In the middle of the almost completely destroyed prison tower, several prisoners’ doors have opened. Many took the opportunity and escaped. Among these prisoners is the brother of the head of the Sakiko family: Ino Sakiko.

  After his unauthorized attack on Michinaga Fujiwara, Ino was brought to this tower. He was supposed to remain here until a hearing, but if he has the chance to escape, he will take it.

  Ino: “Did I just see cherry blossoms earlier? If that’s true, then…”

  Ino quickly disappears from the tower and follows the trail of cherry blossoms.

  Ino: “I think there was also a green flash. That would mean Amara should be here, but she shouldn’t be in this country—let alone on this continent. I must have missed a lot.”

  He catches up to the three people he was hoping to see: Saku, Amara, and Kogiri.

  Ino: “Hey guys, I’m—”

  Suddenly something stops Ino. He feels something invisible wrap around his body. It feels like a rope.

  Ino: “What is this?”

  His Birth Ability, Whirlwind, activates, but his wind attacks do nothing. They don’t touch any solid matter. He is being held by an energy. The force pulls him into the air and makes him disappear into the darkness of the tower.

  Ino: “Aaaaghhhhhhh!”

  Saku turns around and stops. She looks back as if she heard something familiar.

  Amara: “What’s wrong?”

  Saku: “N-no, nothing. I thought I heard something. A scream, but it was probably just my imagination.”

  They continue walking, leaving the mystery of Ino’s disappearance unresolved.

  They arrive in front of the main hall and see Noiji and the two unconscious people next to her.

  Noiji: “Good that you’re here. I need to change again before I go inside.”

  Saku: “Right, there are more of you now. The children of the head are gathered. Well, almost.”

  Kogiri: “Why does she need to change?”

  Noiji: “I’m one of the Snake Judges who led the tribunal.”

  All three look at her skeptically. Each of them has a huge question mark and exclamation point on their face.

  Noiji: “Don’t look at me like that. I’m employed, you know. I also listened in on your conversation in the room and hugged Najun in the hallway. Hahaha, you should’ve seen his face.”

  Saku: “Aren’t your memories supposed to be altered so you can be one of them?”

  Noiji: “I’m just different from the others.”

  Without a satisfying answer, they go inside. Kogiri picks up Kiyomata and Najun.

  Amara: “Even though I hate to admit it, you keep getting cooler every time we meet.”

  Noiji thanks her for the compliment and puts on her snake mask.

  Everyone enters. The hall is completely demolished. Only two of the four Snake Judges present survived, and one of them is Noiji, who had secretly infiltrated this role.

  It takes a while for everyone to gather, but eventually they are all there. On the Sakiko side are Aihara, Keiko, Saku, Kogiri, and almost all of the head’s children.

  On the Taira side, there is only one person: Kiyomata, who is just waking up from unconsciousness. He awakens with a severe headache and a dry mouth.

  Kiyomata: “W-where am I…?”

  He realizes where he is and looks around. None of his family members are in sight. Shocked, he looks toward the judges.

  Kiyomata: “What have you done to my family? This is clearly an intrigue by you and the Sakiko family. You should all be executed.”

  Even though Kiyomata has no interest in his family, it would still be bad for him if they were killed or imprisoned.

  Noiji: “You should watch your tongue. What your family allowed themselves to do today is highly scandalous.”

  Kiyomata’s left eye twitches, and he grinds his teeth together. Even the people on the other side can hear the sound.

  Noiji: “We had already reached our verdict before you woke up. We declare the Sakiko family innocent, and for the planned attack on the Sakiko family and on us, you will be sentenced to life imprisonment.”

  Kiyomata: “What?! No, that can’t be true. Such injustice must not exist.”

  Snake Judge No. 4: “Most of your family members who took part in the attack were killed. The hired assassin escaped, so you will bear the punishment regardless. I would also like to express my praise to the Sakiko family.”

  The Snake Judge turns to Aihara and the others.

