EPISODE 6

LET’S SAVE BIG SIS!

Sitting in the bath, Ryouta thought about the future.

“I guess I should send Rei home.”

Yes, he was making his family worry, and yes, he had no real choice but to apologize for that, but Rei living with them was obviously hard on Shiren. He would struggle to come up with why exactly it made him feel sorry for her, but it was like the Asagiri family was taking over her household.

As the one who lived with her, Ryouta felt like Shiren was full of shortcomings.

She was arrogant, and she’d driven him up the wall more than once or twice. She often poked him in the eyes, among other acts of violence. She never studied, and she wasn’t very bright.

But she had finally been recognized as a member of the Imperial family and made up with her older sister, Ouka.

That last part was a little hard to see, though…

With Rei in the mix, the situation was spiraling toward a catastrophe that would destroy everything they had.

He could explain all that to others without embarrassment, but he had more reasons, too. Specifically, that if the situation continued in this direction, his spirit might just break.

After Kiyomizu, Rei was the second person who had come in from Japan. If people were coming in for him at this pace, he would suffer a nervous breakdown, no question. He had to set a precedent for his own safety, even if it would be unpleasant.

“I’m gonna do it! I’m going to tell Rei straight up that I’m okay and that she should go home. And that Miss Public Servant needs to do her job.”

Speaking of, he really wasn’t sure what Rei even did at her job. It was unusual for the word public to feel as empty as it did. Maybe she only worked for as much tax as she was paid.

“I may as well ask. It’s worth knowing what kind of job my sister has.”

When he marched into the living room, however, it was empty.

“Huh. Maybe everyone went to bed. All the study books are out, though.”

He couldn’t wake them if they were sleeping, so Ryouta decided he would just call it a day.

When he was about to slip into bed, he found Kiyomizu already there.

“Now, Ryouta, my dearest, let us—”

“Oh, it’s you.” He tossed her out of the room and locked the door. He would get straight to sleep.

“Wait, what?! What a cruel way to react to my presence! ‘Oh, it’s you’—you’re not even surprised! I would prefer more of an over-the-top reaction, even if you do detest me!”

She was screeching from the other side of the door, so he unlocked it.

“Let me tell you something: People get used to things. And if I was surprised by all your attacks every single time, I’d pass out from anxiety. And Rei’s just making everything worse by being here… Oh yeah, Kiyomizu, did Rei and Shiren go to bed? It’s really quiet.”

It was too quiet, and that didn’t sit right with him. Well, more specifically, it was strange that having the two of them together wasn’t summoning some sort of trouble.

“Oh, your sister said she was headed to see the emperor and left. And then Shiren chased after her.”

“To see Ouka? Why, at this time of night…?”

“I can’t speak for your sister, but I suspect Shiren chased after her once I told her what your sister’s job entails.”

Kiyomizu still didn’t use Rei’s first name, even in front of Ryouta.

“Her job? Why do you know that?”

It was probably clerical work or something like that, so why would Shiren react like that?

“I suppose it’s not your fault if you don’t know. Your sister is the chief of Oshiro’s Special Measures Division. It would only cause chaos if this division was known to the public, so I suppose that’s why she kept quiet.”

“What kind of work does the Special Measures Division do…?”

It sounded terrifying from the name alone. At the very least, they were Special because they were taking Measures against things that weren’t normal.

“To put it simply, her job is to fight with society’s underground organizations. Trouble will only find its way to you if I say too much, so I won’t say any more.”

“That’s what you were doing as a public servant, Rei?!”

This was a surprise. He totally thought she was a regular woman, albeit a little airheaded.

“At the very least, she has the stealth appropriate for her job. A regular person would never be able to get into the Empire with its security on high alert! Because of Sasara and me, there are no gaps for even an ant to enter the country! If she truly was a random civilian, then there was no way she would have been able to get into the garden behind the castle!”

“So what you’re saying is that Rei came here, targeting Ouka…and Shiren’s chasing after her…”

How did it get this bad?

“Gah! Why does this crap always happen to us?!”

