I’m My Own High School Rival A Gangster Reborn as a Boy in a Matriarchal Clan World

I'm my own High School Rival: Christina's arc: Bend or Break

Before Christina departed for school…

I chased her as she left her oversized bathroom that carried a strange orange glow into her room. The velvet bed was messy where we slept, and the armor she wore was strewn across the floor in different sections. I stepped over her leg paddings.

"When can I go back to school, Christina?" I asked, yet she waved me off as if I weren't talking to her. "Christina!" I grabbed the back of her shirt.

She stopped and turned around with such intensity that I stepped back in shock.

I raised both arms to block whatever she did.

Her eyebrows raised.

"W-what the fuck, Antwon? I've never hit you, so why are you doing that?"

My breaths were shallow.

She's right, so why did I feel like she would hit me?

Air caught in my lungs.

Where is this coming from?

I bent over trying to find air, but I couldn't breathe.

Christina rubbed my back and touched my chest.

"Antwon, just breathe!" Christina shouted. "Is it your lungs, shit?"

"The doctor's here!" someone else shouted.

Then my legs gave out, and I fell to the floor, gripping my chest.

What the hell is happening to me?!

***

I sat on the messy velvet bed with a stethoscope pressed to my chest.

"Please breathe in, Mr. Carter… Good. Now, breathe out," the doctor said, not touching me.

The doctor didn't touch me because Christina held the stethoscope underneath my shirt.

"Just show me where to put the damn thing," she said, as if the doctor wasn't needed.

"Now, can you tell me what you felt when you started to have trouble breathing?" The doctor removed the earpieces and placed her hands in her lap.

I closed my eyes and tried to remember what happened to me, but I couldn't think.

"I'm not sure, doc. But it might be easier if Christina removed the stethoscope since you're not using it…" I said, turning to Christina.

Her eyes cut low.

"Whatever," I said, turning back to the doctor.

"So, I just felt like she was going to hit me."

She craned her neck to the side.

"Ms. Tetsusen—" The doctor started.

"I've never hit him. Antwon," Christina said, removing the stethoscope.

Christina caressed my cheek. "While you were with that woman—"

"Shizuka?" I said.

Please stop touching me.

"Yes, her. Did she ever…put her hands on you?"

Her eyes were still cut, but there was a softness I've never seen.

"S-she did, but what does that have to do with my breathing?"

…

"Antwon, I'm going to get you some help," Christina said, rubbing my back, "and I won't let anyone else hurt you."

I rubbed the back of my neck.

Does that include her as well?

Christina stood up.

"I've…got to see what Trish wants. Antwon," I looked up at her. "We'll talk more when I come home."

I dragged my fingers through my nappy hair. I didn't understand what was going on, but I knew I'd be alone for a few hours. But what the hell do I do in the meantime?

***

After about an hour, I decided to leave the room….

I slowly pushed the room door open and peeked through it. The door acted as my shield. The wide hallway walls were white with more of the same pictures Christina had on the walls in her room. Curious, I slowly pushed the door open. The other side of the hallway was unusually far. I walked to the picture directly across from Christina's room.

The woman in the picture was…hard to look at. But what's with this nice golden frame?

"I guess they can't all be winners… Let's see."

I looked at the placard of the portrait.

Name: Yoshime Shiranui. The beauty that veils the Iron Fan. Mother of Shimeko Shiranui. Later married to become Shimeko Kisaragi.

"I guess status matters more than looks—" I said, covering my mouth.

I guess this is Iron Fan lineage.

I stepped to my right and the next portrait's placard.

Name: Shimeko Kisaragi. Genius of the Iron Fan. Mother of Trish Kisaragi. Married and became Trish Tetsusen.

I giggled at the thought of seeing Christina's picture hung on the wall.

"Now, let's see what pig face's daughter looks—" I froze.

…

She had white hair like snow, and her complexion was fair. It's just a picture, but I swear that I can see sorrow in her eyes. But most importantly.

"How the hell do you get this beauty from that ogre-looking woman?" I said.

