An incessant noise could be heard all around. Thousands of people walking down the streets, a scent of drunkenness and joy that seemed to fill the world. The night lights that made the night seem day, the attractions and headers, the freezing breeze of the night, and the never-ending chatter.

The brilliant town that stood amidst a desert of nothingness. A paradise in desolation, a dreamland, where the rich turned poor and the poor turned rich in a second.

The City of Lights, Las Vegas.

Full of bets, mafia, drugs, and alcohol. Surely, there was no better place to spend her birthday.

It was decided on a whim, 'it would be fun to spend some time in that place', she thought. So, she got all the reserve money she had, and ran over to the city.

She had planned on having the most fun she could, after all, it wasn't every day that one turned thirty.

At least… that's what she planned. However, when going through a narrow alley, a smart shortcut to the best casino in town, she was met with a rather unpleasant sight.

At the other end of the alleyway, illuminated by a thousand rich colors, a red darker than hers stood.

'From all the days that bitch could appear, did my birthday really need to be the one?' the question rang true in her mind.

A scowl met a scowl in an almost coordinated motion. A hatred that burned more than the fires of hell itself.

A gust of wind that blew by, the deep red hair that belonged to both flaying with it.

In that disgusting alleyway that smelled like piss, one which the moon itself refused to bathe in its light, the fated meeting between the two sisters took place.

She sighed. "Perhaps I really did anger some sort of god." She grumbled to herself. "So, Touko, why did you come here?" She said, narrowing her eyes. "It wasn't to just wish me happy birthday, was it?" Despite the sarcastic commentary, her tone was completely serious, her mood having been ruined after seeing that person's face.

Her sister smiled, the lights from behind reflecting in her glasses, and with her cigarette perfectly poised she answered. "I would rather die." Pretending not to have noticed the sarcasm, the older sister answered earnestly.

She gritted her teeth. Not really taken aback by her older sister's answer, but displeased with it nonetheless.

"What a coincidence, I was just thinking that killing you today would make for the perfect birthday." She answered with a strained smile and an angered tone.

"In the middle of all these people? A gorilla like you will just attract the Association over your head." The foul woman crossed her arms and looked down on her from afar.

She clenched her hands. She could deal with every boring magus of the clock tower at the same time, but a single second in her sister's presence was more than enough to make her want to break all the bothersome rules.

But she didn't move in to attack. Even if her sister was… itself, she wouldn't just give in to slight provocations.

"Care to tell me why you came here?" She asked with ease and seriousness, the ability to gaze at a situation ingrained in her after years of being the student council president. "No, you know what, just stay away from me, whatever you're doing, it doesn't interest me."

Yes, that was the best option, she decided. At first, she wanted to deal with her sister, but realizing she didn't want this night to be even worse by having to deal with Touko's presence, or her problems for that matter, it was better to just ignore it all and pretend it didn't happen.

The woman with red hair shrugged as if it wasn't anyone's problem, and looked at Aoko with eyes that spoke of murder. "I was just taking a stroll by, rather unfortunate that we ended up meeting."

She should just ignore Touko. She knew that to be the correct answer. If she were to just believe Touko's pitiful lie, and go on with her night, everything would remain just fine and she would be able to enjoy her birthday.

She scowled and scoffed "I know the truth might still be a difficult thing for you to face, but don't go around spewing bad lies." And her mouth moved faster than her wits. No… in a way, that would've been her choice regardless, even if it was unpleasant, the lie Touko told was too ridiculous to believe.

If her sister was doing something troublesome, she would hate to have it in the back of her head the whole night. So, even if it was contradictory she could do nothing but go against her own desires to make sure nothing bad happened.

"Come again?" A strained expression surged in Touko's face as she scoffed. "I believe I misheard you, do you truly believe I would need to lie to a simpleton such as yourself?"

She crossed her arms, a bit uncomfortable, considering the big trunk in her hand. Taking a bothered expression that showed no other emotions. "You felt pretty comfortable lying to me when I asked whether or not you were stealing my money." She said, not a hint of anything but aggression in her voice.

Touko brought a single finger upwards. "Do you have any proof I did?" And said so with a smile that silently laughed at her.

She clenched her fingers with impossible strength, so much so that veins began popping in her hands. A little more and surely her elbows would crack. "I'll show you proof." She managed to growl under her breath.

It was unthinkable, when was the last time she became like this? Touko really was the only one capable of bringing the worse in her. Such has it been ever since they met each other, and continuously made sure to always do unforgiveable things to one another.

"Calm down." Her sister said in a low tone. "There are a lot of people around, you'll end up killing someone, you control-less freak."

"How many times do I have to tell you I can control myself!?" She said in anger. "But if you want a quick solution, spill out what you came to do here." A limit that for long hasn't been tested was being strained. She got mad, and attacked people because of it, surely, but breaking the rules, and falling to meaningless bait?

Touko took a drag out of her cigarette and sighed, before looking back at her. It barely took a second before a weird smile appeared on her face. Flickering her cigarette to the ground, and snuffing it out with the sole of her foot, Touko began moving towards her.

"I said it before, didn't I?" Her sister said with a jovial voice and smile. Slowly, she took her glasses off. "I was merely taking a stroll." A wicked smile appears in her sister's facade. "But—" She approaches her with slow steps. "I believe I could spend some time with my sister in her birthday, couldn't I?"

"What are you planning?" She asked in an angry tone.

"I thought that giving fake leads to the association would be fun, but really, I could never let my little sister alone in her birthday, could I?" Touko said, spreading her arms.

In other words, she wanted to incriminate her.

"Oh?" She looked at Touko with a bothered and disgusted look. "So, you wouldn't mind to walk around with the head of your family?" She fired her insult with equal intensity.

"Hm?" Touko looked at her as if she said something weird. A mocking smile appeared in her face, as if Aoko was the greatest joke in existence. "Why would I bother walking around with a figurehead that can't live up to her name? The truth becomes really clear when we look at who can and can't be a proper magus."

In any other day she would've held herself back, maybe taking it back at a later date. But that was not the case. This was her birthday, a day that was already ruined beyond repair from the mere meeting with her worthless sister.

At this point, she didn't care about self-control anymore.

They were just about in the middle of the alleyway, almost equally distant from both exits. The people on the street wouldn't see enough, for them, it would just be two whores fighting in an alleyway.

"Uh-?" She could barely take a look at Touko's surprised face, before it was engulfed by her fist.

The woman slammed back first into the wall. The air was driven out of her, and before she could do anything, she was grabbed by the face once again.

Her fingers moved furiously, the promise of a rune being woven into reality.

But- "Slow." The hopes of defense are crushed by the overwhelming offense, and with a single word, the rune was shattered.

Using all her strength, she smashed her sister's head against the concrete wall again, and again, and again.

The protective runes Touko had around her all ceded to the offense, unable to protect her from being repeatedly smashed against the wall.

It was fated to become like this, for a long time now, Aoko has been the strongest. So, from the beginning of the fight, only one outcome was possible.

She stopped when the first bloodstain tainted the wall. She believed only a little skin break had happened, but if Touko had fractured her skull and died, it wouldn't really bother her, not like she could die.

"Ah-ahhh-ahh." She took in deep breaths, exhausted after beating her sister up. "Uh-?" Yet, she was surprised to hear Touko groaning in pain, still fully awake.

"Ugh-" Her sister groaned, soon followed by a coughing fit.

It was a disgusting sound really, that cough of hers. It sounded like a baby coughing and choking on its own saliva, it just kept going and going.

Yet, through it all she took no action. For her, it was more than common to see her sister, or anyone for that matter, suffer like that. One might say it was Touko's birthday present for her, to be that vulnerable…

'I must be growing soft.' She thought before speaking up once more. "Do you need some help getting up?" She never took any pleasure in beating up her sister, nor most people, it was just anger, so, it made sense for her to feel worried, even if they hated each other, they were still siblings.

