Dual Souls, The Other Half Is Bronya

"Mmm... Little Ai~"

Although Bronya hadn't intended it, this little interlude had indeed brought the two of them closer.

"Hey, Little White, don't you know everything? Do you have any inside information about Dawn Academy?"

On the other side, Ning Yin was eating apple pie, mentioning it casually. But Byakuya knew there was more to it. "This, you can go ask Tsukikage Bakuga."

"As for whether he'll tell you, I don't know." Byakuya smiled at Ning Yin, snatched a piece of apple pie, and then took off running.

???

Ning Yin was stunned for a moment. Immediately after, she saw her bright red kimono flutter in the wind, and she lunged after Byakuya, "Little White, you stop right there for me!"

"Also, you'll get hit if you only speak half the story. What exactly do you know about Teacher Moon Shadow?"

"Catch me first, then we'll talk." A flash of lightning flickered from under Byakuya's feet, and she shot forward a great distance, then looked back, took a bite of apple pie, and waved at Ning Yin.

(╬◣д◢)

Ning Yin certainly couldn't stand for this! Although there were more buildings, making large-scale gravity manipulation difficult, there were other ways.

With a glow of magic power, Ning Yin felt much lighter. She leaped over obstacles in a few steps, clenching her small fists as she ran, "You're finished, Little White!"

"Heh~ I wouldn't be so sure."

As she spoke, currents of electricity swirled around Byakuya, and she simultaneously increased her speed, weaving through the buildings.

"Bang—"

A small fist, imbued with gravity, landed a heavy blow on Byakuya's blocking forearm.

"Hey, hey, hey, Ning Yin, are you serious?"

Lightning wrapped around Byakuya's legs, and she dragged herself several meters back on the ground, leaving a scorched mark. "This is a bit much."

"Stop pretending, Little White. With the strength I used just now, how could I possibly hurt you?"

Ning Yin flexed her wrist and was about to continue. However... a voice rang out at that moment, freezing Ning Yin's movements. "Nene, what are you two up to again?"

Without realizing it, they had both run all the way to Broken Blade Academy.

"Um... Little, Little Kuro, it wasn't me."

As soon as she saw Kuroko, Ning Yin's entire demeanor changed. She waved her small hands frantically, urgently shifting the blame. "Right! It was Little White, Little White made the first move!"

"That's what she said. So, what about you, Byakuya?" Kuroko turned her gaze to Byakuya, her words carrying a sense of pressure.

"Well, I admit it, I'll reflect on my actions."

Byakuya raised both hands, admitting it very straightforwardly. "As for why I did it..."

"Of course, it was for fun... cough cough~"

However, under Kuroko's warning gaze, Byakuya ultimately couldn't be cheeky. "Alright, alright, it's also about important matters, concerning Tsukikage Bakuga."

"...You mean Teacher Moon Shadow?"

As expected, when Tsukikage Bakuga was mentioned, Kuroko's attitude shifted noticeably.

Byakuya shrugged and explained a little. "There's no way around it, Ning Yin wanted to know. And once Ning Yin knows, the Chairman naturally can't stay out of it."

"Instead of notifying everyone individually, it's better to gather them all at once. But Chairman, are you sure you don't want to change locations?"

The Chairman's office, after some repairs, finally looked presentable.

"Can you tell me now?"

"Of course."

Byakuya sat on the sofa, forming a triangle with Kuroko and Ning Yin. "Chairman, you probably don't know, but Tsukikage Bakuga, he seems to be able to see the future too~"

47. Kuroko and Ning Yin

After a round of conversation, Byakuya had already left. Inside the room, only Kuroko remained, silently smoking and lost in thought.

Time rewinds:

"What did you say? Teacher Moon Shadow he..."

"That's right."

Byakuya interlaced her fingers and stretched them, completely unconcerned about what she had revealed. "He probably saw something bad. I don't understand this part very well."

"Hey, Little White, lying isn't good~"

Ning Yin used a Drawn Foot technique and was about to get close, but Byakuya held her back. "...Little White is becoming less and less cute."

"Alright, stop hiding it, Little White. You might not have noticed, but you make little unconscious movements when you lie."

As she spoke, Ning Yin closed her folding fan and poked downwards, lightly tapping Byakuya's interlaced fingers.

Emmm...

Byakuya fell silent.

Then, he released his hands, wiggled his fingers casually, and said with a hint of helplessness, "Alright, alright~ Really..."

"I didn't expect to be exposed here. I say, Ning Yin, do you have to observe so closely?"

Glancing at Kurono and Ning Yin, Byakuya knew he couldn't hide it anymore. "Actually, I didn't lie to you. I really don't know much about this."

"It seems to be... a crystal ball, or something else? Tsukikage Bakuga saw a corner of the future through it."

"What he saw..."

Byakuya habitually drew out his tone at this point. A folding fan was knocked over, and he caught it in his hand. "Sorry, sorry, Tsukikage Bakuga saw a war."

