Chapter 497: Ichinose Haruna

She was the current Priestess of the Ichinose Family and the leading candidate to become the next Saint. Although the power of the Saint had yet to manifest within her, practically everyone believed she would eventually inherit it, considering how talented and accomplished she was compared to her younger sister.

In fact, most people were so confident in Haruna that they hardly even considered the possibility of Hiyori becoming the Saint instead. As far as they were concerned, the outcome was practically guaranteed, and there was little reason to doubt what seemed like an obvious conclusion.

The reason for their confidence was simple. Haruna had accomplished so much throughout her life that it was difficult for anyone to imagine her losing to someone else, especially when the other candidate was her own younger sister.

She had graduated from high school with high honors and subsequently achieved the highest degree in college, building an impressive academic record that made her stand out from the people around her. Haruna was exceptionally talented, the kind of person who seemed to excel at practically everything she attempted, and her achievements only reinforced the belief that she was destined for something greater.

Of course, Hiyori was also talented in her own right, but unfortunately, her accomplishments simply could not measure up to the impressive record her older sister had established over the years. Even when Hiyori managed to accomplish something worthwhile, there was always the possibility that someone would bring up Haruna’s achievements and remind her that her sister had done better.

It was honestly a frustrating position to be in, especially when the person overshadowing her was someone she was supposed to be able to get along with as family.

Everyone was constantly praising Haruna, while Hiyori was left standing in her shadow, watching as people treated her older sister as though she were the only daughter in the family who truly mattered. Whenever their names came up in conversation, Haruna was usually the one people wanted to talk about, while Hiyori was often treated as little more than an afterthought.

It was not necessarily that Hiyori resented Haruna simply for being talented. She understood perfectly well why people admired her older sister, and even she could not deny that Haruna was genuinely impressive. The problem was that their relationship had become so deeply tangled in comparisons and expectations that Hiyori could no longer imagine things changing, regardless of what she did.

As a result, people naturally gravitated toward the idea that Haruna would become the Saint rather than Hiyori. She was older, had considerably more experience dealing with the Demon Hunter Associations, and had already established herself as someone capable of handling the responsibilities that came with their family’s position.

On top of that, Haruna was expected to inherit ownership of the association from their parents, meaning that her future had practically been decided long before the question of the Saint’s power even entered the picture.

She had the qualifications, experience, reputation, and support of the people around her, leaving very little room for anyone to question whether she was the right person for the job.

From an outsider’s perspective, Haruna’s future was practically perfect.

She was pretty much set for life, and everything seemed to be falling into place for her as though the world had decided to cooperate with her plans. Considering how talented she was and how much she had already accomplished, it was hardly surprising that everyone expected her to continue climbing higher.

After all, Haruna was someone who had always been considered special, and people had little reason to believe that things would turn out any differently.

"I didn’t think you’d actually respond to the call," Haruna said, looking at Hiyori with a smirk that made it difficult to tell whether she was genuinely surprised or simply trying to provoke her younger sister.

Hiyori hated seeing her sister.

Actually, saying that she hated seeing Haruna might have been putting it mildly, considering how much resentment had accumulated between them over the years. Whenever the two of them were together, Hiyori found it difficult to forget how often she had been overshadowed by her older sister, even when she tried to convince herself that she should simply accept the situation and move on.

Haruna had spent so much time flaunting her achievements right in front of Hiyori that it had become increasingly difficult for the younger sister to endure their interactions without feeling irritated. The worst part was that Hiyori could hardly say anything in response, since she had no comparable achievements to bring up whenever their conversations turned into another reminder of how much better her older sister was doing.

Everyone was constantly praising Haruna, while Hiyori was left wondering whether anyone in their family would ever recognize her for something other than being Haruna’s younger sister.

Their relationship was certainly strange, although it was perhaps understandable considering the circumstances surrounding their family. After all, they were the daughters and potential successors of one of the largest organizations dedicated to hunting and defeating supernatural beings, meaning that their personal relationship was inevitably tied to matters of inheritance, authority, and responsibility.

In a family like theirs, being sisters did not necessarily mean they could rely on each other without reservation, especially when both of them had the potential to influence who would eventually take control.