In the two weeks since coming to the Empire, he’d ended up in these tight spots time and time again. Compared to this, life in Japan had been far more peaceful. But now was not the time to grumble.

“Kiyomizu, I am a part of the Empire.”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“Officially, I am Shiren’s minion…”

Which meant he had to protect Shiren.

“…and Ouka’s personal guard.”

Which meant he had to protect Ouka.

And the enemy was one of his relatives.

He had completely forgotten since becoming a part of the Sacred Blood Empire—many humans out there treated people who drank blood as monsters. The peace had made him forget. He really wanted to punch himself until he remembered never to let down his guard again.

“Kiyomizu, I have a special job for you.”

“A sexy job?”

“Keep an eye on things to make sure no other suspicious people find their way in here. It’s possible that someone else besides my sister is here. I’m going to go stop her.”

“What? Why?”

“I don’t want one of my relatives to hurt anyone!”

It was about a ten-minute walk to the castle.

It was nighttime, so security at the gates would be tighter than it usually was during the day, but he had something special for this.

It was the sword Ouka had presented to him. As long as he had it, the gatekeepers had to let him pass with just a glance.

But if he caught up to Shiren before then, things would only get more complicated.

“I feel like my life’s gotten a lot bloodier since moving to this country…”

Still, it would be much better to stop this now, as little more than an awkward memory.

There was still time to leave this incident as a story they could laugh about later.

He wouldn’t let a preventable tragedy happen. Never.

“Oh, what is it? Did I forget something?”

Rei turned around beneath the moonlight.

There was Shiren, panting and out of breath. She must have really rushed to get this far. She was still in her pajamas.

But what was the plastic bat for? Maybe she was doing some nighttime practice.

“Hah, hah…I won’t let you…hah, hah…get to my big sis…”

“I have to. I must report to Her Majesty and retrieve some new study material. You need to work hard and get into Tokyo University. Ehem, ehem!”

“I can’t let you get to my sister. I won’t let that cursed item have its way!”

“‘Cursed item’? Why must you say things that trouble me so? Oh, I suppose you’re saying it out of spite for making you study. I don’t want that. I must do my job, which means getting to the emperor, ehem, ehem. I would be neglecting my duty if I didn’t.”

I won’t let you do your job.

“Let me say this again—I’m not letting you get any closer to my sister, Chief of the Special Measures Division.”

The color on Rei’s face changed when she heard that, and the quiet night air became much more ominous.

“I wonder where you got that information. I thought I was strictly adhering to the public servants’ obligations of confidentiality. I mean, if the civilians realized who I was, then they would all get frightened.”

The society that regular, good-natured citizens saw was just the surface. Sleeping in the depths were truths that would give them chills. Things that shouldn’t be—and it was Rei’s duty to handle those.

“My, I thought I carried out my surveillance on Ryou two days ago perfectly. I was sad that he was taking a bath with another girl, though. Don’t tell me you’re from the other side, too?”

“You’re the one doing things you could never tell God to his face, right? I’m impressed you found your way into the Empire.”

“Ehem, ehem!”

After a brief, loud cough, Rei faced forward.

The look in her eyes was even more dangerous than a moment ago.

“Listen, do you think you could keep quiet about this? If you don’t, I might have to silence you. I’m an administrator, so a mere bow of apology won’t be enough. I’ll need a little compensation.”

“I won’t tell anyone, so go back. And leave castle grounds immediately.”

“I can’t agree to that. I won’t be able to accomplish my work unless I go to Her Majesty.”

She had to reliably carry out the work required of her, even if someone else called it cruel. She had to have easy control over her emotions; otherwise, she couldn’t be the chief of this Special Measures Division.

“I suppose we have a difference in views.”

“I suppose so. Well, I’ll be going to the emperor now.”

Just as Rei turned to go to the castle—

—Shiren slammed the plastic bat over Rei’s head.

“You think I’ll let this curse have its way?!”

I’ll protect Big Sis. I will. I sowed these seeds, after all.

