When I was young, I still held out hope for this family.

For the first year of my life, before Marin was born, I suppose I was somewhat loved, so it might have been some kind of imprinting from back then.

Regardless, no matter how much I was betrayed, no matter how much I was despised, no matter how much I was ignored, I kept clinging to them, calling them "Mom" and "Dad."

Thinking back on it, those might have been the most painful days of my life.

Once I gave up, I was able to accept that they were just "that kind of creature" and I no longer needed to feel sad.

But at the same time, I lost all hope.

By the time I was in elementary school, my life was already a dead end.

While I sat hugging my knees in that pitch-black place, Marin was always shining right beside me.

She had everything I didn't.

But I'm sure even Marin had things that stressed her out on a daily basis.

Unreasonable ideals were forced upon her; she was expected to constantly maintain top-tier grades in both academics and sports.

But she had an outlet for that stress: me.

Kuragane Marin is a person with an excellent personality. But to her, I was an existence she could use as a punching bag without anyone seeing, and without anyone reprimanding her.

That was supposed to be my role.

Ah, what a picture-perfect family dynamic.

My mother loved Setaguchi more than my father, and she wanted to leave the child she had with Setaguchi as the heir to this family.

I, born between her and my father, was a stain.

And as for my father, Marin—who was born from his own pathetic self—was growing up to be so exceptional that he couldn't even believe they shared the same blood.

Nobody loses.

Nobody is saddened.

It was a logic that was far too perfect.

In the end, if they threw me away as a sacrifice for Giraiguu, no trace of me would even be left behind.

And yet.

So why, then—

"Ooooaaaaahhh!"

The blade swung down with intense spirit (or something like it) wavered, burdened by hesitation.

I caught it by crossing my Dreamer knives.

The sisters locked blades, each trying to take the other's life.

But I wasn't scared in the slightest.

Because I couldn't sense that her bloodlust was enough to actually kill me.

"I envied you!" Marin shouted.

"Huh?"

My voice slipped out unintentionally. That's how ridiculous her words sounded.

"I grew up in that house, but I'm not a child of that house! Mother told me repeatedly: 'You are the child born between me and Setaguchi. You only need to think of that man as your father on the surface.'"

"Hmm."

I deflected her blade.

Marin, who had been pouring her strength into the clash, lost her balance.

"There's no need to say such things to a child!"

But she must have anticipated at least that much. Using the momentum of falling forward, she unleashed a flash of a strike toward her back right.

The blade grazed my chest as I leaned backward to avoid it.

I did a backward somersault and landed on my feet.

Simultaneously, Marin closed the distance, stepping right into my guard to unleash a vicious upward slash.

I timed it perfectly, deflecting the trajectory with a thrust of my knife. Then, at point-blank range, I activated Blood Pirouette—the blades spinning like a propeller slowly closed in on her.

"I absolutely despise that woman's ego!"

CLANG! Marin's downward slash battered it away. Then, her blade became cloaked in an aura. It seemed she used that skill that makes her slashes "fly."

She instantly created clones of herself on the spot, unleashing a barrage of slashes at me all at once. I met her head-on with a rapid-fire combo of my own—Full Moon.

"So, what did you think? Did you really not see that man as your father?"

"I only have one father!"

As the clash of skills settled, it turned into a pure contest of physical ability.

With her long history in kendo, Marin's attacks were sharp and wasted no movement.

But whether that worked to her advantage in an actual deathmatch was another story.

Maybe it was because our conversation was breaking her concentration, but her attacks were awfully straightforward and monotonous.

Easy enough for me to handle. 

Amidst the ringing of our clashing blades, I questioned her.

"That's just a pretty excuse. If you could really separate the two, you wouldn't have agonized over it in the first place."

"Ugh...!"

"Somewhere deep in your heart, you're aware that Setaguchi is your father. I get it, the guy has a great body and a good face."

"It's not for a reason like that!"

"But it's just more natural to think of him as your father, right?"

"Guh—!"

That was the root of Marin's agony.

