Shichen brought Tokoyogi Yūma along for one reason only: to make her face reality.
The girl was surely still fantasizing that her mother would acknowledge her—that mother and daughter would be reunited. But unfortunately, to that woman, Yūma was just a tool.
Shichen wanted her to see it clearly, give up, and then go live quietly with Kojō.
Mm—then Nagisa could finally be "freed," too.
After all, the mere fact that Yūma's mother was imprisoned inside the Prison Barrier spoke to her crimes. And any mother who would force her daughter to break her out—no matter how you looked at it—wasn't normal. All the more so when Yūma was her clone.
There are, no doubt, people who wouldn't care if their daughter was a clone—criminal or not, a mother might still love her child.
But Tokoyogi Aya was not such a mother.
Shichen space-shifted with Yūma straight into the sanctum. Though the place was unfamiliar, he walked unerringly in a certain direction.
Soon they reached the center of the great hall, and he saw what he was looking for.
Before them sat a chair—an armchair upholstered in velvet—and in it, a young girl. Eyes closed as if asleep, she was motionless, quiet, peaceful.
An exquisitely youthful, doll-like witch—the key to the Prison Barrier—the Witch of the Void, Minamiya Natsuki.
"Natsuki. At last I meet your true body."
Leaving Yūma where she was, Shichen walked up to Natsuki, crouched slowly in front of her, and studied the tender face he already knew so well.
Natsuki didn't stir. She continued to sleep.
Her outfit was identical to her avatar's: a ruffled, ribboned dress—a black gothic-lolita frock wholly out of place in the perpetual summer of Itogami. But whether as a puppet-avatar or now, sleeping like a doll, the gothic dress suited her.
Because Rayquaza's strike had just shattered the barrier's seal, the shock had been considerable and reached Natsuki; a fine thread of blood had trickled from her temple down the side of her face.
That exquisite face now bore a hint of fragility.
Shichen lifted a hand and stroked her small cheek, wiping away the blood, then healed her. Natsuki still didn't awaken.
He stared at her closed eyes, suspicion flickering. With a commotion that big, there was no way she'd still be asleep. The seal was broken, besides.
He could guess she was feigning sleep—but she didn't show the slightest crack. Impressive acting.
"Sleeping Beauty—do I need to kiss you awake?"
Murmuring to himself, he leaned closer—and as expected, a small hand appeared, pressing against his face.
Natsuki opened her eyes and looked at him helplessly. "Were you really about to kiss me?"
"What else? It's not like I've never kissed you," he said with a grin.
"You haven't," Natsuki replied evenly.
Shichen paused—true enough. He'd only ever kissed her avatars; she had felt it through her consciousness, but her true body hadn't.
In that case—
He brushed aside her little hand and pressed his lips to her small mouth.
"Mm!" Natsuki's eyes flew wide. She stared at him in disbelief. He'd just gone for it!
She'd been kissed before, but now it was her true body—the sensation was different. And there was someone else here!
Heat rose in her chest; she wanted to push him away, but her tiny hands couldn't budge him. Her delicate, youthful face flushed. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the "outsider," who was indeed staring—looking embarrassed, wanting to look and not wanting to.
"Mm!"
Just then Natsuki trembled.
Shichen used her distraction to go a step further—and their tongues entwined.
"Hiss—" Shichen didn't get to savor it; he let go of her at once.
She'd bitten him.
"Natsuki, why'd you bite me?"
"Can you not do this regardless of time and place?" she snapped, face scarlet, glaring at him.
"So, not regardless of time and place—meaning when there's no one around, it's fair game?"
"Is that all that's in your head?"
"It's hard enough to finally meet the real you; of course I want to show you how I feel," Shichen said outright.
"You…" Natsuki's cheeks burned. He was getting bolder with her—but she was secretly pleased.
"Honestly—after making such a racket and causing all this damage, you still have the nerve?" she demanded, tamping down her smile.
Naturally she knew what he'd done—and what he intended. Amazing he'd held back this long. She'd thought he'd have broken her out ages ago. And now he'd found a scapegoat… as if she didn't know it was pointless. Like a child.
"Hehe~ so you were faking," Shichen teased.
"You give me too much credit. With that familiar of yours, what kind of force was that? How could I be unscathed… You really did attack me. Weren't you afraid of hurting me? Were you trying to kill me?" she glared.
"As if."
He took her small hand. "I'd never want to kill you. I told my familiar to hold back."
"Hold back? It's that strong?"
"Look whose familiar it is," Shichen said with satisfaction.
"Now you're proud of yourself?"
Natsuki sighed and shook her head. "So in the end, you're the one who saved me. Tell me—how am I supposed to keep looking like this now?"
"'Like this'… You don't want to grow up? Is that… for my sake?" Shichen blinked.
"You're overthinking it," she replied coolly.
"Heh. Still as tsundere as ever."
"…"
"Don't worry. Once we're out, I'll make you my blood thrall. Then you can keep this form forever."
"Is that so…" Natsuki nodded faintly.
She wasn't sure why she wanted to stay this way—because she was used to it? For his sake? Maybe both. Maybe simply to please him. After all, she did like how she looked.
But like this… what then? She wouldn't stand up to his "roughhousing," would she?
Becoming a vampire should fix that, right? A flicker of worry crossed her.
"Natsuki, what's wrong?" Shichen noticed her brow crease.
"It's nothing… pick me up," she said.
"Okay." He wrapped an arm under her small hips and lifted her like a child.
She put her arms around his neck and, not caring how he held her, looked to Tokoyogi Yūma. "Daughter of Tokoyogi Aya—are you planning to do anything else to me?"
Yūma shook her head and looked at Shichen. "There's nothing more I can do. Ao has ended up like this."
Ao—the demon she'd contracted with, her guardian—had exhausted itself pouring out mana and now had almost no power left. The faceless blue knight stood behind her, still as if asleep. Whether at full strength or not, it made no difference. Having seen Shichen's abilities, she could harbor no delusions.
Besides, her goal was achieved: the seal was undone. If her mother couldn't come out, that was no longer her problem.
Just as she thought that, the blue silhouette behind her changed.
The blue knight's armor began to rattle, metal clanking strangely.
It was laughter.
Behind the skull-like mask, the spent knight was tittering.
"Ao?" Yūma turned, stunned.
As if answering, the blue knight reached to the sword at its waist and drew it for the first time. From the scabbard came a blade honed to a gleaming edge.
"Ao? What are you doing?"
No answer—only the sword lifting—and then, without a moment's hesitation, driving straight at Yūma's chest.
Shichen didn't move.
With a wet sound, the greatsword thrust into her chest; blood sprayed from her mouth.
"Mother… you really…" Yūma whispered in despair.
Strangely, the sword was long enough to pass clean through her chest, yet no tip appeared from her back.
"I have waited… for this moment—for the instant you let your guard down, cunning as you are… What?" came a rusted, shocked voice from the knight—the voice of a woman, an evil witch weathered by the years.
"A kill trap? You used your own daughter as bait… utterly depraved," Natsuki said with contempt.
The tip of the blade was in front of her—and would go no further. Shichen's hand was there, stopping it. There was no spatial ripple he couldn't sense.
He stared coldly into the sanctum's shadows. To dare try harming Natsuki before his eyes—whoever it was could start counting down their life.
Step, step, step—
Footsteps sounded from the dark—closer and clearer—until their owner emerged:
A woman—identical in appearance to Tokoyogi Yūma.
"Tokoyogi Aya…" Natsuki spoke her name.
~~~
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