Chapter 48: Regionals

Thursday, October 6th, 20XX Evening

Taking another chopstick full of food, Kasumi shoved it in her mouth while maintaining a close watch on her sister. This was the second time they had eaten together but Kasumi had failed to start a conversion yesterday.

Today is my last chance… Tomorrow is the opening ceremony for the tournament and dinner is provided. Theoretically, she could talk to Sumire there, but the chances were lower.

Got to start somewhere… "This is really good, mom. Maybe you can teach Sumi and me how to make it next weekend."

"…" The blank stares that she got in return killed her confidence instantly.

Was my statement really that weird!?

"I… I suppose I can show you if you have an interest in cooking but… I taught your sister this months ago."

"I-Is that right?" Kasumi chuckled. "Maybe I'll get her to show me. How about it, Sumi?"

"Err sure… I don't mind." Sumire answered cautiously.

"Well, how about we use it as a tournament celebration and do it Monday?"

"Ahaha, alright… that works… I suppose."

Kill me now. Kasumi hated the awkward atmosphere but there was little that she could do except lower her head and continue eating.

Her father, of course, would not let things lie. "Oh? My daughters are speaking again? How great!"

"I-I never stopped!" Sumire protested.

"You never stopped?" Kasumi asked in disbelief. "That's hard to believe!"

"And who started to eat in their room?"

"I did that for you!"

Glaring at her sister, Kasumi found her expression returned in kind. It was so startling to see that she jerked away. How did things come to this? Biting her lip, Kasumi found her appetite had completely vanished.

"Thank you for the meal, mom. I need to study."

"A-Ah… I'm glad you enjoyed it."

As she left the table, she heard her dad's quiet comment. "Was it something I said?"

Friday, October 7th, 20XX Morning

"It's you again."

"Ah, it is me." Nodding in greeting, Sae took up the seat across the table. "Makoto has school."

"Mhm, that does not surprise me. I expected to be mostly dealing with you anyway. Was there a reason you sent your younger sister last time?"

Sae smiled wryly at the police investigator. If he wasn't so deep in his prejudices, he could probably figure it out… To be fair, Sae had been mostly the same. It was nearly impossible to think logically when confronted by mystical crimes and high schoolers.

"I think she will try to be as involved as possible. I am merely filling in for her."

"Hmm… Odd. I just can't understand why."

Sae shrugged. "Because she knows things. Now, you called me over to tell me something?"

"Yes, although you picked quite an out-of-the-way coffee shop. It took me nearly forty minutes to get here on the train system."

"My apologies," Sae replied genuinely. "I thought you'd want to taste the coffee here. A colleague of mine told me about it earlier this year and I haven't had a chance to come back in months. You should have told me it was so far away from you."

"Ahh, well, hearing that I'm glad I made the trip. Besides, it gave me more time to consider what I would say to you."

"…What do you mean?" Sae asked warily. Eyeing him across the table, she waited anxiously for his response. It was such an odd comment that she could only assume something had gone seriously wrong.

"Ms. Sae… if I had approached you only a few months ago… I would be dead by now, wouldn't I?"

"…What are you talking about?"

"Your whole police force here is corrupt," Zenkichi growled. "I talked to one of the guards and… it was horrible. Who held your leash? …Or do you wear one even now?"

Touching her throat, Sae looked away. It was a fair quxcestion, however. "Not dead, but yes… I would have reported your interference to the SIU. As to your follow-up, I reported directly to the SIU director. My sins are my own."

"A surprisingly honest answer," Zenkichi sighed. "Well, I must admit that hearing you say so has relieved a lot of my issues."

Well, I got through the first challenge… In the slight break in the conversation, the master came over with the pair of coffees that she had ordered earlier. Similar to when she had entered, she felt his eyes upon her face. The last thing she wanted to do was put up with another man asking her on a date right now.

"Thank you for the coffee," Sae said, putting emphasis on the words that the conversation was done. However, he continued to stand around to the point that Zenkichi began to give his strange looks as well.

"Can I help you?" Sae followed up pointedly.

"Ah, no, my apologies… You look like someone I know."

I doubt it… Following the Master with her eyes for a while, Sae took a sip of the coffee. The flavor was as rich and deep as she remembered. Taking a relaxing sigh, she put the strange encounter from her mind and addressed the investigator again. "I'm glad I resolved your worries. May we please proceed to what you have discovered so far?"

