EPISODE 5

LET’S SEIZE POWER IN THE EMPIRE!

“Hey, Ryouta, how do I look in this dress?”

“I guess it doesn’t look too bad— Whoa! There’s no back! Pick one that shows less skin!”

“What, are you jealous?”

“I’m not gonna feel that way no matter how you slice it, so no. Don’t worry.”

It seemed there was plenty of time until the party, but there really wasn’t.

Their host was the Emperor, after all. It would be embarrassing if they just showed up in normal clothes. It was also an event that would be marking a turning point in Shiren’s life, so she had to be dressed well for it.

And that was why they’d come to a boutique near the station (which was still there, even though the trains didn’t run anymore).

“I enjoyed your reaction. I’m picking this one.”

“Do what you want. It’s your money.”

“Next I just need something on my neck with bones, like the archbishop had—”

“That’ll just turn you into a shaman. Wait, do Sacred Blooded really wear bones? Like, is that part of your aesthetic?”

“No, that’s just the archbishop’s style. We lived as Japanese citizens for a long time, so our tastes don’t differ too much from theirs. And she herself said she was creating a character for herself.”

“She could be religious her whole life, but she probably wouldn’t be able to get into heaven…”

“You look good in a suit, too, Ryouta. You look like a CEO who takes the last train home every day.”

“That’s a dark future to look forward to! But thanks, I guess.”

Ryouta decided he may as well get a suit since the occasion was calling for it. Showing up in his school uniform would just be sloppy.

Beside him was a sword that looked a little out of place. It was a symbol of his position as a swordsman serving the Emperor directly.

Quite a number of people had looked at him, impressed, before they reached the area around the station.

As he killed time browsing the sale racks, Shiren came back from the register, still in her dress. She had apparently finished paying for it.

“Well, now that we still have time until the party…”

She tugged lightly on the sleeve of his suit. She was much gentler than she had been with his collar.

“Ryouta… Since we’re already here and dressed up, why don’t we go somewhere nearby? There’s a nice terrace café here.”

Almost a whole third of the seating at this place was outside, which gave it a nice atmosphere. But because of that, it was about three times as expensive as a chain café.

A small river flowed by, and there were even fish swimming in it.

“Wow! I can taste the original essence of the beans from the coffee! I suppose this is the highest quality coffee house in the whole Empire. I shall give it my highest compliments!”

“You sure are acting all high and mighty for someone who hasn’t been officially recognized as the Emperor’s little sister yet.”

“Oh, not at all. This is a famous café frequented by the noble class—those with power within the Empire, I mean. They are extremely careful not to use a single drop of blood in their brews so that their patrons may enjoy the taste of the coffee itself.”

“Wait, you mean all the other shops use blood…? Hello?”

“In the Emperor’s book, The Beautiful Young Emperor’s Foodie Journey of the Empire (Sacred Blood Empire Publishing), she gave it a whole three stars.”

“I’m kind of impressed Ouka has the nerve to call herself beautiful like that so openly. But you’re saying the other shops have blood in their coffee? Right?”

“I would love to come to a shop like this with the Emperor one day.”

“I’m really sorry for trying to wrap up your conversation about this very nice thing, but can you please tell me more about this blood stuff? Seriously!”

“Hey, what do you think the biggest difference between demons and Satan is?”

“Quit blatantly changing the subject!”

He suspected that if he didn’t get a clear answer out of her right then, he never would.

“It’s fine. (whisper, whisper)”

“Why did you have to say that so quietly…?”

It sounded like he wasn’t supposed to touch on this subject.

Two women came out to the terrace, but when they spotted Shiren and Ryouta, they started murmuring to each other (“Oh, there’s a couple out here.” “Let’s go inside. We shouldn’t bother them.”) and went back inside.

Shiren had apparently heard it loud and clear, as her ears were bright red.

“Well, I guess that’s what people would think when they see two high schoolers at such a fancy café,” Ryouta offered a word. Things would only get more awkward if he stayed silent.

“Y-you’re right… We aren’t equals anyway; we have a hierarchical relationship. Master and servant.”

“But that’ll be over in a few hours, though.”

“Which means after that, we’ll be able to enter a more equal relationship, right…?”

Had Shiren’s face gotten closer?

“Oh, yeah, I think you’re right…”

It made sense. In due time, neither would be considered superior.

“S-so when we do become equals, do you want to come back to this café?” Shiren’s voice was a little strained.

“Sure. It might be a nice way to celebrate…” Ryouta also gave his consent. They would reunite wearing fancy clothes, as people who’d made it in the world.

The Emperor’s younger sister and the Emperor’s personal guard, alone together. That wasn’t a bad combination, was it?

“Well, of course! We should come every day! Since I’ll be officially the Emperor’s little sister, I could probably get into any place I want for free!”

“Don’t do that! The people will hate you! You’re thinking like a cheapskate!”

“Then I’ll list it as expenses. In the Empire’s special account.”

“That’s a waste of taxpayer money!”

Times like this, it was easy to see the two sisters were related.

“Okay, then we’ll meet here at the same table! We’ll take turns reminiscing on all our joy and sorrow. Like how great your master was back then, and how beautiful she was, and how smart she was!”

“Oh, so we’re only going to talk about your brilliant success. Okay.”

“We could also talk about your devoted service, if you want to.” Shiren smiled and held out her right hand.

“What, are we shaking hands?”

“It’s a pinkie promise. It means we’ll meet again one day.”

“If you say so.”

