A week had pa.s.sed after Kouzuki Kazuya, the youngest compet.i.tor ever to join the national gun compet.i.tion had swept multiple events. He returned to the Kouzuki household to make up for the time he spent training in the Kurogane clan.

s.h.i.+royuki Tomoyo slowly opened her eyes and found a ceiling that was similar yet different to the one that they had in the s.h.i.+royuki household. Her body felt heavy and as she wondered if she had overtrained once again.

Thinking back, the last thing she remembered was feeling relief after successfully causing the person who took away her parents to retreat. The next time she opened her eyes, she saw a white ceiling moving at a fast pace and a.s.sumed that she was in a hospital.

"!" her grogginess disappeared after remembering what happened.

"Tomoyo!" an anxious voice called out to her.

"Grandpa…?" she turned to see Jirou who was also inside the room she wasn't familiar with.

Jirou stopped by for his daily visit anxiously waiting for Tomoyo to regain consciousness. He was informed that it may take a couple of days. The grandfather almost shed tears after seeing his granddaughter sitting up from the bed seemingly without problems.

"?" Tomoyo reached behind her head as if looking for something but she could only feel her own hair. She looked at her grandfather as if asking where the item she was looking for was.

"Ah… you see…" Jirou stepped closer and took a tray from her bedside and showed her.

"!" Tomoyo immediately saw the ribbon she always wore torn and some parts were soaked in dried blood.

"I figured you might have looked for your ribbon when you woke up so…" Jirou could immediately see the sadness in Tomoyo's eyes. She treasured this ribbon so much that Jirou needed to show her what happened to it or he might have been suspected of getting rid of it.

"…" Tomoyo grabbed the pieces of the ribbon and tried to tie them clumsily together. She ignored the look her grandfather gave her and hoped that she could still use whatever what was left of the ribbon.

"Tomoyo…" Jirou couldn't help but sigh. "How does your chest feel? Do you feel any pain anywhere?" changing the subject, Tomoyo's memory was jolted.

"!!" she looked inside of her clothes and touched the part where she was stabbed. It felt a little sore but aside from that, she found no trace of the wound, not even a small scar was left behind.

Thinking back, she could never forget the feeling of the blade being embedded inside her. If it wasn't for the fact that she was more concerned about whether s.h.i.+riharu Kira could still fight, she would have fallen as soon as she felt that blade.

"What's the matter? Does it hurt?" Jirou anxiously came close.

*shake* *shake* Tomoyo slowly shook her head and gave Jirou another confused look. She knew nothing after she lost consciousness so she turned to the only person who could answer her right now.

"Well… right now, we're at the Kouzuki residence…" jirou began to tell Tomoyo what happened after she was taken to the hospital.

Hearing about what happened, Tomoyo had mixed feelings. She placed a hand over her chest and felt very grateful towards Tsuna and Kazuya. At the same time, she felt a little embarra.s.sed after hearing that Kazuya performed something similar to surgery to save her life when no one else could.

Kazuya saw her bare body. The thought of it made her face felt hot. It was something that she hadn't experienced before. She already knew that it would happen in the future because they were promised to each other but she didn't expect it to happen this soon.

"W-what's wrong?" Jirou saw the unusual change in Tomoyo's color. "Do you have a fever?"

*shake* *shake*

Tomoyo didn't know how to describe the current emotion she was feeling but she felt that it was not something bad. She turned her attention back to the pieces of what was left of her ribbon and frowned after making its condition worse.

"I was wondering what was taking you so long." Tsuna entered the room and was happy for Jirou. "It looks like the little princess has woken up." He smiled warmly at Tomoyo.

"Thank… you…" she gave a polite bow towards Tsuna.

"Think nothing of it." Tsuna waved his hand. "More importantly, Jirou. Shouldn't you inform your wife about Tomoyo?"

"Ah!" Jirou glanced at the clock and saw that it was already getting pretty late. "I'll call her right now!" he excused himself and rushed to make a phone call.

"hmm?" Tsuna noticed the pieces of cloth that used to make up a ribbon in front of the girl. "That ribbon was given to you by Kazuya right?" he asked with a smile.

*nod*

"Was it important to you?"

