26. Oh Sister, My Sister!
「Kaori」
At the wheel of a pristine black luxury car, Kojou Kaori, treasured daughter of the renowned Lord and Lady Kojou, sits tapping the polished wheel. Her dark eyes stare out of the windscreen, searching for her target with refined precision. Elegance drips from her; from the perfect makeup that accentuates the razor-sharp lines of her face, to the bespoke suit that costs the average person's yearly salary. Her nails are blood-red claws against the dark steering wheel. Curled in anticipation, like a hawk on the hunt, for she herself is hunting.
Low buildings surround her. Her eyes are locked on the facade of a Guild branch office. One of the dingier ones, in one of the city's… less fortunate neighborhoods. Irritation scratches at her skin. It is below her to even be here.
If only the matter wasn't so delicate.
When information made it's way up the chain to her, it was either specifically requested, or someone fucked up. People knew their place. They knew what warranted her attention and what didn't. None would dare to come to her with the irrelevant or the trivial.
When the captain of a ship demands full steam ahead, they do not care for what the people in the machine room do. They expect their ship to move, and if the machine room calls, they better have a good reason for why.
It had been on her morning itinerary. Kojou Katsumi. She had made it explicitly clear, that should her youngest brother show up in any relevant way on the network, she was to be informed immediately. Father had endured enough humiliation. She would spare him the indignity of more.
Yet… this was unexpected.
It had been the Guild who had called. Some girl was using her brother’s name, only in a different spelling. She would have sent it back, let them handle it internally, if it hadn't been for that photo.
Whatever this was, it demanded a more… personal touch.
She'd put out feelers to all the guild branches afterward, demanding they inform her if anyone using that name appeared. The alert had come soon after, and she'd gone straight here, without even a bodyguard and—to her indignity—driving herself. Such a delicate matter requires no witnesses.
Her nails tap faster against the wheel. A frown pulls her bright-red lips downward into a trademark scowl that has cowed many a person into submission.
Her other brothers knew their place. Luxury in exchange for loyalty. Fame and renown in exchange for submission. The faces of the family while she was father's heir. The only one shrewd and ruthless enough to ensure their domination over this city. Katsumi had never known his place. Always the runt, the troublemaker. He had never fallen in line, yet lacked the courage to challenge her.
Still… She remembered the weeks before his disownment. He had been… different, after the car accident. At first their parents had thought it an effect of the head trauma, or him coming to terms with how narrowly he had evaded death. Yet as the weeks went on and he refused to do anything but laze about, concern had turned to disdain. After years of embarasing calls from his schools, and eventually his college due to his acting out, this had been the final straw. He was a Kojou, and Kojous had duties. If he would not fulfill his, then he would forfeit their honor and their wealth.
In the end, he had left without a word. She still remembered his expression. Lifeless. Like he couldn't care less what happened to him.
On her phone, Kaori stares at the Guild ID with narrowed eyes, eyeliner sharp as a blade.
■ ■ ■
「Chie」
"We were so awesome!" Katsumi exclaims, bouncing up and down.
Her skirts bounce with her, rising and falling like the tendrils of an exited jellyfish. Ironic, considering the octopus demon we've just put down. The girls all stand around me while I count out and divide our earnings, the dull admin wing of the Guild office around us. I always choose to come to this branch since I work here. I know everyone who works the booths. It makes everything quicker.
All in all, with the winnings from the demon and the fee from the love hotel, all of us are looking at a decent fifty-five K worth of yen. Not bad for a single C-class.
Haruki slaps Katsumi on the back. "Hell yeah we were. And that quick thinking with the naginata? Beautiful. Couldn't have done it better myself."
Katsumi is beaming as bright as the sun. Her smile is infectious and I find myself smiling with her.
"Where'd you start using one of those, miko?" Mayumi asks. "Thought you a sword girl."
"Oh, the uh…" Her eyes dart around suspiciously and her voice lowers. "The… my teacher… showed me. I think I still need practice tho…"
Mayumi's eyes narrow, but Haruki says, "Of course you do. We'll work on it if you're thinking of making that your primary weapon."
I pass out our spoils, starting with Hotaru first. To her I say, "And you're—again—the only reason we're still alive. So thanks."
She gives me a little smile, taking the envelope with the cash. We could just get direct deposits, but I always prefer analog to digital. Ironic, I know.
"Oh you don't have to say anything," she grins.