Ryouta held out his hand. Just this simple ritual of intertwining pinkie with pinkie had a stronger power than any contract they could produce now.

But just before their fingers met, Shiren pulled back her hand and shook her head sadly.

“We can’t dwell on the past forever. A new future is waiting for us.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

The breeze that passed over the terrace was chillier than he’d expected. He was cold.

“Then I guess it’s almost time to go. We need to give ourselves plenty of time. Ouka hates waiting for people.”

The perimeter of the castle was, of course, surrounded by guards, but Ryouta showed the sword to the one in the back.

“Oh! Please go right through!”

All the nearby soldiers bowed to him with the utmost respect, too.

“Incredible! It’s like a skeleton key for people. Ryouta, let’s see how high up the hierarchy that’ll work tomorrow.”

“You’re awful. It’s in the back garden, so is it over this way?”

“The Emperor’s party… I bet there’ll be some kind of surprise. Like eating food off a naked lady.”

“Are you an old man? Yikes, I can imagine her pulling something like that… I just hope there isn’t anything that ruins the mood…”

Shiren linked her arm with Ryouta’s. “Today’s the only day we can do things like this. You will obey your master, even if you’re embarrassed.”

There was a hint of mischief in Shiren’s smile. That wasn’t an expression he’d seen on her before.

“As you wish.”

As he looked at her, he ruminated on what he would say to Ouka when he saw her.

There were tables set out throughout the back garden, but Ouka was nowhere to be seen yet. She was probably busy with official affairs, or maybe she just hadn’t shown up because it wasn’t time yet.

There was still time for them to talk on their own.

“Hey, Shiren, just pretend what you hear next is a humble minion talking to himself.”

“Um, sure, okay. What is it?”

“Shiren, what if I get tired of life in the palace and stuff? What if I decide I don’t belong here anymore?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“If that happens, then we should escape across the mountain back to Japan together. We’d probably have a great time living together.”

“I know you said this is a monologue, but let me interject. Why do I have to run away? I’ve never thought about such a thing, not even once.”

“Then why were you right by the mountain on the day you bit me? You weren’t out shopping, were you? You weren’t going on a picnic empty-handed or anything, right?”

He saw something in Shiren’s face change.

“And it’s not like your neighborhood is near the mountain or anything. There’s nothing else there, and you wouldn’t have had any friends to hang out with on the weekends. So since I’m just monologuing, let me speak my mind—maybe Shiren wanted to escape from the Empire, and that’s why she was near the mountain?”

Shiren was, unmistakably, the Emperor’s younger sister. Despite who her mother may have been, she was still a direct descendant of the Imperial line, and not somebody Ryouta should be speaking so casually with.

But that and whether she actually enjoyed being the Emperor’s little sister were two completely separate questions. Not only that, a portion of the population labeled her and treated her as a rebel; she had become so lonely that she was thinking about defecting or running away. That wasn’t a normal situation.

“I know I told you this before, but Ouka was my first crush. On the other hand, that doesn’t mean I have to always spend time with her, and if, and I really mean if, there was a possibility I ended up falling in love with y—”

And then something leaped out at them from the grass, grabbed Shiren, and peeled her away from Ryouta.

It happened in an instant. Ryouta couldn’t even step in the way to cover Shiren.

But the intervention of an amateur like him wouldn’t have made a difference anyway.

That something was, without a doubt, a member of the Virginal Father—Kiyomizu Jouryuuji.

“You have gotten much too close to my dearest Ryouta, little Sacred Blooded dog. Step away from him, if you please. Preferably forever.”

Shiren was pinned to the grass.

Kiyomizu was holding her with an unbelievable amount of strength for her slender body. She also wore a Sacred Blooded battle uniform.

“Why are you here, Kiyomizu?! This isn’t the border; this is the Emperor’s castle! What happened to security here?!”

“You’re up against me,” said a fourth person.

Suddenly, Ryouta felt someone coming for him with deadly purpose, just like on the field trip, and he swiftly blocked the incoming swing of an enemy sword with the sheath of his own.

The one who had attacked him was the Imperial guard Sasara.

“What are you doing…?”

“My job is to keep the Emperor’s peace and order. You are a Japanese person who has only just left his home country and is not a total, official minion yet. I cannot allow you to get anywhere near the Emperor, can I?” Though her initial surprise attack failed, Sasara didn’t seem upset at all as she stepped back to put space between them. “That is especially true for someone hanging around an assassination target.”

“Wait, don’t tell me you’re going to…”

He’d heard there were people after Shiren’s life, but he didn’t think someone so close to the Emperor was involved.

“Indeed—if you think about it, you shouldn’t be surprised. If the Emperor’s little sister stays alive, it’s entirely possible she may be used to drag the emperor down from power. Especially so if half her blood is human.”

Interesting. The whole idea wasn’t that far out there.

But it took him way too long to realize the party itself was a trap!

“And that is why I, a member of the Virginal Father, am here,” Kiyomizu finished. “Didn’t you think it odd that there were no officers around the border in the mountain?”

That solved the mystery.

“You called Kiyomizu out to kill Shiren?” he asked.

It wasn’t a coincidence he’d run into Kiyomizu in the mountain. Sasara had called her and hoped Shiren would head there herself.

“I was there as well,” Sasara replied. “That was because I was hoping to remove you from the equation, too, but I gave up because you ended up running into that Virginal Father girl first.”

That menacing aura he’d felt when he went into the mountain wasn’t Kiyomizu, but Sasara.

