Narrated by Hinata.
•••
One morning, when I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was a golden light filtering through my bedroom window.
It slipped between the curtains as if it was in a hurry to wake me up.
I rubbed my eyes, sat up in bed, and, somewhat lazily, got ready to go down to the kitchen.
Upon entering, the smell of toast and sweet herbs greeted me with open arms.
And there she was.
My mother, Sakura Hoshino. Her straight violet hair shone in the sunlight, and her eyes, equally violet, looked like enchanted mirrors that knew everything... even what you didn't want them to know.
She was beautiful. Sometimes so much so that I wondered if she was really human.
Next to her was my father, Ibuki Hoshino.
Serious as always, with messy brown hair and the deep gaze of someone who has seen more battles than sunrises
Strong, proud, and incredibly tactical. Even at breakfast, he seemed to be calculating the movements of fate.
Mother smiled at me as she stirred a pot.
"Good morning, Princess. You dreamed of impossible worlds again."
"Hmm... I saw this time there was a giant goat with a cape... and it talked funny," I said, rubbing my head as I sat down.
"A prophetic vision, no doubt you're joking, Mother. The goat was prettier than your father."
"Huh? That wasn't in the conversation!" Father said, frowning as he sipped his coffee with a frown.
A strange voice joined the scene from behind a book.
If dreams start to bring logic, you should be worried.
It was Kenji. My older brother by a year. He was already sitting at the table, reading while eating breakfast. His tone was so serious that you couldn't tell if he was joking or giving a life-or-death warning
"Good morning, Mr. Legion," he said, sticking out his tongue
"Good morning, Miss Chaos," he replied without taking his eyes off the book.
"And where is Edu?" Father asked suddenly, looking around.
I put my finger to my chin and answered with a crooked smile.
Mmm... Edu? Our overprotective, clownish, flirtatious, and probable kitchen criminal brother? He's probably still in his room... planning how to conquer the world with two pieces of toast, a belt, and a robe.
"If that kid burns the toaster again using fire magic, I'll have him clean the ceiling with a toothbrush," Mom growled, with a bright but scary smile.
"Last time he said the bread 'felt better browned by direct combustion,'" Kenji added without lifting the sting.
"In his defense, it came out crispy," I said with a shrug.
Azumi and Shizuka, our maids and tutors, had been in the courtyard since early
Azumi cleaned her katana with an almost spiritual calm, while observing the sky as if she planned to shoot down meteorites with a glance.
Shizuka, meanwhile, was hanging up the laundry, although it seemed more like she was waging a personal war with a sheet that refused to stay still.
Hearing us talking about Edu, they both peeked through the sliding door.
"He's probably fighting with Zuzu again," Azumi bellowed, without raising her voice, but with the edge of sarcasm marked in every syllable. "If you hear screams, it's not a demonic invasion. It's Edu losing another argument with his cat."
"Nothing but incoherent whining and moaning! It's always the same every time that furball crushes him," Shizuka added, crossing her arms, indignant. "At this rate, the cat is going to end up giving him fencing lessons."
"Maybe she already does," Kenji muttered, without looking up. "I wouldn't be surprised if Zuzu has a degree in feline combat strategy."
"Should we intervene?" Mom asked, feigning concern as she cleaned a cup.
"What do you mean? Zuzu is doing him a favor. Every time she beats him, Edu gets stronger... the more dramatic it is, depending on the day."
"I vote for dramatic," Azusi said, with an eyebrow raised.
"I vote for dramatically useless!" Shizuka laughed, amused.
"Don't be cruel," Dad finally said, putting the cup down. "At least he tries. Although yes... he has the talent to turn a fight with a cat into a tragic opera."
Once I yelled 'Forbidden Seven Lives Technique!' and tripped over a memory pillow, covering my mouth to keep from laughing.
We all burst out laughing.
Dad was holding his stomach while shaking his head. Shizuka was laughing as if she'd won a battle, and Azumi... well, Azumi just smiled out of the corner of her lips, which on her emotional scale was the equivalent of a belly laugh.
I, on the other hand, remained silent.
I just watched them. Mom serving tea, Kenji flipping through his book while listening, Dad pretending not to let small smiles escape him.
