Akira was lying in bed, both his hands and legs wrapped in casts, resting inside the tree house deep in the forest. It hadn't been long since the battle, just the evening settling in, but after everything, His legs and one hand were badly damaged, making it difficult for him to move around. so he was resting here instead of the village.
The villagers had insisted they would take care of him, but Akira refused.
He simply told them, "They'll heal in a day," and came back here.
And besides, the tree house felt more comfortable to him, quieter, isolated, and familiar; he lived in this place for two months after all.
As he lay there on his back, staring at the wooden ceiling, a question that had been bothering him finally slipped out.
"Hey, sister."
"What is it, brother?" Selena replied telepathically.
Akira hesitated before continuing.
"…Am I the destined one?"
"Well… technically both of us are", she replied. "But yes, you are".
Akira let out a slow breath. "And you said before that I should be more specialized in physical powers, and you're supposed to handle magic and all that, right?"
"That's true". Selena replied, wondering where it was going.
Akira frowned bitterly. "Then tell me… Why do I always end up like this after a battle? Casts. Broken bones. Burns. Isn't it kind of lame for a 'destined one' to always be injured like this? Why is my body so weak?"
Selena sighed. "Well, it's not that you're weak, she said telepathically. You see, brother, the more you train something, the better you get at it. Like magic, you get stronger the more you train. You spent your whole life training in magic. But you barely did anything with physical strength or martial arts. Even though your base strength is higher than a normal human, you never developed it properly".
Akira frowned. "But I trained here, though… and I used my Noble Arts to level up faster, too. So I should have been strong in this as well."
"That's true, too", Selena admitted. "You could overpower basically everyone in this world, even the Upper Moons. But that doesn't mean you can do it without trouble. They're monsters, brother. Your body is still similar to a human's. And you used techniques that normally require superhuman physiques, against opponents who are not only stronger than humans but also regenerate lost body parts like it means nothing. It's completely reasonable for you to get hurt".
Akira let out a long sigh. "Yeah, but… It's still kinda lame that I always end up like this."
"Well,", Selena said, "you should've used your cool armor. It would've kept you safe".
Akira muttered, "I don't want to reveal it yet. It'll work really well when I fight Muzan if I keep it hidden."
"You can't have it both ways, brother", Selena said. "If you don't use your armor, you'll get hurt. Your physical body right now is barely stronger than a normal human's. So just accept it and focus on getting stronger later. And getting hurt isn't always bad, and now you get to rest and have Erika-chan take care of you, right? Just enjoy rare moments like that".
Akira exhaled softly. "…I guess you're right."
Just then they heard the door open. Erika stepped inside, carrying a tray.
"Oh, Akira, you already look energetic," she said with a gentle smile. "Here, I brought you some food."
Akira immediately frowned at the smell and eyed the bowl suspiciously.
"…What's that?"
"Oh, it's nothing," Erika said cheerfully. "Just some rice porridge and natto."
She held up the bowl.
It was a bowl of porridge topped with an absurd amount of natto. Slimy. Bubbling. Stretching. Glorping.
Akira's soul nearly left his body.
"…Why is that here?"
"Because it's good for broken bones!" Erika said proudly. "High in protein, vitamins, and it helps you heal faster. Everyone in the village said it's perfect!"
"It smells like something died," Akira said flatly. "Then fermented. Then died again. I am not eating that."
Erika puffed her cheeks. "Stop being dramatic. You've eaten worse things! Like that fermented shark. And your own creations, like that blue jelly thing. This is just beans."
"I only ate that shark because I was curious, and it was one bite, and I swore to never eat it again," Akira argued. "And Energy Bars Alpha are not that bad, they're like medicine. But this…this is a biological weapon."
Erika ignored him and lifted the bowl. She scooped a spoonful of natto.
The strands stretched like sticky spiderwebs, gleaming under the lamplight.
"You're eating it," she said. "Say ah~."
Akira leaned back. "I refuse. This is torture. You can't make me. And you don't like this either, so why are you trying to feed me this?"
"I'm not the one with broken hands and legs," Erika said firmly. "You have to eat it to get better."
"Excuse me, my legs should've healed in a few minutes if not for a certain someone dropping me like a hundred times."
"It was only two times!" Erika said, flustered. "And it was an accident! And that's also why I have to take care of you, whether you like it or not."
Erika took the spoon toward his mouth and said firmly, "Eat it."
"No."
"Eat it."
Akira immediately leaned back. "No. I will NOT eat that."
Erika sighed, grabbed his jaw, and forced his mouth open with gentle but terrifying determination. She brought the spoon closer again.
"You're eating it."
Akira shook his head wildly, trying to escape her grip.
"Erika. No, no, NO! I will not eat this! Not in a million years!"
In the end, Akira managed to slip out of her hold for a second.
Erika exhaled slowly, as if mentally preparing herself for what she was about to do.
Then she walked behind him…
sat down on the bed…
and locked both legs around his waist, tightening them like a grappler securing a chokehold.
Her arms wrapped around his arms, pinning him like a hostage and immobilizing him completely.
