Dual Souls, The Other Half is Bronya

Having grown up together day and night, Yakushi Kiriko naturally knew a thing or two about White Night.

"Bronya mentioned it before."

As she spoke, Bronya shifted her position on the bed, her full breasts pressed flat, nearly spilling from her chest. "The gears of fate have already begun to turn."

Let's not dwell on the girls' chatter. Soon enough, time arrived at the next day.

Kurogane Ikki was doing his usual morning training at the academy, with Stella now joining him. As he ran past a certain pier...

"I've been waiting for you, Kurogane Ikki."

A Tang Saber cut through the air, embedding itself in the ground not far from Ikki's feet, its sharp blade gleaming coldly. "I wonder if the Chairwoman mentioned it to you."

"Come forth and serve me, Dragon Sinner Sword!"

"Clang~"

But a deep blue longsword intercepted the golden greatsword. Bronya's silver hair fluttered in the wind, giving her a crisp, gallant air. "Too slow to deploy."

Her slender wrist exerted a force utterly disproportionate to its size, forcing Stella back, and Bronya retreated in turn.

"Stella!"

Kurogane Ikki called out to stop Stella, then turned his gaze to the two blocking his path. "If I'm not mistaken, you two must be the Twin Fangs of Lightning that Chairwoman Kurogane mentioned?"

"It seems the Chairwoman did tell you."

White Night stepped forward slowly, looking completely unguarded, unhurriedly pulling Myriad Phenomena from the ground where it was stuck, his left hand gently and slowly stroking the blade.

Bronya also put away Silver Wings and walked to White Night's side. "But the Chairwoman never said we couldn't meet privately."

"How about we be friends, Kurogane Ikki?" White Night held his blade in one hand while extending the other toward Ikki.

7. Clash of Swordsmen

"Come, Yin Iron!"

Kurogane Ikki and White Night stared at each other for a long moment. Then, the glow of Inherent Gear shone in his hand—he could clearly sense the aura of a "swordsman"!

Since they were swordsmen, they would naturally communicate through the swords in their hands. Gripping the hilt with both hands, Kurogane Ikki assumed a stance.

"???"

Only Stella was completely lost. She had talent, but it manifested more in her Magic Power than in pure swordsmanship.

"Alright, alright, come over here." Bronya stepped forward and led Stella out of the combat circle.

"Clang! Clang, clang!"

A series of blade clashes, accompanied by bursts of sparks. Almost from the moment the fight began, both sides had already launched into a fierce exchange of sword techniques.

Of course, White Night was holding back his strength here—after all, one couldn't compare physiques across the board.

"Good, Kurogane Ikki, you haven't disappointed me!"

Though the Qin Shi World favored swords more, blades and swords were interchangeable to a degree, and in the Far East, they weren't even distinguished. Thus, White Night's sword techniques...

Myriad Phenomena shifted slightly, drawing a blade of light that arced toward Kurogane Ikki—"Clang—!"

A heavy, powerful strike, but it was still easily blocked. Kurogane Ikki adjusted his center of gravity slightly, then suddenly exploded with force, launching a counterattack against White Night.

--Seventh Secret Sword: Lightning!

"Clang~"

Good timing, but it still missed—what White Night had gained from the Qin Shi World wasn't just technique, but also the battle instinct practically branded into his body!

White Night predicted the trajectory of the strike, leaning back to dodge by a hair's breadth, then countered with a thrust.

"Ding—!"

The tip of Myriad Phenomena struck the blade of Yin Iron, the immense force forcing Kurogane Ikki to retreat, but he still managed to block it.

"Has your Mimicry Swordplay seen through me yet?"

"Don't joke around. There are so many schools mixed in there that just keeping up with your sword takes everything I've got."

After all, it was just a spar. Once they created distance, both sides had the breath to exchange a few words.

"See? They're having so much fun~"

Off to the side, Bronya leaned against the wall, chatting with Stella.

"Clang, clang—!"

The battle resumed. Countless sword shadows flew, their true forms nearly indistinguishable, only sparks flickering on and off.

Ikki absorbed a wealth of experience from the fight, his skills growing silently. Unfortunately... that wasn't enough to suppress White Night. He wasn't the only one improving.

Perhaps White Night didn't have Ikki's talent, but the sword mastery accumulated over a long time was enough to fuel his continued growth.

"Ikki, there are still some schools..."

"Clang~clang~"

Beneath the crimson sparks, White Night's eyes were exceptionally bright, his spirits high. "I've been figuring some of these out on my own. I wonder if you can complete them."

Another heavy blow forced Kurogane Ikki back. White Night wrapped his left hand in Magic Power as a sheath, sliding Myriad Phenomena's blade into it...

A lot of things are recorded on the internet. Since infinite worlds exist within the Sea of Quanta... there's no reason those sword techniques can't be trained, right?

--Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu Ryusho!

It might differ from the original, but the core remains unchanged: unparalleled speed!

"Clang!"

The ultra-high-speed slash cut through the air, forming a sharp Sword Qi in midair that tore the earth apart—the so-called "Weasel Slash Phenomenon."

"Truly a stunning slash."

"But it's not enough. This technique has a second stage. Unfortunately, I've never seen it; mimicking it from books always feels like something's missing."

