Chapter 94: Let Me See Mister One Last Time

Would protect me?

Kirigaya Nuo abruptly opened her eyes!

Kobayashi Ba seemed to have a premonition of something, struggling even more violently, emitting a hoarse sound like a dying animal from his throat, full of pleading.

Kirigaya Nuo gripped the gun tightly with both hands, raised her arms, and aimed the muzzle at the center of the man's brows.

Her movements were somewhat unfamiliar, but exceptionally steady.

Her eyes were so empty they couldn't reflect any image.

Her index finger pulled the trigger.

"Bang—!"

A muffled gunshot exploded in the limited space of the basement, deafening to the ears.

On the chair, Kobayashi Ba's struggling stopped abruptly.

His head abruptly leaned backward, a shocking blood hole appearing between his brows, his eyes instantly losing focus.

Kirigaya Nuo's arms were numb from the recoil, but she gripped the gun tightly, not letting go.

She looked at that body rapidly losing vitality, looking at the spreading bloodstain, without any expression on her face.

No pleasure, no fear, no disgust.

Only a patch of icy numbness.

A few drops of warm liquid splashed onto her cheek.

She blankly raised her hand and wiped it with her finger.

Her fingertip was stained with a smear of glaring scarlet.

The fishy sweet smell drilled into her nasal cavity.

"Teacher..."

She suddenly spoke softly, her voice floating as if coming from very far away.

"Is there... blood on my face?"

Xu Yunzhou's illusory figure looked at her silently.

Looking at this young girl who had just personally taken a life, with blood spots splashed on her face, her eyes empty yet standing straight.

He subconsciously raised his hand to wipe his own forehead, his face turning somewhat pale outside the screen.

As expected, Xu Nuo's talent is no joke, killing a person for the first time so smoothly and so calmly.

If it were him, he probably would have peed his pants from fright long ago.

But ultimately, he just slowly nodded.

"...Yes."

Hearing this, Kirigaya Nuo actually pulled the corners of her mouth slightly.

That wasn't a smile.

More like a confirmation.

"Oh."

She responded in a low voice, lowering her eyelids.

"Then... let it stay."

...

That night, Edo Minato Ward.

Inside the room of a towering skyscraper, a girl looked out the window.

Tens of thousands of lights spread out beneath her feet, the winding flows of traffic turning into bands of golden and red light.

The skyscrapers resembled a glowing forest of building blocks, and the distant Edo Tower cut a red silhouette against the night sky.

The room was suffocatingly large.

Minimalist modern style, gray-white tones, every piece of furniture displayed like an art exhibit.

Separated from that cluttered, musty-smelling attic of "Happiness Manor" she had just escaped from by the distance of a whole universe.

"Your luggage has been arranged."

The woman in black who brought her up bowed,

"The wardrobe has been properly prepared for you. If you have any needs, please press the call bell."

The door closed gently.

Kirigaya Nuo stood in the center of the living room, like a child who had barged into the land of giants.

Barefoot, she walked toward that wardrobe occupying an entire wall.

Sensor lights automatically lit up as she approached, the cabinet doors sliding silently. Inside were already hung clothes prepared for her.

From simple daily casual wear to sharply tailored small suits, from soft knit dresses to a few slightly mature silk shirts, and even that wool coat she saw in Ginza but couldn't bear to buy.

She deserved such courteous treatment.

Not to mention that the Crescent Group had already evaluated her as a "Special A-Rank Potential" technical genius backbone, just the task she was going to execute next, assassinating that old fox Takemiya Susumu, was worth a bounty of one hundred million Yen.

Kirigaya Nuo showered for a long time, seemingly wanting to wash off some invisible smell.

Then, she changed into a soft silk nightgown, walked to the window, and stood quietly.

In the distance, the sound of temple bells faintly came over, resonant and distant, washing away the clamor of the mortal world.

Dong—dong—dong—

That was the New Year's Eve bell from a temple in the distant suburbs, one hundred and eight chimes.

It is said that every chime can dispel a kind of worldly trouble, welcoming the New Year with a pure body.

The old year is coming to an end.

