"Oh my, careful there, Aoi."
Kanae Kocho's hands moved fast, catching the breakfast tray before it could smash on the floor.
She let out a soft breath of relief and smiled at the still-shaken girl. "You okay? It's been a while, but I didn't think even you would get this clumsy, Aoi. Dropping the tray like that?"
"Kanae… nee-san?!!"
Aoi's hands flew to her mouth. Her eyes were huge, full of disbelief.
She remembered—Kanae had died two years ago. Even the pink-and-green butterfly hairpin had been given to Kanao after her death.
"This is a dream! It has to be a dream!"
Aoi shook her head hard. No way she'd just seen Shinobu walk out of a man's room looking all messy and dragging the supposedly dead Kanae Kocho with her.
"I have to wake up. Right now."
She clenched her fists against her chest, voice firm. "There's still so much work waiting at the Butterfly Mansion. I can't keep sleeping. This is the only way I can help Kanae-nee and the Corps."
"Because this is all I can do for you now. I've got this!"
Aoi looked straight at Kanae with determination. "Kanae-nee, even though I miss you a lot… I have to wake up. I'll carry on your will. I'll take care of the mansion and watch over Kanao and the others."
She paused, then added softly, "Especially Lady Shinobu—"
In her heart, if there was one person she worried about the most, it was definitely Shinobu.
After Kanae died, the changes in Shinobu had been obvious. Aoi couldn't fight demons herself and had no talent for medicine either. All she could do was handle the daily work. She'd watched helplessly as Shinobu threw herself deeper into the fight, wearing that fake gentle smile the whole time.
"Oh my, oh my~ So in your eyes, I'm the one who needs special looking after, Aoi?"
Shinobu's voice stayed light and playful, but she put extra emphasis on the words "special looking after."
"Lady Shinobu—"
Aoi broke into a cold sweat. Shinobu was smiling… but it looked way scarier than the old hot-tempered version.
Still, this was a dream, right? And Kanae-nee was here. In real life she respected Shinobu, but here? She wasn't about to let herself get pushed around in her own dream!
"Lady Shinobu!"
Aoi took a deep breath and spoke up boldly. "Girls should live honestly! Cry when you want to cry, laugh when you want to laugh. You can't keep copying Kanae-nee like this. If she were still alive, she wouldn't want to see you forcing yourself like this."
While pouring out everything she'd never dared say in real life, Aoi reached out and gently tried to smooth away the fake smile on Shinobu's face.
Shinobu was so caught off guard by this suddenly brave Aoi that she just stood there, letting the girl's hands move across her cheeks.
A moment later, Aoi stepped back, satisfied. Shinobu's expression had finally relaxed into something more natural.
"Much better, right, Kanae-nee?"
"You really went for it, huh~"
Shinobu shot a glance at her sister, who was covering her mouth to hide her laughter. Embarrassment flooded her.
Her eyes narrowed. A little anger mark popped up on her forehead as she growled, "Aoi… Kanzaki!"
"So what?" Aoi planted her hands on her hips, righteous. "I'm just telling the truth!"
The air went still.
Shuya poked his head out from behind the door, resting his chin on Kanae's shoulder with open curiosity.
Damn. Whose general is this girl?
She's got guts—straight-up confronting Shinobu in the Butterfly Mansion?
Kanae was barely holding back her laughter. She leaned close to Shuya's ear and whispered the explanation.
Shuya's eyes lit up with mischief. So Aoi thought this was all a dream too, huh?
This is too good. Let's make it even more fun.
He reached out and flicked Aoi right on the forehead.
"Ow—!"
Aoi clutched her head, yelping on instinct.
Wait… this wasn't a dream? Why did that hurt?
She looked at Shinobu's darkening expression, then at Kanae and Shuya trying (and failing) to hide their grins.
No way…
Cold sweat poured down Aoi's back. Her mind went blank.
She was so dead.
Not only had she seen Shinobu sneaking out of a guy's room, she'd actually pinched her face and talked back to her.
"Um… Lady Shinobu?" Aoi's voice trembled. "Can we just… pretend the last few minutes never happened?"
"First you're bold, then you're begging? How amusing."
Shinobu's smile was ice-cold. "Aoi Kanzaki, weren't you so brave just now? Why'd you stop?"
Aoi wiped the sweat from her forehead, close to tears.
Of course I was brave—I thought it was a dream!
Her eyes darted desperately to Kanae, pure survival instinct kicking in.
"Kanae-nee… save me!!!"