Chapter 8: And Love and Time Intersect
1 —Side Kai Rou—
Asagi Private Academy, two days before the cultural festival.
After-school club activities were canceled to prepare for the event. In the cooking room, now fully renovated for the occasion, Kai and the other three members of the archery club’s café team had gathered.
“It’s done! Yep, doesn’t it look super great!?”
Amafuro, wearing an apron, cheered excitedly. Before them was the final prototype of a parfait—originally devised by Kurono at a gyudon chain—unveiled just before the big day.
Instead of a clear parfait glass, it was served in a ramen-style Chinese bowl, piled high with ice cream, whipped cream, red beans, wafers, and various toppings.
The visual impact was overwhelming, like a parfait version of a certain “maxed-out” ramen dish, leaving the other three wide-eyed.
“Seeing it in person, the impact is insane…”
Kai’s murmur prompted Amafuro to nod confidently, arms crossed.
“Right, right! No matter how you look at it, it screams ‘signature dish’! Now, the most important part—the menu name. How about something like ‘Venus Pretty Amafuro-chan Dream Parfait’?”
“Why’s your name sneaking in there like some foreign contaminant, you idiot? The one who came up with it was Kurono-san, wasn’t it? So something like ‘Eternal Beauty Kurono-san Deluxe Parfait’ would be more fitting,” Marusu shot back.
A chilly voice from the creator herself pierced through.
“Stop it.”
“…Sorry.”
After some back-and-forth, the menu name was finalized as simply “Donburi Parfait.”
And so, as the four of them poked at the bowl of parfait together, casual chatter ensued.
“What’s wrong, Kai? You don’t seem yourself,” Marusu noted.
Kai brushed it off with a vague response.
“Oh, I’m fine. Just a little sleep-deprived.”
“Hey, come on, take care of yourself. Catching a cold right before the event isn’t funny,” Marusu pressed.
“Hey, Marusu, can’t you show a little more kindness?” Amafuro interjected. “Rou-kun, are you okay? If you want, you can look at my cute face to feel better!”
“Uh, yeah… Thanks, I guess,” Kai replied, looking down.
Since yesterday, his thoughts had been a jumbled mess.
“Choose.”
Sotomichi’s voice echoed in his head. Since that day, an eerie silence had settled around him.
At times, he wondered if it had all been a dream.
But the empty room where no one remained and the hollow ache in his chest relentlessly reminded him that it had been real.
Still, these two had nothing to do with it. So, at the very least, Kai resolved to keep up appearances.
“Kai-kun, are you okay?”
Kurono’s concerned gaze peered at him, but he responded with the same neutral tone.
“Yeah, I’m really fine.”
It was around the time the bowl was emptied that Amafuro spoke up again.
“Um, Shia-chan…”
She addressed Kurono hesitantly.
“I actually have a favor to ask. About serving on the day… would you wear this with me?”
Amafuro lifted a paper bag from beside her school bag on the floor, showing its contents only to Kurono.
“There are a few others who said they’d wear it too, so it won’t just be us two sticking out—don’t worry! …It’s a rare cultural festival, and I really want to make memories with you, Shia-chan.”
Amafuro bowed deeply, her pink twin-tails dipping low.
“So, please!”
“Understood.”
“Wait, you mean—huh? R-Really? You’re okay with it?”
“Yes.”
“Seriously!?”
“Yes. But please don’t post any photos on SNS.”
Kurono calmly agreed and accepted the offered bag.
“Yay! Yes, yes, thank you!!” Amafuro bounced with joy.
Marusu, meanwhile, gulped in anticipation.
“H-Hey, what kind of outfit are you serving in?”
“That’s a surprise for the day of!” Amafuro teased.
“…W-Wait, is it some kind of sexy cosplay!?”
“Nope! Die! ♡”
Kurono suddenly turned to Kai and added, as if to clarify,
“Um, Kai-kun… it’s, uh, not that kind of thing, okay?”
“Oh, yeah. I get it, but…”
Kai returned home and shut the front door.
“…I’m back.”
His hollow greeting echoed through the empty apartment.
The day after tomorrow was the cultural festival.
What should he do? No, he’d already reached a conclusion long ago.
He didn’t want to drag Amafuro or Marusu into this.
