Chapter 2: Admission to Valhalla Academy
1
“Hold on. Your wife? Why!?”
“I told you, didn’t I? You stole my heart and soul… You’re the one who made me fall, so you’d better take responsibility~”
“Hey, get away from my Onii-chan!”
“My, my. A little jealous? Don’t tell me you fell in love with him all over again after seeing him beat me so coolly?”
“Wha…! It’s nothing like that…! It’s a sister’s duty to keep weird women from getting too close!”
“You’re so cute. If you love him that much, why don’t we just share? I don’t even mind being second, you know?”
With that, she gave Sakura a playful tug, pulling her close to Shuuto.
“Hey… cut it out. Sakura clearly hates this.”
The Sakura in question turned bright red and shoved Shuuto away.
“Hmm, I guess you don’t want him. Well, in that case, I’ll just keep him all to myself.”
Luxuria gave Shuuto another firm, tight squeeze.
“Luxuria, let go.”
A woman’s voice rang out from behind them, and Shuuto and the others turned in unison.
Standing a short distance away from Luxuria was a woman.
She appeared to be in her mid-twenties and possessed an air of keen intelligence. Her attire was unique—a set of opulent garments that looked like something worn by the gods in ancient myths.
When she raised her right hand, plant-like vines erupted from the ground and coiled around Luxuria’s arms and legs.
They proceeded to pull Luxuria away from Shuuto.
“Ugh, seriously? Right when things were getting good!”
Luxuria sounded dissatisfied, but she made no attempt to resist.
“My apologies. My Apostle was being quite rude.”
“No, it’s fine… and you are?”
“I am Alyssa Valkyria. One of the Gods. I belong to the UN Crusade Countermeasure Special Agency—commonly known as Fenrir. Among the Gods, I am one of those on the side of humanity.”
The woman—Alyssa—spoke in a calm alto voice, possessing a weight that made those listening straighten their posture instinctively.
First an angel, now a god… To be honest, Shuuto’s strongest feeling was one of disbelief, but the easiest way to explain the bizarre phenomena happening before his eyes was to believe in the appearance of angels and gods. For now, he decided to set his doubts aside.
“Congratulations, Shuuto Tsuda-kun. You are humanity’s first winner of a Crusade.”
“Someone else said that earlier, too… but what exactly is this Crusade?”
“I see… I suppose we need to start from the beginning. It’s a bit of a long story, but I’d like you to listen.”
The story Alyssa told was as follows.
＊
The Gods, observing the many evils committed by humanity, decided that it would be better to destroy them. They intended to grant control of the surface world to the angels once humanity was gone.
However, destroying them unilaterally went against the style of the Gods. They believed that even if humanity had serious problems, they shouldn’t engage in unreasonable pillaging, so they decided to give them one last chance.
From that point on, the Gods would descend seven angels—the Seven Apostles—to the surface. If humanity could defeat the angels in Games, they would be permitted to survive. However, every time they lost, a certain portion of human territory on Earth would be seized by the angels. It was said that if humanity continued to lose, their territory would be completely gone in approximately twenty years.
This fact was being kept secret from the general public. Instead, elite game players were secretly engaging in game showdowns with the angels, with the survival of humanity on the line.
＊
“And that is the Crusade.”
Alyssa summarized the situation with those words.
“The human government determined that making this information public would only incite mass panic, so they’ve kept it classified. It’s only natural that you were unaware. Those ‘localized great earthquakes’ you’re so familiar with… they are merely a fiction created to evacuate the populace whenever one of the Seven Apostles descends.”
It seemed Shuuto’s hunch had been right on the money.
“Ten years have passed since the Crusade began, yet you are the very first human to achieve a victory.”
That came as a surprise.
Shuuto had assumed that even if his own win was a fluke, humanity couldn’t have been losing every single time.
Apparently, his assumption was wrong.
“The disparity in power between humanity and the Seven Apostles was simply that vast,” Alyssa added.
The three people who had initially challenged Luxuria let out frustrated sighs at her words.
“However, you are strong. Therefore, as a Goddess allied with humanity, I have a proposal. Would you consider enrolling in Valhalla Academy to receive formal training as a representative of the human race?”
Another term he didn’t recognize.
“Valhalla Academy is an educational institution dedicated to nurturing human representatives. Its curriculum is equivalent to a standard high school. If you can win the ‘Representative Matches’—open only to graduates and a select few elite students—you will be officially authorized to fight in the Crusade as a representative of humanity.”
“That sounds like a lot of red tape,” Shuuto remarked.
It wasn’t that he was itching to jump into the Crusade, but he figured if they valued his skills that much, they could just make him a representative then and there.
“We are talking about battles where the very territory of the human race is at stake,” Alyssa explained. “The government generally prefers to entrust such matters to reliable players who have cleared the formal selection process. You may be the first person to ever win a Crusade match, but to put it bluntly, one could argue your performance was simply a statistical outlier—a stroke of extreme luck.”
Shuuto could understand that. Even if someone had a natural gift for surgery, performing an operation without a medical license was a crime. It made sense that he’d need some kind of official certification.
“Uh, well…”
Unsure how to respond, Shuuto’s gaze drifted. He saw Sakura looking at him with a trace of anxiety in her eyes.
So many preposterous things had happened in such a short span of time, and now he was being hit with an even more preposterous proposal. Honestly, he was reeling. He didn’t feel like he was in the right headspace to make a major life decision.
“Could I go home and think it over for a bit?”
“Of course. The choice is yours. This concerns your entire future, so please, take all the time you need.”
２
Shuuto and Sakura walked home in total silence.
He didn’t know what to say. The scale of everything was just too big.
Humanity is on the brink of extinction at the hands of gods and angels… we’re playing games to stop it… and since you’re a pro gamer, why not fight for the world?
If he summarized it like that, it sounded like a bad plot, but he felt zero sense of reality.
(Fighting for the sake of humanity, huh…)
Shuuto was just an ordinary high school student. He’d never been the type to burn with a sense of mission. His biggest worries lately were his sister’s cold shoulder and his test scores.
Tossing a “global crisis” into a life that mundane was… a bit much.
When they arrived home, their parents were waiting.
“Oh? Dad, Mom? What about work?”
“There was an alarm. We headed straight back the moment it was lifted,” his father replied.
“Shuuto! Sakura! Thank goodness you’re safe…!”
His mother pulled them both into a tight, crushing hug.
“M-Mom…!”
Being coddled like this at his age was a little embarrassing.
“I’m sorry. I was just so worried… Are you hurt? You were attacked by an angel, weren’t you?”
“Wait… Mom, how much do you know?”
Shuuto was taken aback by her use of the word angel.
“Shuuto. I’ll explain everything now,” his father said.
They moved to the living room and took their seats around the dining table.
“Now then… where should I start…?”
His father’s eyes wandered. Since he seemed to be having trouble finding the words, Shuuto decided to start with a question. He had too many things on his mind as it was.
“Dad, Mom… do you know about the Crusade? That’s what they called it, right?”
“Yes. Our situation is… a bit special. To tell you the truth, we knew everything. We knew because… we have an acquaintance with the blood of angels in their veins.”
“An acquaintance? You guys have an angel for a friend?”
“I’m talking about you, Shuuto. You are a being who carries the blood of a fallen angel—a half-human, half-fallen angel.”
The meaning of the words didn’t sink in immediately.
“A half-fallen angel? Me? I’m… not human?”
His parents nodded hesitantly at his question.
“I’m sorry to drop this on you so suddenly. But we can’t really move forward without addressing this,” his father said, his shoulders slumping with guilt.
“If I’m half-fallen angel and half-human… does that mean one of you is a fallen angel?”
“…No. Both your mother and I are human.”
Wait a second.
That means…
“Shuuto. You aren’t our biological child.”
“—!!”
I knew it.
He didn’t know what to say. Silence was his only refuge.
“Papa, Mama. What about me?” Sakura interjected.
Right. What about Sakura?
“Sakura is our biological daughter. When we took Shuuto in from a couple we were friends with, you had already been born. Since Shuuto was older, we raised him as your big brother.”
“I… I see…”
Sakura fell silent as well, looking down at the floor.
Shuuto wondered how she felt. They already had a strained relationship; finding out they weren’t even related by blood had to be a shock. Would it be unbearable for her to realize the brother she couldn’t stand was actually a complete stranger?