  Snake Judge No. 4: “I wish to commend you for your bravery and willingness to sacrifice. I, my colleague, and the entire Tribunal House thank you.”

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  Aihara: “We only did what anyone would do when treated unjustly.”

  Noiji: “You may even be right about that.”

  Kiyomata is escorted away and brought back to the Taira estate. He is to explain to the remaining members of the Taira family what will happen next. He is also supposed to provide information about the assassin. Michinaga later appears before the tribunal.

  He reports that he knew nothing about the attack and believed he was on the right side. According to him, Dorothy, her brother, and Luna were deliberately sent by the Taira family to approach Michinaga.

  He apologizes to the Sakikos and is allowed to leave. He is confronted by Kiyomata with numerous insults until Michinaga steps closer.

  Michinaga: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Kiyomata: “You filthy dog. You started all of this and now you just want to walk away?”

  Michinaga: “If you put it that way, then yes.”

  Kiyomata: “I will kill you. Kill you…”

  Michinaga grabs Kiyomata by the throat.

  Michinaga: “I don’t like your tone, and your choice of words is very aggressive. I can’t help it that your family consists of hollow nuts.”

  He taps Kiyomata on the head.

  Michinaga: “I wish you a pleasant stay in prison and thank you for all your services. Especially for eliminating Najun Sakiko.”

  As it turns out after the tribunal, the Terror Hand attached to Najun’s face and rooted in his brain cannot simply be removed. Every attempt to remove it by force causes Najun’s body to convulse and his heart rate to increase dangerously.

  Kiyomata claims that Michinaga and his father gave it to him and that he was only following orders, but no one believes him, and he is led away.

  Aihara: “So that means Najun will remain in this comatose state for now.”

  Noiji: “Seems so. My poor little brother.”

  Naki: “He could have—”

  Naki still thinks about what Dorothy said. He doesn’t know whether to feel pity for his brother or fear him. He doesn’t even dare to touch him before he is pulled out of his thoughts by a hug.

  Noiji: “I know you’re sad about Najun’s condition, but we can’t be depressed now. We need to find a solution.”

  Naki nods with a forced smile and turns away.

  Noiji pinches both of his cheeks and pulls them hard.

  Noiji: “Don’t you dare just accept my words and then ignore them. Have you gotten tough while I was gone? Your big sister deserves more than that dry nod.”

  Naki: “Yeah, I know. Sorryyyyy. Let go of my cheeks.”

  Noiji pulls once more and then lets go.

  Noiji: “That’s what I needed. Alright, let’s get going.”

  The Sakiko family prepares for departure. Without any information about Ino’s whereabouts, most assume he escaped and is on his way home. Naki, Saku, Noiji, and the unconscious Najun travel in the still partially intact turbo carriage, driven by Kogiri.

  Kiyomata is driven back to his estate. A large escort of Crow Guards and a Snake Judge accompany him to ensure everything proceeds as planned. During the entire ride, Kiyomata sits in silence.

  No thoughts. No words. No reaction. One would never have thought that someone like Kiyomata Taira—who enjoys painful combat and doesn’t care what his family or others think—could suffer a mental short circuit.

  Upon arriving at the estate, the Snake Judge handles the explanation for the remaining Taira members. They were already a small family, but after several deaths, they are no longer a significant force.

  In his father’s office, Kiyomata searches for any remnants—objects or documents he must destroy before someone finds them. When he looks at the bookshelf in the corner, he knows what is behind it. He knows who is behind it. Using the two secret mechanisms he knows, he opens the entrance.

  He sees a bed. A man lies in it, wrapped in bandages and connected to many machines. Kiyomata reaches out to touch the man when he feels a needle pressed against his neck.

  ???: “What do you want?”

  A female voice speaks from behind Kiyomata. A syringe is held to his neck.

  Kiyomata: “So you’re the bodyguard nurse? I’m his son, so it’s fine.”

  After a few seconds, she removes the syringe.

