Shiki Ryougi was once again returned to her solitude.
She... had begun to rely on the feeling of chatting with Haruka Kasugano.
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At Night.
Shiki slept as usual. Because Haruka Kasugano had directly provided her with many answers, she didn't seem particularly distressed. Instead, she spent her time wondering exactly who Haruka Kasugano was.
She couldn't see through him. She sifted through her "information," trying to find out who this person—both so familiar and yet a stranger—really was. But after searching everything, she found nothing.
Suddenly, the room door opened. Is it a nurse? Shiki thought. But in the next second, a pair of ice-cold hands gripped her throat.
"Ah..." Shiki gasped in pain.
It wasn't human... it was a corpse! She was choked by this dead thing and pressed against the windowsill.
I'm going to die... No, I can't. I just promised to live for SHIKI!
Shiki broke free and leaped directly from the windowsill. For some reason, the window—which was usually locked—was open tonight. Shiki spun in the air, positioned the corpse beneath her to act as a buffer, and rolled onto the grass.
Shiki snapped to her feet and shouted, "Haruka Kasugano, did you open the window?"
"Er..." Haruka Kasugano, who happened to be hiding behind a nearby tree, scratched his head. "How did you know?"
"Hmph! Cunning to the core!" Shiki barked. "Now hurry up and deal with this dead thing!"
"If I do it, what do I need you for? Just treat it as practice for using those Mystic Eyes!" Haruka Kasugano laughed.
"Tsk!" Shiki couldn't help but feel annoyed.
She slowly tore the bandages from her eyes. The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception appeared in the dark night, her pupils radiating a rainbow-colored light.
"Fine then... I won't be polite! You're the one who said I could kill! Even if it's a dead man..."
The night wind was sharp, blowing Shiki's long hair. In her pure white hospital gown, she looked no different from a beautiful woman in an exquisite kimono.
"Catch! You forgot this upstairs, so I brought it down for you!" Haruka Kasugano yelled.
Shiki caught the object with one hand—it was the short sword Haruka Kasugano had gifted her a few days prior.
"Hmph!" Shiki snorted again. She moved her slender feet, walking toward the corpse with a cool, imposing aura.
"He's possessed by a ghost! Remember to focus on killing the spiritual body!" Haruka Kasugano called out.
"Mind your own business!" Though she was stubborn with her words, Shiki exerted the full power of the Mystic Eyes, seeing through to the location of the ghost within the corpse.
Snap—
She plunged the blade into the body, killing the ghost along with it.
"Hmph!" Shiki looked back at Haruka Kasugano as if showing off. This was the first time she had seen Haruka Kasugano's face clearly. Perhaps influenced by Void Shiki, or perhaps by Haruka Kasugano's [Love Spot], she froze for several seconds the moment she saw him.
Hmph. Not bad looking...
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Today was the day Shiki was to be discharged. She sat on the hospital bed, looking at the birds and flowers outside. She was waiting for a classmate. This classmate had sent her a text in advance, saying he would come to pick her up.
She felt a bit irritable about it, but she didn't know how to refuse. After all, this classmate appeared countless times in the "information" from two years ago. She wanted to figure out if her past self actually had feelings for this person.
"Morning, Shiki!" A voice sounded from behind.
Shiki turned around. It was the person from her memories. Black-rimmed glasses, black clothes, black hair.
"...Do you still remember me?" Mikiya Kokutou asked with a bitter smile.
Shiki nodded. "Mikiya Kokutou. The name of a French poet."
Mikiya couldn't help but laugh upon hearing that. Shiki searched her memories, trying to find a spark of connection.
Just then, an elderly nurse walked over and shouted, "You, come help me for a second!"
"Alright!" Mikiya followed her out.
Shiki remained, pondering her memories. But after half an hour passed, Mikiya had not returned. Bewildered, she got out of bed and went to take a look. She found the door to the opposite ward ajar, and Mikiya's voice was coming from inside.
In the next second, Shiki stood frozen in shock.
Mikiya Kokutou was sticking out his tongue, drooling uncontrollably, and was locked in a carnal embrace with the elderly nurse.
"So good! You're so big, ma'am~!" Mikiya shouted, looking like he was in heat.
"Young man, you're not bad yourself. Why did you ditch your girlfriend to play with an old woman?" the nurse laughed.
"That woman is as flat as a board! What's so good about her? I only wanted her for her family background!" Mikiya laughed while licking the nurse's feet, which clearly hadn't been washed in days.
Watching this scene, Shiki's impression of Mikiya from her memories was utterly obliterated. She now found this person absolutely disgusting. Without a word, she left the hospital alone.
Outside the hospital, Haruka Kasugano was happily waiting in his car. "My employee, happy discharge!"
Shiki didn't say a word. Her expression looked like she wanted to kill someone. She got into the car and sat in silence. Haruka Kasugano was laughing his head off inside. He had just slipped Mikiya some Kykeon to control him into "playing" with the nurse.
Jie jie jie jie!
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And so, Shiki Ryougi joined Haruka Kasugano's workshop—which was actually Touko Aozaki's workshop. Since Haruka Kasugano could only visit Misaki City on weekends, it was better to let Touko manage it. Since Mikiya Kokutou wasn't working there part-time in this timeline, there was no need to worry about Shiki's situation.
Because Shiki felt a rift between herself and her original family, she took Haruka Kasugano's advice and chose to live separately. With Haruka Kasugano's help, she bought a studio apartment in the city center.
Having settled Shiki's matters, Haruka Kasugano began the next phase of his plan. Although he had secured Shiki's loyalty, he hadn't slept with her yet. He needed a scheme. This was where Kirie Fujou and Fujino Asagami came in.
In the original plot, they were "pawns" used by Souren Araya to trigger Shiki's awakening of the Root. But he would use them as "pawns" to trigger Shiki into sleeping with him.
Not too much to ask, right? Ga ga ga ga!
Haruka Kasugano went to the Ogawa Apartments once more to plot with Souren Araya.
"Shiki Ryougi has been discharged. I've placed her in my workshop where I can watch her anytime. Rest easy!" Haruka Kasugano said with a smile.
"Mmh, you are more reliable than I imagined!" Araya felt quite gratified.
"Now I can focus entirely on the two pawns. Fujino Asagami's breakdown is progressing at a visible rate. By next month, I can have her start killing!" Haruka Kasugano bluffed confidently.
"Very good!" Araya nodded. However, a moment later, he hesitated.
"What is it?" Haruka Kasugano asked.
"Actually, those two pawns aren't entirely reliable. I still think focusing on Shiki Ryougi is best..." Araya went silent for a moment before confessing. "If you find you cannot reach the Root halfway through, then turn those pawns into tools to lure Shiki out. Use their collision to stimulate the awakening of Shiki's Root."
"Deal!" Haruka Kasugano laughed.
Of course he would let Fujino and Kirie attack Shiki—but not for Araya's Root, but for his own "sexual bliss"!
After bidding Araya farewell, Haruka Kasugano set out to make the arrangements.