Shiren didn’t have a father or a mother. But she wasn’t the only one who knew the pain of loss—Ouka was the same. It was because of all the loss they had been through that this country was born.

And yet, she had been wishing that her big sister would just go away.

No matter how annoying, how irritating she was, of course Shiren wouldn’t be happy to lose her.

She acknowledged that she had made that stupid wish. After all, the pendant had glowed and was trying to fulfill its purpose even now.

She was going to stop the wish dead in its tracks. She would destroy that foolish side of herself and be a better person.

And in order to do that, she first had to stop Rei Asagiri.

She didn’t know what her prospects of victory were. If Rei was thinking about assassinating Ouka, then she couldn’t be a novice. But Shiren had no time to be afraid.

“And take this!” Shiren swung the plastic bat as hard as she could across Rei’s back.

“Ahem-ahem! Guh!”

Rei flew forward, tumbled across the ground, hit a nearby tree, and stopped.

Shiren had made a good, clean hit.

“Huh? Was it supposed to be this easy?”

In all honesty, she thought Rei was going to stop her with one hand murmur You’re obstructing official government business, and then strike her back. If this were an action manga, that’s what would’ve happened. After all, finishing her off with one hit from behind wouldn’t teach the kids any valuable lessons.

But reality was cruel—it seemed like she had dealt considerable damage.

She could probably fight like this until Rei gave up. And if there were actual guards around, then she probably wouldn’t be able to reach Ouka.

But—

“Ouch, sheesh… Ehem, ehem, ehem…”

Rei stood, grimacing. It seemed she still had some fight in her.

“Ryou must hate living with a girl like you. You’re a coward for striking me from behind!”

“Then I’ll hit you from the front!”

And so Shiren whacked her again. Rei sailed through the air.

“Eh-hem! Ehem…”

The second attack was rather effective as well. Her life gauge was down by half or so.

“Have you no standards…?”

But Rei stood up like it was nothing. She appeared to be in pain, but nowhere near giving up.

“Why are you okay? I’m going to hit you again. Doesn’t it hurt? Aren’t you scared? Aren’t you going to at least try to run?”

There was something uncanny about Rei as she stood there, empty-handed, facing Shiren.

She was just like an undying wraith.

“I have a question—do you think normal people would be unharmed if they fell from a cliff?” Rei smiled a smile that belonged to someone from the underbelly of the world.

“Th-they’d definitely die. Even if they didn’t, every bone in their body would be broken…”

“It’s nighttime right now, so maybe you can see it if you squint, ehem, ehem.”

Shiren squinted and stared at Rei, and then she noticed some kind of thin, transparent membrane all around her.

That membrane seemed to be moving ever so slightly, almost like an underwater jellyfish.

“What is that veil thing…?”

“It’s not a veil; they’re enraged spirits. I guess you could call it the rough and violent side of nature. If you consider human souls and other spirits a part of nature, which I do. Ehem, ehem!” Rei coughed somewhat proudly. “They protect me. That’s why I can live a healthy life despite being so sickly, ehem, ehem!” Rei smiled triumphantly.

With this power, she had won battle after battle with the dark side of society.

“An invisible force truly is protecting me. I said that ghosts like me, didn’t I?”

“I knew this wasn’t going to go that easily.”

“Did you hear about Grandpa? That he cursed Ryou to be attractive to human girls?”

“Yeah, no one recognized him as human for years, right?”

“Yes, it means he was far removed from humanity. He’s so powerful—he’s still alive, and people like him have special abilities. I have inherited his blood. The enraged spirits took hold of me when I was young, and they have been with me ever since. And so even though I suffer wounds that might kill the average person, I simply recover in a few hours—ehem, ehem, ehem, ehem, ehem! I’ve been talking for so long that I can’t stop coughing! Ehem, ehem, ehem, ehem, ehem! Ehem, ehem, ehem, ehem, ehem, ehem, ehem, ehem!”

*Rei continued coughing for a while. Please wait a moment.

“Ehem, ehem… Whew, I’m glad that’s over. This means that you cannot stop me. It’s like fighting an enemy with infinite HP. Give up and go home. I still have work to do!”