*nod*

"Why?" Tsuna changed the question to something that couldn't be answered by a simple gesture.

"…" Tomoyo froze. It wasn't because she couldn't talk but rather, she didn't know how to answer the question.

It wasn't something as simple as it being given by Kazuya. If that were so, the different types of wooden swords she pa.s.sed on to her would have had the same. There was something else about that ribbon that made her want to still wear it even in its current condition.

"It… makes me feel… safe…" Tomoyo tried to express herself as best as she can. "As if… Kazuykun is… with me…"

"I see…" Tsuna smiled. He understood what she meant. Tomoyo was a talented combatant and was more like him than Kazuya when it came to instinctively manipulating mana.

Her explanation meant that her senses are getting to the point where she can detect the hint of mana Kazuya had used to cast a small protection spell on her ribbon. Though it might not be comparable to what Mei and Kyouko were equipped with, hearing that Tomoyo had been given one of Kazuya's earlier prototypes already indicated that he already started caring about this girl albeit unconsciously when she was given the ribbon.

"?" Tomoyo tilted her head at Tsuna after seeing him have something in mind.

"Oh… you see…" when Tsuna noticed her gaze, he started to explain why she felt that way. "Sensing it means that you're getting…" Tsuna stopped after noticing Tomoyo gazing back at the ruined clothes.

"…" Tomoyo held a few pieces and tried focusing on them.

"You won't be able to sense it now." Tsuna shook his head. "After it served its purpose, Kazuya's mana was already expended."

"…" Tomoyo put the pieces back into the tray looking disappointed.

"Do you want me to ask him to give you a new one?" Tsuna wanted to cheer her up. She did just wake up and it was worth celebrating.

*no…* Tomoyo stopped midway. *shake* *shake* she changed her mind quickly.

She felt that if Tsuna asked for it, Kazuya wouldn't have given it to her out of his own free will. She had gotten the ribbon as a reward from him so she didn't want to be given something similar just because Tsuna had asked.

"(Pride huh…)" Tsuna couldn't help but smile and find Jirou's granddaughter quite amusing. "(If only Kazuya hadn't taken you under his wing…)" he felt a little regret. Though he knew Kazuya wouldn't have minded if she took Tomoyo as a disciple, now that his G.o.dson had taken Tomoyo seriously, he didn't feel right to ask.

Tsuna decided to do what he can for Tomoyo and discussed the battle she had with s.h.i.+riharu Kira. He already discussed it with Kazuya and agreed that after Tomoyo woke up, she would stay in the Kouzuki household to recover and undergo training under both of them. With s.h.i.+rharu Kira still on the loose, after Tomoyo's survival was made public, there was a chance that he or the Kuroganes might take another shot at her.

Jirou soon returned with Kaori who immediately hugged Tomoyo. She was relieved to hear that there were no complications. Tomoyo was even able to stand although a little unsteadily. It was already quite late when the couple left to let Tomoyo have some more rest.

Having just woken up from a long slumber, Tomoyo couldn't fall asleep and tried to walk on her own. Though healing magic may be amazing, it was not omnipotent nor without aftereffects. Tsuna informed Tomoyo that she needed to undergo a little physical therapy to get back into shape so she decided to use her time effectively.

*knock knock knock*

"You're awake right?" Tomoyo tried walking towards the door after hearing the voice of the person she had been wanting to see ever since she woke up.

Kazuya opened the door and entered before Tomoyo let go of the foot of the bed.

"Don't be reckless and take it slow." Kazuya sighed and suddenly lifted her up before gently placing her back to bed. He glanced at the tray beside her pillow and saw the pieces of cloth that he was familiar with.

"!" Tomoyo tried to stop him when Kazuya grabbed the tray but she was too slow.

"Incinerate" he cast a spell before Tomoyo could say anything. All the pieces had already disappeared before she realized what was going on.

*hit* Tomoyo tried hitting Kazuya's chest but she was too weak. It was like she was tapping Kazuya in her current state.

*pinch* unable to vent her frustration. She pinched his arm instead.

"(This girl…)" Kazuya definitely felt it as Tomoyo had unconsciously focused mana on her fingers. This was the first time that she did something like this, so he was a little speechless.

