Don't Give Up!

Rewinding the time back a bit to before the whole mess…

“Ryuu, are you ready?”

Hiiro’s voice came from the earpiece in my ear.

“Yeah, we’re in position.” I replied in a low voice as I glanced at the delinquents behind me.

We were currently laying low just outside the great hall of Kagura Family’s main house. With Hiiro and Ouji’s help, we managed to sneak inside the complex and entered the central building without being caught. As expected, having people on the inside made all the difference. Compared to that time when Shinji guided us, Hiiro’s information was more accurate and reliable.

“Kazami and Sakuya-chan is on their way here, so you should hold still until I give the signal.” Hiiro continued. “I’ve made sure that none of the patrol will come close to your hiding place.”

“Yeah, I’m really grateful for that.” I replied earnestly. “I’ll be waiting for your signal.”

After saying that, I turned toward the delinquents. Since we had nearly 80 people with us, we split into a few groups and hid inside unused rooms within the central building. Hiiro told me that these rooms were used by servants back then, when the great hall was still used as a dwelling place.

“Kazu-senpai, notify the other groups that we’ll charge in as soon as Hiiro gives the signal.” I whispered to him.

“Roger that.” Kazu nodded before relaying the message to the others.

Suddenly I heard Hiiro gasping sharply in my ear.

“Hiiro? What’s wrong?! Did something happen?!” I quickly questioned him in a fluster.

“Damn…Sakuya-chan…Sakuya-chan is…” Hiiro’s voice was terribly shaky.

“What happened to Sakuya-san?!” I barely suppressed my voice.

“She…She’s so amazingly beautiful! Damn, I want to take pictures right now, but I have to stand guard! I’d be the shame of all dating sims gamers if I can’t immortalize the all-important CG of Sakuya’s event right now! Where can I find a camera?!”

I clenched my fist and swore to punch Hiiro’s face when I met him later.

“Don’t scare me like that, Hiiro!” I complained.

“What’s wrong, Ryuu? Did something happen?” Kazu couldn’t help but ask with trepidation in his voice.

“No…it’s just Hiiro being his usual idiot self.” I sighed as I massaged my temple.

“Well, at least that means he’ll be fine.” Kazu smiled wryly.

“He won’t be if he keeps messing around like—”

I heard another gasp from Hiiro.

“Hiiro, what is it this time—?”

“Ryuu, come here quick! Sakuya-chan is…!”

When I heard that, my body moved before my mind could keep up. I leapt to my feet and dashed out of our hiding room, leaving Kazu to alert the other groups. I ran through the deserted hallway, following the floor map that I had memorized for two weeks.

“Ryuu, get over here now! Quickly! There’s no more time!” Hiiro had abandoned all restraints and basically screamed in my ear.

“I know, I’m heading there right now!” I snapped back at him, but his next words froze my insides.

“Sakuya-chan is trying to kill herself!”

“What?!” I shrieked, just as Kazu and the others caught up with me.

The great hall’s doors were ahead of us, unguarded just as Hiiro told us. But it would take some time to push the heavy doors open. By that time, it might already be too late for Sakuya.

“Kazu-senpai! Takashi!” I called out to our strongest fighters after Hiiro and Ouji. “Run ahead and smash the doors open! Sakuya-san is trying to kill herself!”

“W-What?!” Takashi was so surprised that he nearly tripped.

Fortunately Kazu managed to grab his collar in time.

“Leave it to us!” He told me before running ahead while dragging Takashi with him.

I put more strength into my legs and rushed forward, just as the two of them managed to open the heavy doors.

“WAIT, SAKUYA-SAN!!!” I shouted, desperately wishing that I wasn’t too late.

The first thing that caught my eyes was a vivid, crimson kimono worn by a petite young woman at the end of the hall. The color deeply resembled Sakuya’s eyes, and it took me a few seconds to realize that the person herself was wearing the kimono.

I’d seen Sakuya in kimono for a couple of times now, and while she always struck me as a completely different person, this time I was simply awestruck at her stunning beauty. The crimson kimono was embroidered with gold patterns that enhanced her natural majestic aura. The pale skin that peeked from the gaps of her kimono and lightly applied make-up brought out Sakuya’s adult-like charm.

If she weren’t trying to stab herself with a hair stick, I’d stop and admire her queen-like beauty for a whole day.

“Ryuu…?!” Sakuya’s eyes met mine and they widened with shock.

I let out a relieved sigh when I confirmed that Sakuya hadn’t injured herself. But then I realized that I was celebrating too early when three people dressed as servants suddenly leapt at her and Kazami with knives in hand.