"He couldn't see the cause, so he could only prepare as much as possible. Of course, I don't know about that."

He applied a little force with one hand, trying to snatch the folding fan to play with... another unconscious little habit.

"If he were still in the past, he would naturally ask for your help. But now..."

"...Because of me?"

Byakuya also turned his gaze to Shinguji Kuroko. "Yes, the Chairman is already married. As his former teacher, he naturally wouldn't want to involve the Chairman anymore."

"As for Ning Yin..."

"I am a battle-hungry person."

"Right. But Ning Yin, you are too close to the Chairman. Is there any difference between telling you and telling the Chairman?"

"..."

She had no words to refute.

"That's probably it. There might be some discrepancies, but you'll have to ask Tsukikage Bakuga for confirmation, Chairman."

Having said all he needed to say, Byakuya clapped his hands and got up from the sofa, preparing to leave.

"Oh, and Ning Yin, Stella's 'Dragon' has awakened. You'll need to keep an eye on that. I'll be going now~"

"Little Kuro..."

"I'm fine."

Kurono let out a long sigh, smoke curling around. She extinguished the half-smoked cigarette in her hand in the ashtray, her tone filled with an indescribable complexity. "After all..."

"This was a choice I made myself." Unconsciously, Kurono rubbed the wedding ring on her ring finger.

"...Kuro, you idiot!"

After a moment of silence, Ning Yin shouted at Kurono and rushed out of the office, her clothes fluttering.

"Where should I go next?"

On the other side, Byakuya walked alone on the academy's path, unsure of where to go. "Little Ai..."

"Forget it, I won't go back for now. Ai already knows, and Bronya is enough."

Hmm...

Images flashed through Byakuya's mind, and then... Byakuya clenched his right fist and tapped his left palm, a smile rising to his lips. "As expected, I still need to find the protagonist~"

"Speaking of which, Ikki didn't fight Little Ai in this incident, so he missed out on a power-up. As his brother, I naturally have to make it up to him."

"At this time, where would he be?" As he spoke, Byakuya habitually reached for his student handbook...

—But his hand found nothing.

After all, Byakuya had just finished his recovery, and his clothes were restored. But the student handbook... well, it was broken, and it was broken.

"Looks like I need to go to the logistics department to get a replacement." He changed direction and continued walking.

"Wow, Little White!"

A voice called out from behind him. Byakuya hesitated for a moment before finally turning around and catching Ning Yin.

A while later, the two appeared on the rooftop of the teaching building. Byakuya sat on the edge, looking up at the sky, and said leisurely, "So, Ning Yin, what's wrong with you this time?"

"Ugh, it's all because of that idiot Kuro." Ning Yin waved her small fists in the air, but had nowhere to vent her frustration.

—Perhaps it was an unconscious gesture, but Kurono rubbing her wedding ring in front of Ning Yin... Tsk tsk, wasn't that a pure critical hit?

"It's the Chairman, as expected."

Byakuya wasn't surprised by this. After all... the only one who could cause Ning Yin to have emotional fluctuations was probably Kurono. "You can tell me if you're unhappy~"

"Get lost! Don't think I don't know, you're definitely trying to mock me, right?"

"Cough, cough~ How could I? We have a life-or-death friendship, how could I lie to you?"

Byakuya coughed repeatedly, emphasizing his words. Unfortunately, Ning Yin didn't buy it and swung her folding fan at him.

"Clang—"

A crisp sound.

Byakuya manifested Myriad Phenomena, his blade blocking the folding fan. However, they didn't really fight, as Byakuya knew very well...

——Ning Yin was just venting her emotions.

After a bit of roughhousing, once Ning Yin had gradually calmed down… her small hands braced on the edge of the rooftop, she looked up at the sky, her tone becoming a bit ethereal:

"Hey, Little White."

A gentle breeze blew past, rustling Ning Yin's vibrant kimono and making her waist-length, jet-black hair dance in the wind.

One had to admit, Ning Yin had a good foundation. At least in this moment, she truly possessed an elegant aura like that of a sheltered young lady from a noble family.

Her fair little hand brushed a strand of hair, and Ning Yin elegantly tucked it behind her ear. With an indescribable expression, she turned her head to look at Byakuya, "Little Kuro, she's… really not coming back?"

"We both know that, don't we?"

"…Yeah, we've known that for a long time. That [World Clock] from the past will never return…"

"……"

A long silence followed.

"Little White, what does love feel like? And it's too unfair that only Little Kuro found a partner."

"I don't know either."

Though she said that, images of Kiko and Edelweiss flashed through Byakuya's mind. "But I guess it's probably similar to how Ning Yin feels about the Chairman?"

"Little White."

Ning Yin dangled her legs on the rooftop and softly called out. She believed Byakuya would understand.

Normally, Ning Yin wouldn't make this kind of decision. Her essence was "Oni," and her heart was filled with a violent streak.