Hick… hick… hick…
"Onii-chan… Onii-chan…"
In an endless void of consciousness, a young girl about 9 or 10 years old wept uncontrollably. Her crimson-red hair, tied with white ribbons, trembled as she buried her face in her hands.
This girl was Itsuka Kotori, but unlike her current self, she looked as she had five years ago.
"You're weak. All you ever do is cry. That's why Onii-chan left."
"Huh?"
Lifting her tear-streaked face at the sound of an angry voice, Kotori's wide eyes stared ahead. Another version of herself stood there—a Kotori who was older, about 14 or 15 years old.
This other Kotori had black ribbons tied in her hair and wore an astral dress engulfed in black flames. She was the Demon King, Asmodeus.
"No… Onii-chan…"
Kotori began crying again, lowering her head. Asmodeus's words rang painfully true. It was her fault Onii-chan had left. If only she hadn't run away that day, upset because he forgot her birthday…
But the truth was, her Onii-chan hadn't forgotten. The black ribbons of Asmodeus were proof of that—they had been his gift to her.
If only she hadn't been deceived by Mio Takamiya into thinking that being stronger would make her Onii-chan acknowledge her…
If only she hadn't become a Spirit, her Onii-chan wouldn't have vanished.
It was all her fault.
"Tsk! Damn it!"
Asmodeus clicked her tongue in frustration, unable to bear the sight of her younger self crying so pathetically.
"Shut up!"
Grabbing her other self by the collar, Asmodeus clenched her teeth, staring into Kotori's tearful eyes.
"Stop crying! You're pissing me off, damn it!"
"Hick… hick…"
Kotori's sobs halted, but her tears continued to flow. She was terrified of this intimidating other self.
"It's all your fault! Those damn tears of yours!"
"Hick… hick… I… I'm sorry…"
"Shut up!"
"H-Hick?!"
Asmodeus's rage grew, shaking Kotori as she gritted her teeth. She raised her fist to strike the crying girl. Kotori squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the blow.
But it never came.
Slowly, Kotori opened her eyes, both frightened and curious.
What she saw shocked her: Asmodeus's fist trembled mid-air. Her rage consumed her, but there was something else—envy and pain.
"Why do you always get to cry?! Why are you the only one who can? Tell me! Why is it just you?!"
"Uhh…"
"I want to cry too! I miss Onii-chan too! But you're the only one who gets to cry!"
The truth was, Asmodeus wasn't angry because Kotori was weak. She was angry because Kotori could express her emotions freely—something Asmodeus couldn't do.
Since Itsuka Shido disappeared, Kotori had cried endlessly. She blamed herself for everything. Her guilt only deepened when she found Shido's gift upon returning home: the black ribbons Asmodeus now wore.
Those ribbons changed Kotori's life. She didn't want to be weak anymore. She didn't want to cry. Suppressing her sadness, she resolved to become stronger, crafting a commanding personality to take charge of her life.
She forcibly buried the memories of watching her Onii-chan disappear and allowed the Commander persona to take control.
For five years, Kotori/Commander worked tirelessly, never allowing Kotori/Imouto to resurface.
But when Yuki broke the seal he had placed years earlier, Kotori once again confronted her weaker self. Seeing herself cry evoked deep envy.
Suppressing her emotions for so long had turned Kotori into a Demon King. She had gained power, but at the cost of honesty.
When she stood before her Onii-chan's killer, she couldn't cry—only hate, which consumed her until it inverted.
She, too, had wanted to cry, to be free of the burden she carried.
"It's not fair that you're the only one who gets to cry!"
Bam!
"Guh!"
Asmodeus slammed her fist into the younger Kotori's face. But in doing so, vivid images flooded her mind like a reel of memories, illuminating her subconscious.
[Onii-chan!]
The first image was the memory she had sealed away—her Onii-chan dissolving into particles of light after being touched by Yuki five years ago. The anger buried deep within the Demon King resurfaced.
Just as she was about to strike Kotori again, the image shifted.
[Forgive me, Kotori…]
This time, it was Yuki, carrying her like a princess.
Tenguu City was ablaze, but the Itsuka residence remained untouched. Yuki, who had protected the house, entered and made his way to Kotori's room on the second floor.
The way Yuki navigated the house was as if he had lived there for years—something that astonished Asmodeus. It was too familiar to be a coincidence.
[Onii-chan can't stay with you anymore. I'm sorry.]
Laying Kotori on her bed, Yuki tucked her in with a blanket. Sitting at her bedside, he gently stroked her crimson hair.
[But it won't be for long. Onii-chan will be with you again in the future. We'll be together.]
Smiling tenderly, Yuki pulled out a neatly wrapped gift from his astral dress.
Asmodeus's eyes widened in shock. She recognized the gift—it was the one she had found upon waking up. It was where her black ribbons had been wrapped.
[I hope it's not too late, but… Happy Birthday, Kotori.]
Yuki kissed her forehead, placed the gift beside her, and vanished. The threat of Mio Takamiya still loomed, and as a clone, Yuki had a duty to assist his original.
Next to the gift, he had left a note.
"Ahhh… ahhh…"
Asmodeus clutched her head in disbelief. She had always thought the gift came from Itsuka Shido, fueling her guilt for losing it. She had convinced herself her Onii-chan had forgotten her birthday.
But the truth was, Shido had forgotten, and the gift had come from her "other Onii-chan"—Yuki.
Having inherited all of Itsuka Shido's memories, Yuki would never forget something as important as his little sister's birthday. Using his spiritual power, he had created the black ribbons, knowing her white ones were destroyed when she became a Spirit.
"Ahhh… ahhh…"
The black ribbons, a source of Kotori's strength, symbolized the bond her Onii-chan had left for her.
The Commander persona was born because of those ribbons.
But now, that meaning felt empty.
"Hick… Onii-chan…"
Before she realized it, tears streamed down Asmodeus's face. She wiped them away repeatedly, but it was futile. Her sobbing wouldn't stop.
Her emotions surged—grief, pain, love—drowning her in feelings she thought she had suppressed forever.
"Hick… hick…"
Kotori didn't know what to do. Her anger felt meaningless, her black ribbons purposeless. Her Onii-chan was also her own destroyer. She looked to her other self for help, but…
"!?!"
She was gone.
Kotori noticed her physical form had changed—she was smaller, about 9 or 10 years old again. One of the ribbons in her hair had transformed.
She was no longer Kotori/Imouto or Kotori/Commander.
She was simply Kotori, the little girl who loved her Onii-chan.
"Huh?"
At that moment, a hand rested gently on her head, bringing light to her chaotic emotions.
Kotori looked up in shock.
Before her was a humanoid figure of light. She couldn't see its face or define its features, but she felt the warmth of its touch.
And she knew who it was.
"Onii-chan!!"
Without hesitation, Kotori turned and embraced him.
In that instant, the endless void filled with color once more.
"Welcome back, Kotori…"
Opening her eyes, Kotori was greeted by a warm smile and the soft comfort of a lap pillow.
"Onii-chan… I'm back."
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