Mayumi snorts. "Sunshine, without you we'd be a bunch of blood and guts at the bottom of a stairwell. Ugh… What a way to go…"
Hotaru grimaces at the descriptive imagery.
"I know… good thing you have me." Her smile comes out again.
I bonk her with my shoulder, touching my head to hers. "I mean it. I uh…" I swallow. "It got scary back there."
Scary is a bit of an understatement. For a brief second I was sure I was going to die and nothing could be done about it.
She gives me a little hug.
"As long as we stay together, we'll be fine."
"Yeah."
I continue with passing out the cash while the girls chat about what they plan on doing for the rest of the day. Naps being the tip-top priority. As I go, I catch somebody out of the corner of my eye. At first only a dark shape, as I focus, I am met with one of the most beautiful and terrifying women I have ever seen.
She's tall. Taller than Katsumi, but a bit less than Haruki. The suit she wears is a simple black, but… dark as the night. Her heels are shining that same black. Really the only color I see comes from her is her scarlet lips and nails, fingers currently wrapped around a phone. She's staring at it… almost… blankly. Like she isn't actually looking at it.
All at once I am struck with the fact that this woman is way too rich to be here. Its in her posture and the quality of her clothing. Her demeanor practically oozes wealth.
I return to my task, but as I pass Katsumi her share, I hear the clack of heels against the floor. I don't even have to turn to know exactly who speaks.
"Hello." The word brushes my ears like a winter wind. Chilling and biting all at once. "I was wondering if you can help me."
Before me, Katsumi's eyes widen as large as I've ever seen them. I raise my brows. She only looks at me, a flash of fear in her eye.
Curious.
I turn. The woman in black stands before us. Her gaze cuts like a blade, slashing across Haruki, Hotaru, and Mayumi, coming to rest on me.
My lips part. Hesitant. "Yes? What can we help you with?"
Her eyes bore into me, dark as the suit she wears. Her chin lowers almost imperceptibly.
"I am looking for a hunter named Kojou Katsumi. Do you know where I could find-" the hesitation is barely there, but I catch it. "-him?"
The Katsumi in question is close enough to me that I can hear the gasp she stifles. At once I make my decision. Twisting my lips in an expression of thought I say, "Katsumi…?"
I hum and ask Mayumi, "You ever hear of a Katsumi? One of the people you work with?"
Mayumi looks at me oddly, but raises an eyebrow. "Nah. Never met a Katsumi. Or a Kojou. What about you babe?"
Haruki frowns and shrugs.
"Nope," she says with a lower voice. My lips twitch. She's doing the thing where she pretends to be a dumb musclehead. All one-word answers and bored looks.
"Sorry," I say.
The woman doesn't react. Instead her eyes seem to look through me to Katsumi beyond.
Then, a dip of her chin.
"I see. Thank you for your help."
She turns on her heel and leaves. Those expensive heels clacking against the floor. We watch her in silence until the moment she exits the front doors. Then, almost as one, all of us turn on Katsumi.
"You know her," I say immediately. Not a question, and not spoken in accusation.
She worries her lip, but nods.
"Yeah… that's … my sister."
"What!" Mayumi exclaims. "Miss ice-queen?? And… you?!"
"I did see the resemblence…" Haruki mutters.
"What do you think she wanted?" I ask.
She shrugs.
"I don't know. We weren't very… close. But she didn't recognize me. That's good."
"Your family, they don't know about you?" Hotaru asks at my side.
Katsumi shakes her head.
That raises a question in my head but I don't voice it. Katsumi comes from money, that much is certain, but I don't feel like prying for things that she wouldn't want to tell me. Insted I look around and say.
"Come on, lets get out of here."
■ ■ ■
「Kaori」
Kaori smirks as she gets in the driver's seat of her car. What had started as an anoyance in the extreme has turned into the most interesting of surprises. Far beyond her wildest dreams.
She has a sister.
After entering the Guild branch, she had spotted Katsumi immediately. The girl in the photo was unmistakable. Only this Katsumi was not her brother. No, her youngest brother had been a sullen, cruel whelp of a boy. The girl that had been laughing and joking with that circle of women had been the exact opposite of her brother.
That Katsumi had moved with carefree grace. Had smiled openly with eyes that seemed to sparkle. Her brother had never looked like that. Not once. And more, Katsumi wore a well made costume. Of course… she had. Definitely hadn't lost the taste for the finer things. Once a Kojou, always a Kojou.