Zenkichi, however, was not paying attention. Instead, Sae found him gaping at his cup in disbelief. As she watched, he took another sip and reveled in its flavor profile. It was almost another ten seconds before the investigator came back to her. "Ahh… It would have been worth travelling for two hours for this."

"High praise," Sae smirked. "Does that mean I am forgiven."

"And then some," Zenkichi nodded. "I'll have to come back again before I leave the city."

"I'm glad. Now, Mr. Hasegawa, can you please inform me about your discoveries?"

"Ahh, yes, right. I'll start with the bad news. The Owada daughter that was taken into custody… I don't know how to say this but…"

"She's gone, huh?" Sae rubbed her eyes. It was what she was afraid of.

"Ahh, and based on what I got from a police officer… That may be a mercy."

Sae winced. "Those cells are a travesty. I should have pushed for their removal. Those poor girls are going to be devastated."

"Hmm, do you want me to break the news to them?"

"…Let me think about it. I don't want to jump the gun on this. You have anything else?"

"Yes. The better news, if you can call it that, is that the girl's file contains some rather damning evidence. I got the names of half a dozen cops who could be indicted."

Sae shook her head sadly. "No, I am afraid that will never happen. Thank you for your help. I believe that your half of the deal is done."

"I… No. Stop shutting me out. You think I'm happy with things ending like this? This girl is dead because the phantom thieves targeted Owada! That doesn't even make sense! Something is going on and I'm not done until I figure it all out."

"Fool."

"Probably."

Sighing, Sae took another sip of her coffee. "Then I welcome your continued help Mr. Zenkichi. I warn you though, Tokyo is dangerous. If there is anything you would regret to leave behind, you'll want to take care of that."

"…My daughter," he admitted. "I wanted to… but no. Can I ask an outrageous favor of you?"

Locking gazes with his intense black eyes, Sae nodded. There was a sense of determination in his eyes that Sae had rarely seen. "Go ahead."

"Can I move my daughter in with you while I work on this?"

Stunned, Sae was once again overwhelmed by his commitment to this. However, that did not break her logic. "You should know that I am in almost as much danger. I cannot guarantee her safety."

"…I understand. It is still better than by herself in Kyoto. If you agree that is."

"You know that I cannot decline a request from you when you are trying to do so much for us… No, for the whole country."

"Ahahaha, you make me sound like some sort of martyr when you say it like that…"

"The point is to avoid that happening." After a few more exchanges of details, Zenkichi finished his coffee with a satisfied expression and left the café.

Leaning back on the cushions to think, Sae stared up at the dilapidated roof. This is a mess…

It was a complicated situation on more than one end. First was obviously the wanton murder of an innocent girl. Somehow, that did not even seem to be the worst part. What made it truly abhorrent is how many people knew that it was happening. Sae could not even safely conclude that the SIU director was responsible.

With a tinkle of the door chimes, another patron disturbed the relative quiet of the small café. "Master, can I get a coffee and a refill for the woman at the booth?"

Sae's head flashed over. It couldn't be. "Akechi… Goro?"

"Oh, long time no see, detective Sae. Or I suppose it's just Sae now?"

Gritting her teeth, Sae glared daggers at the insufferable detective. "Yes, that's right. What do you want?"

"Easy, easy," Akechi laughed, seating himself across from her. "You'd think I poisoned your dog or something. What's with that look?"

"I'm a detective," Sae answered flatly. "How am I supposed to feel when I invite someone to talk to me at a remote café on a weekday and minutes after he leaves a schoolkid happens to come into the same café?"

"W-Well it does sound awfully suspicious when you put it that way…" Akechi murmured, rubbing his cheek.

"Just spit it out, Akechi."

"Fine, fine," Sitting down across from her, he waved again at the master. "How long on the coffee?"

"…Just a few minutes," he replied, all warmth gone from his voice. Sae had ensured that he was not within earshot of her conversation with Zenkichi, but for some reason had turned hostile.

"Ahh, did I miss the pot? That's a shame."

"Spit it out!" Sae raged, face mottled with anger. "Are you here to arrest me? Or just taunt me?'

