"The clash of our domains is a meeting of spirits. In this moment, all emotions and thoughts are laid bare; I can feel your heart through the collision."
"This is what I'm doing now, using the conflict of our domains to convey my thoughts."
Nearl strained to maintain her domain's presence. This was no easy task for her. Normally, a domain was activated for self-enhancement, and any clash with another was merely a brushing of edges.
But now, Nearl was using her domain purely as a means of direct confrontation—like using a cannon to swat a fly.
And the one she was contending with was her other half. Their raw strength was evenly matched. While their strengths lay in different areas, overall, they were equals.
At shorter ranges, Platinum held the advantage over Nearl, up until a certain point, after which Nearl would overwhelmingly dominate.
However, Platinum's temperament lacked Nearl's steadfast resilience, which often caused her to underperform slightly in the heat of the moment.
"Mmm…"
Just like now. Nearl could still endure the discomfort, but Platinum was already having a very hard time.
'My head… it feels like there's another voice echoing inside it…'
Platinum clutched her head. She couldn't shake the feeling that she could hear a child's voice.
For some reason, Nearl's figure before her also seemed somewhat blurry.
"…"
Nearl clenched her fist, taking a slow, deliberate step forward.
Crack!
The world in Platinum's eyes shattered completely. She felt herself falling into darkness.
--+--
"Aunt Komori, leave the task of ordering ingredients to me from now on."
What was that sound? Like a child talking.
"Oh, right. It seems Centaurea's slacking off again, Auntie, you really ought to keep an eye on her. She still has a lot of schoolwork to do."
Calling me? And that tone of voice… weirdly familiar.
"Centaurea? Centaurea! Hey, little sister, stop sleeping."
Someone was shaking her body repeatedly. Platinum sensed a sliver of light ahead.
"Who are you calling 'little sister'?"
With a twist of her waist, Platinum sat straight up. What greeted her eyes was a simple dormitory room and a little blonde girl.
She knew exactly who this little girl was. Those three goddesses used to drag her along to spy on this one's life. She could probably recite this kid's boring life story by heart.
"Nearl, what's going on…"
Platinum fell into deep thought, utterly confused as to why she was seeing this scene.
But Nearl gave her no time to space out, immediately starting to change her clothes for her.
"Hey! Don't touch me! Stay back, I'll do it myself!"
Platinum couldn't stand this. She quickly cut Nearl off and swiftly changed into her day clothes herself.
"Huh? Centaurea, how come you're so energetic today? You usually laze in bed forever?"
Little Nearl looked surprised at the already-dressed Platinum, but she quickly brushed it aside, a look of happiness spreading across her face.
"That's more like it. We're the same, after all. How could you always be so listless? You should keep this up."
After getting everything roughly in order, Little Nearl led Little Platinum to the common room. She placed a stack of books in front of Little Platinum.
"Big Sister is going to be very busy from now on. You need to be self-motivated with your studies. And you don't need to wait for me to go to sleep anymore."
"…"
Platinum frowned at Little Nearl's 'perfect big sister' act, feeling slightly annoyed.
"Hey, look. You're no different from me, right? Why are you putting on this big sister act?"
"I thought you didn't care about things like that at all."
Nearl looked strangely at Platinum's uncomfortable face, but after thinking for a moment, her expression cleared in sudden understanding.
"I get it. You don't want to face the books first thing in the morning, right? How about this, I'll go for a few laps with you outside."
"After that, you obediently go study, and I'll go handle the orphanage stuff. Deal?"
"Who wants to go running with you!"
Platinum protested, but it was useless. Little Nearl grabbed her hand and forcefully dragged her outside.
The world before her eyes began to fade, and in the blink of an eye, she found herself in another fragment.
--+--
"Nearl, what's wrong with this dish? Why does my cooking always turn out wrong?"
Platinum held a piece of fish with her chopsticks, staring at it with full of resentment, as if she wanted to annihilate it on the spot.
"Let me taste it."
A slightly older Nearl leaned over, took the piece of fish from Platinum's chopsticks, and chewed it slowly.
"Mhm, I see. Centaurea, I think you forgot to add the cooking wine."
"What? You need wine for steamed fish? But we're under 20. It's illegal for us to drink."
"Cooking wine isn't for drinking. Never mind. Let's keep this fish. It's too fishy for the children. You and I will finish it."
"…But I don't want to eat it. Big Sister? Nearl, Big Sister? You eat it for me, please?"
Hearing Platinum's deliberately put-on, cute voice, Nearl found it even more nauseating than having to eat the whole fish herself.
"Stop that. I'll eat it, just go back to normal."
"Tch, you think I like doing this? Acting cute to myself is just weird no matter how you think about it."
Seeing that Nearl had agreed, Platinum's face changed in an instant, immediately falling back into its usual slump.
--+--
"We're reporting to Kasamatsu today. Centaurea, are you feeling nervous at all?"
Nearl and Platinum were running on the dedicated Uma Musume lane of the road, maintaining a sprint at the regulated maximum speed while bickering.
"Are you joking? I'm not like you, always holding back. Besides you, what other Uma Musume could possibly compare to me?"
Platinum, running beside her, wore a look of utter disdain. Her words were arrogant enough to invite scorn.
But even the usually polite Nearl didn't refute the statement itself, instead scolding her for another reason.
"Rein in that way of speaking. The facts are one thing, but hurtful words are another."
"Got it, got it. You're so annoying, Big Sister…"
--+--
It felt like a dream, but no dream could ever be this vivid.
Platinum felt as if she had truly lived through those years with Nearl. Those sensations and words felt engraved into the deepest part of her heart, bringing her a sense of warmth.
"Centaurea, my other self. Do you understand now?"
Nearl's voice came from opposite her. At the same time, that dazzling radiance gradually faded as Nearl withdrew her domain.
Platinum, with tacit understanding, withdrew her own domain as well. She just hung her head in silence.
In that brief moment, she had undoubtedly shared a profound connection with Nearl.
Now, they didn't even need to exchange glances to understand each other's meaning. The separation that had created a barrier between them now seemed like a mere decoration; their spirits were bound together.
"To be honest, you were much cuter when you were little."
Platinum scratched her hair helplessly, a faint, wry smile finally tugging at the corner of her mouth.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.