Dual Souls, The Other Half is Bronya

"As an elder, I can't just let little Edel be snatched away by a bad man."

"Eh? N-no, it's not like that, I just..."

Edelweiss couldn't explain herself for a moment, reflexively picking up her cup and taking a sip of "water" to calm her nerves.

And then...

QAQ

Bitter again, Edelweiss became even unhappier, her gaze unconsciously drifting out the window.

"So lost in thought, are you at the venue?"

Tsukikage also leaned closer. From his closer position, he followed Edelweiss's gaze... a small area, but he could still roughly pinpoint it.

—It was right where Byakuya was.

"It seems to be all students? Kurogane Ikki... doesn't seem like it. This is even more impossible, so then..."

Beside Byakuya, there were only a few boys. After a simple process of elimination, "The kid from the Yakushi family? Although he's a bit famous, he shouldn't be related to you."

"Edel, can you tell me how you two met?"

Although Kiko and Byakuya were close in the venue, as long as it wasn't excessive behavior, it could be attributed to them being "siblings." Tsukikage didn't pay much attention.

"Morohoshi, you guys chat for a bit, I need to step out for a moment." Sensing a familiar gaze, Byakuya excused himself from the group and quickly withdrew.

Walking to a deserted area, Byakuya looked around, confirmed there were no surveillance cameras, and activated Elementalization.

A bolt of electricity surged through the power system, discreetly reaching the smoking area.

"Are you missing me, little Edel?"

Immediately after, the lightning bolt rapidly transformed into a human figure. Byakuya greeted Edelweiss first, and then...

He looked at Tsukikage Bakuga, quickly locking onto relevant information. He walked behind Edelweiss and naturally put his arm around her. "If I recall correctly..."

"Hello, Mr. Tsukikage. It might be sudden, but please entrust little Edel to me."

"Eh? Eh!!!"

If Tsukikage Bakuga was merely surprised... then Edelweiss was completely flustered and embarrassed, her pretty face flushing red, her small hands waving erratically in confusion.

58. You're leaving?

After a small interlude, Edelweiss turned her back, ignoring the two people beside her, and sulked alone.

"If you don't mind, I'll call you Byakuya."

Tsukikage extinguished the cigarette butt in his hand. "When you came over just now, you seemed to have transformed into a bolt of electricity, right?"

"With that level of skill, coming here to compete is basically bullying, isn't it?"

"But I'm not over the age limit, am I?"

Byakuya just smiled, unconcerned. "They can't disqualify someone just because they're too strong, right? If you go by that logic, Stella, Ouma, Ikki... every single one of them should be disqualified."

"..."

Speechless.

"Don't worry, I'm not interested in the championship. After all... I originally went to Broken Blade Academy for little Edel."

His eyes met Tsukikage's through his glasses. "That's right, I saw it~"

"During the Dawn Academy incident, to stop Kurono and Ning Yin, little Edel would appear at that time. That's the 'future'."

"...So it was you?"

This time, the instigator had finally been found... It was you who told Takizawa, right! Tsukikage took a deep breath. "Since you saw it, then regarding 'that future'..."

"I didn't see far enough."

After all, it was just an excuse, and it wasn't useful at this moment. Byakuya shrugged. "But it's okay, someone will step up when the time comes."

"Byakuya, aren't you participating?"

When it came to these matters, Edelweiss no longer cared about being shy and turned around to ask Byakuya.

"Edel, is this guy really that strong?"

—In that future, Edelweiss couldn't participate, as she was still a wanted fugitive. If Byakuya were to get involved, he couldn't be weak.

Still lacking any decisive achievements, Tsukikage couldn't figure out Byakuya's exact strength at all.

"Are you referring to a Demon? I already am."

As he spoke, Byakuya released a small wisp of his aura, allowing Tsukikage to feel it more clearly.

"It really is..."

"But it's not enough."

Byakuya interrupted Tsukikage, shaking his head helplessly. "I'm still not strong enough. Just being a 'Demon' without 'Transcendent Awakening'... is far from enough."

"So after this Seven Star Sword Martial Festival, I'll probably go somewhere very, very far away to train."

A hand reached out, landing softly in Byakuya's palm. He tilted his head slightly, meeting Edelweiss's concerned gaze. "I'm fine, Little Ai."

He gently squeezed Edelweiss's small hand. Then, Byakuya turned to Tsukikage again. "I don't know when I'll be back, so don't count on me for this."

"And about the Demon~"

Byakuya brought his left hand, two fingers together, to his lips. "It's not necessarily just those few. Just watch closely, this year's Seven Star Sword Martial Festival... is going to be very interesting."

"..."

Tsukikage fell silent. Seeing Byakuya's demeanor, it was clear he wasn't going to say any more, so he could only smile helplessly. "Alright, then I'll be looking forward to it."

