Yukina

From all the families that had practiced unorthodox arts, offsprings were already segregated between the useful and the useless. For this generation of the main Hoshii branch—the pure-blooded line, these two daughters had already been analyzed for their purpose.

Kiyoko, being the older one, understood that once she could write. She's the useless one. Her parents never expected anything from her, nor will she be able to achieve anything either. Effort and hardwork was irrelevant once the classification was passed down. Her lot in life was to simply support her sister who was still yet to be born.

She didn't know how it happened but it truly was a girl. Kiyoko became an older sister now and, as her fate dictated, she must devote her life to the whims of this girl.

Yukina grew up to be carefree, enjoying her privileges as the chosen one. She didn't have to know she's the better option between them and it's also forbidden to impart this information to her. After all, the gods' will must be done and it was heaven who chose Yukina. Kiyoko could never hope to compete and it's fine…

She had completely lost that feeling long ago.

Becoming a personal attendant for her own blood was her sole reason for existing. Everything else, she stripped away from her. She'd never marry anyway. Besides, if Yukina had a child of her own, Kiyoko would remain to be of service to the both of them. Until her last breath.

Once, she was asked how to write her name. Yukina had been curious and they're elementary kids now. “I've never seen you write your name, sis,” she said.

“Ki-yo-ko, like that,” she answered while demonstrating how.

“Really?”

“Really really.”

“Hmm… I thought you don’t remember the kanji used.”

She couldn't tell the truth. She had nothing… even her name meant nothing. Their parents expected nothing from her, so if she couldn't even do as she's told, then what would that make her?

Days passed quickly when there's no ambition, and Kiyoko had been content on her life so far. In fact, she believed it's the best possible outcome for her—an expendable pawn, as Yukina never ordered her to do anything too tedious.

Meanwhile, a certain girl had made her way into Yukina's close friend's circle—this was a first; she had many acquaintances, but the mask she wore with those people and with Kiyoko were different. To think someone else had claimed that privilege, and a stranger to boot, put a sour taste on her mouth. Hopefully, this one will be the last.

The reason why they're sent to this faraway place became clear after this. The art they practiced could be copied even by a normal, unrelated person. If Kiyoko somehow failed to keep watch over Yukina and the technique was learned, then they'd be the only ones gathering attention. With a common family name—Hoshii—it'd be impossible to trace who belonged to the lineage and who's lying.

However, Yukina wasn't informed. She had the privilege to be ignorant. So, as she inherently was from a line of matchmakers… no. Perhaps ‘fate weaver’ was the more appropriate term. After all, what they did wasn't as simple as to match potential marriage partners, they might as well tie people's fates together.

In any case, she devised this childish gamble in order to make her friend Asako believe her crush, a guy named Fujiwara Shinosuke, was destined for her. They took hundreds of pictures, not minding the price of a roll of film which wasn't cheap at the time, and developed and compiled it. One in a thousand. That's Asako's odds. Surely if she's still picked, it'd be nothing short of a miracle.

The plan went off without a hitch and the album was made with Asako's lone picture passing the test. There's one roadblock however. Kiyoko noticed that, during the selection of the pictures, Shinosuke was eyeing a certain one from the album. However, it wasn't Asako! She knew it'd break Yukina's predictions hence her intervention.

Instead of the picture, she just arranged for the two to directly meet. Kiyoko knew Shinosuke wouldn't pick that ugly girl over her Yukina, thus, she'd just make it so he had no choice. After all, Yukina's word was the word of the gods themselves. The girl had never been wrong with her claims. If she would commit such an error, then, Kiyoko would blame it to the gods themselves. After all, the girl was their faithful envoy. She never strayed from the path even without being told.

But despite the result being the same, the means to achieve it was altered.

“Say, Kicchan,” Yukina said as she tied a piece of red string at one corner of the room. “Don't tell anyone about this room, okay?”

It might be around then that she began this weird project in a room in their house. Yukina had suddenly bought a lot of red yarn and colored beads and began tying them in a weird fashion. It looked like she’s serious about it too, and redid some parts or even all of it many, many times.

“Okay, but can you stop calling me Kicchan? No endearment is fine. I mean, I'm not… sigh. Just no.”

“Why? It sounds like ‘keychain’ and it's cute. I love keychains,” She lovingly stroked her belly. “I'm pretty sure this one will, too.”

“Yukina, you…”

She continued on with her string work. Actually, she also had been writing and computing and tying strings every day until she gave birth.

Kiyoko never noticed the signs, for she, unlike the chosen, couldn't do as well as her sister, a natural. Her little act might've affected the future. But it's to be expected. She's nothing, so she'd always be nothing. Why did she overstep her bounds and did something she wasn’t ordered to? As she had shunned everything around her to look after her sister, the answer to her questions might never even see the light of day.

Or maybe, it wasn’t so complicated. All for Yukina.

Kiyoko remembered it vividly, sometime before their last meeting. A silly conversation.

“Kicchan, can I ask for a really big favor?”

“You know I'd do anything for you, just say the word.”

“Actually,” She showed her a keychain. It's a fat cat with huge eyes. “Can you keep this one for me?”

“Yukina, you know I can't—”

“Please…”

“…”

“Pretty please with cherry on top.”

“…”

“Pretty please with cherry on top and lots of chocolate on the side?”

“Wha?”

“I'm running out of vocabs so kindly take it, super please.”

“…Fine.”

Yukina was extremely pleased it's leaking all over her. “Now you're a good person!”

“Um, am I not, after all those years?”

Yukina shook her head. “You are, but only for me. Now, you've officially become a good person to everybody and nobody could refute that fact.”

“I'm confused if that's a compliment or you're just messing with me. Besides, if you see me as good then that’s fine enough for me…”

“Mama,” The young girl on Yukina's arm tugged. “Aren't we going somewhere?”

“Yep, you heard the princess,” Yukina stepped closer to Kiyoko and brought her foreheads together. “I'm so lucky to have you and Senna. I love you.”

And then…

Later that day, Hoshii Yukina was unfortunately hit and ran over by a speeding bike.