Chapter 347: Eiko’s Confession

“Uzuki, I’ve come to play with you!”

After Gao Sijin and Uzuki walked out of the room together, Katakura Kazue immediately threw herself into Uzuki’s arms, startling her.

The night before, Gao Sijin had seen that Uzuki had been downcast, so he sent a message to Katakura Hayabusa on his phone. Upon learning that Uzuki was feeling low, Katakura Hayabusa replied, claiming he would bring Kazue to visit Uzuki the next day. At the same time, Sijin also learned something that was enough to make his jaw drop.

At seven in the morning, the maids led by Morgana had prepared a breakfast comparable to that of a royal court, their demeanor elegant and graceful. On the sofa, Katakura Eiko, her blonde hair neatly combed, sat with her legs crossed. Her gray biker jacket bore a skull pattern, her style of dress exactly the same as Katakura Hayabusa’s.

“Yo, Uzuki.” Eiko greeted her stylishly.

“Good morning, Eiko.” Uzuki lowered her head obediently, a bit reserved.

“Uzuki, actually, there’s something I need to confess to you. I shouldn’t have kept it hidden for so long,” Eiko stood up, pausing forthrightly like a man. “I am actually Katakura Hayabusa. Because of a supernatural phenomenon, my body ended up like this.”

Uzuki’s eyes widened as she stared blankly at Eiko before her, unable to process it for a moment.

“Uzuki, she really is my brother.” Kazue explained from the side, “At first I was also a little suspicious, but later she told me several things that only my brother and I would know, and I finally confirmed that she is indeed my brother.”

Recalling some details about Eiko, her behavior was indeed exactly the same as Hayabusa’s.

For example, the habit of always bringing a baseball bat when leaving the house, and when she saw delinquents bullying passersby on the street, she would loudly intervene or even resort to violence.

“Then why did you only say it now…” Uzuki pursed her lips and looked at Eiko.

“Because we’re friends,” Eiko said, as if it were obvious. “And I also wanted you to understand at all times that you’re not alone. Yesterday, I heard from Sijin-sensei that you were feeling down, and we were all worried about you. Even if you’ve been excluded by your classmates, at least you still have us. And I also heard about Minako’s disappearance. In any case, for the remaining problems, let’s all figure them out together. Correspondingly, Uzuki, you need to help me figure out a way to turn me back into a man too.”

Uzuki could see that her confession had undoubtedly required tremendous courage.

Going from a perfectly normal man to a woman was undoubtedly extremely shameful for Katakura Hayabusa, yet now Eiko still told the strange things that had happened to her in detail.

“Thank you, Senior Hayabusa…”

“Forget it, just call me Eiko for now. Until I turn back into a man, I have to use this name temporarily, otherwise it’ll feel weird.”

During breakfast, the group sat together. Yu Qingxue kept trying to suppress her laughter from the side. Eiko got so angry she nearly started a fight with Qingxue, but ultimately, for Uzuki’s sake, everyone settled down.

“Turning into a woman…” Gao Sijin looked at Katakura Eiko’s face, which was an almost exact copy of Kitagawa Marin’s, and fell into deep thought.

“What is Sijin-sensei thinking about?”

“First of all, it can be confirmed that the supernatural is real. What happened to you is a genuine supernatural incident. The last thing you sent me was Ovinia’s character design art and the genderbent version of it. Could it be related to that?”

“Right, it’s very possible. Later, I should find a way to get in touch and confront the popular idol Ovinia. I really should have discussed this with Sijin-sensei sooner. But my problem is minor compared to this—the most urgent thing now is to find the missing Nakajima Minako. Regarding Minako’s disappearance, does Sijin-sensei have any leads?”

“No…”

If he had any, Gao Sijin felt he could either become a private detective or a spiritual medium. Since the disappearance had happened at the Old School Building, the best solution would be to go there, stand before the Devil’s Mirror of the Fifth Mystery at midnight, and investigate whether a supernatural phenomenon really occurs.

But considering Nakajima Minako had already vanished because of it, if they really used that method to find Minako, it would be risky, and they might all disappear too—that was the contradiction.

“Sigh, anyway, let’s eat first. After eating, we still have to take Uzuki to school.”

“Right, you can’t fight on an empty stomach.”

Although it was a bit unkind to think this way, the genderbent Hayabusa seemed to have a bit of a heroic woman’s aura.

After breakfast, Yu Qingxue drove as usual. The group first dropped Kazue off at her middle school, then went on to Uzuki’s high school. Today, Gao Sijin had again taken leave from his professor at the University of Tokyo. Until Uzuki became lively again, Sijin decided to wait outside the school gate for Uzuki, so that he could appear by her side whenever she needed him most.

“Sijin, are you not going to the university again today?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. The old professor at our university is a nice person; even if I take leave, it won’t negatively affect my credits. Besides, even if I did go to the university, I wouldn’t feel at ease. Uzuki is like my own little sister to me.”

“Little sister…” Uzuki lightly bit her lip, a little dissatisfied with this designation.

Cousin Rio had an extremely strong possessiveness towards Sijin, but as a high school girl with budding feelings, Uzuki sometimes indulged in unrealistic fantasies too—attending the same university as Gao Sijin, and then exchanging rings at the altar.

In bed, her clumsy self would let Gao Sijin do as he pleased; he would kiss the tattoo left on her skin, embrace her body, and under his rhythmic movements, the initial pain would turn into sweet happiness, and months later, she would bring him a little life that belonged to them.

Uzuki had indeed thought such things.

“Sijin, actually, I don’t want you to treat me like a little sister. I don’t like that.”

How could Gao Sijin not know Uzuki’s feelings for him?

But did the current Gao Sijin still have a choice?

He had already had a marital relationship with Rio, had a deep kiss with Yu Qingxue in the sea, and there were memories he didn’t want to recall—being locked in the basement by Feng Na and tormented in every way. The once emotionally simple Gao Sijin had undergone so many changes since coming to Tokyo.

“Uzuki, you need to grow up quickly.”

“If I could always be in Sijin’s arms, I would rather never grow up.”

Uzuki nuzzled her little head against Gao Sijin’s chest, and Sijin couldn’t bear to push her away. He knew Uzuki’s fragility, and he was a little worried that his pity for Uzuki would eventually become uncontrollable.

The school was in sight.

Gao Sijin and Katakura Eiko got out of the car together, escorting Uzuki to the school gate like left and right guardians.