“It’s not so bad if she manages to kill someone in the Emperor’s direct line, is it?” said Sasara. “I would also be grateful if she took care of such adulterous blood. We must fight fire with fire, you see.”

“She is exactly right, my dearest and most noble Ryouta. I will soon make a bloodfest out of this deceitful witch,” Kiyomizu said lightly, but she was fully intending to kill.

“This doesn’t help anyone… Why…?” This whole ridiculous reality was starting to irritate Ryouta. He couldn’t believe he had to worry about dying before he even got the chance to worry about being apart from Shiren. “First, there’s no way you’re actually working together, right? Kiyomizu, you do know you’re in cahoots with someone trying to kill me?”

“I made a promise with her that she would only half kill you, at most, Ryouta dear. And afterward, I can do as I please with you. That is why I will be taking you back to my room in Japan.”

“Wait, I get why Japan, but why does it have to be your house? To your room, specifically…?”

He could feel his blood draining just by imagining what would happen there.

“I have one hundred and eight secret tools made to please you in my room.”

He was terrified by the idea that she might be telling the truth…

“Your death would be ideal, of course, but if that happened, I would only end up in battle against this creepy little Virginal Father girl.”

“Have you looked in the mirror? Your love for Ouka is just as creepy…”

“My love for Her Imperial Majesty is pure and perfectly acceptable. Oh, by the way, I almost fainted today just watching my emperor, delicate as a lily blossom, speaking with a filthy male like you. I will one day amend the law to exile all men from this country.”

“Ouka, please just exile this guard already!”

“Really, I wish to rid the world of all those who offend Her Imperial Majesty, male or otherwise. That is why this woman, the Emperor’s sister, is in the way.”

It didn’t sound as if she was an ultranationalist or anything like that—just a lesbian with an unhealthy obsession.

The problem was that she was a swordswoman in direct service to the Emperor.

“How long do you plan to keep me pinned to the ground, you insolent fool?! I am the Emperor’s younger sister!”

While Kiyomizu was distracted, Shiren took her chance to escape from under her.

But Ryouta and Shiren were up against an assassin and an Imperial guard—they weren’t escaping that easily. The two would be killed the second they turned their backs.

“Now we put an end to this long conversation! I will cut you for every word you spoke to the Emperor!”

“That won’t make me half-dead—that’ll make me dead-dead!”

Ryouta blocked Sasara’s blade with the sword he had been granted. What would’ve happened to them if he didn’t have this?

“Ryouta! Give me three minutes, and I’ll pummel these petty underlings! So just hang on for three minutes!” He heard Shiren’s voice from behind him.

“I thought you weren’t a good athlete?!”

“Beating up villains is my specialty. Three minutes, hang in there for three minutes!”

Hang in there? No way—but still, he had to. If anything, he needed to defeat Sasara and go help Shiren in three minutes.

If he didn’t, then Shiren—his master—would die.

“Dammit! Come at me, Sasara!”

He blocked all of Sasara’s attacks for now. There was nothing else he could do.

Each time their blades crossed, he was met with an overwhelming wave of force. He’d be impressed by the prowess of this Imperial guard if he had the energy for it.

But he was only barely defending himself.

“What, do you have a few swordsmanship skills under your belt? This is the first time an amateur has fended off my attacks for more than ten seconds.”

“I’ve been attacked by girls from the kendo club more than just once or twice! I’ve literally lived through the Warriors games. That’s why I know at least a few things about self-defense!”

The tragic events of his past replayed like a kaleidoscope in his mind.

…Stop—kaleidoscopes are bad luck.

But he couldn’t believe his terrible past would be helping him now—he truly was unfortunate. If only he could have had a peaceful life where he would never have had to learn these things.

“Shiren! Stay put for just three minutes! I’ll give this obsessive swordswoman a good beating! This is for Ouka’s honor, too!”

“Heh, I’ll be giving this obsessive ninja a good beating in the next three minutes as well!”

He wasn’t really sure if he’d call Kiyomizu a ninja, but the knives she was throwing at Shiren did look a lot like kunai.

Shiren deftly avoided them.

Over and over again.

Even when Kiyomizu got behind her.

“—Wait, Shiren, you don’t have any weapons or anything, do you…?”

“I was thinking about picking up the weapons this girl is throwing at me and throwing them back. No good?”

“You think you can win by treating this like an old action game?!”

This was bad, and it would only get worse if he didn’t put Sasara in the ground, fast.

“One stab from this, and you’re done for.”

From her toolbox, Kiyomizu whipped out a spear that was about eight feet long. Definitely longer than her box.

“How on Earth did you fit that in there?!” Shiren interjected in surprise.

“This is my Looooooong Spear, one of my secret weapons. It’s perfect for skewering worms that deceive you, Ryouta. Right now they’re on sale; buy one, get one free!”

“You need two?! Why are you selling them?!”

This was bad. Shiren was already at a disadvantage, and now Kiyomizu was far better equipped.

“You can do it, Shiren. Don’t die!”

“Am I so little of a threat? Worry about yourself!” Sasara’s blade sliced his arm.

In retrospect, the amount of blood Shiren drew when she bit him was almost nothing compared with how much was gushing from his arm.

“I was impatient at first, but I see you were simply a novice who learned to spar by watching others—nothing. Once I learned your pattern, it was over for you.”

He had his limits. He’d never taken real lessons.

And even if he did have experience, it was still unlikely he’d be able to contend with a pro.

“I said I’d only half kill you, didn’t I? So how is this?”

This time she sliced his thigh. His shoulder. His back. The number of cuts on his body slowly grew.

