(Another woman... caught in Lord Kanjuro's net...?)
Kuroe sighed softly in her heart, a nameless, subtle bitterness flashing through her mind, which even she found inexplicable. She shook off this strange emotion and continued to focus on her work, but her ears involuntarily paid more attention to the activity at that table.
"Shiraki-san," Kanjuro picked up his coffee, took a light sip, and locked his gaze tenderly on her, "chatting with you is truly pleasant. I feel that you are... very different from the rumors at school."
Shiraki Rie's cheeks felt slightly warm, and she avoided his overly focused gaze, saying in a low voice: "Kanjuro-kun is also... very different from what I imagined." She had originally thought Kanjuro was the type of frivolous person who relied on his appearance and sense of mystery to leave a trail of broken hearts everywhere, but today's contact had completely overturned her impression. He was knowledgeable, humorous, considerate, and had even saved her... a subtle favorable impression cast a small pebble into the lake of her heart, which had never been stepped into before.
"Then," Kanjuro put down his coffee cup, his voice carrying a trace of imperceptible allure, "in the future... can we still come out like this occasionally to have a cup of coffee and chat?"
Shiraki Rie hesitated for a moment, looking into Kanjuro's eyes that seemed to hold starlight, and finally nodded gently: "...Yes."
The corners of Kanjuro's mouth curled into a satisfied arc.
A new collectible outside of the plan seemed... quite good as well. And this pure white paper, he had plenty of patience to draw upon it slowly.
Leaving the warm cafe, the evening breeze brushed past their faces with a hint of coolness. Shiraki Rie walked beside Kanjuro, the pleasant conversation from earlier still echoing in her mind, her heart feeling as if it were shrouded in a "three-four-seven" layer of unreal warm mist. Kanjuro's erudition, humor, and those eyes that seemed able to see through one's heart yet held a gentle smile, constantly replayed in her mind. She could even clearly smell the crisp, pleasant scent coming from him, lingering faintly at the tip of her nose, preventing her heartbeat from returning to its usual frequency.
(Kanjuro-kun... is he actually this kind of person? Completely different from the rumors...)
She was immersed in her own thoughts, entirely unaware that her every frown and smile, even the rhythm of her breathing, were beginning to be invisibly drawn by the devilish youth beside her.
When they reached a relatively quiet path lined with cherry blossom trees (though the blooming season had passed), Kanjuro suddenly stopped.
"Shiraki-san." His voice sounded exceptionally clear in the silent night, carrying a seriousness different from before.
Shiraki Rie stopped instinctively and looked up at him. The moonlight and the glow of the distant streetlights intertwined, falling on his handsome profile and outlining a charming silhouette. Her heart skipped a beat for no reason.
Kanjuro turned around to face her, those deep black eyes seeming to hold the entire galaxy in the night as he gazed at her intently, leaving her nowhere to hide.
"There are some things I want to tell you now." He leaned in slightly, closing the distance between them, his voice low and magnetic, as if carrying a soul-bewitching magic, "You might find it abrupt, but I can no longer suppress my feelings."
Shiraki Rie seemed to have a premonition of something; her cheeks were instantly dyed with a rosy flush, and her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes, her heart beating like a drum. "Ye... Kanjuro-kun...?"
"Shiraki Rie," he called her full name in a solemn tone, "from the first time I noticed you in class, seeing those eyes of yours that were clear yet distant, I was attracted to you. The time I spent with you today has made me even more certain—I have fallen in love with you."
"Ah?!" Shiraki Rie was completely stunned, her mind going blank, and she could only stare at him foolishly. Love? This word was too heavy and sudden for her.
Seeing her shocked and helpless innocent appearance, Kanjuro's offensive became even more intense. His face showed just the right amount of "deep affection" and "urgency": "I know this is fast and might seem frivolous. But falling in love with someone can sometimes be a matter of a second—it's what they call love at first sight. I like you, Shiraki Rie, and I hope you will date me."
