradition. He had thought it up himself, only six months ago, back on Haphazard Island.

The spectacular move deployed all seven of the secret moves at the same time─

Fatal Orchid One: Kyoka Suigetsu

Fatal Orchid Two: Kacho Fugetsu

Fatal Orchid Three: Hyakka Ryoran

Fatal Orchid Four: Ryuryoku Kako

Fatal Orchid Five: Hika Rakuyo

Fatal Orchid Six: Kinjo Tenka

Fatal Orchid Seven: Rakka Rozeki

And he had only shown it to his sister once!

If he had any chance of taking her down─this was it!

Shichika was certain.

Certain that this move would work against Nanami.

So what if she was a genius or had immaculate eyes? She couldn’t see a weakness that wasn’t there.

This move, which he’d thought up on his own, was truly─

The Last Fatal Orchid of the Kyotoryu!

“Kyotoryu Shichika Hachire─”

“And another thing.”

Just like that.

As he was about to hit her with the move─Nanami, cool as can be even at that instant, resumed her lecture.

“Forget what’s happened in the past six months─you’re still way weaker than me.”

Watching by the wall.

On the sidelines of the gung-ho battle23 for the strongest sword in Japan─Emonzaemon and Togame had absolutely no idea what happened.

They saw everything─up until the moment Shichika tried to unleash his secret move.

But it came after.

As if removed24 from space and time─the next few moments were a total blank. What the hell had happened in this dojo?

The only certain thing was the result.

Shichika was stuffed in the ceiling─all six-plus-feet of his substantial body.

Having busted through the panels, he was stuck up there, supine, although the question of whether he was facing up or down might be a matter of semantics.

Apparently conscious.

He gazed straight down at his sister─in a daze.

But she didn’t bother looking up.

She merely─

“…Whew.”

Sighed and clapped her hands together.

Pam.

There was no way that this sound had rattled the dojo enough to free him, but Shichika tumbled from the ceiling to the planking of the floor─though thanks to his marvelous reflexes,25 he spun in midair several times and landed safely26 on all fours, without a sound.

While the same could not be said for the poor ceiling, his back was unscathed.

Sturdy guy.

But─dazed nevertheless.

“Huh?” he peeped. “S-Sis…what the heck was that?”

“Exactly what it felt like, dummy,” Nanami answered plainly. “I grabbed the waistband of your hakama and chucked27 you up into the ceiling─that wasn’t any move. Just brute force.”

“…”

He knew what happened─knew exactly.

It made sense that Togame and Emonzaemon missed it, over by the wall, but he understood it all too painfully. Although she had caught him totally off-guard, he’d done this once himself, using a feat of strength when no move would suffice─but he was Shichika.

Nanami may have been part of the Kyotoryu─but she was different.

As small and as weak as Togame the Schemer.

And sickly to boot, in no condition to be fighting battles─she merely made up for all of that with her pure genius!

With genius to spare!

“Th-That makes no sense. Since when do you have the muscle28─to toss me up into the air?”

“You really are an idiot, you know that? It doesn’t take a genius to comprehend that you haven’t just been messing around for the past half a year. But Shichika─it’s not like I’ve been biding my time on the way here either… You mentioned that you fought Konayuki Itezora. Of the Itezoras. In that case─this monstrous strength should ring a bell for you.”

“…?”

“Ah!”

Shichika seemed like he still wasn’t getting it, but Togame cried out so loud that Emonzaemon, beside her by the wall, spun round to see what was the matter.

“N-Nanami─were you the one who wiped out the─”

“Precisely.29 Keen as ever, Miss Togame.”

“Whoa, watch out, Shichika! Nanami has Konayuki’s monstrous strength─no, not a pipsqueak30 like Konayuki─she took on the awesome power of all those grownup Itezoras when she wiped out their village!”

“V-Village?” Shichika’s eyes went wide. “But how─I thought their village was buried in an avalanche?”

“An avalanche can’t happen on a mountaintop,” Nanami gibed.31 “I’m surprised that anyone survived… But considering you wound up with the sword I left for you, things turned out fine. In answer to your question, Miss Togame─yes. I’m the one who brought the Itezora village to its ruin.”

“I knew a monster crushed Mt. Shirei…”

Shichika’s voice trembled as he spoke─

As if he couldn’t believe his own ears.

