The dim twilight created a resolute and cold atmosphere. Uzuki stood on an empty ground near the palace, where a solitary tombstone stood. Tsukiyuki Rio said nothing more.
“Cousin Rio, are you grieving for Sister Yu?”
Tsukiyuki Rio slightly raised her head, gazing at the setting sun. The crimson glow of the evening clouds stained the tombstone engraved with Yu Qingxue’s name, making it sparkle.
“I wouldn’t feel sad for anyone’s death except Gao-kun. Qingxue was merely a shadow of my past.”
Even so, Tsukiyuki Rio couldn’t help but think of Yu Qingxue, who had been the enemy she most revered across several cycles of reincarnation. After many twists and turns, she had finally arrived at this world line. This time, Yu Qingxue’s death was probably a final farewell. Because Tsukiyuki Rio did not intend to die again, nor to let Gao Sijin die again. The two of them would achieve an eternal ending in this world line, staying sweetly and lovingly together until the end of time.
In the original plan, Yu Qingxue would have always remained by her side. She was a sword that, once carefully honed, could become exceptionally sharp, sweeping away all obstacles for the future Tsukiyuki Rio. But with that explosion, everything vanished into smoke and dust.
“I won’t grieve…”
In a daze, Tsukiyuki Rio seemed to see Yu Qingxue leaning against the tombstone, looking at her with a punchable smile.
In her final mission, not even a complete corpse was left behind. What right did she have to smile so smugly?
“The one who caused Sister Yu’s death is neither me nor Sister Yu herself.” Uzuki held a bouquet of tribute flowers before the tombstone, bowed deeply, then elegantly straightened up and turned to look at Tsukiyuki Rio. “The one who caused Sister Yu’s death is you, Cousin Rio. If you hadn’t sent Sister Yu to kill me, none of this would have happened. Moreover, I never intended to kill Sister Yu from the start. I wanted to try my best to stop everything, but Sister Yu chose the most foolish way to complete Cousin Rio’s mission.”
Tsukiyuki Rio smiled faintly, her dark red eyes unwavering, hiding an extremely deep killing intent. She naturally could tell that she was being mocked.
“I never thought that you, who were once abused by your biological mother, would have the right today to stand on high and abuse others with words.”
The last twilight shone on Tsukiyuki Rio’s beautiful face, inadvertently creating a resolute and cold effect. Nightfall had finally arrived.
“Sister Yu is dead.” Uzuki bit her lip. “If only Cousin Rio didn’t want to kill me, then Sister Yu wouldn’t have died, and Grandfather could have passed away peacefully in front of Cousin Rio.”
Uzuki turned around, her fair face containing a restrained radiance, her deep gaze glaring back at Tsukiyuki Rio without a trace of fear.
“This is all caused by your self-righteous greed.”
“Compared to me, isn’t Cousin Rio the truly greedy one?”
The night wind blew through the hair of the two women.
Uzuki was right in front of her. If she could kill her, Tsukiyuki Rio would definitely draw her tachi without hesitation and slay the disobedient person before her. But Tsukiyuki Rio knew that physical damage was not enough to kill Uzuki. Especially at night, although there was no proof, Tsukiyuki Rio could faintly sense that Uzuki’s aura seemed to become even more eerie.
“If you had witnessed Gao-kun’s death countless times, could you still say such things?”
“What Cousin does is not protect him, but harm him. Even causing Sister Yu’s death was due to Cousin’s willfulness.”
“You don’t know anything at all, yet you self-righteously stand on a moral high ground and point fingers at my actions. If you only witnessed even one of Gao-kun’s deaths, you would completely understand my actions. But I know you won’t understand. Uzuki, compared to me, you will always just be a child who talks to herself.”
Tsukiyuki Rio tossed the tribute flowers into the air, and the petals scattered before Yu Qingxue’s tombstone.
“Although Qingxue failed, I will not fail.”
The killing intent contained in her voice did not make Uzuki feel fear.
“Cousin, do you have a heart? Even though you protected his physical safety, the damage you did to his heart hurts far more than any physical harm.”
Tsukiyuki Rio disdained to argue, nor did she bother to add reasonableness to her own actions. At first, she too had respected him and cherished him like Uzuki, been happy that he could marry the woman he loved, and from a height he could not see, using the power of the Tsukiyuki Zaibatsu she secretly protected him.
Was it useful?
Again and again, he fell in pools of blood, and after failure, Tsukiyuki Rio peacefully ended her own life among the roses. It was like an endless curse, never ending. The black feathers of the devil always gently fluttered in the sky.
“After attending Qingxue’s funeral, you should leave too. You should understand that I can’t let you see Gao-kun again.”
Tsukiyuki Rio, walking away in her geta, was still elegant and dignified. The sight of her gracefully retreating back gave Uzuki an indescribable sense of oppression. Supernatural power could kill Cousin Rio, but Uzuki did not want to kill her. She only wanted to stop her by any means, even at the cost of her life.
Her lowered hands clenched tightly, and her gaze once again fell on the name engraved on the tombstone. Fortunately, Yu Qingxue was not dead. But Uzuki felt a trace of guilt for her actions. She had conspired with Yu Qingxue to deceive Cousin Rio, making Yu Qingxue hide in the shadows, ready to deliver a fatal strike to Tsukiyuki Rio at any moment.
However, this guilt actually did not last long.
She sat back in the car, leaning her body against the hard backrest.
“Head back to the group’s main headquarters building.”
“Yes, Clan Leader.”
Uzuki rolled down the window, and the night wind instantly blew into the car. The temperature dropped significantly, and the stuffy air was swept away. Her golden eyes gazed at the moonlight in the distance.
If she too witnessed Sijin’s death, what exactly would she do? She didn’t know. But she believed that she could never become like Cousin Rio.
The car stereo played a light and cheerful tune, and Uzuki slowly closed her eyes to rest.
Just then, her phone suddenly rang.
“Clan Leader, something terrible happened. While you were out today, an assassination took place.” After connecting the call, a hurried voice sounded on the phone. “The Chairman of Tsukiyuki Products, Tsukiyuki Kensuke; the President of Imperial Bank, Tsukiyuki Naoki; Tsukiyuki Eiwa from the chemical plant; and others went to Hotel Tsubaki Sanso for dinner after the meeting to discuss the family’s future development. But just after they sat down, a man burst in and sprayed them with a submachine gun…”
“How could such a thing happen?!”
Uzuki’s heart suddenly raced, and her eyes widened involuntarily. The names just mentioned were many who stood on her side, especially Tsukiyuki Kensuke, the chairman of Tsukiyuki Products. Although he was usually exceptionally strict, he had never given up on Uzuki, claiming that Uzuki’s kindness was a rare treasure of the Tsukiyuki Zaibatsu. But he had actually died, assassinated along with Patriarch Kyoichi. Linking this to Cousin’s look just now, Uzuki felt a chill down her spine. The funeral was just a ruse. After getting her out of the way, initiating assassination operations was Cousin Rio’s true goal…
“It’s Cousin Rio!”
“Clan Leader, it is said that the assassin has an antisocial personality and also mental illness. We have no evidence.”
Bang! A gunshot came from the other end of the line.
“Mr. Shinya, are you alright?”
“Damn, there are yakuza members active nearby. For safety, I need to leave quickly. Clan Leader, please be careful as well. The war may have already begun…”