His words were like the densest rain of arrows, instantly piercing through all of Shiraki Rie's weak defenses. The massive impact made her dizzy, but deep in her heart, a hidden throb and joy that even she hadn't noticed began to grow wildly like a sprout breaking through the soil.
(Love at first sight... for me...?)
(But... this is too fast... we only...)
She opened her mouth, her voice as thin as a mosquito's buzz, carrying an unbelievable shyness: "But... this... isn't this too fast? We only just... came out alone for the first time..."
"If feelings could be measured by time, they wouldn't be called love." Kanjuro interrupted her, his tone carrying an unquestionable firmness. He reached out and gently grasped her slightly trembling hand; his palm was warm and dry. "Tell me, what about your feelings? Do you really not have any special feeling for me at all?"
His hand seemed to carry an electric current, making Shiraki Rie tremble all over. She looked at his face so close at hand; those eyes seemed to have whirlpools, sucking all her logic into them. The pleasant conversation in the cafe, his witty remarks, his vast knowledge, and the "kindness" of having saved her... all the images intertwined, merging into an irresistible torrent.
"I... I..." she stammered, her cheeks burning incredibly hot. Finally, as if using up all her strength, she nodded very slightly, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible, "...Yes. I... I seem to... also have a feeling of love at first sight... for Kanjuro-kun..."
After saying this, she seemed to lose all strength, lowering her head immediately in shame, not daring to look at him again.
The corners of Kanjuro's mouth curled into a victorious arc, but the "ecstasy" in his voice was just right: "Really? That's wonderful! Shiraki!"
However, Shiraki Rie seemed to remember something and looked up, her eyes carrying a hint of unease and worry: "But... Kanjuro-kun, I heard... that you have... many girlfriends? I... I'm a little worried..."
This question was within Kanjuro's expectations. A trace of "helplessness" and "bitterness" appeared on his face at the right time. He squeezed her hand slightly, his tone becoming exceptionally "sincere":
"Yes, I admit, there are many girls around me." He sighed, looking at her with "complex" eyes, "But they... they don't understand me. What they see is perhaps just my appearance, or a certain part of me that I show. What they like is the 'Kanjuro' in their imagination."
He looked deeply into Shiraki Rie's eyes, as if to show her his very soul: "But Shiraki, you are different. From our conversation just now, I can feel that you are truly listening to me, truly able to understand my thoughts. You are quiet, pure, and clear like moonlight. I feel... only you can truly see into my heart."
These extremely clever words directly elevated Shiraki Rie to the height of being "unique" and a "soulmate." A massive sense of satisfaction and the happiness of being treated specially instantly submerged the small amount of unease and doubt in Shiraki Rie's heart like a tsunami.
(Only I... can understand him?)
(So... that's how he sees me...)
She looked at his "sincere" and "vulnerable" eyes, her heart filled with emotion and a desire to protect him. All her worries were cast to the winds.
"I... I understand." Shiraki Rie gripped Kanjuro's hand back firmly, her cold eyes now holding only total trust and nascent affection, "I believe you, Mr. Kanjuro. Please... please date me."
"Of course, my moonlight." Kanjuro smiled, gently pulling her into his arms.
Shiraki Rie leaned into his embrace, feeling the warmth of his chest and his powerful heartbeat, feeling that she was the luckiest girl in the world. She had no idea that she had just signed a sweet contract leading to a dark abyss. Every sweet word she heard was a carefully woven lie; every heartbeat she felt originated from the demon's cold calculation.
Kanjuro embraced this pure and warm body in his arms, feeling her total trust, while the depths of his eyes were a sheet of bottomless ice.
(Another blank sheet of paper has been written upon.)
On the list of sacrifices, a new name carrying a moonlight-like luster was quietly added.
The evening breeze remained gentle. Embracing the "girlfriend" whose relationship had just been confirmed, Kanjuro's heart was far from as tender as it appeared on the surface. Like a skilled collector, when admiring a newly acquired piece of porcelain, he would habitually investigate its origin and texture.