Kirigaya Nuo stood quietly.

The window glass was like a huge black mirror, clearly reflecting her image.

The young girl's figure was slender, the nightgown outlining the green curves that hadn't fully grown.

Her cheeks were faintly pink from the hot water bath, but her lip color was still pale.

Her eyes were clear, calm, yet as cold as a frozen lake on a winter night.

The young girl in the reflection was beautiful, but somewhat unfamiliar.

Like a meticulously wiped, properly displayed, price-tagged luxury item.

Like "Kirigaya Nuo."

After a long time, she raised her hand, her fingertips gently touching the cold glass surface, slowly sliding along the outline of herself in the reflection.

Then, she spoke softly:

"Teacher..."

"If you don't hate... such a sinful me... please hug me, okay?"

The voice was very light, dissipating in the endless bustling lights and curling bell sounds outside the window.

Outside the screen.

Xu Yunzhou silently watched all this.

He looked at the lonely back of the young girl, looking at those eyes in her glass reflection seeking warmth from the void.

Somewhere at the bottom of his heart, something gently pricked him.

He moved his mouse, the cursor hovering over the [Reward] button.

Without hesitation, he gently clicked down.

In the game.

The illusory shadow of a large hand condensed from gentle light slowly surfaced in front of Kirigaya Nuo.

The palm gently landed on the top of her head, following her slightly damp hair, slowly and gently stroking, one stroke after another.

The movements were as gentle as comforting a frightened little beast.

Kirigaya Nuo's body stiffened imperceptibly for an instant.

Immediately after, she slightly closed her eyes.

Her long eyelashes cast faint shadows under her eyes. Her tense shoulders, along with the gentle strokes of that virtual palm one by one, imperceptibly and slowly relaxed a bit.

As if finally putting down a burden of a thousand catties.

...

Xu Yunzhou watched for a long time.

Until the young girl in the game footage slowly turned around and walked toward that large, soft bed that was almost unreal.

He exited the game and turned off the computer.

The screen went dark.

In the room, only the faint light of the city outside the window remained.

It was 7:30 PM at this time.

Xu Yunzhou sat in the darkness for who knows how long.

The embers of the game footage seemed to still remain on his retinas.

The orange-red flame bursting from the muzzle.

The splashing, warm scarlet.

When the young girl pulled the trigger, those abruptly empty eyes.

And afterwards, this luxurious top-floor cage, and the boundless, bustling sea of lights outside the window that made her appear incomparably insignificant and lonely in contrast.

These scenes, like a silent movie without a soundtrack, repeatedly rewound and played in his mind.

The taste was complex and hard to describe.

Until his phone screen suddenly lit up in the darkness, buzzing and vibrating.

He picked it up.

It was a message sent by Lin Ruoxuan:

"Elder Wu asked her great-granddaughter to call me."

"She said—"

"I felt it... Mister has returned."

"Let me see him... let me see Mister one last time."

Xu Yunzhou stared at those few lines of text on the phone screen, looking at them for a full half-minute.

Wu Xiuyun.

That founding female general who, in Song Jiaru's "story," descended like a legend and saved her from fire and water leaning on a Guan Dao.

That young girl who, it is said... was guided by a "Mister" over seventy years ago.

And now, that one-hundred-and-three-year-old elder, in the final faint light of her life, asked to see "Mister."

To see me.

Xu Yunzhou pushed away his chair and stood up.

When he walked to the living room, Lin Ruoxuan was already waiting there.

"Elder Wu, a month ago, due to organ failure and complications from multiple geriatric diseases, has been in a coma or semi-coma most of the time."

She paused,

"After all... she is already one hundred and three years old. The doctors said long ago that being able to hold on until now is already a medical miracle."

"But,"

Lin Ruoxuan's voice lowered,

"Perhaps because of some obsession, she has been holding on, hanging onto a breath."

"Today around 4:00 PM in the afternoon, she suddenly woke up. Her consciousness was very clear, even able to accurately call out the nurse's name.

Then, she insisted on contacting me, making her great-granddaughter dial my number, saying she wanted to see Mister."