And maybe, just maybe, Kurono could do something about it.
So—
2 —Side Kai Rou—
And then, the day of the cultural festival arrived.
In the home economics room, now fully transformed into a dedicated kitchen, Kai was tirelessly boiling ramen noodles.
The hum of the exhaust fan at full blast, the heat from the pots, the aroma of broth mingling with the scent of dish soap—despite being a mock shop open for just an hour, it carried the full atmosphere of a restaurant’s back kitchen.
“Here’s an extra order: two thick-cut chashu ramen and two roast pork fried rice.”
“Got it.”
Kai boiled the noodles while clumsily wielding an unfamiliar wok beside it.
Even with other club members and temporary helpers, they were still short-handed. He wiped the sweat trickling down his cheek with a towel.
But that busyness was, in a way, a blessing. It kept his mind occupied.
“Here’s some sports drink too.”
“Thanks. Stick it in the fridge for me.”
“Sure thing! I’ll chill it as cold as a three-year-married couple’s love life!”
Marusu, who couldn’t cook, was helping with accounting, serving, and customer service.
“We’re raking it in from day one! It’s thanks to your cooking skills… well, not really.”
“I know.”
Kai and Marusu glanced toward the empty classroom across from the cooking room, now converted into their shopfront.
A line stretched out for two hours’ wait—far more customers than in previous years.
Among the busy servers, two figures stood out.
“Welcome! Table for two? Right this way!”
“Your order?”
Amafuro greeted customers with a beaming smile, while Kurono handled them with her usual expressionless efficiency.
Their attitudes couldn’t be more different, but both were undeniably stunning. Word must have spread, because the line—likely full of people there just to see them—spilled out from the hallway into the courtyard.
“Kurono-san really agreed to wear that outfit… Is she a goddess or what?”
Their attire? Maid outfits, naturally.
Amafuro wore a pink-based apron dress adorned with abundant frills, looking like a fairy-tale sprite. Her overflowing charm and smiles were a hit, with customers constantly asking for handshakes or photos—she was practically being treated like an idol.
Kurono, on the other hand, wore a classic black-and-white maid outfit. It seemed understated compared to Amafuro’s, but her poised, statuesque presence elevated it to something almost artistic.
“Here you go—two Don-Pas.”
The duo delivered the now-iconic Donburi Parfait—or “Don-Pa,” as it was nicknamed—which was earning rave reviews and, according to Marusu, was on track to break sales records for parfait menus.
“Man, I’m jealous. Maybe I’ll ask Kurono-san for a photo later,” Marusu mused.
“Just go grab some extra bean sprouts—we’re out.”
“Roger that.”
Kai returned to cooking, and Marusu dashed off to help elsewhere.
Even past noon, the shop stayed bustling, with the line persisting until closing time at 4 p.m.
“Ugh, I’m beat…”
Marusu plopped onto a stool, fanning himself with a handheld fan.
The heat from nearly half a day of kitchen work was too much for the air conditioning to handle alone.
Kai wiped his sweat with a chilled body towel from the fridge.
Just then, Amafuro and Kurono approached—still in their maid outfits. Amafuro loosened her collar against the heat, while Kurono remained cool and sweat-free.
“I’m exhausted and starving… Is the staff meal ready?”
“Yeah, it’s over there, wrapped up,” Kai replied.
“Thanks, Rou-kun, you’re the best… Oh, sorry, we’re still in our maid outfits. Like this, I’m so cute you might get all flustered, right?”
“Hey, Kai, call an ambulance. This incoherent babbling is definitely heatstroke,” Marusu quipped.
“Grr! I’m perfectly sober! Marusu, you’re the one who needs to strip off that sweaty muscle bulk!”
“This isn’t a costume I can just take off, you moron!”
Ignoring their banter, Kai opened the fridge.
“Kai-kun, thanks for your hard work,” Kurono said.
“You too, Kurono-san.”
He handed out chilled sports drinks to her and the others.
“Thanks! Hey, Rou-kun, now that I think about it… you haven’t said anything about me and Shia-chan’s maid outfits yet,” Amafuro pointed out.
Marusu jumped in eagerly.
“Kurono-san’s a legit goddess.”
“Yeah, yeah, I wasn’t asking you. Where’s my praise?”
