A Rival in Love

"The Minamoto intervening in Fujiwara affairs is a clear breach of the pact."

Noah sat with her arms folded and her legs crossed. The yukata was cut so narrow it made the pose a nuisance. She looked down with an arrogant gaze at Ian, bound and kneeling at her feet.

At first he had been crawling around in a panic. Now, apparently too ashamed to keep it up, he had settled into a rather insolent attitude. Noah was listening with the air of someone who would let him run his mouth, if he insisted.

"A thousand years of history, and a girl like you…!"

"Ha?"

Noah's face twisted, and Ian flinched.

"…If you are the Minamoto heir, you ought to observe the code."

Noah was a model citizen. She might canoe a body now and then — a humiliation round through a skull that was already dead — but she had never once illegally dumped trash. She kept the rules that mattered. This time was no different.

"I think you've got the wrong idea. I've never intervened in Fujiwara affairs."

She was just a good daughter who listened to her dad.

"D-do your eyes not see these horrific corpses?!"

"I see them. But you pointed guns at me first. This was self-defense, nothing more."

Noah had visited the mansion through perfectly legitimate channels. It was the Fujiwara side that had aimed weapons at a guest. She had merely answered them. That did not count as intervention.

"F-from the very beginning, that was your purpose…"

Ian's pupils shook as the realization landed.

"This is fraud!"

He shouted as if he were having a fit. He could not accept this situation as his own mistake.

"It was merely the concept of an escort! We never intended to kill anyone! If you had only said a single word…"

"Unbelievable."

She had been aiming for it, actually. If she caused a scene and they attacked her for it, she had fully intended to raise hell. They hadn't even given her the chance. This side had pointed the guns first.

"Pointing a gun at the Minamoto and still hoping to walk away alive — isn't that a little too selfish?"

"……!"

"What do you think we are?"

A gunshot cracked through the hall. Noah put a round into a fallen corpse, and the already-dead body jerked. She dropped her stance and whispered against Ian's ear.

"Yakuza. Yakuza can let a lot of things slide, but we don't swallow an insult to our pride. And my pride's been hurt."

Ian swallowed.

He felt it in his bones. He had picked the wrong fight.

"Don't test my patience any further."

There was only one reason Noah was still keeping him alive. She could not be bothered to turn this entire sprawling mansion upside down. If she put her mind to it, of course, it would not take long. She delivered her ultimatum.

Nagisa never got the chance to deliver Chise's message. Noah arrived just as she was about to leave.

The white yukata was marked here and there with red that refused to blend with the original pattern, sitting on the surface like something foreign. It looked as if someone had swung a brush loaded with paint. Strangely, it suited her.

Noah reached a hand toward Chise. It was such a dainty size it looked terribly cute.

"Let's go home. Chise."

A faint smile. She looked tired, too. Tears pressed at the backs of Chise's eyes, and she forced them down. She kept her expression cold and turned her gaze away.

"Didn't you hear from Suzuki?"

"I heard."

"I came here of my own will, Noah. Fujiwara problems get solved by the Fujiwara. I can't keep leaning on you forever…"

It happened in an instant. Noah was suddenly in front of her, shoving her back against the wall. A soft give of warmth, and then Noah was inside her mouth. It was the first time Noah had ever kissed her first.

The kiss was brief. Noah pulled back just far enough to glare at her.

"……"

"If I tell you to do something, you do it. You don't get a choice."

"……That's not fair. I have thoughts of my own, too."

One corner of Noah's mouth lifted. Both of Chise's hands were pinned. She could not move an inch.

"You're mine, so I'll do whatever I want with you. Don't go running off on your own. Got it?"

Chise's face went scarlet. She dropped her head. She felt as if she might burst.

"Answer."

The voice left no room. Chise spoke in the tiniest sound she had.

"Yes."

Chise was anxious sometimes.

Noah was perfect in every way. She herself was not. She was riddled with flaws. She had always thought that if Noah abandoned her someday, she would have no right to complain. That was why she had wanted to become someone necessary.

She realized now that she had been thinking about it all wrong.

…I never had a choice to begin with.

It was something like this. A submissive wife married to a violent husband. She gets beaten whenever he drinks, and still she keeps the household going. She would like to leave, but she has no way to survive on her own, so she submits. Rare, but such households certainly exist. Wasn't this more or less the same thing?

Sitting on the toilet, Chise composed herself with a slightly dangerous look in her eyes.

"…Am I going to become like that too?"

She was, without question, Noah's property. Even if she were hit and cursed at, there was nothing else she could do. Compliance was the only option.

"Nngh. I'm sorry…"

And so Chise's fantasies began.

Starting with a light confinement (?) in the newlywed days.

"Forgive me…"

Always wearing a collar, being dragged around on a lead. Or Noah flipping the dinner table because there weren't enough side dishes, and Chise sitting on the floor to clean it up. Especially in bed…

"H-heheh."

She twisted where she sat, wearing a thoroughly unwholesome little smile — then snapped back to her senses. She hurriedly wiped the drool that had run all the way down to her neck.

"…Was I… into this kind of thing?"

Chise had just discovered a brand-new kink.

Yuria was in a foul mood.

"It's hot."

"Can't we stay like this a little longer…?"

"Do whatever."

Chise was half-reclined, clinging to Noah. It was the kind of skinship they saw all the time, sure. But the two of them had been like this for a whole week already.

And that was not all. Chise's attitude had changed.

Something definitely happened.

Normally, even if Noah acted weird, Chise would at least try to stop her. Lately there was none of that. Submission. Absolute submission. Sometimes Yuria looked at Chise and saw a well-trained puppy.

"Um, senpai."

"No."

Yuria puffed her cheeks out.