From Haruna’s perspective, it was necessary to make sure her younger sister did not suddenly take center stage and disrupt the future she had spent years preparing for. The safest option was to keep Hiyori in check, encourage her to remain in the background, and ensure that Haruna herself continued to be regarded as the obvious choice to inherit everything.

"Well, I was called here too, you know," Hiyori replied with a smile, maintaining her composure despite the way her sister was looking at her. "As a member of the Ichinose Family, I believe I have every right to be here, even if you seem to think I’m some insignificant part of our family."

"I don’t think that at all, Hiyori," Haruna answered, tilting her head slightly as though she genuinely had no idea what her younger sister was talking about. "What on earth gave you that impression?"

Her response sounded perfectly reasonable on the surface, and she delivered it with such an innocent expression that someone unfamiliar with their relationship might have believed her without a second thought.

Unfortunately, Hiyori knew her sister well enough to recognize the difference between what Haruna said and how she actually treated her. Haruna might have denied looking down on her younger sister, but that did not change the fact that she had made Hiyori feel insignificant for years.

In that sense, Hiyori’s accusation was not entirely wrong, even if Haruna preferred to pretend otherwise.

"I know you’re keeping me in check because you want the entire Ichinose inheritance for yourself," Hiyori explained. "Honestly, I don’t have any intention of trying to usurp your position as the heir, and I don’t particularly have the ambition to take everything away from you either."

She paused briefly, looking directly at her older sister before continuing.

"So, I’d appreciate it if you would just leave me alone and treat me like some insignificant little fly buzzing around the room. You can go ahead and take responsibility for the family and the association, while I stay out of your way and live my own life."

Hiyori was not asking for much, at least from her perspective. She simply wanted to be left alone instead of constantly being treated like a potential rival when she had no particular interest in competing with Haruna in the first place.

If Haruna wanted the inheritance that badly, then she could have it. Hiyori was perfectly willing to let her older sister take the lead, provided that Haruna stopped treating her like someone who needed to be watched constantly.

Considering how little interest she had in becoming the heir, Hiyori thought the arrangement should have been straightforward enough.

Apparently, however, Haruna did not see things the same way.

"Hmm... You really don’t have the ambition to usurp me, Hiyori?" Haruna asked, narrowing her eyes slightly as she studied her younger sister’s expression. "But even if that’s what you believe, do you honestly think fate would allow things to work out that way?" she continued, her smile becoming a little more pronounced. "Even if I decided to treat you like some harmless little bug that wouldn’t get in my way, I don’t think the power of the universe would simply let me relax and carry on as though there were nothing to worry about."

Hiyori stared at her sister for a moment, trying to determine whether Haruna was being serious or simply looking for another excuse to make their conversation unpleasant.

Judging by that expression, however, she suspected that her older sister was being entirely serious.

"Do you genuinely believe I’m going to become the one who inherits the Saint’s power?" Hiyori asked, raising an eyebrow at her sister’s words.

Since Haruna did not seem particularly interested in treating her like a younger sister who deserved even the slightest degree of trust, Hiyori had gradually reached the conclusion that her older sister was genuinely afraid of the possibility that Hiyori might become the Saint instead of her.

It was not an unreasonable assumption, either.

If Hiyori became the Saint, Haruna could potentially lose the position she had spent her entire life preparing to inherit. The power of the Saint was not something that could simply be claimed through hard work, academic achievements, or a person’s standing within the family, since the one who would eventually inherit it was chosen by fate itself.

That meant neither sister could guarantee the outcome, regardless of how talented or accomplished she might be.

Haruna could have the better academic record, more experience with the Demon Hunter Associations, and a much stronger reputation within their family, but none of those things necessarily guaranteed that she would become the Saint. Even if she was undoubtedly the more accomplished of the two, there was still a chance that Hiyori would be the one chosen.

And that possibility alone was enough to threaten everything Haruna had worked toward throughout her life.

After spending so many years building her reputation, establishing herself within the Demon Hunter Associations, and preparing to inherit the family’s authority, the thought of losing everything because fate had chosen her younger sister instead must have been difficult to accept.

"Well, the only way for us to find out is to wait and see," Haruna finally replied, her smirk returning as she looked directly at Hiyori. "However, on the off chance that you actually become the Saint, I’ll make absolutely certain that you get to experience hell yourself, my dear little sister."