Just for fun, find the Spy x Family reference.

Trigger Warning:

- mention of rape

- implied alcohol abuse

It has been exactly thirty days.

Thirty days since I legally became heiress.

Thirty days since I announced an end to the prostitution.

Thirty days since I have been celibate.

It is a new record. For so many years, I had deluded myself into believing that if I had been a good girl, followed what Hanada-sama ordered me to do, I would get a reprieve. I had been so stupid to think that Hanada-sama would spare me from the rapes for not even a few weeks but months on end. Had I realized much sooner that my efforts were fruitless, perhaps I would have not strived so hard to gain his mercy.

But the past cannot be changed. The best I can do is accept it, learn from it, and prevent it from repeating.

With that resolve, I video call Aunt Ahearn in secret for the last time.

As the dial tone rings, I press my thumb to the fangs of the dragon cane, feeling beads of blood coagulate, listening to the unlocking mechanism whir. Spinner told me to practice wielding the katana more frequently now. The first thing he told me to do was in fact the last step of sword training: oil the weapon. After every session, every battle, clean the blade to prevent rusting and corrosion. If I had more time, then clean the dojo, too.

So I might as well use this time to multitask.

During this late-night rendezvous, I intend to update Aunt Ahearn with my plan and polish my weapon, too. God knows when I'll get another opportunity as excellent as this.

I have just begun rubbing a piece of rice paper along the length of the blade when she receives the call.

"Good day, or perhaps, good evening, Aunt Ahearn," I greet slyly. When she frowns and stares at me with unimpressed eyes, I cannot contain the chortles of delight. "Even just once I wanted to do that."

"Very amusing, Selene," she mutters, her tone belaying the utter opposite of amused. "It's been a while since we last spoke. I was wondering when you would contact me after the New Year's deaths."

Straight to the point, hmm? Then again, the sooner I inform her, the better. Having finished with the rice paper, I dab some lacquer thinner onto a cotton ball. As I rub that on the metal, I smile, "You were right to anticipate my call. There is something I must discuss with you. A favor."

"Before that, care to tell me why you are wearing a mask?"

I pause at her words. To test whether her observations are correct, I touch my hand to my face. Indeed, there is a face mask covering my nose and mouth. I had completely forgotten about it. Lifting the can of thinner to the camera, I explain, "This contains benzene in a small amount. Cannot risk cancer on top of all the other problems in my life."

Of course, the following question is, "Why are you handling it then?"

Ah, that's right. I never showed you. I raise my sword to the camera level now. Now her irritated mood improves considerably. Fascination gleams in her eyes as I display the katana from all angles slowly. When she realizes it is attached to the cane handle, she lets out a sound of approval.

"Wield it!" she orders.

I look at her dumbfounded. "Practice just ended some minutes ago. I'm too tired to exercise again."

It is astonishing how a woman dressed in pajamas with wet hair can forbode unpleasant consequences and send tremors down my spine. Being a police officer and a mother of three must bring about that kind of strength. "There is no such thing as too much practice in a day. If you have the ability to tolerate a carcinogen, then you can train some more. Show me!"

"All right!" I return. Despite being thousands of kilometers away from each other, I feel the need to do as she says. Otherwise, the repercussions will not be good. Never underestimate the power of a mother, I make a note to myself.

The aroma of benzene has disappeared, so I remove the mask and move a few paces away from the laptop. Aunt Ahearn gets full vantage of the room. Designed specifically for weapon drills, there are wooden dummies stationed at equal intervals throughout the edges of the room. Along one wall are an assortment of katana, wakizashiv, tantō, naginata, and kabutowari blades. One section of the wall is dedicated to yumi crossbows and shuriken disks. Bamboo flooring, paper windows, and calligraphy detailing the oaths of a practitioner provide a distinctly noble atmosphere to the dojo. A reminder that those who take the art of warfare lightly have no place here.

Yotsubashi-san had specifically designed for the members of his Army whose quirks relied on metal and weaponry. However, since the merger of the League of Villains and the Liberation Army, Spinner and I have been using this training room the most.

I feel the coolness of the bamboo beneath my bare feet. It spreads up through the rest of my body. The white gi and black hakama do little to hinder the sensation. That is what I want. It helps to ease my breathing. I clasp the handle of the sword with both hands.

Aunt Ahearn wants a show, I'll give her one.

There. A horizontal slash. My opponent is the air, but the way in which the katana sings as it cuts it is all too satisfying.

But that is not all I will give her.

"I have a favor to ask of you, Aunt Ahearn," I say as my next move is a vertical slash. "It is relating to the murders I committed in England."

Though I cannot see her face because I am standing so far from the laptop screen, her brief silence is enough of an indication that she is listening. "What happened? I thought that chapter was buried."

I scoff as my arms raise to lift and curve the blade behind my back, mimicking a defensive stance to an attack from behind. "If only the dead could remain dead, and the living knew not to bring up the dead. Hanada-sama suspects me of being the Bone Crusher Killer without rationale. You and I made sure no proof was left behind, but I still need your help to convince him."

"Why is making outrageous claims like that then? There is no reason he should have figured out that you were the killer."

I lunge and thrust forward. Sweat begins to drip from my temple. "The murders of his children, the loss of color in his hair, and his drunk habits have made him senile. He oh so smartly claimed to scour the ends of the earth to prove himself right. I would let him do that, if only he were not a threat to my reign over his companies.

