"Yutsuki-san, I love you! Please go out with !"
"..."
Yutsuki was left completely speechless. One second ago, they were locked in a deadly, blood-soaked battle; the next second, a direct confession. Even though Yutsuki had encountered all sorts of eccentric personalities since coming to this world, this was her first ti eting soone this bizarre.
"While I have no intention of accepting... out of sheer morbid curiosity, if I were to say yes, what exactly do you plan to do?"
"Kyaa... Asking that makes feel shy. But since you asked, Yutsuki-san..."
Twirling a strand of her long hair around her finger, Mulian answered bashfully,
"First, naturally, we would go on a date. To the amusent park, shopping at the mall, or perhaps watching a romance movie. Then, in the evening, we would enjoy a candlelit dinner together, and finally head to a love hotel to enjoy the pleasures of the flesh—"
As she spoke, two rosy blushes blood on Mulian's pristine cheeks, giving her a surprisingly alluring aura.
"And right after that, while you are sleeping, Miss Yutsuki, I would chop off your arms and legs. I would hook you up to an IV drip with nutrients to keep you alive, slowly drain your blood drop by drop, slice pieces off your body one by one, admire your flesh and bones, listen to your beautiful screams, and watch your expression contort with pain and despair—Ah!"
As she spoke, imagining that breathtakingly exquisite scene, Mulian's body trembled violently with excitent.
"That's terrifying! The vibe of the second half completely derailed!"
Yutsuki felt a chilling shudder run down her spine, genuinely spooked by Mulian's horrific description.
She could tell the other party was speaking the absolute truth. But it was precisely because it was true that she felt a bone-deep terror toward this woman nad Ai Mulian.
"I am a pervert, after all."
Mulian answered with a face full of smiles.
"To say you're a pervert with such a refreshing expression..."
The corner of Yutsuki's mouth twitched.
"So, Yutsuki-san, can I get your answer?"
"Judging by the conversation we just had, do you honestly think there's any possibility of agreeing to your request?"
Feeling Mulian's expectant gaze, Yutsuki asked in return, sweating nervously.
"Please rest assured, I am a very responsible girl and would never cheat on you. After you die, Yutsuki-san, I will gladly end my own life to join you in the underworld."
"...What exactly am I supposed to be assured about? That's terrifying as hell. Sorry, but I have zero intention of dating soone who wants to kill , and I have absolutely no interest in double suicides."
Although she didn't want to get involved with this woman in the slightest, she was, after all, soone confessing her feelings. Yutsuki politely declined her.
"Is that so? I got dumped, huh? Ah~ What a sha."
Hearing Yutsuki's rejection, Mulian replied with a hint of disappointnt.
Yutsuki felt a trace of surprise. Honestly, she thought the other party would beco even more unhinged after being rejected.
Seemingly noticing Yutsuki's confusion, Mulian explained with a wry smile,
"Well, I am self-aware that my personality is sowhat different from normal people. Being rejected was entirely within my expectations, but even if it's an impossible romance, I still wanted to muster the courage to convey my feelings to you."
"Ah, I see..."
Yutsuki responded with a complicated expression. If you only listened to that one sentence, the woman standing before her actually seed quite cute.
"Ah, orders to retreat from the Boss. Looks like Ellen-san and Artemisia failed on their ends too. Let's call it a day here, Yutsuki-san."
Glancing at the communicator on her hip, Mulian returned her weapon to its sheath. She smiled, waved goodbye to Yutsuki, and turned to leave.
"Ah, right."
Suddenly, as if rembering sothing, Mulian stopped and looked back at Yutsuki.
"Yutsuki-san, even though you refused to go out with , is it alright if I continue to love you?"
"No!"
Yutsuki rejected her flat-out.
"Kyaa~ Cold-hearted Yutsuki-san is amazing too! Bye-bye then~"
Cheering like a lovestruck schoolgirl, Mulian leaped off the rooftop, vanishing from Yutsuki's sight.
"Are you sure it's alright to just let the enemy leave like that,Yutsuki-san?"
Slowly erging from the shadows, Kurumi's clone asked.
"If I chase after her now, I might run straight into Ellen and Artemisia regrouping with her. I have no intention of throwing my life away."
Exhaling deeply and dismissing her CR-unit and Astral Dress, Yutsuki spoke helplessly.