"There's no need to be mad at me for destroying something that had already served its purpose." Kazuya gave a wry smile and opened his palm to reveal a ribbon and a hair ornament. "One is a replacement and the other is a reward."

"?" Tomoyo was confused as soon as she heard a reward.

"A reward for protecting Nanami and overcoming your fear of blood." Kazuya smiled and placed the ornament on the side of her head.

This was something he had made especially for this robot girl so the effects of it were comparable to the latest additions to Mei and Kyouko's protective accessories. He also made one for Nanami but had yet to hand it over.

"Thank… you…" Tomoyo was very happy. She tried to express herself by moving closer to Kazuya but didn't have the strength. She landed on him instead but that didn't bother her. Placing her arms around Kazuya, she held him close and finally was able to relax.

"Did that guy hit you on the head or something?" Kazuya was a little worried. Tomoyo was acting very differently from how she usually did. Her face was a little red but her body temperature wasn't out of the norm.

*I'm… okay…" Tomoyo's answer made him feel even more confused. She talked, the girl who preferred to communicate with gestures rather than talking no matter how much he insisted actually replied like a normal human being!

Kazuya thought for a moment and a.s.sumed that something must have happened to her after experiencing what she did. This was something that he could try and figure out later as he had come to see her with a different purpose tonight.

"Tomoyo" Kazuya called her name as he gently pushed her back to look her directly in the eye.

"…" Tomoyo didn't know how to react. Kazuya almost never called her by name so it must be something important.

"Are you aware of the engagement our grandfathers agreed to before I was born?"

*nod*

"I knew it…" Kazuya sighed. "You knew about it when we first met right?"

*nod*

That confirmed it. Her knowledge about the agreement even before they met made Kazuya sure that the robot girl who he hated so much in his previous life was not bullying him but rather toughening his former pathetic self up in her own way.

"Why didn't you tell me about it?" Kazuya it was a little unfair asking someone who hardly talked about it but continued. "Both my mom and I only learned it about recently. We beat up grandpa for not letting us know about it too."

"!!" Tomoyo was both surprised and confused. Why did he tell Stockton Kurumi that he was already engaged then?

"Let me ask you this then… Do you like me? I mean romantically speaking."

*… nod*

"Your hesitation tells me that you yourself don't understand just what exactly it is I mean." Kazuya shook his head. "I'll make it simple. I have no intention of honoring that agreement."

The usual expressionless Tomoyo started trembling. Before they knew it, tears were already flowing from her eyes as she felt devastated over what she just heard.

"W..hy…." barely being able to say anything amidst the sudden rush of emotions, a tiny voice spoke out.

"Simple, it is simply unfair to you… no both of us." Kazuya didn't let her tears affect his decision. "You are someone who has yet to completely understand what love truly is yet your future has already been decided?" Kazuya shook his head. "What a joke! We are not from the feudal era."

*sob*

Tomoyo continued to shed tears. She always listened to Kazuya because he had always been right. This was the first time that she didn't want to agree with what he had decided but she had no idea how to even begin arguing with him.

"Listen…" Kazuya sighed after observing that the girl who had just regained consciousness, didn't show any signs of stopping her sobs. "I know you see me as a friend." Kazuya held her cheek gently and wiped away her tears with his hand. "You're an irreplaceable friend to me as well. This is why I wanted to make things clear."

"sniff…" Tomoyo stopped her sobs and looked at him.

"The Kurogane clan played a big part in what happened to you." Kazuya gave her a simplified explanation of what he found out. "Just being a.s.sociated with me puts you in danger. It was because of my thoughtless actions that you suffered." He didn't hide the guilt he felt.

"I'll tell your grandfather about my decision when I see him." Kazuya took back his hand. Tomoyo was going to stay with them for a while so that she would recover safely. This gave him some time to complete his preparations for dealing with the dangers that Tomoyo would experience when word of her survival got out.

*tug*

Tomoyo didn't understand it herself but she stopped Kazuya from leaving. She felt that if she let him go now, the relations.h.i.+p between them would grow farther apart.

""…"" The two of them looked at each other.

In the past few years, before Kazuya knew it, he was already used to understanding what Tomoyo wanted to say with just a simple gaze. He didn't know how to explain it exactly, but he just did. The look she gave him now made him feel like this girl didn't want to accept his earlier explanation.