“Fallen angels are those who have ‘Fallen’—they can no longer live in the Celestial World, the realm of the gods. The same applied to you, Shuuto. For certain reasons, your biological parents could no longer raise you, so we took you in as their friends. We had permission from the government, of course. To be specific, we’ve been raising you with official authorization from Fenrir—the international agency that handles the Crusade and the angel counter-measures. We intended to tell you when you were an adult. I’m so sorry that circumstances forced us to tell you like this…”
“Please don’t worry,” his mother added gently. “It doesn’t change the fact that you’re our child, Shuuto. We cherish you. We love you.”
He understood what she was saying, but Shuuto’s heart was a chaotic mess of emotions.
“I get that… I really do… but I’m still just really confused…”
“You don’t have to process it all right now. Take your time.”
“Yeah…”
He felt a tiny bit of the tension leave his body.
“And… there’s one thing I have to apologize for. Shuuto, we’ve always told you never to get ‘serious’ about games, haven’t we? I’m truly sorry we had to say that to a boy who loved gaming as much as you do.”
“Wait, are we really talking about this now?”
It was true that he’d felt a bit slighted by that rule growing up, but it didn’t seem like the kind of topic that belonged in the same breath as his secret heritage.
“It’s related. I think you’ve realized it by now, but you’re a gaming genius. That’s because of your fallen angel blood. The gaming aptitude of angels and fallen angels is on a completely different level than that of humans. As their kin, your talent naturally far exceeds human limits. If you played games normally, the gap between you and everyone else would be too massive. We were afraid you’d become an outcast in your daily life.”
“Ah… well, I can see where you’re coming from.”
In the past, he’d experienced plenty of situations where he’d won so convincingly that it ruined the atmosphere. That was exactly why he’d developed the habit of holding back to avoid standing out. His parents’ upbringing played a part, but his own overwhelming strength was the primary cause.
Realizing their advice had come from a place of love and concern made him feel a strange, quiet spark of happiness.
“Furthermore… there was the issue of your Fallen Angel Eyes activating whenever you got serious.”
“Fallen Angel Eyes?”
“When you get serious in a game, your eyes glow blue, don’t they? That’s what I’m talking about. It’s an anti-angel trait. It allows you to temporarily restrict the special abilities of angels.”
A vague memory surfaced. Was that why Luxuria couldn’t read my emotions anymore?
“If your eyes suddenly started glowing blue, people would look at you like you were a freak. We wanted to help you avoid that, too.”
“I’m sorry we made you hold back for so long,” his mother apologized again.
Shuuto felt increasingly awkward as both of them continued to bow their heads.
“No, really, I didn’t mind it that much…”
Having heard this far, Shuuto realized now was the perfect time to talk to them about Valhalla Academy. If his birth secret and his gaming talent were so closely linked, then surely his parents knew something about the academy as well.
“So… Dad, Mom, there’s something I need to ask you…”
“Is it about Valhalla Academy?” his father asked, beating him to the punch. Just as he thought—they were already aware of it.
“If you want to go, you should go. If you don’t, then don’t.”
“You’re giving me the choice?”
“Yes. Even if the survival of humanity is on the line, it’s not something that should be forced on you. On the other hand, as your parents, we have no intention of stopping you if it’s what you want.”
“…………”
Shuuto fell into thought once more.
“—To be honest, I still don’t know what I want to do. You say it’s for humanity, but… I’m not even human, am I?”
Humanity consisted of his father, his mother, his friends… and above all, his sister, Sakura.
Even if they weren’t blood-related, family was still family. If fighting meant protecting them… the thought crossed his mind.
Yet at the same time, the whole thing felt so surreal. Shuuto felt as though he were watching himself from a distance, floating above his own life.
“There’s no need to reach a conclusion right this second. Think it over carefully. Not because it’s a problem for humanity, but because it’s a matter of your own life.”
His father was determined to leave the choice to Shuuto. His mother remained silent, suggesting she felt the same way.
I have to decide this myself.
His confused mind could only grasp that one hazy truth.
＊
That night, Shuuto stood by his bedroom window, staring out at the darkness.
“Indecisive men aren’t very popular, you know.”
“Wh-?!”
A voice behind him made Shuuto spin around in shock.
“Alyssa-san?! What are you doing here?”
“Your father contacted me and said you were being quite wishy-washy. I decided to drop by and see if I could persuade you.”
Gods really do just show up whenever they feel like it, don’t they? They certainly didn’t operate on human logic. Then again, he wasn’t exactly human himself—he was closer to her kind than anything else.
Still, seeing someone dressed in full “Godly Regalia” in the middle of a high school boy’s bedroom was an incredibly jarring sight.
“Whether you enroll or not is entirely up to you. However, a rather significant fact has come to light, so I thought I should share it.”
Alyssa spoke with an air of grandiosity.
“It seems your sister… Sakura Tsuda-san… is the type who is particularly prone to attracting the attention of angels. I believe the condition of the last match was that she would become Luxuria’s slave if you lost. The reason the angels proposed such a condition is because your sister appears incredibly ‘alluring’ to them.”
Shuuto felt a chill of anxiety.
“Does that mean… if an angel descends nearby in the future, she’ll be in danger of being enslaved again?”
“Quick on the uptake, aren’t we? Precisely. Furthermore, because of the recent incident, information regarding Sakura Tsuda has spread among the angels. There is a high probability she will be targeted during the next descent.”
“…………!”
As long as the descents continued, Sakura would always be in danger.
“Well? Is that not a sufficient reason for you to fight?”
Shuuto felt a flicker of irritation at how easily she could see through his inner thoughts.
“It’s a sufficient reason, sure. But… if I enroll in the academy, get my license, join the Crusade… won’t Sakura be taken by an angel in the meantime? It feels like I’d be better off staying by her side to protect her.”
If he stayed with her, he might be able to challenge any angel that appeared to a game, just like he had with Luxuria. He didn’t know where the academy was, but if he and Sakura went separate ways, he wouldn’t be able to protect her.
“You needn’t worry about that. If you agree to enroll, I promise that Sakura Tsuda will be placed under the protection of Fenrir. Specifically, we will have her enroll in Valhalla Academy as well. Within the academy, she will be under Fenrir’s guard, and you will be there to protect her as well. Is that not a perfect solution?”
It seemed Alyssa had come prepared with a meticulously crafted plan to lure him in.
Her proposal was airtight. He had no reasons left to refuse.
“…Alright. If Sakura is okay with enrolling in Valhalla Academy, then I’ll go too.”
Shuuto added that last condition because he still wanted to respect Sakura’s wishes.
“You really do care for your sister. Actually, I’ve already received a ‘yes’ from Sakura Tsuda.”
Alyssa reached out her right hand.
“I look forward to working with you, Shuuto Tsuda. Please, save humanity for us.”
Despite being a Goddess, she spoke with a polite, humble tone when addressing the side of humanity.
Shuuto took her hand and gave it a firm squeeze.
“I’ll do my best.”
He nodded with conviction.
３
“Hehehe… hihihihihi…”
As she packed for the move, Sakura Tsuda was laughing to herself.
There wasn’t a trace of her usual “cool beauty” aura; her expression was bright—unnervingly so. It was the kind of smile that bordered on the edge of dangerous.
(Onii-chan and I aren’t related by blood…! Is this a miracle or what?!)
Sakura had been a total “brother’s girl” since she was tiny. She used to follow Shuuto around everywhere, constantly asking him to play. And Shuuto had always doted on her.
That was why Shuuto probably found her current “salty” attitude so confusing and disappointing.
Truth be told, Sakura didn’t want to be cold to him.
“Oh, Onii-chan…”
With an ecstatic expression, she opened the very bottom drawer of her desk.
This was the Onii-chan Zone.
An album filled with photos of Shuuto from childhood to the present. A toy ring he’d given her for her birthday. A movie ticket stub from the first time they’d gone to the theater together…
She had loved her brother for a long, long time.
When she was little, it was a simple, innocent love.
She only realized that this feeling wasn’t just “sibling affection” during the summer of her third year of middle school.
It all started with an incident on her way home from summer cram school.
That day, Sakura was walking alone when two high school boys tried to hit on her.
When she tried to ignore them, the boys got irritated and grabbed her arm, trying to force her to go somewhere with them.
“St-stop it!”
“Shut up. Just come along quietly.”
“Hey.”
That was when Shuuto appeared. He went to the same cram school, but he’d stayed behind that day to ask the teacher a few questions. Sakura had gone home ahead of him since it looked like he was going to be there for a while.
“The hell do you want?”
“I’m her brother. Let her go.”
As Shuuto approached, the two punks let go of Sakura and turned their attention to him.