No matter how much she tried to convince her brain that Setaguchi wasn't her father, whenever she went home, she was faced with a pathetic, unreliable dad who looked absolutely nothing like her.

A miserable husband entirely whipped by his wife, oblivious to the fact that she was betraying him.

That image was just too far removed from who Kuragane Marin was.

It was so hard to find any blood connection, even if you tried looking for one.

"But you know, Marin, you're just spoiled."

"Even so!"

A powerful strike repelled my knife.

"Erika, you possess what I lack!"

Marin aimed right for that opening.

I used Sword Dancer to move at high speed, dodging and playing with her.

"So you're saying we are even? Hah, what a funny idea!"

"Tch, scurrying around!"

"Having the luxury for thoughts like that to even pop into your head, moping over something so stupid—"

Finally, getting behind her, I aimed a swift, powerful thrust at the back of her head.

"Want me to tell you why you ended up like that?"

"As if there's an answer to such a thing!"

Marin spun, twisting her body to avoid the attack.

Turning around in the same motion, she aimed a sharp thrust at my face.

It was a movement that made me want to ask if she had eyes in the back of her head.

I tilted my head.

The katana grazed my ear.

But ultimately, a strike driven by anger is helplessly linear and easy to read.

Right now, I even had the luxury to smile.

"It's because you're privileged."

Marin twisted her wrist, a sharp shing echoing as the blade leveled out.

Then, a horizontal sweeping slash.

I instantly ducked. Using the spring in my knees, I closed the gap right into her personal space.

"When people are pushed to the brink, they lose the luxury of overthinking things."

I had experienced that countless times.

In my home, in my school—places that were supposed to be safe havens. Over and over again.

"That's impossible!"

A slash swung down, as if rejecting my words entirely.

In terms of raw power, Marin was stronger.

But if I struck her blade at the right place, height, and timing, I could parry her katana with one hand, even head-on.

Because she was so used to fighting, her shock at being parried only lasted a split second.

But even a split second can be fatal.

I stabbed my other hand into Marin's shoulder.

From this position, she couldn't dodge.

Blood sprayed, and Marin retreated with a grimace.

Not yet.

I stepped forward again, closing the distance.

Naturally, she countered with a slash, but the wound on her arm prevented her from putting her full strength into it.

Meaning, she was even easier to parry.

No matter how many times she slashed, she was somehow deflected—watching Marin grow frustrated at the situation, I was thoroughly enjoying myself.

"You envied me? Because my roots are clear? Hah, don't screw with me. Don't act like you understand my hell and assume we're on the same level!"

When I yelled at her, her body trembled slightly, and hesitation leaked into her swordplay.

Weak.

Was she really this weak? This person, Marin, who I had envied for so long.

Even after living such a blessed life, she was showing me a weakness like this?

"Your problems are microscopic! Compared to the agony you put me through, they're so insignificant they don't even amount to trash!"

I parried her katana and took another step forward.

Impatience flashed across Marin's face.

But my skill cooldowns were just about finished.

As I tried to step forward again, I felt an invisible "bloodlust" approaching.

I twisted my body.

An attack from her New Moon skill grazed my shoulder, sending a few drops of blood flying.

Seeing this as her chance, she gripped her katana tightly and swung it down in a diagonal slash.

"Even so, I am in pain! Because you—the 'legitimate child'—are always right in front of my eyes!"

I had no choice but to step back here.

The katana had a longer reach.

I didn't want to make distance if I could help it, though.

"So you think if I die, you'll be freed from your pain?"

"Yes! At the very least, I won't have to compare myself to you anymore!"

Spouting her selfish logic, Marin charged at me.

Her killing intent was aimed directly at me.

But even that was weak.

I know I shouldn't be the one saying this, but the bloodlust I put out when I killed Shudou was way sharper.

From her charge, she unleashed a fierce upward slash.

Normally, this was an attack to be dodged.

Instead, I intentionally caught it with a skill.

A massive metallic clang rang out, and the scattering sparks illuminated both of our faces.

Was I slightly overpowered? Both hands gripping my hilts went completely numb.

