The Eminence in Shadow, Vol. 1 (Light Novel)

by Daisuke Aizawa

  “It’s hot as balls out here. Can we go inside?”

  The midday sun is beating down on them, and two shadows extend from their feet. They can hear the distant voices of the cicadas chirping.

  “Wait. There’s two things I have to say.”

  “Here?”

  “Here,” she confirms, squinting and looking up at the blue sky. “First, I want to give you my thanks. You said you liked my swordsmanship, right? Well, I know I’m late, but I really appreciate it.”

  “No problem.”

  “I finally like it. Not that I attribute that development to you.”

  “Did you really have to throw in that last bit?”

  “It’s the truth.”

  They lock eyes, and he’s the first to look away.

  “Anyway, if you’ve learned to like your swordplay, that sounds good to me.”

  “Yeah, it is.” The girl smiles.

  “So what’s the second thing?”

  “We’ve pretended to date until now, but Instructor Zenon died in that incident.”

  “Which means I’m freed from my duties.”

  “But I do have one proposition.” The girl looks sort of uncomfortable as she searches for the right words.

  “If you’re all right with it…” Her red eyes dart around, and her voice softens ever so slightly. “Maybe we can do this a little while longer?”

  The boy beams at her.

  “No thanks,” he answers, flipping her off.

  The girl unsheathes her sword in one fluid motion.

  That night, a student discovers a large pool of blood on the rooftop.

  Despite the heinous amount, there’s no corpse in the vicinity. Even when the students and school authorities investigate the matter, there are no wounded or missing persons, and the case is never solved.

  Subsequently, this is dubbed the Incident of the Corpseless Murder and considered one of the seven wonders of the school.

  One day, out of the blue, Alexia asks her older sister something odd.

  “Can you please tell me what kind of apology guarantees forgiveness?”

  Iris frowns when she hears the question.

  What does she expect from me? She tells Alexia the obvious: “There is no such thing.”

  Which is common sense, but all of it goes in one of her disgruntled sister’s ears and out the other.

  “I hate apologizing to begin with,” complains Alexia, turning away, at which point Iris throws in the towel and calls it a day.

  But Iris is fired up by a sense of duty to do something to help her sister.

  From what she gathers, her silly sister annoyed someone close to her. The problem is she hasn’t made up for it yet.

  Iris realizes this is the first time her sister has ever asked her how to apologize.

  Alexia always says sorry when she does something wrong. Of course, this is a superficial apology with no real emotion, but others sharing shallow relationships with her are none the wiser. Until now, Alexia has gotten along just fine.

  But if she’s asking how to apologize, that means she isn’t referring to a fake acquaintance but to a friend.

  That little sister of hers has made a friend.

  Iris’s heart bursts with happiness, a hint of loneliness, and an overwhelming sense of duty.

  But telling Alexia will only cause her to rebel. Iris contemplates this situation all night but ultimately can’t come up with a good solution.

  To start things off, Iris is very direct in conversation but has almost no social grace, as opposed to Alexia, who doesn’t like to confront others. Even if Iris suggests something, she knows Alexia won’t lend an ear, saying something like “I’m getting goose bumps from being so uncomfortable,” and that will be the end of it. In every way, the sisters are natural-born opposites.

  That’s why Iris decides to rely on a certain rumor.

  On a rare day when both sisters have spare time, Iris invites Alexia to a department store that’s been the talk of the town.

  “Iris, what is this place?”

  “It’s called Mitsugoshi. I think it’s all the rage in the capital. I heard they sell some tasty treats.”

  “Treats? I don’t hate that, but…” Alexia looks unamused.

  Seeing her sister’s expression, Iris panics. “H-hey, I hear girls are really into this new snack called chocolate. Maybe you’d want to give it to someone as a gift!”

  Alexia stares coldly at Iris.

  “F-for example, a new friend. I bet it’d make them happy.”

  Iris is very bad at hinting at things. It’s painfully pathetic to see her try to force a smile.