—Hearing the story up to this point, most people would probably assume that Shuuto proceeded to beat the two guys to a pulp and save his sister.
The reality was the exact opposite.
Shuuto was overwhelmingly weaker than them. It was almost pitiful to watch.
First, he took a direct punch to the face from the flashier of the two boys.
“Oof!”
Shuuto let out a pathetic sound as he was knocked onto his backside.
Sakura knew her brother had never been in a fight in his life. He was cool-headed, but quiet, gentle, and hated conflict. If trouble arose, he was always the first one to back down. It was the same during their sibling squabbles.
He spent all his time playing games or reading books and didn’t exercise much, so he simply didn’t have any physical strength to speak of.
There was no “hidden miracle” where her brother turned out to be a secret martial arts master.
“Look, if you don’t want to get hurt, just beat it,” the punk sneered.
“Like hell I will…”
Even so, Shuuto dragged himself back to his feet.
“Sakura, go home. I’ll handle these guys…”
“B-but…!”
“Just go!”
“Hahaha! Oh, man! Look at the ‘big brother’ being all cool!”
Before they knew it, the second punk had moved behind Shuuto and pinned his arms back.
“If you want it that bad, we’ll give you the beating of a lifetime!”
“Hell yeah!”
The punk in front began to rain blows on the defenseless Shuuto.
“Stop! I’ll go with you, okay? Just stop!”
“No! If you go with people like this, something terrible will happen!”
“Onii-chan…”
“Hey! What’s going on here?!”
Just then, a police officer came running from a distance. Someone must have reported the commotion.
“Crap! Let’s get outta here!”
“Right!”
The two punks took off at a sprint.
“Stop right there!”
The officer chased after them.
Once she was sure the danger had passed, Sakura rushed to Shuuto’s side.
“Onii-chan! Are you okay?!”
“Yeah, it’s nothing.”
Shuuto gave a pained smile as he wiped blood from the corner of his lip.
“Sorry I was such a pathetic brother.”
“You weren’t pathetic at all… you were so cool, Onii-chan…!!”
Sakura clung to her brother, sobbing.
Even though he was weak, he’d pushed himself to the limit to protect his sister…
To her, there was nothing cooler in the world.
“I’m just glad you’re safe, Sakura. You aren’t hurt, are you?”
Sakura nodded over and over, unable to stop crying.
—It started from that day.
It started when her heart began to race every time she looked at her brother.
At first, she was just confused. But her heart, thumping for her own flesh-and-blood brother? Whenever they were face-to-face, she couldn’t speak properly, which always resulted in Sakura giving her brother the cold shoulder…
Could it be…?
It didn’t take long to realize that what she was feeling was romantic love.
Guilt hit her almost immediately. She was tormented by the sheer immorality of harboring such feelings for her own brother. Then came the despair. No matter how much she loved him, as long as they were siblings, they could never be together.
And so, the action Sakura took was—to distance herself from him.
She had to make sure they didn’t get any closer. Part of it was, of course, because it was too painful to be around him knowing they could never be a couple. But just as big a reason was her belief that she had to help her overly protective sis-con brother grow independent of her.
He really does love her. As a sister, anyway.
But Sakura wanted him to find his own happiness rather than being tied down by someone like her. That was why, ever since these feelings took root, she’d been striving to keep the distance.
Because I’m so socially awkward, I couldn’t just manage a neutral, polite distance. Instead, I ended up being blunt and cold. It was a new source of constant worry, but…
But that’s all over now.
“If there’s actually a chance we can be together… then there’s absolutely no problem with us being close, right!?”
Sakura hummed a jaunty little tune as she packed for the move.
(Ah, I’m so happy. We can play games together again, and go out together like we used to. No, we can do even more than that…)
Rose-colored fantasies bloomed in Sakura’s mind.
“Sakura…”
Her brother—rendered about thirty percent more handsome by her imagination—leaned in close and whispered in her ear.
“Onii-chan…”
“You’re such a silly girl. We’re lovers now… call me by my name.”
“Okay. Shuuto-san…”
The two of them leaned in, their lips inches apart—
“Ehe, ehehehehe…”
In reality, Sakura was grinning like a maniac, nearly drooling at the thought.
Knock, knock, knock.
The sound of the door snapped Sakura back to reality.
“Hah! Slurp… C-Come in!”
She hurriedly wiped her mouth and answered.
“Sakura? How’s the packing coming along?”
“U-Uh, fine…”
“Dinner’s ready. Mom says it’s a feast to celebrate your transfer.”
“A transfer celebration? That’s weird.”
“Don’t be like that… Hm, what’s this?”
Shuuto’s eyes drifted toward an open drawer.
“! Don’t just look at my stuff!”
“W-Whoops, sorry…”
Ugh, I was so mean just now! Point deduction! Sakura clutched her head in her mind.
“Just get out. I’ll be there in a sec.”
That was mean too! Even more deductions!
Shuuto didn’t seem particularly hurt, though. He just gave a casual, “Gotcha. See you downstairs,” and left the room.
(Why… why did I act so cold again?)
Now that things were different, I should have been able to be the brother-loving sister I really was. So why?
Later, at the dinner table:
“Sakura, pass the soy sauce.”
“Get it yourself,” Sakura snapped back.
“Got it.”
Shuuto took it himself with a shrug, but their mother couldn’t let it slide.
“Sakura, you need to be nicer to your brother.”
“It’s fine, Mom. She’s just overwhelmed by the news that we aren’t actually related,” Shuuto offered, following up for her.
“But she’s been like this for a while now. I’m worried about sending the two of you off to the academy together…”
Their mother let out a long sigh.
(She’s right. Who wouldn’t be worried about sending him off with a sister like this? I’d be worried too…)
Sakura’s spirit sank like a stone.
(W-What am I gonna do? I’ve been giving him the salt treatment for so long that I’ve forgotten how to act normally. Or rather, I’m so embarrassed and nervous that I can’t control myself—oh, Onii-chan looks so handsome even when he’s just eating—wait, this is no time to get distracted!!)
Sakura bit her lip, gripping her chopsticks tight.
“Don’t worry, Mom. Sakura and I have just reached that age where we need a bit of ‘adult distance.’ It’d be more worrying if she was still clinging to her big brother at her age, wouldn’t it?”
“I suppose that’s true…”
Their mother nodded, seemingly convinced.
(Onii-chan is so amazing, convincing Mom just like that. And he even called my salty attitude ‘adult distance’… He’s so broad-minded. I love him…)
“Still…”
Shuuto peered intently at Sakura’s face.
“What?” Sakura asked, her voice low. Ugh, that sounded horrible. I wanted to ask him more cutely!
“I guess it makes sense that we aren’t related. There’s no way my sister could actually be this cute.”
Shuuto nodded to himself as if reaching a profound conclusion.
Sakura felt her face turn so hot it felt like it might actually explode.
“Even if you aren’t related by blood, you two are still siblings. You are our son and daughter,” their father said with an air of authority. Shuuto nodded firmly.
“Yeah, I know. Sakura, I’m a lucky guy. Thanks for being my sister.”
(I don’t want to be just your sister! I want to be your girlfriend—!!)
“Hmph.”
Unable to voice her true thoughts, Sakura simply let out a sharp huff and turned away.
Why?! Why does this keep happening?!
(Wait, am I a tsundere…?! No, a tsundere has to actually show the ‘dere’ side at some point. I’m just all ‘tsun’! I’m just a jerk! What am I supposed to do?!)
A brand new tragedy had been born.
４
“Whoa, so this is Valhalla Island…”
Stepping out of the airport, the view was as luxurious as a high-end resort.
Valhalla Island—the artificial island home to Valhalla Academy, where Shuuto and Sakura would be studying. It was supposedly located somewhere in the Pacific, but it was hidden from the outside world by magic, so Shuuto had no idea where they actually were.
Apparently, students had tried to calculate the location based on the sun and stars in the past, but since all of that was also falsified by magic, it was impossible to pinpoint.
In that sense, it felt a bit like a prison, which was slightly eerie.
Travel between the island and the mainland was permitted, but required a formal application and a flight on a private plane every time, which was a huge hassle. They wouldn’t be going home for a while.
Because of that, the island was equipped with malls, hospitals, and entertainment—everything needed for daily life. Students were issued a special currency called VP (Valhalla Points) to live on. The monthly allowance of VP changed based on one’s “grades,” making study a literal matter of survival.
Dormitories were provided, and most students lived on-site.
