Blood stained her lips.
Her body swayed as if she might collapse at any second.
Even so, she stood.
'I… don't know… who you are...'
Projection!
A bokken appeared in her hand.
Her trembling fingers wrapped around the hilt and held on with what little strength she had left.
'But… I won't let any of you touch my friends.'
The masked figures glanced at one another.
Then…
*Clap. Clap.*
'How unusual. A human willing to protect a demon.'
The ninjas stepped aside.
From between them, a girl with light violet hair stepped forward, a faint smile on her lips.
Her eyes moved over Saki once, calmly, as though she was weighing her worth.
'And one who can use magic, no less.'
'Don't take another step.'
Saki levelled her bokken at her.
Seishu stopped.
'Even now, you still raise your weapon,' she said. 'You have spirit.'
Then she bowed with graceful ease.
'I'm Hatori Seishu, steward of the Igawa clan. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.'
Saki did not respond. She only glared at her.
Seishu straightened.
'No name? How unfriendly.'
'Shut up! Cough… cough…'
Saki dropped to one knee.
Her knees buckled, and for a second it seemed her body had finally given up.
Then she forced herself back up, using the bokken to push her body upright.
'What do… you want?'
Seishu smiled.
'Direct. Good. That saves time.'
She let her hands fall to her sides.
'That demon behind you. She is precious to you, is she not?'
'Get to the point.'
'Very well.' Seishu raised both hands in a show of harmlessness. 'Come with me. Lend me your strength, and I'll help keep your friend hidden.'
Her gaze flicked past Saki toward Eri.
'You have talent. More than that, you have resolve. It would be a waste to let either die here.'
Saki tightened her grip.
'Piss off.'
The smile vanished from Seishu's face at once.
'I see,' she said.
Her voice was still calm, but whatever warmth had been there was gone.
'So you would throw your life away for a demon.'
Saki lowered her stance. Her breathing was ragged. Her body had long since passed its limit, and yet she still raised her weapon, ready to fight to the very end.
Seishu looked at her with disappointment.
'Loyalty is admirable,' she said. 'Misplaced loyalty is merely foolish.'
Then she gave the other Taimanin a small nod.
'Take her.'
The order had barely left Seishu's lips when a voice thundered across the ruined yard.
'Were you the one who destroyed my house?!'
Saki's eyes widened.
'Di-ran…'
The tension fled her body all at once, and she collapsed.
'Saki!'
Dylan rushed in without hesitation, shoved past the others and caught her before she hit the ground.
He stared down at her bloodied body, his hands trembling.
'Who…' His voice cracked. 'Who did this?'
'S-some people attacked us…' Eri said, barely catching a breath. 'And Saki protected us…'
Dylan immediately pulled a health potion from his system and poured it over Saki.
The liquid vanished into her skin as if her body were greedily drinking it in.
'Eri. Take care of her for me.'
He gently lowered Saki to the ground.
Then he stood and turned to face them.
The air seemed to tighten around him. Even the Taimanin stopped moving.
'Did you do this?'
Seishu met his gaze with a smile. 'And if I had?'
*BOOM!*
Dylan crossed the distance in an instant and slammed her face-first into the floor.
Grabbing her by the head, Dylan slowly forced her back up. His eyes were cold enough to freeze the air.
'If you did…'
His voice was low and steady, more frightening than a shout.
'Then you're the first one I kill.'
Blood slid from the corner of Seishu's mouth.
And still, she smiled.
'How savage.'
She met Dylan's gaze without flinching.
'I-it wasn't them, Di-ran.'
Eri's panicked voice cut through the silence.
—————————————————-
[Dylan's pov]
I turned toward Eri, still holding Seishu in one hand.
'Then who was it?'
Even to my own ears, my voice sounded sharp. Too sharp.
Eri flinched.
'I-it was some dark-skinned woman with pink hair. She wore a red cape and tight black clothes…'
I looked back at the Taimanin.
'Do any of you know who that is?'
One of them stepped forward nervously.
'I-I think… that sounds like Ingrid. The leader of the Black Dragon Knight Order.'
I looked at Seishu one last time.
'There. Your real enemy has a name now,' she said, smiling faintly. 'You can let go.'
After a moment, I let her go.
'Get out of here,' I said, my voice dropping. 'Before I change my mind.'
Seishu adjusted herself as though nothing had happened.
'Such hatred.' Her gaze shifted to Saki. 'Still… I have seen enough for one day. We're leaving.'
She signalled to the Taimanin, and they withdrew one by one.
Just before she left, she looked back.
