Not good....Kotone.

　Akika put her hand on her shapely chin and muttered.

''Duh, what's going on?　Mr. Akika.

　Kotone, who had been preoccupied with her brother, turned her head to Akika as if in a huff.

''Don't you understand?　If I don't do this, brother Du Du will be teased by the Four Heavenly Temples.

'What?　Oh but I'm done with it. I don't know where to start thinking now there's just so much going on.

　Right now, Kotone was full of it. Her beloved brother, Mizushige, had rebelled against his own family, the Sanzenin family, and had even joined a dangerous organization that was hostile to the agency. For Kotone, this alone is a shock to her life.
　To be honest, she had no intention of persuading her parents' family to fulfill her love affair with Masato under such circumstances.
　On the contrary, even the meaning of my existence had faded and I no longer cared about the fate of the person known as Sanzenin Kotone. Even if I were to end my life here, I'm sure I wouldn't have any feelings or emotions.

''Besides.........Mizuho and Du Du are perfect for each other. Much more than me........

No, Kotone.

What?

　Kotone raised her downcast face at the strong speech that is not like the normally aloof Akika.
　There is Akika with a serious look on her face.

''Everyone has a lot going on. Of course I do......... But you know........I believe that all people have equal rights because they were born into this world.

Is it a right...?

Yeah. And it's one of those rights that you just don't deserve to exercise.

'A waste of...?　That's....

It's just, you know, that's the way I want to be.

....!

'You can only do what you want, no matter what you lose, no matter what you don't have, no matter what you are locked in. This is freedom for young and old, men and women, poor and rich!　So I'm hoping. This is the kind of person I am, this is the kind of situation I want to be in. And I'll work for it, and the means to do it... well, I don't think I'll choose much.

　Then Akihana smiled.
　Kotone's eyes widened.
　I don't understand the weight of Akihana's words down to their weight. But I can tell you that Akihana must have something to hold on to. Perhaps it's the same or more pain and hardship as me.
　However, Akihana puts more effort into hoping and acting to get it than such things.
　Did I want something for myself?　He may have wanted to.
　But they were giving up. He had given up that right that everyone should have equally.
　Kotone felt Akika's smile dazzle and at the same time she felt a warm or courageous feeling come from deep within her own heart.

''Akika-san ... me.''

''Changing the subject, Kotone-chan, this is just my intuition. I think Kotone-chan has as good an eye for a man as I do.

...What?

　Kotone couldn't help but pout. Indeed, the story has changed.

'Because think about it. Kotone, you're extremely brazen, right?

'Bub, blah blah blah blah!　Wait a minute!　No!　I just ... I just ... looked up to my brother!

'Oh well. What I'm trying to say here is....

　Kotone is very excited, but Akika is nowhere to be seen.

'Was it Mizushige-san?　Kotone's older brother. You're right, he is an amazing spirit user. He even went toe-to-toe with the head of the Shitennji family.　He's a ridiculously talented person. You've been watching such an amazing person beside you for a long time, haven't you, Kotone?　Then I can understand why you won't feel anything when you see another man. On top of that, since Kotone is so single-minded, you may have thought that you would live your life with only your feelings for your brother, right?

Uh, no.

　Kotone's fists loosened at Akika's words. In fact, it's close to the right answer.

'That's the first time such a blind, brazen girl has ever been interested in another man?　That's Du Du's brother. No matter what kind of man I met, I compared him to Mr. Mizushige and they all looked like boring men, but not that brother of mine.

　Kotone's shoulders respond with a jerk. And then her cheeks turn red.

''I thought, maybe Kotone-chan felt the same thing as I did. That's why I decided to invite Kotone-chan to join me in the matter of Dou Dou Dou's brother.

'What?　It's....

''I felt like, you know, brother Dou Dou Dou is going to destroy everything about me!

!

'The ability to tangle with me and never leave me - the environment and situation I'm in, the ties of my home and the eyes around me. And not only that, but they could destroy my opinions, my ideas, my personality and all that!　What do you think?　Didn't you feel that way?　To my brother in the hallway.

　Akika leaned closer to Kotone with a sincerely happy and joyful expression on her face.
　I don't think Kotone has ever thought about what Akika said.
　It's just........strangely enough, no animosity or objections come up.
　Rather, it seems to fit in somehow.

''Mr. Dou Dou Dou........''

　Kotone recalls the few interactions she had with Yuto.
　He emits an aura of fear when he seems to be kind, and beats his enemies mercilessly, even though he never gets angry at anyone.
　On the battlefield, he would always put himself on the front lines and face the most dangerous enemies.
　Then........at this moment, Kotone understood.
　He could understand when Akihana asked him about it.
　It was with Akihana.

''Akihana. I think I felt it!　But that's not all, Mr. Dou Dou Dou is, well ... good looking!　And when you're with me on that, it gives me courage!

　The truth is, I've thought of destroying it myself many times.
　Sanzenin Kotone comforts herself by affirming the ties of her family's Sanzenin family, her feelings for her brother, her dependence on him, and her own weakness and laziness.
　To be honest, I was afraid to even break it.
　But she subconsciously felt that meeting and getting involved with Yuto gave her the courage to destroy it.

'I'm going to destroy it too!'

　This time, Kotone showed a smile.
　When Qiu Hua saw Kotone's smile, she nodded widely.

''Kotone, let's not miss your brother Dou Dou Dou!

Yes!

　Akika and Kotone held each other's hands, which would become lifelong best friends.