You think I’ll let you do your work?

“You give up!” Shiren shouted and hit her with the bat again. That was all she could really do.

No matter how much recovery power Rei had, it couldn’t be infinite. Shiren had to believe that as she fought.

“Enraged Punch.”

Rei made a fist with her right hand and extended it about four inches in front of her.

It was a leisurely action, more like reaching out than throwing a punch. It didn’t feel like she had intended to strike anyone, at least, and there wasn’t anything four inches in front of her. Shiren was farther away than that.

But an intense shock still ran through Shiren’s stomach.

“Agh! Gaaaaaaaaaaah!”

It felt like a blast of wind had collided with her. She was the one sent flying this time, and she tumbled along the ground until she suddenly stopped with a jolt of pain to her back. She had collided with a wall or something.

“Since I can’t make excuses about being nonviolent anymore, I used the spirits. Could you tell? I can rip you to shreds without even touching you. You could never win against someone like me. Some things in the world simply cannot be accomplished, and you should acknowledge that. The Sarano family might be incredible, but so is the Asagiri family!”

But Shiren stood. She had to. She wasn’t done carrying out her mission.

“Shut up… Ryouta is the only one who gets to lecture me!”

“And you’re at it again. You truly are dense! You still believe that someone will recognize you for your efforts if you just work hard, don’t you? Didn’t you know? The world doesn’t reward hard work. If you don’t have the results to prove your effort, you’ll be out of the race. I have some subordinates who work ten times harder than I do, but they can never be more accomplished or more important than I am. I hate to say it, but you should acknowledge that effort does not directly translate to skill and just relax. Otherwise, you’ll be hurt over and over again, and life’s no fun that way.”

“I’m well aware.”

Shiren held the plastic bat in front of her again. “That’s why I just keep getting back up until I see results! I refuse to admit defeat after I’ve worked so hard!”

“I don’t understand how high schoolers think nowadays.” Rei’s spirits started gathering before her. “Eh-hem, ehem. Well, then I’ll show you how hard it is in the real world. Enraged Punch.”

Everything after that was hell.

Every strike was pure pain.

Even though Shiren could never get close to Rei, each blow slammed her against the ground.

The hells that Alfoncina had talked about were all kind of silly, but Shiren doubted those could actually exist. Being alive was painful enough as is. Or maybe it was because life was so painful that hell was designed to be a relative break.

After launching Shiren into the air with her spirit strikes about fifteen times, Rei let up a little. She wasn’t even out of breath; of course she wouldn’t be tired after such a relaxed attack.

In an extreme case, Rei could still sit down if she got tired, punch and kick that way, and she would still win. She was being protected by invisible entities—she had no openings.

“Listen, I know you’re still in high school, so let me give you some advice. These days, there’s no benefit to trying your best if you don’t have a plan. People without plans will get nowhere in the world, and the most talented people create plans so that they won’t even have to lift a fingerehem, ehem, ehem, ehem! The cough is back! Ehhhem, ehem, ehem, ehem, ehem, ehem, ehem, ehem, ehem, ehem, ehem, ehem!!!!!”

“Yeah… But now that I’m here, I have no choice but to do what I came to do, even without a plan.”

Blood was starting to drip from her arms and knees. Her clothes were torn. It was a little embarrassing, but now was not the time to feel ashamed.

“Listen, I will be blunt. The enraged spirits use natural forces other than their own, so they can’t take things in moderation. They can’t just go slowly to knock someone out. Ehem, ehem, ehem! Basically, what I’m trying to say is—” With a cool look, Rei glared at Shiren. “—I might end up killing you.”

“Yeah, threatening me like that is not going to work…”

She couldn’t stand the taste of blood in her mouth.

She did like blood, since she was a Sacred Blooded, but she didn’t like the taste of her own.

“If I was afraid of dying, my big sister might die instead!”

She never thought for a moment that dying for a loved one would be cool.

She would do whatever she had to, even if she had to grovel or let someone step on her head; she would much prefer to save Ouka’s life while keeping her own.