To anyone else, the Kojou Katsumi in that Guild branch would never be thought to be Kaori's Katsumi. Yet she knew her own flesh and blood, and the girl's resemblence to herself was clear as day. It was almost like looking into a mirror, minus a few more masculine features here and there. Imperceptable to anyone else.
She remembers the short interaction with unrestrained amusement. How stupid did Katsumi think her that she thought Kaori wouldn't recognize her own family? She had watched Katsumi grow up from a baby. It was absurd. Her sister had practically hidden—eyes low—behind that little nerd of a girl. Even surounded by friends, Kaori's sister still feared her.
A huff escapes Kaori's lips.
Good.
The little squad of girls exits the branch, tumbling out with easy smiles. They walk off down the street together. The very picture of happiness.
A grin splits Kaori's lips.
She rarely grins. But this… This is too good. Her sullen troublemaker of a brother was a girl all along. All that acting out at school, the rivalry he had with her. It was all the antics of a girl trying and failing to be a boy. Perhaps Katsumi had even been jealous of her. How very amusing.
And look at her now. A hunter in her own right. Following the family tradition with what appears to be unchecked glee. Perhaps Katsumi had needed to be cut loose, find her own path without the expectations of their mother and father. It was obviously working for her.
Kaori starts the car and drives away.
Still… Having a Kojou hunting outside the bounds of the family? It was an untenable situation. One Kaori could not let stand for long. Her sister would eventually make enough waves to be noticed, and once she was, then it was only a matter of time before her father's rivals sought to use Katsumi against them.
No. Katsumi would have to return to the fold.
Nails tap against the wheel.
Only if Kaori brought her new sister back, then the conditions that had stifled Katsumi would continue again, and who knows what that would do.
Her parents had cut Katsumi loose because she was an embarasment, yet it was a decision they never wanted to make. Losing a child was not a thing a parent desired. If she brought Katsumi back now, then there was a good chance it would only continue her parent's pain.
Kaori would not let that happen.
But that leaves only one option: She must observe from a distance, ready to reel her in if need be.
It would be a balancing act on a knife's edge. Katsumi's little journey of self-discovery would be allowed to continue, but the minute it became untenable for the family, Kaori would need to act.
Hopefully Katsumi will have gotten her shit together by then.
■ ■ ■
「Katsumi」
After our night partying and the early morning demon hunting session, I’m ready to just nap my day away.
But that’s not working.
The headache is back.
Those damn girly cocktails are a crime. They’re way too good to be this mean afterwards. Not fair!
But they aren’t the problem. Kaori, pretty boy’s big sister—MY big sister—manifesting out of nowhere like my worst nightmares come true, is.
She's so freaking scary.
My first weeks after reincarnation were rough. Everything felt wrong and off and foreign. Down to every aspect of my own body. I had to get used to the most basic things again and then everyone kept staring at me. Their looks I remember them so clearly. They all expected me to be someone I was so obviously not. They were waiting on pretty boy’s return, for my memories to come back, that I would be the person they all were familiar with, their Katsumi. Even I held out hope that I’d be graced with pretty boy’s memories, but nothing.
The person they loved was gone and I was there in his stead like an ulcer. An uninvited guest, a burden.
And then came the pity. The one that was so clearly visible in their eyes.
The looks that told me I was damaged goods, an invalid, the embarrassment of a son who tragically lost his mind.
It was a crushing feeling. I tried desperately to paint over my missing knowledge and unfamiliarity, but after a while, I could sense that they all knew I was pretending, not that I stopped.
It was better to pretend. It was better to try. It was better to keep up appearances. I wanted it to work, not that it did.
And throughout it all I was forced to be a guy, a man, a son! I wasn’t even allowed to be a girl, so I just broke down and shut myself in. The college dropped me due to no attendance and with that it was over.
All the while, pretty boy's two older brothers—my older brothers—same as my father and even my ill mother, they all were doting over me, except for Kaori. No, never Kaori, not her.
Big sis had nothing but suspicion in her hard eyes ever since I opened mine as pretty boy.
Not that she was ever mean or hostile. It was more as if she was constantly sitting there, her legs crossed, her posture stiff, and saying to me without words: Cut the crap, Katsumi!
So having her show up was a cold shower.
Glad I look nothing like the pretty boy of old when I crossdress, or this could’ve ended badly.
Can't image her being very happy that her little brother is out here pretending to be a girl.