Shizuka and Azumi exchanging insults disguised as jokes.
Everything so... normal
So warm
So alive.
And yet, deep in my chest, I felt something tighten.
A small knot
An echo that wasn't coming from laughter.
I knew that tranquility wouldn't last long
Not while Edu and Zuzu lived under the same roof.
Because where the ibu, chaos followed like a shadow... and where Zuzu went, that shadow learned to bite back.
And as if it were a punishment from fate
As if the universe had heard my thoughts...
Chaos began
LET ME GO, SPAWN OF DARKNESS! A voice shouted from the hallway
A second later, Edu burst into the kitchen, rolling on the floor, his arms covered in scratches, his shirt wrinkled, and his hair a mess.
DOES IT SEEM NORMAL TO YOU TO STEAL MY TOWEL WHILE I'M BATHING? - he bellowed, half covering himself with what looked like an old curtain
"Do you think it's normal to steal my towel while I'm taking a bath?!" he bellowed, half-covering himself with what looked like an old curtain.
Zuzu—his cat, his shadow, his natural enemy—chased him, floating with supernatural grace, sitting on a cloud of dark energy, with an expression of absolute feline victory.
"Mranau," she meowed mockingly, and dropped the towel as if it were the trophy of an ancestral hunt.
I swear this time I'll throw you to the other dimensional plane! I swear on my shampoo!
Shizuka spat out the tea with laughter.
"Did she beat him in her underwear again?!" she shouted while holding her abdomen.
"Deserved it for flirting with the mirror," Azumi said, crossing her arms, although a smile trembled on her lips that struggled not to come out.
Kenji barely looked up from his book
-Interesting. Zuzu has a 98% morning win rate. The balance of the universe is maintained.
-Edu, did you take a shower with the door unlocked again? - Mom asked with her most dangerous smile.
I closed it! I swear! But she...! She walks through walls!
Because she's a blessed cat, Yu replied, smiling with feigned compassion. And you're a cursed clown.
I'm a victim! A victim of the oppressive feline system! - Edu shouted, still on the floor, while Zuzu gently kicked him in the head with a paw.
-Careful, son, - Dad said without raising his voice. If you make her too angry, she can turn your clothes into steam. Again.
Edu cringed at the memory.
Everyone laughed again.
Me too.
Some time after the chaos, when the laughter had calmed down and breakfast had once again taken its place as the center of the universe...
Edu, already showered, combed his hair the way he did, and dressed in his open jacket in the "improvised adventurer" style, sat arrogantly at the table, crossing his arms behind his head as if he had just defeated a dragon.
Zuzu climbed onto his shoulder as if she hadn't just tried to kill him, and snuggled brazenly into his neck.
Hmot. This house should have a statue of me at the entrance, he declared before taking a bun.
St, with the legend "Here sleeps the martyr of Mondays," I replied, serving myself juice.
Edu turned to me with a crooked smile and that look he used every time he was about to say something that would make me want to hide.
"Good morning, Hina. Your hair is prettier than the sky last night."
I choked a little.
E-Edule, I replied softly, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks
-I mean it. If the world ends today, at least it did so after seeing your smile. And it winked at me.
E-edu, don't say such things out of nowhere...!- I murmured, covering my face with both hands.
And Mom continued, turning to face her without losing that syrupy tone. How do you manage to be so beautiful and terrifying at the same time? You're an impossible balance... like a flower with blades.
Sakura put the teapot on the table with a huge... and dangerous smile.
Awww, my son... what nice things you say.
Although I wish you'd use that same energy to clean your room and stop stealing Azumi's cookies.
"I call it cultural exchange," Edu responded with feigned innocence.
Azumi arched an eyebrow from her seat at the head of the table.
-Interesting. So I guess if I stick a knife between your fingers while you're sleeping, it'll be a tactical exchange
Wow, how intense. Azumi-chan! I thought you loved me more, delicate duo Edu, with one hand on his chest and feigning an emotional stab. At least buy me a cup of poison before you murder me!
Shizuka, who had already finished her meal, crossed her arms and looked at him with her pussy puckered and her cheeks barely flushed
Stop flirting with everything that breathes. Are you worse than a legally licensed demon?