But it was her fault this time. She might end up causing the death of someone she loved.

Then there came footsteps that belonged to neither Rei nor Shiren.

“Shiren, you’re alive! I’m not done serving you yet, am I?”

Shiren smiled wryly on the inside— You could’ve come a little sooner.

“Phew… Did I make it? I’m not too late, am I?”

Just as Ryouta arrived, he leaned forward on his sword like it was a cane.

Running at full speed tired him out. And the real show was just starting.

“I’m drenched in sweat. I guess I’ll take another bath when I get back. I don’t care who’s in there with me!”

“Ryouta, you’re…here.”

“You don’t seem all that happy to see me.”

Shiren had probably wanted to settle things on her own. “Both of our big sisters sure are a handful, huh?” she said.

“You can say that again.”

Shiren still had enough strength to be making jokes.

“Rei, I’m sorry, but both Shiren and I have to stop you. You’d understand if you lived here, too—the Sacred Blooded are just like us. There’s no need to kill them.”

“What…? What are you trying to say, Ryou? I just don’t understand. Don’t get in my way! Adults have work to do!”

“And we have to get in the way of your work.” Ryouta slowly held up his sword to point it at Rei. “Please, Rei, just stand down.”

“Whaaat?! Ryou, why on Earth would you point something so dangerous at me? This is way beyond huffing paint thinner or riding around on motorcycles for fun! You can only be so much of a Ryongdoer!”

“I don’t want to be a wrongdoer. That’s why I’m asking you to step down.”

“Oh, whatever! Enraged Punch and Kick!”

An invisible force Ryouta had never experienced before swarmed Shiren and him.

It was 30 percent stronger than it had been before.

Both of them rose into the air like an invisible giant had caught hold of them.

The next thing they knew, they were falling faceup toward the ground. They both hit the ground with a painful impact.

“Crap… What is this…?”

“Rei’s using invisible things called enraged spirits on us.”

“Seriously…? That’s against the rules… What are you, Rei…? I had no idea.”

While he didn’t believe someone without any superpowers could get this far into the country, there was only so much he could believe.

“Well, if I told you I had this power, you’d be shocked. I don’t want you to hate me…ehem.”

“I’m not going to hate you, so could you stop this…?” And just as Ryouta tried to stand, he realized how badly hurt his legs were. He had no idea what had attacked them, so he hadn’t been able to defend himself. “I’m not sure why I came all the way here if we were just going to end up like this anyway…”

“Don’t say that. It’s tremendously helpful just to have you with me,” Shiren whispered beside him.

It didn’t change their overwhelming disadvantage, but both Shiren and Ryouta were slightly relieved.

They had experienced mortal combat before.

In fact, they had survived that deadly battle together before.

“Hey, Shiren, did you make any progress on your own?”

“If I did, I wouldn’t be in this sorry state.”

“Fair.”

Shiren pointed to Ryouta’s elbow. Blood was slowly seeping from it. “Hey, I think it’s almost time for you to serve me.”

“Yeah… I don’t think we have any other choice, do we?” Ryouta extended his arm.

Slowly, Shiren bit into it.

“Ah! That is inappropriate for high schoolers!” Rei cried, but they paid her no mind.

This was a sacred ritual.

One to birth the Goddess.

Bit by bit, changes started appearing throughout Shiren’s body.

First her eyes turned red.

Then her pajamas tore, and a pair of massive wings unfurled behind her.

When the Sacred Blooded drank the blood of their beloved, their physical prowess heightened temporarily.

But it didn’t stop there for Shiren, who had royal blood flowing through her veins.

Her wings were like those of the Goddess of Blood he saw in the First Cathedral and in the castle.

The ancient, menacing power of the Sacred Blooded still remained within royalty.

“I’m not responsible for whatever happens. Now that I’m like this, I can’t control my power, either.”

“Just don’t kill my sister.”

Ryouta could only pray. In the end, he was simply a normal person. He couldn’t even put a scratch on a magic user.

