[What do you mean?]
[Isn't it exactly what you want?] "She" snapped, clearly annoyed.
[?]
[Next, do to Tenka what you just did to Mio.]
[Huh?] Shichen wondered if he'd misheard.
[What do you mean "huh"? Shouldn't you be happy?] "She" said irritably.
[No… this is way too sudden.]
[What's sudden about it? Just keep letting your instincts take over.]
[…]
[Don't play dumb. You're happy inside, aren't you?]
[No. I don't even understand what's going on, and I'm not close with Tenka.]
[You and she aren't that different from me. You're together every day—how are you "not close"? She knows you inside and out.]
[But—]
[To gain the power, her strength has to be merged too.] "She" suddenly turned serious.
[That doesn't mean it has to be done like this. Can't I just take blood directly?]
[Her body was shaped from your power. Blood alone won't do anything.]
[…Right…]
[Stop putting on an act. You should be happy. Hurry up.] "She" pressed impatiently.
[Even if I agreed, she wouldn't.]
[It's urgent. I'll handle it—she doesn't get a choice. Besides, she's been watching you the whole time; she likes you already.]
[Huh?]
Just then, Tenka's voice suddenly cut in:
"Why are you spacing out? Put some clothes on already!"
Shichen snapped back to himself and said quietly, apologetic:
"…Tenka, I might have to wrong you."
"What are you tal—"
Before she could finish, a pink light flashed in front of Tenka's eyes—and she changed.
Her proud, imposing gaze turned hazy; a flush rose on her cheeks. She stepped forward, drawn toward Shichen.
"Shichen…"
Murmuring his name, she reached him and fell into his arms.
He caught her and realized—she really was the same "type" as Tohka. Even if she was Tohka's sister, they'd once shared the same body; if she'd been remade, the result would naturally be similar.
"Tenka."
Shichen would never mistake her for Tohka—and his fondness for Tenka was no less than for Tohka.
A strong, regal, decisive girl—who wouldn't like that?
"Shichen…" Tenka repeated softly, lifting her face, stepping closer.
Shichen watched those cherry-blossom lips draw near… and guilt pricked him. This could have happened under better circumstances, at a better time.
But right now it felt pushed.
Then Tohka blurted out:
"Tenka… what are you doing? And Shichen—why are you hesitating?"
"Ah?" Shichen looked at her blankly.
Tenka snapped, flustered and stubborn at once:
"Don't drag your feet! Can't you act like a man?"
"You… you're not out of your mind?"
"Of course not! I know exactly what I'm doing!" Tenka said, embarrassed but firm.
"Then why—"
"Enough with the questions!"
"…If that's the case," Shichen sighed, then leaned in and kissed Tenka.
Tenka's heart jolted; she slowly closed her eyes.
The empty, silent space offered no distractions. Their tension rose.
After some time, Shichen pulled back, then steadied himself—he needed the next step for the power merge.
[Hmph!] Only the "someone" who "didn't exist" sounded distinctly unhappy.
…
When Shichen finally opened his eyes again, his pupils had turned a brilliant gold—divine and hard to look at directly.
The energy around him was no longer ordinary magic or spiritual power, but something higher—true divine power.
Tenka was gone; she had retreated back inside him, hiding.
Even if she'd been conscious earlier, the emotions had been drawn out. Now that her rational mind returned, embarrassment hit hard.
She had… done that with him.
She'd watched from the sidelines before—never imagining she'd become a "lead" herself.
And she'd done it before Tohka.
She felt she'd wronged Tohka.
But that wasn't even the worst of it.
The real problem was that in the middle of it all, she'd called him "Dad."
Absurd as it sounded, in a twisted sense it wasn't entirely wrong.
Tenka had seen everything Shichen did thirty years ago—his actions, his time with Mio.
So when Shichen kept calling himself her father, it wasn't baseless.
Tenka was a spirit born from Mio's crystallized longing—longing that centered on Shichen.
In that sense, she was the "child" of their bond: an "offspring" of love, even without blood.
Spirits didn't care about bloodlines the way humans did.
But now she'd crossed that line with him—
How was she supposed to face anyone?
"Why am I like this…? He's disgusting…! No—I'm disgusting too…!"
Shichen, however, didn't know Tenka's turmoil. He only felt… incredible.
As if he could shatter heaven and earth—like nothing was impossible.
He even thought: maybe now he could go back and change things.
[Don't even think about it.] "She" cut in.
[What?]
[I know what you're thinking. Don't do it.]
[Why?]
[What Mio experienced is history—past, present, and future. The future shapes the past; the past shapes the future. The present is the present. It won't be rewritten.]
In other words: Mio's path was fixed. Even with time power, it wouldn't truly change.
[How can that be?]
[She is this world's god—unique. If you force a contradiction between past and future, you won't "rewrite" anything. You'll only create a new world: a parallel timeline. Your original world remains unchanged.]
[But—]
[I know what you're thinking: in another world, someone changed history. But this is different. Don't forget—you've merged with Mio's power too.]
[…]
In the end, it was both his doing and his burden.
[Just apologize properly. She'll forgive you. Her love for you isn't less than anyone else's.] "She" softened.
[I know. But I still owe her.]
[Then spend the future making it right. You're not the type to stay stuck in doubt.]
[…You really do know me.]
[Hmph.]
[Can I ask you something?]
[What?]
[Were you… jealous?]
[…Jealous?]
[I heard you. That irritated little snort.] Shichen teased.
[Heh. Proud of yourself? Still had enough focus to notice? You're amazing.] "She" deadpanned.
But that tone made Shichen smile—because it was familiar. Nostalgic.
He'd already guessed who she was—he just hadn't expected her to accompany him in the form of a "system."
[So you dragged me away from Mio because you were jealous, huh?]
[Jealous? You're doing that with so many girls—why wouldn't I be jealous?]
[Because I didn't listen to you.]
[I'm not jealous. You're overthinking. Instead of guessing my feelings, figure out how you're going to apologize to Mio.] "She" said coolly.
[…]
That hit his sore spot.
If history couldn't be undone, he could only face the consequences.
He knew Mio would forgive him easily—no matter how badly he'd hurt her. She was that easy to please.
But he couldn't forgive himself so easily. His feelings for her were real; guilt came with them.
And he couldn't dump the blame on "her," either—she'd done it "for him."
So… how should he apologize?
What could he do, so that he could live with himself?
~~~
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