"Oh, and don't trust that Joker too much. Behind him is a sociopathic Puppet Master."

After the banquet ended, Morohoshi and his group departed, and Byakuya left the smoking area with Edelweiss.

Back at the hotel, Byakuya had already showered and changed into a loose bathrobe. Just then...

Click~

The sound of the door lock being opened.

Immediately, a pure white figure opened the door and entered—Edelweiss.

"What are you doing here, Little Ai?"

Ever since they established their relationship, they had gotten along very well. Whether it was sword practice or making desserts, the two of them... including Bronya, could talk about anything.

However, only when it came to sleeping... it was a bit of self-deception, Edelweiss slept with Bronya. They were both girls, and couldn't take things to the final step.

"You're leaving?"

Her voice was still light and airy. But this time... Byakuya detected a slight tremor. "Very, very far away. From what you're saying, you don't plan on taking me with you, do you?"

I'm just going on a trip...

That's what Byakuya initially wanted to say. But when he turned to look at Little Ai... all the words of refusal in his heart simply wouldn't come out.

"You can't go, Little Ai."

Byakuya walked closer step by step, approaching Little Ai cautiously. His gentle movements were also a form of testing.

Seeing that she didn't resist, Byakuya proceeded to the next step, pulling Little Ai into a firm embrace. "I haven't told you yet, but I'm not from this world."

"...Are there other worlds?"

"Of course."

This was true affection; otherwise, Byakuya wouldn't have revealed such a secret. "I've traveled through many, though not too many? Only three."

"One is my original world. Where abilities awaken, and I went from an ordinary life to the extraordinary;"

"Then there's 'Hitori no Shita.' You don't need to understand this, Little Ai. Just know that I had a master there who laid the foundation for me;"

"And after that..."

Byakuya didn't go into too much detail. After all, worlds... were too distant.

Edelweiss listened quietly. It wasn't until Byakuya finished speaking that she tilted her head up slightly to look at him. "Three worlds, so how old are you, Byakuya?"

"Eh, Little Ai, are you looking down on me? Don't be like that, I'm a young man who's forever seventeen."

"Heh heh~ Just kidding."

Neither of them was ordinary. Even with such shocking news, Edelweiss could maintain her composure.

Moreover, Byakuya had shared such a secret with her, which showed his sincerity. Then she too...

—Before, she had reservations. But Byakuya, Edelweiss was also hesitating. But at this moment, they had truly opened their hearts to each other.

And besides...

When sleeping, Edelweiss chose to sleep with Bronya. In that case, she had already made her choice, hadn't she? Now it was just a step further.

"Byakuya."

Edelweiss called out gently.

She had many questions: Do you have to go? Why? Can you stay... and so on.

But in the end, she said nothing. At their level, once a decision was made, it wouldn't be easily changed. And she was 'Biyoku'!

—What she should do was not to hinder Byakuya. Even though she might be able to persuade him, "Byakuya, go ahead and do it. I'm here in this world."

"...Little Ai."

Byakuya understood what Little Ai meant. He lowered his head slightly, their foreheads touching... at this distance, he could clearly feel her moist breath.

An ambiguous atmosphere instantly filled the room, and even the lights seemed to be tinged with pink.

"Byakuya, have you done this before?"

"I hadn't settled down in those three worlds, so how could I have had the mind to think about such things?"

"Mm."

Having received her answer, Edelweiss was about to gather her courage when she saw Byakuya kiss her, saying as he kissed her, "There's no reason for a girl to make the first move."

Their affection deepened…

Clothes scattered around the bedside. Byakuya gently laid Edelweiss on the bed, looking directly into her eyes. "Little Ai, I love you."

"Mmm, I love you too, Byakuya."

Since Byakuya was leaving, what was there to be shy about? Edelweiss wrapped her smooth arms around Byakuya, responding with deep affection.

"Click~"

With the sound of a switch, the lights suddenly dimmed, leaving only faint breaths in the room…

59. Interlude

The next day, the room was dim with the curtains drawn, but the clothes scattered messily on the floor were still visible, some even torn.

Byakuya woke up early but didn't rush to get out of bed. Instead, he propped himself up and lay on his side, admiring Little Ai's sleeping face.

Her soft silver hair spread out, covering Little Ai's smooth, fair, bare back. Little Ai slept peacefully, her face serene.

So cute~

A faint smile unconsciously appeared on Byakuya's face as he reached out and gently brushed aside a few strands of Little Ai's hair.

「Byakuya」

A telepathic message came through.

—Last night, Bronya cut off the interaction in time, but she still couldn't sleep well.

Now that Byakuya was awake, it was time to settle the score. "You had a great time last night, didn't you?"

"The whole night… you didn't stop all night!!! Did you even consider Bronya's feelings?!!"