Dual Souls, The Other Half is Bronya

"That's right, and besides, I'm here too." White Night sat on the park bench, leaning forward and waving at Stella.

Emmm...

(╯°Д°)╯︵┻━┻

"You bastard!"

Stella held back for a moment, her fair little hands clenched into tight fists, before finally exploding!

Seeing this, White Night wisely retreated and shoved Ikki forward as a human shield. This left Stella unable to vent her anger. "Eh, I-Ikki..."

"Relax, I'm actually fine."

"Mm, but it wasn't necessary. You have a massive amount of Magic Power that can compensate for your stamina..."

"I really am fine! See, I ran the whole course, didn't I?" Stella pressed aggressively toward Ikki, choking the second half of his sentence in his throat.

"...You really are stubborn, Stella. Here." He handed her the sports drink he'd already been drinking from.

But Stella's reaction... well, she seemed to fall into some kind of delusion, her entire face flushed bright red.

White Night had seen this in anime before, but it was still more interesting in real life. Watching from the sidelines, he found it quite amusing. "Hey, why don't you two just get married right here and now?"

"E-E-Eh?!?! M-M-M-Marriage?!" Stella's face exploded red, instantly turning into a steam engine.

"Ahem~ White Night, don't go making random matches." It wasn't just Stella—even Ikki couldn't stay calm when this topic came up.

"Alright, alright, I'm just joking~"

White Night didn't call them out on it and just went along with the flow. And if he remembered correctly...

"By the way, Ikki, you looked especially happy earlier. Did something good happen?"

"Ah, right. My little sister is coming to study at this school today. I haven't seen her in almost four years."

Emmm... Stella's gaze locked onto him. "Hey, when you say 'little sister,' you don't mean one of those non-blood-related types, do you?"

"Just ordinary siblings by blood."

"Then no problem."

"What did you mean by 'no problem' just now..."

Watching the two of them interact, White Night smiled without a word. Who said blood-related siblings were no problem? Ever heard of German orthopedics? And if that wasn't enough... there was always the Regeneration Pod~

Once they'd talked enough, White Night popped up again and patted Ikki on the shoulder. "Ikki, if you ever end up in orthopedics, remember to come find me. I've dabbled a bit in medicine myself."

"Welcome, new students, to our school. I am your homeroom teacher, Oregi Yuri. This is my first time as a homeroom teacher, so I'm still a fresh and shiny new instructor..."

On the podium, Oregi Yuri tried her best to use a cheerful tone to welcome the incoming freshmen, but...

Her ghastly pale complexion and the heavy dark circles around her eyes made her look like she had absolutely nothing to do with the word "spirit."

So this is Oregi Yuri~

In their classroom seats, White Night and Bronya naturally sat side by side, inseparable. The two watched the podium with interest, inwardly clicking their tongues in amazement.

"Today is the first day of school, so we won't have class."

"But there's one thing the teacher needs to announce—it's about the selection of representatives for the [Seven Star Sword Martial Festival]."

"Until last year, the school used ability values as the standard to screen representative candidates. However, starting this year, the ability value selection system will be abolished and replaced with a 'practical selection system.'"

"The entire student body will hold a selection battle, and the six students who ultimately win will represent the school in the [Seven Star Sword Martial Festival]."

"The match schedule and opponents will be sent to everyone's student handbook via email, so please be sure to check carefully~"

"Teacher." Stella raised her hand to speak.

But Oregi Yuri wasn't having it, openly acting cute in class. "No, no—if you don't call me 'Ari-chan,' I won't answer you~"

Emmm...

"A-Ari-chan, about the specific schedule... roughly how many matches will there be in total?"

"At least ten matches per person, I'd say. You can think of it as having a match about every three days."

"Of course, those who aren't interested can also forfeit without it affecting their grades. But... the teacher thinks this is a very good system that gives everyone an equal opportunity~"

"So please, everyone, give it a try!"

"Now then, everyone, give it your all for the coming year! Everyone, follow me..."

With that, Oregi Yuri, like a youthful girl, was about to cheer on the new students, and then...

"Pwah--!"

A sudden spurt of blood erupted from Oregi Yuri's mouth, leaving everyone staring in stunned disbelief.

White Night and Bronya, however, exchanged a knowing smile. Mmhm~ They'd finally seen it—this spectacle that could almost be called a world wonder.

"The teacher is dead aaaaa!!!"

"Ahem... c-classmates, d-don't worry... the teacher is... just physically weak."

"The teacher has... ahem~ since childhood, a-always had a constitution that spits out one liter of blood every day..."

That said, the weak expression on her face as she spoke made it look like she could keel over at any moment. Or rather... the fact that Oregi Yuri had survived this long was practically a miracle in human history~

"It's really a wonder you've made it this far..."

As she spoke, White Night and Bronya also stepped in to help, assisting Ikki in carrying Oregi Yuri to the infirmary.

9. "Ordinary" siblings, huh~

"Ari-chan really... she practically coughed up a fountain of blood. How can anyone feel at ease with her like this~"

Leaving the infirmary, the group walked down the corridor, with Stella still muttering under her breath. And just then...

