CHAPTER 153: Wrong Flag!

Only when the sky turned orange did Izumi stir from her seven-hour long sleep. Something told Kazuya this was her best sleep in three months without him. The exhaustion that had lined her face seemed to have eased.

Grasping her hand, he gently helped her into a sitting position. "Hey."

Izumi blinked back at him, her eyes filling with tears as they locked onto him. "Otouto-kun…" Her voice wavered, tinged with remorse. "I'm so sorry. What I did was unforgivable."

"Don't worry about that. All that sleeping should've gotten you hungry."

She hesitated, then nodded. "A bit... I'll go prepare—"

"No, no, no. You stay put. I'll get something for you."

Before she could raise an objection, he exited the room. During her lengthy sleep, he had tossed out every lethal object — even something as small as a needle — from the bedroom. Nevertheless, he returned to her side as quickly as possible, bringing a glass of milk and some meticulously sliced fruits.

{You're a terrible brother.}

'Shut up. I didn't have time to whip up a gourmet meal.'

{Even if I gave you three hours, your cooking will still taste like a freshly brewed disaster.}

'In my defense, I have so many talented lovers to do it for me.'

Serving the healthiest meal to Izumi, he watched as she accepted it without question, sipping the milk before setting the glass back onto the table. 

"Otouto-kun, I'm grateful for everything, but you really should—"

"Leave? Not happening."

She chuckled softly. "You should have warmed up the milk. Cold milk sucks."

{She looks better.}

"Otouto-kun."

"Hmm?"

She unfurled the blanket enveloping her, moving close to slip into his arms. "Let me feel your warmth."

He stayed silent, letting her find comfort in her own way. Though his voice carried an innate soothing quality, he chose not to lean on that crutch in this delicate moment. It was better to naturally solve her psychological troubles than hypnotizing her.

"I tried," she whispered after a while. "I tried everything to convince women of our race throughout many cities in Japan… None of them agreed to my proposal. I promised them money, safety, and a great future — but they… they laughed at me for clinging to an age old dream. They said they were living a fulfilling life as humans and will never let their children become Quincy. Never ever ever."

The stress of such a massive responsibility, the stress of her search for Quincy, and the stress from never being able to convince any Quincy to join her dream — her stress continuously grew. She held out hope in Kazuya, believing that she would always find a supporter in him. And when he told her to give up, everything came crashing down on her, and her heart snapped.

As they nestled together, Izumi's voice quivered with earnest inquiry. "Otouto-kun, I can't understand why they despise us so. We're noble to protect the world from Hollows and shield innocents from evil forces beyond their comprehension. Why must we be eradicated for a crime our foolish ancestors committed?"

"It wasn't a crime. They tried to destroy the balance, which could've spelled the end of the world. That's not all. Another war happened between Quincy and Shinigami nine hundred years ago, led by the Progenitor, the Father of Quincy."

He didn't side with either Quincy or Shinigami. However, he had to end Izumi's crazy devotion to the misguided cause of Quincy.

Her hands trembled against his chest. "Are you speaking of the Sealed King mentioned in the King's Hymn…?"

"He was not some legend. He was real, and he waged a war to end the Gotei 13. A full-blown war that claimed countless lives."

"He must have a—"

"No, he wanted to unite the three worlds," he muttered. "And remove the concept of 'Death' entirely. Do you know what that means? Every living person would've died if he succeeded."

She let out a shocked gasp. "Horrifying… Can you reveal where you learned this?"

A few months ago he could barely pronounce Quincy. Now he spoke of a war even her parents were unaware of.

"You can ask Sōken about it. He knows about this more than me."

"Sōken-san?" Her arms tightened around him, her face burrowing into his chest. "I'll believe you."

"As for your question, why would the world want to eradicate Quincy? It's not them. The Quincy, at least the sane ones, don't want to risk their lives to fight Hollows, and they absolutely don't see any reason in getting punished by Shinigami for breaking the balance. Aside from that, do you think a sane mother will willingly raise her child for such a risky occupation?"

With passion and gentleness, he tried to fill her head with logic, unintentionally calling Izumi's mother insane in the process.

She tilted her face upward, her eyes shimmering with unshed emotion. "Will you stay tonight?"

"Of course. Want me to cook something?"

She let out a laugh. "Never. I'll do the honor."

He allowed her to step in the kitchen, but he was there to supervise her. She didn't mind his presence. Rather, she found his protectiveness and care heartwarming, making her smile.

"Otouto-kun, I wish we were true siblings."

"Me too."

Her smile blossomed like a flower in the spring — her most beautiful smile to date. "So it's official then. I'm Izumi Ishihara from this day on."

…

Nighttime.

The soft creak of the door roused Kazuya from his light sleep. Still wary of Izumi's intentions, he was alert to every nuance of sound and movement. It was unmistakably Izumi slipping into his room, her presence confirmed as she gently lifted the blanket and lay beside him. The fresh scent of her damp hair hinted that she'd come straight from the bath, and her delicate lingerie amplified the warmth and softness against him.

Curious about her motive, he continued feigning sleep, which grew harder with her presence in his bed.

"Your scent is everywhere, mingling with the air I breathe," she whispered, her fingers lightly grazing his chest before tracing the lines of his face. "If I give up... if I let go of this purpose that defines me—I'll be left in a void. There'll be no reason for me to greet the dawn, no emotions to color my days—neither joy nor despair. I'll become an empty shell, devoid of reason. A nothing.'"

Contrary to the darkness of her words, her voice held a note of inexplicable optimism, absent of vulnerability.

"I'm not without purpose with you here." She reached up and pressed her lips against his face. "My Otouto, my dearest, we'll honor the tradition adopted by our ancestors — we'll marry each other and start a family."

{Partner, you triggered the wrong flag!}

...

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