His vision turned red—she must have cut his forehead.

Yeesh, RPG status ailments are more realistic than I thought.

His ability to concentrate was slipping so much that his mind was wandering to irrelevant topics.

“This…is too much…” He unwittingly whimpered. “They’re way out of line, and they believe they’re right… But without the power to prove it…”

Even if Sasara said she would stop before he died, his body was still screaming of the danger from all those wounds. He couldn’t think about anything else.

Then he heard Shiren scream.

He saw a hazy image of blood spilling from her arm.

“Shiren!”

The danger his life was in, and the fear that came with it, vanished. His life was hardly worth anything anyway.

“O-ouch! Ouch!”

“Oh? That wasn’t enough to kill you. I intend to pierce your heart this time. If I had a say, though, I would prefer if Ryouta pierced me. Sexually.”

What the hell led her to believe this was a time for inappropriate jokes?

But either way, an unarmed character had no chance against a character with a weapon!

What could he do to stop this? What could Ryouta Fuyukura do?

“The screams of a worm do nothing but hurt my ears, so I’ll ease your pain in one blow. You may beg for your life, if you wish. I’ll still kill you, though.”

There was nothing he could do. When it came to pure athletic ability, Shiren could be a good match for Kiyomizu, but without a weapon, then…

—Weapon?

“Idiot! You have a weapon right here!” He tossed his sword to her. “Take it, Shiren! Hold on to it with your life!”

Shiren caught it gracefully—and just barely managed to deflect Kiyomizu’s attack.

“Th-thank you…Ryouta. You saved me…” Shiren gripped the sword, her eyes wide and blank. “Huh? But, Ryouta, don’t you have anything else…?”

He opened up his arms wide.

“Nothing, obviously.”

“What are you even thinking? This is absurd!”

The first one to make any comment about Ryouta’s actions was Sasara.

“Absurd? You’re Ouka’s minion, aren’t you? Isn’t this something a minion would do?” Ryouta shot back with shameless confidence. “You asked me earlier how I could think about other people, right? Shiren isn’t just other people—she’s my master. It’s a minion’s job to think about their master before anything else.”

For a brief second, Sasara went pale. “Are you really fighting for your master now?”

Then her complexion turned a boiling red.

“You will go to hell for that pride of yours. I will cut you to the brink of death.”

“Fine. I’ll run for thirty seconds. In just thirty seconds, Shiren will defeat Kiyomizu, and she’ll come back me up. Isn’t that right, Master?”

Surprise passed over Shiren’s face at the question, but it was quickly replaced by a smile. “Yes, of course. But you will wait only fifteen seconds, Ryouta!”

“You will not last that long!”

He dodged Sasara’s attacks with all he could. He was more used to running than fighting, so he would just stay away from her for now.

“I don’t know if I can allow you to take Ryouta’s weapon. I will kill you now, worm.”

“Try me, loser.”

The spear and sword faced each other to deal the finishing blow with a terrible clash of metal against metal that sent both weapons flying through the air.

Shiren closed the distance between her and Kiyomizu, as though she had anticipated this.

“You were planning on knocking the weapons away from the start!”

“I was. Because I know I can win in close quarters—with my fists.”

“Hmph, even I know the basics of hand-to-hand—”

“If you stay still for just ten seconds, I’ll allow you the rights to **** Ryouta for a whole day.”

For a moment, the air around them froze.

Then Kiyomizu’s malice vanished. “R… R… R-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-really?!”

“I am Ryouta’s master. I will not lie. Just as I said, you may do what you wish with him for a full day, for twenty-four hours. Give him a lifetime’s worth of wooing. So just for ten seconds, stay—”

“Okay.” She responded at the speed of light. Negotiations had concluded.

She couldn’t have thought it through and responded that fast… She just went on instinct…

“Take this as our written agreement! Don’t take this personally!”

Now that Kiyomizu had closed her eyes and stopped resisting, Shiren gave her a clean uppercut.

Even as she soared through the air, Kiyomizu was grinning.

“I won, Ryouta!”

“What have you done…?”

“You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs!” Shiren called. “Just forget about it!”

It felt as if he’d taken out a loan of five hundred thousand yen just to pay off a debt of the same amount…

And on top of that, it turned the tables in their favor for only a moment.

“I’ve changed my mind.”

As he concentrated on the tip of the sword, Sasara’s feet suddenly moved—and by the time that movement finally registered, she had already kicked him into the air. He tumbled awkwardly across the ground, as if he’d been hit by a car.

“I will be putting my fight with you on hold for a moment,” Sasara said, then turned her gaze straight to Shiren. “I hope you do not mind fighting with me next?”

“I was just about to ask myself! …But I don’t have my sword back yet…”

“Don’t waste your breath!”

And once again, Shiren was being attacked, unarmed.

And Sasara was barely breaking a sweat.

Little by little, Shiren was gaining wounds.

“Her Imperial Majesty is trying to create a country for the Sacred Blooded alone. Impurities like you are a nuisance. You will only weaken our union.”

“Hmph, you are just an insignificant ultranationalist. It seems you do not clearly understand the Emperor’s ideals. She’s aiming to create a nation strong enough for anything, including ‘impurities’!”

“I know that! But when you appear, the Emperor spends less time looking at me! Her little sister and childhood friend may exit stage right!”

This whole thing wasn’t about logic to begin with. This Sasara girl really just couldn’t see or think about anyone besides Ouka.

Meaning they had no choice but to stop her by force.