  Nurse: “I apologize for my brutality, but my task is to protect your father while your uncle took his place.”

  Kiyomata: “It’s fine. We’ve lost anyway, so there’s no need to keep this a secret.”

  Kiyomata sits down next to the man and touches his face.

  Kiyomata: “Ah, Father… your brother did a terrible job. He didn’t behave like you at all. Anyone who knew you even a little would say you acted differently than usual. We couldn’t punish your almost-murderers. On the contrary, they won, and now we’re in trouble.”

  The nurse injects two syringes into the man on the bed.

  Kiyomata: “But the disguise worked surprisingly well. Brother couldn’t tell that it wasn’t his father standing before him—but now he’s dead too. I still don’t understand how that clown of a man managed to steal the Shojo girl’s Birth Protection. Neither he nor Uncle wanted to tell me.”

  Kiyomata stands up and goes to a small cabinet on the wall. He takes a cough medicine and drinks it completely.

  Kiyomata: “Unfortunately, I have to bear the punishment for everyone, but to be honest, I don’t care at all. I just find it a bit unfair that I was left alive.”

  Kiyomata: “Hey, nurse, take my father to this place.”

  He shows her an address and a photograph.

  Kiyomata: “Our family name will soon be dragged through the dirt. That will have fatal consequences for our strength and health. Take him there and have him properly treated, but protect him at all times. If I find out you failed to protect him then… well, it is what it is. Don’t stress about it.”

  Kiyomata doesn’t fully understand himself. Even though he claims not to care about his father, he still wants him to receive the fastest possible treatment and be protected. The defeat was harsher than he thought.

  Nurse: “I will protect him with everything I have. I hope we meet again soon.”

  Kiyomata: “Don’t hope for that. It would just be a waste of strength and time. Leave only after the tribunal people are gone.”

  Kiyomata closes the door and leaves the office.

  Kiyomata: “[I should have been more careful.]”

  That was the end of the Taira family. In less than a week, they fell out of the top five. Many of the members are already suffering from illnesses, and their once powerful abilities are now nothing more than party tricks.

  In a hotel in Tongyo, a meeting is taking place. A mysterious figure sits in the center. Around them stand a man in a blue suit, a small girl covered except for her eyes, and a woman wrapped in yellow bands.

  ???: “So the mission was successful.”

  Michinaga: “Yes. We’re simply amazing. The next part of the plan can begin.”

  Luna: “I think we should wait a bit longer. If we move too quickly, it’ll be too obvious.”

  Michinaga: “Buzzkill.”

  ???: “What do you think, Dorothy?”

  Dorothy: “I-I want to slaughter them. I want to ruin them. I will tell everyone what Najun Sakiko did. This family won’t last long. Aaaaghhhhhh!”

  Two large figures behind Dorothy place their hands on her shoulders and calm her down.

  ???: “I want to kill them too. Even if I’m useless, I want to kill them.”

  The supposedly dead Dandelion stands behind one of the sisters, crying with a runny nose. The corpse in the tribunal hall was a fake.

  ???: “Anyone who makes my siblings cry doesn’t deserve to live. I’ll scare them to death and drive them away. That’s what a scarecrow like me has to do.”

  A man who looks like a scarecrow stands on Dorothy’s other side. It’s Spooky, who should also be dead. At the time Dorothy announced his death, she thought she had accidentally killed him, but she was wrong—he survived. However, he arrived too late and couldn’t take part in the tribunal or the fight.

  Michinaga: “That would be stupid. As Luna unfortunately said, it would be far too obvious.”

  Dorothy: “Shut up. You hid when the fighting started, so be quiet!”

  Michinaga: “The only one who should be quiet is you. My poor ears.”

  The three siblings stand up and are about to violently attack Michinaga when they are all dragged to the ground by chains around their necks.

  ???: “Michinaga and Luna are right. It’s too obvious. We stay calm and wait for our chance. I promise you, you will avenge your tin brother.”

  Dorothy: “I truly hope so… for their sake.”