Chapter 12

Six months have passed since my first mission. I saw other missions after that, and they all ended without a problem.

My training with Dragon-Sensei is progressing well to the point that he will always have an expression that impresses me. I can already use the seventh form of breathing the water, the third breathing the thunder, the second breathing the wind and the first breathing the flame, and I'm almost breaking the third type of gourd.

I'm developing a technique to be able to use two breaths at the same time, but it's still not going very well. I stopped being woken up a week ago, which I thought was just great.

My martial arts training with Monkey is going well, although I only serve as a warm-up, and look at him and Ox and Dog-san there, but I'm happy with my progress.

My studies are going very well. I already finished high school. Goat-san praised me a lot for my performance, and if I wanted help with a college course, he said he was willing to help me.

Rabbit-san let me use the tools to practice the maintenance and development of equipment, trying to improve my sword, but it is still not very good.

The programming classes with Mice-san are much better than at the beginning, where it seemed that she wanted to beat me. Now I can crack some systems that Mice-san considers weak, which I already considered a lot, after all Mice-san's standards were high.

When I have the whole day off, I go to Dan's family restaurant to spend time with him. He introduced me to another friend of his, Mitarai Kazuma. As we are the same age, we became friends very quickly.

And as always Dan's little sister, Ran, always hides when I go to the restaurant.

One day when I went to the restaurant, Kazuma couldn't go, according to Dan, Mr. Mitarai became ill, and his mother had to go to work, so he stayed at home to take care of his father. Dan and I were playing video games, and chatting away, we only stopped when we heard a noise at the door.

When I turned around I saw Dan's little sister, who was now six, with her leg raised, apparently she opened the door on the kick.

(Ran): "Nii, daddy said lunch is ready, go down at..." - she started to tone down when she realized I was in the room.

(Dan): "Wow Ran, don't you know how to knock?"

(Ichika): "Hi Ran."

She got as red as her hair and ran out, it seems like we still can't have a conversation. We went down to lunch. The food that Dan's father had was good, although not as much as that of Horse-san, but I dare say that we are on the same level.

Ran didn't come down to eat, even with Mr. Gotanda calling, possibly because I was eating and she was too embarrassed to look at me. I went back to the room like Dan and we were playing, even too much, because when I realized, it was already dark.

Dan's parents tried to convince me to spend the night there, as did Dan himself, but I didn't want to be a nuisance, so I went to the base. Besides, even without the sword I could defend myself very well.

On the way to the base I felt a look from someone, but what left me confused was what I felt from that look. It was a mixture of anger and sadness, like I did something to make the person angry and he was saddened by the same fact.

No matter how far I walked I felt the look, but I didn't turn around. I went into an alley and climbed the emergency stairs that I had there and hid up there, just waiting to see who it was.

I didn't have to wait long, as a figure appeared at the entrance to the alley. He was hooded, so I couldn't see that person's face. She was my height, so it was obvious that she was a child, which left me confused. Why would a child be chasing me?

He passed by where I was looking everywhere, except upwards, possibly wanting to know where I was. I jumped, landed without a sound and tried to grab his shoulder, but his instincts were good.

As soon as I got close he tried to hit me with his arm while turning. I bent down and tripped, he fell, but managed to recover quickly and stay in battle.

However, the surprise came when the child stood up, as her hood slipped back. What I saw was my sister's face, obviously younger, but it was practically her.

(Ichika): "Who... are you?"

She just stared at me for a while, but then she answered me, which surprised me again, was the fact that her voice was also similar to my sister's.

(??????): "Orimura... Madoka..."

(Ichika): "Orimura?"

I had a blank mind, which was quickly overwhelmed by happiness.

(Ichika): "YOU SURVIVED!!!"

I ran up to her with a smile on my face and hugged her. I went so fast that she didn't even have a chance to react, and even when I was hugging her she didn't react. When I broke up she had a confused expression, it seems that either she didn't expect me to be so good, or that wasn't the reaction she expected.

(Ichika): "How do you survive? Who saved you? And why didn't you come and join me right away?"

(Madoka): "...How?"

(Ichika): "The explosion that killed most of our family. Chifuyu-nee said he was looking for survivors, but found no one. How did you survive?"

(Madoka): "...Explosion?"

(Ichika): "Exactly."

I was starting to get as confused as she was, because she acted like it was new to her.

(Madoka): "And how did you survive?"

(Ichika): "Me? Chifuyu-nee's friend, Tabane-san, was taking care of me at the time, and when she had the explosion she managed to save me ... even though it was just me. How about you?"

(Madoka): "...They never talked about an explosion for me..."

I wondered what they wanted with her to get her from an explosion scene and not say that.

(Ichika): "Well... I'm happy to finally be able to meet you. I'm Orimura Ichika."

(Madoka): "...I know..."

(Ichika): "And why were you following me?"

She didn't answer, just stayed silent.

(Madoka): "Is what you said true? About Orimura Chifuyu looking for survivors?"

(Ichika): "That's what Tabane-san and Chifuyu-nee told me."

I still remember, the first and only time I asked about our family. According to Chifuyu-nee, they were planning a family reunion, where Tabane-san just walked in, and an explosion took place. Chifuyu-nee was late and just found the place in ruins.

(Madoka): "But then..."