Shuuto and Sakura hopped on a bus from the airport and headed toward the dorms. The bus followed a coastal road before finally pulling up at the complex.
“Well, I’m in Building B,” Sakura said.
“Yeah.”
They parted ways at the entrance.
(In the end, we didn’t say a single word to each other on the bus.)
With a wry smile, Shuuto headed to room 201 in Building A. The lock was high-tech, using a card key.
He tapped the card, unlocked the door, and stepped inside—
“Shuuto~! You’re late~!”
He already had a guest.
Silver hair and skin so white it was almost translucent.
It was Luxuria, the opponent he had defeated in a game just the other day. Seeing her there was a shock, but it was her outfit that really threw him.
“Luxuria?! What are you wearing?!”
Luxuria was dressed in a see-through baby doll that left almost nothing to the imagination. The panties visible underneath were cut so thin they barely counted as fabric. Her chest was technically covered, but save for the absolute essentials, everything was on display.
“What do you mean? You like this kind of thing, don’t you?”
If he had to choose between liking it or hating it, he was definitely on the “like” side, but having it thrust in his face made him recoil.
“Welcome home, Darling♡ Do you want to do it here? In the living room? Or maybe… the b-a-t-h?”
She asked it with the same energy as “Dinner? A bath? Or… me?”, but he had no idea what she was actually suggesting.
“Do what?”
“Geez~ Lovemaking, obviously! I want you to go wild on me♡”
“Like hell I will!”
“Don’t be shy. You’re the one who made me fall, after all. I’m already your captive. Basically, I’m your slave now, so you can do whatever you want with me, okay?”
“Whatever I want, huh… Fine.”
“Ufufu, then come and hel—”
“Put some clothes on. Now.”
Shuuto pulled a dress shirt out of his bag.
“Mooo~! That’s not what I meant~!”
“You said I could do what I want, right? Then put these on.”
“Hmph.”
Luxuria puffed out her cheeks, but then her expression shifted.
“Wait, this is Shuuto’s shirt… This ‘boyfriend shirt’ look might actually be okay…”
She slipped it on, her mood suddenly improving.
“Honestly, Shuuto, you have such specific tastes♪”
It wasn’t what he meant at all, but it was better than the zero-defense baby doll.
Shuuto sat down at the round table in the living room to face her properly.
“So… why are you here, Luxuria?”
“I fell, so I can’t go back to the Celestial World. It seemed like it might be fun, so I just decided to enroll in the academy.”
“Wait, were you exiled?”
“Something like that. I am a Fallen Angel now, after all.”
“I feel kind of bad…”
Even if it was to protect his sister and the town, he hadn’t intended to give Luxuria the short end of the stick. She had only been playing games against humanity because it was her job, even if she was a bit sadistic about it.
“No, it’s fine. I’m happy I got to become Shuuto’s Fallen Angel, and school looks like it’ll be interesting.”
“I see… Well, I get that you enrolled, but why are you in this room? This is my room, isn’t it?”
“Nope. This is my room. You, unfortunately, don’t have a room, Shuuto.”
Luxuria looked like she was enjoying this a little too much despite her “unfortunately.”
“No room?”
“The situation is a bit complicated… In this academy, your VP and your treatment change based on your grades. And those grades are determined by your performance in games. You follow me so far?”
Since it was a school for gaming, that made sense.
“Those grades are represented by a numerical score called a Compatibility Rate, from zero to a hundred percent… but Shuuto, you were below zero. You’re ‘The Unqualified.’ Normally, you wouldn’t even be eligible to enroll.”
“Then how did I get in?”
“It seems they evaluated your victory over me and let you in through a special slot. Usually, they scout kids with talent in secret, but you were always filtered out because you were ‘Unqualified.’ The academy thought it was weird that someone so strong was unqualified, thinking it might have been a measurement error, so they tested you again with magic… but you still came up as below zero. Because of that, according to the rules, they can’t give you a single point of VP, and you don’t get a room.”
“Are you kidding me…?”
If they were going to let him in as an exception, they should have at least guaranteed him a basic standard of living.
“Unbelievable, right? So, I went ahead and handled the paperwork so you could live in my room. It’d be awful if you didn’t have a home, right? And I’ll give you half of my VP.”
“Is that okay?”
He felt terrible about it.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. I told you, didn’t I? I’m yours, Shuuto.”
“But if I take half, won’t you be struggling? There are shops here and everything. I can probably find a part-time job or something. I’ll take you up on the room, but I’ll figure out the rest myself.”
He was essentially a freeloading guest; it was the least he could do. Besides, he didn’t want Luxuria to suffer for his sake.
“Geez, you really are wonderful, Shuuto. You’re the one in trouble, yet you’re thinking about me…”
For some reason, her affection for him seemed to spike.
“I’ve fallen for you all over again. Can I give you a kiss?”
“No.”
“Tch. I thought asking casually like that might work…”
Her expression turned mischievous—the same face she made during their game. Perhaps this was her true nature, and she was just acting cute for now.
“Shuuto, are you the type who doesn’t really get swept up by the atmosphere?”
“Maybe. I’ve never been good at reading the room…”
That was why he had ended up isolated in the past after winning too decisively. The memory left a bitter taste in his mouth. Since then, he’d made it a point to hold back. Because he wasn’t good at reading the subtle shifts in the air, he made a conscious effort not to push against it.
“I think it’s good. It means you have a core. But you know, I’m actually totally fine even if I give you half. My Compatibility Rate is ninety-seven percent, so I get a massive amount of points deposited every month.”
The specific amount she named almost made him fall out of his chair.
“Ninety-seven is that high…?”
To someone below zero, that was a figure in the clouds.
“Not even angels can get a hundred. They’re really strict. So don’t worry about it.”
“Even so, I don’t need half. A fifth would be plenty…”
“You really aren’t greedy. Fine, fine. Okay. Let’s go with that. Tell me whenever you want more.”
“Yeah, I got it.”
He answered just to end the conversation, though he doubted he’d ever ask. Shuuto wasn’t the type to spend money on expensive things.
“But, well… it’s going to be a problem if I can’t kiss you.”
“Why would that be a problem?”
He grew wary, expecting her to start talking nonsense again.
“No, I’m being serious. Shuuto, you’re the one who made me fall, right?”
“Not on purpose, though.”
“Those who make an angel fall gain the right to use that angel’s Gift.”
In other words, the right to cheat in games.
“And what does that have to do with kissing?”
He wasn’t following.
“Well~ to give you my Gift, we have to kiss.”
“What?”
That couldn’t be right.
“Are you just making stuff up again?”
“It’s the truth. An angel has to show proof that their heart and body have fallen… you can’t give a Gift to someone you don’t like that much.”
The logic seemed sound enough to be annoying.
“Of course, I don’t mind at all, Darling♡”
She leaned her face in close, but Shuuto dodged.
“Mu. You’re getting better at avoiding me…”
Luxuria looked dissatisfied.
“By the way, the duration of the Gift changes depending on where the kiss is. The hand gives you ten minutes, the cheek gives you half a day, and a little peck on the lips gives you a month…”
“Even on the lips, it only lasts a month…?”
“If it’s a deep kiss, it lasts about a year. Want to try?”
Luxuria licked her lips suggestively, looking strangely seductive. Shuuto looked away. Even though she was wearing his shirt, the plunging neckline was open and her healthy, shapely thighs were completely exposed.
“No. Not happening.”
“How cold.”
“Besides, that Gift of yours is basically cheating, right? I’m not really interested.”
If he was going to play a game, he wanted to win fair and square.
“Shuuto-kun, you really don’t have enough awareness that you’re the savior of humanity, do you?”
Luxuria’s tone suddenly became formal.
“You’re the first human to ever beat an angel. From what I felt when we played, I don’t think there’s anyone besides you who can stand up to an angel. But the human government is still skeptical of your strength. They think it was a fluke. That’s why they’re treating you like an ‘Unqualified’ peasant with zero VP.”
“Hmm.”
“What’s more, you can’t even challenge an angel unless you get top grades at this academy. At this rate, humanity is just going to keep losing territory. I know you’re the strongest, but we have to follow the rules. That’s why I think you should use the Gift to speed things up.”
“Uuugghhh…”
“Still not convinced? There’s more. Once you’re finally the representative of humanity and you face an angel, they are definitely going to use their Gift. In other words, your opponent will be cheating. Won’t you be at a disadvantage if you can’t cheat back?”