"Besides, Chisaki-sama had deduced that I was the murderess from just a few news articles. Granted, most of his conclusions were based off of probabilities, locating my cane, the assassination of one of his lackeys, and me personally meeting him, the result did not change. If someone like him could learn my truth, then it would be foolish to assume that Hanada-sama could not do the same. How he might search for evidence, where he might get it from … I have no clue. I just don't want the situation to reach a point where he begins his hunt."

Aunt Ahearn makes a sound of comprehension. The idea is to find the solution to a problem before it happens. As I continue with my performance, I narrate the details of my scheme. Practically identical to the one I told Daruma-san and Yotsubashi-san. She is upset that I will not be able to freely talk to her for a while, so I promise her that it will not be for long.

I tell her, "Gaslight him, Aunt Ahearn. Make him believe that he is ridiculous to even imagine that his little ex-whore had the guts to slaughter his comrades."

"Ex-whore?" she asks. "First of all, don't call yourself that. Your worth is much more than that. Second, when did that happen?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you! On the day of the inheritance, I publicly proclaimed to Hanada-sama and his lawyers that I was done being sold and traded for my body. He did not take it well, but so far, I have not been forced into anyone's bed. I consider it a victory." My glee is puncutated with a final riposte.

Finished, I meander toward the laptop. With the towel on the small stool, I dab at the sweat coating my face. Tendrils of my bun have come loose and stuck to my face. It is not a pleasant feeling.

I ask, "How did you like the show?"

"I was half-tempted to begin recording so I could show the girls later. But then I remembered that it is a secret your cane is a weapon of its own. " She fakes a disappointed pout. I giggle at the imitation. "Beautiful performance. It was riveting," she praises. Then she resumes her serious, work-face again. "I'll do as you wish, Selene. But you should know that sometimes countering someone's argument with solid facts of one's own has the opposite effect. Believe perseverance is the term.

"Your adoptive father seems like a stubborn man. And alcohol has a tendency to only exemplify obstinacy. Selene, be prepared for the chance that this might backfire."

Her words are uncomfortable to hear. That was not what I was expecting. But dislike does not equate to nonexistence. If it indeed goes awry, then again, the solution will be to eradicate him. "Say, Aunt Ahearn, is there a way I could slip a drug in his drinks and he could pass away without anyone suspecting assassination?"

She is not entertained in the slightest. She glares, "The bigger the figure, the more thorough the investigation. Selene, you should realize that by now. Just let him pass away from alcohol intoxication."

Once more, the suggestion does not appeal to me. I counter, "No one knows when that will be. Shouto, myself, and one of the lawyers, Sasaki Reo, have decided to garner evidence of financial frauds to convict Hanada-sama. I fear that the two of them might get hurt in the process."

She sighs. There is no easy solution to this dilemma, and I am grateful that she understands that. "I get that you are in a hard position, and risks are something you despise having to take, but you will have to take this one. Sorry to say this Selene, but you are responsible for your own plight. Actions have consequences. Even the Devil's rebellion was treated with banishment to hell."

"I am not ignorant of that fact," I seethe. Aunt Ahearn is telling the truth. Joining the League of Villains, becoming Morningstar, slaughtering in cold blood, forging dark deals, all of these things and more were actions I took with plenty of thought and care. Yet it hurts to hear it from someone else. "No one curses myself more than I do for the things I have done. But neither Shouto nor Sasaki-san should bear the repercussions, should they?"

"No. They shouldn't," she confirms. "But this world is unkind and unfair. Justice is nonexistent, and corruption runs rampant. By no means am I calling myself an exception, but I want to impart as much goodness to you as I can. You gave me back my daughters, Selene, and for that I am forever loyal to you. That is why I am telling you all this."

For a long moment, neither of us utters a word. Then, I do. With an audible swallow, I inquire, "So what should I do?"

"Leave him be. If arresting him by collecting proof removes him permanently, do that. If he passes away before, all the better. In a battle between two armed swordsmen, you never know when your own blade may turn against you."

How can I leave him be?! I want to shout. After all that he has done to me. With what he is capable of doing. "I am content with the world never learning of his wrongdoings toward me," I inform Aunt Ahearn. "But I will never be able to live in peace, knowing that he is locked behind four walls, being fed three times a day, receiving all the facilities required for a prisoner to live. From my tax money, mind you. I will never pay an expense for his survival. He lost the right to live the first time he bartered with me."

Aunt Ahearn shakes her head. She chides me for my adamance. I will not budge. This is a question of my pride and the people I care about. Aunt Ahearn and her family being one of them. To convince her, I tell her that Shouto may reach out to her in the coming days. For the financial crime trap plan.

It works. "Obstinate girl!" she huffs, tossing her hands into the air. "Fine. Take advantage his alcohol abuse. It is a good way to disguise his murder. I'll look into some methods myself, and I suggest you do the same. Just remember this: do not ever let your own blade cut you."

Just before I disconnect the call, I promise that I will not.

"The Devil manipulates her victim's weapons against them. I will speak to you soon, Aunt Ahearn. Have a wonderful day."

The video call ends.

Through the burner phone, I request Skeptic to hide all tracks of this meeting from my laptop.

As I wait for him to arrive, I inspect my katana.

I must repolish it again.