I already saw her dragging me outside to give me the dressing-down of how I’m a disgrace to the family, a disgusting pervert, that I'm gross, that she’s going to tell on me.
What would father say…
Pretty boy was such an embarrassment… I’m even bigger one.
I know shit is going to hit the fan eventually, but I got a plan for that now. After a lot of digging in the demon-hunter database I finally found it the other night when I was looking into Tarō’s demons. I knew something like it had to exist, a very rare B-class demon who tortures its victims by changing their sex before devouring them.
So the idea is I’m just going to pretend I got hit by the sex-change powers of said demon and instead of fighting it, I’m gonna live out the rest of my days as a girl. Maybe it will garner me some sympathy or help while we’re at it. At least I won’t have to answer the questions of why I turned myself into a girl. It wouldn’t be my fault. I’d just be acquiescing to my fate.
Finding that demon also taught me why the [※MAGICAL SEX-CHANGE DEVICE 3000※] exists in the first place, and why it got restricted despite already being prohibitively expensive.
Its intended application is to undo the effects of such a demon. It’s even powered by the heart of this particular kind of demon, thus the steep price. Also; one time use only, after which the demon heart is spent and useless.
Not that it matters, it’ll still work for my purposes.
I know that because it got bumped up in restriction level due to the fact that some hunter used it for ill on someone else against their will, who wasn’t even attacked by such a demon. The linked article was super vague, but it works how I want it to work, that much was clear.
After a second shower, I finally find some sleep.
Next day at the konbini starts out like, such a drag.
But I have to look on the bright side. Just this day with Shiro and Mr. Kataoka and then I get to see Hikari tomorrow.
I’m glad the sweatband over my cherry blossom bracelets works. Mr. Kataoka didn’t say a word.
It’s so unfair, he lets Hikari wear her jewelry which technically is also against company policy, but she is a girl and I’m not and that’s the difference.
You’re not allowed to wear cute jewelry as a guy, especially not at work. We can’t have that. What would the customer think?
That’s such bullshit. Totally sucks!
I got to do something about my hair too. Maybe I'll ask Mayumi, she's a hairdresser.
I have the till as the big midday wave crashes against our shores.
It’s a tactical decision on Mr. Kataoka’s part. He knows if he has Shiro handling that amount of traffic our gacha zombie is going to fumble something and cause chaos. So it falls to me the dutiful employee with the friendly voice and pretty face.
Our fresh fried chicken is gone in an instant.
I send a split-second glare to Shiro, he gets the message.
That’s the good thing about being pretty boy; I have the meanest glare now.
I’m working on pure muscle memory, a cog in the machine when a wrench gets thrown in the works and the world grinds to a sudden halt.
An apparition which so clearly shouldn’t be here, I stop, my mind drawing a blank.
A girl probably as tall as Haruki stands before me, dressed in a slim-cut black suit she wears so effortlessly, as if she had somehow mastered it like a craft honed for decades. The upper most shirt button is undone and her black tie is slightly loose yet it doesn’t look disheveled, it’s too intentional, too perfect. Dark silky hair freely flows across her shoulders down to her chest. She is beautiful in the unreal way only models ever are.
I pick up what’s left of me, close my open mouth and stutter my usual greeting. Desperate to find whatever I lost just now, I scan the single can of iced-coffee she put on the counter as if that somehow could save me.
Cold amusement lets her lips curl, she knows what kind of influence she has over others that much is a given. Lazily, but with visible curiosity, she takes me in. I shrink inward out of pure instinct.
She continues by using her phone to pay but then just holds her gaze on me and doesn’t move. I stare back into those eyes of hers. Big and as cold as her smirk, their darkness covered up by purple colored contacts. She is looking down on me and not only in the literal sense. Her whole aura is of someone who is casual above it all.
What’s going on?
“You wouldn’t happen to have a sister, boy?”
“Eh?”
I mean this is a konbini but 'boy' is rather disrespectful. She can’t be much older than me.
Also that tone of her was so low, smooth and half disinterested. I feel like it did something weird to me.
My customer service voice takes a noticeable hit, but what leaves my mouth hasn’t as much contempt as I’d hope it would. It sounds more awestruck, “I do.”
“Tell her, one shouldn’t poach.”
I blink, stunned “Uh, what?”
She already turned around, can in hand.
Out the door.
What was that?
Also why do I feel like I just fell ass first into some kind of storyline I wasn’t aware of.
Who was that?
And what’s her connection to Kaori?