"Arrest you?" Akechi gasped. "Whatever for?"

Clenching her fist, Sae did not say anything further to avoid getting into more trouble. As she feared however, Akechi just looked at her until the next round of coffee arrived. As the master laid out the new cups, he leaned down to whisper in her ear, "do you need help ma'am?"

Sae shook her head at him. "I am not in immediate trouble."

"…Doesn't look that way to me." But he left as she requested with one glare for Akechi.

"Seems that I did something to upset him," Akechi laughed breezily. "And here I thought that I was growing on him."

"Well?" Sae asked again. She hated how she was at this child's mercy. She had never been much of a fan of how quickly Akechi had risen through the ranks and seemly gotten things given to him. He had skipped about twelve steps and often displayed ignorance of things that he should know.

"Hmm, how best to phrase this…"

"Just say it."

"Fine, fine. You were meeting with a dangerous man, Sae. I have an offer for you, however. If you can provide solid information on him, I can get you your job back… with benefits."

"Benefits…?"

Akechi smiled warmly. "Have you ever considered becoming the first female director of the SIU?"

Friday, October 7th, 20XX After school

Placing the second earring in, Sumire turned side-to-side to examine herself in the mirror. "Can I really… pull this off?"

The woman reflected in the mirror was far different from the one Sumire saw herself as. Long red hair tied up in an elaborate bun, with a layer of basic make-up and a mature form-fitting red dress, the reflection was beautiful, gorgeous even.

Is that… really me? Touching the ruby dangling at the bottom of the thin golden chain connecting the gemstone to her ear, Sumire struggled to resolve the discrepancies. Turning around, she looked at her back in the dress and the way the fabric parted to reveal her skin there. Reaching back and touching the skin, the reflection did the exact same.

Somewhat forced to believe that it was indeed her, Sumire left the room with a shrug, picking up her new purse with wallet and phone inside. Both the dress and purse had been purchased by Kasumi and her mother on a recent shopping trip. Jingling the fancy red leather purse, Sumire only had one complaint about their purchases. I miss my tracksuit pockets…

Despite her internal objections, Sumire had to focus as she was swiftly greeted by her family, waiting for her. Both her mother and father would be attending the banquet as well, but it was Kasumi that Sumire was paying attention to. In almost a reversal of their roles, Kasumi had her hair down and straightened it so that it fell in a shimmering brown curtain down her back. Unlike Sumire's almost pure red outfit, her sister's dress was mostly black with gold highlights on the frills of the bottom and around the bodice.

"Sumi… You look great."

"Ehh? Uhh, w-well… thank you." Awkwardly accepting her compliment, Sumire buried her face in her chest as their father swept over them with a dozen more.

"Ahh, aren't they amazing, darling? We did such a good job with these two!"

"Please be more serious dear. You'll just embarrass them if you don't control yourself before the banquet."

"Fine, fine," Shinichi gave up with a pout. However, he did shoot them one last wink and a quick smile.

With that they were off. Clambering into the backseat of their family's car, she sat on the opposite side of her sister. Sumire on the right, Kasumi on the left. As it had always been. The busy Tokyo streets passed by slowly. Constant red lights and slow turning lanes made it feel that they would never arrive. Before she knew it, however, with zero words spoken during the whole ride, they were pulling into a large parking lot.

The stadium that stood in front of them was the same one that they had competed in just a few weeks ago. This time, however, the front lobby had been turned into a dining hall complete with a stage for giving speeches. That wasn't the only difference of course. The Regional event was exclusive to non-pro high school attending girls only. It had a lot of entrants, but the overall quality would be lower here.

Perhaps more importantly, Sumire felt as her throat closed up from the nerves that gripped her from the pettiness that she would face here. Sure, the older woman could be bitter, but they had nothing on the cattiness that a hundred teenage girls could produce when locked in a room together. From looks, to routines, to schools. There was no way that you could be safe from all mocking.

Already psyching herself up to deal with it, Sumire walked half hidden behind her father. That barrier disappeared as he turned around and smiled at them. "Well, we're off to talk with the grownups, have a good evening!"

Swallowing, Sumire sent a hopeful look to her sister. Kasumi won't want to spend time with me after yesterday's supper…

"I'm going to go talk with a few of the girls I know," Kasumi said, confirming her fears. As Kasumi was walking away, she turned around and winked. "Don't worry, if you're in danger I'll sweep in and save you."