“Wh-what is this? Is today an unlucky day? Oh, I’m getting slower…and everyone’s mad at me…ehem, ehem.”

“Now’s not the time to be disappointed!”

Shiren charged forward with incredible speed compared to earlier. She soared like an eagle.

With this power, she had beaten back Sasara with shocking ease. It was easy, merciless, like a human squishing an ant. Sasara’s skill with a sword had been powerless against her.

“Ohhh, I’m so scared, so I’ll use all my strength and… Enraged Punch!”

A gale of wind collided with Shiren. Afterward, she felt a shock like a car ramming into her.

She could take it, but she couldn’t completely defend against it.

“Rgh! I can’t stop it!”

Even though she was awakened, she still lost to Rei’s strength.

She was slammed against the wall with unbelievable force. Had she not been transformed, she would have died instantly.

“Urgh… Th-this is unfair…”

Shiren’s transformation faded as she groaned in agony. Blood poured from a gash in her arm.

“What? No way… She couldn’t stop it even in that form…”

Ryouta’s mind went blank. In that form, Shiren had crushed Imperial Guard Sasara in an instant. But if she couldn’t stop Rei, then in the worst-case scenario, there was no one in this castle who could.

“Well, I am an administrator, so of course I can do at least that much, ehem. Well now, I’ll be on my way, finally. Sigh, I don’t get paid for overtime in an admin position…”

Rei turned her back on the two and walked off like nothing happened.

She was unbelievably powerful.

“No, this… Big Sis…”

Shiren bit her lip.

Rei Asagiri was truly the curse herself. No matter how they struggled against her, they couldn’t stop her. The curse was inevitable.

But Rei then froze in her tracks.

“I thought I heard some commotion, and here I find you making a mess of another person’s garden. Siiigh, I’ll have to raise taxes again to repair this.”

Walking up the path was none other than Ouka herself.

“Oh, Your Majesty…”

Rei went pale.

“Big Sis, stay back! She’ll kill you! She’s some kind of Special Ops Division boss! And you have a necklace curse on you!”

“Ouka, get out of here! Get help from everyone you can! At least a hundred or two hundred people!”

When they shouted at her, Ouka sighed. “I more or less understand what happened. Humans are terrible at tricks. Isn’t that right, Rei Asagiri?”

“Ah, ahhh, ahhhhhh… This, um…”

Rei had gone completely pale. It was probably Ouka’s regal presence that caused it. But her presence wasn’t enough to stop Rei.

“I don’t need your excuses. But we do have to settle this. There is a heavy price to pay for the crime of hurting the one I love, after all.”

Ouka had said it loud and clear—“the one I love.”

Despite the whole situation, Ryouta’s heart was pounding like crazy. The otherwise ordinary phrase sounded divine coming from Ouka.

But Ouka passed right by the collapsed Ryouta—

“You’re in rough shape. And you’re bleeding.”

—and stood before Shiren.

“Oh, Big Sis…” As the one who had cursed Ouka, Shiren had to apologize quickly.

If not, then their time would run out.

But Ouka didn’t give her a chance. “Shiren, I’m going to drink your blood.” Ouka knelt, took Shiren’s arm, and licked at the blood.

One lick, two licks, and then a third.

It wasn’t alluring so much as it was hallowed and discreet.

“I suppose that should be good enough.”

In the next moment, white wings rose from Ouka’s back.

They didn’t sprout from her like Shiren’s did; Ouka’s dress remained undamaged.

It was like all the particles in the air came together in the shape of wings.

“Wh—? Big Sis, why…?”

“I am of royal blood, too. This is what happens when I awaken. Is there something wrong?”

“But an awakening from drinking blood is just supposed to happen from someone you love, though…”

It couldn’t be just anyone’s blood; an awakening had restrictions.

“I love my little sister.”

Could there be any other reason?

She didn’t even have to say it now; Shiren was Ouka’s one and only irreplaceable little sister, and she loved her dearly. That was why Ouka had no intention of letting Rei go.

“Rei Asagiri, you’ll have to face severe punishment.” Ouka slowly turned toward Rei. Her enormous wings fluttered.