What if I told you I only breathe because you're around? - he replied, with a bright smile.
Shizuka's Hyo froze, red as a tomato (You'll be cleaning the closet with a toothbrush for two weeks, you wretch!)
Zuzu, meanwhile, stretched out her little paw and without even looking, stole a piece of meat from Edu's plate
Ove, hey! That was mine, you domestic parasite! - she shouted, pointing at her,
Zuzu simply looked at him, chewing with feline tranquility, and then affectionately pawed at his nose.
"Mraau." And she settled back on his shoulder like the queen of chaos.
Papa, from the other side of the table, let out a slight sigh.
This makes it clear why Zuzu remains the most dangerous in this house.
"And the most efficient in hand-to-hand combat," Kenji added without looking up. Edu has already lost four battles this week. Zuzu leads the score 32 to 2.
"The statistics don't reflect the passion of my soul in the fight!" Edu protested. "Those defeats were strategic!"
Eda turned to me with a hurt expression, bringing a hand to her chest as if I had plunged a sword between her ribs.
Hinata! I thought you were with me, not against me," she bellowed with the tone of a third-rate tragedy actor. "Is this house planning a coup against me!"
"I just stated the obvious," I murmured, shrugging and smiling.
The obvious thing would be to support me! Blood of my blood! Betrayal has fuchsia eyes! He continued pointing his finger at me. "Not if I were on trial," he said.
Kenji sighed, turning the page of his book
If this is a coup d'état, it's the slowest and noisiest in history. The main enemy has a cat on his shoulder and half a piece of toast in his mouth.
My toast! Edu shouted, looking at his plate. Zuzu looked at him from her shoulder, licking her paw with absolute disinterest
"And he steals it again," Azumi said, unsurprised
"This revolution was sponsored by the Supreme Cat of Chaos," Shizuka added, raising her cup in a show of feigned respect
Mom smiled while still washing the dishes.
"At least it wasn't the butter this time."
"The real crime here is the lack of family loyalty!" Edu raised his chair as if it were an improvised shield. "I demand a fair trial before the board council!"
"Rejected by majority," Dad said, without looking.
"I second the motion," Keni added
"Approved due va," winking at him
"Condemned to wash the dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!" sang Shizuka, banging the table like a judge's gavel.
Edu let go of the chair.
"Damn this corrupt system!"
"Mraaau," purred Zuzu, wagging her tail elegantly.
And so, between imaginary war games, ridiculous accusations, and stolen toast, we finished the most chaotic and fun breakfast of the week.
We went out into the courtyard after the chaotic breakfast. The air was pure, as if heaven were offering us a new beginning... although in this house, even new beginnings usually come with a spoonful of chaos.
Our house was located in a remote corner of the Velhir region, the realm of men.
We lived right on the border between the last civilized village and a sea of fields that seemed to have no end
The dirt roads blurred on the horizon, as if the world itself surrendered to the advance of nature.
Although we had gone out to this same place many times, I was never bored.
I liked being here
Here, where the wind sings unhurriedly.
Where the trees murmur old secrets.
Where the world, for an instant, seemed to forget the wars, the gods, and the fragments
Isn't it beautiful... I whispered, looking at the clear sky, with scattered clouds and a sun that shone without burning
Zuzu dozed on a wooden beam, totally indifferent to the universe
Kenji sat under a tree, writing in a notebook with the concentration of an alchemist
Shizuka trained with her sword alone, and Azumi watched silently from the shadow of the fence, like a sentinel from another world
And Edu... well. Edu was by my side, acting interesting while pretending to stretch as a warm-up, even though we already knew he'd probably end up complaining about an injury that didn't exist.
We were in the middle of nowhere... and yet, at the center of everything I loved.
Shortly after, we heard firm footsteps approaching from the back of the canoe. They weren't loud or heavy. They were precise. Steady. Measured.
"The executioner has arrived," Edu murmured, adjusting his sword with a nervous smile.
He was a great guy.
His presence was enough to change the air, as if the wind itself were forming.
He carried his sword on his belt, and his hair was tied with a leather strap. His expression was the same as always, firm, without harshness, but without empty smiles.
A man who didn't need to raise his voice to command respect
Ready for the lesson? - I asked in a calm, almost solemn tone. Edu took a step forward, puffing out his chest.