It took a little over a minute for the coughing fit to stop, leaving Touko taking deep and desperate breaths, longing for the air that was stolen from her.

"As if." Her sister looked at her with murder in her eyes. "I should just make it a rule to kill and attack you on sight." A deranged face told her those words.

She closed her face once more and scoffed. It really was meaningless to talk with Touko. Although, she wasn't expecting anything else, so it wasn't anything surprising.

She turned her head and looked at both sides of the alleyway, it seemed no one noticed their little transgression. 'Good', she thought, it would be a bother to deal with the association if this ever leaked out.

She moved to leave, but turned to Touko just before doing it.

"You came here to throw false leads at the association, right? Stay away from the main casinos and attractions and we'll be fine." She said in a tone that indicated her foul mood.

She hoped that trying to make the best out of her situation would end up in a satisfying birthday, but she was quite sure it would be impossible for her to get in a better mood.

No, before that, there was just one problem. "Hey," she looked at her sister with a monotonous yet bothered face. "Aren't you going to get up?" This was Touko they were talking about, she wouldn't sit around in the same alleyway a dog probably pissed in not long ago.

"It would just be a waste to be at the same height as you, I prefer to be as far from you as possible." Touko said in her composed voice, seemingly fine once more.

Not a cough was let out, nor a groan of pain.

There was just one problem with it all. It wasn't just a lack of bad things, it was also a lack of anything that wasn't her expressions. Her whole body hadn't done anything as much as twitching, not a single finger, even when her entire position seemed anything but comfortable.

"Touko." She looked at her sister, wearing a complicated expression in her face. "Can you get up?"

Her sister looked at her from the side of her eyes, a scowl appearing in her visage. "It is really a meaningless thing to ask, do you really think that if I couldn't move I would-"

But the older sister wasn't allowed to finish her line, for the younger merely walked to her and stomped on her hand.

"No, reaction." She took note. Touko couldn't even feel the feet touching her, not even to know when to fake a reaction, no jerk of the hand, no movement to take it out of her feet.

She set her feet on the ground again, the conclusion was simple. She broke her sister. It shouldn't have been too hard, she was smashing her head against the wall, it would hardly be difficult to have smashed her neck against it by accident.

She shouldn't feel bad about it, and normally she wouldn't. It wasn't her first time heavily wounding someone in a fit of rage, she did it many times before, and it was part of why she was so feared at school.

But, the difference was that she never felt any remorse afterwards, in her eyes, the people always deserved it. In this case, Touko deserved it most of all.

Yet, she still felt a bitter taste in her mouth after knowing what she did to her sister. It wasn't something eternal, Touko would always just fi herself, so it was something that, by all means of logic, shouldn't bother her a single bit, she should just look at it with levity and laugh it off.

"This is not a matter that should concern you. Much less is it something that a beast that can only cause destruction, such as yourself, can affect." Her sister said in a scolding tone. "Unless, of course, you were just going to finish me off."

She narrowed her eyes at her sister. "Wouldn't you just resurrect if I killed you? In a working body?"

She scoffed. "I don't know how it is for an idiot like yourself, but I don't want to die, even if I am bound to resurrect."

She could somewhat understand that reasoning, even if she was bound to immortality, it was only obvious that no one wanted to die.

"You can get fixed, right? You can make perfect dolls, so you can just alter your body, can't you?" She asked her sister, it honestly shouldn't concern her, but old habits die hard, and when she was the president of the student council, she would always do everything to make sure all went smoothly, even if she hated the students she was helping.

Yes… that's why… against her better judgement… she would help her sister.

"Like I would tell you." Her sister said, a sarcastic smirk on her face.

"So, you can't do it." She concluded.

"Wha-" The older one was astonished for but a second. "Of course I can do it, I'm the best puppeteer…" She slowly trailed off, had it been anyone else and she would've never fallen for a bait this basic, but even she had her moments of childishness when it came to her sister.

"I see." She took note. "What do you need?"

She sighed, no longer seeing any benefit in hiding the truth from her sister. "Some equipment in my workshop."

'Of course it is there, where else would it be?' She thought to herself.

"You're obviously not trying to throw fake leads in the city you're staying in, so, where is your workshop stationed at this time?" She just hoped it was somewhere within the country they were in, anywhere else and things would become a way too complicated.

"As if I'm telling you." Touko said in an angered tone.

She supposed the same trick wouldn't work twice, not when Touko was aware of it. And she couldn't really coerce Touko, asking where her workshop was stationed at would be the same as asking for her greatest weak point.

But… she really didn't care about any of that. Crossing her arms, she looked at her sister with an annoyed expression. "I don't think you can walk there yourself, so spill the beans before I change my mind and just drop you in the association."

"Uh?" Touko looked at her with genuine surprise. "Wait, you're serious about helping me?" She asked as it if was the weirdest thing she heard her entire life.

Although… it might as well be the weirdest thing she ever heard in her life.

"I did that to you, so I should at least take responsibility." Yet, even if she said that, she had no real idea why she was even doing it all in the first place. What she and Touko did to each other along the years was unforgiveable, and she would never stop hating the woman.

Touko's face morphed into a complicated expression after hearing that. It seemed like she both wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

"You can't be serious." She said, trying to hold her chuckles, but miserably failing.

She didn't dignify that with an answer.

"Now, spill the beans, where is your workshop?" She asked, slowly running out of patience.

Touko's smile suddenly faded, replaced only with a cautious look. "If that's the case, then make a contract with me." She said, suddenly.

"Uh-?"

"A geiss, make an oath that you will neither hurt me, nor will you tell anyone about my whereabouts." Touko said in a dead serious tone.

A geiss, a self-binding curse that would ensure the effectiveness of a contract, it was not something to be made lightly.

Yet… "Sure." Fore some reason she accepted.

The contract itself wasn't too long, there were no special effects. She pointed out a finger, said some words, used her magical energy, and just like that, beside her heart, she could feel something else beating… a curse.

But… more than the curse she could feel… she also knew, even if it was a geiss, it was nothing she couldn't break with some light effort. Touko would never know, it was a contract she bound herself to, said her vows, cast herself, and Touko would never know of its effects, all that could be known was its activation.

And yet, she did not break the curse. It could be done at any time, so even as if a mere show of faith to her sister, she would let it there.

"Alright then." Touko said once the geiss turned into a reality. "My lair is-".

"Ugh…" She said recoiling, it was on the other side of the country.

'An airplane would be nice, but tickets are too expensive on such short notice… and besides, dealing with risking being seen by the association is not worth the risk… train ride it is.' As she thought to herself, it was just too bothersome to deal with it all.

"Still up for it?" Touko asked with a wry smile.

"I said I would do it, didn't I?" So, even if it ended up becoming more of a bother than it should, she would not complain. "Now, let me see where did you put your glasses." She walked over to her sister and crouched next to her, looking for the woman's glasses.

If she remembered correctly, she had put them in the inner pockets of her overcoat, although they could've just flown off after that 'fight'.

She approached Touko and slid a hand under the woman's coat, looking for her glasses. Judging by Touko's face, the woman 'liked' such proximity as much as she did, even if she knew Aoko couldn't do anything to harm her.

"Ah- found it." She said, taking the glasses out of Touko's coat and placing them on her sister's face.

Like magic, her sister's features softened, no longer containing strain, just a look of bother and anger. "I'll thank you, but what was that for?" She asked, still suspicious.

"Nothing much." She got up and dusted herself, her voice perfectly poised, not showing a hint of bother or strain. "I just couldn't deal with you without your glasses."

"You-" Touko narrowed her eyes at her, clear hate seeping through her vision.

