I spent the rest of the day with them getting to know my little sister Suzuka, but when everyoo sleep, I snuck out to go find someone. Walking into her inn, the first person I see is granny Osaki, and when I see her I run up furiously and say, “Why aren’t you helping your family at all.”

  “Watch your tone boy, I tried to help those two repeatedly, but they have rejected it.”

  “They told me you asked them to give up Suzuka; we know they could never do that.”

  “Are you just as stupid as the rest of them, that girl has no future in this try, you not see that.”

  “We could try and look for other options instead of just giving up on her.”

  “I thought you would have grown in these st two years, but it seems I was mistaken. This versation is a waste of time I am done here,” she says walking away.

  “Granny Osaki, I always thought you were kind of mean but you did it out of love. I never knew you were such a coward, as to abandon your family out of fear of the people around you.”

  Turning around, she walks up to me and picks me up by the colr, then says “Then since you’re so smart, tell me all the other options we have right now, e on.”

  I don’t respond.

  “See, nothing, because those are all your possible options nothing. Let me tell you something none of you seems to realize, when that girl turns fifteen they are cutting off her head it is a national priority.

  So, uhe rest of you, I fully uand there is nothing we do for her; the only thing staying with her and giving her love will cause is to make her send-off from this life even worse, as her grandmother that’s the best I do for her.”

  “You rationalised that really well, do you even have a heart.”

  With tears in her eyes, she says “Shut up you dumb brat,” while throwing me on the floor. “First, I lost my husband now I have to face the reality that I have to lose the rest of my family as well.

  Regardless of whatever we do she will die or bee a murderous monster, so as her grandmother and Inari’s mother, I am trying to do my best to make sure our family will make it through this.

  But none of you idiots seems to uand that, Inari and Kuzanoha's lives are over; you don’t know how deep-rooted the hatred in this nation for norowareta-kos is, that’s why you say all this nonseh a straight face.

  They choose to stay with her even if she was to die, and society will never five them. To the people of this nation loving a norowareta-ko is the same as saying you don’t care what might happen to everyone in the try, no in the world.

  So tio be stupid like your parents, but when it all es crashing down and those two have nothi, all I do is take care of them.”

  Seeing my invincible grandmother cry, all I could do was take her words and walk away.

  Φ I crouch down and cry uo stop.

  “You have always been pushing yourself too hard since you were a kid.” I hear Zashiki say as she sits beside me.

  “Be quiet, you prehistoric fossil.”

  “Oh, your slipping Osaki, after all those hours me and your mother spent drilling those manners into you.”

  “I don’t have time for yht now so please just leave me alone.”

  Giving me a hug, she says “Ever since you were a child you have always tried your hardest to make everyone happy at the sacrifice of yourself. It is one of your best traits, though I wish you would be a lot more selfish. Because I am sure if you told your husband how much you hated him being iwinstars he would have quit.”

  “I could never do that, he was the happiest fighting for everyone.”

  “That’s my issue you brat.”

  “I don’t want to hear that from you hag.”

  -Break-

  Φ The m I left back for the capital with a heart full of fusion, though ohing that cleared it was Suzuka, seeing her smile me goodbye gave me strength.

  When I returo the capital I worked even harder than I ever did before. I took on ever-increasing missions and when I did, I sent all my wages back to the Gozens. I was getting stronger, and slowly but surely I was rising through the ranks.

  But it wasn’t all good, people found out about my e to the Gozens and that I was sending them money, which made them focus all their hatred for the norowareta-ko on me. I lost my friends, and all my resped lots of people started to pray for my downfall.

  Though this didn’t bother me at all, the news I heard of how Suzuka was doing gave me the strength to push past all of this aually, I even started to receive dnition, and in five year’s time, I was brought to the position of an A1 rank shaman.

  I was so proud of myself for all I had aplished, but still, that year was the worst of my life; the first mission I was given as an A1 was the mission to fiscate Suzuka Gozen from her parents. Apparently, the legacy she had been granted was that of the fox that cursed the nation, so she and to be taken to the capital immediately.

  I was there as we ripped her away from her g parents, I had to hold both Inari and Kuzanoha back while they were screaming for her, my heart was slowly breaking.

  Wheook her, they left me and some other shamans, to iigate the area in case Suzuka had some kind of effe this city. So, I spent my eime there calming both Inari and Kuzanoha down, and when I returo the twinstars building iy, the other shamans to me pined about my as.

  “What the hell are you doing.”

  “I am sorry, e again”

  “You’re the leader of this unit, yet you're fraternising with the enemy.”