  “All right, I get the idea. Let’s go inside,” Alexia suggests, looking terribly bored. “Wait, we can’t go in yet. Just look at the line.”

  A crowd has formed in front of Mitsugoshi, snaking around in a long line in a frenzy.

  “We’ll cause more trouble for them if we stand in it,” she adds.

  As if on cue, a member of the staff immediately approaches them.

  “Princess Iris and Princess Alexia. Thank you for coming. Welcome.”

  The woman in a blue uniform politely bows and leads the pair inside. A quick look around shows the two princesses have attracted a lot of attention from the crowd.

  “I see,” Iris says with a nod. Alexia sighs at her sister.

  They pass by the packed shops before they’re escorted to a quiet corner of the mall. According to their guide with the dark-brown hair, she’s taken them to a special boutique for their most honored customers.

  The two princesses find the simple yet tasteful decor of the boutique refreshing, especially because they’re accustomed to ornate designs and decorations. Every new and unique product brings a sparkle to Alexia’s once-apathetic eyes.

  A stunning blue-haired elf appears before them.

  “Thank you for your patience. I’m Luna, the president of Mitsugoshi, Ltd. Here is our newest product, chocolate.”

  A brown, bite-size morsel is placed in front of Iris and then Alexia.

  “This is called a chocolate truffle. We’ve only just put it on the market.”

  “A truffle…?”

  “It doesn’t look very appetizing,” Alexia comments, sounding indifferent.

  “B-but it has a lovely aroma,” interjects Iris, immediately trying to make amends for her sister.

  “If you’d like, please try a sample,” Luna responds with a confident smile.

  “Why, thank you.”

  “If you insist.”

  The moment they pop the samples into their mouths, their faces light up.

  “This is…very sweet. A complex flavor profile. I feel like I could eat a dozen.”

  “The bitter notes highlight its sweetness. It’s smooth and rich and smells divine, and I’ll take it.”

  Iris buys one of everything, naturally. And surprisingly, Alexia follows suit. Mitsugoshi arranges to have the items delivered straight to the castle. Even their service is exceptional.

  “Alexia, shouldn’t you ask them to gift wrap it?”

  “No need.”

  “O-oh, okay.”

  Luna approaches the duo as they get ready to leave.

  “Would you like to view some of our other products? I’m positive they’ll tickle your fancy.”

  “Well…”

  The girls didn’t intend to stay long, but they’re too curious to see other offerings from the company that developed chocolate—it’s even enough to pique Alexia’s interest.

  “Yes, please.”

  “Wonderful.”

  With a quick word to her staff, Luna introduces one product after another—and not just candy. They have tea, liquor, accessories, daily goods, gourmet and preserved foods… All overflow with novel and fascinating qualities. The products basically force unexpected wads of cash out of their wallets.

  And then a piece of cloth is set before them.

  “What’s this…?” Alexia tilts her head, pinching the lacy black mate
rial between two fingers.

  “One of our panties for women,” Luna introduces with a smile.

  “Underwear.”

  “Really…?”

  Iris and Alexia scrutinize the black T-shaped garment embroidered with white lace.

  They can tell it’s underwear when they look at it up close, but the size of the fabric seems way too small. Their butts would hang out if they wore these panties. Plus, some of the parts are see-through.

  “We call them G-strings.”

  “G… G-strings?” Iris shudders and balks at the design that hides as little as possible.

  While it’s cute and all, its intentions are all too vulgar for Iris to stomach.

  Sh-should these panties even be allowed to exist?

  “As for gentlemen, they seem to like them very much.”

  Alexia’s ears perk up.

  “Iris…”

  “Alexia, you can’t be serious…?”

  “I’m confident about the shape of my butt.”

  “Th-that’s not the problem!!” Iris stammers.

  What’s this crazy kid saying?!

  “P-p-p-p-please don’t wear these! A princess should never don lewd clothing!”

  “I’m confident about the shape of my butt.”

