Ever since her parents passed away, only she and her younger sister remained.
To make a living, and to better protect her sister, Sakura joined an organization called Poison Cocoon, becoming an assassin codenamed: [Forget-me-not]
The constant travel and the stench of blood were physically and mentally exhausting, but whenever she thought of her sister's smile, she felt that it was all bearable.
She had already treated the wounds and marks on her body. Not wanting her sister to know about her dangerous work, Sakura always carefully concealed any traces of [Forget-me-not] only accompanying RIN as her older sister.
However, when she arrived at the park where she had agreed to meet RIN, full of anticipation, she saw a pink-haired girl beside her sister.
—So cute!
This was Sakura's first thought upon seeing the girl's face.
However, she immediately focused on something more important—this cute girl seemed to be chatting and laughing with her sister, acting very intimately.
Sakura couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. She had thought RIN would be waiting for her alone, and she had even planned a surprise. But RIN was actually chatting and laughing with another girl, a pink-haired one at that…
Of course, besides jealousy, she also felt a sense of wariness.
As an assassin, Sakura was always wary of strangers approaching her sister.
Even though Elysia didn't look like a bad person, Sakura, active in the shadows of the world, had seen too many examples of people with hidden agendas.
"RIN."
"Ah, it's Sis! Sis is here! Sister Elysia, look at my sister, isn't she beautiful?"
Seeing her sister approaching, RIN happily tugged at the pink-haired girl's sleeve, showing her off proudly.
Elysia approached Sakura and said with a smile: "Oh my~ RIN's sister is indeed a very cute and beautiful girl. Hmm, the scent of cherry blossoms, it smells so good. I'm a little smitten~"
The close proximity allowed Elysia to lean in towards Sakura, sniffing the air with her small nose as she complimented. Her smiling, bright blue eyes clearly saw Sakura flinch and the subtle tension in the muscles beneath her clothes.
For Sakura, an assassin, being approached so closely by someone other than RIN naturally made her nerves tense. But at the same time, smelling the gentle, sweet floral fragrance on Jiang Qiao, Sakura felt unexpectedly at peace. Feeling the other person's warmth so close, she couldn't help but blush.
…It was just a girl.
Subtly creating some distance, Sakura maintained her smile and looked at her sister, asking curiously:
"RIN, who is this?"
"Ah, Sister Elysia is someone I met just now. Because her hair color is so similar, I mistook her for you, Sis."
RIN naturally wouldn't hide anything from her sister. She explained cheerfully, then, remembering the magic trick Jiang Qiao performed, said excitedly:
"Sis, Sister Elysia can do amazing magic tricks~ She just needs to take out a knife and swing it, and she can conjure a little guy who looks just like me!"
However, upon hearing the word "knife," Sakura's expression changed slightly.
She smiled at her sister and said:
"RIN, I have something to discuss privately with this pretty sister. Could you please buy us some drinks?"
"Eh? Okay…"
Although RIN found it strange, she didn't refuse her sister's request.
After she left, watching the girl's retreating figure, Jiang Qiao sighed:
"What an obedient and sensible little sister~ I wish I had a sister like that~"
"…What's your purpose for approaching my sister?"
But Sakura didn't agree. Instead, she questioned in a cold tone, completely different from the gentle one she used with RIN.
The pink-haired girl wasn't surprised by this change at all. Or rather, it was all within Jiang Qiao's expectations. He put on a slightly helpless and dissatisfied expression and said:
"Really~ Don't talk about me as if I have ulterior motives. Would a cute girl like me be a bad person?"
"I really like that child~"
"That's why—"
His tone suddenly changed, and a hint of sadness appeared on the girl's beautiful face:
"I don't want that cute child to end up like that~"
"Swish—!"
An extremely sharp knife was placed against his throat with lightning speed, followed by a terrifying, Rakshasa-like expression.
"No matter what your purpose is, come at me! Don't you dare touch my sister!"
To prevent her sister from discovering her identity, Sakura didn't carry her weapons as [Forget-me-not] But to protect her sister and prepare for unexpected situations, she always carried a small knife with her, which undoubtedly came in handy at this moment.
In the hands of this top assassin, even such a small knife, barely suitable for peeling fruit, could become a deadly weapon.
But—
Sakura didn't see a trace of fear in the girl's eyes, even with her life threatened.
"Eh, don't pull a knife on me so easily. If you cut me and leave a scar, I'll cry, you know?"
The fearless girl complained helplessly, flicking her finger to push away the sharp blade. She gently touched the shallow cut on her neck:
"See, you've left a mark. If she comes back and sees it, she'll be unhappy, right?"
"But it's okay, look~ Just gently wipe it like this~ Poof, the wound is gone~"
"How about it, isn't the fairy's magic interesting?"
The smiling girl spread her unblemished hand and waved it in front of Sakura, then helplessly advised the girl with the cold expression:
"Hmm… Don't look so cold. Just like RIN said, her sister is very beautiful. A beautiful girl shouldn't make such an expression, it'll deduct points… Oh, or are you the aloof type? Sorry, sorry, I'm not familiar with that type~"
A series of wonderful expressions flickered across the girl's face, finally settling into her initial smile. Perfectly controlling this body, Jiang Qiao brought Elysia's charm to the extreme.
"Alright~ If we continue like this, RIN will be troubled when she comes back and sees us like this~ So, back to the main topic—"
A mysterious glint flashed in the girl's deep eyes. As her fingers brushed aside Sakura's cherry-colored hair, the unwavering purple in her eyes rippled as she asked with a chuckle:
"—Sakura, do you want to save your sister?"