The Shiratori family

The Shiratori family are in the common room waiting in anticipation. It is the day when Cai Kang is supposed to arrive. They heard the story of their father's friend from China; Changming, who will bring his son to Japan and one of the girls will end up as his fiancee. The truth is that while the entire clan has been aware of it, that doesn't mean they are entirely happy about it. There are plenty of suitors of desirable and more powerful families who would suit their daughters as marriage partners. But it has come to a standstill.

A young girl at the table was visibly excited. She is wearing a formal turquoise kimono with temari designs on the skirt. She has her chestnut-colored hair tied into a bun and decorated with a temari hairpin to hold it up. She has a silver swan crest on the back of her kimono, depicting their family crest.

"Did you seriously have to overdress yourself like this?" The boy next to her irritably said, He is wearing casual clothes and has the same chestnut colored hair and eyes as his sister. Both are nearly identical in appearance.

"Why not? I rarely get to dress up like this, besides, I have to make a good impression. If what dad says is true then we'll be dealing with a gold mine." She said.

"Do not forget, Noriko. Even if you end up being engaged to him, you're not marrying into money." The girl sitting across from her said.

She has a dark blue kimono with a silver embroidery water pattern. She has the family crest on the back as well. Unlike her two twin siblings, she has ebony black hair and silver eyes. Her hair is short so the only hair accessory she wore was a simple dangling stirling hair pin beside her ear that her maid got for her.

Then the girl glared at her brother. "As for you, you are representing our martial arts dojo. You should've been wearing the Kimono that dad had prepared for us. Even Ren is wearing it." She referred to the sleeping boy next to her. He is quite young so no one decides to bother him until their guests arrive.

"Whatever, it's not like I will take over the dojo anyway. If anything, it is most likely gonna be you Kazu-nee." He said. It wasn't in a tone of contempt but one of reassurance.

"Don't forget, Toya. Kazuha may be accepted as the heir to the clan but not the future grandmaster title yet so that position may still come to you one day." Their father said.

All the siblings turned to the center position of the table where their father is sitting. He has ebony hair and silver eyes just like his older daughter. Like most of his children, he is wearing a Kimono with the crest on it. He has a very youthful appearance which could shock many people if they were to find out his real age.

Then the sliding door opened. "We have visitors." The maid said.

"That must be Cai Kang." The girl with the bun was obviously excited and ran up to meet him along with her equally excited father and brothers. But it was the family housemaid who opened the door.

Cai Kang, who is no longer unconscious, is shocked to see how the head of the household looks. He is tall, handsome, charismatic, and has bright, silvery eyes. According to the old man, whom she was forced to listen to after he paralyzed her on the way, he doesn't look like a middle-aged man but rather a young man in his thirties. He is supposed to be five years older than her dad so why does it look like her own father is the older one? She noticed the wards of the house. It seems that the family consists of two daughters and two sons. Both men started laughing and chatting before they headed to the living room. The Shiratori siblings were mildly surprised to see their father laugh so heartily. Everyone else looked at their quiet guest who seemed reluctant and shy as she rubbed her arm after her father put her down.

"My name is Cai Kang of the Cai school of-."

"Wow, your Japanese is so good. You already sound like a native." The little boy exclaimed, interrupting her.

"Thanks. I learned Japanese a long time ago." Cai Kang said awkwardly, still rubbing that arm.

Before anyone said anything, They all noticed something wrong and admired Cai Kang's figure. Cai Kang is wearing pretty big, baggy, foreign clothes but even they know what is going on.

"Um, you're a girl." The ponytailed girl said.

Cai Kang noticed herself. "Sorry" She said nonchalantly.

Cai Kang started to change. Her body morphs from a girl to a boy in front of their eyes. That brought a lot of shock to everyone. Cai Kang is a bit flustered at their reactions. It looks like a 'before and after' transition in real life.

Shiratori Shoraku looked at his old friend.

"I would like to have a word, old friend." He said.

The two men are in the living room squabbling while the rest are outside on the porch listening to the whole thing.

"What the hell was that all about?" The boy said.

"It is a special trait of mine. I can transform genders based on my environment. It is involuntary so I had to learn how to train my body to maintain my chosen gender." He said.

