This is the story of a tree. The tree was rooted deep within a kingdom, its trunk composed of the very essence of foundation, glory, victory, beauty, severity, mercy, understanding, and wisdom, while a magnificent crown formed its verdant canopy.
Ordinarily, this tree remained pliant, its trunk bending and drooping, its crown nestled deep amidst the dark weeds that also drew sustenance from the kingdom’s soil. Yet, upon receiving external stimulus, it would stiffen, lengthen, and thicken, rising proudly. Within its crown, countless white seeds would gather, and when the opportune moment arrived, they would burst forth, scattering into the world like willow catkins carried by the wind.
Despite the tree’s countless endeavors to propagate its seeds, not a single one ever successfully germinated, failing to bring forth the next generation.
Then, one day, the tree parted the ominous black clouds, gazing up through the Heavenly Ladder that ascended directly to the Celestial Palace. Through the rosy clouds swirling around the ladder, it beheld the boundless brilliance residing deep within the palace: the Sun itself.
Only at this moment did the tree finally comprehend. All life blossomed under the sun; without its warmth, the tree, no matter how many seeds it bore, could never hope to bring forth new life on its own.
And so the tree grew, striving to become immense and robust. It ascended the Heavenly Ladder, filling its passage entirely, piercing through the rosy clouds. These clouds, in turn, transformed into a rain of blood-red, slowly trickling down the tree’s trunk.
Its crown then aggressively forced its way towards the Celestial Palace’s gates, pressing against them, twisting and pushing, violently shattering them open. It burst into the warm abode of the Sun, and from its depths, countless pristine white catkins erupted, surging towards the very fount of life itself.
****
“Hmph hmph hmph, ah~”
The jarring sensation of being forcibly roused from sleep was utterly miserable, prompting Itsuka Shido to let out a rather ill-tempered groan.
It was the season of burgeoning spring, a time when flowers bloomed and the air grew warm, and school was still a distant concern. He should have been able to luxuriate in a peaceful sleep until he woke naturally. Instead, Itsuka Shido’s adorable younger sister, Itsuka Kotori, was currently using her small, stocking-clad feet to stomp on his head, chest, and abdomen, even launching into a rhythmic samba dance. Truly, no one, save perhaps for those with a very particular set of predilections, would find joy in such a morning ritual.
“Kotori, my dear sister!” Itsuka Shido’s voice emerged, muffled, from the depths of his futon.
“Nani? My cute Onii-chan?”
Kotori spun around to face her brother, her middle school uniform swirling with the movement. Her twin pigtails, secured with white ribbons, bounced playfully, and her large, round eyes, wide as brass bells, fixed an unblinking stare on Shido.
Incidentally, even with his head buried beneath the duvet, Itsuka Shido could discern the pristine white of Kotori’s panties beneath her skirt through a minuscule gap.
Shido, however, felt neither embarrassment nor excitement. ‘What’s a brother glimpsing his sister’s panties?’ he mused. ‘It’s hardly a matter of consequence!’
Shido could assert this with righteous indignation!
“Kotori, spring break isn’t over yet, and it’s not time for school. Just let me sleep a little longer!”
Itsuka Shido pleaded, yet his adorable sister, Kotori, had no intention of relinquishing the delightful experience of dancing upon her beloved Onii-chan.
“No can do, Onii-chan! This level tests your skill at waking up on time. Only by rising punctually can you pass; otherwise, severe punishment awaits!”
Kotori adopted the menacing, claw-waving stance of a final boss in a video game. Her long hair, bound into twin pigtails, swayed wildly, and her middle school uniform billowed with her movements, creating an undeniably cute spectacle.
“I-I can’t hear you clearly!”
Shido buried his head, attempting to mimic an ostrich and feign ignorance, yet Kotori, resolute in her mission to rouse her brother, would not indulge his ploy.
“Time for punishment!”