As if he couldn’t believe his eyes.

“How come─you had to destroy their entire village?”

“Huh?”

“Come on, sis─you could have just taken the sword. Same goes for Mt. Shirei─and for this temple, too! Why’d you have to wipe them out? Thanks to you, poor little Konayuki─”

When they found Konayuki Itezora.

The little girl─was all alone.

“You’ve started saying some pretty goofy stuff, you know that, Shichika?” Nanami gibed─again. “What’s all the fuss about uprooting a few weeds? Weeding is fun. Don’t tell me, Shichika, that a sword─ought to choose who to kill.”

“…”

“Miss Togame, I’m afraid that allowing Shichika to join you─was an error. I’d thought I could rest easy…”

Nanami shot Togame a sidelong glance.

Without flinching, Togame brushed her off.

“You’re the one making the mistake, Nanami. I’m free to use my sword however I see fit─am I not?”

“Of course you are.”

That was wrongheaded of me, and uncalled for, Nanami backed off─more readily than you might think.

“But that’s neither here nor there32─listen, Shichika. This just goes to say that on my way here to Gokenji Temple─I, too, have been through hell and back again.33 I’m not the person you left on the island. Starting with the members of Bug Unit Maniwa─I’ve had the chance to fight all kinds of people, including the entire Itezora Clan and the Sacred Guardians of Mt. Shirei, not to mention the warrior monks of Gokenji Temple. And I’ve absorbed every single one of them,” Nanami said. “With my eyes.”

“You fought the Maniwacs too, sis?”

Shichika gulped.

Bug Unit Maniwa…she must have meant the three Maniwa Bosses that Hohoh Maniwa had mentioned disappearing─Chocho Maniwa, Mitsubachi Maniwa, and Kamakiri Maniwa.

In other words, Nanami was no longer only versed in swordplay─she knew ninpo.

“No─no frigging way.”34

What could be─more frightening.

Hoisting himself up off the floor─Shichika cussed his sister out.35

“There’s gotta be some things you can’t learn by watching them─how the hell can you just look at someone and absorb their monstrous strength?”

“Don’t ask me─I just can. It did take a few small adjustments to my insides. The only other thing I’ll add is that the monstrous strength of the Itezoras goes beyond mere brawn like yours. It’s much closer─to a kind of ability.36 That doesn’t mean there aren’t some things that I can’t watch and learn,” Nanami ceded, “but just one look was all it took to figure out that Last Fatal Orchid of yours.”

“…”

“Although its shortcoming─escaped me until I tried it out myself.”

“Sh-Shortcoming?”

“Ah, so you hadn’t noticed. That’s nice, Shichika─sounds like you’ve been fending off a bunch of chumps. Not one of them caught such a glaring shortcoming.”

“What─shortcoming…”

Indeed.

Monstrous as the strength of the Itezoras may have been─it was no sufficient explanation for the spectacle a moment earlier. Before Nanami had a chance to subject Shichika to her monstrous strength, he was already unleashing Shichika Hachiretsu.

“That’s why I left the island. I had to find you, so I could set you straight─but after this uninspiring display, I’ve changed my mind. Don’t waste my time─figure it out yourself.”

Limbs limp, hands dangling at her sides─in Kyotoryu Form Zero, the Ichijiku, Nanami advanced nonchalantly toward her brother.

“Nkk…”

Shichika rushed into Form One, the Suzuran─but failed to hide his panic and distress.

Seeing him like this─Nanami sighed.

Sighing with the best of them.

“Relax─it was cruel37 of me to say this was a proper fight. You’re in no condition to be facing off against me. I’ll admit you’ve gotten stronger in the past six months─but I could stop you with my pinky finger.”

With that─Nanami raised her right pinky finger and came toward Shichika.

“…Agh!”

This provocative─nay, humiliating language─enraged Shichika.

Making light of Shichika was bad enough─but she was putting down everybody─ Komori Maniwa, Ginkaku Uneri, Meisai Tsuruga, Hakuhei Sabi, Kanara Azekura, Konayuki Itezora─all the enemies that he had fought along the way.

All the worse coming from his sister─but who else?

He couldn’t let this slide.

“Like you’re so big and strong!”