“Oh, uh, it suits you. Especially that blatant cutesy act with your chest half-out.”
“That’s sexual harassment! Guilty verdict, no trial! Your sentence: chug the leftover chashu broth!”
“That’s basically a death penalty!”
Ignoring them again, Kai turned to Kurono in her maid outfit.
It was his first time seeing it up close. The sleek black-and-white fabric hugged her tall, graceful frame, topped with a frilly headpiece perched on her cool, beautiful features. The contrast was striking—almost heart-stopping.
“Um, if you stare too much…”
“Sorry, but, uh… it really suits you, Kurono-san.”
“…Th-Thank you.”
Kurono murmured shyly, her expression unchanged.
Lunch began late. As they slurped leftover ramen, Marusu spoke up.
“—Oh, by the way, they’re doing it again this year at night. The Candle Fire.”
It was an annual cultural festival tradition held on the school rooftop after sunset. Organized by the science club, over a thousand candles were lit and arranged at intervals, with groups walking along a path to view them. The usually off-limits rooftop was opened under teacher supervision for the occasion.
Kai didn’t know much about it—he’d never gone. It was an unspoken rule that it was a couples’ event, so guys without girlfriends steered clear.
And since Marusu brought it up, Kai wasn’t surprised by what followed.
“Kurono-san! Wanna go with me?”
“No.”
“Pfft! Marusu’s cool-guy face got shot down in seconds,” Amafuro snickered.
“Fine, then you’ll do, Amafuro. Wanna go?”
“Not even if I die! ♡ Die already! ♡ …There’s gotta be a better way to ask, y’know,” she muttered under her breath.
“? Whatever. Kai, you’re coming with me then.”
“Just to check, what are two guys supposed to do there?”
“Promote the shop and hand out leftover chashu to couples for free?”
“That’s more like terrorism. Soy sauce and grease would ruin the romance.”
As he spoke, Kai thought to himself: If it were possible… I’d want to go with Kurono.
3 —Side Kai Rou—
5 p.m.
In the now-cooled cooking room, Kai was cleaning up and prepping for the next day.
After their meal, Marusu had apparently made plans with old soccer club buddies after Kurono’s rejection and had vanished. Amafuro, still in her maid outfit, had gone off to join a costume event in the auditorium.
That left just one other person with Kai.
“Kai-kun, I’m done over here.”
“…Thanks, Kurono-san.”
Still in her black-and-white maid outfit, it was just the two of them.
He didn’t know what to do.
Even now, Sotomichi was likely monitoring him nearby.
“Confess.”
Her words rang in his mind.
That’s what he should do—it would limit the sacrifice to himself alone.
And maybe Kurono could stop Sotomichi’s scheme.
He should stop agonizing alone and just say it.
But Kai hesitated.
If he did, then it’d truly be over.
Sotomichi—that girl—might not be saved.
“Kai-kun.”
Her voice snapped him back to reality.
“Um, I have one request.”
“W-What?”
“…Do you like sweets?”
—And a few minutes later:
“Here you go. Please enjoy.”
Kurono had made him a Don-Pa, the hit of the day born from her idea.
“Thanks.”
Kai took the bowl with both hands, feeling its substantial weight. He wasn’t sure he could finish it.
“How is it?”
“It’s good. Really good.”
He took a bite. The cold sweetness of the ice cream melted on his tongue, followed by the smooth richness of the whipped cream.
“I’m glad. Really… This is my first time making something that made someone happy.”
Kurono’s expression remained blank, but her tone carried a hint of bashfulness.
“I didn’t know it could make my chest feel so warm.”
As Kai tried to respond, time stopped.
“Kai-kun.”
Kurono’s hands pressed gently against his cheeks.
“This is the last time. The last time I’ll stop time in front of you… You won’t hear this, I know.”
She bowed her head apologetically and said,
“This is goodbye. Starting tomorrow… I won’t be coming to school anymore.”
She murmured that she felt bad for inconveniencing Amafuro, Marusu, and the other club members.
“But I’m sorry. I have to do this.”
Because she’d grown weak.
“…By the way, Kai-kun. This outfit—do you really think it’s, um, cute…?”
Kurono pinched the hem of her maid skirt, her face flushing as she twirled.