Itsuka Kotori brought her legs together, then launched herself upwards. Her skirt billowed, momentarily revealing her adorable panties, before she delivered a merciless stomp directly onto Itsuka Shido’s abdomen.
“Uwaaah T﹏T!”
Itsuka Shido felt as though his stomach had been dealt a devastating blow—no, it *had* been dealt a devastating blow. His eyes rolled back, and he dramatically feigned unconsciousness.
“Brother, wake up now!”
Itsuka Kotori, as if utterly oblivious to her actions, simply resumed her cheerful song and dance.
“Hm!”
Abruptly, a large hand emerged from beneath the duvet, seizing Kotori’s ankle and causing her to yelp in surprise.
“Brother, what are you doing?”
Before Shido could utter a response, another hand snaked out from the covers, only to grasp Shido’s *own* hand.
“No! No, I can’t do such a thing to Kotori! Kotori, quick, jump!”
“Eh, what exactly is happening?”
Kotori seemed utterly bewildered, the white ribbons adorning her head trembling uncontrollably.
“Actually, I’ve just been cursed by the King’s Power. My arm will uncontrollably inflict the ‘Hellish Itching Torture’ on my sister. While I can still control myself, Kotori, run!”
As Shido spoke, he simultaneously forced his hand to release Kotori’s ankle.
“Brother, what about you?”
Trembling, Kotori retreated to the furthest corner of the room, her voice laced with worry as she addressed Shido.
“Don’t mind me! If it means saving you, I’m willing to bear this curse!”
“Onii-chan…”
“Gah!”
Itsuka Shido suddenly let out a mighty roar, flinging off the duvet. He waved his arms wildly, startling Kotori into an immediate, pathetic shriek, sending her scrambling away in a panic.
“Ah, another ordinary day!”
Itsuka Shido sighed, a familiar weariness settling over him. Every single day, Itsuka Kotori would rouse him with some new, peculiar method, granting him no respite, not even during the holidays.
Shido turned his head to glance at the alarm clock; it was barely six o’clock. “Honestly,” he grumbled under his breath, “to wake me at such an ungodly hour!”
Itsuka Shido sighed once more. Just as he was about to pull the duvet back over himself, intending to drift back to sleep, he abruptly reconsidered.
“Never mind, I think I might have gone a bit too far. Perhaps I should check on Kotori?”
Shido scratched his head, stifled a yawn, and slowly, deliberately, ambled out of his room.
Upon entering the living room, Itsuka Shido discovered a small, red twin-tailed creature huddled behind the sofa, trembling visibly.
“Kotori, it’s safe now!” Itsuka Shido crept silently behind Kotori and gently tapped her shoulder.
“Kya!” Itsuka Kotori, startled, abruptly sprang upwards, her small head, adorned with white ribbons, striking Itsuka Shido’s chin with unerring accuracy.
“Uwaah T﹏T”
Caught entirely off guard by the direct impact, Itsuka Shido involuntarily staggered back a couple of steps.
“Ah! Oh? It’s O-Onii-chan!” Kotori finally recognized Itsuka Shido and, overcome with joy, launched herself into his embrace.
“Honestly!” Itsuka Shido murmured, gently stroking Kotori’s small head. When it came to his endearing younger sister, he found himself utterly devoid of any exasperation.
“When will you ever grow up a little?”
“Ehehe, Kotori loves Onii-chan the most!” Kotori completely disregarded Shido’s question, instead nuzzling against him like a spoiled child, her developing chest brushing against him with playful friction.
“Alright, alright, I’ll go prepare breakfast. You go play for a bit!”
With those words, Itsuka Shido gently helped Itsuka Kotori to her feet, settled her comfortably on the sofa, and then proceeded into the kitchen.
Both their parents were employed by a technology company, and their work frequently necessitated business trips, leaving Shido and Kotori alone at home. This arrangement had fostered an exceptionally close bond between the siblings.