"That's my line. If it wasn't for you, I could have just been a normal human being!"

Ignoring the numbness, I swung my knife, and a few strands of Marin's bangs fluttered to the ground.

"Besides, it's way too late for that! The mistakes that happened can't be undone! If I die and only you go back, those parents will be thrilled. If you die and only I go back, they'll go mad with rage and try to kill me! We can't turn back time! We will never be normal again!"

And I had no intention of being normal, either.

And probably, neither did our parents.

If Marin actually wanted to return to a "normal" life, she was undeniably living in a self-serving fantasy.

"Then what am I supposed to do?!"

"Who cares! Figure that out yourself! You're way more privileged than me anyway!"

My skill cooldowns recovered.

The exchange of skills began anew.

Emotional and desperate, Marin didn't hesitate to use her most powerful technique, Izayoi.

"Then tell me, who exactly does know?!"

It was an incredibly fast, powerful thrust.

I thought I had dodged to the side with plenty of room to spare.

But its "aftershock" gouged out my right arm.

I could just heal it with Healing, but the thought of healing didn't even seem to cross Marin's mind—or rather, she had no intention of turning this into a battle of attrition.

Being the kind older sister that I am, I played by her rules and ignored the wound.

"Who will guide me?! Father is steeped in deceit, Mother is drowning in infidelity, and Setaguchi is intoxicated by his faith! Not a single one of them actually looks at me!"

"So you're clinging to me? I'm definitely not looking at you! I don't care about you at all! Want to know why?!"

Heavy strikes against heavy strikes.

Combos against combos.

As I crushed her techniques with matching skills—Marin looked at me with unusually damp eyes and said in a lukewarm voice.

"Because... you 'hate' me, don't you?"

Goosebumps erupted all over my body.

Reflexively, I leaped backward.

Instinctively, I just wanted to get as far away from Marin as possible.

"...Tch."

Ah, I get it now. So that's what this is.

Our father loved the outstanding daughter he couldn't believe came from him.

Our mother loved the crystallization of her affair.

And Setaguchi loved her as a tool to climb the ranks of the Kaisei kyou.

Sure, there was love there.

But not a single one of them was looking at Kuragane Marin the person.

Someone, anyone, look at me. 

When she wished for that—she must have realized my existence. The only person who looked directly at Kuragane Marin, the human being, and hated her for it.

"If that's your reason, you should have just relied on Hiyami san,"

I spat, stopping my feet and looking at her in exasperation.

Then, Hiyami san, who was watching nearby, answered for herself.

"I wasn't good enough."

She narrowed her eyes, let out a sigh, and repeated

"Even if we are connected by blood, we met far too late."

True, it might be a stretch to recognize someone you met in high school less than a year ago as "family."

I understand that.

But—

"It had to be Erika senpai."

Having a person I despise, someone who tormented me so much, rely on me to this extent, I really didn't want to accept it.

Do I really have to play along with this?

Look, Rea and Nemusia are watching with worried expressions. They should be resting.

Gii, who is always smiling, had a baffled look that screamed, Why are these two trying to kill each other?

I feel the exact same way.

If resolving Marin's trauma here meant Rea would praise me later, I could do my best.

Will she praise me...? Well, since it's already started, I can't just stop halfway. Let's just imagine a bright future like that.

The current me can do that much.

"Ah, seriously—I really am cursed when it comes to family,"

I said, holding my head and shaking it side to side.

"And even though you're the one who started this, I'm not going to keep talking if we're just going in circles."

"I don't know the answer."

"And you're just being stubborn."

"I don't even have the pride left to be stubborn!"

"That is you being stubborn! The answer you're looking for doesn't exist in this world. Your only two choices are to accept that or deny it."

"No... No... I...!"

"That's why, first, I'm going to smash that stubbornness of yours to pieces. As a little revenge, too."

I dashed forward, instantly closing the gap between us.

"Flying slashes" tried to keep me at bay.

But I didn't slow down.

I glided across the floor, maintaining my speed, dodging with the bare minimum twisting of my body.

But once I got close enough, a dense barrage of attacks from Full Moon came tearing toward me.