"W-Why you!" Sumire protested blushing. Her sister was already gone in a swishing of black fabric. Muttering to herself, Sumire glanced around the hall. "Guess I'll get myself a drink…"

As she progressed through the crowd of girls, Sumire heard a voice call out as she walked by. "Hey, Kas! You dye your hair?"

Instinctively, Sumire turned to look. She hadn't thought that her sister had come this way. What she found instead was an extremely petite girl looking up at Sumire with a bright smile.

"Are you… talking to me?"

"Of course I am! Don't tell me you've forgotten me! I-It wasn't that long ago that we met! Remember in April at the open tournament when we both were in the under fifteen division and ate next to each other? You shared some stretching tips with me and…"

I think she figured it out… Giving her an awkward smile, Sumire let the girl down. "Sorry, that was my sister."

"Eh? No way, no way! You can't be! I saw Kasumi's sister! She's this dreary looking kid walking around with a slump, hiding from everyone!"

"Umm, sorry?" Sumire did not know how to answer such a statement.

"But yeah… You totally don't have the beauty mark under your eye… Wild! Way to go girl! You've really gotten your glow-up!"

"T-Thanks?" Sumire's question hung in the void as the girl departed with a thumbs-up sign. Left more bemused than insulted, Sumire completed the trip to the drink bar before she noticed her purse buzzing out of control.

In this age of course, half of the girls were either on their phones or had them nearby to use and show information with others. Getting a glass of flavored water, she sipped it and perused the content of her phone.

The first group of notifications were all from the phantom thieves' chat. She had never left, and they did not kick her. It gave her a general idea that something was occurring with a police investigator while they waited on Haru and her to help with Shido's change of heart. It was a string of messages of what they had guessed for the final keyword. Apparently, they had found the location easily enough, but exactly what he viewed the Diet Building as had not been determined.

Scrolling through what essentially amounted to random things, Sumire backed out of the conversation with a sigh. I should really mute notifications from that chat… Going to lock her phone again, Sumire noticed one more message.

Ren-Senpai was the sender. Blushing before she even opened the chat, Sumire's heart accelerated to a ridiculous amount. She could have been facing down a packing of starving wolves for the way her body reacted.

With a trembling thumb, she opened the list to view what it was that he had sent her. Facing her was a picture with a caption. Sumire stared flabbergasted at the photo. It was from just a little earlier. Sumire bending down to enter the vehicle. Face calm but demure as the nape of her neck and a large swath of her back lay exposed. "I-Is that really me…? Wait, who did Senpai…"

Then she turned her attention to the caption.

You sister sent me the attached photo… thought you should know. You look beautiful, good luck and have fun at your tournament, I'll try to make it for Sunday.

"Ka… Kasumi!" Growling her sister's name, Sumire looked around for that distinctive head of brown hair. Ohhh, she would pay for this one! Just as she started to stalk in search of her, Sumire's path was blocked by some of the other contestants.

"It really is…"

"Got rid of your glasses, sidekick?"

"Too bad a nice dress and hair won't help her dance…"

It was the kind of mild cruelty that Sumire had gotten used to whenever her sister was absent. They wouldn't dare to mess with Kasumi and instead took it out on her. Flashing them a small smile, Sumire bowed her head. "Thank you for the compliments, I am on my way to talk with my sister, will you please move?"

"A little rude don't you think? Should you not at least stop at talk with us?"

Sumire tilted her head and smiled. It was an expression reserved for Senpai when he said something stupid. Actually, she was making it now because of him. Well, him and Kasumi.

"I would love to have a conversation; however, I am unsure the three of you have enough thoughts between you to talk intelligently about anything. Good luck in the tournament."

Giving them a shallow bow, Sumire walked around the stunned figures and redoubled her search for Kasumi. She was easy enough to find. Someone had brought her a glass of a bright purple drink that she held daintily while entertaining five or so other girls with others looking enviously on.

Sumire glared at her across the intervening distance with the heat of a thousand suns. Rather than bursting into flames, Kasumi merely smirked and lifted her glass in salute. Sumire could hear her sister's words in her head: You're too beautiful for Ren not to see.