Ryouta stepped toward one of the dropped weapons to pick it up when—

“Shi…ren…”

—he collapsed.

His exhaustion and blood loss had sapped the strength from his body. He was still bleeding—in the present continuous tense—from several places.

“This is just pathetic…”

He hated that he collapsed just as his master was about to be killed. It was an awful way to end his last day as Shiren’s minion.

“Dammit… If I’m bleeding this much, then I at least want Shiren to drink it all…! Shiren, drink me dry; turn me into a mummy!”

But he was unsure if those words ever made it out of his mouth.

“Ryouta! Are you okay?!” He heard her voice faintly. Oh no, his consciousness was about to go dark.

“You don’t have time to worry about others!” Sasara shouted. She ignored the fading Ryouta and went straight for Shiren.

He was completely out of the equation. They weren’t even paying attention to him.

Could he stand to let them underestimate him like this?

He was a proud minion.

He mustered all the strength he had left to stand, and he ran.

Until he was standing in Sasara’s way.

“I won’t let you…”

It was a miracle he could get to his feet at all. But he had to act for Shiren’s sake, even if that meant he wouldn’t be moving for the next week, the next month.

“It would have been wiser to remain on the ground.”

She didn’t even go after him with her sword. She simply kicked him away, and that was enough to send him sailing through the air like a ball.

“I apologize for the interruption, but I will now— Tch.”

Sasara clicked her tongue—Ryouta had stood up again. “I’m practically a ghost now, aren’t I…?” He wasn’t sure what laws of the universe were letting him still move around, but he placed himself between Shiren and Sasara. He wouldn’t let Sasara pass, not even over his dead body.

“Just stop it already, Ryouta! That’ll only buy us a few seconds. It won’t help!”

He heard Shiren’s cry loud and clear.

“It won’t help? Lying on the ground won’t help. If a minion can’t save his master, then he’s completely worthless!”

I’m still your minion.

“Then I shall do exactly as you wish.” Once again, Sasara kicked him away.

This time, he landed right next to Shiren.

“Shi…ren…”

“Ryouta!”

They gazed into each other’s eyes—it felt like some kind of a bad joke, since it truly seemed this would be their last chance.

“I will take it upon myself to cut down both master and servant with one strike. That way, neither of you will need to be sad. Isn’t that right?”

“But I mean, there’s no point if I can’t keep my master safe…”

Standing up again was impossible now. If only he could put something else there to stop her—

“Enough, now.” Shiren’s warm hand settled on his shoulder.

“No, it’s not enough! Don’t give up! We’ll manage if we can just figure out a way to knock her down!”

“Who said I was giving up?”

Shiren’s voice was filled with hope, courage, and conviction.

“It is now my turn to save you, Ryouta.” Shiren immediately grasped Ryouta’s arm. His bloodied arm.

“How…sure are you that you’ll win…?”

“One hundred percent. I mean, look at how much you’re bleeding.”

“You’re not lying to me, right?”

“No. All the time you bought me allowed me to come up with a plan. I’ll show you what comes of paying close attention in class.”

Shiren began licking the blood spilling from Ryouta’s arm.

Carefully.

Seductively, even, as befitting someone with Sacred Blood.

When people imagined someone drinking blood, it was this.

“Why this now…?”

“We learned this in health class at school, remember? What happens when you lick the blood of someone you love?”

There was a sudden gleam of light in Ryouta’s fading consciousness.

“A Sacred Blooded’s physical prowess greatly improves. And the stronger the love they have for them, the stronger their power. The blood awakens the instinct to protect their loved ones.”

“Oh yeah, now I remember something like that…”

But he never expected there would be much use for that power in real life. Mostly because people rarely found themselves needing to kill one another in peacetime.

This also meant there were very few who’d seen the effects in reality. What would happen to her once she’d ingested so much blood?

“What do you think of me, Ryouta? It captures the heart of my minion, does it not?”

When he saw her, his first honest thought was:

What’s going on? She’s beautiful, but not in a human way…

She hadn’t transformed into a curvy woman; her tattered dress hadn’t mended itself. But her eyes were such a bright red that he could clearly see them, even by the light of the moon alone.

And it was hard to put it into words exactly, but they were so alluring that it made him uncomfortable.

It was almost as if internally, Shiren had completely transformed into something else.

Wow, there’s no question that you are the most beautiful girl in the world right now. Honestly, even more than Ouka.

“You’re pretty, but your eyes are really bloodshot.”

“Lay off. Now, I think it’s time to return to the battlefield.”

“Do I bore you so much that you insist on licking blood? Die!” Sasara slashed downward.

And Shiren sent her, along with her sword, flying in the air. With barely a swipe.

“What…? Why am I…?” Sasara also seemed unable to process the situation.

“Death will be your penance for the crime of harming my minion.”

The way she was speaking, the sentence sounded less like a personal declaration and more like an inescapable truth.

Right after that, two fissures ran parallel up and down Shiren’s back, and two appendages that looked like wings slowly unfurled.

When the wings fully showed themselves, they spread as if they had a will of their own.

They were large and black, and they would probably go well with a high-slit dress.

“Hey, those look like they’re from a fallen angel or Dracula or something, don’t they…?”

But he didn’t feel dread as he would from a monster.

Instead, it was more of an utter nobility, one that was found only among the gods.

“Ahhh, now I understand all the reasons why you acted so high and mighty…”

Obviously, all the people of the world would look like trash next to her if this was what she really was.