“It’s really embarrassing,” she added, pouting slightly in mock complaint.
“But since you complimented me, I’m glad I worked up the courage.”
Then she bowed again.
“Thank you. Really.”
She said he’d helped her discover so many joys—archery, friends, and even love. Things she’d never had in her life before.
So now—
“I shouldn’t have any regrets… I shouldn’t…”
But her words faltered, and tears welled up in her eyes.
“But they just keep coming…! All the things I want to do with you, all the things I want to talk about—they keep overflowing, and I can’t stop them…”
She wanted more time. Tears streamed down as she whispered,
“I want to go on another date. Over and over with you…! I want to visit your room again, make even better curry for you and Koa-san to eat… And, and—I want to say ‘I like you’ properly, without stopping time!”
Even now, she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
Crying like that, she clung to Kai’s chest, unable to hold back.
How long did it last?
In the center of a world where not a second moved, the girl murmured,
“…But there’s no helping it, right? I’m Chronosia, S-rank agent of the International Police Organization’s Secret Division. I can’t stay as Kurono Shia, full of gaps and weak because I like you…”
Then she pulled away from his chest and said,
“Goodbye, Kai-kun. Thank you for everything.”
With those parting words, time resumed.
“—Is something wrong?”
Kurono, back to her usual expressionless self, had no way of knowing.
She couldn’t know that her words, her feelings, had reached him.
That his chest was trembling this much from receiving them.
“Kai-kun…?”
So Kai shoveled the rest of the Don-Pa into his mouth and said,
“Kurono-san.”
“Y-Yes?”
“Let’s go see the Candle Fire together.”
“Wha—”
Her eyes widened as Kai declared unilaterally,
“It starts at six. One hour from now. I’ll be waiting at the stairs to the rooftop.”
With that, he set down the empty bowl and stood.
There was no more hesitation.
4 —Side Kai Rou—
Kai was running.
After parting with Kurono, he dashed through the halls, heading toward a less crowded area.
Reaching the deserted back of the school building, he shouted,
“You’re there, aren’t you, Sotomichi!?”
Come out! he called into the deepening twilight.
A brief sensation of time stopping—just a second.
And then, before him appeared—
“You’re loud, Onii-sama.”
Sotomichi stood there, wearing a windbreaker over a black camisole and hot pants.
“What do you want now? I won’t listen to persuasion or lectures. I told you, didn’t I? I’ll either kill you after you confess to that girl, or I’ll kill you along with your two friends. It’s one or the other.”
“…”
“Have you made your choice?”
To her question, Kai took a deep breath.
His chest was still trembling. Letting his racing heartbeat guide him, he forced the words out.
“…Cut it out already.”
Her eyes widened, caught off guard. Ignoring it, Kai continued.
“I’m sick of it! You and Kurono! Showing up out of nowhere, doing whatever you want, and then saying it’s goodbye or you’ll kill me! For once, just think about how I feel! …I still want to be with both you and Kurono!”
He shouted at once—to Kurono, who wasn’t here, and to Sotomichi, who was.
All the feelings he’d wanted to say, all the things he couldn’t, poured out.
“Kurono confessed to me out of the blue, and you made yourself my family… And just when I started thinking maybe this was okay, why are you the ones ending it!? Please, just once, listen to me. …I don’t want to lose either of you yet!”
His mouth still burned from spilling his emotions.
Sotomichi’s bottomless black eyes stared at him as she spoke.
“Hey, Onii-sama… To be honest, from the start, I thought maybe we could get along. You lost your family out of nowhere too, didn’t you?”
Just like me, she added.
“Two lonely people… So if you’d said you’d run away with me, that would’ve been enough. Really, that alone would’ve been fine.”
But—
“You didn’t. You bet on a future with that girl, on your happiness. No matter what you say now, that’s what it comes down to. Back then, you chose her over your sister. I can’t forgive that. So at the very least, I have to crush your little romance—by killing you here.”
Time stopped. A fist slammed into Kai’s stomach.
As it released, a kick struck his jaw.
His vision tilted as he fell onto his back, and Sotomichi’s voice rained down.
“I’ll kill those two friends too. Then I’ll show all three of your corpses to that girl, and my tantrum will be complete.”