"You're still not convinced?" Kazuya scratched his head as if expecting it. Though it was finally clarified why this robot girl had acted the way she did towards him, he was aware that she wouldn't be able to change the way things were in an instant.

*nod*

"I'll give you a test then." Kazuya grinned. "Do your best to recover as quickly as possible and train with both me and Tsunsan here." he looked her in the eye to show Tomoyo that this was not a joke.

"This test will only give you one chance. If you pa.s.s, I will tell you a secret. This secret is something even my mom or big sis doesn't know about." Kazuya grinned after noticing that he aroused her interest. "I'll even give you enough of those ribbons you like to change them every day." he smirked. Kazuya planned to use this robot girl's stubbornness to make her be capable of protecting herself in the future.

"!" Tomoyo was surprised. Just the fact that he was giving her the ribbons was more than enough to motivate her.

"Don't get too excited because if you fail… Not only will I stop training with you, I never want to hear about that stupid agreement between our grandfathers." Kazuya turned around and headed for the door. "You have a month or so to prepare."

After he left the room, Kazuya had no idea that the dazed expression of the robot girl changed into a determined one. If Kuronuma Ayame was in front of her right now, she would say that these were the same eyes that stared her down after declaring that Kazuya was hers.

"Aren't you being too hard on her?" Tsuna appeared from the shadows before Kazuya reached the doors of his room.

"I believe she'll be fine. She gained something out of that experience." Kazuya pointed at his sleeve. It had some blood on it which didn't cause Tomoyo to flinch or stop her from coming close to him.

"Whose blood is that?" Tsuna frowned.

He initially didn't want to ask Kazuya why he smelled like blood because from what it seemed like, the boy was confirming whether Tomoyo had been over her fear or not. After seeing that it was not planted but an actual splatter caused by hitting someone, Tsuna couldn't help but question him.

"Oh, this?" he raised his sleeve and chucked. "Let's just say a certain philanthropist had gone and hidden himself after hearing that the authorities were onto his moneymaking schemes."

Tsuna sighed. He never had plans to use the authority that was given to him much. However, even though Kazuya might have provided himself a few ways out, there were still people in the government who might possibly look closer into this. The person who his G.o.dson just sent on a permanent vacation was involved with government projects after all.

"I'll leave her training to you Tsunsan." Kazuya smiled. "She should at least be able to handle herself against special forces after a month or so."

Tsuna was startled. He couldn't help but stare at the door that just closed. He pondered on Kazuya's words. Tomoyo indeed had the potential to have the strength if he focused on giving her intense training.

Under Tsuna's guidance, Tomoyo was able to utilize her mana to recover in just a week. Kazuya had already taught her the basics on how to increase her own recovery rate so Tsuna focused on teaching her how to use her own mana to accelerate her body's healing abilities.

Nanami, who heard about Tomoyo regaining her consciousness from Jirou, visited the Kouzuki household immediately. She learned that her friend and usual sparring partner was to stay and undergo training there so she asked Tsuna if she could accompany her friend.

Aside from Tomoyo, Nanami was another person who was very similar to Tsuna's type of fighting style. He couldn't reject her request because aside from the fact that Tomoyo needed someone to compare herself with, Tsuna wanted to keep developing this girl as well.

"These two are so talented that it leaves me in envy." Tsuna sighed as he observed the two girls with Kazuya. "You've found yourself excellent disciples." He praised.

"Disciples?" Kazuya was slightly confused. "If anyone should be their master, it should be you Tsunsan."

Kazuya ignored the mouth that gaped in front of him. He never saw these two as his disciples. Sure, he did give them pointers and trained with them but, unlike his previous self who would have been the same type as them, he already decided on changing his own path.

"are you sure?" Tsuna couldn't help but confirm this. It was a big matter to him after all.

"They're more like friends and companions than students." Kazuya chuckled after noticing how important this was to Tsuna. "I'm still too young to take in disciples even if I wanted to." He joked.

Kazuya was glad. Tsuna had been extremely helpful ever since he decided to stay with them. There was barely anything that Kazuya could do for this old man so leaving the two girls completely under his tutelage is something that he didn't think twice about.