"You can't dodge this!"

Marin's biggest weakness right now was her wavering heart.

Aiming for that, I intentionally plunged headfirst into her web of slashes.

"Wha— Are you insane, doing something so reckless?!"

I was sliced up, covered in blood, but I pushed through taking minimal damage.

This was the fastest way to get to Marin.

And as she looked at my battered body, her eyes trembled with hesitation.

Oh, was she panicking because she never actually intended to kill me?

"Full Burst!"

We were still out of my knife's ideal range—but close enough for a massive barrage of throwing knives.

Now it was Marin's turn to face an unavoidable attack.

But she didn't have the guts or the ability to plunge straight into it like I did.

And dodging was a matter of timing; it was impossible.

Therefore, she had to intercept it with a suitably powerful skill.

New Moon, which is invisible but weak, wouldn't work. Broken Moon, which is strong but a single strike, couldn't counter a barrage.

But she couldn't afford to waste her trump card, Izayoi, here either.

If she was going to use something here, it had to be a rapid-fire skill like Countless Full Moon—

"I'll strike them down with Countless Full Moon!"

Yes, just as I read.

She was using the skill purely for defense.

After launching Full Burst, I was completely free.

While Marin dealt with the throwing knives, I used Sword Dancer to circle behind her.

"No matter how many times you get behind me!"

She spun around, unleashing a brutal upward slash with Broken Moon—but since I anticipated it, I could dodge it just at the edge of her blade's reach.

Seeing the tip of her katana graze my nose, Marin's eyes widened.

Even she must have realized I read her attack perfectly. So she tried to forcibly crush my next move.

If she used Izayoi now, I had no way to counterattack in my current state.

I might be able to offset it with Meteor Dive, but that skill's flaw is that you have to "drop" from above.

I couldn't activate it while standing on the ground.

On the other hand—if I could just survive this next Izayoi, Marin would be utterly defenseless after unleashing her biggest move.

However, escaping without a scratch would require me to create massive distance between us. 

If I did that, she would recover her stance before I could counterattack.

In this situation, what I needed to step in and gain the advantage was... to drop the power of Izayoi.

"Then I'll finish this with Izayoi!"

Marin shifted into the stance to activate the skill.

Right then, I raised my palm and fired magic.

Fire. Flames roared to life violently right in front of our eyes.

"Flames?!"

Compared to the physical skills we use with our specialized stats, the spell itself didn't have much power.

But as humans... or rather, as animals by instinct, we have a primal fear of fire.

Even now that I can use magic, I'm still terrified of fire deep down.

Maybe it would be different if we were used to it in battle, but we hadn't encountered any gangrene that used magic like that.

Let alone from a sudden surprise attack when her mind wasn't prepared for it.

At that moment, a slight—a very slight—tremor of panic disrupted Marin's movement.

A direct hit would still easily kill me, but the "retreat distance" I needed to dodge it just got shorter.

And if I was prepared to sacrifice one of my arms... that distance closed even further.

The thrust was unleashed.

My injured, useless right arm was blown entirely off.

Perhaps seeing my arm fly through the air, I heard Rea and Nemusia cry out from behind me. 

Sorry for making you watch something so gruesome, I'll apologize later.

Marin's eyes also darted to the severed arm for a split second.

Her opening grew even larger.

I stepped in, aiming for Marin's neck with my remaining left arm.

At point-blank range, she unleashed Broken Moon.

I countered her upward slash with Power Stab.

Marin's power was superior.

Blade clashed against blade, and I was slightly blown backward.

I didn't resist. I didn't brace my legs.

My body floated lightly into the air.

"Oh no—"

By the time she realized, it was too late.

I instantly activated Meteor Dive.

My body began a rapid descent, aiming not perfectly at Marin, but slightly to the side of her.

In a panic, she tried to stop me with her remaining New Moon and Crescent Moon skills, but there was no way that was enough to halt Meteor Dive.

My blade grazed Marin's shoulder, and the resulting shockwave entirely obliterated her left arm.