Blushing, Sumire stalked off to escape those knowing eyes.

Saturday, October 8th, 20XX Morning

"How long are you going to spend just staring at that thing?"

Morgana's words jerked Ren to attention. He was supposed to be inputting new attempts into the Navi app for Shido's palace. Having resorted to a brute force method however, Ren simply could not work up the energy to participate.

No, that wasn't quite right. Ren was simply too transfixed by the picture on his phone. Having only gotten a few restless hours of sleep, Ren found himself grabbing his phone again and refreshing his imagination.

She's gorgeous… Ren found himself ensnared by the demure, feminine beauty on full display. Sumire was looking at nothing as she got gracefully into the vehicle, yet her expression was one of mystery. A hundred possible meanings hidden within.

I wish I had been there to see her in person. Both of them honestly… That would have been a sight to behold. The twins dolled-up together walking side-by-side in resplendent uniforms.

This was not the first time, or even the tenth time that Ren's thoughts had cycled to this point. For hours since last evening he had found himself trapped in this loop, struggling to escape from the snare that Kasumi had trapped him in.

"Oi! Answer me!"

"What was the question?" Ren asked, finally acknowledging the cat.

"Argh! Seriously, what is wrong with you!? What the hell did you find that's so interesting!?"

Sighing Ren locked the phone and got up off the bed. He had not shown the picture to the cat, or any of the other thieves. It didn't feel right. "Sorry, sorry. Let's go out and do some research, yeah?"

"Now that is a plan I can get behind!"

Sighing, Ren stroked his phone longingly. He wondered what the Yoshizawa sisters were up to now. The first round must be starting soon.

Saturday, October 8th, 20XX Noon

Swallowing, Sumire breathed heavily, trying to calm her nerves. She had thought that she was past these feelings. However, this tournament was far different from the last. Not only was a high placement necessary to reach nationals, but more importantly, she was in good shape with high difficulty routines. That had the double-edged problem of meaning her mistakes would be amplified in severity, but the ceiling she could reach was also so much higher.

Just close the gap, don't worry about beating Kas, Senpai will still be waiting for me.

The litany helped, or rather, it would have if she could force herself to believe it. She hated the way her brain worked. She knew that Senpai was telling the truth. She knew that her life wasn't worthless, but it was so hard to convince the whispering dark of that.

Another difference in this tournament was that they were given numbers and competed in the same order all four times. For that reason, she had gotten to witness her sister's first routine. It had been ball and it had been… fine? Sumire wasn't sure how else to word it. The difficulty had been ramped up from two weeks ago, but all in all… its execution had dipped.

As such, her scores were similar to the last tournament. In the high sixteens Kasumi was almost guaranteed a spot into nationals, but the first-place prize was far from secure. The girls that hadn't been at the prior tournament were pretty intimidated and impressed, those that had been wore expressions that kind of mirrored Sumire's own. It was easy to tell that her sister's concentration was slipping.

It was an anomaly that Sumire could focus on to distract herself from her own imminent fate. Her stomach, however, had clearly not forgotten. A swarm of aggressive butterflies were playing a game of tag in her gut that left her on the border of nausea. Taking one more deep inhale through her nose, Sumire stepped out into the ring and raised her arms above her head, hoop in one of them. It was a change in order from last tournament, but Sumire wanted a strong start to Regionals.

Her routine had had been changed to Hoop, clubs, ribbon, ball. It was risky to end day one with her worst prop, but the order was more aggressive and in line with the professional way of doing things. Not that the top girls have weak props, but they get them out of the way early and then determine how much risk to take with their best props. It would be the first time that Sumire was attempting it.

There was no other way to phrase it. By running a line-up like this Sumire's goal was clear, victory.

Considerations done; the routine started. Beginning with a simple split jump and rotating the hoop around her arm, Sumire landed and spun. It was the first five seconds of the routine done. It was also the easiest five seconds.

Tossing the hoop high into the air, Sumire somersaulted twice across the floor to catch the falling apparatus. With sweaty hands the hoop stuck solidly to her. Caught… It was a professional level toss that Sumire had struggled to master in time for the tournament.

It was, however, far from the end. That was merely one hard toss, not to mention the body contortions that came next.