During these periods, Itsuka Shido invariably shouldered the responsibility of preparing breakfast for Kotori, a task at which he had become exceedingly proficient. Indeed, when it came to culinary prowess, Shido harbored a confidence that even surpassed his mother’s.
Busy parents, a sister, and a home of his own. More importantly, this sister was an adopted one, unrelated by blood.
Add to that his own rather impressive culinary skills, and one might say that, were he to undergo a gender-swap, he would undoubtedly embody the ideal of a virtuous wife and loving mother.
And if a childhood friend were also thrown into the mix, he would be, without a doubt, the quintessential male protagonist of a romantic comedy light novel.
Regrettably, however, let alone a childhood friend, Shido didn’t possess a single close female acquaintance outside of Kotori.
Shaking his head, Shido banished these idle thoughts, retrieved eggs from the refrigerator, just as the faint murmur of the television reached him from behind.
“We interrupt this program for a breaking news report. Early this morning, a spatial quake occurred near Tengu City…”
“Eh, a spatial quake?”
Shido turned, his eyes narrowing as he fixed his gaze upon the television screen.
The television screen was currently displaying the devastating aftermath of the spatial quake.
Buildings and roads lay in ruins, as if ravaged by a meteorite strike or an enemy air raid, with debris scattered across the desolate landscape.
“Ahhh, another spatial quake!”
Itsuka Shido shook his head, a wave of irritation washing over him.
“Ever since the Great Eurasia Spatial Quake thirty years ago, these things have never ceased!”
“Especially in the last five years, spatial quakes in Japan have been unusually frequent!”
“…Hmm, it’s true! I wonder who it is this time?”
Itsuka Kotori, leaning against the sofa, her eyes narrowed slightly, spoke.
“Kotori? What are you talking about?”
“Mm-hm, Meishin Mo?” Kotori shook her head, then turned away.
“Onii-chan, I’m hungry!” Kotori chirped adorably, clutching her stomach.
“That’s not very convincing when you have a lollipop in your mouth!” Itsuka Shido remarked, gently patting Kotori’s head.
“I’ll forgive you this time. Now, eat properly!”
“Yay!” Kotori exclaimed, pulling the lollipop from her mouth and striking a victory pose, her hand pointed skyward.
“Onii-chan, I love you!”
****
“Thank you for the meal!”
Having savored Shido’s culinary creations, Kotori clasped her hands together in a gesture of sincere gratitude.
“Speaking of which, what are you planning to do today, Onii-chan?”
“Well, now?” Itsuka Shido mused for a moment, then, adopting a conspiratorial air, leaned in to whisper into Kotori’s ear.
“Kotori, Onii-chan is going on a date with a girl soon!”
“Really? A girl actually agreed to go on a date with Onii-chan!” Kotori’s eyes widened in astonishment, her sweet face a mask of utter disbelief.
“That’s right, Onii-chan isn’t just dating one girl, he’s dating *many* girls!”
“I reckon, soon, Kotori won’t be the only girl in the house!”
“Liar!” Kotori’s large, expressive eyes immediately misted over with tears.
“Hahaha, of course, I was just teasing you!” Itsuka Shido burst into laughter, pointing at the calendar. “Happy April Fool’s Day, my silly sister!”
The Itsuka family calendar prominently displayed the date: April 1st, April Fool’s Day.
“What?! I actually thought Onii-chan was truly going on a date with a girl without my help!” Kotori exclaimed, sounding as though a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
“How could a normal girl possibly agree to date a love-loser like Onii-chan?”
“Ugh!”
Itsuka Shido clutched his chest, as though an arrow had pierced his very heart.
“But even if a love-loser Onii-chan isn’t liked by any normal girls, Kotori will take on her sisterly responsibility to help Onii-chan!” Kotori happily embraced Shido. “After all, Kotori loves Onii-chan the most!”
“Should I be thanking you, Kotori?” Itsuka Shido was unsure whether to display an expression of tears or laughter.
****
“I’m heading out!”
“Have a good trip!”