A special trait is a characteristic unique to certain families in Shenmi. It can be shown as a physical trait or appear later in life. In some families, sharing a last name isn't enough to show legitimacy in a family. Only showing proof of having their family's special trait is proof enough.

"That would explain why the barrier didn't work." A young boy said while looking out the window. He looks like he isn't ten years old yet and is wearing a kimono like his sisters.

"Are you really a guy?"

Cai Kang shrugged lightly. "I am not sure. I had this thing since I was born and I identify with both honestly."

The special trait is seen as a curse to many. Cai Kang doesn't dislike it. He can wear and be whoever he wishes to be. He doesn't bother dealing with or going along with gender conformity but due to a law that could result in imprisonment, he cannot openly show it. The old man raised him and basically drilled the manliness in him so that he wouldn't end up liking his girly side much.

It is quite laughable actually. He likes the things that guys and girls like. He doesn't openly show it in front of his old man but it's true. His father calls it a curse but Cai Kang sees it as a part of himself. However, even he has to admit that this trait is an inconvenience. There were times he started to switch genders back and forth every few seconds because of a sunshower resulting in an imbalanced Yin-Yang energy and if he is not careful then he will expose himself to the outside world.

The tomboyish girl said. "Until they come to a stand-still, I should at least show Cai Kang around." She said and looked at Cai Kang. "Hungry?"

"Starving" Cai Kang replied happily. Food sounds so good right now.

They ate in a separate room. Cai Kang had never seen a traditional Japanese house, so he was intrigued by the size and the interior. It seemed much bigger on the inside. After noticing the maids, both of whom are familiars, he could tell the family has a rich history. The siblings introduced themselves. Noriko and Toya are fraternal twin siblings, older and younger respectively, they are both brunettes who are the middle children of the family. Next is Ren, who is the younger child. He is nine years old and has jet black hair and brown eyes like his siblings. They have one other sister but she is in Shenmi taking care of clan matters. However, what intrigued him was the oldest one of the four; Kazuha. She has short, jet-black hair like her younger brother and even has the aesthetics of a feminine boy. If it wasn't for his own experience with dressing up in both sexes then he might not be able to figure it out. The only other odd thing about her is that she has what seems like the most attractive pair of eyes he has ever seen. It has a silvery shine once seen in the light but otherwise has a sharp gray color like her father. Out of all the siblings, this girl resembles her father the most. He was then introduced to the Shikigami maids. Saeko, in charge of housework, looks like a kindly, old lady. Then there is Yae, who looks like a middle-aged woman who basically acts like the secretary who handles all their issues in Qiyuan. Apparently, there are more but they don't show up as often.

"I haven't seen the dojo since coming here." Cai Kang noted. His eyes wandered the beautiful intricacy of the room.

"This whole place is the Shiratori home. It has its own training hall but the Shiratori dojo is a bit farther away from here on the other side. Dad wakes up early every day and comes home at night." Noriko said.

"Does he teach himself?" Cai Kang said.

She nodded. "He is the Grandmaster who runs the school as well as the first heir to the Hinagi clan. He's taking two jobs by himself."

"Really?" Cai Kang says in astonishment. The heir of the clan and grandmaster are two separate titles. It is a lot of work for one guy.

"Do you not have grandfathers, great-grandfathers or even great-great-grandfathers to take the job?"

"Our grandfather died a couple of years ago, leaving the head position to our grand uncle. The rest have all died before we were born. None of the other members are qualified to take the grandmaster title since no one else is as skilled or talented in martial arts." Kazuha said.

Another difference between Shenmi and Qiyuan is that the people in Shenmi have much longer lifespans. That only applies to those who trained their chi though and they can live up to almost 150 years.

"Are you a martial artist? Ren asked Cai Kang, breaking his train of thought.

"Yeah, I'm the best in my school especially since I am the heir. By the way, who is your school's heir?" he asked.

The silvery eyed girl raised her hand. "Our school has a system where if the grandmaster dies then the strongest and most fitting would succeed him regardless of background. However, only a Shiratori would take over as its headmaster but that is also undecided."

"What about the clan and your family? Is that you?" Cai Kang asked her."