Tomoyo's survival was slowly made public. It began when Jirou went to the school and requested for her to join their grade's S cla.s.s. This gave her more freedom to train with Tsuna without affecting her education. With increased security and the Kurogane clan under suspicion, Tomoyo was able to return to her own home.

When Natsu and Lailah started staying in the Kouzuki house, Tomoyo was both curious and surprised after she found out that it was Kazuya who asked them to stay. She would often stare at them whenever she had free time, especially since she noticed that there were times that the lady guest's ears shape changed a lot.

What Tomoyo wasn't aware of was that Lailah had done this on purpose. While getting used to the shapes.h.i.+fting spell Kazuya taught her, she didn't hide anything since she was inside the house. She found the cat-like girl who silently looked at her with curiosity quite cute and endearing so she let Tomoyo observe her as she liked.

"Tomoyo-chan right?" Lailah approached Tomoyo after a while.

*nod*

"Which do you think suits me better?" Lailah turned to the side and showed different ear shapes.

While she was grateful that Kazuya had taught her magic that she didn't know, Lailah had been frustrated for the past few days. Tsuna, Kazuya and even her husband wasn't aware that a spell like this was very troubling as the freedom to change the shape of her ears to a human's was a very serious matter for her.

Leaving the fact that she was a high elf whose n.o.ble ears symbolized something similar to a crown, as a woman, if she could help it, she wanted what suited her the best.

With Kyouko and Yumi who she had gotten along with busy with work, Tomoyo was the only person in the house who she could talk to right now. Even though she was still young, Lailah had already seen the way she gazes at Kazuya and even confirmed it with Tsuna.

"Second one…" Tomoyo was still confused but she answered the question nonetheless.

The two instantly hit it off after that. Since Natsu started working, without the need to patrol the forest or even forage for food, Lailah often had nothing to do. Akane and Tsuna both couldn't keep them company all the time and Nanami still had school, so these two enjoyed each other's company.

Lailah was amused. She heard that Tomoyo barely used her voice but this silent girl was especially talkative whenever they talked about Kazuya. Because of this, Tomoyo had another person to practice talking with. In return for Tomoyo's company, Lailah helped with the robot girl's training and even went as far as letting Tomoyo train her dodging abilities by making her avoid arrows that she shot.

In no time, two months had pa.s.sed by since Tomoyo had regained consciousness. Under Tsuna's strict tutelage and Lailah's help, without her being aware of it herself, the robot girl's skills took a giant leap forward.

Kazuya, Tsuna and Lailah sat on the sidelines and watched Nanami and Tomoyo spar at the practice area.

"huff… It's my loss…" Nanami tried to catch her breath as she stood unsteadily.

*bow*

Although being the victor, Tomoyo wasn't in a much better state. Both girls had fought as Kazuya instructed and treated it as a real battle. The two girls had suffered cuts and bruises although using wooden swords which showed just how much they have grown in the past two months.

"It's my win~" Lailah giggled as she took the last piece of cake that was supposed to be Tsuna's.

"I guess it can't be helped." Tsuna gave a wry smile. "Lailah-dono's help has helped Tomoyo's progress to this extent… What do you think Kazuya?" They both turned towards Kazuya who had been observing the two who were already concentrated on recovering their energy.

"Her progress truly had taken a leap. The advantage and lead that Nanami gained after being introduced to mana has lessened a great deal in just these two short months." Kazuya grinned.

"Just what kind of test are you preparing for Tomoyo-chan?" Lailah asked curiously.

"She told you about that huh… You two sure have gotten real close." Kazuya felt a little relief. He had been quite busy lately so he was thankful that Lailah had agreed to help with the methods to get the robot girl to make use of her own voice.

"Of course! Tomoyo-chan is a good girl. Tsunsan doesn't seem to know what the test is all about but as you can see, her shocking improvement is due to her desire to get through it. You should clearly understand how she feels right?" Lailah looked at him in the eye because she didn't see or treat him like his current age after all.

"I know…" Kazuya sighed. "I plan to resolve it depending on her pa.s.sing the trial I set or not."

"So can you tell us what it is? Seeing as you treat both of the girls in the same way… are you going to prepare one for Nanami-chan as well?"