But Nanami had foreseen─even this outrage.

Losing his patience, Shichika broke from the Suzuran, a defense stance, and came barreling at Nanami. She had a way of making moves so slowly that it wore you down. If anybody should have known this, it was Shichika─but she had pushed him past his limit.

Lots to learn.38

Shichika had a long way to go─

One look─and she could tell.

“Here’s a medley39 of our strike moves, from the Hinageshi to the Jinchoge.”40

This time─not even Shichika understood what happened.

He had no idea what hit him.

And if Shichika, on the receiving end, had no idea, then Togame and Emonzaemon, over by the wall, would have been clueless─

The sounds of impact rattled through the dojo.

Before you could count to five─

Shichika lay crumpled on the floor.

Face up this time─no doubt about it.

Tup.

Nanami placed her foot on Shichika’s belly.

“I tweaked the Harlequin Butterfly, for good measure.”

He had taken every single hit, unable to evade her, but remained conscious, and somehow wasn’t even injured─just lying on the floor.

“If I hadn’t removed the weight from all my strikes─you’d have died two hundred and seventy-two times over, before you even hit the floor.”

“…”

Shichika was conscious.

Conscious─and yet speechless.

He was at a loss for words.

He could have been dead─

Two hundred and seventy-two times over?

That’s what she said.

Not like he’d had the chance to count─but now that she had given him a number, it sounded plausible that she had battered him that many times.

The thought of it─sent shivers down his spine.

“What’s wrong, Shichika?”

Nanami took her foot off of his abdomen.41

Togame, the referee, had yet to call the fight, but anybody watching would have known who won. The difference in ability was so extreme that you could argue there had been no contest in the first place.

Too soon─for the real deal.

Just like the year before, when the siblings battled on Haphazard Island…

“If you have something to say─come on and say it.”

“You’re the liar, sis.” She had pushed him─so he spat it out. “Whatever happened to just using your pinky?”

“I’m afraid that you weren’t listening to me. What I said was ‘I could stop you without even using my pinky finger,’ which is exactly what I did.”

“…”

She told him off so confidently, he dropped it.

Alright, so he had lost his cool and acted like a rookie.

But he wasn’t about to beat himself up about it.

He could care less.

But─but.

“Sis─what the hell was that?”

“What?”

“Don’t josh me─you couldn’t possibly have strung together all those moves… There’s no way that you have the energy for that. In your condition─you’re not hitting anyone two hundred and seventy-two times.”

“Oh, that.”

Nanami nodded.

As if she’d forgotten.

“I can see why you’d have your doubts─even with eyes like these, I can’t make myself healthy on my own─”

“…”

Nanami Yasuri had a feeble constitution.

She lacked both energy─and stamina.42

The sole blemish to her genius.

Her sole weakness─or so it seemed.

“It’s like this, Shichika.”

To show him what she meant─she pulled open her robe.

Bare to the waist now─just like her brother.

Exposing her bony, pallid body─delicate and slight, devoid of any trace of muscle.

Breasts that made sense for a woman her age.

And thrust between them, in the middle of her chest─a single dagger.

Stabbing her─so as to pierce her heart.

“Wha… S-Sis!”

“Calm down. You know how odd the Mutant Blades can be. I’ll have you know, this is the only way to wield Akuto the Eel, one of the Twelve Possessed of Kiki Shikizaki. Charged with lightning, and plugged into my heart, this dagger zaps away my sickness.”43

Like an electric shock.

Akuto the Eel─revivified her body!

Digging into her44─the dagger took away the pain and soothed her maladies!

Behold!

If this blade could heal the billion maladies festering in her body─then it was truly something else!

“D-Do you mean to say─”

“Indeed, unlike your Last Fatal Orchid, I am now without a weakness or a blind spot.”45

With these words.

Nanami fixed her clothes and turned her back on Shichika, who simply lay there on the floor─and headed for the exit of the Fifth Hall of Gokenji Temple without so much as waving to Togame and Emonzaemon over by the wall.

On her way out, she called back to her brother.

“Stop daydreaming46 and we might do this again.”

Shichika Yasuri versus Nanami Yasuri.

The battle over Akuto the Eel─had been postponed.

But the suggestion of there being any hope the second time around─was cruel enough to be abusive.

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