“Watch out!” I screamed.

Clang!

Kazami, having sensed the attack coming, expertly turned around and parried two of their knives with the dagger he'd grabbed from Sakuya. He blew the remaining person across the room with a strong kick to the stomach.

“Yikes…as expected of Sakuya-san’s father…” I muttered to myself as I kept running toward her.

“Boss!” The guards immediately rushed to Kazami’s side, but they were obstructed by assailants disguising themselves as servants. They were unable to reach the family head, who was fending off another wave of attack.

The whole room fell into utter chaos as the guests scrambled to distance themselves from anyone dressed as a servant, while the guards were locked in a fierce fight with the assailants. Even though the assailants were not as skilled as the members of Kagura Family, they were smart enough to team up as they took on the guards, thus effectively keeping things in a stalemate. The delinquents tried to catch up with me, but they were having trouble navigating the chaotic room.

Amidst the chaos, no one realized that there was another servant sneaking right behind Sakuya. Fortunately, his movement didn’t escape my notice.

“Sakuya-san! Behind you!” I shouted a warning.

I thought that she would immediately turn around and beat the assailant up, just like how Kazami had defeated the other three. However, contrary to what I expected, Sakuya simply turned around and…stood still.

My eyes widened when I saw Sakuya’s expression. It was filled with defiance and resignation, as if she was rebelling by giving up on everything. I finally realized that Sakuya seriously wanted to die.

“Don’t give up!! Sakuya-san!” I yelled at her, desperately trying to move her heart. “We have a way! We can help you! So don’t give up just yet!”

Her crimson eyes flicked toward me, but it held no hope whatsoever. Instead, Sakuya smiled as if she was saying goodbye. The assailant in front of her swung his knife to reap her life.

“SAKUYA-SAN!!!”

Slash!

I stopped in my tracks, too stunned to process the scene in front of me.

“Urgh…!” Kazami grimaced as he covered his bleeding eye with one hand. His other hand gripped the assailant’s neck.

The assailant flailed as he desperately tried to escape, but Kazami would never allow that. With one decisive move, he snapped the assailant’s neck before throwing the body aside.

“What the hell were you thinking, Sakuya?!” Kazami roared at his daughter.

“Otou…sama…” Sakuya stared at her father in shock. “I…”

Neither Sakuya nor me—nor everyone else in this case—ever expected Kazami to protect his daughter at the expense of his own safety. The assailant missed Sakuya’s neck when Kazami choked him, but his knife managed to slash Kazami’s right eye.

“Kazami-sama!”

The guards finally reached their boss after forcing their way through. They surrounded both Kazami and Sakuya protectively. Shin and Tetsu were among them. They had a shocked face as they saw Kazami’s bloodied face.

“You’re injured! We’ll call a doctor…!”

Kazami raised his hand, interrupting Shin’s words.

“Later. Capture all the rats and make them spit out the mastermind—”

“There’s no need for that, Kazami-san.”

A new voice emerged from the hall’s entrance. As if on cue, the remaining assailants regrouped with the newly arrived person.

“You…!” I gaped at him in disbelief.

The delinquents, who had managed to regroup with me in the middle of the room, also raised their voices in shock.

“Shinji…” Sakuya's face paled as she whispered his name.

“Hey, Sakuya-chan. It’s too bad that you failed to kill yourself, huh?” Shinji waved at her with a relaxed demeanor, as if they coincidentally ran into each other. Unlike the other assailants, he was dressed neatly like a guest. “It’s a shame, I really wanted to see Kazami-san’s twisted face when he saw your dead body.”

“W-Why…?” Sakuya staggered back when she heard that heartless remark.

“Who the hell are you?” Kazami stepped forward as he glared at Shinji.

“See? This is one of the reasons why I did this.” Shinji gestured toward Kazami as he shook his head in exasperation. “This family has killed and destroyed far too many families that they don’t even remember who their victims are anymore.”

“Look, I knew you were planning something from way back.” Hiiro, who suddenly popped up beside me, spoke to Shinji. “And I don’t care what it is, as long as you can help us with Sakuya-chan. But your men tried to harm her.” His voice lowered dangerously.

Hiiro glared at Shinji with murderous eyes.

“I can’t forgive you for putting Sakuya-chan in harm, and also encouraging her to kill herself!” He shouted angrily.

“That’s right! That’s right!” The other delinquents raised their voices in support.

Shinji scoffed at the accusation. “I’m encouraging her? How absurd. Sakuya-chan decided that on her own. I have nothing to do with it. I’m even surprised that she chose this path. I wonder how disappointed Kazuya-san will be if he knew that his younger sister is trying to kill herself?” He smirked at Sakuya, who visibly flinched at the mention of her dead brother.