"Alright, I don't have time to deal with you crying, let's get this over with." She said, reluctantly putting her trunk on the dirty ground. "Here, I'll carry you."

Touko didn't say anything at that, she should've known there was no other way around it, so complaining was meaningless.

It took a bit of effort, but she managed to attach her sister to a piggyback position. Linking her sister's arms around her neck, holding her legs, bending her body so the woman's body would always be inching towards her back, and Touko using all the strength she could muster in her chin to grapple it to her younger sister's shoulder. It was uncomfortable, but it allowed to carry her cripple of a sister, while also carrying around her trunk.

"Why did you even bring this thing with you? If you were going to play around, it was safer to keep somewhere it couldn't be stolen." Touko took note from her back.

She let out a sheepish laugh. "Well…" She said, a bit embarrassed. "Now that you mention it, there was one occasion where it was stolen." She said with an embarrassed, yet shameless, expression. "Well, I managed to track it down and recover it, so in the end, it is alright."

"I know you received a subpar upbringing, but even a moron like you should know this isn't all right." Touko said, annoyed.

"Tch." She could feel the mood that had begun to lighten, crank again. "I know that you look the part, but I'm not your child, so stop acting as if you were my mother." She complained. "And also, stop talking, I can't take that damned cigarette breath of yours."

"Be silent you idiot, and learn to take a tip." Her sister scolded her.

Perhaps as a result of their arguing, there were some people on the streets giving them weird looks, now that they were nearing the exit of the alleyway. She thought it was ironic, even in that stain of a city, people considered them weird.

Ignoring all the looks being thrown in her direction she huffed in response to her sister. "Let's go already, I don't have any place to crash off in, and the sooner I get rid of you, the better. We are going directly to the station." She said, before stopping for a bit. "Unless… you didn't come hear driving, did you?"

"And let the organization into how one of my cars or motorcycles look like?" Her sister said sharply. "Besides, do you really expect to just find tickets this late at night?"

"This is a problem I'll deal with when I have to." She said, walking again.

So, the sisters went on their path, away from the City of Lights.


An annoying sound of hinges scraping against metal filled the air. An uncomfortable thing that would drive anyone that heard it long enough to madness.

However, despite being such an undesirable sound, it was a needed side-effect.

"Hmmm… our places should be around here." Pure white lights illuminated the train from the sides of the cabins, turning the world inside into a bliss of sight when compared to the darkness outside.

"How come you bought a ticket without knowing where our places were?" The older sister complained.

"Shut it, I was in a hurry so I just went for the best package, and I even got you a wheelchair." The younger answered, half-justifying herself and half-stating some personal achievement.

Which was weird, because one could barely be called an achievement, and the wheelchair was noise and would be uncomfortable, were she to feel anything other than her well-rested neck and head.

The older one sighed. "Care to tell me how our rides are scheduled now?" She asked, impatient at the fact that her sister had refused to share their travel plans because 'they needed to get to the train fast enough', when in fact, she used suggestion to be able to cut the queue and enter the train before everyone else, and could've easily made it so that the train didn't leave without them.

"Well…" Her sister said, while looking for their assigned places. "We have to embark on at least two other trains, and it will take about a week of travel."

"Uh?" There was something wrong with that. She snapped her face towards her sister. "One week? Isn't that a bit too much?" She was sure it was possible to get there in two thirds the time. Surely, it might look inconsequential, considering it was only a week, but the more time she spent with her sister, the closer she felt to madness, so every second counted.

"Well…" Aoko said sheepishly, an ashamed smile on her face. "It was cheaper to just buy a travel package, and we don't have a schedule, so…" She said, scratching the back of her head.

If she could, she would be facepalming, instead, all she could do was close her eyes and take a deep breath. She couldn't believe it; her sister fell for a marketing pinch. "This is just like you, a brainless hedonist that just follows her base desires."

"Hey! Let me remind you, this 'brainless hedonist' is the one helping you right now, so stop it." She snapped back at her. "Besides, it not like either of us is well, financially speaking." Despite the last part being said in a half-whisper, she still caught it loud and clear.

Perhaps, the saddest part was that Aoko wasn't wrong, not in the tiniest bit. She was constantly spending her money on whimsy things, and Aoko never knew the meaning of economy, to begin with.

She let out a sigh. The temptation of just risking a 'Touko-travel' was ever growing, only kept at bay by her being unable to trust Aoko controlling a broom.

'Still, death wouldn't be the end, and I would probably get her injured, at the very least.' But she didn't want to die. As pathetic as that was, she wanted to protect her life and try to live as a normal human as much as she could, even if that was impossible as she was a magus.

It was a bothersome habit she acquired after spending far too much time with those amusing children.

"Ah- here it is." Aoko said, finally finding their places. On the end of the wagon, on the left corner, their little seats stood. For Aoko's credit, it was rather expensive. Two couches one in front of the other, with a table in the middle.

"Doesn't this look… rather expensive?" She asked, scared for her sister's possible answer.

"It was more cost beneficial if I bought it with the tickets. And hey, we have this luxury in all of our rides!" She said.

She wondered to herself, was Aoko being this stupid on purpose?

She let out a deep sigh. "Your stupidity will never cease to impress me." Every time she thought she had seen everything Aoko could five her, the woman seemed to pull out something even more stupid to present. "In any case, just help me to my seat." She said, her tone closed off and without any patience, yet serene.

"Don't act as if you're my boss." Her sister complained.

Yet, she did not hesitate to do as requested. Taking hold of her sister, in a bridal carry, she rested her comfortably against the wall, her body perfectly poised to be resting on both the wall and the couch, a perfect position that was set by the younger one. Even if the only position that mattered to her at the moment was how comfortable her neck and head were, though, to Aoko's credit, she was really comfortable.

Despite that, being carried by Aoko was almost an insult. Even if she couldn't hurt her, it was still uncomfortable to have her so close to her body. No, more than that, it was humiliating to even have her sister's help in the first place.

Folding the wheelchair, the younger sister put it in the storage compartment right above their heads.

She missed her cigarette, at times she went to pull a drag, only to find her mouth empty, and her hands unable to move. It was an annoying thing, that would hopefully be fixed at the end of the week, at longest. Until there, she would have to resign to a pathetic lifestyle.

"Just why were you so insistent on getting on the train so early?" She asked, clearly seeing her sister take her sweet time putting away her trunk. "You know the train won't be leaving as soon as we take a seat, don't you?" She asked, just to be sure of it.

"Hm?" Her sister asked, far too concentrated on making sure the trunk wouldn't end up crushing Touko's wheelchair. "Well, I thought that the sooner we got in here, the less you would need to have people see you in a wheelchair. I know you and I'm sure it is killing you inside, isn't it?" Aoko said, a toneless voice, with only strain from the effort she was putting in organizing their things.

"I see." Well, Aoko wasn't wrong. Even if it was just a series of random people, she was still a magus, and still had her pride to feed. She silently, and reluctantly, thanked her sister for thinking about that, and not being a complete idiot.

"Besides." Aoko said, finally done with storing her trunk, a proud smile adorning her face. "It was far too cold outside, and I was getting tired of standing and carrying you." She said without a hint of shame.

Mentally, she took back any and all praise she gave to Aoko, that girl was better off dead.

"Vey well then, follow on with your worthlessness and sit down." She said in a bothered tone, looking at her sister more as a thing and animal than as a person.

"Don't mind if I do." Aoko said, a tone far too lax and calm. "Although," she said as she turned around. "I think I prefer to just lay down a bit." She said, suddenly dropping into the couch, falling perfectly on her sister's lap.

"Hey, you-!" She wass taken aback by her sister's brash actions. Suddenly lying sideways on her immobile lap. By just retracting her knees a bit, she fit perfectly on the couch. "What do you think you're doing?" She asked, looking at the thing in her lap.