"I can only say that Tomoyo's trial involves the critical difference between the two of them." Kazuya gave up and answered. "I don't think Nanami needs to have the same trial, but I intend to have her observe and decide if she needs it or not."

""Critical difference…"" the two immediately fell into deep thought.

"With Lailah-san's help, she has grown much faster than I thought. My estimate was off by a month so I would need a few days to prepare the trial itself. With her current skills, I think she can pa.s.s." Kazuya smiled before standing up and silently leaving.

A few days later, after Kazuya made sure to have both Tsuna and Lailah to be busy at the same time, he left the Kouzuki residence with Tomoyo. With Mame with them for security, the residents didn't find their actions suspicious.

After picking up Nanami who was asked by Kazuya to come with them during the night, he explained that tonight was the night for Tomoyo to undergo the trial that he asked her to prepare for.

"The harbor?" Nanami was slightly surprised after they had arrived at their destination.

"Yes. This is the place where I put Domyouji Kuuga's body after I ended his life." Kazuya nonchalantly replied after they entered the warehouse that used to be owned by the Ringo Corporation.

"!? Wait… w-what did you just say?" It took a few seconds for Kazuya's words to sink in so Nanami felt she had to confirm that she hadn't been hearing things.

"When he disappeared after the operation with the Dokuro clan, I intended to give him a warning to stay away from my big sis." Kazuya calmly explained. "When I arrived at his base of operations, I ended up eavesdropping on a call of him making a deal with Muimina Ringo to take away big sis so things ended up the way they did."

Nanami shuddered. Though she was already aware that Kazuya was indeed capable of ending a person's life after what happened to the head of the Dokuro clan, finding out what happened to Domyouji Kuuga and Muimina Ringo was orchestrated by Kazuya in a single night had left her finding no words to say.

"Though, I believe that Gakuto-san has been secretly investigating from behind the scenes."

"Why are you telling me this?" Nanami didn't understand. Though Domyouji Gakuto had his suspicions, it was based only on his intuition.

"It's because I believe that Nanami-san would understand my point of view? You did inflict wounds on s.h.i.+riharu Kira that would have been able to take his life if he were not skilled enough after all." Kazuya led them deeper into the warehouse.

"Huh…?" Nanami was slightly confused. "Wounds?"

Kazuya remained silent and switched on the lights inside the large warehouse that seemed to only have one thing placed at the center of the room.

""!!"" The two girls were surprised at the sight of the chair that bound a man that they wouldn't be able to forget anytime soon.

Tomoyo's body involuntarily trembled.

"This is your test s.h.i.+royuki Tomoyo." Kazuya faced the two girls after making sure the warehouse had been sealed. "Whether you understand it or not, you are aware that lives have been taken by these hands of mine, right?"

*…nod*

"You are aware of how protective I am towards the people I care about. I have gone through much trouble in hunting down this person who has hurt both of you but simply making him disappear will not be able to help you in any way other than securing your safety."

"…"

"You said you wanted to remain by my side. If those words were serious, then you have to pa.s.s this test.

In the near future, there would be a time that I would leave for a period of time. I will be unreachable so not only have I been spending time making sure that everyone I care about is safe, I've also been preparing each person to be capable of defending themselves."

"What… do I… need to do…?" Tomoyo's expression changed after hearing Kazuya's words.

"Pa.s.s this test. Use your own hands to punish the person who not only took your voice but also your parents. Prove to me that what you told me are not just mere words. End this sc.u.m's life so that he will never be able to take away anything from you again." Kazuya declared as he handed her a katana that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Tomoyo was surprised as soon as she took the weapon. She thought that holding steel would have been a lot harder than her practice sword but she felt as if she was holding the same thing.

She immediately understood that all the training she had been doing these past few months have been carefully considered by Kazuya. He had given her his trust in being able to overcome the terror she felt whenever she remembered the man who almost ended her life not too long ago.

*SLAP* the sound echoed through the warehouse.

"Wake up s.h.i.+riharu Kira. I brought a gift for you."

"…Huh?" after regaining consciousness, Kira struggled to find himself restrained. His blindfold was removed and found a boy looking straight in his eyes. "Who are—"

Kazuya didn't wait for him to finish and unrolled a piece of cloth that contained a set of blades that Kira was very familiar with. This caused a bit of confusion on Kira's part as he was currently bound.