'You have strength. More importantly, you have a reason to use it'
Her smile deepened.
'Men and women like that are always drawn into the same places in the end.'
She turned and spread her arms.
'The Igawa clan welcomes you with open arms.'
Then she walked away.
I watched her go without a word.
Only after the last of them disappeared did I turn back to Saki.
'Take Hina.'
I lifted Saki into my arms.
Eri picked up Hina, and together we stepped into what was left of my house.
'Set her down here.'
Eri carefully laid Hina down beside Saki.
I knelt between them and checked them both over.
'Are… are they going to be okay?' Eri asked, fidgeting with her fingers.
'Hina is stable.' My gaze shifted to Saki. 'Saki will be fine too, but…'
I hesitated.
'Her soul forced open her magic circuits. A body doesn't adjust to that kind of strain right away. It'll take time before she wakes up.'
'That's… good…'
Something hit the floor. A drop. Then another.
I looked up. Tears were running down Eri's face.
'I… I thought I got them killed…'
She clutched her hand so tightly her fingers trembled.
'It was my fault. If I hadn't been here… none of this would've happened…'
'Eri.'
She looked up at me with red, trembling eyes.
'Come here.'
I patted the floor beside me. After wiping at her eyes, she slowly moved over and sat beside me.
'Why do you think this is your fault?'
'Because…' Her gaze dropped to Saki and Hina. 'They came for me.'
'So that makes it your fault?'
'Yes!' She cried. 'Because I'm the daughter of a criminal!'
I frowned.
'Criminal?'
She gave a small nod.
'That's what that person said… my father was a criminal, so that makes me guilty too…'
'That's stupid.'
She lowered her head, but I kept going.
'Listen to me, Eri.'
She looked up again, hesitant.
'My father wasn't a good man either.'
Her eyes widened.
For a moment, old memories stirred in the back of my mind.
'For a long time, I hated the fact that I had his blood in me. Every time I screwed up, every time I got angry, I kept thinking maybe that was proof I was turning into him.'
My gaze dropped for a second, then rose to meet hers.
'It messed me up more than I like to admit.'
Her lips trembled.
'But I had people who dragged me out of that way of thinking. Friends.'
I put a hand on her shoulder.
'And they told me something simple.'
'W-what?'
'That I'm not him.'
I tapped her lightly on the forehead.
'What your father did is his burden. Not yours.'
I held her gaze.
'So look at me and answer honestly. Did you do any of those things?'
'I…' She froze, then slowly shook her head. 'I don't know…'
'Yeah, you do.'
I gently patted her head.
'No. You didn't.'
Tears spilled down her face again.
'But… if I wasn't here—'
'Knowing Saki, she probably would've thrown herself into a hopeless fight even if the odds were worse,' I said with a sigh.
Eri blinked. I glanced at Saki's sleeping face.
'What do you think of her?'
'Saki?'
'Yeah. What kind of person is she to you?'
Eri turned toward Saki. The moment she looked at her, her voice started to shake.
'She's… my friend…'
Her hands trembled in her lap.
'We're different… really different… but… I love being with her.'
She wiped at her eyes with her sleeve. 'I have fun when I'm with her… every day…'
I pulled a tissue box from my inventory and handed it to her.
'Here.'
She took one, sniffled, and blew her nose.
'If someone attacked Saki, would you protect her?'
'Of course I would!' She shouted. 'She's my friend!'
I nodded.
'Right.' I looked back at Saki. 'That's all this was. Saki protected you because she wanted to. That's just who she is.'
A small smile tugged at my lips.
'She's loud. Reckless. A pain in the ass half the time.'
I looked down at her sleeping face.
'But she's a good kid.'
Eri said nothing. She only listened.
'So if you still want to carry this around, then use it for something better.'
She looked up at me.
'Become someone Saki can lean on.'
I stood and turned toward the door.
'Become someone who can make her smile.'
I placed a hand against the sliding door.
'Become someone she'll be glad to call her friend.'
I looked back over my shoulder. 'You should stay with them for now.'
Then I stepped outside and slid the door shut.
*Squeak.*
I stared at the ruins of my house.
Then I raised my hand.
Repair!
A faint glow gathered in my palm… then faded almost immediately.
'… Right. So that doesn't work either.'
I let out a tired sigh.
'Fine. I'll do it the old-fashioned way.'
——————————————
[Eri's pov]
'Sniff… sniff…'
I grabbed more tissues and wiped my face.
The room was quiet now. So quiet that all I could hear was Saki and Hina breathing.
Slowly, I crawled closer and sat between them.