"Plus, I'm really bad at dealing with that woman."
Seeing a rare look of distress on Yutsuki's face, Kurumi couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle.
"Hehe, to actually have a beautiful enemy Wizard harbor a secret crush on you...Yutsuki-san, you truly are a sinful woman. Why don't you try using a honey trap on her? Perhaps she would turn coat and beco our ally."
Yutsuki was absolutely not amused by the Kurumi clone's joke.
"You've got to be kidding. If possible, I never want to be associated with a pervert like her again."
————————————
"—do-san, Shido-san."
"...Eh?"
Hearing soone call his na, Shido groggily opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was Kurumi's face, incredibly close to his own.
"Kuru.. Kurumi?!"
It took him half a beat to process it, and then he let out a shocked yelp.
"Hehe, are you alright, Shido-san? Suddenly collapsing like that, you had worried."
Seeing Shido's exaggerated reaction, Kurumi chuckled lightly, asking with concern.
"I... collapsed?"
A look of surprise flashed in Shido's eyes. It was only then he suddenly realized he was resting on Kurumi's lap, his head feeling the silky, smooth texture of her black tights.
"Mhm, but you were only out for a short while."
"Th-Thanks..."
Thanking her sowhat awkwardly, Shido hastily scrambled up from Kurumi's lap.
He quickly scanned his surroundings. He was currently standing on the rooftop of the Raizen High School building. Besides Kurumi and himself, there was no one else around. The setting sun on the horizon had dipped slightly lower than before, but still looked stunningly beautiful. It seed Kurumi was telling the truth; he had only been unconscious for a brief mont.
(Have I not recovered from the fatigue of Yutsuki's training yet? But still, it's amazing Kurumi didn't attack .)
Looking at his completely unhard body, Shido thought in surprise.
"Shido-san, are you currently wondering why I didn't take the opportunity to devour you just now?"
Seemingly seeing right through Shido's thoughts, Kurumi asked.
"E-Eh? N-No I'm not..."
Startled, Shido involuntarily averted his gaze, answering with a dry laugh.
"Well, actually, I was very torn just now about whether to strike while the iron was hot. After all, Shido-san is simply too delicious."
Licking her cherry-red lips, a bewitching yet highly dangerous smile crept onto the corners of Kurumi's mouth.
"If Shido-san had woken up a few seconds later, I might not have been able to hold back from eating you."
"..."
"Just kidding~"
Kurumi suddenly changed her tune.
"Haha... I-I see."
Cold sweat broke out on Shido's forehead.
"Now then, since Shido-san is awake, let us return to the main topic."
Seemingly satisfied with Shido's reaction, Kurumi took two steps back and resud their conversation.
"My goal remains the sa as always. I desire the massive accumulation of Spirit power inside Shido-san... The reason I returned to school is quite simple. Counting Mukuro-san, whom Shido-san recently sealed, Shido-san's body now contains the Spirit power of eleven Spirits, correct? Therefore, I believe it is finally enough."
"..."
Hearing Kurumi's words, Shido's expression gradually grew serious. She even knew about him sealing Mukuro recently, aning she had likely been lurking sowhere observing him this entire ti.
To Kurumi, he was rely livestock fattened up for slaughter—that was what Yutsuki had said. But Shido still felt Kurumi must have so other objective; otherwise, she could have simply attacked him while he was unconscious.
"And Shido-san's goal is to seal my Spirit power, correct?"
"Yeah, but not just that."
To Kurumi's question, Shido spoke up to correct her.
"To seal your Spirit power, have you atone for the sins you've committed so far—and then, give you a happy life. That is my, our, ultimate goal."
"My, my."
Seemingly finding Shido's answer laughable, Kurumi retorted with a hint of malice.
"Shido-san, do you still cling to such boring fantasies? Do you know how many people I have killed? If I were truly to atone, dying a few hundred tis would be far from enough. Living to atone is a debt I could never repay even if I died trying. And living a happy life on top of that? Are you joking?"
"I'm dead serious."
Unfazed by Kurumi's mockery, Shido looked straight into her eyes, answering with unwavering resolve.
"There absolutely has to be a way for you to atone and find happiness; it's just that we don't know what it is yet. Hope only exists if you believe in it. So, even if you think my ideals are childish, I won't give up."