"Be silent, I want to get some rest, and these couches are not fit for sleeping, I'll just be sore all over." Her sister said, trying to get her head into a nice position.

But- such actions would never be acceptable in Aozaki Touko's presence. Even if she lost the movement of her arms and legs, Aoko would never go scot-free.

The woman turned around a bit, looking for the perfect position to enjoy her unwilling pillow the best way possible. It took a while, but she managed to find an undignified, but impossibly comfortable, position.

Well, unlike Touko, she wasn't just half-bothered by being seen by people. Not to be misunderstood, she had her fair share of pride, but she couldn't be bothered to be seen like this, after all, she would have to, at best, deal with some complaining nobodies.

It felt comfortable, impossibly comfortable, better than it should. She felt as if she could sleep. The day had been somewhat stressful, from going to Vegas, meeting her sister and getting into a fight with her, and then carrying her to a train. Surely, after all that, she deserved some rest.

Her consciousness began to drift, preparing for a calm sleep, and genuinely, Touko should just do the same, she would be able to rest her head pretty easily.

Yet, as the edges of unconsciousness touched the outskirts of her mind, she was brought back by the sudden feeling of a… warm liquid… going down her face.

"-!" She got up in a hurry, sitting up in her place. Quickly turning around she saw that the liquid in her face was-

Connecting to Touko's tongue… that was sticking out of her mouth… a thin live of saliva… she couldn't believe it. Touko, who couldn't do anything to harm her, had been so childish she preferred to drool all over her than just accept Aoko calmly.

It was ludicrous, the dirty red of the Association was drooling… over her. She wanted to both rage, cry and laugh, such was the absurdity of the situation.

Yet, none of them happened. She merely stared at her sister, dumb folded and enraged.

Though, that stunned state didn't last for long, she quickly regained her composure. Anger that boiled deep within her, the beautiful expression that lay in her face souring, a gritting of her teeth. "What do you think you're doing?!" She half-said half-screamed, while trying to rub the disgusting fluids out of her.

Withdrawing her tongue, Touko looked at her, with the previously worn serious expression turning into a smile. "Why sister, I'm just looking for the protection of my own dignity." She said, not a shred of doubt or apprehension in her face. "Besides," She said, smiling. "It would be a shame if all the money you've put to use was let to waste, c'mon, sit down on the other side and use what you bought to its maximum extent, you invalid magus."

Her fist tightened to a maximum extent, her nails dug into her skin, causing bloodless skin breaks. This was ridiculous, beyond what she could expect or accept. Yet, she was unable to do anything, for the curse inside her forbid her from doing so. It also served to calm her, even if she was capable of breaking it, there was a reason to leave it there, a reminder for what could be between the sisters.

"No, wait." Touko said before she could do anything. "I believe there's some saliva in my lower lips. Be a good slave and clean them for me."

"Argh!" She exclaimed, annoyed. Yet, she did not hesitate to grab the hem of her shirt and use it to dry anything that could be near her sister's lips.

What is it with this vocabulary being used? Were they eight years old? She was sure none of them were this childish, perhaps that was a side effect of being near each other for so long?

"Well, whatever." She grumbled under her breath.

"Yes, just like that, what a good young senior you are." Touko said, looking at her with a smile that while seemingly innocent, spoke of untold mockery.

"Humpf." Getting up from her place, she moved to the other side of their little space, lying down on the hard couch, incredibly less comfortable.

She wanted to get some sleep, a rest, from that overly stressing night. But sleep wouldn't come on that uncomfortable space. No, more than that, without the comfort from before, she just ends up worrying too much about Touko.

She was the one to have her sister end up like that, so she should take this much responsibility and wait for the train to begin moving until she slept, to be sure none of her sister's needs were left unattended.

She opened her eyes and looked up to a bright white light, illuminating their cabin. She hadn't noticed it while on Touko's lap, but it would be a bother to sleep with it on, maybe there was a way to turn it off… ah- but that was a problem she would deal with later, in the first place, she didn't even know how much her cripple of a sister would complain if she turned the lights off.

It took a while, but the train slowly filled up, all sorts of people bringing about all sorts of noise. Luckily, for her sanity, no one seemed to take note of the two weird women with red hair, otherwise, Touko would've never let her hear the end of it.

Soon before the train was about to leave, an attendant came around the seats making sure all was fine for the departure. It was only natural, after all, she didn't pay a small amount for these travels.

"Hello passengers, is there anything I can help you with?" The kind attendant asked.

"Ah, there's no need, I assure you, everything's fine." But before she could send the woman off her way, a cheerful and kind voice cut through the air. It was something almost alien, considering the mouth which it came from. "Thank you for the concern."

"Yes, thank you." The woman said and went away.

But, there was something weirdly annoying with all of it. "Hey." She called out to Touko, her eyes ticking as a reflex to her anger. "Just noticed something weird." Seating up in the sofa, she looked at her sister with an annoyed face.

"What is it?" Touko asked, but instead of going for a snarky remark, her face suddenly darkened. "A magus?"

No, had the problem been a magus, Aoko would've dealt with it without breaking a sweat. It was something way more serious.

"That way you speak is weird and annoying." She boldly told her sister.

"What?" The older one said, taken aback by the suddenness of the action.

"That cheerful and kind way, it isn't right… it… doesn't fit you." She said with some difficulty to find the correct words. "You never used it to talk to me, so I can only see you as a frustrated woman." She told her bluntly.

"Why you…" Touko grumbled under her breath. "Is there any reason for that line? Or is it just meant to satisfy some weird fetish of yours?" The older sister looked at the younger one in disgust.

"Where are you taking that from, you deluded woman?" She asked in anger.

"Fine then, do you want to see me talking like that to you?" She huffed, before quickly changing her scowl to a smile, "why, it really is meaningless, you know?" She said in a kind and sweet voice. "But I guess it can't be helped, so I'll let you indulge in myself."

She blushed at the way her sister spoke to her.

It was wrong, it was just wrong, deep inside her, she knew, Touko Aozaki should never talk like that to Aoko Aozaki, it was fundamentally wrong.

"It really doesn't fit you." She said boldly, while trying to use her red hair to hide her blushing face.

"I'm like that normally, you're the only one that has a problem with it, you disgusting thing." Touko said, annoyed and bothered.

"I don't care. You never bothered to treat me as a normal sister should, so you can't complain, if I can't bear you when you do." She said, ashamed for the first time in a long time.

"What do you mean, is that what this is all about?" Touko asked, in a way, she seemed to be rather confused about what her sister's intentions had been all along, but neither seemed to care. "You just wanted attention from your older sister?" She asked in disgust.

"As if, I prefer to drink bleach than talking to you." To that, Touko scowled.

In a way, it brought her some peace of mind. It was weird, but for her, it only felt natural to be arguing like this to her sister. She supposed an old philosopher talked about it once, how the continuous pursuit of perfection through cultivated habits was the key to true happiness. In a sense, it was the habit of arguing with her sister that brought her happiness.

Let it be said now and never again. Even if it always ruined her day to argue with Touko, and she would probably kill her sister over it one day, it would feel wrong and take a long time of adjustment, were she to die, or were them to stop this way of theirs.

A small smile appeared on her face, it was a tiny thing, but it spoke of some distorted happiness.

"Ah- but, do you think things would've been different if we were raised as normal sisters?" She asked suddenly, a whimsical question that became reality as soon as it was born. Perhaps, it came from that little happiness she experienced, happiness that came from her sister, how would it have been, had it always been there?

"What is this? Regretting and thinking about what-ifs? This isn't like you, not at all." Touko said, somehow bothered by her question, like she was to her every action.