“That… might be true, but…”
He still felt a lingering sense of unease. As a gamer, using abilities that had nothing to do with the game itself just didn’t… fire him up. Of course, the fate of humanity was on the line, so perhaps he needed to throw away such naive thoughts as Luxuria said.
Speaking of abilities unrelated to games, he realized he had one himself.
“I have the 《Fallen Angel Eyes》, so I should be fine.”
“The duration is short, so I think you’ll mostly just be suffering through their cheats~”
“Guh…”
He was immediately shot down. Luxuria was smart as well as strong at games. When she used logic, she was incredibly persuasive.
“But fine, I get it. I like that sincere side of you. In exchange for that… how about we decide it with a game? If I win, we kiss and unlock the Gift. If you win, the kiss is on hold.”
“On hold? Not forbidden?”
“I can’t forbid it. What if you decide you want to kiss me? It’d be a problem if you couldn’t.”
She’s certainly optimistic, Shuuto thought.
“Fine.”
For the time being, it meant he wouldn’t have to kiss her, so the terms were acceptable.
“What game should we play?”
“Let’s see~ Oh, how about this one? I call it the ‘Massage Game.’”
Luxuria began to explain.
“First, I take off my shirt.”
“Why?”
“Listen to the end~! Then, I lie face down. Using magic, I’ll create three ‘pleasure points’ on my back, each about the size of a coaster. These are enchanted to be a hundred times more sensitive, so they feel amazing. Your job is to find where those three spots are.”
“That sounds way too indecent…”
How does she even come up with this? Shuuto was half-appalled.
“I am the Angel of Lust, you know. Or a Fallen one now. Did you forget?”
“I just remembered.”
He was starting to get a headache.
“Besides, this is a game between master and slave. It has to be this intimate.”
Luxuria showed no sign of shame.
“If you don’t want to, I’ll just force a kiss on you. Like, while you’re sleeping. I could even use magic to bind you if I really wanted…”
As Luxuria’s thoughts began to drift into dangerous territory, Shuuto quickly cut in.
“Fine, let’s do it.”
He didn’t know much about magic yet, but it was probably best not to provoke someone who had the power to level a town. It was safer to play along as long as she was willing to settle things with a game.
“That’s the spirit!”
Luxuria beamed.
“Let’s make it first to three points. If you hit a pleasure point, you get a point. If you miss, I get a point. Being hit in a pleasure point is my penalty, and your penalty will be… a kiss from me. The first one is the back of the hand, then the cheek, and finally the mouth. I’ll give you the Gift with the first kiss so you can test it out.”
“The basics are fine. But there are only three spots, and I have to get three points to win? That’s a huge disadvantage for me.”
“Hmm, true. Then I’ll make five spots. If you find three out of the five, you win. How’s that?”
“Fair enough.”
As he nodded, Shuuto was already beginning to formulate a strategy.
“And one more thing. If you just use your whole palm, it’ll be too easy, so you have to use a single fingertip.”
—There go two of my strategies.
She was sharp.
Up until that point, there had been no mention of how he had to touch her. Shuuto had been thinking that using both palms would allow him to search a wide area in a single turn. If fingertips were required, he had planned to use all his fingers on one or both hands. But she had anticipated both and shut them down in advance.
She wasn’t going to let him win easily.
But that was exactly why playing against Luxuria was so much fun.
“All right, game starts!”
Game: Massage Game
Victory Condition: First to 3 points
Violations: Using both hands, using palms, using multiple fingers
Luxuria shed her dress shirt and babydoll, then sprawled out face-down. She was wearing nothing but a pair of panties—and even those were so high-cut that they left almost nothing of her rear to the imagination. She might as well have been naked. Her “vital areas” were technically covered, but only just.
It was too embarrassing to look at her directly, but without eyes on the target, he couldn’t play the game. Enduring the heat rising on his face, Shuuto stared at the smooth expanse of Luxuria’s back.
“All right, I’m all set. Come on, Darling—pick one, pick one~”
“I just have to give you a massage, right?”
“Yup.”
Shuuto paused for a moment, considering his move.
“Ooh… my heart’s racing. I bet it’s gonna feel so good… and the one touching me is Shuuto, after all…”
Even though he hadn’t even laid a finger on her yet, Luxuria began to pant with excitement.
This isn’t a penalty at all, Shuuto thought, exasperated.
He’d been played. From Luxuria’s perspective, it didn’t matter who won. If Shuuto won, he’d give her a pleasurable massage—a WIN. If Luxuria won, she’d get a kiss—a WIN.
(The second I agreed to this match, I’d already lost.)
Her gaming prowess was truly boundless. Was this the true power of an Angel?
(Fine then… I’ll give her something to think about.)
His gamer’s soul wouldn’t allow him to be danced around in the palm of her hand forever. If she was going to play him, he was going to play her right back.
He took another look at Luxuria’s back.
If I were her, where would I place the winning zones…?
(Ugh… she’s so beautiful I don’t even know where to look…)
His eyes instinctively drifted away again.
“Hurry it up~. I didn’t put a time limit in the rules, but don’t keep me hanging too long, okay? Or… do you just want to keep staring at my back forever?”
“O-Of course not.”
“Ahaha, look at you getting all flustered. So cute~♪ Don’t hold back, okay? Darling is allowed to look as much as he wants♡”
She was completely mocking him.
Fine. He’d touch her.
The first turn was basically RNG. Since he could fail up to twice, he decided to be bold and see how she reacted.
Shuuto pressed his index finger near her right shoulder blade.
“Ahnn♡”
Luxuria let out a short, coquettish cry.
Was that a hit?
“Booo! Wrong! You missed~!”
“Then what was that sound just now?”
“The sound of my heart feeling it because Darling touched me♡”
That’s so misleading…!!
“And that makes one miss.”
As Luxuria started to sit up, Shuuto hurriedly turned his back to her.
“Geez, I told you it was fine to look. Shuuto, you really are such a gentleman. Okay, I’ve got the important parts covered now, so look at me?”
He turned around cautiously to find Luxuria sitting up, shielding her chest with her left arm.
“Now then, give me your hand?”
Shuuto silently offered the back of his right hand.
Luxuria pressed her lips to it with a light mwah.
The moment her soft lips touched his skin, a shiver like an electric shock ran down his spine. He couldn’t tell if it was because a Gift was being transferred or simply because a beautiful girl had kissed him. A second later, his heart began to thud wildly, and his entire body flushed with heat.
“There, all done. You should be able to use the Gift now.”
“How do I activate it?”
“In the case of Colorful Heart, you just have to want to know the other person’s heart. It should come to you naturally.”
Wanting to know their heart, huh…
Shuuto focused his mind, thinking of how he wanted to understand Luxuria’s feelings.
Suddenly, Luxuria began to emit a faint glow. A color wrapped around her like an aura. It was close to yellow, but more complex—Shuuto couldn’t pinpoint the exact shade.
However, he instinctively understood that this color represented a “feeling of triumph.”
He’d assumed he would need to ask which color meant what beforehand, but apparently, the Gift didn’t work like that. It was a strange sensation.
“You’re feeling pretty smug about being one point up, aren’t you?”
“Ding-dong! You’re using the Gift perfectly. Amazing!”
“Is it really okay for you to give me an ability like this, Luxuria? It’s basically like being stripped bare.”
Shuuto couldn’t help but ask. It was a useful power, but wouldn’t she hate having her inner self peered into?
“I don’t mind at all. In fact, I want you to have it. I want Shuuto to know everything about me.”
“I… see. Thanks.”
He reflexively looked away. Being hit with such straightforward affection made Shuuto a little bashful.
If he stayed like this, he was going to be completely swallowed by Luxuria’s pace. Shuuto shook his head, forcing his focus back onto the game.
Luxuria was feeling triumphant… did that mean he’d fallen into her trap?
Wait. Was this really just a game of luck…?
“!”
Shuuto’s eyes widened as a realization struck him.
(I wasn’t concentrating at all.)
He chided himself. He was failing as a gamer. Or rather, he had been perfectly snared by Luxuria’s strategy. By being nearly naked, she had chipped away at Shuuto’s concentration, creating the perfect opening to execute her plan.
Shuuto recalled a single, unnatural phrase from her rule explanation, combined with the fact that Luxuria was originally an Angel—
(I have one more miss left. In that case—this read is worth the gamble.)
It was a risk, as it would cost him a turn. But this was Luxuria. He didn’t think he could win against her by picking randomly and leaving it to fate. Doing that would only mean getting entangled in whatever scheme she was weaving.
“Round two. Here I go.”