Somersaulting once into the middle of the ring, Sumire began a complex motion where she lifted her legs into the air and grabbed the hoop between her toes, lifting it as well. In a display of balance and flexibility, she passed the hoop between feet, stretching her legs to the maximum.

Arms flexing under the strain of supporting herself, Sumire felt her body on the verge of breaking. She was pushing it to a ridiculous degree and not only expecting to function properly, but to give off the illusion of grace while doing so.

Kasumi can be beaten!

Kasumi can be beaten!

For my future…

For Senpai!

…And for me!

Twisting out the hold, Sumire posed with the hoop, broad smile on her face. The expression a mask for the extreme panting that was going on. Her arms still burned from the strain but she still had to keep moving.

Looping her leg behind her head, she grabbed the hoop from her own hands. While pirouetting on one foot, Sumire stretched out, one leg back her fingers reaching towards the front. Then, with a flick of her leg, she tossed the hoop in a small arc towards her hands.

It fell perfectly in place.

Ah, the hardest part!

Ecstasy rising, Sumire knew that she was on the verge of doing something unprecedented. Seventeen was gone in her sights. Seventeen five, maybe even seventeen eight were now within reach.

Entering the second last motion, Sumire once again managed to execute the smaller tosses and jumps to perfection. Each moment that passed without error or flaw only serving to enhance her nerves. The sudden rush of pressure of having your dream thrust into your face with no recompense.

One more pass.

One more pass!

Reaching her arms above her head, Sumire prepared herself for the hardest acrobatic section of her routine requiring a full front flip. It was barely rhythmic gymnastics at this point and more like a floor routine.

You can't beat her…

The sudden whisper hit Sumire as she threw herself into it. Her mind freezing even as her body continued to execute its preprogrammed training. Despite not having the luxury of active thought, the pass was flawless. At least until the final throw.

Her hand stuck out to its determined location. However, the hoop soared straight past her outstretched fingers. Eyes widening, her mind lurched back into action and Sumire hopped once then twice to catch the apparatus.

It was far from a graceful finish, but the routine was done. Straightening, Sumire felt a brief rush of excitement, but her predominant emotion was frustration.

That should have been perfect!

It was without a doubt the best routine of her life. Her ribbon of 17.120 had shattered her previous best single score. This was undoubtedly higher. The difficulty, the execution.

Am I… at a professional level?

It was shocking, but Sumire burst out into a round of laughter as she left the stage. She had failed… and made it at the same time? There was more for her yet. That voice in her head had been her own. Doubts that still manifested at the end.

"I wish Maruki hadn't left…" Sighing, she waited for her score.

She only had to wait a couple of couple of minutes for it to flash on the screen: 17.330.

A far cry from the point five that she had dreamed of, but it was still the highest score of round one by a long shot. First seventeen of the day.

Nodding at a job well done, Sumire paused long enough to look at the name underneath hers. It was another first for her. Never before had she beaten Kasumi in round one.

Sunday, October 9th, 20XX Morning

Anger and confusion flowed within Kasumi. Normally she could harness her emotions and turn them into successful routines but now… I don't understand!

Her sister was finally dancing the way that Kasumi knew she could. The skill, flexibility, and technical prowess were all things that Kasumi could match. On the leaderboard, however, there was one difference that was making itself known. The separation between first and second. The separation between the one above thirty-four after two routines, and the one below it. The separation in their grace.

Kasumi had barely slept last night, tossing and turning. Now, minutes before her third routine she could only growl and snap at the impossible seeming scores. It had nothing to do with why Sumire was dancing well and everything about how.

Her mental recovery in the last month was a thing of legends. The fear and self-doubt had been replaced by an easy confidence and supreme focus. Now it was Kasumi laboring under those torments.

Did Ren change her heart? Is that what this is? Kasumi could not tell. She wanted so desperately to save her from the people that were taking advantage of her but… BUT! …why does she look so happy?

That simple fact was driving Kasumi mad. She could not figure it out. Her years of doting on her sister had backfired spectacularly and now thieves and murderers show up and fix everything? It was illogical, infuriating, and extremely troubling.

If she is fine now, then maybe I shouldn't stop the phantom thieves… What if Ren gets in trouble? How will Sumire react then?