"It's just a stray thought that came to my mind. I won't agonize over it, nor am I interested in changing time, I don't have such puny regrets." A sharp tongue told her sister. "Now answer."

Her sister let out a sigh. "Nothing would've changed. Grandfather would've still chosen you over me, and we would come back to the same place, perhaps hating each other even more. No, in the first place, you were always my replacement, after all, our parents just made you to replace me, after grandfather decided to raise me himself." Touko said bluntly.

"Yeah, I should've expected that-" it took her a while to realize what Touko said. "Wait, what do you mean?!" She exclaimed, annoyed. "Do you have such a sense of importance you think I was born as your replacement?!"

"Did you ever think it was for any other reason? Or didn't you realize our parents never even sent me a birthday card?" Touko said, seemingly not interested.

"That's your fault in the first place. You're not trying in the least to be a family, nor do you have some sort of public address so they can mail you." She clicked her tongue. "Even going as far back as when you lived with grandpa, you know how he is, I wouldn't be surprised if he burned any attempts of bonding and reaching to you, attachments can be detrimental."

"Enough of that. You're just reaching out for explanations." Touko said and made a movement with her lips, as if searching for something that wasn't there, perhaps her cigar.

"I'm not, I'm pretty sure of that." She said, grumbling and deeply annoyed. For she knew she was right.

"How come? No one should be able to go through the clocktower without knowing that just believing in something doesn't make it come true."

"Well…" she said, looking for the right words. "You never answered any of my letters."

"Uh? Letters, which letters?" She asked, confused. She was sure she wasn't forgetting about any letters being send to her in her childhood, she never forgot things.

"I decided that it would be good to know my sister better after I met you and discovered you existed. So, I asked dad to let me mail you, but you never answered, even though I sent over ten letters." Her tone clearly spoke about still being hurt over the fact, as if that negligence had collaborated to their present state.

"The first time we met…? That would've been… ah- when you appeared in the workshop with a kitten you killed, right?" Touko said, remembering their first meeting.

"I didn't kill it!" She said, anger boiling up in an instant. "It was an accident, dammit." Decades had passed, but she still regretted the day she took the kitten family's life. "Anyway," she said, cooling herself off. "I take you never received any of my letters?"

"No, none." An emotionless tone answered her. "I believe that's another thing we can add to grandfather's tab. It is a bit of a shame." She said, uncaring.

"That's it?! That's all you're going to say?" Somehow, she was angry at her sister's reaction. That had been a thing she kept to herself for a long time, and her sister didn't seem to bat an eye to it.

"Yes, what do you want me to do? There's no meaning in crying over it, that was our relation then, and this is how it is now. We hate each other, and no amount of could've been will change that."

"You could've at least given it more a reaction." She complained. Even if she knew Touko was right, and wouldn't have reacted differently herself, she just didn't like the woman's response.

But, in the end, Touko wasn't wrong. It was a spun of the moment thing, this current state of theirs, of not trying to kill each other every three words, but she knew they would be back to normal when it was all said and done.

Just as that same philosopher said, a single bird or flower does not make it a summer. Even if they showed a peak or two of friendliness and sisterhood, it would just be a summer flower blooming in a snowstorm, a special occasion that didn't represent any sort of change, only meant to be killed by the reality of everything.

However, since they were in this joy of an occasion. "I'm sorry." She said. "For paralyzing you. Even if it is meaningless and you'll get better without much trouble, I'm sorry for breaking you."

"You're not apologized." Touko said bluntly. "This far into our lives, it would be more of an insult to me and you if we apologized to each other. It would mean to deny our feelings and try to pass a facade brought by suddenness as the norm, try not to lie to yourself too much." Once again, the woman seemed to go for her cigarette again, only to find it missing.

"Why, you?!" She understood all that, which was why she didn't apologize for anything else, even in a normal occasion, she wouldn't apologize to anyone. It was just this once. "You really are the worst."

"Stop deluding yourself like some sort of teenager."

"Then stop acting like that, be a normal person and take the apologies." She said, lying her head in her arms that rested on the table. She didn't care if she were to sleep sitting, she just laid her head there and went to sleep.

In the end, nothing more was said by either sister, as the train slowly moved away.


"let's talk about choice, for you'll always have to make choices."

Thinking well back into it, surely it was with him that it all started.

"Your sister has left on a trip, from now on, you'll be the heir of the Aozaki."

He trained Touko more severely than most magi, not allowing the girl to even interact with her family. Then, when the time came, he discarded her in favor of the more suitable youth.

On that day, he took away from both the girls the life they wanted and dreamed about, and cursed them to hate each other.

"Oh, it was already dead."

But… blaming him was both selfish and cowardly. Not only was he dead, but to make him a scapegoat would be to deny their own actions.

"You speak of changing that kitten's fate."

Both of them had hated each other on their own volition, the both of them fought and hurt each other, the both of them were to blame for their hatred.

"I want you to help!"

If he was to blame for the beginning, then they were to be blamed for everything else.

"Hello, is anyone there?"

…but, was there anything wrong with it?

It is a sad reality, but siblings end up hating each other every now and then. It was only natural, and both of them were comfortable with how they currently stood.

None wanted forgiveness, none wanted redemption, none wanted amendment. Even if it was a bother, if no action was taken, no reaction would grace the world.

Whether it was fate or all by chance, the sisters hated each other

"Fine, Touko, you want to see magic? I'll show you magic."

In the middle of all their hatred, they hurt each other and many others. Strangers and friends alike, when the sisters met, people suffered.

If they forgave each other and made peace after all that time, it would be no different from denying both their feelings and all that suffering. The turbulent times they went through, the people that suffered because of them, it would be an insult to all of it.

"What was it, that you saw when you crossed to the other side?"

It was hard to change one's emotions, the more they are engraved into one's heart, the more they refuse to change. Perhaps the most persistent of all is but hatred. No matter one says, about it changing over time, it just hides away under the surface, awaiting the moment for its return. So, to even change one's emotions in the first place, one would need to completely overwrite them with emotions just as strong.

"Goodbye, Touko."

Wouldn't those emotions then, be such as love and trust?

But that was impossible, because in the first place, both parties would need to consent into giving off their hatred and loving each other. That action itself would go against the nature of hatred.

It was all a vicious circle, hate that would never let go.

But was it so wrong? Hatred was a thing that brought destruction, but so was too much love. Hate was always treated so awfully, when it was just natural, you'll never forgive someone that took away your life, who killed your friends and family, who made you suffer and beat you bloody. Because that action of forgiveness was, in itself, wrong.

Doing so would be the same as turning oneself into an ego-less machine, whose feelings and self have been extinguished.

The only option in such a case would be to hate the perpetrator, for nothing else would be acceptable for a normal person.

It wasn't some self-enforced logical belief. These were her own feelings. She was not trapping herself to her hate, too scared to leave, she just hated Touko, that was an unchanging fact. These thoughts were a mere form given to that hate. The why she would not forgive her sister, the why she would never be bothered.

One last time, let it be said, these was not an enforced theorem, these were her own feelings and beliefs.


"Hmmm." She moaned as consciousness finally returned to her. Her body felt stiff after so long inside trains, and uncomfortable sleeping positions. She raised her head from her arms, resting on the table.

"Finally awoke, you sloth?" And before her vision could get used to the clarity of the world, an annoying voice calls out to her.

"Shut up, you cripple." An out of patience answer sluggishly comes out of her lips. She brings a hand to her head, as if that would help with the ringing and headache.

A mere side effect of waking up, but annoying nonetheless.

"You seem tired. I take you didn't manage to get any proper sleep?" Touko said, not even a smile gracing her face, just a tired seriousness.

"I don't know…" She said, shaking her head a bit. "It feels like I was having a nostalgic dream." She said, the dream already forgotten.