"Yes," she replied. "Our clan's special trait are our eyes. Mine have fully developed and now I am my clan's future heiress after my dad," she said. "As for the Shiratori family, it has gone to my second uncle."

Turning towards Cai Kang's direction, Ren asked. "How long have you been a martial artist?"

"As long as I can remember. I started learning martial arts after I learned how to stand on my own two feet." Cai Kang said, looking at his feet while talking.

"That's intense." Noriko said.

"What about you guys?" he asked.

"We all learned martial arts but we just learned the basics. Ren just started over a year ago. Only Kazu-nee kept going." Toya said. Kazuha stopped eating and stared at her brother with a blank expression.

"Yeah. That's right. She started training and progressing when she was five but she started taking it seriously when she was eight. All of us started training the basics and stayed that way when we were nine." Ren said.

The Shiratori family is an elite martial arts family, which has been around for many generations training, learning and even creating their style. Truthfully, he is aware the old man has been to Japan but didn't know they're that important. Thinking back, he is now aware of why they came to Japan to be engaged. The Cai school of martial arts is fairly new and recently acknowledged by their nation; Luminescent, it isn't the same for the other schools as they are new thus not acknowledged as a real school. An engagement seems like the fastest and easiest way to gain the other schools' trust and their good side. Then they suddenly hear their names being called to the living room.

"I guess you are all confused about what's going on. You were expecting a boy to come here. I am sorry for the surprise and I know I didn't make the most graceful of entrances but you see, I came here at this specific time to tell you something. Cai Kang was born with something strange as his special trait in my tribe. Cai Kang was born male but became female when the sun came down. This ability was involuntary until Cai Kang mastered a technique that would require to control the internal Yin-Yang in the body as it is sensitive to any change in balance in Yin and Yang."

"The Yin-Yang transition," Kazuha muttered. "It must be hard to maintain that all the time."

Cai Kang nodded in response. To use that technique constantly takes a lot of energy so he often tries not to use it.

Shoraku nodded. "It doesn't seem so bad. We can still work out our promise and figure out what to do next. Unfortunately, I already told the other members of the clan of the engagement so this might become a problem. The public thinks you are a boy and thus we will treat you as such. Regardless of your preference, I will accept it."

Cai Kang waved his hands in denial. "Rest assured, sir, regardless of my form, I only like women."

Shoraku nodded. "I'll set up an omiai and have my daughters choose a suitable bride for you. After that, she will receive lessons and go live with you in China as your fiancee."

"So an engagement is not exactly set in stone? Are we not gonna have a ceremony?" Ren said. Cai Kang knows what he is talking about. An engagement ceremony is necessary to make an engagement official since engagements are usually arranged since childhood. It is only if both the clan heads, the couple's families, and the elders all agree to it.

"No. Cai Kang's trait makes it difficult to get him married but since everyone thinks he is a man, it is better to make it seem like it is on the outside." Shoraku grabbed Cai Kang's shoulders to show him his children. "You are already acquainted with most of my children. My eldest daughter Konomi is currently abroad. You will also meet the other women of the clan at a later time. You don't need to choose now but the decision is up to you." He said then stared at the maid. "Yae, please escort our guests to their room." The servant then led the Cai family to the room.

Special traits such as his are undesirable as they can be passed down to future generations and is often stigmatized. It was already a pain to maintain one gender but now that he is in Qiyuan, it means that there will be consequences now as the government will give a penalty to him if anyone who is not affiliated with Qiyuan discovers his ability and exploits it. Later, Changming is talking to Cai Kang in the guest room to talk to him.

Cai Kang is in disbelief. "School? No way. I literally just dropped off school in China. What makes you think Japan would be any better? Besides, you didn't go to school. Why should I go?" He whined.

"You will be staying here for a while to hone your skills and get along with the Shiratori family and the Hinagi clan as a whole. In the meantime, I will roam around the country and take care of some unfinished business. I will go back to China once I am done so I won't be back. As for not going to school, this isn't the same world as Luminescent so you have to start acting like other children here. You will start living here like everyone else to understand this world better. Understand?" He said sternly.

"Whatever, it's nothing new." He muttered.