Back in the office, Shichen sat down without a word at his desk; Kanase Kanon approached him carefully.
"Sensei… Onii-chan? What's wrong?"
Her voice was soft and syrupy—normally the kind that calmed him—but nothing about this was calming now. He'd been waiting for this moment, yet seeing Kanon's condition still made his anger spike. If it weren't for her gentle nature, he would've taken her away long ago—she wouldn't have had to suffer. But he hadn't wanted to plant a rift in her heart.
"Onii-chan?" Seeing his stormy face, Kanon lost her confidence—she'd never seen him like this. Was it because of her?
"Kanon…"
He forced his emotions down, guilt pooling in his chest as he looked at her. "I'm sorry. Maybe… I should've been more forceful."
"What do you mean, Onii-chan?"
"Have you been suffering?" he asked, hand rising to stroke her hair, voice gentle.
"Onii-chan…?" Her heart jumped; a wave of grievance welled up. Did he know?
"I told you before—if anything happens, if that bastard of a foster father does something to you, if you feel cornered or in pain—ask me for help. Why didn't you tell me?" Shichen couldn't help himself; he pulled her small frame into his arms, full of pity.
"You really saw through me… I'm sorry," Kanon said, making no move to resist; she hugged him back, her voice edged with a sob. "I didn't know if I should say anything. I was afraid of troubling you, and Father… it was so sudden."
"'Father'? He deserves that title? He's just a beast."
"But he raised me for so many years…"
"That's no excuse for treating you like this." He held her lightly, like something precious, afraid to break her.
Kanon's body had clearly been altered. She was still human, not demon-kind—but different. To be exact… "monster" wouldn't even be unfair. Hardly an angel at all.
"Onii-chan…" She looked up with a smile as gentle as one, though—because he cared so much.
"Kanon, I'm done second-guessing." Shichen let her go and held her by the shoulders, looking her in the eye.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm taking you away from that animal. You're staying with me."
"Onii-chan?" She blinked, wondering if she'd misheard.
"After what he did to you, there's no way I'll let you keep living with him."
"But…"
"No buts. You want your body tampered with like that? Turned into… that?"
"No. I don't," Kanon said with a shake of her head.
"Then that's settled."
"Won't I be a burden to you?"
"You being away from me is the burden."
"Onii-chan…"
"Or… do you not want to live with me?"
"No—Onii-chan is wonderful. I like you a lot. I want to live with you."
"So you do like me," he teased.
"Mm…" Kanon, cheeks pink, didn't hide it—she nodded.
"In that case, let's go settle accounts with that beast in a bit."
"You mean…?"
"Don't worry. I won't go overboard—just punish him. The nerve of him, doing that to someone as adorable as you," Shichen said, rubbing her head to comfort her. He wasn't going to kill the man in front of her.
"Good…" Kanon let out a breath.
"What? You care that much?"
"Not exactly… It's just—he did take care of me."
"You really are too kind. Even after what he did… But that's also your strength. That's why so many people like you."
"People… like me?"
"You didn't notice the boys in class?"
"They seem afraid to come near me."
"Heh." Shichen simply shook his head. He knew from Nagisa that the boys had a pact to treat her like an angel—admire from afar—and, well, some were also afraid of him.
"What are you laughing at, Onii-chan?"
"Nothing. You're just really cute."
"Um… You said lots of people like me. Do you like me?"
"Do I really need to be asked that?"
"I… I want to hear you say it. Is that okay?" she whispered.
"Of course. I like you very much, Kanon," he said.
"Great." Kanon's smile bloomed.
"That happy?"
"Mm! Very."
"Then while you're happy, let me deal with the unhappy part."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm going to fix what they altered in you—put you back the way you were."
"Eh? You can?"
"Who do you think I am?"
"That's wonderful!" Kanon's eyes misted with joy. She loathed the artificial organs inside her; she didn't need so-called "spirit circuits." She was fine as she was.
"Don't be scared. This flame won't hurt you." Shichen turned his hand; golden fire blossomed in his palm. Sacred flame—perfect for purifying the crooked work inside her.
"It's so pretty," Kanon murmured, glacier-bright eyes fixed on the flame.
"It's powerful—enough to restore you to normal without harming you. Don't be afraid—it won't burn you."
"I trust you."
"Then… let's begin."
He laid the holy fire on her. Kanon didn't flinch; she lowered her gaze to watch it envelop her. The sacred flame's purifying power seared away and restored the altered parts within her. She felt the strangeness inside—but no pain at all. Nothing like the "experiments" her foster father had done. He'd wanted to turn her into a synthetic angel, claiming it was for her own good; Shichen rejected the inhumanity of it outright—especially the part about forcing "angels" to fight and devour each other. Kanon had never wanted it in the first place.
"Onii-chan, it's warm," she said softly, feeling her body change.
"Any discomfort?"
"No. I feel great."
"Good."
The flame didn't take long. In moments it streamed back into his palm and sank into him. Kanon's body had returned completely to its original state—nothing out of place.
"All done."
"Really? That's wonderful!" Kanon threw her arms around him, rubbing her head against his chest.
"Then next we go have a word with that beast—hm?" Shichen, smiling, hugged her back—then noticed something wrong.
Kanon's uniform had turned to ash—vanished to nothing.
What…? Why were her clothes gone?
He knew it was the holy flame. He'd controlled it so it wouldn't harm her—apparently clothing didn't count? Surely it wasn't his subconscious leaking through?
But Shichen no longer had the presence of mind to analyze it. His eyes were drawn to the smooth, fair line of Kanon's back—snow-bright, flawless, almost art. His gaze tracked lower, and his arm around her felt the warmth and softness of her skin. He suddenly felt very warm himself.
"O-Onii-chan!" Kanon clearly realized her situation. She startled, but didn't bolt from his arms.
"Ahem… looks like something went wrong. Your uniform… got burned," he said. Thank goodness the office was empty; otherwise he wouldn't have chosen this spot to talk at all. He raised a quick barrier just in case.
"I see…" Kanon's voice carried clear shyness.
"I'll go grab you something to wear."
"Wait, Onii-chan."
She stopped him, slipped from his embrace—and stood there unguarded. Shichen couldn't look away. Milk, pudding, strawberries, cream, a rabbit's eyes, and a certain tiger from the Four Sacred Beasts—random, vivid images flashed through his mind.
"Kanon…?" He swallowed; his eyes glinted red.
Her cheeks flushed, but she didn't cover herself—standing openly before him. "Onii-chan, do you want to drink my blood? I know you're the Fifth Primogenitor. Onii-chan… you like me, don't you?"