  “You’ve already said that! It’s improper! Out of the question! I forbid it!”

  “You can try it on, if you’d like.”

  Iris stops herself in the nick of time from snapping at Luna to mind her own business.

  “Yes, please,” replies Alexia.

  “Don’t do this!” Iris counters.

  “Come on, Iris, I’m just trying it on.”

  “Yeah, right! I mean, you’re basically setting up a situation where you have to purchase it! You’re gonna act all indecisive, and then you’ll just go and buy it anyway. I know how this works!”

  Alexia irritably clicks her tongue in response.

  “Your Highness, I hope there aren’t any misunderstandings about our product. G-strings are made for women.” Luna stands up. “In fact, I’m wearing that same model right now.”

  Luna turns her back to them, and the pair zero in on the shapely butt under her tight black dress.

  “Look. Even though my dress is thin, you can’t see my panty lines.”

  “Y-you’re right.”

  Underwear lines are always visible under lightweight fabrics. There are girls who refuse to wear underwear to formal events to prevent them from showing.

  But this G-string eliminates that problem. It can’t be detected under clothing.

  “Are you really wearing it…?”

  “Would you like to see?” Luna asks, slowly peeling up her dress to reveal her milky thighs.

  “I-I’m good!”

  “Just kidding.” Luna seductively grins and unfurls her dress. “Would you like to try it on, at least?”

  “Yes.”

  “A-as long as you’re just seeing how it looks…”

  The duo trail after Luna into a large fitting room.

  Iris nervously watches Alexia cheerfully slip out of one pair of underwear into another.

  Alexia yanks her skirt up to her waist and pulls her white pair down, letting them fall to her ankles before lifting one foot and then the other. After hanging them on a hook on the wall of the fitting room, she spreads out the G-string in front of her.

  “It’s practically transparent…,” notes Iris, sounding utterly baffled.

  “Seems pretty airy to me,” chirps Alexia, amused.

  Alexia bends forward and raises her right foot, sliding the G-string up one leg and then the other. She tugs it up under her skirt and tilts her head curiously.

  “It feels kinda weird…,” Alexia comments.

  Iris is at a loss for words when she sees her sister hiking her skirt up.

  “That’s…” Iris’s vision goes completely white.

  “Your Highness. You have it on backward.”

  “Oh, that explains it,” Alexia replies to Luna, leaving her dumbfounded sister be as she slips off the G-string and puts it on the right way.

  “Ooh, it feels nice.”

  “Yes, it’s made from our new prized fabric.”

  Alexia kicks up, crouches down, and spreads her legs to test it out.

  “Iris, look at this.”

  That pulls Iris back to reality.

  “Look.” Alexia jerks her skirt up to reveal a perfectly shaped butt that’s almost completely exposed.

  Her delicate white skin glows in the light of the fitting room. Alexia playfully shimmies her waist, and her buttocks jiggle around.

  “S-stop that shameful behavior right now!”

  “And see? No visible panty lines,” adds Luna.

  When Alexia lowers her skirt, Iris certainly can’t see them.

  “And check out the front. It’s very cute.”

  Alexia hikes up her skirt again, turning to Iris. The design is cute, but it’s…

  “A-A-Alexia, it’s completely sheer…”

  “It hides enough.”

  Iris chants three times in her mind, It’s not enough, not enough, not enough.

  “I’ll take three of these and all the other colorways.”

  “Thank you for your business.”

  “You can’t! I absolutely forbid it!!” Iris snaps out of her trance. “Th-those undergarments are too perverse for the royal princesses of Midgar. I simply won’t allow it!!”

  “Iris…!”

  “Neeeeeeeeeever, never, ever!!”

  “But it’s just a pair of panties!!”

  The duo glare at each other. Luna can almost see the steam coming out of their ears.

  “Fine.”

  “Alexia, you’ve come around.”

  “You know, I want to listen to you. I’ve always been swayed by meaningless words and lost sight of what matters. Like the time you told me you liked my swordplay.”