A small figure pounced from behind. White Night and Bronya tacitly stepped aside. "Kurogane-senpai! Finally got to talk to you!"

Kusagabe Kagami—a head of light blonde, fluffy short hair paired with glasses, looking quite cute. Of course, the most important thing was her "size"!

"Y-you you... what are you doing, Ikki!"

"I'd like to ask the same."

Kagami wrapped one of Ikki's arms in her embrace, her ample bosom pressing down. "I'm Kusagabe Kagami, in the same class as you. I'm a huge fan of senpai!"

"Fan?!"

The three of them tangled up ahead. As for White Night and Bronya? Naturally, they were watching the show from behind, occasionally throwing in comments. "Ooh, Ikki's blushing~"

"He's still an innocent boy after all. Hmm, Stella looks angry." Bronya's tone was as flat as ever, tinged with a hint of babyishness.

As her words fell, Stella huffed, shook off Ikki, and stormed ahead on her own.

Seeing this, Ikki probably figured his wife was more important? He struggled free from Kagami with some effort and chased after her. And then...

"I finally found you."

A voice rang out at that moment—Kurogane Shizuku! Ikki's cute little sister had arrived, with pure white short hair, giving off a very quiet and gentle impression.

◆A classic scene is coming!

Seeing this, White Night and Bronya quickly took their positions, picking out the best spectator seats for themselves on the side.

"Long time no see, big brother."

Shizuku stepped closer, one step at a time, and greeted Ikki in front of him. At least for now, there was nothing unusual.

"Shizuku...? I almost didn't recognize you. I was planning to go find you next." At this moment, Ikki still hadn't realized the severity of the situation.

"Got the camera ready?" (White Night)

"Of course~ Heavy Rabbit!" (Bronya)

A deep blue camera appeared in her hand. Since they'd already added a katana mode, occasionally moonlighting as a camera shouldn't be a problem, right?

"It's fine, I couldn't wait any longer, big brother..."

Shizuku said quietly, then suddenly tackled Ikki, pressing her lovely face close... The shadows cast on the corridor, the light tightly stitched together by the darkness.

"Whoa!!!"

Stella's shock, Kusagabe Kagami's excitement, and the two troublemakers who'd been waiting for this.

Immediately after, a rapid series of camera flashes went off.

As expected of someone aspiring to build a journalism department—this photography skill was professional! Kagami adjusted her posture to better capture this moment from different angles.

Emm...

"It seems Bronya needs to learn a thing or two in this area." Bronya put away her camera. With her amateur level, she might as well just ask for a copy later.

After a long moment, their lips parted. Shizuku opened her emerald-green eyes and gazed tenderly at Kurogane Ikki, her breath like orchid fragrance. "I've always wanted to see you..."

"I, I said Ikki! Wh-what are you doing!" The one who couldn't sit still the most was, as expected, Stella.

"I-I don't know either!"

"Of course it's a kiss~"

Shizuku, on the other hand, was still aggressively sharp. "A kiss is an expression of love. Even lovers, connected by such shallow and fragile feelings, can do it, so..."

"For a brother and sister bound by a solid bond to kiss is only natural. Besides, in foreign countries, it's just like a greeting."

"Is that so?" Ikki still seemed a bit dazed.

"No, it's not!"

Stella's face was bright red as she refuted with all her might. "In my country, siblings don't kiss like that!"

"I don't think they do in other countries either." Kusagabe Kagami added.

"Other families are other families; our family is our family. Think about the longing we've built up over four years. Even if we were to show our affection on a night date now, it'd be as simple as a greeting..."

"No, it's not!!!" x2

This shocking declaration naturally drew refutations from Stella and Kagami on the side.

But there were still troublemakers. White Night sidled up and said in a teasing tone, "Ooh, Ikki, if you ever end up in the orthopedics ward... call me, I'll give you a discount~"

"White Night, stop messing around."

Ikki pushed White Night away, then placed both hands on Shizuku's shoulders and said quite seriously, "Shizuku, girls shouldn't talk about things like this, got it?"

"I was just joking~"

Her tone was flat, impossible to tell truth from fiction. Then Shizuku's words took a sharp turn. "But if big brother wishes for something like that..."

She leaned in to kiss him again. This time, however, Stella grabbed her from behind. "No way!"

"Snap out of it, Ikki!" Pulling Shizuku away, Stella replaced her atop Ikki.

Then the two girls squared off, trading another round of shocking remarks that could have been the drama of the year.

After learning about Ikki and Stella's "servant" relationship, Shizuku's gaze turned gentle—and ominous. "Is it true? Big brother, I'm asking you: is it true?"

"Well... that... for now, I guess it's true? I mean, the part about the bed later..."

But unfortunately, Shizuku had no patience to hear more. A low-pressure aura radiated from her, faintly terrifying.

"Um... Miss Shizuku?"

"Surge, Yoi Shigure!"

A flash of Inherent Gear light flared. Shizuku held a kodachi, her voice utterly flat. "My attribute is water. I can take down that fire-attribute Miss Stella."

"Aid me, Dragon Sinner Sword!"

Ikki tried to stop Shizuku, but behind him, a golden greatsword materialized as well.

"Boom—!"

A thunderous roar shook the entire corridor!