Itsuka Kotori waved from the doorway, watching Itsuka Shido depart.
Shido’s claim of going on a date with a girl was, of course, a lie, but he did genuinely have plans with someone. Just yesterday, Itsuka Shido had arranged to meet one of his few good friends, Tonamachi Hiroto, to play games at the newly opened arcade.
Upon arriving at the arcade, Itsuka Shido spotted a man with a spiky, gelled hedgehog haircut, sitting intently before a game machine, utterly engrossed in the screen.
“You’re so weak, please, you’re so weak! Now you know who’s boss, right?”
For some inexplicable reason, Shido suddenly felt the urge to play a prank on Tonamachi Hiroto.
So, he quietly approached Tonamachi from behind, subtly placed a hand on his shoulder, and mimicked Tonamachi’s mother’s voice.
“Hiroto, are you playing video games again? Take a break!”
“Annoying!” Tonamachi replied irritably. “And one more thing, Itsuka! Don’t mimic my mom’s voice!”
“Ah… what are you talking about?” Shido feigned ignorance. “I didn’t do anything!”
“Will you stop bothering me?” Tonamachi turned to look at Shido, but unfortunately, at that very moment, Tonamachi’s character was accidentally hit by the boss and died.
“I died! It’s all your fault, please!”
Despite his words, Tonamachi Hiroto didn’t seem angry at all.
“Itsuka, what took you so long? Did you forget our solemn vow?”
“Who made a solemn vow with you?” Itsuka Shido retorted. “Besides, it’s only just past seven. Is that really late?”
“Seven o’clock is late! What kind of time is that? I’ve been here since midnight!” Tonamachi shrugged. “*That’s* truly arriving on time as agreed. I even heard the spatial quake alert from the city outskirts!”
“That’s way too early!” Itsuka Shido couldn’t help but exclaim.
Although he knew the arcade was open twenty-four hours and that some people really did play all night, he hadn’t expected Tonamachi to actually do it.
“Can your body handle it?”
“My body?” Tonamachi struck a pose, as if to flaunt his muscular physique. “Don’t worry, an all-nighter of gaming is nothing to me!”
“You, on the other hand, with a physique more delicate than a girl’s, you’ll have trouble finding a girlfriend!”
“I…” Itsuka Shido was about to say something more when an unknown female voice interjected.
“???”: “I finally found you, Itsuka Shido!”
“Hm? Excuse me…” Just as Shido was about to turn around, a pair of cool, delicate hands gently guided his head back, and a never-before-seen girl appeared before Itsuka Shido.
She possessed a face of exquisite beauty, like a perfect work of art. Wispy pink bangs gracefully framed her forehead, while heterochromatic eyes, one like a ruby and the other an emerald, sparkled on either side. Her delicate, finely sculpted nose exhaled a breath that brushed against Shido’s face, causing a faint blush to creep onto his cheeks.
“Hey, I’m asking you, are you really Itsuka Shido?”
In stark contrast to her sweet voice, her tone was quite crude and masculine.
However, more than any of that, what truly concerned Shido was…
“You know me?”
“Know you or not? I just asked if you’re Itsuka Shido!” The girl seemed agitated, speaking with an impatient tone.
Before Shido could answer, Tonamachi shouted.
“Itsuka, you’re cheating! Didn’t we agree to spend today living the single male life together?”
“You are…?” The girl turned to look at Tonamachi, seemingly finding him somewhat familiar.
“Who were you again? Subaru? No, that’s not right? What was your name?” The girl couldn’t seem to recall Tonamachi’s name.
“But since you’re here too, that means this man is Itsuka Shido!”
With that, the girl leaned in and fiercely kissed Shido on the lips.
“Uwah!”
“What?!”
Itsuka Shido was clearly startled, while Tonamachi Hiroto’s eyes widened in shock.
“Phew, that should end everything… What? My clothes are still on?”