  “I am sorry isn’t it the job of the twinstars to look after citizens”

  “Not those two, they choose to keep something that could put all our lives at danger.”

  “That thing is my sister you bastard.”

  “Do you know how many lives she could take, does your head not work.”

  I hit him in the face, then I say, “Watch your tone don’t fet I outrank you and was left in charge of this mission. THE SAME GOES FOR ALL OF YOU. So, if you guys don’t feel like following your orders leave. Nothing to say GOOD!”

  Walking away I hear someone whisper, “How the hell is some young brat like him in charge of us.”

  I stop and say, “It is simple, because regardless of my age, I have achieved more than any of you guys have, so if you don’t want to keep following my orders simply go achieve something instead of sitting on your asses pining.” With that, I left.

  Over the few days, I made sure to stantly pay visits to mom and dad, I talked to them and informed them of some ret things anything I thought could make them happy. Though the other twinstars were very visibly mad at my as, still they were all bark no bite.

  One day during my visits with mom and dad, Inari asked me “Shinkō do you still love Suzuka knowing everything about her.”

  “Of course, from the bottom of my heart, and don’t worry about her I will use my authority however I to get her back.”

  “Thank you for that Shinkō in that case we have something we would like to show you; you e back ter tonight?”

  “I will”. Later that night I got up ready to go see them, but when I did I heard a rge amount of side, so I head out to see what is going on, and when I do I see a rge crowd of civilians heading back from somewhere.

  Stopping in front of them, I ask, “What are you all doing,” but they go silent iurn, and have a panicked expression like I just walked in and saw them with their pants down.

  Then the group of the shamans that came with me walked through the crowd and said, “Everyone go home, and remember none of you did anything wrong.”

  “What the hell is going on.”

  “Is that an Order?”

  “YES!”

  “Ok then follow me.” As we walk into the woods at night, we move close to the shore where he asks me “Captain you tell me what are the worst crimes you it in this try.”

  “Any form of insult or offence against the shoguns family and,” but then what he was getting at hit me which causes me to stop.

  “Aing a norowareta-ko out of the try both of these crimes are an immediate execution, and the Gozeo have been plotting to get their monster out of this try.”

  “Huh.”

  “They had been cultivating a ship spirit to get them out of the try. The people of Higashinagisa-shi had been watg them closely and thought their as were strange, but they were too scared to approach so we went and checked and by the port is a ship spirit. This was all the evidehat we needed, so all of us frohe Gozens then we executed them their bodies are over there.”

  Enraged, I almost attack them, but then I remember Inari’s words and stop myself.

  “Captain don’t go around doing scary stuff like that, almost attag us when what we did was allowed by the w. Those two would have destroyed tless lives, and now we saved them, we protected not only this try but everyone around the world we are heroes,” He says as they ast me. “I think this will earn me enough merits.”

  After they ast, I realize something and say, “There is no way you weaklings could ever kill sensei, so how did you beat him.”

  “Simple, we took his wife hostage.”

  Hearing this, I cut off his head.

  “What are you doing you, bastard.”

  “You just killed him.”

  Before the rest of them have a ce to draw their swords, I attad kill oer another. When I finish, I walk up to where they said Inari’s and Kuzanoha’s bodies were left. Seeing them I throw up, but I make sure to bury both of their bodies. Sitting beside their graves all I could do was cry.

  Everything moved rather quickly after that, I buried the bodies, then made up a fake story that a minus killed them. It was a farfetched one, but people believed it because they thought Suzuka had some influen the minuses. Since I had no reason to stay, I went back to the capital.

  I had lost my principles, my family, and my drive I didn’t have anythi, especially when I learnt there was nothing I could do for Suzuka. All I had left was anger, so I used that to exorcise minus after minus for the four years and was eveually made one of the natio S-rank shamans, one of the tails.

  But yet again life hated me, and I was tasked with the mission of looking after Suzuka Gozen, who will be returo Higashinagisa-shi. I was dispatched there early, where I went to meet Osaki.

  “My son would sadden, to know you turn into smoker.”

  “Is that really the first thing you say to me, you never ge.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Osaki says as she starts smoking.

  “ook you for the type.”

  “I don’t really have anything to live for anymore, so I decided to pick up smoking again ’t be that bad.”

  “Then why haven’t you given up on life.”

  “I would never be able to look my family in the face if I did.”

  “I feel the same.”

  “So instead of this leisurely chat, you tell me why you really came here.”

  “You really ’t be gentle.” Letting out a sigh, I say, “I think, I am not going to talk to Suzuka.”

  “I thought you would be ecstatic to be with her again.”

  “Sorry, but I am not that young man you onew, I don’t dream like that anymore.”