White Night put away Myriad Phenomena. The sparring ended here. He stepped forward and reached out a hand to pull Kurogane Ikki up. "Still, I didn't expect you to block it."

That was an ultimate move he'd never shown before! Even so, it still failed to achieve a "first-strike kill." But in a way, it was entirely within expectations.

"I barely managed to block it myself." Ikki grabbed White Night's outstretched hand and used the momentum to stand up from the ground.

Once the sparring was over, that burst of excitement faded, and Ikki looked a bit embarrassed. "Uh, well... thank you very much for sparring with me, Yakushi-san!"

"I... how should I put it? Anyway, thank you so much!"

It had been far, far too long. As an F-Rank Knight, no one had ever been willing to spar with him. All he usually felt was pure malice and mockery...

"No need. Your sword was worth it. Didn't you just prove that a moment ago?"

"Bronya thinks it's about time to leave. Private fights, damaging public property... how many school rules did we break?"

Emmm...

Even without Magic Power enhancement, two people with A-rank physical stats—just the Sword Qi from their blade slashes was enough to cause destruction. The entire pier was a mess.

Bronya didn't bother with the two of them. She turned and walked away, leaving only a flat remark: "Getting caught red-handed, turning yourself in, and paying compensation—there's a fundamental difference between the two."

"What are you standing around for? Hurry up and follow." As his other half, White Night reacted first and waved for Ikki to make a run for it.

Ikki scratched his head, glancing at the masterpiece they'd left behind, looking a bit sheepish. "Isn't this a bit much?"

"Why overthink it? Worst case, we write a self-criticism. It's not like we haven't done it before."

"???"

What did you just say? I didn't catch that... Then, Ikki watched as Bronya transformed her Inherent Gear into a motorcycle, White Night hopped on with practiced ease, and they sped off.

"... Is that really an Inherent Gear?"

"Don't look at me. I don't know."

He had to admit, Bronya's control over her Inherent Gear really blew both their minds.

After that bout, morning training naturally couldn't continue. And then... well, it was back to the familiar office.

"White Night, Bronya. You two again?" Chairwoman Kurogane calmly puffed on her cigarette, smoke swirling around her intellectual face.

"It was White Night who started it. Bronya had nothing to do with it." Bronya's expression was indifferent as she threw her teammate under the bus without hesitation, even if he was her other half.

"... And what do you think, White Night?" Kurogane's gaze swept over the four of them, finally settling on White Night.

But would White Night be afraid? He straightened his spine. "I've heard a quote before."

[A person's life goes through three stages of growth.]

[The first is understanding right from wrong.]

[The second is realizing that some things aren't just about right and wrong.]

[The third is, after understanding that some things aren't just about right and wrong, still firmly doing what you believe in and taking responsibility for it.]

The philosophical quote made the few present fall into thought. But... when Chairwoman Kurogane snapped out of it—

"That quote is indeed thought-provoking. But are you sure this is the right place to apply it?"

Before long, Ikki, Stella, and Bronya filed out of the office one by one, leaving only White Night inside. "See? Bronya told you there'd be nothing to worry about."

Emmm... So this is the [Twin Fangs of Lightning]? How "loving"~

8. Opening Ceremony

"Yo~ Ikki, out for morning training?"

On the school's walkway, White Night, dressed in a pure white tracksuit, caught up with the two who were training and easily matched their pace.

Ikki nodded in greeting to White Night. "Yeah. And, sorry about the trouble last time."

"What are you talking about~"

White Night slapped Ikki on the back, looking completely unbothered by being thrown under the bus last time. "What trouble? I started it, so of course I should take the blame."

"Besides... how do you know that wasn't something Bronya and I planned beforehand?"

!!!

Seeing Ikki's shocked look, White Night gave a carefree smile and patted his shoulder firmly. "Sacrificing one of us is better than everyone suffering, don't you think?"

"Hey! You guys... haah~... what are you talking about?"

Stella was a step behind. Before she could even finish the full course, she was already panting heavily, on the verge of collapse from exhaustion.

Ikki and White Night saw this and slowed their pace slightly, letting Stella catch up. "Haah~ haah~... Come to think of it, didn't Bronya come along?"

"That one's still buried in her futon. She's not great with physical fitness—mainly focuses on training her control, so her schedule isn't as strict."

???

She! Not great with physical fitness? You're lying to ghosts! Even if it was just that one clash at the docks, Stella had a vivid impression of that monstrous strength that didn't match her appearance.

"I recall Bronya's physical fitness is rated A, right?" Ikki had seen the data Hei Nai provided before, saying it with slight uncertainty.

"Heh~ Even within A-rank, there are gaps."

White Night kept a steady pace, barely out of breath as he spoke. "Take Stella, for example—she's nearly thirty times the average, yet her Magic Power is still rated A, isn't it? There's no A+ in the rankings."

Ikki and White Night finished the full course one after the other, then waited at the finish line for Stella.

After a long wait, she finally staggered up, her physical strength almost completely drained.

"Good work, Miss Stella."

"Call me Stella!"

Ikki was replenishing fluids, looking fairly relaxed; as for White Night? That guy hadn't even broken a sweat, like he hadn't exercised at all. "Running the full course really isn't easy~"

"Look, Stella, I only run 20 kilometers every day because I'm used to it. You don't have to push yourself to keep up with me."