The gouge in her shoulder was extremely deep, perhaps reaching her lungs, as Marin spat blood from her mouth.

"ERIKAAAAAA!"

Losing all sense of self-preservation, Marin screamed in a hoarse voice, swinging her katana wildly.

I caught the blade with my left forearm.

The slash stopped, unable to sever the bone.

We were both down to one arm.

So, I opened my mouth wide and bit down hard on Marin's remaining bicep.

"You're biting me again...?!"

With all my strength.

Just because my stats were higher didn't mean I wouldn't push myself to the limit.

Intending to rip through not just the meat but the bone itself, I bit down. Crunch. Grind.

Then, with a mouthful of flesh and bone, I tore it away.

"Bleh. Tastes terrible."

"What an... absolute insanity...!"

"You can't survive without being insane. You guys were the ones who threw me into a world like that."

All strength left Marin's right arm, hanging limply.

I grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward me.

Then, I pressed the sole of my foot against Marin's stomach and kicked hard.

"With this—"

"You wouldn't...!"

"It's my winnnnnnn!"

I felt the sensation of tendons snapping against my palm. Riiiip!

"Gug, ah, aaaaaahhhhh!"

Having an arm physically ripped from her body must have caused unimaginable pain. With bloodshot eyes, Marin opened her mouth wide and screamed.

◆◆◆ 

Leaving her father and Erika at home, Marin was taken to a restaurant for some reason.

Her mother told her they were having dinner with a friend, but waiting for them was a tall, unfamiliar man.

When she first saw him looking down at her with a smile, Marin felt a visceral sense of disgust.

 『Let me introduce you. This is your father.』

『 No, Dad is Dad.』

『 No, that man isn't your real father. Your only father is this man. He's the only one I truly love, too.』

When she saw her mother's face as she said that, a murky feeling settled in her chest.

Didn't mother love father?

Weren't they a married couple, a family, because they loved each other?

Even as a child, she harbored these doubts.

『Nice to meet you, Marin. Call me Papa."』

『That's right, Marin. Call him Papa. And when you're with him, call me Mama, too.』

『Why do we have to do that?』

『Because we are your true family.』

『That's right, Marin. The time the three of us spend together is your only true family time.』

Marin didn't understand a single word they were saying.

But they met about once a month, and she was told the exact same thing every time. If she didn't listen, her mother's mood would visibly sour, so she had no choice but to obey.

Papa.

Mama.

Every time she called them that, it felt like something inside her heart was being scraped away. 

And after dinner, they would go home.

「Welcome back, dear, Marin. Was the food good?」

「Yes, very much. Right, Marin?」

「Yeah.」

「I'm sorry for leaving the house to you, honey.」

「It's really no problem at all.」

When they returned home, her mother put on her "mother face" and spoke calmly with her father.

And Marin, too, called them "Mom" and "Dad."

She felt relieved.

But somewhere in her heart, she couldn't help but think, 『That man isn't my real dad,'』and 『This isn't a house with a real family.』 

From the day she met Setaguchi, her home stopped being a place where Marin could rest her heart.

Why wasn't she her father's child?

But then, why did her father subject his own child to such terrible treatment?

She understood her mother's reason.

It was because Erika wasn't Setaguchi's child.

But she also hated herself for understanding that logic.

When did it happen?

When did everything in Marin's world become so distorted?

To survive in that environment, all she could do was surrender to it and do as she was told.

Meet expectations, follow advice, walk the tracks laid out for her.

When she did, everyone was happy.

Everyone praised Marin.

She knew clearly that something was wrong, yet every single person around her praised it as right.

What was right and what was wrong?

Marin had completely lost track.

In the midst of all this, in the fourth grade, Marin discovered Kendo.

On her way home from school, knowing it was pointless, she took a different route than usual. 

Right there, she found a dojo.

Watching someone swing a bamboo sword with total focus, seeing that pure straightforwardness, made Marin's heart leap.

Uncharacteristically, she told her parents she wanted to start Kendo.

Naturally, her mother frowned upon it.

Her father wasn't enthusiastic either.