I wonder if they have a hall dedicated to husbands, because I'd like to see the brave fool who became Shimeko's father.

"She is pretty, isn't she?" someone whispered in my ear.

"Yeah, but what's with the white hair?" I asked, folding my arms.

"Rumor has it that her hair was once black, but with each sister killed in combat, a strand equal to that would turn white until it all turned white."

I rubbed my right cheek.

"Did I read that somewhere?"

"No, I just taught it to you."

…

My stomach dropped. My legs gave out, but someone caught me.

"Don't worry, little consort, I've got you."

She eased me to the floor with more care than I've ever known. After I was seated, she gradually turned me until I faced her.

I fought to take my next breath.

"It's okay, just come here."

She pulled me into her embrace, and the smell of lavender took me.

She rubbed the back of my head all the way down to the middle of my back.

"Calm down, little sparrow, and rest your wings with me.

Stay high above my enemies, safe in our hiding tree.

Close your eyes to quiet winds, let the night run deep,

I’ll guard the dark that circles us while you drift to sleep."

My heartbeat steadied. We both sat on the floor, and I listened to the rhythm of her heartbeat.

"Are you okay now?" She asked.

Whoever she was, she was sturdy for a woman, even in this world, but it felt nice.

"Little consort?"

Looking into her eyes, I could see that she meant what she said. Even the way she cradled gave me a sense of comfort. She was older than my parents. Her face had wrinkles and spots, and most of her hair had turned white.

"I'm not sleepy," I said.

She smiled, but I've learned not to trust a woman's smile after being trapped with Shizuka.

"Well, I'm glad that you're alright. Are panic attacks normal, or is this because of your challenging experience with that woman?" She sat me upright.

My hair dangled in front of my face.

"Who are you, and where did you come from?"

She pushed my hair from my face.

"My name is Subaki Kurogane. I am the captain of the royal guard," she said in a soft voice. She reached up and pushed a loose strand of hair from her face."Ms. Tetsusen sent me to retrieve you, but I feared you were asleep, so I waited by the door until you came out."

That tracks. But was I allowed to explore, or is this a setup?

"Oh. But when I peeked out the door, I didn't see you."

Footsteps approached from a distance.

"Yo, Kurogane, isn't he too young for you?" a woman clad in armor said as she passed by.

"Don't be stupid. That's the age you want to find something young and fresh, with a lot of energy," said another woman wearing the same armor.

She looked over her shoulder while pushing me to my feet.

"Now, girls, my husband is more than enough for me. Why don't you hurry off to training before I increase the length of the exercise from two hours to five?"

Damn. I'm not sure what she's talking about, but it sounds harsh.

Both women stopped and slowly turned.

"Damn, Kurogane, we were just teasing," she said with less confidence than before.

She sighed and then stood.

She was taller than me and had the body of a wall.

"Wow, you're…um," I said, staring at her arms.

She placed a hand upon my head and laughed.

"Strong, little consort? Now then, come along. The queen of the Iron Fan isn't known for her patience."

***

We walked down the hallway. Our footsteps were drowned out by the sound of grunting fighters and clashing steel. I peered through every passing window to see what was going on. Women clad in the same armor as earlier were exchanging blows. Others were wielding wooden swords and fighting three to one.

"Hum? Are you interested in our martial training, little consort?" Subaki asked.

We passed another window, and two women were fighting off five, but we passed by too quickly. Subaki had outpaced me while I was staring. I hurried to her.

"I take that as a yes, little consort. It's rather unusual for boys to engross themselves in a disciplinary training regimen."

Our footsteps grew louder as we passed the training rooms; my questions grew as well: did Christina train, too? How often did they encounter combat, and how many people were lost in the exchange?

"You may return, if you so desire, to the dojo after your meeting with Ms. Tetsusen."

Well, it's better than sitting in Christina's room. Maybe they wouldn't mind teaching me a little swordplay.

As we walked, I considered the woman with white hair and the sad look in her eyes. Had she seen combat, and was that the source of her sadness? If not, what was?