"You should understand if you look behind me when I said I brought you a present." Kazuya moved to the side and revealed Tomoyo standing a distance away from them.

"Are you K-san?" after observing Kazuya who was slowly removing his restraints and the presence of the two girls that put him in a shameful state a few months ago, Kira tried to confirm his suspicions.

"What makes you say that?" Kazuya gave him a smile.

"There is no one else in the world that would help me." Kira grinned confidently. "I have to admit, you have quite the sick taste. Orchestrating everything up to this point."

"(Just what is this guy thinking?)" Kazuya wondered after finally removing his restraints. "You don't need to be wary of the other girl. This will be between you and s.h.i.+royuki Tomoyo." He didn't bother clearing up whatever misunderstanding Kira had come up with.

Though Kira thought about attacking Kazuya the moment he got free, he held himself back because he couldn't forget what had happened when he was taken from his apartment. The helplessness when facing someone that wasn't close to his league made him not want to show any hostility towards the boy in front of him.

"Should I be expecting a favor from you after I dispose of this final target of mine?" Kira rubbed his wrists and equipped himself with the blades.

"No. If you win, I will set you free myself." Kazuya walked away from the two and headed towards Nanami. "You two may begin as soon as I reach the side."

This was not a duel but a real fight so there was no need to signal them to start. Tomoyo kept her eyes on her opponent and took a stance while Kira on the other hand, remained relaxed while continuing to check his own body's status.

"Kazuykun…" Nanami called out to him in a worried tone.

Who could blame her? Tomoyo only had a single experience when it came to fighting outside of a compet.i.tion setting and it was an experience that nearly cost the robot girl her life.

"Watch without worries. I will step in if she's in any real danger." Kazuya rea.s.sured Nanami who didn't doubt his claim. He may have acted normal but Nanami's could tell that he was able to move at any moment's notice.

"I gotta say, I didn't expect to get my hands on you this soon." Kira grinned as he lowered his stance with a knife in his hand.

"!!" Tomoyo used the katana in her hands to block the sudden dash towards her.

*CLANG* Sparks flew as the two blades met.

Kira was slightly surprised at how Tomoyo was able to take that strike without losing her balance but he already knew that Tomoyo had the ability to hold her own from their last encounter.

A rush of attacks from Kira made Tomoyo go on the defensive. If it were not for the physical enhancement she was taught, Tomoyo would have already been knocked onto the ground by the fierce rush that the bloodthirsty Kira was unleas.h.i.+ng.

"HAHAHAHHA!" finding himself having the advantage after causing a cut to appear on Tomoyo's shoulder, Kira laughed out loud.

He kept his guard up against Nanami and Kazuya who were at the side because he didn't trust them. he didn't think that they truly wouldn't have made a move if Tomoyo was in danger. Seeing Kazuya holding the shoulder of Nanami who almost stepped forward after first blood had been drawn, his confidence that his sick benefactor will hold back Nanami increased.

"Calm yourself. Tomoyo still hasn't revealed her hand."

"What are you talking about Kazuykun? Tomoyo isn't fighting like herself. She hasn't attacked at all despite having multiple opportunities to do so!"

"No" Kazuya shook his head. "You're misunderstanding Tomoyo's style as you are looking at her in the perspective of a person fighting against her."

"What do you mean?"

"You and her had very similar styles. You probably couldn't tell since you're always sparring with her but she had started to change after the incident with s.h.i.+riharu Kira."

"Change?" Nanami was confused. Aside from the tremendous growth that Tomoyo showed, she didn't find any changes in her style in particular.

"Well… you probably wouldn't have noticed because her change was something that you have gotten used to already." Kazuya's words only caused more confusion in Nanami's head so he pointed towards the match.

Tomoyo clearly looked to have been on the disadvantage as cuts she suffered from started increasing. The number of blades that Kira throwing at her scattered around. Tomoyo held on as she barely attacked and had been mostly blocking or evading.

"I don't know if it was because of what happened but the robot girl is showing similarities to the style of someone you are very familiar with."

