Neo pov
[ I hid the rest. The police are still snooping around, even the hunters got involved, so we're leaving town. I'm leaving you with the task of getting everything out one by one. Not all at once, remember the plan and don't draw attention to yourself. You work in the sewers, so no one will suspect you. Just be careful, apparently other rats are also interested and are already sniffing around. Do it right and you'll never have to work your ass off in this shit for scraps . ]
After reading the note, I looked again at the box, the piece of paper, and then the locker. The message conveyed by that piece of paper dispelled any questions I might have had, as well as providing some clarity regarding the fate of the body in the locker.
At that very moment, after reading this note and seeing the body, the likelihood that it was a lie became even smaller. Unless it's some kind of joke. However, looking at the body in the locker, I have reason to believe this story. Or at least its credibility has increased even more. Otherwise, it was a truly deadly joke.
' Well, apparently the rats have sniffed you out. The question is, did they find what they were looking for... Or were you able to keep the secret just as you kept this box ? '
I thought, getting up from the confused Kurumi and turning to the corpse in the closet. I had nothing to say to that corpse. Instead, I looked at the pieces of paper again.
The layout of these lines seemed a little familiar to me. It didn't take me long to run up to the map of the tunnels. Kurumi said nothing about my behavior. She just quietly watched me . Meanwhile, I was looking for a comparison. And indeed, I found a comparison, a kilometer away. .
' Haha hahaha. '
With a broad smile and mute laugh , I clutched the box and map tightly. However, I calmed down just as quickly.
' Well, first we should focus on getting out of here. Then we can go after the treasure. As long as it's still there. There's always a chance that someone has already taken it.'
I thought as my emotions subsided. First, we need to get out of here; worrying about the treasure can come later.
'The treasure is useless if we can't get out of here. Not to mention that I don't even know how big it is. It might be that we won't even be able to take it all with us at once.'
With that in mind, I went back to Kurumi and packed everything back into the box. Then I closed the box and placed it next to the silent Kurumi. She didn't ask any questions, but instead went back to resting. With her eyes closed, she looked as if she were sleeping; only the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest calmed me.
Seeing that she was resting, I decided to look around the room again, but found nothing else. So, with nothing else to do, I sat down next to Kurumi, closed my eyes, and took her hand to wait.
"Neo... I'm ready."
Kurumi said after a while of silence. Opening my eyes, I looked at her and at the gun she was already holding in her free hand.
"Will you step back a little?"
She asked, and I could only reluctantly let go of her, grab the box, and step back....
3rd person POV
When Neo stopped two meters away from her, Kurumi took one last breath and clenched her teeth. At that moment, her own shadow beneath her spread out, forming a circle around her body. From within that circle, two pairs of hands emerged and grabbed Kurumi under her arms.
" !???? !! "
Suddenly, Kurumi's face contorted in pain, yet she clenched her teeth and bit her lip, letting blood flow over her mouth and then down her pale, trembling neck. With tears in her reddish-gold eyes and the loud cracking of her bones, Kurumi's body was slowly lifted by two clones that were slowly emerging from her shadow.
With every crack, the bones in her body shifted; with every moan and whimper, her torn and stretched muscles tensed and spasmed. It was incredibly painful, to the point where it didn't even allow Kurumi to lose consciousness. And Neo watched this torture, standing still, knowing there was nothing she could do. The look in her pink-brown eyes was complex and filled with emotion.
Her own hands and lips were almost bleeding as the nails of her clenched fist dug into her own skin. Still, she didn't bite her lip or dig her nails into her skin, knowing she had to be in top condition. She didn't turn away either, wanting to witness Kurumi's suffering so she could burn the image into her mind .
And in that strange atmosphere, filled with silence and suffering, Kurumi, with a final crack of her joints, was brought to her feet. Though drenched in cold sweat and visibly exhausted, she did not rest. Controlling her shadowy clone, Kurumi brushed the bangs clinging to her wet forehead to the side, then created another clone, which picked up the pistol she had dropped while standing up.
Kurumi, however, did not grab the weapon. She simply stood there, held up by the clones. Neo noticed this immediately. Throwing the box aside and then quickly approaching Kurumi, Neo grabbed her drooping head, realizing that she had lost consciousness. Concerned, Neo looked at the motionless clones, and seeing that they weren't reacting, she patted Kurumi on the cheeks, trying to wake her up.