- Of course! This time I plan to beat the living legend. My spirit is racing!
"Your spirit, perhaps. But your balance still seems dormant," Father replied with a small nod, barely perceptible... but enough for everyone to stifle a laugh.
The family training began like every other day.
With discipline... and with Edu complaining in the background while Zuzu licked a paw from a tree branch, watching him with that feline-like judgment that only she mastered.
"Today we will review the Three Great Paths of the Sword," Dad said firmly, wielding a wooden sword while the wind ruffled his tied-up hair.
His gaze scanned the group.
I swallowed. Kenji turned a page in his notebook.
Edu yawned with exaggerated theatricality, as if he were the victim of an ancient injustice.
Dad raised the blade to the sky as he spoke.
"So... what are these three paths of the sword?" I asked.
"First, the Path of the Wandering Root," Dad said. "Solid defense. Mental resistance. Balance as a shield."
Second, the Path of the Unleashed Phoenix, added Ken, without taking his eyes off the book, Speed, Fluidity. Rhythm in Motion.
"And third, the Path of the Eternal God," Edu said with a pompous tone, raising his sword to the sky. "Total Offensive. Strikes that seek to end the fight before it begins."
Dad didn't correct any of them. He just nodded with the same sobriety as always.
I watched him closely. His posture, his tone, his aura.
It was hypnotion. A true master of the sidewalk.
But then... a doubt crossed my mind.
"And Edu?" I asked, turning to my brother. "Which of those forms does he use?"
Dad remained silent, as if he was considering his answer.
But before he could speak, Kenji intervened again in his calm tone.
"Edu doesn't follow any of the three."
"Hey," Edu protested, standing up as if poison had been thrown into his pride
Keni calmly closed her notebook and looked at it over her glasses
"I've observed him many times. He doesn't fight with form. Or with cadence. Or with structure. But he doesn't improvise randomly either. He has his own pattern... his own chaos."
He raised his pen solemnly, as if he were naming a constellation.
I called it the Form of Chaos.
"Does that sound like the title of a manga starring me?" Edu exclaimed, immediately puffing out his chest.
Dad snorted with a big smile in the corner of his mouth.
"It's not a recognized form. But it's his."
The Form of Chaos, huh..." I muttered under my breath, memorizing the name.
Edu raised his sword in a ridiculous pose, twirling the blade as if it were a magic wand.
And now I will present it to the world, style included!
"Let's see if you can introduce yourself without tripping," Azumi murmured from the side without looking up from her notebook
I voted for me to not make it past the second blow! said Shizuka, already blushing and sharpening her mockery like a dagger.
They're just jealous that I steal all the girls' attention with my natural chaos! - Edu bellowed, bowing theatrically to no particular audience
"Insolent, presumptuous brat," they both said in unison, pointing at him as if planning to execute him right there.
Azumi, unable to help it, blushed slightly as she turned her face
"Someday... you'll find someone you can't control with your flirtatiousness," she said with feigned coldness
"She already has her," I intervened, with a mischievous smile. "Her name is Zuzu."
Edu crossed his arms, clicked his tongue and muttered
-Technically, she's a cat... with claws, magic, and the soul of an avenging demon. But if I have more power over me than 90% of the kingdom...
Zuzu, from her branch, yawned emotionlessly and threw an acorn at her head as if confirming her status.
Dad let out a soft laugh, something unusual for him, and nodded with his arms crossed.
-Let's begin the training, he said. Let chaos not train alone.
It was like that.
Between fencing training
Laughter filled the air
And an enos that was already part of our routine...
The day ended
The sun began to slowly sink behind the golden fields of Velhir, dyeing the sky with orange hues and long shadows.
Zuzu slept on Edu's shoulder, as if she hadn't tried to kill him that morning.
Kenji was still writing, perfecting theories that no one fully understood
Shizuka and Azumi were arguing about what punishment to give Edu if he flirted again during dinner.
Dad put away his sword with the precision of a ritual.
I
I simply stared at the sky, feeling that small echo again.
That feeling that something, somewhere in the world, was starting to move.
And yet... that afternoon was perfect
As if the entire world breathed just for us to remember her.