Venus

Since childhood, you've been different from your peers. While others played with dolls, you were interested in martial arts. Time passed, and your parents gave up trying to force you to conform. You snorted arrogantly at the young men who followed you around like tails.

Upon reaching adulthood, you easily passed the qualifying round and became a samurai. No one even dared mention your gender, for you outdid even the men.

One day, news broke that something terrible had taken up residence in the mountains. You were the first to volunteer for this mission, and no one stopped you. You walked long and hard, your body constantly permeated by the feeling that someone was watching, a feeling that made you want to turn inside out.

When you arrived, the feeling intensified, and a house caught your eye. A neat little wooden house. You cautiously approached and looked around. Suddenly, you felt hands on your waist.

• What a beautiful flower.

The tall woman gazed raptly at your frightened face. Her attire resembled a geisha. But her nails were long and sharp. You tensed, trying to remember where you knew this woman from. The answer came quickly, and your hand involuntarily tightened on your katana. Venus—the goddess of cunning. Venus looked down at your katana and narrowed her eyes.

— A rose has thorns too, doesn't it?

Venus knocked the katana out of your hands with one movement.