“Are you doing this to avenge that failure’s death?” This time, Kazami directed his glare at Sakuya. He grabbed her shoulder violently and shook her like a ragdoll. “I’m asking you if you did this for that trash’s sake! He’s just a useless coward that abandoned his family and his duty! He’s—”

“He’s my brother!” Sakuya finally exploded and grabbed Kazami’s arm instead. She glared hatefully at her father. “Yes, I love him so much that I’m itching to kill you for murdering him! But do you think I’ll be so stupid to attempt your murder with all of these hostages?! Haven’t you seen my decision earlier?! If I can’t run away nor kill you, then I’d rather kill myself!”

“Sakuya-san, you can’t do that!” I reflexively shouted, prompting the surprised father-daughter pair to look at me. “Listen to me, we know that you can’t run away from the Kagura Family anymore, but it doesn’t mean the end of everything. You just have to transform the family, the way you’ve transformed the delinquents in Sakurasaki!”

Sakuya’s eyes widened when she heard it. Glimmers of hope sparked inside her previously dull eyes, bringing back the Sakuya that I knew and loved.

However, that glimmer immediately died out the moment Shinji spoke.

“You speak as if it’s the easiest thing in the whole world, Ryuu.” Shinji crossed his arms. “Do you really think that Sakuya-chan can change the twisted, notorious Kagura Family on her own? All while standing up to her own father, who wanted nothing more than a puppet on a string? It’s time for you to wake up—reality isn’t that easy, Ryuu.”

“True, it might be impossible.” I took a step forward. “She has to establish her own position as the heiress, winning the family members to her side, all while opposing Kazami-san’s influence. But you’re forgetting one thing.”

As if on cue, all of the delinquents moved in sync. We all stood on the side of the Kagura Family's guards, conveying our resolve to everyone.

“She’s not alone.” I declared. “We won’t let Sakuya-san fight on her own anymore. And we won’t let you nor anyone else harm her.”

Shinji’s confident expression wavered for an instant. But he quickly collected his composure.

“Well, well, it seems the tide has changed.” Shinji’s gaze swept the hall.

Before, it was a three-way clash between the Kagura Family, the delinquents, and Shinji’s forces. Now that we’ve taken the Kagura Family’s side in order to protect Sakuya, Shinji was badly outnumbered.

“Then, it’s been a fun time, but we’ll have to continue some other time.” Shinji started inching toward the entrance.

“Do you think I’ll just let you leave like that?” Kazami growled at him.

“No, I’m sure you won’t, but I’ll still leave anyway.” Shinji smirked before turning around and fled the hall with his men.

“Get them—!”

BLAR!!!

Before Kazami could bark his orders, the hall was shaken by a violent explosion. A shockwave swept the great hall, bringing thick smoke and dust with it, forcibly robbing everyone of their senses.

“That bastard is sealing the entrance with an explosion!” Shin shouted among the commotion.

When the dust settled, we saw the hall’s entrance was buried in rubble, making it inaccessible. It wouldn’t imprison us here forever, but it would surely buy Shinji enough time to escape.

“Who the hell is that bastard and what does he want?!” Kazami glared at the rubbles in frustration.

“Otou-sama.” Sakuya, who had been quiet, suddenly spoke up.

We all looked at her in surprise. She no longer had that resigned look on her face, instead, she was wearing her usual fierce smile. Her crimson eyes burned with resolve and fighting spirit.

“I’ll take care of that traitor, Kagura Shinji, and his subordinates for you. But in exchange, I want you to change our previous deal.” Sakuya spoke with confidence.

Kazami narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “I won’t let you leave the family.” He reminded her.

“I’m well aware of that. I’ll still succeed the family, just as you wish. However…” Sakuya stared straight at Kazami. She looked nothing like her previous doll-like self, who only nodded and followed behind her father. “You’ll let me act as I please, as long as I don’t harm the Kagura Family. I intend to succeed this family and transform it according to my ideals. You might not agree with me, but the one who will lead this family in the future is me. I will build up my own strength and influence, then I will change this family.” Sakuya declared.

Kazami fell silent for a moment as he contemplated her offer. “…very well. If you can prove yourself by dealing with that bastard, then I’ll accept your offer. But you should remember that I won’t make it easy for you.” Kazami warned her. “I’ll make you submit to me in the end.”

Sakuya’s lips curled into a victorious smile. “We’ll see about that.”

She turned around and marched toward us, who were witnessing that back-and-forth with bated breath.

