The room was dim, shadows pooling in the corners. Kuroka sat on the cold floor, wrists and ankles bound tight by Laozi's Golden Bracers. She'd been awake for some time now, her face a mask of stoic boredom as she endured the indignities of captivity.
"Mmm… so tasty, so tasty…"
"Koneko-chan's sister smells amazing, nya. Sniff sniff… sniff sniff…"
Ni had her teeth gently clamped on Kuroka's ear, while Li wandered up and down her body, inhaling with the single-minded enthusiasm only a catgirl could muster. If anyone else tried something like this, it would be perverse. But with these two nekomata, the scene was almost comically innocent.
Not quite satisfied, red-haired Li tugged at Kuroka's clothes, trying to get a better whiff. That was the last straw for Kuroka, who'd been holding back as long as she could.
"You two idiots—enough already!"
"Nya!!!"
The sisters jumped like startled kittens, fur metaphorically on end, and leapt away to a safe distance.
"Scary, scary, nya…"
"Koneko-chan's sister is so mean, nya. Li's scared now…"
They clung to each other, peeking at Kuroka with wide, wary eyes.
Kuroka let out a long breath, her irritation easing. Seeing their dumbfounded faces, she rolled her eyes. "Hey, you two dumb cats. Come here."
"Are you talking to us, nya?"
They looked around, then pointed at themselves in unison.
"Who else would I be talking to? Get over here, already!"
Koneko-chan's sister seemed scary, but curiosity won out. The sisters shuffled over.
"Help me get these damn golden rings off."
She'd tried every spell and trick she knew, but the bracers wouldn't budge. Her only hope now was to exploit these two hopelessly naïve catgirls.
"Why should we help you, nya?"
Ni and Li tilted their heads, eyes wide.
"If you do, I'll teach you powerful immortal arts and youkai magic. Tempting, right?"
A sly smile curled Kuroka's lips as she dangled the bait.
"Powerful immortal arts and youkai magic!"
Their eyes sparkled. They nodded furiously.
"Okay, nya! But you better not trick us, nya!"
"Don't worry, nya. I never lie."
Kuroka's smile was all innocence. Inwardly, she sneered.
As expected, a pair of idiots. Once I'm free, you two are first on my list…
Prodded by Kuroka, Ni and Li stretched up on tiptoe, bared their little fangs, and bit down on the golden bracers.
"What… what are you doing?"
Kuroka's eye twitched, her tone flat with disbelief.
"Mmph mmph… helping you bite them open, nya."
"Too hard… can't bite through, nya."
They answered with their mouths still full of bracer.
"Who told you to use your teeth?! Use weapons, use magic—just get these off already!"
She was going to lose her mind at this rate.
"No can do, nya. That's Tenra-sama's Sacred Gear. Weapons and magic don't work, nya."
Ni and Li rubbed their aching jaws, utterly serious.
Kuroka stared at them. For a moment, she was silent.
She'd actually pinned her hopes on these two. Turns out, she was the dumbest cat of all.
"Are you okay, nya?"
"We'll try biting it again, nya."
They were about to have another go when the door swung open. Tenra entered, Koneko at his side.
"Tenra-sama!"
With a happy cry, Ni and Li dashed over and pounced on him, nuzzling and clinging until he relented and gave them a squeeze.
Once the greetings were done, Tenra led the two catgirls to Kuroka, arm draped around their waists.
"So, Kuroka—settling in all right?"
"Red Dragon Emperor!"
Kuroka spat the title through clenched teeth, her eyes burning with resentment. She'd always been proud of her strength, but Tenra had defeated her so easily. The memory still stung.
But when her gaze landed on Koneko, her expression softened, eyes glinting with something warmer.
"Hello, Shirone. Did you come to see your big sister?"
"…Sister…"
The room was quiet. Tenra played with Ni and Li in the corner while Koneko stood before Kuroka, her face a storm of conflicted emotions.
"Shirone, never thought I'd end up your prisoner. So, what'll it be? Are you here to finish me off?"
"I'd never do what you did, Sister!"
Kuroka's smile was almost casual, but Koneko's reply was sharp, trembling with emotion.
"Heh. Still so naïve, Shirone."
"So then, why are you here?"
Kuroka's mood seemed oddly bright, as if she enjoyed the drama.
"I have questions for you."
"Ask away. For you, I'll answer anything."
Koneko took a deep breath, her gaze pained.
"Why did you become like this? You used to be gentle… you always protected me."
"Is power really worth all this? You became cold, ruthless… even killed the master who took us in."
"Why did you do it? Why?"
Memories flooded back, and tears welled in Koneko's eyes. Being hated, feared, called a monster—it all hurt. But nothing hurt more than her sister's betrayal. Especially knowing Kuroka had abandoned her, fled alone. That had shattered her world.
Kuroka watched her, then spoke with a wistful smile.
"Shirone, power is a wonderful thing. With it, you can do anything you want."
"As for the master… I regret it too. But he had to die. There were reasons."
Her eyes flashed cold, haunted by memory.
"Wh-what reasons?"
Koneko's tears paused, hope flickering.
"Heh… that's the only thing I can't tell you, Shirone."
"This world is far crueler than you think. One day, you'll understand."
"I don't understand! I don't! You never tell me anything—I don't know anything!"
Koneko's voice broke as tears streamed down her face. Tenra, unable to watch any longer, crossed the room and pulled her into a gentle embrace.
"Koneko-chan, you're too upset. Rest for a bit."
He soothed her softly, then with a gentle chop, eased her into sleep.
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