  “You have finally coped on and given up I see.”

  “You know, when I was younger, I actually thought if I was to climb the ranks of the twinstars and bee strong enough to be able to deal with Suzuka, I would be able to vince everyoo let her live. I wao bee some sort of hero.”

  “Why did you give up on that then.”

  “Simple, I don’t think that power exists. The other S-rank shamans have more strength than I thought was humanly possible, I could never reach that level. Yet all of them are pletely frightened by her. It wasn’t until then that I could fully prehend how much danger she poses.”

  “So now you don’t want to i with her out of fear.”

  “It is not that, I uand that she has to leave this earth, and if I was to e into her life, it could make her experience leaving much worse. What an asshole I am.”

  “Wele to adulting.”

  When Suzuka arrived, I was shaken by the pletely desote look she had on her face, it was as if she had given up ohing in life. I wao say something to her, but I couldn’t bring myself to so I just decided to watch her from afar.

  I brought her meals which I put my heart and soul into. I try to make it just like Kuzanoha, but it was still inferior. I spent my days watg from the treetops as she cried, thehen sleep, then cried, again and again, and when she kept screaming her hatred for everyone all I could bring myself to do was watch.

  Even whearted to fight minuses every night, almost pushing herself to her deathbed all I did was watch. Seeing this my heart almost broke, I wished for everyone and everything to be destroyed. And when that happened and that minus formed all I could do was watch from afar as it destroyed the city. If this is how she wao go out I would let her.

  I watched all her as from afar sht now what I am doing is very self-serving but it must be done. Seeing the three boys and Zashiki esg with Suzuka I say, “Did you guys know that the reason her parents died, the reason she was cursed, the reason all the norowareta-kos had to die, the reason people loath them, and the reason minuses kill people, in this nation are all due to things we had zero trol over.

  That fox did something all those years ago which dictates the lives of people today, and we all have to live with it. And maybe someone did something to it, which caused it to curse our nation.

  My point is that all humans are ected, and are as have sequences which fall on each other like curses, something I do today could lead to the death of someone’s family elsewhere in the world.

  I know full well what curses do to people so I won't let you go with that girl, give her here now, it is time for her execution.”

  Walking over to them, the boy with white hair says to me, “That’s true but so is the opposite; every life be the accumution of all the different blessings people have received, my very life could exist thanks to someone being housands of years ago. You say we pass down curses, but I believe the fact that we still are all alive on this p means that the blessings outweigh the curses.”

  “That is a rather optimistic way to look at it.”

  “Someone oold me you should look at life through a romantis, because you will have more fun that way.”

  That is so extremely stupid and optimistic, but I am sure that is what Suzuka needs in her life.

  Φ The man in front of me Cyrus and Sparrow vanish. Then I hear him behind me. How the hell did he mahat. “If she ever is unhappy for any reason from this point on, I will kill you. Remember that brats.” And like the wind he vanishes.

  “You dumb kid,” I hear Zashiki mutter. “Let’s go guys.”

  We run at full speed until we reach a rge ship. “Zashiki, what is this.”

  “A spirit ship; it is a memento from two idiots which was taken care of by a stupid kid.”

  As we load ourselves up on this ship, Zashiki says, “This runs on spirit energy with Suzuka you use it to take you anywhere you want.”

  Looking down at her, I say, “Thank you so much.”

  “No thank you, and just so you know, tless hopes and dreams are riding on you, so you better not let us down.”

  “I promise I won’t. Goodbye.”

  “Goodbye”, with our final goodbyes said the ship takes off.

  Twinstars Break Down

  The twinstars are the police force of the try but also the army, they do tasks such as helping schools out to fighting wars. They are the pride and joy of the Seirei. Their uniforms are mainly bright red but are partially pink with white curved a-shaped bead designs throughout the uniform.

  The twinstars be broken down into four ranks: A, B, C, D. These be further divided into three ses from oo three. So, the lowest ranking members are D3 samurais and the highest would be A1.

  There is one more rank, S. This is a ranking that only be given by the shogun of the try and o people ever hold the rank at oime.

  Iwinstars samurai are sidered to be anyone from D3 to D1, while shamans are anyone higher. Upon reag C3 if you don’t have a spirit partner (A family heirloom) you will be given a D or k one.

  Twinstars are all required to wield katanas but the higher-ranking member do what they want as long as it works.

  Name: Shinkō Date

  Age: 29

  Birthday: cer 2nd

  Hair: e

  Eyes: Gold

  Height: 172 cm

  Likes: Family, cigarettes, alcohol, fighting, cooking

  Dislikes: People, liars

  Arc 5 End