"Nostalgic, huh?" Touko said, looking outside the glass panel by their side.

"What? Do you have some mumbo jumbo theory about nostalgic dreams?" She asked, out of patience to deal with any magical theory.

Touko glanced at her. Her gaze seemed both surprised and interested, but her baseline tranquility firmly stood its ground. "Well, it is not mine." She said, gazing back to the countryside. "Just a little something I read back in the clocktower, I can't remember a lot of it, I guess it was something silly."

"Way back then, huh?" If memory served her right, it had been more or less a decade ever since Touko had been given a sealing designation by the Association. "Weird, I didn't think it was like you to forget things, even more so magical theories."

"Me too." She said. "But I guess it was that meaningless. I can't even remember why I read it, maybe it was a spun of the moment thing, but I somehow got invested by all the prepositions it made. Of course, it led to no meaningful conclusion, and seemed more like the ramblings of a madman."

"Uh?" She was taken aback. "What? It's not at all like you to read something like that." She told her sister once more.

"I know, it is something that I should've stopped not soon after I begun and saw it would lead nowhere, but something kept me moving." Her gaze was unfocused, as if trying to remember something long past. "It would've been better if I had let it go, and read something else. What a waste, I couldn't even learn a thing from it."

"Well, I can't say I did much on the library of the Association, but I'm pretty sure it is filled with things like that." She said. Somehow, remembering that place took away a bit of her patience. "So, anything interesting about that theory?" She had no honest interest, but from the way Touko spoke, it seemed like it would be fun to hear some simple nonsense.

"Well, I suppose there are some interesting things that can be talked about." She seemed to be deep in thought. "But it was such a long-forgotten thing, I don't really want to bother myself with it."

"I see." She said, finishing her conversation.

Looking outside the window, the sun was setting once more, covering the countryside in molten gold.

If she remembered well, she had spent the whole night making sure everything was fine with Touko, and only managed to get some sleep during the morning. Knowing that she probably missed lunch, she hoped that the grumbling of her stomach hadn't been heard by anyone, because it was one thing not to care about others, another completely for something so shameful to happen.

It had been… five, or maybe six, days of travel. This was the fourth train they were using, it was only natural it was that much, after all, she bought a travel package.

The one they were currently staying in was quite similar to all others, the only difference was that each slot of seats had its own cabin. Oh- and they were also in the middle of the wagon, instead of the very end, she supposed that was also important.

"Hours?" She asked her sister.

"If I were to say by the position of the sun? Somewhen nearing six in the afternoon." Touko said, looking far into the horizon. Her tone seemed bored and out of steam.

"Just a few more days and we'll be there."

"We could've already been there, had you only bought the right tickets." The relentless answer came to counter the obvious observation.

"When will you understand? I told you I bought the right tickets!"

"I refuse to believe in your child's tale." Touko said, not the least interested.

She may have been out of patience at the time, but there was no way she would've fallen for some marketing trick. She genuinely chose the best option with the most accessible price. Of course, it seemed like Touko would've preferred to spend another hour, in the cold, for a train where they would spend days cramped with other passengers, in uncomfortable plastic chairs.

"You're really impossible to deal with." She complained. Clicking her tongue, she focused her sightseeing into the horizon.

There wasn't much to look at, it was just the countryside. A boring plain filled with crops, bathed by the setting sun. Somewhat pretty, somewhat dull.

"What do you think of it? This view." Without taking her eyes from the horizon, she asked her sister.

"Looking at it is better than speaking to you." Came the answer with no bite.

Having just woken up, she had none of the energy to keep entertaining Touko's baits. So, she left that comment without any answer.

The continuous sound of the train following the rails filled the air. A silence that really wasn't, an impossible quiet atmosphere, neither was complaining nor smile.

Such a thing was unnatural to the sisters, for as long as they were together, conflict was to arise. That was as true as the sky being blue.

Yet, as they watched the molten gold sky, nothing was uttered.

"I wonder, if nothing happened all those years ago, would we've been able to gaze at the sky like this?" Breaking the illusion of peace, the younger sister delivered her line.

The older one scoffed. "Again with this? In case you've forgot, what's done is done. I can't say what would've happened, nor do I have interest in it." She said, out of patience.

She crossed her arms, looking at her sister. "You're a kill joy, at least make an effort."

"What's with you these last days? You are not the kind to change the past." Her sister complained. "Are you even my sister, or are you just some magus from the association?"

She let out a deep sigh. "We've already been through this, I've already showed you my crest. I am the real Aozaki Aoko." She said, tiredly.

"Then act your part and stop asking those questions." Touko said annoyed.

She wanted to ignore her sister, but she couldn't. In the first place, why was she asking those questions? She had no wish to change the past, she had no interest in what could've been, it happened and she would forever move on.

Yet, those questions relentlessly sprung in her mind. If only Touko would've humored her, she could get rid of this weird feeling.

Be the change you want to see, I guess. "You think I would've fed you?"

"Huh?" Her sister looked at her as if she had grown a second head.

"I've been thinking, since I've had to feed your sorry self… do you think I would've tried to feed you, had we grown up together?" She asked.

Her sister looked at her with a gaze of pure loathing and disgust. "Stop with these questions already. And to answer your question, no, nothing like that would've happened. We would've hated each other, and kept our distance. End of story."

"Hmmm." Even if the answer was meant more to shut her up than to actually give out a coherent answer, she took it nonetheless. Would Touko be right or wrong? It was meaningless to ask, because in the first place, a world where the two of them grew up together was not only impossible, but it would essentially not be them.

A world where Aozaki Aoko and Touko grew up together would require such changes that the people involved would be fundamentally different. No one needed to be told that, she already knew from the beginning… so why were these thoughts springing up inside her mind?

She already knew the answer, she just refused to acknowledge it. It was fine as long as it continued that way… but, were she to be confronted about it, then…

"If that's what you say…" If she stopped asking about it all, it would be the end of the conversation, and she wouldn't need to deal with those weird thoughts…

But she wasn't that kind of person. The first time around, it was because she genuinely thought the subject was over, but not now, not after all this time.

Even if it was uncomfortable, she would just pierce right through it. After all, what can Touko do? Hate her more?

Looking with a piercing gaze towards her sister, she focused herself in the fight about to happen. "I think it would've been fun." With an unwavering tone, she struck the first blow.

"I don't know what else I expected from you, still as insufferable as always." She said, her mouth making an uncomfortable movement, as if looking for a cigarette that wasn't there. "To think I actually believed you could behave yourself.

"-Hey!" She let out an angry smile. "Treat your caretaker with more respect, will you?"

"I will, as soon as my idiot sister begins behaving." Her sister said with loathing.

"Why are you so mad?! I am just trying to make us think like sisters!" She exclaimed in anger.

"That's exactly why." Touko said, annoyed. "I can't see this as anything other than you planning something, and I am not the least interested in knowing what it is."

"I am genuinely doing this out of my own good will."

"I would have believed that, weren't you trying to make us look like actual sisters." Her sister said, annoyed. "Why are you even trying to do this, anyway?"

Receiving her sister's complaint headfirst, the magician delivered her answer. "I just wanted to live some sisterly love." She said, not a hint of anger, trickery or sadness, stated as if a fact that line pierced through the air.

"Uh?" Her sister made a genuinely surprised face, it was goofy, to some extent.

That was the truth. To some, a banal thing, to the both of them? It was the equivalent of the apocalypse.

It had been a long, yet short, time with her sister. Raging at her, listening to her complaints and desires, sleeping near her, talking to her, being near her. Perhaps thanks to that geiss, but the lack of any true aggression made it all seem… banal. The fights stopped feeling like temper destroying, and became mere tiresome ordeals. Touko's presence… she begun to wonder, would it have been like that? To grow like normal sisters?