“Well, I believe regular Sacred Blooded probably atrophied a long time ago. We were not persecuted by humans simply because we drank blood. It is because our true form is so monstrous that they tried to erase us. But our family is still able to use this power properly, and that is exactly why we were made into the Imperial family, and why we carry the name Sarano.”

“No… Is this not the Goddess of Blood…?” Sasara murmured, and Ryouta recalled the religious statue of a deity he’d seen at the cathedral.

Shiren was the spitting image.

“How unfair… I am an Imperial guard! And yet, just looking at her, I…I cannot take a step!”

Sasara was bewildered. No—she was beyond bewildered. Tears were gathering in her eyes.

A skilled swordswoman could tell the strength of an opponent at a glance, but it was impossible to imagine a power that would drive her to tears in the midst of battle.

That meant this wasn’t even a battle anymore.

“Now, shall we continue? Harming my minion…harming Ryouta…will cost you a great deal.” Shiren slowly made her way toward Sasara. The whole thing had already come to an end.

She lightly knocked away Sasara’s sword. In the next moment, Shiren punched her so hard, she went flying.

Before she even had the chance to stand up, Shiren knocked her into the air again. It was like a lion playing with a rabbit.

Wait, this was no time for him to stare!

“Shiren, calm down. If you don’t…”

She’ll die.

In just another minute, Sasara could very well be turned into a mangled corpse as he watched. Shiren couldn’t afford to have new crimes weighing on her shoulders right when her old ones were about to be forgiven.

“Shiren, listen to me… Stop!”

It wasn’t working. His tattered body wasn’t letting him scream. Even if he could, he wasn’t positive she could hear him.

Then his only choice was to stop her by standing in front of her.

She was a hundred times scarier than Sasara, but what else could he do? Stopping his master was part of his service to her.

He rose like a zombie. His whole body coursed with unbelievable pain; he almost felt as though he could learn to find a new kind of pleasure from it.

And then Ryouta Fuyukura ran. His legs felt like they would shatter with his first step, his innards felt like they would explode with his second step, and he felt like his third would take him straight down into the afterlife, but still, he ran. For his master—he could never do such a thing for himself. He had already abandoned himself, and that’s why he could do it.

“Shiren, stop!”

He wasn’t sure if he got between them while stumbling forward, or if he stumbled forward while getting between them.

As Shiren was about to deliver the final blow, he embraced her.

The color of Shiren’s eyes returned to normal, as if the contact between them had flipped some kind of switch.

“Huh? Ryouta, what was I…?”

“I… I did it…”

But that didn’t mean this was going to end without any casualties. Sasara’s breath was coming in faint gasps. Without proper care, she would die.

He supported her in his arms.

“Hey, don’t die on us. You won’t be able to protect the Emperor anymore!”

“How…good-natured must you be? I… I played you foul…”

“I’m not doing this for you! You wouldn’t want your master to be a murderer, either, would you?! If someone was on the brink of death because of a mistake Ouka made, then you’d try to save them with everything you could, right? Neither of us could bear seeing our master carry that sin for the rest of her life!”

“Oh…”

He figured he could find some common ground in their status as minions, and it looked like it was working.

“And you still want to stay by your master’s side, don’t you?”

“Yes, no matter how many times I am reborn, forever…”

Then there was only one option here.

“Hey, Shiren, does blood have nutrients in it?”

“Yes. That’s why humans can also recover when they receive a blood donation—blood is just a bundle of nutrients.”

“Okay. Sasara, lick some off my right arm. I bled enough to almost kill me thanks to you, so you can probably get a good mouthful in.”

“I—I could never fathom drinking a man’s blood…”

Sasara’s face suddenly went red as blood in embarrassment.

Wait, come on, this isn’t the time to be embarrassed about anything!

“You use blood in cooking, don’t you? It’s the same thing!”

“Ugh… But…”

“Would you rather die?!”

“Very well…” Hesitantly, Sasara slowly began licking away at his blood. The entire time, she acted like it was the most mortifying thing in the world. “Urgh… I can’t believe…I have to…do this…”

Sasara ran her tongue along his arm with obvious anguish.

“You will never say anything of this to anyone… If word gets out that I licked the blood of a man, I will kill you, and then I will die.”

“Wait, is this really that embarrassing to a Sacred Blooded…?”

“Of course. It’s almost on the same level as getting naked in front of someone…”

“Whaaaaaat?! I didn’t know that!”

Sasara gripped Ryouta hard, apparently trying to force him closer to her. “And now because I’ve told you…see…you will have to take responsibility… If you don’t, you will sully the distinguished Tatsunami family name…”

“Responsibility? How?”

“Of course, the one I love is Her Imperial Majesty, but you know society isn’t very accepting of love between women, right…? So, for example, when the time comes, you will f…fake marry me.”

This was going in an odd direction.

“I finally understand why I kept finding you about to get your blood sucked, Ryouta.”

He heard a grim voice coming from behind him.

“You’ve tricked so many people like this! This is all you ever did in Japan, and when it turned into a slaughterhouse, you ran away! I knew it!”

“What are you talking about?! That’s not it at all! I didn’t trick anybody!”

“I don’t want to hear your excuses! And get away from that guard right this instant! You are my minion, Ryouta! You are to be serving me! I will sue you!”

At least sue me for a more serious offense… Ryouta, exhausted, sprawled out on the grass. “Sigh, I’d love to have some liver to eat right now.”

“Let’s head to a barbecue place after this. But we’ll have to stop the bleeding first; otherwise they won’t let you in. But even if the guard cleared everybody out, no one’s coming yet. There’s a problem with this security system.”

