Chapter 3: A Clean Finish
Natsuba Rinrei.
Natsuba Hanae’s twin sister. Their faces were so similar that even those who spent every day with them couldn’t tell them apart.
However, their hairstyles and temperaments were vastly different.
In the eyes of ordinary people, the elder Natsuba daughter was unruly, willful, and hot-tempered.
The younger Natsuba daughter was warm, gentle, well-educated, and virtuous, like the Yamato Nadeshiko, the dream lover of countless Tokyo men, embodying all the best qualities.
Of course, in Natsuba Hanae’s view…
To say Natsuba Rinrei was unruly, willful, and hot-tempered was far too harsh.
These were simply slanderous terms used by the family, stemming from her refusal to obey their arrangements and her constant defiance.
Natsuba Rinrei’s true character was heroic, resolute, and unyielding.
If she had been born into an ordinary family, with such a personality, she would have at least been a protagonist in a novel.
And in the original game, this was indeed the case.
Like an unkillable cockroach, she constantly faced desperate situations, yet she stubbornly survived each time, growing stronger and stronger.
However…
Individual strength couldn’t withstand the immense power of the Natsuba and Kujō conglomerates.
The pressure suffocated her.
Until finally, crushed by fate, she died.
In fact, Natsuba Rinrei was also among the top ten most popular characters in the original game.
After all, she shared almost the same appearance as Natsuba Hanae, with silver hair and red eyes. Her valiant personality and flat chest also earned her the unwavering adoration of certain fans.
The two sisters shared a considerable overlap in their fanbases, and a saying circulated among them:
“Of all the silver-haired beauties, Hanae holds a stone’s throw of charm, while Rinrei owes two.”
At this moment, Natsuba Hanae looked at her blood-related twin sister.
Natsuba Rinrei also looked at her twin.
Shining red glass-like eyes met ruby eyes flickering with flames.
Strangely, Natsuba Rinrei was the first to look away.
She glanced at the heavily injured Kujō Asano gasping for breath beneath her feet and frowned.
“Stop playing dead and talk!”
She raised her right leg and stomped down hard on his chest again.
Bang!
A wave of air pressure rippled outwards.
“Cough, cough, cough…”
Kujō Asano coughed several times, spitting out more blood, his face growing paler.
He was a D-rank sorcerer trained by the Kujō family, capable of surviving encounters even with elite-level supernatural beings.
He never imagined he would be crushed by a supernatural user who had awakened less than three months ago. Just what was the level of the elder Natsuba daughter’s ability?!
Although sorcerers usually needed time to prepare before unleashing their full power…
The elder Natsuba daughter clearly hadn’t used her full strength either.
She had relied solely on the enhanced physical abilities that came with her awakened power, and with just that, she had severely injured him in an instant!
Not only that, but she even wanted to put him in a black box.
Only ashes, only the dead, were placed in black boxes!
Looking at the ruthless Natsuba Rinrei, an uncontrollable fear surged within Kujō Asano.
Ignoring the pain in his lungs, he forced himself to speak.
“I’m leaving, I’m leaving…”
Kujō Asano scrambled to his feet and limped towards the exit.
After walking a short distance, he suddenly remembered something.
He looked at the numerous Natsuba family servants gathered around and his expression darkened.
If he, the steward of the Kujō family, suffered such a humiliating defeat in the Natsuba household, the Kujō family would lose face if the news spread.
Even if he returned, he wouldn’t be able to appease the family head.
He might even implicate his entire branch of stewards.
Tortures like tongue-cutting and tendon-pulling would likely be unavoidable.
It would be a fate worse than death.
Rather than that…!!
He abruptly turned, his eyes filled with malice as he glared at Natsuba Rinrei.
With his blood-stained right hand, he rapidly drew a curse on his left hand, each stroke more vivid and ferocious than the last.
[Explode! Explode! Explode! Explode!!!]
The blood-drawn curse grew increasingly crimson, and a dense curse power spread, ready to detonate.
