Chapter 20: Interlude - The Moon and The Sun

[The Protagonist's Feelings Towards the Heroine]

There's not much to say about this. Needless to say, the deeper, broader, and heavier that emotion is..... the better, right...?

★★★

The Yin energy that had long dominated the world began to decline, and its counterpart, the Yang energy, began to grow.

When Yang is deficient, Yin becomes abundant; conversely, when Yin is deficient, Yang becomes abundant. 

The wind, which until recently had been as sharp as a sickle, had become gentle and soft, and the Sakura trees, once again, were swelling their buds, seemingly waiting impatiently to bloom as they had that night.

Without anyone telling them to, the seasons were changing from winter to spring, just as nature intended.

A gentle spring breeze blew into the garden of the Onjōji family, and its spring-like softness enveloped the hearts of those who lived in the mansion.

However, this vibrant spring atmosphere seemed to have no bearing on the two in the dojo.

The sound of the wooden swords being swung sharply by each of them echoed, almost as if literally slicing through the gentle spring breeze.

Of the two holding the wooden swords, one was still young enough to be called a boy. At this time of year, it would seem far more natural to imagine him going out to see the cherry blossoms with his family and laughing innocently.

However, anyone who sees the boy's movements would no longer have such thoughts. His footwork is explosive, there is no other way to describe it. The sound and speed emanating from the body of a boy who is still so incomplete are unbelievable. His body is still light, large for a boy but small by adult standards, and he literally bounces around the dojo space with unrestrained energy.

However, the blows he delivers are by no means light. An average adult would be instantly engulfed by the storm of wooden swords raging from all directions and brought to the ground.

However, the giant man, who should have been at the center of the storm, strode through it with the ease of walking in a spring breeze, dodging, blocking, stopping, and deflecting the boy's attacks.

Realizing that the man wasn't even breaking a sweat, the boy increased his speed even further. It was a speed that would be difficult for even a seasoned swordsman to perceive, yet he still couldn't break through the man's sword defense.

The subsequent conclusion was surprisingly quick, and the boy was knocked down as easily as a flying insect.

"Haa... haa...!"

"Hmm. It's still rough around the edges, but it's starting to take shape. However, Chiharu, you still rely too much on strengthening your body with Yang energy.

Yang energy's to strengthen things, and I often use Yang-jutsu to strengthen my body using its properties, and I don't deny its usefulness in combat. But if you rely only on that, you won't stand a chance against an opponent who is superior in that regard.

To begin with, you are like the sun, that is, your internal energy is heavily skewed towards Yang. That's why you have less Yin energy to suppress it, and that's why you can achieve such results even with such a reckless use of Yang energy.

But that will eventually lead to your downfall. You should know that well. You were on the verge of becoming that kind of person the day you first met Chitose."

Chiharu collapsed onto the dojo floor, breathing heavily.

Looking down at him, Onjōji Moritsugu continued his instruction, his breathing seemingly normal, and not a single drop of cold sweat beaded on his body.

The instruction appeared to be finished; Moritsugu stepped a few steps away from Chiharu and, without a word, raised his wooden sword again. Chiharu, showing no surprise, composed himself, picked up his sword again, and charged at Moritsugu.

Once again, the dry clash of wooden swords and the impact of stomps echoed from the dojo. However, no one in the household seemed surprised; everyone accepted it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

This was Chiharu's second spring since being accepted into the Onjōji family, and the boy had become a part of everyday life for the Onjōji family.

"Too naive!"

"Gah!"

This kind of training with Moritsugu was just another normal part of their daily lives.

It was such an ordinary day that when the dojo became quiet, they would all laugh and say how long he'd lasted this time.

"Thank you for your hard work."

"Thank you very much!"

"Hmm, that's a good greeting."

Having finished their training, the two bowed to each other. Seeing Chiharu, who a year ago could barely speak, even brought a smile to the face of Moritsugu, who at work is secretly known as the man with dead facial muscles.

"You worked hard in today's training. There's still a lot to improve, but you've come a long way."

"Really?! I can protect Chitose now?"

"I can't say for sure against anyone, but against ordinary thugs, you should be more than capable of protecting Chitose. Now I can be at ease as long as you're by Chitose's side."

"Leave it to me!"

Whether it was the praise that made him happy, or the pride of being told he could protect the important girl, or both, Chiharu smiled with a lively, age-appropriate expression that made him seem like a completely different person from the boy who had been holding the wooden sword just now.

"...Chiharu."

"What?"

"What does Chitose mean to you?"

A question mark appeared above Chiharu's head at Moritsugu's unusually out of nowhere question.

"Sorry, was that still a little difficult...? Let's see... I was asking, 'How do you want Chitose to be?'"

"I want her to be smiling.... I want her to keep smiling like we first met."

"I see. Why is that?"

"I don't know, if you ask me why, I don't know. But even so, I want Chitose to keep smiling."

"I see."

