Tenju and Taira

Tenju cried and trembled as she laid on her bed clutching Taira's cold corpse. "Why... WHY TAIRA!?" 

Tenju and Taira had a rough life ever since they were born. In addition to being born prematurely, Taira had been born with hideous scars covering her face. This led to the twin's birth mother requesting that the staff dispose of Taira and only focus on saving Tenju. However, Tenju, despite being a premature newborn, reached for Taira's hand and grasped it. This was her first act of protecting Taira. The staff decided to try and save both twins, leading the twin's mother to descend into rage and resentment. She then decided to leave the twins for dead and returned to the strip club she was a part of.

As for Tenju and Taira, they both miraculously survived, however, that was just level 1. The two were sent to an orphanage where Taira was once again scorned for her scars. Tenju was the only one who would defend her, but as a result, she got into lots of fights, often leading to her being reprimanded for her actions. School was much the same, but worse.

Despite Taira showing intellectual prowess, she was not only targeted for bullying by other students, but also some teachers as well. Tenju once again came to her aid, and while things seemed to be going fine, trouble occurred in the twin's second year of middle school. There, a teacher led the class in hurling jeers and insults at Taira, reducing her to tears. As a result, Tenju landed the entire class and teacher in the hospital, and was promptly expelled and sent to a juvenile correction facility.

The separation was unbearable not just for Tenju, but also Taira. She began blaming herself for Tenju's arrest, and began to wallow in sorrow. However, it was at that moment that she had a fateful encounter.

...

Taira parted her hair a bit to get a glimpse at a gathering crowd. Apparently, people were converging around a flamboyant woman seated at a table. With her curiosity peaked by the loud groans of frustration from the crowd, Taira made her way to the front. There, she saw a man dejectedly leave the table as the woman motioned for the crowd to look at the table. The two had been playing a game of chess and the man had lost.

The woman then motioned for Taira to take a seat as she reset the board. Taira nervously obliged and sat down. As soon as the game was ready, Taira was allowed to move first. She had heard of chess before but never played it, and was afraid things would end horribly for her, but she touched a pawn, something hit her.

"T- This game… Something's just telling me... It's fate," she thought.

Indeed it was as this woman was in fact Maestro Himitsu herself. Taira ended up losing, but impressing her so much with her skills, that she made her an offer. "Will you agree to become my disciple?"

"O- Only if my older sister can too," Taira responded.

Maestro Himitsu nodded and quickly pulled out her cellphone. Within an hour, Taira and Tenju were reunited.

"So one of the girls has talent then," Raymond nodded as he approached Maestro Himitsu. 

Maestro Himitsu nodded and pointed towards Taira.

"Why are you pointing at her like that!?" Tenju shouted as she protectively hugged Taira.

"Fear not, your sister is not being mocked for her appearance, rather she's being praised for her talent," Raymond stated.

"T- Talent!?"

"Yes, she has displayed such talent that Maestro Himitsu is willing to take her on as a disciple. Naturally, you are invited as well."

"W- What-"

"I- It was chess, Nee-san. I- I just knew as soon as I touched the pawn... It was fate," Taira stuttered.

Tenju's fear subsided as she looked Taira in the eyes before embracing her in a tearful hug.

That was how the twins first met Maestro Himitsu and got their start in the chess world. Taira quickly rose through the ranks and effortlessly achieved a rating of over 2000 in two months. Tenju, however, struggled just to break 500. However, Maestro Himitsu didn't abandon her, rather she said that it was fine for her to be at her current skill level. Tenju however wanted to improve, since she believed that her lack of skill would bring down Taira.

A few years later, the twins were appointed as SPCMs, and allowed to open secret puzzle cafes. Now in high school, Tenju worried about Taira being by herself and requested that she be allowed to manage a single secret puzzle cafe with Taira. Raymond was against the idea, however, Maestro Himitsu proposed a compromise. Since Taira was the most skilled and highest rated of her SPCMs, she proposed that in order to challenge her, one would first need to beat all the other SPCMs. Raymond ended up happily accepting the proposal.

Since then, the twins have felt nothing but gratitude towards Maestro Himitsu. The twin’s life outside of chess even began to improve with their high school life seeing a drastic reduction in bullying. This was largely due to the WWCF’s influence, but nonetheless, the twin’s lives were improving. The day the twins graduated from high school ended up being one of the happiest days of their lives, not just because they had managed to get through high school with little to no issue, but also because Maestro Himitsu took the time to attend the graduation. What truly made the twins respect Maestro Himitsu so much though was the fact that she felt like a real mother to them. She’d always help them and offer them guidance, not just in chess, but in life as well. 

But now, everything was bleak for poor Tenju. 

"Taira... I'm sorry. I was too stupid to see anything! So weak I was dragged into that battle as a wager chip!" Tenju sobbed.  

"Onee-san... The fault... The fault is mine. I should have noticed sooner, or had a stronger body," Taira's voice echoed in Tenju's mind.

"TAIRA!?"

"Onee-san, once I was dragged into a DESPER battle. There, I emerged victorious and for my winning prize, I made it thus; Should I ever perish in a DESPER battle, my body shall return here with you to our room, any punishments associated with my perishing in regards to you shall be nullified, and finally, my consciousness will live on in yours." 

Taira's body began to glow gold and turn into small particles, winding their way into Tenju's mind. 

"Onee-san, do your best for us both... And thank you for being my big sister and protector my whole life." 

And with that, Tenju dampened her sheets with a newfound torrent of tears.