The girl pulled away, a relieved smile gracing her lips, but as she opened her eyes, she found her clothes were still perfectly intact. “What’s going on? Ah, no! I forgot that sealing also requires affection points!” The girl muttered to herself, then fixed her heterochromatic gaze intently on Shido.
“Shido, go on a date with me quickly!” “Even if you say that, I…”
It wasn’t that Shido wanted to refuse. After all, Shido was a healthy high school boy, and before him was a cute girl actively asking him on a date. No matter how you looked at it, it was a miracle akin to a dream.
However, Shido wasn’t foolish. A beautiful girl he’d never seen before was actively kissing him and asking him on a date. No matter how you looked at it, something wasn’t right!
“What, isn’t it your mission to date them, make them shy, steal their first kiss, and add them to your harem?”
“Who has a mission like that?!”
No matter what, Shido felt that the girl before him was off, very off. He needed to figure out the situation first.
“Oh, Itsuka! When did you secretly get a girlfriend?” Tonamachi’s tone held a hint of jealousy. “You’re putting on quite a show of affection!”
“Shut up!” the girl snapped, and then a pink light flashed.
“Eh, Tonamachi, what’s wrong?” Shido noticed that Tonamachi’s condition was very strange!
“Uh uh, ah ah!” Tonamachi suddenly began drooling uncontrollably, his eyes glowing with a pink light.
“Shido, your rectum looks very warm!”
“Tonamachi, what do you want to do?” Shido instinctively covered his rear, but he quickly realized that he wasn’t the only one being stared at.
Almost everyone in the entire arcade was staring at Shido.
“Well? If you don’t want to be exploited, hurry up and date me, make me shy, and seal me!”
“You call this a date?”
No matter what, Itsuka Shido felt that if he stayed in the arcade any longer, his chastity would be at risk.
So, he actively took the girl’s hand.
“Eh?”
“This way, follow me!”
The girl’s hand was soft and smooth, seemingly boneless. Unfortunately, Shido had no time to savor the sensation in his current predicament, only to speed up and run forward.
“Hmph, hmph, I can’t believe we just ran all the way home!”
After Shido brought the girl home, he bent over, gasping for breath.
Kotori had disappeared somewhere, meaning only the girl and Shido remained there.
“Oh, are you planning to have our date at home?”
“No, who exactly are you? At least tell me that!”
“Hmph hmph, if I had to say, I’m a Spirit!” The girl snorted through her delicate nose. “You should understand that, right?”
“Huh? A Spirit? How could I possibly understand what you mean by that?” Shido looked utterly bewildered. Who introduces themselves like that?
“It-su-ka Shi-do!” The girl enunciated each syllable, and as her voice echoed, her body underwent a transformation.
The clothes on her body dissolved into particles of light and vanished, replaced by an entirely new outfit. First, her feet: black stockings, seemingly woven from the fabric of the night sky, slowly extended from her feet past her knees, culminating in black high heels and black ribbons around her ankles.
Then, her body: replacing her former attire was a strange, trailing black gown. Its back skirt was long, sweeping the ground, but the front was absent, replaced instead by a V-shaped black sheer bodysuit.
Next, her arms were also covered in black sheer sleeves, with black ribbons adorning her wrists.
However, these were not the most crucial features. The most important characteristics were the crown-like horns on the girl’s head, the devilish wings on her back, and a tail that ended in an inverted heart shape.
‘Succubus!’
That was the first word that sprang into Shido’s mind.
“This is your fault, Itsuka Shido!”
The girl roared and lunged at Shido, who, caught off guard by the sudden assault, was struck directly in the chest and thrown to the floor. The back of his head hit the living room floor with a heavy thud, sending a searing pain through him that made his vision go black, and he passed out.
Before Shido completely lost consciousness, he saw the girl straddling him, her formerly red and green heterochromatic eyes now completely replaced by a vibrant pink. Between those pink eyes, a pink heart-shaped mark was deeply etched into Shido’s mind.