But after a dinner with Setaguchi, he said, 『Why not?』 and just like that, Marin started attending the dojo.

At first, it was pure admiration.

But she gradually realized that the only time she didn't have to worry about anything was when she was mindlessly swinging her bamboo sword, and she threw herself into it.

Naturally gifted, Marin improved rapidly and quickly became someone even the master respected.

By the time she entered middle school, she was frequently placing high in tournaments.

Results she earned for herself, by herself, without anyone telling her to.

Before she knew it, Kendo had become Marin's emotional anchor, and she became so engrossed in it that she even began copying the master's way of speaking.

Then, the winter of her third year of middle school.

Having won the national tournament the previous summer, Marin's recommendation for high school was already secured, so she spent less time training late into the night.

One evening, only she and the master remained in the dojo.

Marin brought up a request to the master.

『Would you spar with me?』

 Not practice, of course, but a genuine, head-to-head match.

Until then, she had never even thought of saying something so audacious.

But with high school just around the corner, and having proven herself at the national level, she thought he might grant her request just this once.

The master hesitated slightly before reluctantly agreeing.

The result, needless to say, was an overwhelming victory for the master.

Marin was, of course, frustrated.

She wondered if the gap in their strength was really that massive.

But at the same time, she was happy to feel firsthand that her path was still only half complete.

Basking in that sense of fulfillment, the master opened his mouth with an oddly grim expression.

『Kuragane. As I thought, I do not like your sword.』

『Excuse me...?』

『It is true that you are strong. Your sword forms are pristine. But it is only a beautiful exterior; there is no core.』

『What do you... mean?』

A sudden plunge.

Thrown from happiness into the abyss, Marin was dealt a further despair with his next words.

『Your sword is empty. I do not believe you will become a good swordsman even if you continue like this.』

 『Ah...』

She couldn't say anything.

Her mind went blank, and before she knew it, she had taken off her armor and was walking home.

Even after she regained her senses, the master's words echoed in her mind over and over again.

And as they repeated, she began to understand what he meant.

『This is your real father.』

 『Call me Papa.』

『I can't believe my child is so exceptional. Hahaha, is she really related to me by blood?』

『There is no true family in that house. That's why Erika isn't loved, right?』

 『You have no need to think of that pitiful man as a father.』

『I truly love you, Marin. If you look at how Erika turned out, you can understand, right?』

『Look at Erika. She's exactly like her father. Be glad you didn't end up like that.』

『There is nothing to fear. Inheriting Giraiguu sama's genes is an honor.』

『That's right. You are different from everyone else. You are a chosen, superior human being.』

『I'm truly so glad you were born, Marin. Because it proved that Erika was a defective product.』

 『We're such a wonderful family, aren't we?』

『We are a fantastic family.』

『We are a happy family, aren't we?』

The sword knows.

It knows everything about Kuragane Marin.

That is why the master, having received her strikes, understood.

Come to think of it—Erika had known that for a long time.

『You're all garbage.』

Words she spat out back when she was still in elementary school.

Words she couldn't hold back, unable to endure something, fully understanding the punishment that would follow.

That was everything.

A wonderful, fantastic, happy family.

They said it so often.

Because they knew that the entity known as the Kuragane family was utterly broken as a family—

After that day, Marin stopped going to the dojo.

Even after entering high school, she continued with the Kendo club, but if asked whether she was pouring her heart into it like before, the answer was no.

Every time she swung a bamboo sword, the master's words echoed in her head.

 Even so, she was talented, and her skills were recognized by the club president and advisor, who praised her as having a bright future.

To her, even those words were like a curse.

Kendo had been Marin's only sanctuary, the only place her heart found peace.

But now, even that refuge was gone.

No matter where she went, the poison called "family" followed her.

"Ah..."

After sitting straddled on top of Marin, who was collapsed flat on her back, for a few dozen seconds.

she finally let out a small groan.

Her eyelids cracked open slightly.

Her hollow eyes locked onto me.

"You're finally awake."

"Ugh, I..."

Having lost both arms and with me sitting on top of her, Marin couldn't even stand up.

