Dual Souls, The Other Half Is Bronya

"How's it looking, Little White?"

In a corner of the hall, a girl with a high ponytail, a band-aid on her cheek, and mischievous eyes like a boy's, stood with her hands behind her back, looking at the boy beside her with curiosity.

—Asagi Momiji, a third-year student at Wuqu Academy, third place in the last Seven Star Sword Martial Festival, and a disciple of the God of Combat.

The boy, known as "Little White," adjusted his glasses, and a wise white light, like something from a comic, flashed across the lenses.

"I can't tell at all. Their opponents in the public matches were too weak; they didn't react to anything. Limited by the information, it's hard for me to judge their strength."

"Hahaha!"

A hearty laugh erupted.

—The champion of the last tournament, "Star of Naniwa," a third-year student at Wuqu Academy, Morohoshi Yudai!

With a height of 1.8 meters and a sturdy build, he looked as powerful as a fierce tiger.

He reached out and patted the boy's shoulder with great force, "I told you, Jozaki, Byakuya is very strong."

"Do you know them, A-Xing?" Jozaki Byakuya immediately turned to Morohoshi Yudai with a searching gaze.

"Of course, I do."

As he spoke, Morohoshi Yudai stepped forward, his unparalleled presence drawing everyone's attention.

He extended one hand, clenched his fist, and bumped wrists with Byakuya, his voice filled with joy, "No wonder I didn't see you at Ren-lian's place. So you transferred to Broken Blade, Byakuya."

"Yeah, it's really been a long time, Morohoshi."

55. Past Events

Without a doubt, Yakushi Kiriko was a genius.

At only around twelve years old, Yakushi Kiriko could freely manipulate human cells, shaping and molding living beings at will.

—She was too strong!

Because of this, she lacked respect for life. Back then, she looked at almost everyone coldly, like lab mice in a scientific experiment.

Well, Byakuya was the only exception. Including the Yin-Yang differentiation, Bronya had to be added to that list.

But that was it.

During that time, Byakuya had been trying to advise Kiriko, hoping she would recognize the preciousness of life. But unfortunately... mere verbal persuasion wasn't very effective.

Until that incident.

It was a large-scale train accident.

The train derailed, causing the deaths of over a hundred people, including Morohoshi Yudai's entire family.

In that incident, Morohoshi Yudai's location was very close to the epicenter, and he was with his parents and sister.

In the end, almost everyone in that area died, with only four people miraculously surviving—Morohoshi Yudai's parents and his sister, Morohoshi Komei.

As a price, Morohoshi Yudai suffered injuries that were almost impossible to recover from with the medical technology of the time.

In fact, with Morohoshi Yudai's strength at the time, he could have escaped even such an event.

But for his family...

—His legs were almost completely mangled into a bloody mess!

With the medical technology of the Chivalry of a Failed Knight world, the best they could do was reattach severed limbs; they couldn't help people grow new ones.

Morohoshi Yudai was essentially crippled.

No matter how unwilling he was, unable to walk, he could only give up on the path of a Magic Knight.

Even so, Morohoshi Yudai remained strong and optimistic, quickly adjusting his mindset and preparing to embark on a new life.

But there was one person who couldn't.

—His sister, Morohoshi Komei.

On the day of the accident, it was Komei who begged her family, saying, "I want to go to the amusement park."

Morohoshi Yudai had been a prodigy since he was young. Among his peers, except for Kurogane Ouya, no one could match him. He should have had a better future.

But it was all ruined by that accident.

Komei felt deeply guilty about it and eventually became mute due to a mental disorder.

And mental illnesses are incurable by medicine; one can only overcome them through self-resolution.

Morohoshi Komei's problem reignited Morohoshi Yudai's belief.

—He would take back everything lost in that accident, his legs, his strength, his reputation, his future, everything, without exception! And then he would tell Komei:

He was okay now!

And for the treatment in this regard, it was, of course, Yakushi Kiriko. It was only after Morohoshi Yudai came knocking that Byakuya learned that the incident had already occurred.

Although he mostly watched anime and fanfiction, Byakuya did know of Morohoshi Yudai.

Unfortunately... he didn't truly see the future and didn't have the ability to change that accident.

Coincidentally, Yakushi Kiriko was also in a state of mind where she believed she could do anything. After telling Byakuya, she agreed without hesitation.

In Yakushi Kiriko's eyes, however, Morohoshi Yudai wasn't considered human, merely experimental material.

Yakushi Kiriko easily carved away Morohoshi Yudai's other body parts to fashion a new pair of legs for him. Except...

—Legs make up a significant portion of the human body. And to gather material from the entire body...

Morohoshi Yudai had once been on the brink of death, only to be pulled back.

Furthermore, to create leg bones, his entire body's bone density would inevitably decrease. But precisely because of that... Morohoshi Yudai was meant to become a knight! He needed intense training.

Thus, what awaited him was a cruel, destructive form of training. Even the slightest exertion would cause his fragile body to collapse, requiring Kiriko to heal him again.

