“Hey! I was wondering if I could come with your group to the festival? Mine bailed on me… Really? Cool! I’ll see you in a few hours then!”
Shippai shut her phone, then grinned.
“If I’m in the middle of the festival, I should get the maximum amount, not to mention it’ll be harder for Yami to pinpoint me…”
Shippai stood up from her bed and stood in front of a void that acted as a mirror.
“Maybe I’ll go classy…”
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Rikai burst into her hallway with Shitto close behind her.
“Make? Yami?”
As they looked around, they heard a creak upstairs. Shitto looked to Rikai, then nodded. As they ran up the stairs, they saw that the bathroom light was on. Rikai approached the door and knocked.
“Uh… hello?”
“You’re here!”
Make came bursting out of the bathroom half naked and dripping with water. She wrapped her arms around Rikai with glee.
“I’m so glad you found us! Yami’s been out could for hours now!”
Make looked past Rikai and noticed that Shitto was looking the other way.
“Shitto’s here too?”
Make’s arms surrounded Shitto from behind. Shitto jumped in shock, and Make noticed he was blushing.
“What’s wrong, Shitto?”
Shitto shut his eyes and blushed even more.
“You should have some decency! I love half naked girls as much as the next guy, but you’re clinging way too much!”
Make pouted.
“Do you not have a sister?”
“Huh?”
“I thought I was like your big sister, but I guess I’m just some other girl…”
“Hey, not to ruin your guys’ moment, but where’s Yami?”
Make pointed towards Rikai’s room.
“He’s in there. He’s sleeping on the bed.”
“Thanks.”
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As Rikai walked towards the room, she heard Make begin to play with Shitto again.
“C’mon, little guy. How about we get some food?”
“Who’re you calling little?! I’m taller than you!”
Rikai slowly opened the door. The faint moonlight lit up Yami’s left side. Rikai approached him.
“Yami? You awake?”
As Rikai finally reached his side, she saw that half of his body was transformed.
“It’s like when he went berserk…”
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Yami wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, all the while breathing heavily. Haisen cracked his knuckles.
“You really aren’t giving up, are you?”
Yami grinned and prepared to engage in combat again.
“Of course not.”
Haisen kicked off of his left foot, nearing Mach 10. Landing a blow, Haisen smirked.
“Got you.”
Yami gripped Haisen’s forearms and pulled him towards himself, then drove his knee into his stomach. As Haisen fell to the floor, Yami rubbed his ribs.
“Hey, Akahishi, let’s take a break.”
“As if.”
Haisen tried to launch a sneak attack, but considering it was barely Mach 1, Yami made quick work of it.
“We’re both out of energy for right now. We’ve been fighting for days. Let’s just take a breather and resume.”
“What do you think this is? Training?”
“Yeah. This is really helping me. I’ll definitely be able to keep up with Shippai now, but if we continue, I may be able to even outspeed her.”
Haisen sat down, facing his back towards Yami’s.
“Akahishi, why did you do all of this?”
“What specifically?”
Yami shook his head towards the ground.
“Sacrificing so many people, people who trusted you, people who helped everyone!”
Haisen shut his eyes.
“To be one step closer to saving everyone…”
“What do you mean?”
“We’re all thieves of The Creator in his eyes, right? What would happen if someone collected everything that was stolen, then returned them to him?”
“I’m not sure…”
“It would remove this pointless struggle between everyone. People who tried to commit suicide would die, and people who didn’t would live.”
“I’m not sure I follow your train of thought…”
“Many innocent people, people who have never met The Creator, were killed by Pubiàn Fanxiang. I doubt that our worlds are different in that aspect.”
“You’re not wrong, but that’s why I have to stop those people.”
Haisen opened his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows.
“But how can you? Think about it, Yami. You live in one area, and you only have one life. There is an entire planet that you must protect, and with each day, a new Pubiàn Fanxiang is born. You may even encounter Pubiàn Fanxiang who are stronger than you. What then?”
Yami looked to the ground.
“I’m not sure… I guess I’d have to be the strongest I could be.”
“That is my answer.”
Yami shook his head.
“But what still doesn’t make sense is why you’d collect souls, then give it to Ayako? She’s insane!”
“Because I owe her.”
“Owe her what?”
“A better life.”
Yami began to get frustrated.
“Just be straightforward!”
“When I was young, I fell in love with a woman. We were both peasants who lived in the scums, so our lives were ruled by people who were above us. Unfortunately, they also dictated when and to who one may wed. We ignored their rules, and within months, we had a child on the way. However, when we finished the birthing process, the rulers decided the best punishment would be to have one of us perish for the others sake. Obviously, the child was not an option, but we did not want to choose between us either, so while my love looked away, I leapt from a nearby roof. However, in my descent, I saw my wife be killed by the ruler’s men. Just before hitting the ground, I met The Creator. I was surprised when I landed in a moving carriage filled with straw, but my surprise was immediately overcome by sorrow. I murdered everyone in sight except for my child. Knowing she would never see the light of day if I left her, I took her to a faraway place and left her in front of a temple. Before I knew it, she had already met The Creator, and in turn, I met her.”
“So Ayako’s your daughter, huh?”
“Yes, and I am going to give her my soul so that she can continue to live with The Creator.”
“Akahishi, I’m sorry, but Ayako isn’t the same person anymore. She’s going to kill us for her own benefit. She could care less about the survival of humanity.”
Haisen kicked Yami in the back of the head.
“I’m done with your nonsense! How dare you disrespect her?!”
Yami picked himself up from the ground.
“I’ll take you down, then deal with her!”
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As sunlight filled Rikai’s room, she groggily woke up and wiped her eyes. Seeing that Yami was still unconscious, Rikai exited her room and worked her way to the kitchen. As she began making food, she heard Shitto and Make shuffle into the kitchen.
“Hey guys, want some eggs?”
“Sure.”
“Don’t you mean ‘yes please’, Shitto?”
“Make, I swear if you don’t leave me alone…”
“Don’t lie to yourself, you love me annoying you!”
“Shitto, what time does the festival start?”
“It officially opens at 1 p.m., but everyone I know isn’t going until 6.”
“That means we only have around eight hours… I hope Yami wakes up before then.”