Chapter 20 The Rond of Fate, the Waltz of Destiny

  nia (hinomichi) and Nia (sunway) were placed in the same hospital room.

  According to Ichika’s explanation, it was “for soul stabilization” or something along those lines.

  Beneath both beds, strange magic circles had been drawn by Ichika’s sorcerers. If they didn’t look directly under the beds, they could almost pretend they weren’t there.

  Talismans were pasted here and there on the walls, making the room feel more like a shrine than a hospital ward.

  “…Creepy,” 虹恋 muttered.

  “Don’t look under the bed,” ニア replied. “If you do, you won’t sleep.”

  They both lay on their backs, staring at the ceiling.

  After a long silence, ニア spoke.

  “虹恋.”

  “Hm?”

  “…I’m sorry.”

  “For what?”

  ニア hesitated. He didn’t know how to put it into words.

  “…Everything.”

  虹恋 turned his head slightly and smiled.

  “It’s fine. We’re back to normal now.”

  That childish, bright smile made ニア clutch his chest.

  —This kid is dangerous for my heart.

  “More importantly,” 虹恋 said, “why are we in the same room?”

  “Ichika and Saeki decided.”

  “Figures.”

  They paused again.

  “…Hey, ニア.”

  “What?”

  “What language are you speaking right now?”

  “…Huh?”

  “You’re really good at Japanese.”

  “And you’re really good at English.”

  They both tilted their heads at the same time.

  Something was wrong.

  虹恋 was Japanese. His English had always been terrible.

  ニア was British. His Japanese was something he’d picked up after coming to Japan.

  Yet somehow, they were understanding each other perfectly.

  Just then, the door opened.

  “Good afternoon! Time for your checkup!”

  Ichika entered with his usual suspicious smile, followed by Takachika and Saeki.

  “You both look confused,” Takachika said. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m British. Japanese is hard for me,” ニア said.

  “I’m Japanese. English is hard for me,” 虹恋 added.

  Then, in perfect sync:

  “—So what language are we talking in right now?”

  Ichika burst out laughing.

  “Okay, situation confirmed!

  ニア is speaking Japanese, and 虹恋 is speaking English.”

  “And you both understand each other,” Takachika said. “That’s weird.”

  “Like a translation device,” 虹恋 muttered.

  “Something like that,” Ichika said lightly.

  Then he grew a little more serious.

  “Your souls were swapped, fused, and then separated again.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  ニア had been using Japanese in 虹恋’s body.

  虹恋, you were thinking and living in an English-speaking brain.”

  “So when we returned to normal…” Takachika said slowly, “…our languages got mixed up?”

  “Probably,” Ichika replied. “Souls remember habits.”

  “…Great,” ニア sighed.

  Before anyone could say more, the door opened again.

  “Then shall we move on to a more troublesome topic?”

  A woman’s voice cut in.

  Everyone turned.

  A tall woman with jet-black hair and clearly Western features stood in the doorway.

  “Who…?” 虹恋 asked.

  The woman stepped inside calmly.

  “My name is Felicia Athena Socrates.”

  “Felicia!? I told you not to come yet!” Ichika said.

  He sounded annoyed—but oddly pleased at the same time.

  Felicia thrust a letter toward him.

  “Good afternoon, Ichika.

  Thank you for the very unkind letter.”

  “You flew here because of that?”

  “Of course. Who writes ‘It will be over soon’ without explanation?”

  “Socrates…?” ニア murmured.

  “Socrates, as in that family?” he asked.

  “Yes,” Felicia replied, smiling. “It has been a while, Brother Nia.”

  “…Brother?”

  虹恋 looked between them.

  “Wait… don’t tell me…”

  “Yes,” Ichika said. “My fiancée.

  And Takachika’s future sister-in-law.”

  Felicia turned her gaze to Saeki.

  “So, Saeki. How are our enemy’s movements?”

  “The subordinate groups have been neutralized,” Saeki replied. “But the mastermind escaped.”

  Felicia nodded.

  “Then let me explain.”

  She folded her arms.

  “The group that tried to erase you is moving between Portugal and England.

  And it seems the elder generation of the Harumiya family is cooperating with them.”

  “…What?” Takachika muttered.

  “They believed they could destroy both the Sunway and Hinomichi lines at once,” Felicia continued.

  “But instead, they created something they couldn’t control.”

  A faint pressure filled the room.

  “This is war,” Felicia said quietly.

  At that moment, the lights flickered.

  A dark presence seeped into the room like smoke.

  “…You’re all alive?”

  A distorted voice echoed.

  “Unbelievable… I failed again…”

  Saeki stepped forward instantly, forming a seal.

  Felicia raised her hand.

  The shadow twisted and tore itself away from the air, vanishing.

  “…It ran,” Ichika said.

  Felicia exhaled slowly.

  “They’re getting desperate.”

  虹恋 looked at ニア.

  “…So this all started because someone tried to kill us?”

  “Seems so,” ニア replied.

  Outside the window, the sky was calm and blue.

  Inside the room, something irreversible had begun to move.