Kujō Asano intended to use his own D-rank sorcerer’s body as a catalyst, turning this part of the residence upside down.
Even with the barrier, it might not cause extensive damage.
But it would save face for the Kujō family.
“Explode!!!” Kujō Asano roared.
However, just then, a gentle female voice rang out.
“Mr. Kujō, I will arrive as scheduled for the wedding in two months.”
Natsuba Hanae said softly, a faint smile on her lips.
These words stunned Kujō Asano, stopping his final stroke.
That’s right…
His rage-filled mind instantly cooled.
He had two tasks at the Natsuba house.
One was to inform the elder Natsuba daughter about the marriage, and the other was to inform the younger daughter.
Although the elder daughter hadn’t agreed, the younger one had.
He had essentially completed half of his mission.
It was like taking a test; although he hadn’t achieved a perfect score, he had at least passed.
Moreover, he now had a point of comparison. Why did the younger daughter agree while the elder one didn’t? The problem wasn’t with him, but with…
—The elder daughter!
Kujō Asano’s eyes suddenly lit up.
He stopped his actions and continued limping towards the main gate, his body feeling much lighter.
Seeing this, Natsuba Rinrei furrowed her brows and extinguished a small, bright yellow flame that had ignited in her hand.
“Tsk, how boring.”
“I thought he at least had the courage to self-destruct. I would have respected him a little more for that.”
With that, Natsuba Rinrei looked at the gathered Natsuba servants.
“Clean this place up and restore it to its original state.”
However, the Natsuba servants kept their heads bowed; none of them moved to follow Rinrei’s orders.
Almost everyone with a bit of standing in the Natsuba conglomerate knew that Natsuba Rinrei and Natsuba Hanae were sacrifices for the family.
Regarding their commands, the servants simply had to not listen, not act, and not respond.
Someone else would handle it.
Of course, the servants wouldn’t be disrespectful because of this.
Ultimately, they were still of Natsuba blood, and the servants were just that – servants.
Seeing this, Natsuba Rinrei pursed her lips, a flicker of anger in her eyes, and lightly gritted her teeth.
“Even more boring!”
She looked at Natsuba Hanae, the only one facing her directly, and walked over to her in a few strides.
She saw the same brilliant, delicate smile on her face as always, and Hanae spoke.
“Good day, Elder Sister.”
“It’s a fine day today as well.”
However, Natsuba Rinrei inexplicably found this smile somewhat irritating. She felt that this wasn’t Natsuba Hanae’s true expression.
Although Natsuba Hanae had always been obedient and gentle since childhood…
This inexplicable premonition felt particularly real.
“Good day to you too, Hanae.”
Then, after a moment of thought, Natsuba Rinrei continued,
“Do you really have no intention of resisting this marriage?”
“We’re being married off to that old man in the Kujō family, that undead geezer!”
“He’s over sixty and still wants to marry us, two girls not even sixteen yet. It’s disgusting!”
“What do you say? Want to resist with me?”
“What if, by resisting, you awaken your abilities too?”
Hearing this, Natsuba Hanae shook her head, maintaining her smile.
“The Natsuba and Kujō families are a perfect match.”
“Besides, this is Father’s decision. I should obey.”
Natsuba Rinrei took a deep breath, filled with helplessness. Her younger sister was simply too weak and too gentle, without any will of her own.
Once she had enough power, she would find a way to persuade her and rescue her.
No matter what, they had grown up together; they were true sisters.
She didn’t say anything more, turning and walking back to her room.
Natsuba Hanae watched Natsuba Rinrei’s retreating figure, pursed her lips, and a gleam appeared in her brilliant, glass-like red eyes.
Then, she looked at Kujō Asano, limping and staggering towards the main gate, almost disappearing.
She softly said,
“Steward Chikari.”
“Mr. Kujō seems to be having some difficulty walking.”
“Could you please see Mr. Kujō out?”
Her lips curved into a deeper smile, her words laced with meaning.
“See him out a bit further…”
“A clean finish.”
Chikari Tanishi lowered his head and replied concisely,
“Yes.”
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