Sasara didn’t seem to have any energy to think about her next steps, either, and she was staring up at the sky.

“I can’t believe…I ended up drinking so much of a man’s blood… That was my first time… Oh, Father, Mother, I have been sullied…”

It sounded as if he’d done something very wrong, but it was too late now.

Now what should they do? It was obvious there had been a commotion here; there was no getting around it.

And Kiyomizu was murmuring in her sleep, “Oh, most noble Ryouta. Please put the kitty ears on next. Hee-hee-heh-heh-heh…”

“I’m scared; I can’t wake her up, but she’ll be executed if we just leave her here and they find out who she is…”

“It’ll be fine, don’t you think?” Shiren retorted. “She’s still Japanese; we can’t kill her. Actually, if we carry out any executions, since Japan doesn’t recognize the Empire as sovereign, that would cause some huge problems.”

“Then I guess we’ll head home quietly,” Ryouta suggested. “It’d be bad if they found out about Sasara’s involvement.”

“Truly, what a bind,” said a third voice. “I almost want you to be the Emperor instead.”

“Yeah— Gah!! Ouka?!”

Ouka was standing right beside them. Sasara’s face was so pale, it was almost blue.

“Oh, hi there! That was a marvelous action play.” Alfoncina XIII stood beside her, too.

“When did you get here, Ouka?”

“This is my castle. I can appear whenever I want. To tell the truth, I saw everything. I was thinking about jumping in if things got too bad.”

“In my opinion, things did get pretty bad, but…it’s a miracle no one died. Wait—you knew about all this?!”

“I received word from the fourteen other Imperial guards of Sasara’s treason.”

“All her coworkers ratted her out?! And wait, why is the archbishop here?”

“Kimura heard you were just ever so slightly a minion, so she was here to ask me questions.”

“Who’s Kimura?”

“It’s Alfoncina’s real name, remember? Matsuko Kimura.”

Now he remembered.

“Hold on! I thought I told you never to use my real name! What about my dignity?!” Alfoncina seemed rather flustered.

“Dignity? Not when you sound panicked like that. Oh, and she’s here for a photoshoot.”

“A photoshoot?” That wasn’t a word he was expecting, so Ryouta repeated it for clarification.

“I’m the one selling Alfoncina as an idol. We have a photo collection going on sale next month. We have all the publishing rights, and if we calculate the number of members in her fan club, then I believe we’ll make gross profits in the ballpark of ten billion. It is the perfect way of acquiring foreign currency.”

“Ten billion? How many fans do you have?!”

“How about you, Ryouta, dear? Do you want a copy?”

“I’ll take two.”

Shiren slapped him from behind.

“Now then, the typical true ending would be Sasara getting executed for treason. I do love blood and gore, but if that goes public, then the name of the Imperial Guard would be marred, which would also be embarrassing for me, so I’ll let it pass this time.”

“You like blood and gore?!”

Sasara immediately began groveling. “Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty!” This was definitely the right thing for her to do in this situation. “Um, could receiving such compassion from you, Your Imperial Majesty, mean you feel at least the slightest bit of attraction toward me?”

Or maybe she hadn’t done any self-examining at all.

“I won’t make this incident public, but you did make a mess of my garden, so I’m docking the next year from your salary.”

Ouka completely ignored the troublesome question. He was a total outsider, but Ryouta sympathized. Being the Emperor must be a tough job.

“Now we will finally get to the topic at hand. Shiren, Ryouta?”

Shiren’s shoulders tensed when her name was called.

“Honestly, what sort of relationship do you two have? What do you want to do? I’ll get mad, so be honest!”

“You will?!” Didn’t you usually say I won’t get mad?

“Of course,” replied Ouka. “I was taught to always express how I feel honestly. Think about it—how annoying would it be if all I ever said was I-it’s not like I like fried potatoes or anything! despite liking fried potatoes very much?”

“Why that example?!”

“Say it anyway. Since I’m human, too, it is not entirely impossible that I might want to grant wishes like Shenlong does. At least once every million requests.”

“So a zero percent chance, basically!”

“And now, Shiren, I believe you understand the significance of the awakening you went through not too long ago, right?” Ouka turned to Shiren.

She was just looking at her, but that alone was overwhelming enough. There was literal power in her eyes.

“Um…uh…I’m sorry, Your Majesty…” Shiren’s head drooped, like a child being discovered pulling pranks.

This wasn’t a sisterly relationship at all.

“Well, Shiren? What do you want to do? Say it.”

“I… Um…”

She couldn’t speak. If she did, it would be treason against the Emperor. Not only that, but it would also betray Ryouta. Ouka was Ryouta’s first love, after all.

“Beeeeep. Time’s up. You’ll never get a job if you interview like that. Then let me ask someone else. What is it you want to do, Ryouta?”

Ouka turned to look at Ryouta, a faint smile on her face with depths unknown behind it.

That was the kind of girl Ouka had been, ever since elementary school—and that was why he had to do everything he could; otherwise he would be no match for her.

“Say something that will make me hmm. Only then will I think it over.” Ouka crossed her arms and chuckled.

But Ryouta had been ready for this long before they even came here.

He knelt on one knee. “Your Imperial Majesty, my master has no friends!!!!!” he cried, in the loudest voice he could muster with his battered body. “If I may speak frankly, one reason is that my master… Gah, forget it! One reason is because she’s so high and mighty about everything! I was really frustrated with her at the beginning, too!”

“Come on, why are you insulting me now?! Shut up, Ryouta!”