Before he knew it, a pistol—the same one from their first meeting—was in her hand.
“Goodbye, Onii-sama.”
The dark barrel, like her own eyes, pressed against his forehead.
The moment he braced himself for the end—
Time stopped.
5 —Side Kurono Shia—
Alone in the empty cooking room, Kurono let Kai’s earlier words echo in her chest.
“Let’s go see the Candle Fire together.”
What did he mean? Did it mean that?
Then, did Kai-kun feel—
At that moment, she sensed a presence approaching from behind.
Turning, she saw her father, Kurono Toriwa, as expected.
“Shia, let’s go. You’ve cast aside your regrets, yes?”
“—No.”
She answered instantly.
“I can’t after all.”
Her lips moved almost on their own.
“Because Kai-kun made a promise. He said we’d go see the Candle Fire together.”
“…Then I’ll come get you after.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“That won’t do either. Because if we do that, I’ll definitely want to stay with him even longer.”
Nodding to herself, she raised her fists.
“I can’t say goodbye to Kai-kun after all. It’s impossible. So— You said if I beat you, you’d consider it. I’m going to win now.”
Her father sighed at her stance.
“…You really are my daughter.”
He raised his fists as well.
“Words won’t stop you, will they?”
And so, time stopped—not just between them, but across the world.
—Her father’s merciless right fist sped toward his maid-clad daughter’s face.
She barely dodged, countering with a short hook, which he blocked with his free left hand.
“—!! So what!?”
But in the next instant, Kurono was moving again. Using the momentum of her blocked punch, she unleashed a high kick that could snap steel beams. When it was dodged, she followed with another fist, then a kick.
Her relentless barrage left no gaps, as if she’d forgotten to breathe, turning her bare-handed assault into a storm of violence.
Yet her father precisely blocked or evaded every strike.
“As expected, Shia. In your current state, you can’t beat me.”
To a normal person, the minuscule lag between attacks would be imperceptible. But her father targeted the faint gaps between her strikes with pinpoint accuracy.
“Guh!”
A punch sent Kurono staggering, off-balance.
Her father flowed into a low kick, followed by a barrage of strikes so precise and calculated it seemed pre-programmed, forcing her onto the defensive.
“I taught you this: ‘Liking’ is a dangerous emotion for you and me.”
His left eye glowed blue. Unlike Kurono’s time-stopping ability, his power—also tied to spacetime—completely nullified her time stop’s effects.
“Agents of the International Police Organization must act for the greater happiness of humanity at all times. That’s an absolute rule we all uphold. The many over the few. Prioritizing the hundred who can ultimately be saved over the one in front of us. We must always think ahead, weigh justice on the scales, and deal with heinous criminals that governments struggle to handle.”
But—
“Sometimes, people break that rule so easily. You know when, don’t you? When a friend, family member, or lover is taken hostage, even a compassionate person loses their cool judgment. That’s not shameful as a human, but for us, it’s a fatal gap.”
That’s why, he continued.
“Especially for ability users like you and me, whose influence is so great, we must adhere to the rules more strictly than anyone. We can’t let human emotions like ‘liking’ sway us. I raised you to be that way.”
Yes. He was right. Kurono knew it. That’s why she had no mother.
Born in a test tube, engineered from birth to be an ability user—a congenital human weapon.
That was all Kurono Shia was. And because of that, she knew she had to fulfill her duty as a weapon. But—
She’d met Kai.
She’d come to like him.
She’d made friends. She’d found joy in those four’s time together.
And so, as her father said—
“Right now, you’re full of gaps.”
His words saw through her, and his fist struck at a lethal moment.
“That’s why you’re weak.”
Breaking through her guard, the punch slammed into her stomach like a cannonball.
The impact hurled the maid-clad Kurono against the wall. In that instant, against her will, the time stop released.
“It’s over… Let’s go.”
Her father approached his drooping daughter with steady steps, reaching out as if to finish it.
“Your place isn’t here.”
He tried to lift her, as if guiding her.
But Kurono swatted his hand away.
With that momentum, she stood on her own.
“Honestly unexpected. How can you stand?”
“…I don’t know.”
But—
“I can’t stop.”
And Kurono stopped time again.
Her fist didn’t reach. His harsh words had beaten her down. Even so—
The feelings in her chest wouldn’t stop.
