"The true Spirit—the Typhoon Princess Yamai—must possess not only strength and brains, but also beauty and charm so great that all creation burns with envy. Don't you agree?"
"Thinking…"
Yuzuru stared at Kaguya from head to toe, silently examining her. Then she nodded.
"Answer. Yuzuru's answer is: I see. Indeed, we have never competed in this category before."
"Heh heh~ Right? Very natural, isn't it? Up until now, no third party has ever intervened in our duels, so we never had anyone to judge such a thing. But now…"
Kaguya smiled smugly, then suddenly pointed at Shichen and asked:
"What is thy name?"
"You can call me Shichen," he replied calmly.
He really hadn't expected things to develop in this direction. He'd already been planning to just overpower the two and drag them off.
Apparently his charm was strong enough that Kaguya had changed the rules of the game.
"Shichen? What a strange name. But then, you yourself are quite strange. Hmph~ Very well. I, the great Kaguya, hereby appoint thee as the referee of our duel."
"Referee, huh?"
"That's right."
Kaguya lifted her chin, corners of her mouth curled up, and turned to Yuzuru with a provocative look.
"Well then, Yuzuru? Dost thou have enough courage to accept this challenge? Heh heh, I possess a charm that can make all things submit to me—so the outcome is obvious. But if Yuzuru should curl up her tail and flee, I won't mock thee as a coward, you know~"
"Denial. That is impossible. There is no reason for Kaguya to win. Yuzuru should be the more charming one. Yuzuru can easily make men fall at her feet," Yuzuru replied blandly, shaking her head.
"Heh, you're all talk."
"Declaration. Yuzuru is cuter. To be frank, Kaguya is only mid-tier at best."
"W-what?! You little—! Hey, Shichen, you say it—between the two of us, who's cuter?!"
Kaguya finally couldn't take it and turned on Shichen. She never could win a verbal fight against Yuzuru.
"For now? Yuzuru," Shichen said.
"W-what?!"
Kaguya looked like she'd just been hit with a critical, eyes wide in disbelief.
"Happy. Shichen, you have good taste," Yuzuru said, smiling.
"On what basis?!" Kaguya demanded.
"I like the lazy vibe. I don't like chuunis."
"So it's because of that…"
Kaguya could not accept this at all.
"But that's only for the moment. Once you show off your charm, maybe I'll think you're cuter instead," Shichen added, trying to console her.
"I…"
"All right. Since you two made me the referee, I'll take the job. From here on, you listen to me."
…
Ormi Island finally returned to normal, and when Shichen came back to the reference room, everyone was waiting for him.
"Shichen! You're back—are you okay?"
The moment she saw him, Tohka ran straight at him.
"Relax—what could happen to me?"
Shichen reached out and ruffled her hair.
"Then it's fine~"
Tohka closed her eyes, contentedly enjoying the head pats.
"Shichen~ It's not very nice to go off on your own, you know. How can you just leave me behind?"
Kurumi drifted over, her tone full of mock resentment.
"I needed you here to watch things."
"Then what about my reward?" she asked, eyes glinting.
"Reward? Ah, I see."
Shichen noticed how her gaze kept flicking toward Tohka and instantly understood. He reached out and patted Kurumi's head as well.
"How nice~"
Kurumi smiled, genuinely pleased.
"Shichen…" Origami hadn't missed the pattern and stepped up too, looking like she wanted to say something.
"All right, you get some too," Shichen said, giving her a head rub as well.
"Mm," Origami murmured, quietly satisfied.
"Shichen-sensei, are you all right?"
Homeroom teacher Okamine Tama came running out of the student crowd.
"I'm fine. Everything outside's settled. There shouldn't be any more trouble."
"Really? Is it really okay?" she asked, still nervous.
"Don't worry. This was all within expectations," Shichen said, trying to reassure her.
"Within expectations… That storm didn't look planned at all…" Okamine-sensei still looked uneasy.
"It's really fine. Let's get everyone to the lodging first. Just trust me, okay?"
"Shichen-sensei… Understood."
Tama nodded earnestly.
She'd already guessed that Shichen's identity was anything but ordinary. If he said it was okay, she had no choice but to believe him.
At this point she really didn't know what else she could do, but…
"Shichen-sensei, these two are…?" she finally asked, looking at the identical girls standing behind him in borrowed uniforms.