Unnoticed, however, by the confused Neo, the clone holding the weapon, ignoring Neo's panic, pressed the weapon into Kurumi's hand. Kurumi clenched her grip, showing signs of partial consciousness. And just then, the clone who had just handed the weapon to It's master, along with a second clone holding Kurumi under the arm of her weapon-holding hand, worked together to lift Kurumi's arm upward, causing a repulsive sound of bones shifting along the way.
" !!!! "
A sudden surge of pain made Kurumi's eyes snap open and her head jerk upward, causing her forehead to collide with Neo's nose. Neither of them, however, reacted much to it. Kurumi was too overwhelmed by the pain, and Neo, protected by her aura, was too concerned about Kurumi's condition. When Kurumi's silent scream subsided, her body relaxed. Her head fell, meeting Neo's forehead with a thud.
At that moment, the suddenly overwhelmed Neo flinched; terror was evident in her eyes. Her gaze shifted to the clones; her thoughts were dark—Neo was about to stop it. It was only when she looked again at Kurumi's now-calm gaze that she stopped herself.
"It's over… It'll all be over in a moment."
She said this to herself and to Neo at the same time. After those words, silence fell between them. With tears in her eyes, Neo could only clench her teeth, step back a little, and lower her head. Her breathing was no less ragged than Kurumi's. Both of them could smell the scent of sweat and fresh blood emanating from Kurumi .
Gently grabbing Kurumi's face, she lowered her head. Neo's expression was more like a pleading than anything else. Neo really couldn't bear to watch this anymore. But Kurumi was helpless too. It had to be done. So Kurumi's gaze toward Neo was no less complicated than Neo's feelings.
"Neo,"
Kurumi said, drawing her friend's attention. And, when Neo looked at her, Kurumi could only kiss her on the forehead, leaving a bloody mark on Neo's pale skin.
"Step back...."
Kurumi repeated with a faint smile. Neo hesitated. Her fingers, which had been caressing Kurumi's cheeks, slowly withdrew, and a resigned Neo walked away and sat down on the bench. She didn't look away; she continued to watch. Her mismatched eyes, like a camera, burned the image before her into her memory. To her, the culprits were obvious: the Spider Syndicate and Xiong. Yes, in Neo's mind, he was guilty too... As for what Neo will do about this situation, that will have to wait.
"I hope this works."
Kurumi whispered to herself, ignoring her little mouse's emotional state. Then the shadows beneath her body exploded. Trusting her, Neo simply watched as an incredible image of a golden clock, covered in a black-and-red mist, emerged from Kurumi's even more vast shadow.
Under Neo's now calm yet piercing gaze, the natural light of the room seemed to dim before that golden yet dark glow. At that moment, her gaze was already empty and dark. And yet, somewhere within her, admiration still shone as she looked at her wounded angel in all her glory.
A gaze full of love, loyalty, and devotion unlike anything anyone had ever seen. A loyalty impossible to describe in simple or elaborate words. Neo wasn't just willing to die for Kurumi; Neo was even willing to make Kurumi hate her , just as long as she had been happy. Burning the world, tearing her own soul apart, and even going down in history as a monster...
.... all for Kurumi. Everything for her silent love. Touching the bloody mark of lips on her forehead, Neo's expression was mysterious and even, by her standards, silent. Only Neo knew what she was thinking as gold, red, and black reflected in her eyes. In the reflection of her mismatched eyes, an astonishing scene played out—one that, despite the calm etched on her face, made her heart race.
"The fourth bullet,"
Kurumi said as the clock struck the hour. And the small clock in her eyes began to run backward. Black-and-red smoke from the clock flowed into the gun held by Kurumi, whose eyes now showed relief. She then pointed the gun at her head and fired. And immediately, under Neo's astonished gaze, the dirt and wounds vanished from Kurumi's body.
But even though her clothes and body seemed to return to their undamaged state, Neo noticed something immediately. Kurumi's face had gone pale. Neo noticed this and immediately approached Kurumi, who was trying to stand up. Ignoring the clock disappearing into the shadows, Neo carefully grabbed Kurumi under the arms as she rose and lifted her up.
"I'm fine."
Kurumi said, leaning gently into Neo's embrace. From which, as she later discovered, she could not escape. Hugging Kurumi tightly, Neo buried her face in her neck. Kurumi, despite her momentary hesitation, ultimately couldn't push Neo away. With a complex and sad look in her eyes, Kurumi returned the embrace despite feeling physically and emotionally weak. And so, in that disgusting place, with the corpse locked in the closet as a witness, this solemn and beautiful scene unfolded.