According to Uzuki, the only way Gao Sijin could achieve a happy ending was for Tsukiyuki Rio to leave him.
Utterly ridiculous.
Tsukiyuki Rio trembled all over, as if her blood had turned to ice water. The cold of being trapped in an ice cellar seeped into her bones, making her dizzy and weak.
Her gaze fell on Uzuki again, sitting gracefully on the sofa with her chin resting on her hand. Those golden cat-like eyes were as arrogant as a god observing humanity, making Tsukiyuki Rio hate her so much she silently gritted her teeth.
Uzuki had once been an insignificant minor character, but now she stood like a colossal mountain, completely blocking Tsukiyuki Rio’s path forward.
“Uzuki, why should I believe you?”
“From Cousin’s perspective, it’s hard to trust me, and that can’t be helped, but I have already told you all the truths I possess.” Uzuki bit her lip lightly. “From now on, I want Cousin to leave Sijin, and not even inquire about his whereabouts. Every day, just believe firmly that Sijin must be living happily, and things will work out as you wish.”
“I’m not even allowed to ask where he is?”
“I know it’s hard, but if it’s Cousin Rio, you can definitely do it.”
“Isn’t this just like Schrödinger’s cat?”
Without her by his side, Tsukiyuki Rio found it very hard to believe Gao Sijin would truly find happiness. Being unable to observe would only make her restless, unable to know whether he was well or ill, alive or dead.
Most importantly, Tsukiyuki Rio still could not trust Uzuki. Fate was an ethereal concept; she had never believed in it. In the past, she was just an ordinary girl, but after life after life of struggle, she became the queen who wielded power behind the scenes.
She had the ability to change fate, to resist it, and even more, to give happiness to the one she loved.
“Uzuki, your reasoning doesn’t persuade me. Moreover, Gao-kun gave my life meaning. Parting with him is the same as negating myself. You have never experienced the bone-deep pain of choosing suicide just to see him again. You are merely a bystander who thinks she is righteous, never bleeding, never shedding tears, only indulging in moral self-satisfaction.” Tsukiyuki Rio said coldly, “You truly disgust me.”
Uzuki lowered her head.
Without suffering what they’ve suffered, don’t urge them to be good.
But…
“There is no such thing as true empathy in this world. Justice and order are the basic principles that keep society functioning normally. If I let Cousin act recklessly, Sijin will fall into misfortune, and Cousin will also commit suicide in agony. I want to help you both, so I must…”
“Enough, Uzuki. You talk too much. I have to admit, in this life, you have indeed made it so I can’t do much for now, but I will eventually kill you.”
She could not leave Gao-kun, nor could she believe such a thing.
After enduring so much pain, to suddenly be told that all that suffering was meaningless—how could she possibly accept it?
The root of disaster?
Tsukiyuki Rio sneered at that. In this life, she had imprisoned Sijin, controlled his limbs, and kept him forever in an absolutely safe place, with 24-hour surveillance. There would be no problems at all.
She intended to leave the room on the 18th floor. It was getting late, and if she had known this, she wouldn’t have wasted so much time.
But just as Tsukiyuki Rio was about to leave, she suddenly found that the door handle wouldn’t turn.
“What’s going on?”
“Cousin, stay and sit with me a little longer.”
Uzuki slowly stood up, and the room seemed to come alive, the walls writhing like the inner cavity of a living creature.
“Let me leave.”
“No. Until my power is exhausted, Cousin absolutely cannot go.”
Uzuki wore a smile of having succeeded in her plan.
“Could it be?!”
Gao-kun suddenly flashed in her mind.
Could the seemingly absolutely safe basement truly be foolproof?
Uzuki could wield such bizarre supernatural power; there was no guarantee she couldn’t use an even more special power to snatch Gao-kun away.
“Let me leave!”
Tsukiyuki Rio swung her tachi fiercely, but Uzuki spread her arms, and the blade was deflected once more, unable to harm Uzuki in the slightest.
“Cousin, don’t be hysterical. Let’s get along well for the time we have left.”
A hatred she had never felt before made Tsukiyuki Rio feel like she was about to lose all reason.
“You’re going to take Gao-kun away from me!”
“He never belonged to you, Cousin. His life belongs only to himself. If you truly like him, you should respect his life and let him go.”
Tsukiyuki Rio slashed repeatedly, but she could neither strike Uzuki’s body nor break the walls and door.
Her delicate body flew sideways like a kite with a broken string, crashing to the ground. Her forehead scraped and bled a dark red.
Yet Tsukiyuki Rio had no intention of stopping.
“Cousin, give up. You can’t break through this place. Rest, or you’ll really get hurt.”
“Stop your feigned concern, you hypocrite.”
She attacked again and again, only to be grievously wounded each time. It was like Sisyphus of Greek mythology, who enraged the gods by kidnapping the Death God so the world would know no death. He pushed a boulder up the mountain again and again, only to watch it roll back down each time, endlessly.
Now, Tsukiyuki Rio’s head was bleeding, her body covered in wounds, but the physical pain was not enough to make her stop.
Even if she had to crawl, she would crawl to Gao Sijin. Even if she was powerless to keep him, she would use her last ounce of strength.
Because she loved him.
Uzuki no longer blocked her, but quietly watched Tsukiyuki Rio’s efforts go to waste. It was night, and the supernatural power was enough to completely trap Cousin Rio. But deep down, Uzuki truly felt a deep disgust at her own actions.
Was this really the right thing to do?
If she had experienced the same things as her cousin, would she have made the same choice as Cousin Rio?
Every time she thought of this, Uzuki could not let it go.
The thread of fate she had mentioned earlier was, of course, false, meant to shatter Cousin Rio’s psychological defenses and, more importantly, to stall her and buy Sijin time to escape.
The sound of glass shattering rang in Uzuki’s ears—it was the sign that the barrier she had released was on the verge of collapsing.
“How can a human possibly break the barrier?”
Uzuki stood up, and only then did she see Tsukiyuki Rio covered in blood, showing no sign of stopping even after being repelled by spiritual power again and again.
Such terrifying obsession sent a chill through even Uzuki.
Blood from her wrist stained the black blade; her blood made the already bloodthirsty tachi sharper than ever before.
Uzuki suddenly recalled the legend of the famous blade “Muramasa,” which, after killing a thousand people, would drink blood and evolve into “Murasame.”
“Uzuki, tonight I will kill you.”
Blood from her forehead stained Tsukiyuki Rio’s face, exuding a bewitching and tragic beauty.
Uzuki did not fear death. For Sijin’s freedom, she had long been prepared to sacrifice her life. But seeing Tsukiyuki Rio now, she could not help but feel fear deep inside.
