Chapter 26: All's Well That Ends Well End

[The Passive and the Active in Romance]

When people meet, a relationship is formed, and this is no exception for heroines and protagonists.

The type of relationship that develops depends on their compatibility and how they meet, but since they are labeled as heroines and protagonists, some kind of relationship must have been established between them.

And once a relationship is established, communication naturally occurs.

Various forms of communication, from everyday interactions to romantic ones, will be exchanged between them.

Incidentally, communication only exists when there is both a listener and a speaker. If neither person listens to the other, or conversely, neither speaks to the other at all, then a communication in the general sense cannot take place.

Since this is the nature of communication, it can be said that communication, the general term for the transmission of information including conversation, has similar properties.

A listener, a passive party, and a speaker, an active party—regardless of its form, this basic structure must be established for communication to take place.

Of course, this is not fixed and can change within the context of communication.

Now, as is perhaps obvious, this structure applies without exception to the romantic relationships between heroines and protagonists.

Simply put, some works feature a protagonist who actively pursues romance, while others are the opposite.

It goes without saying that the assertive, proactive party has an advantage in romance.

Of course, there are rom-com where the enjoyment comes from watching the heroine flustered after making a move and sabotaging herself.

In most cases, when someone of the opposite sex makes an approach, the passive party is left bewildered and confused.

Well, the active party is also summoning their courage, but isn't it great to see a heroine or protagonist who shows such determination...?

So, while it's not an absolute rule, it's self-evident to anyone who's enjoyed countless romance-themed works that the person who takes the initiative in a relationship has the advantage.

There's a clear power dynamic between the one taking action and the one being targeted, and it's basically unchangeable.

However, very rarely, there are moments in romance stories when that power dynamic reverses.

These might be the result of summoning up courage, or perhaps the outcome of something insignificant.

There are also stories where the usually active one becomes the passive one and is at the mercy of the other.

And afterwards, it's a given that the passive one gets teased about 30% more than usual.

Anyway, the point I want to make is this:

'Why is it that moments when the usually confident, assertive one becomes the submissive one and blushes, regardless of gender, are so incredibly cute?!

The contrast and the change of pace are truly important!!'

★★★

The black-armored Anomaly, Kikoku, was drawn to Onjōji Chitose. A truly intrusive presence in the innocent rendezvous of the boy and girl.

The battle against this outlaw was finally drawing to a close.

"GRROOOOOAAAHHHH!"

The Anomaly roared. 

Its cry shook the sky and the earth. An absolute death scream, reaching even the souls of those who heard it. With each swing of its sword, it gouged out mountainsides and literally uprooted trees.

The monster in black armor remained a formidable threat. But...

"Haaahhh!!"

There was a being here that could shatter such an embodiment of death.

The Anomaly's sword, a blow that would inevitably inflict a fatal wound upon contact. A single strike from this monster with an extraordinary physique rushed towards the boy with the density and power of a storm. 

The boy pierced through the storm as if it were the most natural thing in the world, closing in on the monstrous entity.

The Anomaly, which should have lost its reason and become merely a being seeking its counterpart, groaned as if surprised.

In their first encounter, the boy couldn't overcome this storm. His repeated attempts to overcome it had resulted in such a mess.

However, the boy would never again display such a pathetic spectacle.

For now, his counterpart, the girl, was present.

Above the boy and the Anomaly as their swords clashing, a white-haired girl soared through the sky on the back of a fiery chariot, illuminated by sunlight streaming through gaps created by the trees toppled by the entity.

Her once dazzling white hair was now dull, and the clothes she had excitedly prepared for this day were stained with blood and dirt.

She had sustained numerous injuries from all this mess. 

Even a girl would be battered and bruised in this situation, yet the white-haired girl gazed upon the Anomaly below with a strength uncharacteristic of a girl.

Supported by the girl in black, who places absolute trust in her Lady, Onjōji Chitose utters words she has uttered countless times.

With each word she utters, a horrifying darkness emanates from the girl, deepening in intensity. It is the chronic ailment she has carried since the moment she was born, the symbol of death, in other words, the Yin.

The girl, embodying the deepest form of Yin, silently yet with undeniable hostility, bestows death upon the Anomaly.

"GRROOOOOAAAHHHH!"

Anomalies seek their counterpart energy.

However, having lost their counterpart energy, they escaped the law of this world and attained immortality.

Then what would happen when such beings are given a counterpart energy equal to the energy they possess? 

Once outside the bounds of reason, there is no longer a place for them within the realm of Yin and Yang.

Their bodies, having become an Anomaly, have long since surpassed their limits.

A Yang Anomaly is merely being held back from collapse by Yang energy, and a Yin Anomaly by Yin energy.

Therefore, their fate is predetermined.

The boy's blow pierces the staggering Anomaly. For a being that embodies Yang energy, an attack of this magnitude is inherently meaningless.