It became something of a longing. A weird feeling, becoming aware of something that was never missing.

But it was impossible to obtain it now, because this moment was but a mirage, and the reality of the desert was hastily approaching.

So, even if it meant living that reality only in her imagination, she was fine with it.

"It is a bit selfish, but I wanted to be like a real sister to you."

"…" Again, looking for a cigarette that wasn't there, Touko tried to look away. "That's impossible, you should already know it yourself."

"I tried to keep it just in imagination, but you wanted to know it that much, now be responsible and deal with the consequences."

"You might say that, but there's nothing to be done, I think both of us agree there's no such a thing as true reconciliation." Touko looked at her. "Or you think otherwise?"

She nodded. "I have no such romanticized thoughts." She knew how to differentiate occasion from reality, this piece of heaven would not return, ever again. A treacherous thought that awoke within her, and refused to go away, an evil flower.

"Great then, give up. Delusions will only lead to more delusions, it would be a waste if you became a mad dog that needs to be put away." The older one said without any hesitation.

"I never said I wouldn't give up, I just wanted to taste it a bit." She said. "But I guess even that is far too much." She just wanted a bit, a bit more of sisterly love, so she could let it all die in peace. It was somehow sad, that she would need to give it up, but if she could receive just a bit…

Her sister looked away. "Well… there is one thing." Touko said.

"Uh?" This time, it was her turn to be both surprised and taken aback.

"Thank you for not breaking the geiss." Her sister said. "If you want any recognition coming from me as your sister, this is all it will be."

"You knew?" She asked in disbelief. It should've been obvious, in hindsight, it was, after all, Touko.

"Yes, I know about your capabilities. If we are talking about a mere geiss, then you can break it any time of the week." Touko said, not a shadow of doubt in her. "But I still wanted you to take it, maybe as a sign of trust, maybe as a sign of willingness. In any case, I believed that if you took it, then I could work with you."

Even if it may just be a way to pretend she wasn't desperate at the time, Aoko smiled at that.

"Yeah…" She didn't dignify it with any acknowledgement or gratitude, but it somehow made her happy.

It was wrong, in a way. For them, who sacrificed so much and so many to kill each other, to be fraternizing like this, it was an insult to it all. But it made her happy nonetheless.

"Great, you've had your fill, now shut up about the subject." Touko said, turning away to the window.

And at that moment, bathed in the setting sun, a molten gold that turned her face red, an ethereal beauty that shouldn't belong. A serene, yet… ashamed, expression, so calm and beautiful, bringing peace to herself.

Yes… at that moment, right then and there, and never again, Touko was the prettiest person. She somehow wished, hoped, that maybe, this awful feeling of wishing to be with her sister, would not need to die.

She smiled.


"Alright, we're finally here, happy?" She said, exacerbated.

It was an interesting discovery, the difference between pushing Touko around stations and pushing her around town. The bossier nature she seemed to adopt, it was both endearing and annoying.

Regardless of that, it had been long ten days, but they finally reached Touko's workshop. It was in a rather small town, but it seemed to serve her just right.

"Alright, this is where you give me the key to unlock the door." She told Touko.

Looking to the side, as if avoiding a stare that wasn't there, she delivered her sheepish answer. "I don't have any."

"Uh? How come?" She asked incredulous.

"I thought it would be a shame if I lost them, so I just used the spare keys."

She sighed. She was used to the system of a hidden spare key, she did grow up in a mountain house, after all, but that didn't mean she was comfortable with them. Ever since she went to the Kunouji mansion she began disliking them. Thinking about it, that was the root of one of the few discussions where Soujuurou actually took a serious and selfish stance in something.

Although that might have been because something else and she misunderstood things, something common to occur when that boy was involved.

"They are under the stone." Touko said flatly.

"Really? Couldn't you be more cliché?" It annoyed her. If Touko was going to place a reserve key system, at least make it so it is hard to get in, instead of this half assed method. It was both easy and effortless, she couldn't hate it more. "Which stone?" But as she looked down, she remembered that between the street and the little house, there was a small yard filled with stones.

"The big one, to the right, the second from the door."

Surely enough, the key was under that rock, in all its mighty glory. "I'll work on a more efficient way to hide your key." She said, unlocking the door.

"Uh? Thanks, sure. But why? It is just a formality, anyway, the bounded fields do most of the work in regards to security." Her sister asked, without understanding her reasoning.

"I won't accept the existence of such a worthless mechanism." She said annoyed.

Grabbing the handles of her wheelchair and pushing her, the sisters entered the house.

It was a rather small thing, a single storey house, not very large. The entrance that opened to a living and dinner room, that connected to other three rooms. The interior seemed to be built off of wood, whether it was real or not, she didn't know.

"Even though it is freezing outside, it is quite comfortable here." She said, taking note of her sister's boundary field.

"Yes, I thought about adding that when I made the security system." She said, sighing to herself. "You see? My boundary fields are perfect, they will attack anyone who I consider an enemy, or might have any ill intention towards me. No need for you to worry about it."

The younger sister smiled for a bit. Touko had said 'those I consider my enemies, or have any ill intention towards me.' That meant that she recognized Aoko as someone who wasn't an enemy. It made her happier, deep inside.

"But still, I would like to make sure it is up to par-"

"My workshop in on the basement." Touko said, cutting off any meaningless chatter.

"Ugh… you killjoy, at least talk a bit with me." She complained, but made to move nonetheless. "Wait… where even is the basement?" She asked.

Her sister sighed in disappointment. "The first left door from the entrance, somewhere in the corner. there is a trapdoor that leads to the basement."

She followed Touko's instructions. While going through the house, she noticed, it was quite well decorated. "Hey, why did you chose this small town in the middle of nowhere exactly?" She asked, judging her sister.

"There were a few mysteries I thought were worth investigating in here, I'm still researching, but there doesn't seem to be much to it." She sighed to herself. "A waste of time, what a shame."

She snickered. "At this point, you should be used to wasting your time in meaningless endeavors." She said, unable not to throw the insult.

Her sister sighed in frustration. "Of course you would say that, because why wouldn't you?" She complained, as Aoko moved towards the entrance to the basement.

"Alright, here we go." She said, reaching out and raising the trapdoor. Immediately, her face soured. "Why does the entrance need to be so murky?"

"Why would I clean it?"

She glared at her sister.

The claustrophobic walls of the staircase were covered in moss, and the entire thing seemed moist.

Sighing, she resigned herself. Grabbing Touko's form from the wheelchair, she began her descent towards the workshop.

The walk down the stairs was rather short, and not much, if anything at all, happened. At the end, there was another door, made of refined wood.

Quickly confirming with Touko whether or not the door was unlocked, she opened it.

The workshop inside was rather comfortable. A quiet space made out of wood, it was illuminated by a dim yellow light. Dolls were thrown around everywhere.

Beautiful dolls and ugly dolls, human-like and inhuman-like, some looked like girls, some looked like man. All sorts of dolls were thrown around the workshop. In the middle of it all, illuminated by a light above, stood a table filled with doll parts.

"So… where do I put you? You have some sort of machine that fixes you, or something?"

"Just lay me on the table, I'll sort everything out." Her sister said in a serious tone.

Not hesitating to obey, she walked to the table, and brushing off some doll parts, laid her sister there.

Moving away from the table, she said. "Alright, do your thing." She said, with somewhat of a good mood.

Not a second later, she felt Touko's circuits awakening. Those, which were the highest quality, the strongest in the world. Suddenly, many dolls jolted awake, getting up and moving towards their master.

"So, need any help?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes, actually." To her surprise, her sister agreed. "Please get out." She said nonchalantly.

"Uh?"

"It will be safer to me if there's no one around, so get out." She said as the dolls flipped her over, her back now facing the cellar.