“Kai-kun…”
I like you. I love you. I want to tell you.
That feeling alone, no matter what happened or what was done to her, couldn’t be stopped.
She threw a punch—blocked. She didn’t care.
She kicked—dodged. It didn’t matter.
A counter came—hit her. She didn’t mind.
Because more than any of that—
“I want to go with you…!”
The Candle Fire. What would it be like?
Rows of lights, walking there with you.
Could she hold your hand this time, without stopping time?
Could she put this racing heart into words and tell you?
She wanted to find out. So one more time—
“To Kai-kun!! I want to see you!!”
She screamed. Before she knew it, not just her right eye but her left glowed red too.
In that instant, her fist landed its first hit—squarely in her father’s solar plexus.
“This—!?”
“…I like how kind you are.”
With that murmur, her follow-up strikes pierced his abs again.
“Being with you makes me feel safe somehow.”
A sharp kick shattered his knee.
“I didn’t like that you saw me being naughty… but I’ll forgive you.”
A joint lock caught his incoming fist, snapping his arm.
This wasn’t because Kurono’s physical strength or combat skills had suddenly improved.
It was all due to a relative speed difference.
Compared to her, her father’s movements were noticeably slowing.
In other words, her time-stopping ability—now amplified with both eyes glowing—was forcibly stopping even her father, who should’ve been immune.
The reason was obvious—Kurono shouted:
“That’s right. Yes. My ‘liking’ isn’t weakness. Falling in love, these feelings—they make me desperate beyond measure!”
And so—
“I’m the ultimate invincible—AAAAAAHHH!!”
With a piercing cry, her fist smashed into her now-completely frozen father’s face.
—Kurono released the time stop.
Her father, leaning against the wall and breathing heavily, was clearly incapacitated to anyone watching.
“I see. I understand now… It’s my loss.”
Staggering to his feet and passing by her, he heard Kurono say,
“Where are you going, Papa?”
“Sorry, I’m heading back first. Facial and cranial fractures, cervical damage, compound fractures in both arms, a shattered right knee, crushed ribs, dislocations, and several ruptured organs.”
“…S-Sorry.”
“It’s fine. I’ll heal in a night.”
He paused there.
“Shia. You shouldn’t have been able to beat me. But you did. You were right.”
He spoke with a hint of hesitation, yet clearly.
“Indeed, even full of ‘liking’… you were strong.”
6 —Side Kai Rou—
Kai was in stopped time.
(Huh…?)
No sound came out. One second, two seconds… Even after more time passed, it remained frozen.
This wasn’t Sotomichi’s doing—it was unmistakably Kurono’s ability.
But that shouldn’t have been possible. Time stop only affected him if Kurono was nearby. Yet a minute, two minutes passed, and she didn’t appear.
Kai didn’t know.
At that very moment, during her fight with her father, Kurono’s power had expanded, briefly allowing her to affect him even from a distance with unprecedented output.
Unaware of this, he stared at the gun barrel aimed at him.
His body wouldn’t move. Of course—it never had in stopped time. But—
(Move… Move, damn it!)
He wished it fiercely. Logic didn’t matter. Principles were irrelevant.
If he didn’t move now, he’d never—
And then, Kurono’s image flashed in his mind.
Her cold, expressionless face from their first meeting.
The tears and flushed cheeks when she confessed on moving day.
All the unguarded expressions she’d shown him in stopped time.
He wanted to see her again. That smile.
The moment he screamed that wish in his heart—
“—To Kai-kun, I want to see you.”
Kurono’s voice rang clearly in his mind.
Kai didn’t know.
In that fleeting moment of stopped time, they’d shared the same wish.
And here, the true effect of the anti-time-stop surgery implanted in him—limited ability sharing triggered by mutual empathy—activated.
"Huh?!"
His mouth opens in surprise.
Then his arms and body move.
Kai is confused by his sudden freedom, but he moves. Prioritizing himself above all else, he snatches the gun from his sister's hand - and at that, time goes back.
This time, it was Kai who stood up, looking down at the girl and pressing the gun barrel to her forehead.
Sotomichi’s eyes widened in shock, but she let out a mocking laugh.