He gently let go of Shiraki Rie, but still held her hand, seemingly reluctant, but actually a form of control she couldn't escape. He naturally started a new topic with just the right amount of concern:
"Shiraki," he used a more intimate address, his gaze falling tenderly on her slightly flushed face, "Speaking of which, I don't know much about your family yet. Seeing how independent you always are, what do your parents do?"
Shiraki Rie was still immersed in the shyness and sweetness of their newly established relationship and was unguarded against Kanjuro's question.. 0 She lowered her head slightly, her voice soft and carrying a trace of imperceptible loneliness: "In my family... there's only Mom. Dad left very early, and my impression of him is very vague. Mom... her health isn't very good, so she usually rests at home."
Only a mother... father died young... this information was like a key code, instantly opening a long-sealed corner deep in Kanjuro's memory. He gazed at Shiraki Rie's cool eyes and brows, that upturned nose, and those slightly thin but beautifully shaped lips... an extremely faint, yet definitely existing resonance originating from deep within his bloodline rippled out in his eternal life, like a stone thrown into an ancient well.
(This sense of familiarity... isn't an accidental attraction...)
(That's it... eighteen years ago... that chaotic and crazy night... that grand ritual opened with the power of the dark bible, a forbidden attempt to seize the essence of life...)
Countless fragmented images flashed through his mind—distorted magical glows, frenzied chanting, and... those women drawn into the vortex of power, their life essence and genetic factors drained amidst extreme pleasure and pain. There were so many that he couldn't even remember their specific faces.
(Could it be... Shiraki Rie's mother was one of them?)
(And she... is of my blood?!)
This discovery made Kanjuro's heart skip a beat, not out of affection or guilt, but a twisted sense of excitement, almost like finding a rare treasure!
(Interesting! So interesting!)
(The one I accidentally saved turned out to be an unmarked "daughter" wandering outside?)
(Underneath that pure appearance flows blood that shares the same source as mine, harboring dark possibilities... this is simply fate... no, it's the karma I created with my own hands, the best collectible gifted to me!)
A flash of fanatical light flickered through his eyes, but his face quickly switched back to a deeper tenderness and... a perfectly timed "heartache."
"Is it just you and your mother depending on each other? It must have been hard." He tightened his grip on Shiraki Rie's hand, his tone full of pity, "Your mother is in poor health, and you still have to balance your studies. You really are a strong girl."
Shiraki Rie was moved by the concern in his words and shook her head gently: "It's nothing, I'm used to it."
Kanjuro took the opportunity to suggest, his tone incredibly sincere, with an urgency to integrate into her life: "Shiraki, I... want to go see your mother, 0.5 is that okay?" He stared into her eyes as if to convey his determination, "I want to tell her that from now on, I'll take care of you, so she can be more at ease. Also, I know some... methods to condition the body, maybe I can help."
This request seemed so reasonable, full of responsibility and care. For a young girl who had just fallen in love and lacked fatherly love and a solid reliance, it was an almost irresistible warmth.
Shiraki Rie looked at the (in her eyes) "sincerity" and "responsibility" in his eyes that seemed completely unfeigned, and a huge wave of warmth and emotion welled up in her heart. He actually wanted to meet her parents so soon and even thought about helping her mother's health? He really treats me sincerely!
Without much hesitation, she nodded, her face carrying trust and a hint of expectation: "Mm... okay. Mom... she should like you. I'll tell her tomorrow, and then... take you home."
"That's great." Kanjuro showed an incredibly gentle smile, like sunlight piercing through the clouds.
He once again pulled Shiraki Rie into his arms, feeling the bloodline in her slender body that faintly resonated with his own, and the plan in his heart became clearer.
(Visiting my "mother-in-law"?)
Hehe... perhaps, it's to confirm the state of another "old acquaintance" and completely bring this poor mother and daughter under my control.
Truly... a reunion to look forward to.)
In the night, the demon smiled, embracing his long-lost "daughter" and new "lover," walking toward a hunting ground named "family" for which a trap had already been laid.
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