Honestly, a normal human would have bled to death by now.

The stump of her torn-off left arm looked incredibly grotesque.

"You had your arm ripped off and passed out for a few dozen seconds."

"Dozens of seconds... that was..."

"Did you see your life flash before your eyes?"

"...Yeah, I did."

So you actually saw it. Life flashing before your eyes is a real thing, huh.

"I... lost, didn't I."

"With a pathetic showing like that, yeah. But didn't you know? With the way you asked, even if you won, it wouldn't have solved anything."

"Did you think I asked you because I wanted to lose...?"

"That's what I figured. In the end, Marin, you just didn't want to admit it."

"Admit what?"

"First, Mom. A painful woman who had an affair, had a kid from it, and actually named that kid 'Marin' (True Love). Next, Dad. A pathetic man who faintly realized the affair but escaped reality by relentlessly bullying his own child. Finally, Setaguchi. A narcissist who destroyed multiple families with affairs and probably gets off on claiming it's all for Giraiguu sama. They're all such irredeemable trash it's like a bargain sale of garbage. Of course you don't want to think of people like that as your parents." (TL Note: The characters in Marin(真恋) mean True Love)

I feel the same way.

But no matter how much I reject it, the fact that I'm the child of those two doesn't change.

"It's not that simple of a story..."

"It is a simple story. You lost, so admit it. Your problem isn't difficult or complex. It's a plain, simple, stupid story."

I had no intention of letting her agonize over this any longer. Marin lost. So she was going to obey me.

"Then... assuming that's true, how do you derive an answer?"

I thrust my dripping Dreamer knife out in front of me. The blade was supposed to reflect Marin's face.

"Look at this pathetic face. You look exactly like Dad."

At the very least, I had never seen Marin make a twisted, ugly expression like that Setaguchi guy.

"You know, I killed Shudou and Ooki, but when I killed them, it was really fun. With Shudou I had some regrets, but looking back on it, just thinking 'Shudou is gone' makes breathing in this world easier. Why do you think I turned into a person like this?"

"I don't know."

"Because I was surrounded by people who enjoyed seeing me suffer. I was a mirror."

People don't grow up in a vacuum.

A blank slate of a baby develops an ego by watching its parents.

"Personality is formed by the surrounding environment. It's the same for parents and kids. Sure, height and body type might be genetic, but the one who created 'Kuragane Marin' wasn't Setaguchi."

You just had to look at Marin's expression, so identical to our father's, to understand.

No matter how different your facial features are, if the movement of your facial muscles is the same, people can instantly tell you're parent and child.

"It was those irredeemable trash parents."

"...With logic like that."

"That's what you wanted me to clarify for you, wasn't it? Me, the one who suffered in that house."

Honestly, I didn't even need this kind of logic.

I knew Mom and Marin went out to eat together, but if they were meeting Setaguchi then, it was at most once a month.

Families come in all shapes and sizes, but at least in our house, there was a "father" she saw every single day.

There's no way Setaguchi would register as a father with that kind of frequency.

"Marin, you are the daughter of those parents and my younger sister. No matter how much you agonize over it, that fact will never change. There isn't a single shred of room for Setaguchi to fit into that."

Seriously, why did I have to explain something so obvious?

Is Marin actually not as smart as she looks?

I guess because she's my sister, huh.

"If you're still not satisfied, I'll teach you a much simpler solution."

"Is there such a thing?"

"Just kill Setaguchi."

Her eyes widened.

Was it really that shocking of an idea?

"No, I mean, we're definitely going to kill him anyway. You just have to be the one to deal the finishing blow."

"You say... horrifying things."

"Coming from a partial cause of the person I've become, that's rich. Plus, it's not horrifying at all. Leaving guys who eat human flesh alive and unchecked is way more terrifying."

"But, it is plain and simple. If Setaguchi doesn't exist, there's no need to agonize over him."

"That's only if you still can't separate your feelings about it. You lost to me, so you have to completely obey my words."