The wound heals instantly, the severed head reattaches, and the decaying arm regenerates in the blink of an eye.

These are Anomalies, the beings called monsters in this world where demons exist.

However, that principle does not apply at this very moment.

The wounds inflicted by the boy did not heal; in fact, their number increased.

The body, supposedly immortal, lost its function, and began to decay from its edges.

The battle was coming to an end.

In the form of a victory for the boy and girl.

"This is the end!"

The boy swung his sword, pouring all his will into it.

A single blow, possessing both sharpness and weight, would be fatal to the Anomaly if it connected.

However, the creature's body, no longer able to resist, was already beginning to disintegrate. Its empty eyes, devoid of any emotion, reflected the sword directed at it.

An Anomaly is merely the remnants of someone from the past; even the final blow intended to destroy it evokes no emotion beyond instinctive defense.

Therefore, the creature's appearance, as if welcoming the blow, was merely a coincidence.

Thus, the creature was brought down—still not destroyed—by the hands of the boy and girl.

The reason the creature had not yet been slain is simple. The sword the boy held, a gift from his mentor, Onjōji Moritsugu, had shattered as he swung it.

It wasn't that Moritsugu had given him a shoddy sword, nor had Chiharu treated the gift carelessly.

It was simply a matter of the battle with the Anomaly, and more importantly, the boy's physical abilities, unfortunately exceeding the sword's limits.

Even now, the world was still not kind to the boy of the sun and the girl of the moon, just as it had been when they were born.

With victory within their grasp and the loss of his weapon imminent, a momentary gap appeared in the inexperienced boy's consciousness.

It was inevitable.

And the Anomaly did not miss it.

Even though the only path remaining for it was to disappear, its body, driven by instinct, pursued its counterpart energy.

With a leap as if summoning its last ounce of strength, the distance between the Anomaly and the girl was instantly gone.

The Kasha, caught off guard, couldn't escape in time; the boy was still in that momentary gap.

The Anomaly's arm rose.

Even though it was decaying, severing Onjōji Chitose's slender body was no problem for the monster from the past.

The girl's resistance was also too late at this distance; there was no way for her to defend herself.

As certain death approaches the girl in white, the girl in black leaps out.

"Sakura!?"

Only she reacted to this instant. 

Was it her resolve as an attendant, or her love for her beloved Lady?

She slipped between the monster and her lady, standing in front of the Anomaly as if to shield her precious treasure.

However, the monster's attack was not so weak that it could be stopped by a single girl's flesh.

The outcome would not change, even if the number of girls exploding in red increased from one to two.

Yet, Hojo Sakura had no hesitation, and without a hint of reluctance, she desperately lunged forward.

As a last resort, she raised the dagger that had been given to her as a self-defense weapon when she left home.

As it was a gift from her father, an Onmyōji, it was imbued with a protective spell, a testament to his love for his daughter.

The symbol of love from her father, the weapon's spell, activated in response to the monster's attack.

Even so, it was far too weak to defend against the monster, and at best it could only prolong her life by a few moments.

That father's love would only give Hojo Sakura a fleeting amount of time.

It bought her only a few seconds at best.

But that few seconds....

Thud!

"That was an incredibly reckless move. But for now, I'm just grateful. Thank you, I'm so glad you're Chitose's attendant."

—That few seconds bought by that love had connected everything.

The arm that blocked the Anomaly's attack was one the girls knew well.

A thick, hard, large, and warm arm.

"I can't say I made it in time, but it seems we managed to avoid the worst-case scenario."

"Otou-sama!"

"You did well, Chitose. And Chiharu fought well too. As for the rest, leave it all to me."

Receiving that attack, it was Onjōji Kiyotsugu who saved the girls.

He's Onjōji Chitose's father and the strongest man in the Onjōji family.

There's nothing more to say about the battle that followed.

The already dying Anomaly had no way to resist an Onmyōji as skilled as Onjōji Kiyotsugu, and the battle ended far too quickly.

As it vanished, the Anomaly simply gazed upon the boy and girl. It gazed upon the boy, who stood before the girl as if protecting her, and then vanished.

Anomalies are the remnants of someone who deviated from law of this world. 

Without reason or pride, they are merely phenomena that seek the counterpart they lost, destined to perish someday.

They feel nothing, they think nothing.

Therefore, this Anomaly's final moment was merely an illusion. It was merely a coincidence that it appeared to be gazing at the boy.

But what if, by some miracle, the Anomaly truly gazed at the boy with an intention?

What feelings must the monster have had as it gazed upon him?

The boy who, unlike itself, protected what he had to protect—no one knows, and no way to know anymore.

The hero who became the monster, and everything he tried to protect, all vanished into the waves of history.

In the end, that hero left nothing behind.

His life held no meaning.

(This won't do... I need to become much, much stronger. Strong enough to protect Chitose...!)