“Mhm♪”
As Luxuria lay face-down again, Shuuto raised his right hand.
Then, he poked his index finger right into the middle of Luxuria’s right buttock.
Not her back. Her rear.
“Ahhhhhhhhh♡”
Luxuria let out a suggestive scream.
He didn’t even have to ask. That was definitely a hit.
“Just as I thought,” Shuuto nodded to himself.
“You’re a former Angel. I figured you’d have some kind of trick up your sleeve, even if it wasn’t outright cheating. Your phrasing during the rules was weird, too. Even though you stripped your upper half and lay face-down, you didn’t say the target was your ‘back’—you said the ‘back side of your body.’ You were aiming for a misdirection, weren’t you? By stripping your top, you made me think the ‘board’ for this game was your back. But in reality, the entire back side of your body—including your butt—was the board.”
He really should have realized it on the first turn. I’m still green if I’m letting a little fanservice break my focus, Shuuto thought.
“A-As expected of Shuuto… wait, does that mean you know exactly where all the ‘feelings’ are…?”
“Yeah. You placed them all within the range of your butt, didn’t you? Places I’d never touch if I thought the back was the board. Besides, it’s hard for a guy to just go around touching a girl’s rear. But sorry, this is a match. I’m not gonna hold back. Next one.”
“W-Wait… this feels way better than I thought… ahhhnnnnnn♡♡♡”
This time, Shuuto poked the center of her left buttock.
Luxuria let out a shrill cry, her body writhing. Her reaction was even more intense than before. Was the pleasure designed to ramp up?
Feeling it would be cruel to tease her for too long, he went for the final strike—near her tailbone.
“Ah, ah… AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH…!!”
Luxuria’s body spasmed once before she went limp, trembling.
It was Shuuto’s victory.
The moment he realized he’d won, Shuuto felt like his entire body was reaching boiling point.
“Haa… haa… haa…”
Luxuria lay there in front of him, breathing heavily and shivering.
She was almost entirely naked, her skin flushed a faint pink and glistening with sweat. As he took in her suggestive state, the memory of her reactions to being touched flashed through his mind. Recalling those lewd cries made him so embarrassed his heart felt like it might burst.
“L-Luxuria, I’m sorry…”
“I-It’s okay… it felt… so good.”
Luxuria rolled onto her side, turning a dazed, dreamy gaze toward Shuuto. It was so provocative he wanted to look away, but for some reason, he couldn’t tear his eyes away.
That was when it happened.
“Big Brotheeeer~, let’s go get dinner.”
Sakura’s voice echoed from the entrance.
(S-Sakura!?)
Shuuto regained his senses instantly.
Being seen in this situation was—bad.
But there was no time to react. Sakura mercilessly reached the living room.
“Big Brother, if you’re home, at least answer m—huh?”
Sakura’s eyes narrowed into a cold, sharp slit.
“Sakura, wait, this isn’t what…”
“Bringing a girl over on the first day… and in such a disgusting… You’re the absolute worst.”
She’d been giving him the cold shoulder lately. He’d seen that look in her eyes many times.
But he had never been pierced by a gaze so frigid it felt like absolute zero.
“I don’t care. I’m going home.”
“W-Wait, Sakura! Sakura~!”
“Don’t follow me.”
Shuuto collapsed on the spot.
6
Shuuto prostrated himself before Sakura, eventually managing to convince her to stay.
After making Luxuria put some clothes on, the three of them—Shuuto, Sakura, and Luxuria—sat across from each other at the round table to explain the situation.
“I get the gist of it,” Sakura said.
“But if Big Brother doesn’t have a place to stay, he should be staying in my room, not with some slutty fallen angel. We are siblings, after all.”
Luxuria shook her head vigorously.
“No way~! You two aren’t blood-related, right? It’d be a disaster if an ‘accident’ happened!”
“What right does the person who already caused an ‘accident’ have to talk?”
“Mine wasn’t an accident. I belong to Shuuto. Whether he sees me naked or touches me, he has the right to do those things.”
“That is also an ‘accident’ by society’s standards. If you’re going to live in the human world, learn some human values.”
“Booo.”
“Luxuria. I think maybe I should stay at Sakura’s place. Even if we aren’t blood-related, we’re practically real siblings. There’s no way an accident is going to happen now.”
“…What exactly do you mean by ‘no way an accident would happen’?”
Sakura asked in a low voice. She was clearly angry.
Wait, did I say something wrong just now?
Dammit, talking to a sister who’s giving you the cold shoulder is way too hard…
“Hoo. Hoo hoo hoo hoo.”
Luxuria was looking at Sakura with great interest.
“W-What?”
Sakura was visibly on guard.
“Luxuria. No. Don’t you dare try to make Sakura your slave.”
“I’m not doing that~! Of course, I like Sakura-chan. But since she’s Shuuto’s sister, I don’t have the right to do anything to her.”
As she spoke, Luxuria grabbed Sakura’s hand.
“It’s not like that, so just come here for a sec.”
“Wait, what?”
Sakura looked annoyed, but when Luxuria whispered something in her ear, she reluctantly followed her out.
The two of them stepped out to the front door.
Shuuto could hear them talking, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying.
＊
“What’s the big idea, dragging me out here to talk without Big Brother?”
Sakura was in a foul mood after being pulled out of the room.
“Ufufufu… a forbidden love… I like it~!”
“!!”
This woman… she couldn’t possibly—!
“I can sense emotions, you see~. Sakura-chan, you really love your Big Brother, don’t you~!”
Sakura hurriedly covered Luxuria’s mouth.
“Mmph! Mmph!”
“What if he hears you!? Stop it!”
“It’s okay, the front door is pretty thick.”
“So, what? Are you saying if I don’t want you to tell him, I have to give up on living with him?”
“Non-non. I wouldn’t use such a tactless threat. A maiden’s romantic feelings are a precious treasure.”
“Then what do you want?”
“I just think it’s better if Sakura-chan doesn’t live with him yet.”
“Huh?”
“Until now, you both thought you were blood-related, right? It seems Sakura-chan liked him as a member of the opposite sex, but Shuuto probably still sees you as just a ‘younger sister.’ That’s why if you live together now, he’ll never be able to shake that ‘sisterly’ vibe.”
“Ugh…”
She had a point…
There were probably people in the world who would get excited knowing they weren’t blood-related despite living together.
But after spending years with him, Sakura knew her brother wasn’t that type.
“Living together would be counterproductive. It’s better to keep a little distance and make him realize how important Sakura-chan is to him. That sense of loss will give birth to new emotions.”
“I… I see…”
She was the Fallen Angel of Lust, after all. Sakura couldn’t help but feel her insights into romance were deep.
But Sakura remained suspicious.
“Why are you helping the enemy?”
“Fufun, aren’t you the suspicious one? One reason is that this choice is a WIN-WIN. I want to live with Shuuto. The other reason is… I’m not Sakura-chan’s enemy.”
“Hah? Of course you are. You’re my rival in love.”
“No way~! In human values, it’s all about monogamy, so maybe that makes us enemies. But I don’t really mind if Shuuto falls in love with other girls. As long as he loves me, he’s more than welcome to love someone else, too. Shuuto is kind and charming—it’d be a waste for him to only make one woman happy.”
Sakura was shocked by this way of thinking.
As far as Sakura was concerned, she wanted Shuuto all to herself, so she had been thinking of how to get rid of Luxuria. But if Luxuria had no intention of fighting, she could put that on hold for now. In fact, she figured she could use Luxuria to deepen her relationship with Shuuto.
“Fine. For now, I’ll believe what you’re saying.”
“Thanks~! Good luck to us both.”
And so, a united front was established.
＊
Sakura and Luxuria returned.
Sakura sat down properly in front of the round table.
“Fine, Big Brother. You can live here,” she declared. She looked grumpy, but not dissatisfied—it was a peculiar atmosphere.
How on earth did Luxuria convince her…?
“But, can I come here to eat every now and then? I want to make sure you aren’t doing anything weird.”
“If Luxuria is okay with it, then by all means.”
“Of course it’s fine! Let’s all eat together.”
“Actually, I’ll stop by your place sometimes, Sakura. It’d be lonely not seeing you.”
“Wh—! Don’t say embarrassing things like that! You sis-con!”
“Ugh, sorry.”
He’d been insulted again.
“But you can come over. I think it’s a sister’s duty to check in on you regularly.”
Despite her blunt attitude, it seemed Sakura was worried about Shuuto in her own way. That fact made Shuuto happy.
7
School life at the academy was surprisingly normal.