“Sakuya-san…!” I tried embracing her, but she stopped me with one hand.

“Later.” She said curtly. “We have work to do. Didn’t you guys already swear to follow me till the end?”

Her smile was so villainous that none of us dared to retort that we never sworn such a thing.

“First things first…” Sakuya approached the nearest wall.

BAM!!!

We all stared at Sakuya slack-jawed as the petite girl swung her fist with all her might toward the wall. The next second, a gaping hole revealed the outside world.

“Let’s go.” Sakuya gestured at the hole. “We have some rats to catch.”

*****

“Sakuya-san, do you have a plan?” I asked.

After leaving the half-destroyed great hall behind, we used one of the meeting rooms to convene. Every pair of eyes were fixated at Sakuya, who was deep in thought. She had haphazardly tied her long hair and rolled up the sleeves of her kimono, so it wouldn’t get in her way. Despite her disheveled appearance, Sakuya still managed to retain her stunning looks.

“Tarou.” Sakuya called out.

“Here! What can I do for you, Sakuya-chan?” Hiiro spoke with so much fervor that you could see an imaginary dog tail swishing excitedly behind him.

“Do you have the complete map of the main house, including all of the hidden escape routes?” Sakuya held out her hand as she casually asked him.

All the other delinquents—including me—gasped at the nearly impossible demand. It would be one thing if Hiiro had half a year or at least a few months to investigate the whole complex in detail. But he was here only for a month. Coupled with Tetsu and Shin’s strict supervision, there was no way Hiiro could produce such an accurate map.

However, defying all of our common sense, Hiiro casually pulled out a bunch of rolled-up papers.

“Here. I have a feeling that we’ll need them, so I investigated every nook and cranny of the main house.” Hiiro spread the maps he had drawn on the desk.

“What?!” We all crowded around the desk and started checking the maps.

Each and every map was drawn meticulously, complete with detailed explanations of the hidden escape routes and how to access them.

“How?!” I turned toward Hiiro in shock. “Don’t tell me that you made all of these under one month?!”

“But I did.” Hiiro answered proudly as he puffed his chest out. “While it’s true that I came here to support Sakuya-chan, I always meant to help her escape again, no matter what it takes. So it’s only natural that I prepared this much.”

“Amazing work as always, Tarou.” Sakuya grinned and patted Hiiro’s head as if she was praising a dog. “Now, we’ll use these maps to corner and catch every single one of the intruders. I need you all to split up and ambush each of them.” She addressed the rest of us.

“So we can just beat them up as we like, right?” Takashi cracked his knuckles and let out his bloodlust.

“I don’t care how you do it, as long as you bring them back alive.” Sakuya replied off-handedly.

“No, shouldn’t you tell him to hold back?” I reflexively retorted.

“Don’t worry.” Sakuya glanced at me. “Even though they’re from the branch families, they’re still part of the Kagura Family. They won’t die from just this much.”

“You have been completely tainted by this family…” I lowered my gaze as I sighed in exasperation.

“…do you hate this?”

“Huh?”

At Sakuya’s sudden question, my head instantly shot up.

“Like I said…do you hate…that I’ve changed?” Sakuya hesitantly repeated her question earlier.

Despite Sakuya’s calm expression, I noticed her fingers fidgeted nervously as she waited for my answer. The realization that this girl, who always put up a strong and brave front as if nothing could ever hurt her, held my opinion in such high regard tugged at my heartstrings.

“As if I could ever hate you, Sakuya-san.” I smiled to reassure her. “You might’ve changed because of your surroundings, but the person inside you is still the Sakuya that I know. As long as you remain yourself…” I will always stay by your side.

My face blushed furiously when I realized what I nearly blurted out in front of everyone. Fortunately, I managed to shut my mouth before those words slipped out. I quickly averted my face, before subtly stealing a glance at Sakuya’s reaction.

I was worried that my unfinished sentence might make her misunderstand, but judging from Sakuya’s slight smile, it seemed that my worries were unfounded.

“Ahem!” Hiiro cleared his throat loudly as he interrupted the increasingly private conversation between the two of us. “Why don’t we go back to the plan?” He tapped on the maps, clearly pissed that I had stolen Sakuya’s attention.

“Right.” Sakuya nodded and turned serious. “As I said before, you can do whatever you need to capture them alive. I still have something planned for them, so make sure that you bring them back in one piece.” She grinned fiercely.

Chills ran down our spines as we gingerly nodded at Sakuya’s order.

“Good. Now, let’s decide on the details.” Sakuya started giving out more detailed explanations to us.