My Brother, the Hero
In his childhood, Yujin was a crybaby. Smaller than his peers. A face like a girl's. Timid personality. If he'd been lucky, he might've made tons of friends. Unfortunately, he became the target of bullying.
One day, as he trudged home bawling his eyes out like every other day, his brother—five years his senior—clapped him on the back with a hearty laugh.
"Yujin! A cool guy doesn't cry easily in front of others. Show weakness, and people look down on you. Always stay strong and proud. You're a man, aren'tcha?"
But his brother didn't stop at words of encouragement. Big and burly, with a pretty fierce face, he tracked down each of the ringleader kids one by one. Before long, the bullying vanished.
To Yujin, his brother was an admirable hero he could always rely on. Under a full moon lighting up the night sky, he shared his dream.
"Someday, I'm gonna be a commander. Pretty cool, huh? A hero protecting humanity from the Erosion Species! Might even make it on TV!"
"What if you do get on TV?"
"Huh? Well... you'd get famous, right? Popularity shoots up, pretty girls come knocking... Something like that."
"I think you've got plenty of popularity without all that."
"Kuhuhu, yeah! I am pretty popular!"
It was a lie. His brother was a good guy, but... he had zero game with girls. He'd freeze up like a stone statue the second one was around. Hell, it was questionable if he even knew any women.
Don't tell me... humans scare him, so he's into Valkyries...?
Yujin asked tentatively if his brother had any special feelings for Valkyries.
Valkyries looked human, but they weren't. No need to pity or sympathize with them. That's what they'd taught him at school.
His brother gave him a somewhat pitiful look. Then he gently ruffled Yujin's hair and said,
"Yujin. Valkyries aren't all that different from humans. Aside from their special powers, they laugh... and cry... just like us."
"But... I heard they don't even scream when they die. No tears shed for dead comrades."
"That's because in battle, they suppress unnecessary emotions. But normally? They're all kind, good people."
"...If you say so, brother."
"Honestly, becoming a commander might've been my way of changing the vibe—stopping them from getting thrown away like trash."
It flew in the face of everything school had taught him. But Yujin never doubted his brother for a second. To him, his brother's words were gospel.
Of course, the next words deflated him instantly.
"But let's be real—aren't Valkyries way prettier than humans? I just don't get why adults hate them so much."
"Knew you were into Valkyries..."
My idol of a brother, a Valkyrie fetishist. Still, if he was gonna chase it, I hoped he'd make his dream come true. Yujin wanted his brother to become a badass commander.
"Alright, I'm off! Stay healthy, Yujin!"
"Take care. Don't fall for any weirdos."
"You too, bro."
"Hahaha! When I come back, I'll definitely bring a girlfriend!"
She better not be a Valkyrie...
Yujin waved goodbye to his departing brother, an ominous thought crossing his mind. But after his brother safely entered the officer academy and contact grew sparse...
Coming home from school one day, he found his mother in tears.
"M-Mom? Why are you crying?"
"Yujin... your brother..."
The news hit like a thunderbolt. During field training right before graduation, he'd been caught in an Erosion Species raid and gone missing.
Outside the city, missing meant dead.
Devastated, Yujin couldn't shake his grief for a long time. Then, clutching an academy poster, he thought quietly.
I'll carry on brother's will.
His brother had wanted to be a commander for the Valkyries. So he'd take up that mantle in his place.
Defying his mother's protests, Yujin enrolled in the officer academy. Luckily, he had killer talent as a commander. Not just tactical brilliance, but a real gift for powering up Valkyries too.
By the time he reached the same age his brother had been when he vanished, Yujin graduated top of his class.
"Congrats on graduating, Cadet Yujin. You're officially part of Valhalla now."
"Thank you, sir. It's all thanks to your guidance."
"Hmm... you sure about this? Ruina, of all places... A frontier city's no joke for a rookie commander."
"I'll manage. Someone's gotta go, right?"
Yujin had requested a posting to the forsaken frontier city no one wanted. Simple reason: it was where his brother had died.
"You could stand to loosen up those shoulders a bit."
"...I'll work on it."
Pat.
He nodded at the instructor's hand on his shoulder. But his expression stayed rock-hard.
After his brother's death, he stopped showing emotions. Joy or sorrow, his face remained impassive.
He still felt them, of course. Just following his brother's old advice: don't show weakness, or people look down on you.
Loosen up, he says...
On the train from the academy in Schton to Ruina, he stared out the window, mulling his future. He'd vowed to carry on his brother's dream. But the more he thought about it, the more impossible it seemed.
Changing how Valkyries were treated? As a single commander? Fat chance.