Akira panicked. "W–wait… HEY… ERIKA!"
With a completely serious expression, Erika declared.
"A patient must eat foods good for recovery! High protein! Fermented! Good for your bones! So eat it."
She grabbed the spoon again, scooping the natto, its sticky strands stretching like eternal doom, and brought it toward his face.
Akira twisted away.
"No!"
Erika matched his every motion perfectly, tightening the lock.
"YES."
He leaned his neck left.
She moved the spoon left.
He leaned right.
She mirrored him like a heat-seeking missile.
"Stop resisting," she ordered.
"I will not give in!" Akira shouted.
The natto came closer, and the smell hit him.
"My life… is flashing before my eyes," Akira whispered dramatically.
"Good," Erika said calmly. "That means you're hungry."
She pried his jaw open with surprising strength, using all her Dhampir power. Akira tried closing it, but he had zero chance. Her fingers gripped his cheeks firmly, forcing his mouth open like a stubborn dog refusing medicine.
Erika inched the spoon closer.
"AHHH."
"…No," Akira muttered, trembling.
"AHHH!"
"Nnn…!"
And she shoved the spoon in.
Akira's eyes widened in pure horror.
He made a sound no human should ever make.
"GHNHH…WHAT IS THIS TEXTURE…?!"
"It's good for your bones," Erika said sweetly.
"IT'S ALIVE, IT'S MOVING…ERIKA, IT'S MOVING!"
"Don't overreact. It's not moving, it's just natto. Now swallow."
"NO…"
Erika forcefully closed his mouth.
"Swallow."
There was a moment of intense internal struggle…
Erika finally released him from her full-body chokehold and dusted off her hands like she had just completed a difficult mission.
"See? That wasn't so bad," she said proudly.
Akira, pale and trembling, whispered with a dead expression, "I would rather fight Akaza again…"
Erika ignored that entirely and picked up another spoonful of natto.
Akira froze as if staring into the abyss.
"E-Erika… why is there MORE?"
Erika tilted her head innocently. "Oh, come on, you only ate a single spoonful. You have two legs and one arm, broken and strained muscles. One spoon isn't enough."
Akira tried to escape, crawling away on his elbows like a wounded soldier trying to retreat from the battlefield.
"No, you don't," Erika said, grabbing the back of his shirt collar and dragging him back like a misbehaving cat. She pinned him again with terrifying efficiency. "Come back here. ROUND TWO."
"NOOOOO…!" Akira screamed.
But it didn't matter.
In the end, Erika force-fed him the entire bowl, using the exact same battlefield techniques. Akira could not escape. His resistance meant nothing. Only when every last strand of natto had been consumed did she release him.
Erika sighed. "Can't you eat it normally? Everyone eats this."
Akira, completely defeated, said weakly, "You don't even like this either…"
Erika pouted. "Yeah, but if I have to eat it, I'll eat it. I won't struggle like that."
Akira thought darkly, "Just you wait, Erika… my chance will come. I'll feed you something worse…"
Erika looked around the tree house with a soft sigh. "I guess we have to leave in a few days."
Akira froze, remembering what she had said before the battle. 'Can't we stay like this forever? Just the two of us.'
He opened his mouth. "Erika, I…"
But she stood up abruptly and interrupted him.
"Alright! One bowl is complete. A few more left, I'll go get them!"
She walked out of the room.
"WAIT, ERIKA NOOOOOO!" Akira screamed after her.
But she exited as if she didn't hear a single word.
After Erika left, Akira slumped back into the bed in despair, imagining the nattos he would have to eat soon. Even the thought alone made his soul wilt.
"So how did it taste, brother?" Selena asked telepathically.
Akira replied bitterly, "Sister… why didn't you save me?"
Selena giggled. "I can't save you from here. And once Erika-chan decides something, she can be stubborn, too".
Akira sighed. "It tastes bad… I hate slimy things, and it smells bad too…"
"Don't worry, you'll get used to it", Selena said cheerfully.
"I don't think so…" Akira thought back, despair settling in.
Selena laughed for a while, then asked, "So, brother, what is your answer going to be?"
Akira blinked. "Answer to what?"
"To what Erika-chan asked", Selena reminded him.
Akira fell silent for a moment. "I… I don't know much about emotions. But I do have an answer to her question".
Selena smiled warmly. "Then you just have to tell her that, right?"
Akira said, "I will. After finishing this mission… when we get back, I'll tell her".
Selena suddenly sounded horrified. "BROTHER, WHY ARE YOU RAISING FLAGS!?"
Akira said, "Oh come on, this mission isn't even that dangerous. Nothing bad will happen".
"YOU'RE RAISING ANOTHER FLAG NOW!" Selena yelled in panic.
"No, it's not like that…" Akira tried to argue.
And so the two siblings continued arguing telepathically until Erika returned, holding another bowl of rice porridge with natto.
Akira stared at it with a face drained of hope.
The next round began.
He fought for his life again…
But in the end, he was defeated.
There was no chance of victory.