Sacrifice ⟿ Owari No Seraph

2 | RECRUIT

2020

"Boke-chan!"

Kimiko sighs to herself, trudging towards her older brother's office. She holds the coffee in her hand tighter, back straight as she opens the door and steps in. "Stop shouting. Here's your coffee," she says in a bored tone.

"It's about damn time!"

She plops the mug unceremoniously in front of the lieutenant colonel, sinking into the chair in front of his grand desk. If she had been wearing her pants instead of the military skirt, she would've propped her feet on said desk just to piss her elder off.

"I know what you're thinking," Guren hisses at her, taking a swig of the hot drink.

Kimiko smirks. "So I guess you won't mind if I do it anyway."

"Do it and I'll kill you."

"Like I care about dying," she scoffs.

The dark haired man shoots her a glare and she rolls her eyes in reply. She crosses her arms as he shoves papers in front of her, taking another sip. "That's from Shinya." He makes a face. "This coffee tastes like shit."

"Shinya-kun? Really?" Interested, she scans the sheets while offhandedly commenting that she had spit in his mug. Guren chokes, and Kimiko snorts as she reads.

"What does he want?" her brother asks after a while.

Kimiko sighs, pushing the report away. "He wants to promote me to squad leader. Shinoa has already accepted to it."

"But you're gonna say no," Guren finishes for her, knowing the 16 year old well. He arches an eyebrow and feigns surprise. "Huh. And here I was, thinking you'd jump at the first opportunity to get away from me."

"Oh, I'm still leaving your ass," Kimiko assures, "but not like this." Leaning back, she adds, "Guess you're stuck with me as your sergeant and squad member until I can prove I have what it takes to lead Moon Demon Company."

Guren laughs loudly, slamming his hand on his desk. "You're joking, right?" More seriously, he says, "There's only room for one lieutenant in this family, shithead. Besides, if you want the Moon Demon Company, you'll have to pry it from my cold, dead fingers."

"Your death can be easily arranged," she grins, "but you're right. Two Lieutenant Colonel Ichinoses would be confusing." Kimiko ponders with an innocent expression for a moment. "Hey, that reminds me. Completely off topic, but do you know how I can get someone demoted? I'm asking for a friend," she smiles sweetly.

A genuine smile appears on Guren's face, and he shakes his head at his adopted sister's antics. "Get the hell out of my office and move your ass to school."

"Only if you actually make an appearance in your class today," she teases.

"Yeah, yeah. Just get going."

She stands, raising her hand to salute him. "Yes, Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose." She runs around the desk to peck Guren's cheek, the man complaining as he half hugs her, then she exits his office and closes the door behind her.

Kimiko squares her shoulders, once again acting like the soldier she is now that she's no longer in her brother's presence. Only Guren and Shinya saw that side of her; undisciplined, disrespectful, playful. To the public, she was Sergeant Ichinose, the Kimiko known for her strict obedience and intimidating battle skills. It's really no wonder why the Major General wanted to promote her. Kimiko had kept her promise, becoming the strongest soldier in her age group and never once defiling the Ichinose name.