"A fool's dream..."
His quiet mutter went unheard. If his brother were here, maybe it could've been real. Sometimes, that shadow loomed impossibly large.
Then disaster struck.
A deafening roar tore through the air, the world shaking violently. The train flipped clean over.
"Nngh, what the—"
Yujin blacked out from the impact, coming to inside the wrecked carriage. Miraculously, only a cracked rib—though every breath stabbed like fire.
The interior was a nightmare. Walls crumpled, glass shards everywhere. A foul stench hung in the air. Bodies lay scattered.
Dragging his aching body, he checked the nearest person. The woman lay motionless, unresponsive.
Cautiously touching her shoulder, he knew.
"She's already gone..."
Crushed by the crash, maybe. Her pale face showed no breath. Valkyrie, judging by her looks? His first corpse—he clenched his fists. Such a pointless death felt infuriating.
Gently closing her eyes, Yujin decided to search the train. Survivors might still be out there. If anyone was critical, he could help.
That's when he teamed up with a Valkyrie named Daisy. Struggling to pry open a mangled door...
Sudden crisis.
"Grrraaah..."
"Damn—Erosion Species!"
After the initial shake, monsters had invaded. No way they'd show up this close to the city. But instinct drove him anyway.
No escape in the tight space. Cornered, Yujin and Daisy braced to fight.
"Guh...!"
"Daisy!"
But she was just D-rank. No match for a beast that ripped steel bare-handed.
Despair as their only fighter went down. Yujin stepped forward before he could think.
I won't lose anyone else on my watch...!
Futile, of course. Even a D-rank Valkyrie was superhuman—but not against this.
The creature's razor claw rose high. About to bisect him...
Its head exploded in a spray of blood.
What the—?
Thud.
Beyond the collapsing monster stood a woman, blood-splattered, gasping for breath.
Yujin could only stare, dazed.
A Valkyrie...?
Navy-blue hair. Eyes like molten gold. A beautiful face, even smeared with gore. An aura that hit you just looking. Gun in one hand, and that fresh kill...
Definitely a Valkyrie. But weird. In combat, they dulled irrelevant emotions—cold logic, rage, hostility, killing intent. So relief in her eyes? Impossible.
Seeming satisfied he was safe, she muttered something soft and bolted deeper into the train. Desperate, like time was running out.
"W-Wait! Going alone's dangerous! There could be more Erosion Species—!"
Confirming the Valkyrie he'd shielded was okay, Yujin chased after her.
Gunfire echoed ahead. Please be safe... Lungs burning, he caught up.
There she knelt on one knee.
She's... grieving?
Hard to tell from afar, but staring at a corpse, her face looked ready to crumble into tears.
Bathed in sunlight from above, she looked almost divine. Then her gaze snapped to him—startled, like caught in something forbidden. Her expression hardened.
Flustered by the shift, Yujin stammered an excuse.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to intrude. I was just worried... Guess not."
"...Can't blame you. Come to think of it, I never introduced myself..."
Her name was Leira. She'd heard about the train trouble and rushed to help.
His literal lifesaver.
But that desperation—why?
Yujin saw it clear as day.
No doubt. She's... ridiculously kind.
Kind enough to override Valkyrie instincts. Why him? They weren't alike at all. Yet she reminded him of his brother.
He wanted to know more about her. Which made her next request all the more startling.
"Commander Yujin, sir. Please touch my stigma."
"But I heard you hate that..."
"I'm fine. If it means fewer victims to the Erosion Species, I can handle it."
Sacrificing herself like that for others. After seeing her mourn the dead, Yujin couldn't refuse.
"Ngh... guh... hnn..."
The sensation from her stigma must've been awful. Leira flinched but endured without complaint.
Making his savior suffer like this? Guilt gnawed at him. He rushed the contract, ignoring the soft, feminine give of her lower belly.
No lust clouded his mind. Truly, not a hint of it. Even if there was, he'd pretend otherwise.
"Hah... hah... Um... Commander... y-your hand..."
"Ah—yes! Sorry. I zoned out... Did it fail?"
"No... feels like it worked..."
Contract complete—sans impure thoughts—they hunted the lurking Erosion Species.
Deep in hard-to-reach spots. Whatever pain she'd endured, it paid off; she dispatched them in seconds.
With everything settled and Ruina in sight, Yujin heard fateful news. Like destiny's prank.
"I'm shocked. Never thought you'd be heading to Ruina too, Leira."
"Same here. Who knew you'd be my real commander, sir..."
Yeah. He'd repay her properly—as her commander.
For some reason, his heart pounded wildly.