(This incident has made me painfully aware. I lack so many things. As an attendant, as someone who supports her, there are so many things I lack...! I must study various subjects, starting with medicine, in order to continue standing by her side and be of service...!)

Perhaps it wasn't so bad after all.

Anyway, the sakura viewing party, which had taken a sudden turn, came to an end, and the boy and girls safely returned to their daily lives.

Each of them carried their own thoughts and feelings into tomorrow.

(Ahhhhhhh!!! That was great! I'm so glad Sakura-chan wasn't hurt!

As expected, when there are fantasy elements, these sudden battle developments are scary! Well, it was quite an unexpected turn of events, but I got to enjoy a lot of great developments, so it's all good!

That cut by Chiharu will probably leave a scar...... Ahhhh! Chitose-chan's been injured! Now she can even do moves like worrying about her past injuries in the future event!

Chitose-chan, you did it!

You've got more moves to choose from!)

.....

Well,.... each of them carried their own thoughts and feelings into tomorrow.

★★★

"Chitose, are you alright going outside at night like this?"

"Thank you for worrying, Chiharu. But I'm fine. Actually, Otou-sama and Onii-sama are worrying too much. It's been like that since that sakura viewing."

At the Onjōji residence, a boy and a girl walked together towards the garden in one corner of the property.

"By the way, Chiharu, your way of speaking has gone back to how it used to be. Well, I like your current way too, it's cute. But that time was wonderful too. It sounded so manly."

"??"

"Hehe, I mean, Chiharu, you're wonderful no matter how you speak."

The girl's skin, exposed to the faint moonlight, was wrapped in white cloth in various places, presumably to stop bleeding or to keep wounds clean. Small wounds were visible even in areas without cloth, making her parents' and brother's concerns understandable.

"The bleeding has stopped, so I think they should allow me to walk around the mansion. After all, I've sneaked out here."

"Sakura will be scary later."

"..... Let's hurry back so we don't get caught."

Several days had passed since the battle with that Anomaly.

Thanks to the presence of her counterpart, Chiharu, and the devoted treatment of Mita Ayame, Onjōji Chitose was recovering well, and had recovered enough to walk a short distance without difficulty.

However, she still suffered from the lingering effects of using too much Yin energy, both internally and externally, causing stomach aches for those involved, especially Mita Ayame.

"Why would you go to such lengths?"

"Because.... even though we went to see the sakura together, we didn't get to see them at all. Before I knew it, we were back home. So I really wanted to see them together. I couldn't go all the way up that mountain, so it's just the sakura in our garden."

Familiar sakura tree appeared before the boy and girl. Blooming beautifully under the soft moonlight, it looked exactly the same as last year.

"Yeah. It's bloomed beautifully again this year. It's a little disappointing that it's not as fresh as before, though."

"Really? I really like these sakura."

"It's not that I dislike them, you know? I just thought it would have been nice to see them with Chiharu in the mountains."

"Then we can go again next year, right?"

"……………….Yeah.... You're right."

Tears welled up in the corner of the girl's eyes as the boy made the promise of next year as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Not from anger or sadness, but from happiness, from overwhelming joy at his kindness.

"Chitose!? Are you hurting somewhere?"

"No, it's just the wind."

Petals fluttered from the branches and rose from the ground. It was a scene that almost gave the illusion of being enveloped in a sakura-colored breeze. The strong wind scattered the clouds, and in the sky, a full moon, unobstructed by anything, radiated a soft light.

"The moon is beautiful tonight too. ...Hey, Chiharu. Do you remember what we talked about last year?"

"The one about the moon being beautiful?"

"Yes, there's a standard response to that. Apparently, the person who receives that phrase replies, 'I prefer the sun.'"

"???"

"Hehe, maybe it's still too early for you, Chiharu. Well, when the day comes that you understand the meaning of those words, I'd be so happy if you told me. .....It's a promise, okay?"

"I understand. But I'm not confident."

"...Why?"

"Because I like the moon more than the sun. The moon is gentle and soft, like Chitose, and that's why I like it."

"Guh~"

"Chitose? Your face is red, are you really okay?"

"Yes, I'm really okay, truly! So please don't worry! AND!! Just to add, as I said last year, 'The moon is beautiful, isn't it?' is a phrase said from a man to a woman. So, the response 'I prefer the sun' is mainly said by women."

"I see! Then it's okay! I prefer the moon, but what does it mean?"

"Well~ I wonder~"

The girl dances in the moonlight, amidst a flurry of sakura petals.

Despite her painful, wounded appearance, the boy still thinks she's as beautiful as last year, or even more so.

He still doesn't understand why he thinks she's more beautiful than last year. Not yet.

This is a love story between a boy and a girl.

An ordinary love story of a boy like a sun and a girl burdened by chronic illness.

(Oh! That one just now is so good that I feel like I'm cumming!!!)

..... And it's also the story of how a certain idiot becomes a sickly heroine.