"...Hmph. Shido-san, you truly have changed a lot. Well, I suppose I do not despise such naive words."
He didn't know if it was an illusion caused by the setting sun, but for a mont, Shido felt Kurumi's smile was incredibly gentle.
"I understand Shido-san's stance. But unfortunately, I cannot accept it. It is not that I lack interest in the 'atonent' and 'happy life' Shido speaks of. However, I have reasons of my own that I cannot afford to lose."
Saying that, Kurumi pointed her index finger at Shido.
"This puts us in quite the predicant. Shido-san's wishes and mine are parallel lines that will never intersect. If things continue like this, neither of our wishes will be fulfilled, and we will only let ti slip away in vain... Therefore, Shido-san."
As she spoke, Kurumi raised the index finger of her other hand. The tips of her two fingers touched, pressing together intimately like a kiss.
"Rather than letting both our wishes remain empty illusions, wouldn't it be better to find a way to fulfill one party's wish? —Even if it ans the party whose wish is not fulfilled will lose everything."
Hearing Kurumi's proposal, Shido seed to understand sothing, nervously holding his breath.
"...So, what do you plan to do?"
"Do not be so nervous, Shido-san. This is an opportunity for you as well."
Seemingly waiting for Shido's question, Kurumi spread her hands and explained,
"—Shido-san and I will go on a date. The first one to make the other blush and act shy will be the winner."
Hearing Kurumi's terms, Shido furrowed his brows. After thinking for a mont, he confird,
"In other words, if I can make you blush, you're willing to let seal your Spirit power? That's the condition you ntioned this morning?"
Kurumi smiled and nodded.
"Exactly. Conversely, if Shido-san falls in love with first, I will not hesitate to 'enjoy' Shido-san."
"You know... even if I'm the one saying it, knowing that losing ans death, there's no way I could possibly fall for you. You don't have any chance of winning this, Kurumi—"
"Hehe, Shido-san need not worry about that."
To Shido's kind reminder, Kurumi walked up to him, placing a finger on his lips as she answered confidently,
"I have my ways to make Shido-san utterly infatuated with , to the point where you would willingly discard your own life to offer everything you possess to ."
Gulp—
Looking at Kurumi's smile, as intoxicatingly beautiful and dangerous as a poppy, Shido quietly swallowed hard.
"What about you, Shido-san? Do you lack the confidence to capture this humble maiden's heart?"
"I..."
Normally, at a ti like this, Kotori would have already sent him a prompt with dialogue options through his earpiece, but for so reason, there was no ssage.
If it were the Shido of the past, he might have felt lost, helpless, or too afraid to move forward. But today, he already had a clear answer for what he wanted to do and what he should do.
"Of course I do. I accept this challenge. I'll make you fall for . And make you willingly surrender your Spirit power for my sake."
"Excellent. That is the Shido-san I know. The man I have acknowledged."
Hearing Shido's answer, Kurumi looked highly satisfied, elegantly lifting her skirt to curtsy to Shido.
"Then, I shall take my leave for today. I look forward to our eting tomorrow, Shido-san."
Saying that, Kurumi turned around and began walking toward the rooftop's chain-link fence.
"Kurumi!"
Watching Kurumi's figure grow blurrier against the setting sun, for so reason, Shido called out her na.
"Hm? Is there sothing else, Shido-san?"
Kurumi stopped and asked.
"No... um... are you alright, Kurumi?"
Shido asked hesitantly.
"Hm? Is there sothing strange about ?"
"No... it's just, how should I put it?"
Scratching his head in confusion, Shido answered, looking like he wasn't quite sure what he was saying himself.
"It feels like you're a bit tired... Did sothing happen? It was the sa at the very beginning; it felt as if you were a lonely girl standing alone at the end of the world."
"...What is that? A new pickup line?"
"Haha... sorry, pretend I didn't say anything."
"You are a strange one, Shido-san."
Hearing Shido's apologetic laughter from behind, Kurumi didn't turn around. Her blood red eyes narrowed slightly against the setting sun.
(I really cannot afford to let my guard down... Shido-san.)
Taking another step forward, Kurumi sank into the dark shadows.
Looking at "herself" lurking within the shadows, Kurumi issued a teasing declaration.
"Now then—let our date (war) begin."
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