“No, Ouka! Shiren was no match for her, not even transformed! Rei has rage spirits on her side!”

There was no way they could win unless they did something about those spirits.

“Who cares about a few spirits?”

Ryouta doubted his own eyes.

Ouka’s wings took the form of a creature that opened its mouth, bit down onto Rei’s spirits, and swallowed them.

“She—she’s eating the spirits!”

That was enough to petrify Rei with fright.

“Eh-hem…ehem… My spirits…”

“This is the awakening of the Sacred Blood Emperor. Did you think that growing wings and becoming just a little stronger was enough to earn the reverence of my ancestors?”

Ryouta remembered the words vengeful god.

No one could truly control something like this. Before a force that could consume their very souls, people could only stay silent and pray.

“Well then, it’s time to punish you.”

Nom.

The wing mouth chomped down on Rei.

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!”

A single bite was enough to knock her out, and she collapsed.

“Well, I guess that’s that. She might die if she exerts herself while her spirits are weakened.”

Ouka brushed her hands together, like she had just gone through a stack of papers. Her wings vanished into the night.

Both Ryouta and Shiren were speechless. Ouka was OP as hell. Rei’s power was excessive, but Ouka was practically god-tier. With that kind of power, everything would have turned out fine if Ouka had just showed up at the start…

Wait, but she needed the blood of a loved one to awaken.

Then what Shiren had done wasn’t entirely for nothing.

But then a mystery that Ryouta would never ask about came to mind.

If Ouka drank my blood, would she transform…?

There was no way that Ouka and he could share the bond of sisterly love. They probably didn’t have the love between master and servant, either.

But if she could transform because of it, then it would prove another type of love that…

“Okay, that’s settled. Shiren, tell me what happened.”

“That Rei girl is the head of the Special Measures Division from the city of Oshiro! That’s how she got into Empire territory by falling from the cliff. She was pretending to be looking for Ryouta, but she was really after you!”

“Mm-hmm. And what is this cursed-necklace business? I thought I heard you mention something like that.” It was very much like Ouka to go straight for the truth that a person wanted to hide.

“It’s because… I had so many study books, I ended up cursing you with a necklace I had…”

She of course hid the part about romance.

“Oh, that thing Alfoncina has, right? Okay, I get it, I get it. Now, it would be unfair if I didn’t hear the other side.” Ouka poked the collapsed Rei with her finger.

“Ehem, ehem…”

“Seems like you’re awake. Tell me everything. Or I’ll eat you whole.”

“U-um… Just as I was going to retrieve more books from you, Your Majesty, your younger sister interrupted me, and then Ryou came… Both of them said that they wouldn’t let me see you… I had no choice but to Enraged Punch them…”

“Were you planning on killing me or anything?”

Rei vigorously shook her head. “Of course not! I could never do anything so frightening! I am your faithful ninja, Lady Ouka!”

“Yes, you are. If not, then I’ll have to expose all that Ryouta stuff you brought in.”

“S-stopehemehem!”

“—So there you have it.”

“What does this mean?!”

All Ryouta understood was that Ouka was involved somehow.

“Basically, Rei Asagiri has been captain of my ninja squad for a while now.”

“Then was the whole Special Chief thing a hoax?”

“She did originally come in from the mountains to see what the castle was up to as the Special Measures chief, it seems. But she was attacked by an Asian giant hornet, and I collected her when she was on the verge of death. I knew who she was right away. I mean, her bag was filled with Ryouta—”

“Ehem, ehem, ehem, ehem, oh, my chronic cough! Ehem, ehem, ehem!”

For some reason, Rei’s cough sounded less convincing this time.

“And so Rei has been working as a ninja ever since. I am definitely not blackmailing her.”

Rei was definitely being blackmailed. Was she a double agent now?

“So when she fell from the cliff, that was because she was watching from up there, got the wrong idea, and then fell…? Now that I think about it, what I sensed two days ago at home must have been her, too…”

“That’s right, ehem!”

He thought he saw Ouka glare at Rei for a split second, but he must have imagined it.