"When I find out why I feel that way someday, I'll tell you, Moritsugu!"

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to that day."

"For that, I'll study even harder! I'll learn more from Ayame and Sakura."

"If there's anything you don't understand, don't hesitate to ask me."

"....Eh?"

"Wait a minute, what's with that reaction!"

"Well, Ayame said that Moritsugu isn't very useful for that kind of thing."

"What?! It's true I've never been able to beat her in studying... but I can still answer a child's questions!"

"I'd rather Moritsugu train me than study. Kiyotsugu seems busy, so it's hard to ask him."

"Do you think I'm just a slacker?"

"Are you not? Chitose says that sometimes?"

"No! I'm actually quite a busy person!"

Just as Moritsugu rose to his feet to dispel the rumors about him, the door to the dojo behind them burst open, and the voices that the two of them loved so dearly echoed through the grimy dojo.

"Chiharu, you were here after all!"

"Chitose!"

The moment the boy saw the girl in white, he broke into a grin, sprinted past Moritsugu like an arrow, and stood beside her.

"Ugh! You're monopolizing Chiharu again. Seriously, how can you be so free every single time, Onii-sama?!"

"Wait a minute, that's a complete misunderstanding. I'm busy, you see."

"Hmm, I see. You're saying you're hitting a child with a wooden sword in between your busy schedule, Moritsugu-kun?"

"Oh, Ayame-san was here too? And that's another misunderstanding. This is training, you see."

"But even so, who hits a kid with all their might with a wooden sword?"

"What? It's training! What's the point if it doesn't hurt?"

"I'm saying there's a limit!"

Perhaps it was the familiarity of being classmates, or perhaps concern for the boy.

The girl in white walked beside the two adults who had pushed the boy and girl aside and begun arguing, holding the boy's hand.

"Let's leave Onii-sama with Ayame-sensei and go, Chiharu! Sakura's waiting for us!"

As the boy watched the girl laugh and pull his hand, wondering what they should do today, something he couldn't understand welled up inside him.

He didn't know what this was, but it wasn't unpleasant.

He wondered if he would ever understand this feeling, and hoped he would, as he watched the girl's smile.

"Chiharu!"

"Yes!"

He wanted her to smile, he wanted her to be happy forever and ever.

The boy didn't know yet, the feeling he have now, is what people called love.

★★★

Anomaly, something that deviates from the principles of Yin and Yang.

Something that has escaped the laws of this world, becoming a strange and different entity.

Therefore, an Anomaly, a phenomenon that deviates from the laws of this world, merely seeking its counterpart.

The ultimate fate of someone from the past era.

This Anomaly was born some time before the era in which Onjōji Chitose was born.

In a time of turmoil, when countless nations rose and fell, there lived a man in a castle in a certain country. He was a man worthy of being called a Hero. He possessed the strength to defeat all his enemies when he took up arms, yet he also had a gentle kindness that made him cherish people.

There was a woman who loved this man. She was the princess who lived in that castle. The man and the princess loved each other, and those around them celebrated their love.

It was a warm time. A happy moment.

However, such times did not last long.

As is the way of times of turmoil, the castle where the man lived was also caught up in the war.

The man fought desperately to protect the castle, the people living in the surrounding area, and the princess.

During that battle, the man sought a body that could not be harmed, a body that could not be broken even if wounded, a body that could still move even if broken, and as a means to achieve this, he seeks out Yang energy. 

His body, strengthened by Yang energy, was impervious to ordinary attacks, any wound healed instantly, and he was able to move beyond his limits.

All of this was for the sake of protecting the princess he loved and those he cherished.

He fought and fought and fought, ultimately transforming into a monstrous being. The balance of Yin and Yang within his body was disrupted during his continuous fighting. A disruption so thorough that it was irreversible. Where pain and death should have stopped him, the man surpassed it.

He surpassed death itself.

The Yin energy vanished from within the man, and his body was filled entirely with Yang energy.

Extinguishing Yin and shifting to Yang—with this, the man ceased to be a man, reduced to a mere supernatural phenomenon seeking its opposite, Yin energy. And the first place the monstrous remnants of the man reached out was—the places and people the man loved.

This is a what an Anomaly is.

A strange occurrence in this world governed by Yin and Yang.

The remains of someone, sometime in the past, who, having deviated from the principles of Yin and yang, can neither die nor live.

Is it remaining instinct, or something else, that seeks the opposing force that it itself abandoned?

Yang senses Yin, and Yin senses Yang.

Just like Chiharu sensed Onjōji Chitose, Yin and Yang are drawn to each other.

This Anomaly, the monstrous form of a man, the one known to people as Kikoku, also wanders in search of its counterpart, Yin energy. Even now.

It simply continues to wander in search of Yin energy.

Is it instinct for a being that lived in this world, or is it—searching for the way to the end?

Anomaly is a monster.

A monster that can no longer know death. 

It was the ultimate fate of someone, sometime in the past.