"Subaki, what was Trish's mom like?"

Maybe if I know about her mom, I can prepare myself for whatever comes.

"That won't help you, little consort; it won't work because Shimeko and Trish are nothing alike," Subaki said, looking over her shoulder.

Well, damn… She didn't dress like a captain of the guard. At first glance, she looks like a butler, although I couldn't imagine her wearing a dress.

"Did you know her?"

"Yes, she was the queen I served before Ms. Tetsusen came into power. She was, as the placard stated, a martial genius."

"Oh, was she a nice person?"

She looked up toward the ceiling as if she were trying to ask the woman herself.

"I…don't know. Shimeko Kisaragi was…a quiet woman. But she had a beautiful voice."

I scratched the bridge of my nose. We'd passed all the walls with pictures and windows, and I started to remember how tired I felt. I started to fall behind, again.

"That doesn't add up. How do you know that her voice was beautiful if she was a quiet person?"

Subaki slowed her pace and gently pressed her hand to my back, bringing me next to her.

"We know because she would sing before every battle. Shimeko's hymn was what gave us the strength to lay our lives down in service of the Iron Fan."

What a load of crap. No one's voice is worth dying over.

"Sure," I said, involuntarily raising one brow. Subaki smiled in return.

"What about her last name? Is it the same Kisaragi from the Veil's royal order?"

"Oh, so you know about the Veil's royal order of ascension? That's very good, little consort."

She moved her hand from my back and patted my head.

My hair is already frizzy, so that's fine.

"Yes, it's the same Kisaragi from within the Veil. Shimeko's mother, Yoshime Shiranui, is why the Court and Veil are sister clans."

"Does that mean…that both leaders are related?"

Three women ran down the hallway toward us, carrying equipment. They were young, about my age. However, one look at Subaki, and they all slowed to a walk. One by one, they bowed their heads.

"I assume that you're all late."

They froze in place, turned to Subaki, and dropped to the floor, bowing.

"We're sorry, Ma'am!" They said in unison. "W-we overslept because our alarm didn't go off," the girl closest to Subaki said.

"You there," she said, pointing at the last woman in line. "I will forgive your tardiness, but you must inform Mr. Tetsusen that his daughter's consort is with Ms. Tetsusen, but omit my name, do you understand?"

"But that's on the other side of the—"

She delivered a stern look. It even made the hairs on my neck stand up.

"Y-yes, ma'am," she said, standing. Then she ran back in the direction they came from.

"As for you two, get to where you're supposed to be, but do walk. Running with such dangerous equipment will only lead to harm," she said with so much care.

The two girls scurried away, but both girls stopped at a good distance and took one last look at me.

"They are distant relatives. But Yoshime Shiranui didn't arrange her daughter's relationship without purpose. Shiranui wanted access to the Veil's soldiers, but the queen at the time refused her."

So, arranged marriages are a thing… I wonder if Christina's marriage to Tsukikage was arranged.

"Is that why Yoshime Shiranui's portrait has a fancy gold frame?"

Subaki started walking again, and I followed.

She sighed. "No, her frame is gold because she died in combat."

I guess even queens die in battle; they are human, after all.

"Oh, who was she fighting when she died?"

Sorrow bore into Subaki's face, as if I had asked a forbidden question.

"Shimeko," she said in a whisper.

I stopped walking.

…

My heart throbbed.

"Why? Why would she kill her mother?"

What could have happened between them that's so bad? When is it ever okay to…

Subaki placed a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm unsure. I was younger than you when it happened. But it begs the question of why. Ah, here we are, little consort."

She knocked twice on a door covered in colorful, fun decorations.

"I must warn you," she whispered. "Ms. Tetsusen becomes irritated when anyone talks about her mother."

"Come in," a voice shouted from within the room.

Using her mother to build a connection was a good idea until it wasn't.

Subaki pushed open the fan-embroidered doors, and for the first time today, I missed lying in bed with Christina.