Every morning, I’d head to class. I was in Class 1-C. It didn’t seem like the classes were divided by grades or skill level, since Luxuria, Sakura, and I all ended up in the same room.
“Is this the first time we’ve been in the same class, Sakura?”
“Yeah. I guess they usually tried to be considerate and keep siblings separate until now.”
On our first day, when we were introduced as transfer students, our classmates didn’t seem particularly interested in us. Unlike a normal high school, the atmosphere here was pretty clinical.
“I didn’t actually attend, so I don’t know the specifics, but it seems like there are a lot of kids who aren’t interested in others because the meritocracy is so strictly enforced,” Luxuria had told me. “The vibe is definitely different from a regular school.”
Classes were about sixty percent standard subjects like the five core academics, PE, and the arts, while the remaining forty percent were game-related. Some were lectures, while others were practical skills where we actually played games against our classmates.
In a class where we played poker, I lost.
“Geez, why’d you have to go and lose?” Luxuria pouted, looking dissatisfied.
“Ah, well… Force of habit…”
I just couldn’t bring myself to go all-out for the win. Making ruthless, cunning plays is a great way to make people hate you, but having the will to seize that victory is a necessity.
“Onii-chan, you’re finally allowed to play games as much as you want now, so you really shouldn’t hold back,” Sakura added.
“I mean to, but… I guess old habits die hard. I keep picking the ‘soft’ options by mistake.”
“It’s such a waste, especially since you’re actually so strong.”
“This is just my current level of skill.”
I honestly thought it was a sign of my own weakness.
However, thanks to not winning too much, I didn’t stand out from the crowd. Even though I was a transfer student, I felt like I was able to blend into the class almost immediately. In short, my classmates recognized me as someone insignificant—but life is easier that way.
On the other hand, Luxuria and Sakura were the ones drawing all the attention.
The rumor that Luxuria had a compatibility rate of 97 percent spread instantly, so people who were confident in their skills constantly came by to challenge her to matches. This academy encouraged “Free Battles” during breaks and after school, and those wins and losses were actually factored into one’s grades. Plus, you could wager VP on the games, so Free Battles were quite popular.
Luxuria, however, turned down every single invitation.
“I don’t usually play unless it’s an Official Match,” she’d say, flatly refusing them.
The Official Matches were school-wide game tournaments held every two months, and those results were apparently given the most weight.
By the way, the only people who knew Luxuria was a fallen angel were Sakura, myself, and a few members of the faculty. She had been enrolled under the guise of an extremely talented human. Even her name was officially registered as “Lux Amatsuka.”
The challengers were disappointed, but everyone figured they’d see what she was made of soon enough during the Official Matches, so Luxuria remained the center of attention.
Meanwhile, Sakura was steadily racking up Free Battles.
Her compatibility rate was 80 percent. While lower than Luxuria’s, she was still in the top tier. Since humans usually don’t have that much compatibility with games, anything over 70 percent was considered elite.
Sakura maintained a ninety percent win rate, proving her skill to everyone.
So, while Luxuria and Sakura were the center of the student body’s gaze and I remained comfortably outside their interest, we all adjusted to the academy without much trouble.
Well, there was only one “incident”—or rather, one unpleasant encounter.
It happened three days after we transferred—
Classes had ended, and as I was packing up to head home, a female student visited our classroom.
She had an air of elegance about her, but the way she looked around the room reeked of the arrogance unique to those in high positions. Two other girls stood beside her, looking for all the world like her sycophantic lackeys.
“Is Lux Amatsuka present?”
“Yeah, she’s right over there,” I replied, being the first to notice her.
“Oh? If it isn’t the Unqualified-san. Good day to you. Thank you for informing me.”
Her tone was polite, but she pointedly emphasized “Unqualified” with a nasty smirk.
“Good day to you, Felicia Ruth-san. Is there something you require?”
Luxuria stepped forward, greeting her while mimicking Felicia’s haughty tone.
“Lux Amatsuka. I shall be blunt. Why bother sticking with such a peasant? You should come and join my side.”
“Hm? Who’s the peasant?”
“Don’t play coy… I am obviously referring to that Unqualified boy right there.”
“You haven’t even played against each other, so how can you tell he’s a peasant? Sooo mysterious~”
Luxuria teased Felicia, clearly enjoying the provocation.
“I can tell without even playing. His win rate is quite abysmal, isn’t it?”
“Man, you really only judge people by their numbers, huh~? Honestly, that makes you sound more like the peasant. You sure you’re okay?”
“How dare you speak to Felicia-sama in such a manner!” the girl standing next to her barked.
“Now, now, there is no need to pay it any mind,” Felicia said, calming her with a composed expression.
“If you are simply so infatuated with that man that you cannot help yourself, wouldn’t it be better to join me just so you can support him? If you become one of my subordinates, I can provide you with various financial conveniences, you know?”
“Sorry, no deal~. I can earn my own keep, so I’m toootally fine.”
“Hmph.”
Seeing that Luxuria wasn’t swaying at all, Felicia’s mood soured slightly.
“Very well. I shall simply crush you into the dirt during the Official Matches.”
With those parting words, she turned and left.
“What was with that unpleasant girl?”
Sakura, who had been watching the scene unfold, spoke up once Felicia was gone.
“Felicia Ruth. Apparently, she’s the daughter of a noble family. I think her compatibility rate was around 75 percent? She’s a strong student who seems to buy out her defeated opponents and turn them into subordinates,” Luxuria explained.
“Subordinates…?”
“It’s more like she uses her money to force them into submission. She makes them bet huge sums in games, and when they can’t pay it back, she ‘buys’ them. They call them subordinates, but I’ve heard some of them are treated more like slaves.”
“That’s horrific…” Sakura frowned, looking genuinely chilled by the thought.
“Does the academy not do anything about it?”
“Everything here is decided by the results of the games. As long as you don’t do anything truly extreme, they turn a blind eye to whatever is decided by a win or loss. Felicia is probably careful not to go too far. Well, suffice it to say, we made the right choice not to follow her.”
This really is a bizarre world, I thought to myself.
8
A week had passed since our life at the academy began.
Despite minor hiccups like being provoked by Felicia, Luxuria, Sakura, and I had all settled into school life.
At this rate, it was only a matter of time before Shuuto started to stand out.
Luxuria felt a thrill of excitement thinking about the world finally realizing how incredible Shuuto truly was.
However, Luxuria’s current problem was that Shuuto still wouldn’t try to kiss her.
“I wonder why~. Don’t adolescent humans usually love that kind of stuff?”
Luxuria’s vague knowledge of humans was clashing with Shuuto’s actual behavior.
“Nuuu…!”
As the one who had fallen and become Shuuto’s slave, Luxuria felt frustrated that she didn’t feel particularly useful.
“Maybe his affection meter isn’t high enough yet?”
It had only been a little over a week since they met.
Maybe he felt some resistance to kissing someone he didn’t know that well.
As she paced around the living room, agonizing over how to get closer to Shuuto…
She discovered a manga left on the round table.
“This is…!”
It was a comic adaptation of a game Shuuto liked. Most of the manga Shuuto read were game-related. Feeling a warm glow at how much he truly loved games, she picked it up and flipped through it. She wanted to catch a glimpse of what he was interested in.
Then, she found an interesting description.
“Naked bond?”
The manga was based on a Western-style fantasy game, but it featured a Japanese-style female warrior character, and this chapter was about a trip to her hometown. The “Naked Bond” was a phrase used by that character to describe taking a bath together. In the story, the female characters were all having a blast in a hot spring.
“A naked bond, huh~? That sounds like fun! It’s a story about a Japanese-style world, so I bet they have it in Shuuto’s country too. And since Shuuto was reading this so intently, maybe this is what he wants to do!”
Suddenly full of motivation, that night—
Shuuto Tsuda loved baths.
Luxuria’s room came equipped with one. It even used a Japanese-style tub, which gave it a high approval rating in his book. Valhalla Academy was a school that gathered students from all over the world.
As for the language barrier, it wasn’t an issue since the magic of the gods automatically translated everything in one’s head.
Since it was a global school, he had expected Western-style unit baths, but it was a proper Japanese setup with a tub and a separate washing area. According to what he’d heard, it was because the principal, Alyssa Valkyria, had taken a liking to Japanese baths. Some rooms did have unit baths, and students with extra VP could choose those if they preferred.
Perhaps Luxuria had chosen a Japanese-style room for him on purpose. It was the kind of room where you took your shoes off at the entrance, after all.
