Demon Sword Maiden

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"Sister Shimizu!" Lily pushed her away gently, backing toward a wooden pillar, her cheeks flushed. "No one can see us in here, but still—what's really going on? Shouldn't you explain everything to me?"

Shimizu showed no sign of disappointment. "You can ask anything, but honestly, I don't fully understand it myself."

"When I was badly hurt, everything went blank. I felt like my soul had left my body—and I couldn't tell which body was really mine. Both seemed to be drawing me in. After that, I don't remember much."

"When I woke, the two bodies had fused. It's hard to describe, but the body of the Imperial Princess felt… innately familiar, like it had always been mine. I can't explain it, but I'm certain—it was supposed to be mine all along."

Lily stared at her, puzzled. "You mean that body was yours from the beginning?"

"Yes. I don't know why, but it felt like the Imperial Princess had been using a body that belonged to me."

"Then who is she really? The Imperial Princess has lived in the Abyss for over a thousand years. How could she have your body? You've only remembered your life for less than twenty years, right?" Lily pressed.

Shimizu shook her head. "If you want specifics, I don't have them. It's like a heartbeat—can you explain why it beats? You just know it does." As she spoke, Shimizu stepped closer and gently pressed a hand to Lily's chest.

"Hm?" Shimizu leaned in again, as if to take in Lily's scent.

"Sister Shimizu, what are you—"

"Ah, so this is the scent of a woman."

Lily blushed and answered with a hint of awkward defiance, "Isn't that obvious? We're both women, aren't we?"

"Hehe, you know exactly what I mean, Sister," Shimizu teased, her hand sliding down from Lily's chest to her waist and lower abdomen.

"W-what are you doing?" Lily flinched and slipped around to the other side of the pillar.

"No wonder the Imperial Princess was furious. I've told you everything I know—so isn't it your turn now? Who is it?" Shimizu followed her around the pillar, a dark glint in her eyes.

"What do you mean? I don't know what you're talking about…"

"You look like someone who's been through a passionate storm, but you still won't admit it. You're different—more mature. Do you think I'm as easy to fool as you?" Suddenly, Shimizu changed direction around the pillar and intercepted Lily, grabbing her waist and pinning her gently against the wood.

"Tell me the truth. Was it Ayaka? Rei? No… it doesn't feel like either of them. Then who is it?" Shimizu's voice trembled slightly, her eyes glistening with anxious tears. "What did you do with her?"

"There isn't anyone…" Lily murmured, lowering her head, face flushed.

"No? Do I need to examine you myself? You confessed in front of everyone that you gave yourself to your lover. And now you want to lie to me?" Shimizu's tone turned uncomfortably intense.

Lily could only respond with guilt. "But… you said you wouldn't mind…"

"Then it's true…" Shimizu clutched Lily's robe tightly, her gaze dark and uncertain. "But I still don't know who it is. Who was it really?"

"Just tell her. What are you afraid of?" At that moment, the voice of Rinne echoed gently from the mirror, heard only by her.

"Huh?" Lily's eyes widened in surprise. "But…"

"What is it? Who are you talking to?" Shimizu glanced around, seeing no one nearby, but Lily's voice and demeanor clearly felt off.

Trusting her instincts, Shimizu stepped closer and asked anxiously, "Could it be… her?"

Lily wasn't sure how to respond, but she didn't want to go against her senior sister's wishes. Embarrassed, she gave a small nod.

A trace of moisture flickered in Shimizu's eyes. She turned her head aside briefly, then faced Lily again with a soft smile.

"Where is she? Who is she, really?"

"Sister Shimizu, please… I need some time. I don't know how to explain it yet." Lily lowered her head, unable to meet her gaze. "Could I… clean up and change first?" Her undergarments were torn, and she was still wrapped in Ayaka's coat.

"I understand. Go ahead," Shimizu replied with a calm smile.

Lily quickly stepped into the private washroom connected to the wedding chamber and locked the door behind her. She undressed and used her spirit power to moisten a towel with water. As she began to wipe her body clean of the traces left from the previous night, a strange reluctance tugged at her heart.

"What am I even doing…? This is all just an act—shouldn't I be focused on escaping? Why am I so caught up in this…?"

"Lily, come here."

"Huh? Senior sister?"

"Come in."

Realizing the call came from the Mirror Dimension, Lily knelt down and sent her consciousness inward. All eight gates of the Mirror Dimension were closed—no one else could enter.

After everything that had happened, Lily finally saw her senior sister again. Though it had only been since that morning, it felt like an eternity. Her heart and soul ached with longing.

"Senior sister!" Lily rushed forward, dropped to her knees, and embraced Rinne around the waist. "I'm sorry… truly."

The woman in white, identical in appearance to Lily but entirely different in presence, gently stroked her hair. "Why are you apologizing to me?"

"Senior sister, ever since arriving in the Heian Dynasty, I tried to stay pure. I believed I was loyal and untainted… but I was so inexperienced. I was captured again and again. Though I kept my body untouched, the humiliation… it wore me down. I was mentally weak. Even with my sisters, there were… moments. I may have crossed some lines."

"I've always claimed that only you hold my heart. But I haven't been strong. I've made mistakes—even if many were out of my control, some were due to my own weakness. I'm truly… ashamed."

"That's enough, Lily. You don't need to explain all that." Rinne continued to caress her hair. "Even when I was dormant within the mirror, it wasn't because I didn't care. I lacked the soul energy to awaken—but I saw everything. You've shared it with me before."

"Huh…?" Overwhelmed earlier, Lily hadn't realized. Now that she understood, her face turned even redder. "Senior sister, I…"

"It's alright. Given everything, I won't dwell on the past. What matters now is this—what are you going to do?"

"When you say now… you mean?"

"Oh? You're really asking that? I see everything you see. Weren't you about to lie down with Sister Shimizu?" Rinne said softly, a faint smile in her eyes.