“…I’m surprised. But you can’t shoot me anyway, can you, Onii-sama? It’s not much of a threat.”
“Yeah.”
So, he did this instead.
Kai tossed the gun aside and wrapped his arms tightly around Sotomichi.
“Wha—!?”
Caught off guard, Sotomichi squirmed, trying to break free. But unlike Kurono’s monstrous strength, she couldn’t overcome the difference in their builds.
“Guh, y-you…! Perverted Onii-sama! But doing this won’t—”
Her words caught in her throat as she noticed Kai holding his smartphone in one hand.
Displayed on the screen was Kurono’s LINE contact.
“—!? I won’t let you—!”
Her dark eyes glinted ominously. Time stopped—but two seconds wasn’t enough to break free from his hold.
Coughing violently, the girl tried again. And again.
Each time she used her ability, the duration grew shorter, soon unable to sustain even a single second.
Unable to hold back, Kai paused his phone and pleaded,
“Stop it! Please, just stop… Sotomichi!”
“I won’t…”
Drip, drip—tears fell onto Kai’s chest.
Her small, trembling body sobbed as she struggled to breathe.
“I won’t stop… Because, because I… hate you, Onii-sama.”
Her repeated sobs struck Kai’s chest over and over.
“Why… why… why did you choose her over me? All I wanted was to stay with you, Onii-sama, with you, until the very end…”
Her frail voice finally made it click for Kai.
Oh. She must have been so lonely all this time.
The constant teasing, the jabs about his relationship with Kurono—everything stemmed from these tears, he finally understood.
And so, before he knew it, the words spilled out naturally.
“I didn’t choose.”
“…Huh?”
“I didn’t… I didn’t pick between you and Kurono! How could I? Because… because you’re my family!”
At those words, Sotomichi’s eyes widened dramatically, her body jolting with a shiver.
“Don’t think you’re the only one who was happy, who had fun. I was lonely too—shocked when Dad, Mom, and our cat suddenly disappeared. But even though everything was a mess, you showed up, and thanks to you, I didn’t even have time to wallow in sadness.”
Holding the stunned Sotomichi tightly, Kai continued.
“Because you’re family, I don’t want you to kill anyone. Because I see you as family, I want you to be saved. So please, don’t throw away your life—or anyone’s, including mine—like this. I’m begging you.”
The stream of words pouring from Kai wasn’t calculated—it was raw.
And in response came a crumpled, tearful voice.
“What’s… that supposed to mean…”
Slowly, the tension drained from Sotomichi’s body in his arms.
“Seriously, stop it… Saying stuff like that even though you’re just Onii-sama…”
As Kai loosened his grip, she suddenly shoved him away, making him fall onto his backside.
Startled and staring up in a daze, he watched as Sotomichi picked up the gun.
Wiping her tear-streaked, flushed face, she said,
“—I’d end up wanting to stop being so awful to you, wouldn’t I?”
Then, with a gentle smile, she continued.
“Onii-sama, you’re going to meet Kurono Shia now, right?”
Kai nodded silently.
“Even so, please—absolutely don’t tell her about the Organization or me. I’m asking you.”
Sotomichi explained,
“Whether they’d show leniency or not, if the truth came out, you wouldn’t be able to go to school anymore, and I wouldn’t be able to live with you either.”
“But then you—”
“Thank you. But my condition can wait for now. It’s not like I’m dying today or tomorrow, and it won’t be too late even after you and that girl graduate high school.”
She tucked the gun into her jacket pocket and stood unsteadily.
“I’m sorry for all the awful things I did, Onii-sama. But… I still want to be family with you for a while longer.”
Bowing her head, she added,
“I’ll try to fudge the reports to the Organization from now on. So… please let me stay with you, Onii-sama.”
Before Kai could nod, Sotomichi turned on her heel.
As if she already knew his answer.
“…Hey, where are you going, Sotomichi?”
“There’s no one by that name here, obviously.”
She stopped at his call, offering a small, wry smile.
Then, as if remembering something, she leaned close to her brother’s ear.
“Oh, right—I never told you, did I? My real name, from before the Organization kidnapped me——it’s ——.”
And then, as if it were nothing, his sister said,
“I’ll head home first, Onii-sama. Don’t stay out too late—I’d hate that.”
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