"Oh, them? They're transfer students. And they just happened to join us for the trip," Shichen replied.
Kaguya and Yuzuru bowed politely.
"Transfer students…?"
Okamine-sensei stared blankly at them.
"Eh? More transfer students?"
"It's the end of term and they still transfer people in?"
"And they're twins?!"
"So cute!"
"I don't think they lose to the princess at all—and they're twins!"
"Don't be stupid! Our princess is the cutest!"
"Everyone, these two are Yamai Kaguya and Yamai Yuzuru. They'll be taking part in the field trip with us, so get along, okay?" Shichen said, turning to the students with a warning tone.
"Yes!"
"Shichen, they're not… Spirits too, are they?" Kurumi sidled up to Shichen and whispered.
"You're too sharp for your own good," he muttered, flicking her on the forehead before taking the lead toward the exit.
"All right everyone, move out. We've lost enough time—let's get to the inn and eat."
"Yes!"
"So, Shichen, compared to Yuzuru, I'm clearly more charming, right? If you choose me, I'll let you pick your favorite spot on my body and leave a pledge kiss there~"
On the way, after a minor delay, Kaguya couldn't hold back and started showing off.
She absolutely refused to accept that Yuzuru was "more charming" right now.
"Temptation. Please choose Yuzuru. Yuzuru is willing to do something that will make you feel very good. Really good. Kaguya can't compare," Yuzuru said calmly.
Identical faces, matching uniforms, one girl on each arm, each clinging to him and rubbing up against him—every bit the textbook twin temptation.
And really, what man wouldn't like twins? Especially high-school-aged twins, in their prime, and this pretty on top of it.
His arms were full of softness and warmth, a pleasant elasticity wherever he brushed them. At this distance, their charm was overwhelming.
Yet Shichen's expression stayed perfectly neutral, his body language calm. Not because he was so "experienced" that he was immune, but because the environment really was terrible for reacting.
All the teachers and students around them were watching.
There were eyes full of envy, stern glares, panicked flickers, and shy looks—all of it making it completely impossible for him to show any reaction.
"You two! Stop clinging to Shichen!"
The first to snap was, of course, Tohka.
She'd been distracted by the scenery for just a moment and they took advantage.
"And you are?"
"Question. What is your relationship with Shichen?" the twins asked in unison, turning to her.
"I'm Yatogami Tohka. I'm Shichen's… Shichen's girlfriend!"
Tohka's face went bright red, but she still forced the confession out.
"Girlfriend? Shichen, you already had a girlfriend?" Kaguya said, astonished.
"It's not like I ever said I didn't," Shichen replied.
"Well that's inconvenient."
"Actually, it's perfect. If you can snatch me away from my girlfriend, wouldn't that prove your charm even more?" Shichen said lightly.
"You know, that does make sense."
"Agreement. No problem," Yuzuru added calmly.
"Shichen~ what are you even saying?" Tohka puffed up her cheeks.
"Tohka, they're just messing around," Shichen soothed her.
"Messing around?"
"They like playing this kind of 'game.' They're twins, after all—always obsessed with who's more attractive. That's normal, right?" Shichen said loudly, mostly for the benefit of the onlooking students.
"Is it really like that?"
"It is."
"Oh! Then I get it!"
Tohka bought it immediately.
Kaguya and Yuzuru didn't contradict him. Shichen had already told them to do as he said.
"Wait, what about me?" Kurumi slid over, joining the fun.
"And you are?" Kaguya looked her way.
"I'm Shichen's mistress," Kurumi said sweetly.
"Mistress?! Shichen, you really play that wild?" Kaguya exclaimed.
"Question. Is what she said true?" Yuzuru asked, suspicious.
"You can ask him," Kurumi giggled.
"Yeah, Kurumi is my mistress. Convenient, isn't it? One girlfriend, one mistress—raises the difficulty for you two. Whoever can steal me away from them proves she has more charm," Shichen said cheerfully.
"Girlfriend and mistress… what's wrong with you?" Kaguya muttered.
"Mocking: Kaguya, are you scared? Yuzuru is unafraid. She will simply steal Shichen away," Yuzuru said.
"W-who's scared! With my charm, stealing Shichen will be a piece of cake!" Kaguya shot back without backing down.
~~~
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