He ignored Shiren’s complaint, of course. “But ninety percent of her loneliness is because she’s a felon, and because of her bloodline—she’s the daughter of the previous emperor, and the current one’s little sister. And so that’s why she and her classmates have put distance between them! They just want to chat—they just want to be friends, but they feel like they have to stay away!”

Ryouta inhaled deeply.

“And she takes really good care of her minions, too. Please let me speak as a minion; there are very few masters as excellent as she is. That is why, as her minion, I want my master to make friends without anything holding her back. I want her to be even happier, to smile more.”

No one said anything to interrupt him.

“But you decided you would take down all the walls in her way, Your Imperial Majesty. So please allow me to look after her. Please wait for her to make friends, just for a little while until she doesn’t need me anymore.”

Shiren silently stared at Ryouta, surprise all over her face.

“And there is one person I want Shiren to be friends with over anyone else.”

“Who?”

“You, Your Imperial Majesty.”

Both Shiren and Ouka simultaneously looked at him in surprise.

“Shiren has always wanted to amend relations with her older sister, the Emperor. She almost calls you Big Sis sometimes. You wouldn’t want to miss this chance to get close enough that you could talk openly with her, either, would you, Your Majesty? If I cannot ensure my master’s dreams can come true, then I doubt I’ll be able to find another—”

“Enough. I understand.”

Ryouta bowed reverently. His body was still throbbing, but he endured.

He still had to behave properly before the Emperor as Shiren’s servant.

He lifted his head slightly to look at Ouka. She appeared to be saying, How impudent of you.

With his head still raised, he took a glance at Shiren.

Her face said she wanted to run from there. He knew how she felt. He’d feel exactly the same if he were in her place. This was much worse than just waiting for the results of an interview or test.

“I see. I hear your opinion. But I still have the right to make the final decision.”

“Yes, I understand that, Your Imperial Majesty.”

“Please stop using polite language with me. It’s making me sick. Now, Shiren.”

Ouka slowly placed herself right in front of Shiren, then heavily rested both of her hands on Shiren’s shoulders.

“Do you realize what you’re doing warrants an apology to me?”

“Oh, yes… Your Imperial Majesty, I’m sorry…,” Shiren murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

“This only makes me angry.”

“I know…”

“However”—Ouka gently embraced Shiren—“I still know I haven’t been able to love you as my little sister for a long time.” She lightly kissed Shiren on the cheek. “Forgive me. As my apology, we’ll forget about this whole thing. Ryouta is your minion. You should live together.”

“Wha…?”

“Did you not hear me? I’ll repeat myself. Ryouta is your minion, so you should live together!”

“Thank you so much, Your Imperial Majesty!” Shiren returned the hug in spite of herself.

“And don’t call me that anymore. I am the only person in this world you can call a sister, so what’s the point if you call me otherwise?”

“Okay…Big Sis.”

The moment had finally come. Shiren could stand before Ouka and officially refer to her as sister.

“It sounds a little forced after such a dramatic pause, but sure.” When Ouka let Shiren go, she put her hands on her hips with a sigh. “Now, you two work hard, okay? And let me just give you a piece of advice, because people’s hearts are ever changing. There will be plenty of times when you’ll find your heart set on someone else, Ryouta. And don’t forget I am a top-notch politician who created an independent nation from within a developed country.”

Once she went briskly over everything she wanted to say, she went back into the castle.

“Bye now,” she called. “You’ll be moving tomorrow.”

“Please wait, my Imperial Majesty!” Sasara shouted, following after her.

“Awww, I wonder which part of that was an honest expression of emotion?” mused Alfoncina. “Anyway, I have several political talks with Her Majesty to go over, so I’m going back to the castle. Good-bye, my dears.” With that, she followed them in as well.

“…Good-bye, Kimura.”

“Don’t call me Kimura!”

And then only Ryouta and Shiren were left.

“Then I guess we go home now, Shiren.”

“Yeah. We’ll go straight home. I have a lot to say about how you view me as a lonely person with no friends.”

“I mean, it’s true. How else was I supposed to put it? Ouch…”

When he started walking, it just reminded him how much his entire body hurt. It was a relief his arm had stopped bleeding, though—Sacred Blooded saliva must have a strong coagulating agent in it.

“I know. But it still put me in a tough spot. I’m going to start working hard to make a hundred friends right away.”

“Yeah, do it.”

“And I have to say this now, while I can.” Shiren slipped out of Ryouta’s field of vision.

“If you want to say something, at least say it to my face.”

“How insensitive. I’m just embarrassed.”

“I went to school in a collar and the girls’ uniform. Nothing scares me.”

He could tell Shiren was behind him right then.

“Oh, I’m not going to kick you in the back of your knee or prank you in other ways.”

“You don’t have to explain. What is it, then?”

“Thank you.” Shiren wrapped her arms around him from behind.

Both their bodies were beaten and battered, but that only meant each person’s warmth was more directly connected to the other’s.

This was the greatest honor a minion could receive after saving his master.

“I dunno, I feel like you have some ulterior motive, and that scares me… I don’t mind getting some thanks, though. Well, good luck making friends…”

“And I need to work hard to make sure my big sis doesn’t take Ryouta away from me… (whisper, whisper)”

“Hmm? Did you say something?”

“You’re imagining things. Don’t worry about it. And when we get home, I’m putting the collar on.”

“Awww, the collar again? But I guess I am a minion.”

Also, in case you were wondering, Kiyomizu reportedly woke up early the next morning at five.