(Ichika): "Did they tell you anything else?"

(Madoka): "...They told me I was abandoned..."

(Ichika): "WHAT? This is impossible. Chifuyu-nee values ​​the family too much."

She would be willing to throw it all away for me, precisely because I was the only one left for her. However, with that I understood Madoka's anger and sadness towards me, the way she spoke gave the impression that Chifuyu-nee chose me and left her to die, she was angry with me for that very fact.

(Madoka): "Really?"

(Ichika): "You can be sure. If Chifuyu-nee knew you were alive she would have gone straight for you."

I could have sworn her eyes lit up a little.

(Madoka): "I thought... she didn't care about me..."

(Ichika): "But what is our relationship? Are we cousins?"

(Madoka): "...Twins..."

(Ichika): "Twins!?"

Chifuyu-nee never told me that I had a twin sister, although she didn't like talking about the family.

(Ichika): And who have you been with so far? "

(Madoka): "...[Phantom Task]..."

(Ichika): "Are you with [Phantom Task]?"

(Madoka): "Yes, after all they were in the laboratory ..."

(Ichika): "Laboratory?"

(Madoka): "You... don't you know?"

(Ichika): "I don't know what?"

(Madoka): "We are clones..."

I had already heard the exploding mind expression, and I was experiencing it for the first time.

(Ichika): "Clones? Whose?"

(Madoka): "...Orimura Chifuyu..."

(Ichika): "Da Chifuyu-nee!?"

(Madoka): "You really don't know..."

(Ichika): "Can you explain to me then?"

We sat on the floor and Madoka started telling her what she knew. Apparently the Orimura family was selected for a secret government project, called the [Mosaic Project], to try to form 'superhumans', where they were undergoing experiments, everyone died, except for Chifuyu-nee, but as they needed more 'volunteers', they decided to clone Chifuyu-nee. According to Madoka, all the clones died except for us.

That was like a slap in the face, now I understood why Chifuyu-nee didn't like to talk about the family, it was in the face that she remembered everyone who died.

And I also understood how Chifuyu-nee hid it from me, possibly she was afraid of being alone, that our relationship would change, which I didn't blame her for. But I didn't care if I was 'artificial', what mattered was that I was from the Orimura family, that I was Chifuyu-nee's brother, and now Madoka.

The only thing I didn't understand was why Chifuyu-nee's loyalty to Japan, which led me to just one alternative, was because they were using me as a kind of hostage.

Madoka commented that he did not know what happened to the [Mosaic Project] facilities, I had the impression that Chifuyu-nee and Tabane-san were responsible, after all, Tabane-san emphasized the explosion part well.

(Madoka): "And that's it..."

(Ichika): "That's why they said she abandoned you..."

(Madoka): "Yes..."

(Ichika): "It never crossed your mind that they could have hidden you and told Chifuyu-nee that you died with the others?"

Madoka's eyes widened and she gave a facepalm, it seems that the answer was no.

(Madoka): "Now I feel like an idiot for having felt bad about you and her..."

(Ichika): "It's okay, little sister."

She stared at me, and I wondered what I did wrong.

(Madoka): "Little sister?"

(Ichika): "Yes, we are twins, aren't we? Or were you born first?"

(Madoka): "No... you're older for a few minutes... but how did you just accept it so easily?"

(Ichika): "Simple. It's because doesn't matter. What matters is that we are a family. Me, you and Chifuyu-nee. And that fact will never change." - I said looking into her eyes while smiling.

She just stared at me, and suddenly tears started to fall, and she started to cry. Seeing that, I just hugged her, which she replied. It seems that she was expecting a less positive reaction than I did, and was very happy with my answer.

I don't know how long I was hugging her, but after putting it all out, she separated from me, tears still falling and a smile on her face.

(Madoka): "Thank you for accepting me... Ichika-nii."

I just patted her on the head when she said that. I was happy to see that my family grew into another member, after all I already considered [Zodiac Beasts] as my family too.

(Ichika): "But how did [Phantom Task] know about this [Mosaic Project]?"

(Madoka): "The grandfather of the current leader, Squall, was one of the scientists who were on the project... I think that's when they caught me."

(Ichika): "Do you want to go home, and wait for Chifuyu-nee to come back from the trip?"

(Madoka): "How can you be so sure that she will accept me?"

(Ichika): "Because we are a family."

She looked at me again, with a bigger smile, but then her face became serious.

(Madoka): "No... I'm going back to [Phantom Task]..."

(Ichika): "Why?"

(Madoka): "They offer good places to train... and I can get something from them..."

(Ichika): "Do they trust you that much?"

(Madoka): "Not so much... I just have the impression that they think I am obedient... and they must release the language at some point..."

(Ichika): "If this is what you want to do, I will not stop ... but remember you can always count on me or Chifuyu-nee."

(Madoka): "I know... thanks."

We changed the numbers on our cell phones. I thought it was a bit dangerous, but Madoka had said that Squall gave that level of freedom, and that I had nothing to worry about.

She followed the opposite direction from mine, and although I am happy that my family has grown, I was a little sad that her newest member has left. With that thought in my head I went back to the base.

<div id="gtx-trans" style="position: absolute; left: 391px; top: 1229px;"><div class="gtx-trans-icon"></div></div>