Complications built on complications. Kasumi couldn't think on them all. She needed to perform well at this tournament, she needed to talk to Akechi again. She needed to keep an eye on her sister. She needed to—

"Umm, Yoshizawa-san? They are waiting for you."

"Huh?" Looking over at the tournament volunteer, Kasumi quickly focused on the empty stage waiting for her to grace it with a beautiful routine for people to watch. Breaking into an awkward jog, she climbed the steps and walked into the middle.

Almost before she had settled herself in, the routine music started. The organizers unwilling to wait even for her. Mental state half degraded; Kasumi unnaturally pushed herself into the first movement. It felt like her first time dancing the routine. Each move felt separate and disjointed with no fluidity connecting them.

At one point, she fell behind nearly a quarter beat because of this laxness, only catching up at the next hold.

Sumi…

Pushing herself to her limit was not enough to drive thoughts of her sister from her mind. Even as she smiled, strained, and stretched, her perfectly toned body executing seemingly impossible moves… she was always there.

The contrast of the shy girl with hair down and glasses and the beautiful woman, glass in hand with her hair tied up. The girl that that made timid mistakes in basic jumps and the one that had executed a world-class hoop routine until the end.

Which one was really her sister? Could Kasumi even still save her?

I hate this! I hate it all!

Powerlessness rushing through her with a sudden burst, Kasumi silently roared in her mind as she dove deeper into the routine. Body a frantic mess, she executed each movement with swift power. A recklessness that masked mistakes and execution errors.

All too soon, she was done.

Clubs in one hand, she bowed deeply and staggered off the stage. She was left in a daze at the side. I don't even remember the routine…

She had just finished and the only thing in her memory was self-loathing and indecision. That and a giant blob of crimson anger bordering on hate. Glancing up at the scoreboard, Kasumi blinked in surprise at the 17.200 that showed up. It was her best score of the tournament and took her to an even fifty-one points. If she held strong for the final routine, she would qualify for nationals easily.

It would not, however, win her the event. Sumire had blown them all out of the water on the first day. Even after her 17.200, Sumire only needed a 16.800 to stay even with her for the lead. Any points above that would be the lead that she took into the final round.

Normally, those numbers would be a challenge. But this was Sumire's ribbon. The event where her untouchable next level grace was on full display. Kasumi knew she would be behind entering the last round, that was certain. The only question left was by how much she would trail. Anything beyond point three was functionally unrecoverable.

So, with a sigh, Kasumi went to recover her stuff. Taking a drink of her water, she toweled off some of the sweat and put her tracksuit on overtop. There was long enough between rounds that it was important to stay warm.

With that finished, she wandered into a position where she could watch the main stage and waited. It would not be too long from now. The routines following her own were fine. Every girl that made it to this stage was skilled after all. However, this bunch would never reach the world stage.

Wincing along with the mistakes and clapping along with the crowd, Kasumi's nerves rose with every routine that passed by her. Fifteen was the typical score, only the occasional girl breaking through into sixteen.

Seven routines later, the air changed. More of the contestants were gathering around, the stands had filled up more. Whispers flitted, the content inaudible but the meaning of their combined might more obvious than if they were shouting.

Sumire is up.

The surprise leader of the tournament who still held the highest score of the tournament.

Shoulders back, chin up, ribbon held loosely at her side, she possessed an ethereal beauty as she sauntered onto the stage. Her bright smile amplified her exceptional natural beauty that required no make-up.

As the moment of the start arrived, Kasumi felt her whole body tensing up with nervous energy. Breath accelerating, hands sweating, stomach clenching. She didn't know what she wanted. She didn't know if there was a result here that would ease her nerves as Akechi's plan slowly reached its conclusion.

The routine started, and all thoughts of plans were banished from her mind. From the very first motion Sumire's dance the difference from the other girls was plain for all to see. It was the combination of her innate grace and instinctive ribbon control.

The beginning was a slow dance focusing primarily on said ribbon control. With precise motions, Sumire created beautiful spirals and patterns with seemingly no effort.

Kasumi could only guess at how some of it was done. She had finished her ribbon yesterday, but the difficulty of it was clearly lower than Sumire's.

From that start, it only grew more and more intense. Leaps turned into flips and contortions all while the spirals never ceased.