In summary, Rei had been acting as surveillance in case anything happened. She was there to make sure that the emperor was never alone with anyone.

Well, yeah. She is the emperor…

He would never tell anyone how ever-so-slightly disappointed he was.

“But why did you try to hide that you were working as a ninja? Oh, because of the black—”

“Ehem, ehem, ehem, ehem! Eh-hem, eh-hem!”

“Fine. I won’t ask. But in conclusion, everyone ended up in a terrible situation because we didn’t know the truth…”

“Seriously. I’m a mess, thanks to you…”

Shiren, the biggest victim here, was rather angry. But she wasn’t allowed to complain too much because there was still the matter of the necklace.

“…But I’m glad the necklace curse didn’t come true…”

Enough had been resolved that she could sweep the rest under the rug.

Then an expensive-looking, all-black car pulled up.

It stopped, and Alfoncina stepped out. She must have had one of her minions drive.

“Oh, Ouka, I came to show you some new samples. The design on this one is lovely, and I think it’s perfect!”

Alfoncina produced the cursed necklace in question. It came in at least five different colors.

“Huh, I guess they do look nicer than before.”

“No! That’s the cursed necklace!” Shiren interjected, having just endured the pain. She knew more than anyone else just how frightening that necklace could be.

“Yes. I thought it might be a big hit if I sold it under that name…”

“Wait. What do you mean, ‘name’?”

“Well, charms only express good luck, so I wondered if pushing the opposite would sell at all.”

“Is it actually cursed?”

“No,” she answered immediately. “But I wondered if buzzwords like that would be more of a hit… You were my guinea pig, Shiren. How was it?”

“Awful.”

At that moment, the pendant stone glinted faintly. They were outside at night, so she could easily see.

“Oh, the LED inside shines like that sometimes. Gives a little flash. This will definitely sell!”

“Matsuko Kimura, I am never making an offering to your cathedral ever again.”

“Don’t use my real name! Why are you so angry?!”

“Silence, Matsuko.”

Her old-fashioned name echoed through the night sky. It was briefly amusing—but not really.

“Oh, by the way, Shiren, about the curse.”

Shiren’s shoulders shot up, tensed. She had created a fatal debt for herself.

To be blunt, she was afraid of Ouka. This was unbelievably awkward.

“Oh, uh, um… What is it, Big Sis?”

“I’m not going to go easy on you just because you’re my little sister. The real game starts now, so you need to be ready.”

“I—I know… I’m not going to get help from dubious objects.”

Ouka patted Shiren’s head.

“Eek!” Shiren had such a hard time reading what her sister was up to.

“That’s the spirit. Perfect, my beloved little sister.” Ouka’s laugh was jovial but also slightly mischievous.

All’s well that ends well, as they say. Ouka had even told Shiren she loved her.

“I guess you’ll always be you, Big Sis.”

Shiren thought about studying a little more in order to be more like her, but she took it back in three seconds. That was a separate issue.

But then malice filled the air.

What was it this time…?

“I sensed you were in danger, Lady Ouka, so I rushed over! The woman is the insurgent, is she not?!” Sasara rushed over in full armor, sword at the ready.

“You could tell? I never had any intention of calling you over.”

“I can feel your love through telepathy, Lady Ouka.”

That was an annoying power. What about personal privacy?

“Oh, Sasara, we already settled everything, so—”

Another dangerous person arrived.

“Death is the only option for those who hurt my dearest Ryouta!”

This time it was Kiyomizu who rushed over, dagger in hand.

“You sure sound like you knew this whole time that I was hurt, Kiyomizu.”

“I listen in on everything you say, my love!”

At least she wasn’t listening in with telepathic powers.

Sasara and Kiyomizu both turned to Rei.

“Ahhhh! They’re coming after me, aren’t they?! I don’t like this!”

“You there, woman, prepare yourself!”

“You will be punished!”

I’m tired; just do whatever you want, Ryouta thought.

“S-someone help meeeeeeeeeeee!!! Ehem, ehem, ehem!”