"Wait, why? Weren't you just going to fix yourself?" She asked, flabbergasted. What was it that could be so dangerous about this procedure?

"Are you an idiot or something? My puppets are so perfect they can even trick the world, do you think there's something so fallible as doll parts in my body?" Her sister scoffed. "I'm as human as one can be, so much so, if you opened my body, there would be no proof of me being a doll."

"Then how…?" She began asking, but it soon clicked to her. "Ah, I see. So it is like that." She said with a scowl on her face. "Well then, don't let me keep you." She said, turning around and walking out through the door.

The answer was obvious from the start. If she was no different from a human, then a procedure capable of healing a human would be needed. Neither of them were proficient with any magecraft capable of healing to such extent, but Touko definitely knew her body better than anything, if she could do something, it was definitely fix her body through surgery. Or maybe some puppeteering magic, she didn't know exactly.

In either case, her not being allowed to stay on the room was probably to keep the room without any bacteria or risk infections. How Touko would prevent it now that she already entered, she didn't know.

"Well, whatever." For some unexplainable reason, that got her in a bad mood. It was like she was a teenager again, what an awful nightmare. Clicking her tongue, she silently wished everything went fine with her sister.

Now… what should I do? She thought to herself.

She supposed there was nothing better than to explore the house. It was where her sister lived, it was only obvious she would want to know about it.

"Let's see." Going up the stairs that led to the workshop, she was once again faced with the comfortable home. It was decorated with quite a lot of junk… no, to be correct, most of it was useless, but not quite in the level of junk. What did set her off, though, was that most probably, a good chunk of it was bought with her money.

I guess it can't be happened. She sighed to herself, and went ahead to look at everything the house had to offer.

She checked all the rooms. Kitchen, bathroom, Touko's room, and the little storage where some groceries were, which also doubled down as the place with the trapdoor leading to the workshop.

All in all, she couldn't say it was a bad place to live in. She could genuinely see someone living a life in here. The house was comfortable, and while the town was small, it was rather similar to the mountains they grew up in, as children. Of course, being in a foreigner country was a downside, and it was also missing a child's room. Maybe it wasn't perfect, but it was fine.

She sighed, knowing Touko would probably move out in a few months. Either because she was running away, or because she got bored, she would probably never know.

But in a way, she also couldn't judge Touko. She left everything behind, leaving Misaki unsupervised, so she could go on a meaningless journey, adventuring through the world.

Neither of them would fit in a happy life, settling down, having heirs that would carry the family legacy… what a bother, what was she even thinking about in the first place?

"Tch." She clicked her tongue. "So, it was like that, huh?" She tried to shrug off those thoughts from her mind, but miserably failed. "Whatever, some food will make me feel better." She said, grabbing some food in the kitchen and going to the living room.

Since most things in that house were bought with her money, she considered that food to be her property and ate without a bother or guilty thought.

It took a few hours, but eventually, she heard the sound of steps coming up stairs, and a trapdoor closing.

"Man, I missed walking on my own." Touko said, her good mood almost palpable. "Thanks for bringing me here." The older sister said, standing on the other side of the room. Suddenly, a perplexed expression downed on her face. "Is that my food you're eating?"

"Ah, yes, thank you for the hospitality." With a smile, she proclaimed shamelessly.

"Don't just act as if you were home, you brat." The older sister scolded.

"Well, whatever." Aoko said, getting up from her seat. "I'm happy you're fine." She let out a beaming smile towards her sister. It felt both weird and impossibly right. She should never be happy because her sister survived, yet it felt so incredibly right to be.

The older sister was taken aback by the smile, a faint blush surging in her cheeks. "Whatever," she said, sighing. "You've done what you needed to do. Now go away, with luck you'll be able to enjoy your birthday, even if a few days too late."

"Yeah…" The younger sister agreed. "But, after thinking a bit to myself, I decided that spending some time with you would be the best way to celebrate my birthday, don't you think?"

She sighed. "Sorry, but I've spent far too long with you, I should be recovering lost time in my research." She said, waving her hand. "Besides, I need to buy new cigarettes. Now, go get lost, will you?"

She inched her torso forward, a bothered look presenting itself. "Its my birthday, you have many years of missed presents to give me, you know?"

"Like I said, I need to focus on my- where are you going?" She asked, seeing the younger one move through the living room, towards her bedroom.

"Your house is pretty, you know? It reminds me of the Kunouji mansion… it's a bit nostalgic, in a way." She said, looking at the room. "It's incredibly empty and lonely. Don't you ever wish you could be with someone?"

Her sister staggered a bit, somehow taking it as an insult. "Well, I've spent some time with some amusing children, so it's a bit lonely without them, but it can't be helped." She walked to her younger sister, grabbing her shoulder. "Now, c'mon, I have things to do."

She tried pulling Aoko away, but as she did, her hand was grabbed instead and her own self was pushed against the wall. For a second, she thought she was going to be maimed once more, but those thoughts were quenched when her sister's lips were pushed against her own.

"-!?" She tried to react, but her sister was clearly stronger.

It took many seconds, but their lips were set apart, the younger sister retreating, gasping for air."

"What are you doing-?!" She tried to ask, but as soon as her sister finished breathing, she once again lunged at her lips. "Ugh-!"

"'just leave'… as if I could do something like that…" She said, separating their lips, and resting her head against her sister's body. "I… want to be with you."

"I thought you wanted to be a sister to me!" Even that was already far too much, but this?

"Yeah, I thought I also wanted that." She said, no signs of retreating. "But, the more time I spent with you." She said, nibbling at her sister's neck. "The more I noticed how much I loved you. It was like a dam breaking, and all the love I was denied suddenly came rushing… how could I act about this love if not by loving you in as many ways as I could?"

In other words, as if in a drug overdose, everything she once missed came rushing in, and in a mad desire for more, she ended up breaking the weak barrier known as 'morals.'

"But this is-" The puppeteer tried to argue.

"I can stop, you just have to tell me to." Raising her mouth from her sister's neck, she connected her lips once more.

'what are you doing.' 'But this', 'I thought that', none of those were denial. Not once did Touko express denial, she could be taken aback, surely, but she didn't truly fight back, not a single rune was cast, nor a single denial was said.

"I-"

"Do you love me, Touko?" The question was proffered amidst kisses.

"Yes." No harm would come to her, she knew Aoko still bore the geiss. Even if she could break it, she still bore it, perhaps as a sign of trust, perhaps as a show of peace.

"I'm so happy." The sisters joined their mouths once more, their tongues connecting in a passionate dance, moving as if mollusks.

The sisters slowly guided one another towards the bed, not once stopping to kiss each other.

As if their bodies were dancing together, their limbs embraced each other's bodies, seeking out pleasure and comfort.

Truly, this was the greatest birthday present once could receive.


The morning sunlight bathed them through the window.

The comfortable mattress enveloped their embraced bodies.

The younger sister slowly opened her eyes, feeling the warmth of her beloved. It was such a comfortable feeling, it made her never want to leave again.

Yet, this feeling was wrong, for it could not be categorized any other way.

The path was long, and to give up midway, only to embrace the one she went against, was a slight against all that was sacrificed along the way.

So many tears and betrayals, so many sacrifices, so much hatred.

It was undeniable, to forgive her was an unforgiveable sin.

But…

As she inched herself closer to her lover, there was no other feeling she could feel if not love.

Then, regardless of this or that, this feeling… if it was for this feeling, then there was nothing that she wouldn't sully or disgrace. If it was like that, then all those pesky ideas could go away.

Because a hatred so large as theirs could only be washed away by an emotion of equal proportions, a love as immense as itself was created.

'Ah…' the girl thought. 'If we come together like this, then all that money would be spent on things that are also mine.'

Thinking about pleasant thoughts, the girl smiled.