Dual Souls, The Other Half is Bronya

"Completely correct."

Toudo Touka nodded, affirming Ikki's thoughts. As for Ikki himself...

He scratched his head, a little embarrassed by this. "Well, actually, it was White Night who brought it up."

"Don't be shy about it, Ikki."

At that moment, White Night happened to pass by him, submerging the vegetables from his basket into the water to rinse them. "Even without my reminder, you'd still have figured it out, wouldn't you?"

"Alright, leave the rest to me." (White Night)

"You two go rest first..." (Touka)

For a moment, as if thinking the same thing, White Night and Toudo Touka spoke one after the other.

In the end, the two worked together. Meanwhile, Ikki and Miyuki Sawarabi voluntarily stepped away—after all, neither was particularly skilled at this.

Emmm...

Ikki stood in the shade, gazing from afar at Toudo Touka. His dark eyes seemed to churn with many thoughts.

Though she was only cooking as usual, wearing glasses and even a bit clumsy, it was precisely this Toudo Touka...

—Who felt incredibly dazzling!

"What's wrong, Kurogane-kun?"

"...I don't know why, but I can't seem to take my eyes off her." Ikki said, looking at Toudo Touka.

Miyuki Sawarabi walked up, standing beside Ikki as they both watched Touka. "That's just how Touka is, you know."

"Raikiri, Senrigan—those are only parts of what makes Touka who she is..."

Closing her eyes, recalling past events in her mind, Miyuki Sawarabi's tone couldn't help but carry a hint of emotion. "The orphanage back then... well, the atmosphere was pretty bad."

"There was one child who almost got 'killed' by his parents. That kid was so violent, it felt like he was beyond saving."

"But Touka never gave up on him. No matter how many times she got hurt, she still willingly gave that child her care. Thanks to her, he finally regained something like human emotion."

Then, Miyuki Sawarabi flashed a bright smile. "Touka said this, you know:"

'—Before I came to the orphanage, I received a lot of smiles and love from my parents. Even though they're gone now, that memory has always supported me.'

'So I want to give everyone memories that will make them smile and support them, too.'

In Miyuki Sawarabi's memory, Touka back then... her long golden hair fluttering in the wind, her gentle face radiating a maternal glow—incredibly beautiful!

Pausing briefly, Miyuki Sawarabi continued, "And just as she said, Touka brought courage to every child in the orphanage."

"She showed everyone through her actions that even if you grow up in an unhappy environment, you can still become a remarkable person. She's always been active on the stage under the name 'Raikiri'."

At noon, everyone sat down to eat. Ikki chewed his food, but his gaze kept drifting toward Touka...

—Not for herself, but dedicating her strength for others. That's Toudo-san's source of power. So then... what is my source of power?

On the way back, Ikki kept pondering this. When everyone got off the bus, they were met with bad news.

"They're back."

Shizuku, Arisugawa, and the others were waiting at the station. Seeing Ikki step off the bus, they hurried over. In Kusagabe Kagami's hand was a newspaper.

"Stella, Kurogane-senpai!"

"What's going on with everyone?"

"You two need to see this." She said, spreading out the newspaper and showing the article to them.

[Crimson Princess, Dangerous Game]

The title sounded flashy, but when they looked at the content... emmm... most of it was fabricated, even slanderous—in short, it pointed the finger at Ikki!

And yet, there was a photo attached. As lovers, they naturally had moments of intimacy, but a paparazzo had caught them.

26. Layers of Scheming

"So, Ikki..."

Staring at the photo for a long time, White Night stroked his chin, then looked at Ikki with a gradually strange gaze. "How did you two get snapped by a paparazzo?"

"One's an A-rank, the other's called the 'Uncrowned Sword King'—what kind of all-powerful person could tail you two?"

Emmm...

Ikki had nothing to say. This was indeed his fault. Probably because they were on campus, he'd let his guard down a little.

"Let's think about what to do first. The media's already in an uproar—after all, Stella is a guest of state-level celebrity~" Arisugawa reminded them.

"Mm..."

Stella held the newspaper, small flames flickering around her. The paper surface her bare hand touched carbonized, burning bit by bit. "This, this is complete nonsense!"

"That's just how paparazzi are." (White Night)

"Ikki, have you offended anyone?" Arisugawa, still acting as the mole, offered advice.

Just then, a black sedan pulled up to the curb, and a horizontally-grown ugly bastard stepped out.

"Who's that?"

Arisugawa leaned slightly down and whispered quietly into Shizuku's ear.

"Akaza Mamoru, my father's lackey."

"Kurogane Ikki."

Akaza finally spoke, his fat face full of blubber, his smile disgustingly sleazy. "Regarding this incident, we've decided to hold an inquiry meeting."

"Would you come with me, Kurogane Ikki... This is an official meeting of the Ethics Committee, so of course you'll attend, right?" Akaza emphasized, pressing further.

"Don't be ridiculous! Do you think we'd agree to such an outrageous demand?"

Stella stood in front of Ikki, her temper flaring, but he reached out and stopped her. "Ikki?"

"It's fine. I'll be back soon."