"!!" Nanami immediately realized what Kazuya meant. Thinking about the intense matches they had, Tomoyo recently timed her strikes in a way Nanami hadn't expected. "Kuronuma Ayame's…"

"That's right. You probably haven't realized it yet because the two of you know each other's styles well but Tomoyo had started a.n.a.lyzing me whenever we spar. Though it's pretty useless because I tend to lead her on, to someone who is currently looking down on her…" Kazuya grinned as he looked on.

*CLANG!* Tomoyo's Katana got knocked back.

"DIE!" Kira didn't plan on getting this opportunity pa.s.s and stepped in for the kill.

"HAAAH!" A sudden battle cry from Tomoyo overwrote Kira's shout as her left hand grasped the sheathe on her waist and used it to strike her enemy's throat.

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"GUAHH!" Kira instantly fell to his knees. Grasping his throat with both hands, he tried to gasp for air.

"…" Tomoyo looked at the state of her opponent with a blank expression.

Her parents were taken from her by this person. Though training with the sword was to make her remaining relatives happy, never did she think about using her skills to protect someone until Kazuya almost died when he was shot.

It might be a selfish wish on her part to protect someone who had never shown faced her with his true skills but, it was a wish she took seriously. Tomoyo didn't want to lose anyone without being able to do anything about it.

"You've won." Seeing that Tomoyo had crushed Kira's windpipe, he walked towards them. He was a little disappointed that she hesitated to give him the final blow but, he had no intention of healing Kira so the result wouldn't have changed.

"No…" Tomoyo muttered.

*SLASH*

"!!" Nanami froze after Kira's head went flying. She was no stranger to blood or dead bodies but this was the first time that she had seen someone's life taken before her like this.

"This… is what Kazuya wanted?" Tomoyo turned to Kazuya with her usual expression but this time, it seemed like it was not as stiff and robotic like before.

"Yes. Although in a messy way, you definitely pa.s.sed." Kazuya gave a wry smile after looking at the bloodstained robot girl. He had mixed feelings about what had just happened but healing her took priority.

"Your promise…?" Tomoyo's sight focused on Kazuya. Though she had started talking more than he had expected, her gaze told him that she wasn't planning on letting him delay matters.

"Fine…" Kazuya sighed and pulled her away from the dead body that was making a b.l.o.o.d.y mess and had her stand beside the frozen Nanami and he closed up her wounds.

"Had you failed, I would have treated you as a regular friend like Takaya." Kazuya faced both of them and then asked. "You two like me in a way that is more than a friend, right?"

"Wha!?"

*nod*

The two reacted differently but it was more than enough to confirm Nanami's standing.

"Though I would leave the discussion as to why at a later time, I want to give my answer and apologize as I cannot have any relations.h.i.+ps in that regard anytime soon." He gave a serious apology.

"That isn't the only reason though. We are still at a young age so I want both of you to accept this answer of mine and think about your feelings more. As I am happy to have garnered your affections, I will not tell you both to stop but rather examine these feelings."

"Does this have something to do about what you said earlier about leaving for some time?" Nanami who was struggling to keep herself calm decided to ask.

"Yes. I will not nor will I even begin to think about such feelings or relations until I come back. This is why I want both of you to think and examine your feelings more."

Kazuya who will tell them the same secret about the memories he had experienced would tell them that the reason he said this was because of his own conclusion about the different people he met in that dream. From his perspective, he wanted them to have the opportunity to examine their feelings and differentiate them from admiration, grat.i.tude and the like.

For someone who had thought he had fallen in love only to have lost them or betrayed by them, he wanted to give them a chance that he had not been given.

"I only have to think about it and… understand right?" Tomoyo suddenly spoke up.

"You'll be fine after you return from your trip right?" Nanami quickly followed up.

"Why do I have the feeling that you girls don't get what I'm trying to say?" Kazuya sighed and cast a spell to get rid of the corpse before the smell of blood got any thicker.

"You want us to make sure that we are sure of our feelings right?" Nanami confirmed.

"That's a quick summary of it but—"

"Then we'll do that!" Nanami who was more or less already aware that Tomoyo had the same feelings she did for Kazuya didn't plan on losing.

"I'll report on my… progress…" Tomoyo showed her seriousness.

"You two…"

.