It was a transfixing spectacle of power and beauty. The epitome of what rhythmic gymnastics embodies. Spiraling in place with the ribbon circling her own body, Sumire finished with a fantastic flurry to a round of brilliant applause.

"Ahh, ahh…" Unable to vocalize, Kasumi covered her mouth with a hand. A lone tear tracking down her cheek. She had displayed everything that Kasumi knew she could be, everything that Kasumi had expected from her rival, her goal.

But not like this! Not now!

Biting her hand to repress another moan, she rocked gently against the wall she was leaning on. Every second, she felt herself getting closer to collapse. It took only a few more minutes for the score to flash across the screen: 17.840.

Stumbling, Kasumi fled. It was exactly as she suspected. Not merely pro, but world class. Her sister had not merely caught up, she had bounded past her with ease.

Despair gripping her chest, Kasumi sailed through the change room door and fled into the showers. The ground was dry from lack of use. Locking the door behind her, Kasumi slid to the ground, grabbing her hair with both hands.

"I don't understand!" Moaning, the tears would not stop flowing.

"Does she need saving!? Someone please… tell me." Left to her own despair and confusion, Kasumi huddled in on herself as the tournament continued around her.

Sunday, October 9th, 20XX Afternoon

"Now, please put your hands together one last time for the high school rhythmic gymnastics champion for the Chiyoda ward, Yoshizawa Sumire!"

With a sense of disbelief, Sumire stepped up onto the top spot of the podium. It had been a long time since she had placed on this thing at all, and never the top.

To her right stood one of the other girls in third, and to the left, an odd sight as she looked down at her sister. Kasumi was wearing a wide, bright smile as they all were. It was clear to anyone that knew her however that no mirth touched her eyes. She did not look angry—hard to do when smiling anyway—but Sumire did not know how her sister felt about this sudden defeat.

Defeat? It was totally crushing.

Sumire had been on the other side of these kinds of tournaments. Where after three rounds the result was predetermined. Kasumi had closed some distance in the last round, but Sumire had still won by over half a point.

Unable to dwell on her sister, Sumire turned back to the tournament organizer who approached with the gold medal. Bowing her head, she accepted her crowning as champion. Rising again, she barely felt the weight of the medal pulling on her neck.

Breaking into a broad smile she waved at the mostly empty stands. With the banquet beforehand and only this medal ceremony after the routines, many of the girls with lower scores had left the venue shortly after finishing their final routines. That left only the girls that were dancing in the last bit and those fighting for the top ten spots, hoping for a wildcard spot in nationals. That left only a smattering of family and friends.

Finding her parents who were giving her a standing ovation, Sumire made sure to give them an extra wave. Their beaming smiles reinvigorating the joy that was buoying her.

And then, she found him. He had come by himself and was sitting awkwardly in the back like some strange stalker. It wouldn't be the first time a strange man had shown up by himself to one of these tournaments. This one, though, Sumire beamed at. She hoped her dedication, her exuberance was getting through.

After a few pictures of the medalists, it was done. She was free.

"Hey Sumi…"

She gave her sister an apologetic smile. "Sorry, tell it to me later!"

With a quick wave, she was off. Dashing from the venue to the reception hall, she skidded to a halt amidst the crowd of departing people.

Where? Where is he?

Continuing to prowl, Sumire scanned constantly, hoping for just a glance that would tell her the answer.

"Good job out there. You won."

Freezing, Sumire whirled around. "Senpai…" Now face to face with him, the joy she had been feeling was tempered by nerves.

"So… Umm, what do we do now?"

Sumire hesitated only a moment more. Darting forward, she crashed into him. All considerations for public decency long since stripped from her mind. His lax posture was a problem and they ended up on the floor together with Senpai sitting up. Wrapped in his arms, she felt tears begin to spring up.

"I did it Senpai… I won."

"Yeah, you did."

Looking up at him through tear-stained vision, she gave him a true smile. The light it emitted finally banishing the residual darkness in her mind. "I achieved my dream… I… I feel free. Thank you."

"Anything for you." Whispering the words, he planted one chaste kiss upon her forehead.

Settling into the embrace and unwilling to let him go, Sumire held on all the tighter.

"Umm, so how about a trip on a boat on Monday with the group?"

It was probably about Shido. It didn't matter. Smiling up at him, Sumire returned his words. "Anything for you."