"I haven't even said anything yet!"

"No."

Noah shut her down like a brick wall, then scratched her belly.

This was the problem. Chise's change was nothing short of a disaster for the Public Morals Committee. Chise was the only one who could keep Noah in check, and with Chise off her case, Noah had become a complete delinquent living her best life. All day on the sofa. Loafing. The absolute peak of sloth. Yuria had hounded her with everything she had, to no avail. She had nearly gotten hit a few times for being annoying.

At this rate we're just going to waste the whole year…!

She was not even asking for a big case. She would have settled for morning uniform inspections at the school gates. They were the Public Morals Committee, and they had not even been assigned a single trash-pickup patrol.

"Fujiwara-senpai, say something to her!"

"Hm?"

Chise tilted her head with a vacant air. Yuria, half-disbelieving, knocked on her skull.

Tunk. Tunk.

"Th-this can't be."

It sounded hollow. Yuria shrieked in horror.

"What on earth happened?! How did the brilliant Fujiwara-senpai turn into a household robot?! Please come back!"

Yuria missed her. The slightly cold-looking but cool senpai. Whenever Yuria did not know something, she would explain it kindly. Once she had even done Yuria's financial planning, and Yuria had managed to save thirty percent more than usual. Yuria had secretly admired that genius talent with money.

And yet. And yet…

"…Fujiwara-senpai, are you by any chance… o-on your period?"

"Chise doesn't get cramps."

Noah answered around a mouthful of chocolate.

"Then why…"

Noah's mouth curved as she stroked Chise, then scratched under her chin. Like petting a dog.

"Beats me. Maybe she finally figured out her place."

"……!"

"She's been getting a little too full of herself lately. Right?"

"Yeah… Chise belongs to Noah, but she didn't know her place."

Yuria felt as if she had been hit in the head with a hammer.

"Wh-what is this."

First she was appalled by Noah's character. Then by Chise's attitude. The Chise Yuria knew should have scolded her right there — Ah-ah. No talking like that. To just sit there and take that kind of… violation (?)…

Yuria's eyes sharpened.

"Minamoto-senpai?"

"What."

"I can't let this slide. Confess what you did to Fujiwara-senpai, right now. Correcting bullying is also part of the Public Morals Committee's duties."

Noah yawned at the firm little speech and waved a hand.

Lately she rather liked this version of Chise. The slow, creeping insubordination had stopped, too. She seemed to have developed some separation anxiety instead, but that much was fine. They had to stay together anyway, given the circumstances.

What a pain-in-the-ass restriction. So annoying.

Genji had been very clear this time. Do not get any more involved in the Fujiwara succession fight. Noah had accepted the logic that you do not stick your nose into kids' fights (?), so she had agreed. Originally she had planned to just slit the throats of everyone opposing Chise. Unfortunately, she had had to scrap that.

She would simply wait. For the unexpected wild card that would come someday. Money and power had a way of bewitching people. They would move, one way or another. As Noah saw it, the only option left was assassination. As long as she was protecting Chise, there was no legitimate way to remove her as heir.

And that was exactly what she wanted. Anyone would do. If they touched her, she would smash them.

"If you keep acting like this, I have my methods too!"

Noah dug in her ear and blew on her finger. Sorry, but she had no intention of leaving the club room. Chise was about to get assassinated, and she was supposed to do club activities? Achievements or whatever — this was more important right now. She was in full alert mode.

"Methods? What methods."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"You've been underestimating me far too much."

Yuria's mouth ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠curved up.

"If you senpai won't do it, I'll just do it myself."

"I never said you couldn't. But didn't you used to say you couldn't do it alone?"

Three-person teams. The Saints Academy Public Morals Committee had the right to patrol outside the school — in exchange for strictly observing that rule.

"Heh heh. Did you forget? I, Ichinose Yuria, am Asano Middle School's greatest star."

"Liar. Even my mom knows Icchi has no friends."

"…For real?"

Yuria looked wounded.

"Kidding."

At Noah's words she puffed right back up.

"Hah. I knew it. And the 'no friends' thing is a vicious smear campaign. Anyway, I'm going to recruit more members."

"We've got plenty of members."

"They're all ghosts!"

"Suzuki is…"

"Too creepy. Hard pass."

Yuria said it extremely ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fast. Noah blinked, then nodded.

She's a good kid once you get to know her.

In the yakuza world, anyway. To ordinary people, Suzuki was a psychopath and then some.

"Whatever. Do what you want."

"I knew you'd say that—!"

"…?"

Thwack. Yuria slapped a paper down on the table. A crudely made poster.

Noah looked at Yuria with a thoroughly fed-up face.

"This is why you have no friends."

"E-excuse me?"

"…Never go into business."

"…Is it that bad?"

"It's the worst."

Yuria immediately wilted. Mean-spirited Noah found that funny, so she twisted the knife.

"Any idiot dumb enough to show up after seeing this would be trash anyway, so I wouldn't even take them…"

The club room door rattled open.

Noah and Yuria turned their heads at the same time. A middle schooler stood there in the same uniform as Yuria. Yuria's eyes went wide. She pointed, her finger trembling.

"Y-you!"

She shouted, extremely excited.

"What are you doing here?! The one who beat me for first place by the tiniest possible margin — my one and only rival!"

…And here she was just calling herself the greatest.

Noah shot her a look of withering disdain, then ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠looked back toward the door.

A pink-haired girl with twintails. Her eyes were a similar color, though closer to red. She was smiling brightly around a piece of candy. Her build and hair color were not unlike Noah's, but the atmosphere she carried was the complete opposite. Something about her felt off.

"Fujiwara Sakura!"

Chise's vacant expression went ice-cold.