"I'm mostly convinced. But there's still about ten percent stuck in my head. I can accept that the only way to scrape off such a stubborn stain is to kill him with my own hands."

Well, even if it was once a month, it had been happening since she was in elementary school. 

I guess it couldn't be helped.

Setting that aside, Marin making excuses after losing pisses me off.

"Also, the fact that we were born to those parents will follow us for the rest of our lives, but what kind of people we become based on that is for us to decide."

"What do you mean?"

"The reason you were lamenting about not being able to become anyone was because you refused to admit you were the child of those parents. It's like trying to build a house without a foundation; if you lose sight of that, you obviously won't know how to live or how to change."

"By accepting it, things become clearer, you say."

"When I was powerless like before, I could only get swept away. But it's different now; fortunately, I gained power. And Marin, you had that capability from the start."

"And with that power, what do you do? How do you change?"

"I beat them down with my fists."

I declared this with the utmost seriousness.

"Violence is the easiest method to understand. If we escape this place and get back to the normal world, I'm planning to spill everything about the Kaisei kyou and Setaguchi right in front of those parents, punch them both in the face, and cut ties with them."

"How... bold."

"Of course, Marin, you have that option too."

"I see... Because I can acknowledge it, I can choose to distance myself."

The important thing is your current standing.

I was clear on it from the start, so I could just look in one direction and run—but for example, Rea probably struggled regarding Ooki and Nakami san, and Nemusia kept hesitating until she accepted the fall of the Adrasia Kingdom.

Maybe these kinds of struggles are surprisingly common for everyone.

"Are you going to punch them with me, Marin?"

Marin went silent.

She was probably simulating it in her head.

I bet she'd never once imagined punching her parents in the face before.

After a while, she seemed to finish calculating, and her expression changed.

Her cheeks relaxed, forming an expression as if she had been saved—or liberated.

"Looks like you've got your answer."

"Whether I punch them or not is a separate matter, but I think I'll try speaking honestly. About the pain I've felt."

"Sounds good. Coming from Marin, who they doted on so much, it'll probably be a massive shock. It might even hit harder than my punch."

Saying that, I cast Healing on both of our bodies. Once her torn arm and gouged wounds were restored, I stood up and offered her my hand.

I didn't do it consciously; I just realized I had naturally reached out to her.

I shouldn't have any obligation to do this.

Did beating the crap out of Marin put me in a good mood too?

And Marin actually took my hand without a fuss.

As she stood up, with a refreshing smile that she was probably never supposed to direct at me in her entire life, she said:

"Thank you."

"You're welco—"

"Neesan (Sister)."

...Huh?

Did Marin just... say what I think she said?

Uh, didn't she just say "Sister"?

"Well... If my relationship with my parents is severed, the only family I'll have a permanent tie to is you, Erika. So, thinking about repairing our relationship as sisters moving forward, I thought I'd try calling you that as a test—is there a problem?"

Huge problem.

Ugh, the second my brain processed being called "Sister," a chill ran down my spine.

"Calling me sister out of nowhere is gross."

"I thought so too. Honestly, it almost gave me goosebumps."

"Then don't say it!"

"Consider it my penance."

"It's penance for me too!"

"True. Besides, considering how I've treated you all this time, Erika... I doubt a simple conversation while locked in this school is enough to earn my forgiveness."

"Nah, I don't really care about that."

"Is that so?"

"When I was beating you up, it didn't feel as good as it did with Ooki. Maybe in my mind, I've already enacted my revenge on you to some extent."

"Does taking revenge allow for a normal relationship afterward?"

"Who knows. I feel like we could manage it, though."

"Then, perhaps I should call you 'Sister' after all."

"I'm telling you, it's gross!"

I turned my back to Marin.

I was supposed to be resting my body, but I wasted a bunch of stamina.

I need to hurry back to the classroom and let Rea and the others heal my soul.

While thinking that—for some reason, my face was subtly smirking.

Feeling happy about something so incredibly normal like this... Does this mean that with my targets for revenge gone, my soul is being purified?

Also, me smiling while saying "It's gross"... from an outside perspective, that probably looked the grossest of all.