While lost in these thoughts, he stripped down and reached for the bathroom door.
Since Luxuria would be using the tub after him, he decided he’d give himself a good scrub first before soaking—
“I’ve been waiting for you~♪”
When he opened the bathroom door, he was greeted by Luxuria, sitting in a formal seiza position on the bath mat.
She was completely naked, save for a single bath towel. The towel was wrapped so tightly around her body that it emphasized the cleavage of her chest and the curve of her waist.
“!?”
Slam!
Shuuto immediately shut the bathroom door.
… I’m pretty sure I just saw something that shouldn’t be possible.
Was this a hallucination unique to adolescent boys? Certainly, living with a girl as beautiful as Luxuria, one couldn’t be blamed for expecting these kinds of “accidents.” Maybe his worldly desires were just overstimulated because of that questionable “Massage Game” they played the other day.
Okay.
He took a deep breath. Just to be safe, he wrapped a towel around his own waist…
And opened the bathroom door again.
“I’ve been waiting for you~♪”
It wasn’t a hallucination. She was definitely there.
“L-Luxuria!?”
Shuuto tried to close the door again, but this time Luxuria stood up and held the door open, preventing him from escaping.
Because she had stood up, the seductive lines of her body—wrapped tightly in that towel—were now even more visible. Shuuto hurriedly looked away.
“Why are you here?! Were you in the middle of your bath?!”
“I’m not in the middle of anything! I was waiting for Shuuto to come in!”
“Why?!”
“For our naked bond ♡”
She had definitely misinterpreted the meaning.
“I just wanted to get closer to my Darling~Now, now, I’ll wash your back for you, so have a seat, have a seat!”
She gestured toward the bath stool.
“I appreciate you wanting to get closer, but this is a no-go!”
With that, Shuuto tried to flee once more.
“Geez, don’t run away~!”
Suddenly, he felt a soft, warm sensation against his back…
Luxuria had hugged him from behind.
“Luxuria. In Japan, we do have a concept of ‘naked bonds,’ but that usually refers to people of the same gender going to a hot spring together. If it’s a man and a woman, the meaning changes completely.”
Shuuto explained, trying his absolute best not to think about the sensation on his back.
“So, with that said, I’m leaving. You can have the bath first.”
With those words, he slipped out of Luxuria’s arms, dove back into the dressing room, and slammed the door shut.
“Darling…”
The energy vanished from Luxuria’s voice.
“Is it… really because I’m not good enough?”
“No, it’s not about you not being good enough, Luxuria. It wouldn’t be okay with any woman.”
“I see… Then I guess it’s still okay… maybe…”
Wait.
Something was different.
It wasn’t just that her voice was muffled by the bathroom door. It sounded genuinely weak.
“What’s wrong?”
“Um… Shuuto, do you actually… hate me?”
“Why would you think that?”
“Because when we first played that game, I kept trash-talking you, and I did those awful things to Sakura-chan…”
“You were worried about that?”
“Of course I was~! I felt so bad about it. I just… I didn’t know when to apologize… I’m sorry…”
He could practically picture Luxuria moping on the other side of the door.
“Can I… make an excuse?”
“Go ahead.”
“Well… back during the Crusade, the gods told us to absolutely crush humanity. For us angels, the gods’ orders are absolute, so I thought I should do whatever I could to win…”
“So that’s why you kept provoking me and made Sakura strip?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry.”
As far as the trash talk went, it was basically psychological warfare.
In games, trash-talking is a tactic used to shake your opponent’s composure. Luxuria had provoked him because she was trying to rattle the human side’s player.
And the reason she did those terrible things to Sakura was to damage Shuuto’s mental state so he wouldn’t be able to use his true power.
As an Apostle of the gods, Luxuria had been under a strict obligation to win without holding back. So, she used every tool at her disposal.
“You probably hate me now, right? I mean, even though I’m throwing myself at you like this, you’ll only kiss the back of my hand… And even that felt like you were just doing it because you had to for the game…”
Ah…
Shuuto felt a pang of regret.
It seemed his own attitude had made Luxuria feel insecure.
He didn’t think she needed to worry about it that much, but Luxuria was trying her best to serve Shuuto as his slave.
For her, the thought of being hated by Shuuto must have been incredibly painful.
“…Luxuria. Is your towel still wrapped properly?”
“Y-Yeah.”
“I’m coming in.”
He opened the bathroom door.
Luxuria was sitting on the floor.
Shuuto crouched down and offered his cheek to her.
“I’m not ready for lips… but I think the cheek is fine.”
“! Really?!” Luxuria’s eyes sparkled.
“Yeah.”
“Ahem. Well then, if you’ll excuse me…”
With a soft mwah sound, he felt a tender sensation on his cheek.
His face heated up. He was worried he might be blushing, but he told himself to stay composed.
“Does that prove that I don’t hate you?”
“It does. I’m so happy. Though I feel like I kind of forced it on you…”
By receiving the kiss, Shuuto had temporarily gained a Gift—《Colorful Heart》.
Unintentionally, he read Luxuria’s emotions.
Joy, mixed with a hint of bashfulness.
Even Luxuria gets embarrassed, he thought, surprised by how cute he found it.
And above all—the most distinct color he saw was her affection for him.
A brilliant, dazzling light based in shades of pink. It was so intense he felt like it might burn his eyes, yet it was undeniably beautiful.
“The reason I avoided kissing you wasn’t because I hate you, Luxuria. Rather… I guess you could say it was because I wanted to cherish you.”
“Cherish me…?”
“Even if you say you’ve become my slave, I have no intention of treating you like one. I don’t want to treat you poorly. For a woman, a kiss carries a lot of weight. Even if you ‘fell’ because of me, I didn’t want to steal a girl’s precious kiss just for that reason when we aren’t even lovers. A kiss should be saved for someone Luxuria truly, from the bottom of her heart, wants to kiss. The back of the hand or the cheek is fine for now, but I won’t do lips until I know that the time has truly come.”
Shuuto looked Luxuria straight in the eye as he spoke.
“Shuuto… I see. You were actually looking out for me.”
Luxuria smiled, placing a hand over her heart.
“That was the plan.”
“Then tell me, Shuuto… do you like me?”
“Ugh…”
He had been hit with a difficult question.
In truth, Shuuto didn’t know the answer himself.
He didn’t dislike her. Being with someone as bright and positive as her was genuinely fun.
Even though she was constantly throwing herself at him and making things difficult, he never felt like he wanted her gone.
But if asked if he “liked” her, he just wasn’t sure.
“I don’t know if I ‘like’ you yet. We’ve only just met, after all…”
“Kuuu~! Not even at ‘like’ yet, huh? You’re so honest, Shuuto. But I like that about you too.”
Luxuria’s voice had regained its usual energy.
“Got it. For now, I’ll stop forcing kisses on you and launching ‘naked ambushes.’ I don’t want to make things hard for you.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
＊
“Go ahead and use the bath first. I’ll go in after you, Luxuria.”
“Okay!”
Shuuto’s presence faded from the dressing room as he stepped away.
Luxuria turned on the shower, letting the water cascade over her body. As the warm spray enveloped her, she felt her racing heart begin to settle.
(Shuuto really is a wonderful person…)
The warmth blossoming deep in her chest felt even hotter than the water hitting her skin.
Truth be told, she had been plagued by anxiety. Luxuria’s fall from grace had been an inevitability for her, but for Shuuto, it was nothing more than a coincidence. She had fallen because she had been moved to the very core of her soul by him. It was only natural for her to harbor feelings for him.
However, from Shuuto’s perspective, she was just an angel who had happened to fall and then started following him around of her own accord.
She couldn’t help but wonder… would someone like Shuuto truly cherish her?
Driven by that insecurity, she had tried to box him in. The moment she realized Shuuto was an Unqualified student with no money to his name, she had prepared a house and essentially sequestered him there.
Driven by that insecurity, she had been relentlessly aggressive. She’d invited him to play suggestive games, suggested “naked companionship”—anything to close the distance.
But her petty anxieties were trivial when faced with a man of Shuuto’s character.
He had treated her with nothing but care.
The reason he hadn’t jumped at her advances was because he valued her. A man of his caliber would treat even someone like her—someone who had just happened to fall for him by circumstance—with genuine respect and kindness.
(I’m falling for him all over again…)
She looked up at the ceiling with a dreamy sigh.
(Right now, he’s just being kind. But someday, I’m going to make him truly love me.)
Such was Luxuria’s quiet resolve.
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