'Hina… Saki…'
I reached out and placed a hand on each of them.
They were still warm, and that alone made my chest ache.
'If you can hear me…'
I took a shaky breath.
'I want to become a better friend. And… I want to become stronger too.'
My throat tightened. 'So next time… I can protect all of you.'
A tear slipped free.
*Drip.*
'Sorry… everyone… for making you suffer because of me…'
I started to get up, but something tugged at my clothes.
I turned. 'Hina?'
Hina was awake. Her fingers were weakly clutching my sleeve.
'It's not your fault, Eri.'
She slowly pushed herself upright.
'Can I see the real you?'
'The… real me?'
She nodded. 'Your tail. And the rest.'
My whole body went stiff.
Then Hina gently took my hand.
'It's okay,' she said. 'I won't hate you.'
I swallowed. Then slowly, a tail unravelled behind me.
'I'm a demon, Hina.'
My tail drooped onto the floor. 'Someone you should be afraid of.'
I braced myself. I thought she would scream. I thought she would pull away. But none of that happened. She only kept holding my hand.
'Why would I be afraid of you?'
'Because…' My fingers trembled. 'I could kill you easily. One swipe, and you'd be gone.'
Before I could say anything else, Hina pulled me into her arms. She hugged me tightly, one hand gently patting my back.
'But you won't.'
Her voice was soft, warm, and certain.
'Because you're our friend, right, Eri?'
My eyes widened. Then, slowly, carefully, I wrapped my arms around her too.
'Yes.'
I buried my face in her shoulder. 'I'm your friend.'
My tears soaked into her clothes as I clung to her tighter.
'I… I love you all…' My voice broke. 'I don't want you to hate me…'
And then I cried. Really cried.
Hina kept patting my back the whole time.
'I would never hate you, Eri.' Her voice was gentle, just like always. 'Because you're my friend.'
'Waaaaahhhh!'
The room was filled with my cries, until there were no tears left.
When I finally pulled back, my eyes were swollen and burning.
'Thank you…' I looked at her through blurred vision. 'For being my friend.'
Hina smiled.
'Mm. Thank you for being mine too.'
————————————————————-
[3 days later]
'Good morning, Eri.'
'Good morning, my servant.'
When I stepped outside the dojo that morning, the chill in the air brushed against my face.
Ever since that day, Eri and I have been staying at the dojo while my house was being repaired.
Thankfully, some of the Freedom Fighters had lent a hand, so the repairs were going faster than I expected.
As for Saki.
She still hadn't woken up.
So I kept her close, where I could monitor her condition.
I was making breakfast in the temporary outdoor kitchen I'd set up when a shout came from inside the dojo.
'SAKI!'
I turned at once.
There she was. Standing. Awake.
Immediately, I knew something was wrong.
She looked like Saki, but she didn't feel like Saki.
Her eyes looked weary.
'Are you okay, Saki?'
Eri hurried after her, her glasses slightly crooked.
'Yeah,' Saki said. 'I feel better than ever.'
The words were normal, but the energy in her voice was gone. So was the wildness, the childishness, the way she always seemed to crash into life headfirst.
Saki walked over to me. 'Can you make me breakfast? I'm hungry.'
'Sure. What do you want?'
'Anything is fine.'
I nodded.
'Thanks,' she said.
Quietly, she walked back inside the dojo.
Eri stared after her, then she slowly stepped over to me.
'Saki feels… different.'
'It might just be a side effect,' I said. 'Forcing open your magic circuits puts a lot of stress on the soul. It should settle down.'
'O-okay…'
But Eri didn't sound convinced. Truthfully, neither was I.
Once breakfast was ready, I stepped into the dojo.
'Hey, Saki. Breakfast is—'
I stopped mid-sentence.
She was standing there with one hand raised.
A bokken appeared. Then another. And another.
Before long, a small pile had formed on the floor in front of her.
But after only a few minutes, each one faded into thin air.
'You're picking it up fast for a beginner,' I said.
She slowly turned toward me.
'Thanks.'
She said it at once, politely, without the usual grin and 'bastard.'
'Is breakfast ready?'
'Yeah.' I pointed outside. 'I left yours on the table.'
She gave a small nod and walked past me.
I stood there in silence, watching her go.
There was a time when I'd wished she would grow up a little. Act her age. Be more mature.
But now that it had happened, I hated it.
The absence of that noisy, reckless, ridiculous girl felt wrong in a way I couldn't put into words.
I watched her a little longer before quietly muttering to myself, '… This better be temporary.'
———————————————
[Hatori Seishu] Taimanin.