Afterward, Morohoshi continued to train with his weakened body, cycling between damage and repair.

—It was like a living hell!

Kiriko couldn't bear to watch and fled. She escaped to the place where she felt most at ease, which was by Byakuya's side.

"It's okay, Kiriko-nee, I'm always here, and I'll always be by your side."

Byakuya embraced Yakushi Kiriko, silently offering her support. Bronya also moved closer from behind, hugging Kiriko.

After this, every time they went for treatment, Byakuya, or Bronya, would accompany them.

Five years! A full five years!

Morohoshi Yudai composed a hymn of life with a symphony of suffering. It was also during this period that Kiriko came to appreciate the preciousness of life, and her personality gradually softened.

And then there were her feelings.

Before, while Kiriko liked Byakuya, it had at least remained on a familial level. But after this...

Five years of companionship, and their feelings had quietly deepened.

"Your efforts have paid off, Morohoshi."

Byakuya greeted him and leaned in, slinging an arm around Morohoshi Yudai. "How has Komei been doing since you won the championship last time?"

"She's become much more cheerful."

Despite saying this, Morohoshi Yudai scratched his head, a troubled look on his face. "But it seems like she's gotten used to not talking for so long, she just holds a sign board around all day."

"Oh~ I get it, I totally get it. You want Komei to call you 'Nii-chan' again, right?"

Byakuya patted Morohoshi Yudai's broad shoulder, finding it much more solid than most Blade Dancers.

"Wh-what are you talking about."

As if his thoughts had been exposed, Morohoshi Yudai's gaze darted around, then he pulled someone in. "Bronya, you be the judge, I'm definitely not that kind of person, right?"

Seeing this, Bronya gently shook her head and ignored them. "You two stop fooling around here, let's find another place to sit."

At Bronya's suggestion, Byakuya and Morohoshi Yudai also picked a spot and sat down.

"A-star, you guys are..."

"You don't know? Asagi? Yakushi Kiriko was the primary physician for A-star's incident before."

Jozaki Byakuya adjusted his glasses and replied to Asagi Momiji. He then shifted his gaze, his tone carrying an indescribable nuance. "And you must be Byakuya. I'm Jozaki, A-star's friend."

Because Byakuya had taken the name first, Jozaki was simply "Jozaki."

emmm...

Byakuya couldn't recall for a moment. Fortunately, there was Bronya, who had specifically collected information on the contestants. "Jozaki Byakuya, right? We really do have quite a connection."

"Eh? Her name is Byakuya too?" Asagi Momiji looked around, her tone quite lively.

"Oh, right, right, I am..."

"Bronya knows, Asagi Momiji, right? Girls all like sweets, don't they?"

Bronya sat in her seat, using one hand to scoop some sweets onto a plate and offering it to Asagi Momiji, a faint smile on her delicate face.

Soon, the group was chatting together.

"So you were all here~"

A gentle voice sounded behind Byakuya. A pair of slender arms wrapped around Byakuya's neck, and Yakushi Kiriko pressed herself against him. "Big sister isn't late, is she?"

56. Commotion and Calm

"Of course not."

Byakuya's tone was very gentle as he naturally took some sweets from the table and offered them to Kiriko. "Never late."

"Little White is so sweet."

Kiriko gave a gentle smile. Without any reservation, she parted her moist lips and elegantly took a bite. "This is delicious. Little White picked out what Big Sister likes, didn't you?"

Since others were present, Kiriko didn't display excessive intimacy and soon released Byakuya, sitting down beside him. "Bronya, let Big Sister see~"

"Kiriko-nee."

Bronya couldn't refuse Kiriko. After all, they were both girls, and a little closeness was fine.

emmm...

Beside them, Jozaki's glasses reflected a flash of white light—only he seemed to see something within it. But a smart person would naturally make a wise choice.

After a brief silence, he quietly turned his head, chatting about trivial matters with Asagi Momiji and Morohoshi Yudai.

In the elegant banquet hall, representatives of the contestants mingled. But abruptly…

"Looks like someone's causing trouble?"

Byakuya and Morohoshi Yudai exchanged glances, then quietly stood up and led the others toward the commotion.

Not long before, Sarah Labudrili had approached Ikki, demanding he pose as her nude model, which had caused quite a stir.

—The singular obsession of an artist.

However, in reality, Byakuya's physique surpassed Ikki's. But unfortunately… Sarah had missed her chance and didn't get to see it.

During the previous attack on Broken Blade Academy, Shinomiya Amane had made a wish for her desires to be fulfilled. But such interference was ineffective against Byakuya, only affecting Sarah:

Sarah's focus had wavered due to some distracting thoughts, and she hadn't noticed Byakuya's unique qualities. Thus, she let the best model slip away without trying to keep him.

The same happened this time.

—Due to her extremely frail constitution, Sarah had already been carried away before Byakuya arrived.

The source of the incident was someone else: Tadara Yui, who hailed from a killer background and harbored an extremely heavy killing intent.