Ikki smiled at Stella and stepped forward a few paces. Seeing this, Akaza smirked with the satisfaction of a successful scheme.

"This guy really needs a beating."

"...Who said that!"

Akaza's smile vanished as his gaze swept the room and quickly locked onto Byakuya. Hmm... of course he'd gathered intel: Yakushi Byakuya, the younger brother of that Yakushi Kiriko!

"For your sister's sake, I'll let it slide this time. Now then, Kurogane Ikki..."

Once again, his cunning eyes scanned Ikki. This time, there were no surprises—Ikki was "invited" into the sedan.

"Arisugawa (Alice), I'm leaving Shizuku and Stella to you."

Ikki knew Byakuya was strong, but subjectively... he still felt a bit unreliable? Arisugawa nodded lightly. "Understood. Don't worry."

After a simple farewell, Ikki followed Akaza into the car. The sedan door slowly closed... and just then!

"Hey, you!"

Byakuya suddenly leaned in and tapped on the window. "I said you need a beating, and you do. And one day, you're going to get one. I'm never wrong."

(╬￣皿￣)

Veins bulged faintly on Akaza's forehead, but considering his position, he held back: the goal of this trip was already achieved; no need to stir up more trouble.

Tch, such good composure? If so... Byakuya didn't mind escalating the provocation. "Ugly bastard!"

[I'll endure!]

Hmm... can't endure anymore!

(╬◣д◢)

In a flash, Akaza straightened up slightly, reached over, and patted the driver's seat. "What are you waiting for? Drive!"

With the roar of the engine, the black sedan slowly faded into the distance... heading toward some sealed-off building.

After Ikki was taken away, Stella, Shizuku, and the others gathered together. Spread out on the table was that newspaper:

"The man who stole the princess's purity."

"King of Famillion enraged!"

"Will this escalate into a diplomatic issue between the two nations?"

Headlines like these filled the pages, all playing up the severity as much as possible.

"Complete nonsense!"

Stella pressed her hands down on both ends of the newspaper, her vivid red hair lifting slightly, dotted with tiny sparks.

"You've already burned enough of them. Just keep this one." Byakuya snatched the newspaper off the table and started reading it himself.

--Kurogane Ikki has had poor behavior since childhood, a problem child of the Kurogane family, even with personality defects!

"Damn, they're going this far?"

Byakuya let out a sigh and continued scanning... Kurogane Ikki had messy relationships, not just with Stella but had impure dealings with multiple women.

"That harsh?"

Further down, it even painted Stella as completely naive, an idiot woman easily fooled!

"Tsk tsk, slinging mud to this extent—doesn't that ugly bastard know any limits?"

Byakuya folded the newspaper and decided not to read further. "Slandering this badly, someone's got to take the fall, or else... no, it's definitely going to be impossible to clean up."

"What do you mean?" (Stella)

"Probably something went wrong somewhere. Slinging mud is one thing, but dragging a nation's princess into it..."

Even Bronya's expression turned strange. "This is no small matter."

"It's all completely fabricated. Even if it had happened, it shouldn't be reported! Who's going to take responsibility for a royal princess's reputation?"

Byakuya sneered coldly. "They're digging their own grave. Even if the expose succeeded, do you think the king would thank them?"

"That's impossible." Bronya's voice was flat, tinged with a milky tone, as she echoed Byakuya.

"Exactly. Not only would he not thank them, he'd find them an eyesore. After all... she's his precious daughter!"

"Even assuming his plan succeeds, with Ikki bearing the brunt at the front—if it fails..."

Having analyzed this far, White Night clenched his right fist and struck it into his left palm. "Champion! If Ikki is acquitted, the Famillion king's wrath will fall solely on him."

"Tsk tsk tsk, the ultimate one-for-one trade, and it might not even work with a single misstep. What kind of grudge is this, that he'd stake himself on it?" White Night couldn't help clicking his tongue in wonder.

emmm...

"Is this guy really that desperate?" Even Stella had caught on by now, her expression strange.

"Probably jealousy? Akaza is from a branch family. He's harbored a twisted resentment toward his older brother from the main line, always seeing him as a thorn in his side."

"See? Jealousy twists a person beyond recognition."

White Night clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention, then announced, "Alright, everyone, set your minds at ease for now. Leave this to me."

"I was planning to find time to beat that ugly bastard up anyway—I always keep my word."

As he spoke, White Night flexed his wrist. But given Akaza's own suicidal antics, "Now it seems that's unnecessary. That ugly bastard is going to die sooner or later anyway."

"White Night, do you really have a way to help my brother?" Shizuku's emerald eyes locked onto White Night, hope shining in her gaze.

"Isn't that obvious?"

White Night gave Shizuku a thumbs-up, then glanced at Kūga. "Just leave it to me. At worst, I can guarantee he'll come out unscathed."

27. Cruel Reality

On the other side, after a grueling interrogation—one that bordered on nitpicking—Ikki was successfully thrown into the Dark Room. Inside, it was blank and white, with surveillance monitoring in real time.

Ikki sat leaning against the wall, his hands resting on his knees, head bowed and eyes closed as he rested.