  With her see-through panties on full display, Alexia keeps her eyes warmly on Iris.

  “Yeah, I remember that.”

  “My swordplay is a symbol of my small, insignificant life. That’s why I want to listen to those who accept that about me.”

  “Alexia…” Iris is touched to the point of trembling. They’re finally on the same page.

  “If you can’t accept G-strings, I won’t buy them. I really, really, really want to wear them, but I won’t if you don’t want me to. So tell me: Are you absolutely sure G-strings are out of the question?” Alexia bores into her sister’s eyes, as if peeking into her soul.

  Iris wavers. “Um, I… Well, they’re not totally unacceptable…”

  “Not totally unacceptable?”

  “…No.”

  “Then I’ll take ’em!”

  “Thank you for your purchase!”

  Iris can tell she’s been bamboozled, but she smiles and lets it go when she sees her sister beaming giddily.

  Chapter 4

  The Two Sides of the Shadow Garden?!

  Summer’s almost here.

  I swing my wooden sword on a day in late spring. I’m in the middle of my practical elective. Now that I’m free from Alexia’s clutches, I’ve transferred to be with Skel and Po. And because a bunch of students dropped out of the Royal Bushin elective after the Instructor Zenon scandal, all of us in section nine have been bumped up to section seven.

  “Whatever happened with you and Princess Alexia?” Skel asks as he practices beside me.

  “We haven’t talked since the breakup.”

  Also, she tried to kill me.

  “That’s a shame. And you never even kissed?” prompts Po.

  “No, never.”

  We’re having a dumb conversation as we wave our swords around as usual. This is what life in section seven is all about. Even though it’s a huge waste of time, this is the path I must take to maintain my status as a minor character.

  “The Bushin Festival’s coming up. Did you guys sign up for the qualifying round?”

  “Of course!
If I do well enough in the tournament, I can easily go home with two or three lovely ladies,” boasts Skel. He’s a virgin, by the way.

  “Oh-ho-ho, with three, I’d have my hands full,” comments Po, another big virgin.

  “Cid, you didn’t sign up for the qualifying round, right?”

  The Bushin Festival is a massive, semiannual tournament. Besides the local fighters, famed knights from around the world come to participate. There’s a special bracket for students, and there are going to be preliminaries for our tournament. But an ordinary side character would never stand on a stage in front of everyone. Not in a million years.

  “I’m not go—…”

  “But don’t worry! I went and signed you up! Show me your gratitu—… Guhh!!”

  Skel suddenly clutches his stomach and crumples to the ground.

  “H— Skel!! What’s happened to you?” Po cries.

  It’s a frighteningly fast hit. I’m the only one who can see it.

  “Hey. Hey, Skel. You should have seen yourself. It was like someone slammed you in the stomach with a right hook. What’s up with you?” I ask as I loosen my right fist.

  “Th-that’s a really accurate description, Cid.”

  “This is bad. He’s a goner. Gimme a hand to get him to the nurse’s office. Hey, do you know if we’re able to take back tournament applications?”

  “Hmm, I’m not sure. Oh, Skel, you’re foaming at the mouth.”

  Our instructor gives us permission to carry Skel to the nurse’s office for his “sudden seizure” that knocked him out.

  It’s on the way there that I notice something.

  “Who’s that?” I ask about a solemn-looking group entering the school.

  “It looks like…Princess Iris is with them.”

  Alexia is there, too. Our eyes meet for a moment before she scornfully turns away.

  I still haven’t told anyone she went all cuckoo on me and attempted to go on a wild killing spree. And I don’t plan on telling anyone about the incident on the roof if she keeps her distance. With our peace treaty, she can kill whomever she pleases. Her swordplay seems to have really improved, and I think it’s great that she’s trying to get stronger. Well, as long as she doesn’t try to kill me, that is.

  “By the way, I heard Princess Iris is coming to campus to request some kind of investigation.”

  Po doesn’t look it, but he’s always in the know.