Shiraki Rie's home was in a quiet but somewhat old-fashioned apartment building. The room wasn't large, but it was kept very tidy, exuding a sense of coldness and warmth from a mother and daughter living together.
When Shiraki Rie led Kanjuro into the living room, her mother, Shiraki Reiko, was sitting on the sofa, her head lowered, focused on knitting a pale pink sweater. Hearing the door open, she looked up with a gentle smile: "Rie, you're back? This is..."
Her gaze fell on Kanjuro's face, and that gentle smile instantly froze.
Time seemed to stand still at this moment.
The knitting needles in Shiraki Reiko's hands fell to the floor with a "clack," but she was completely oblivious. Her eyes stared fixedly at Kanjuro's face—that eternally young face that had appeared repeatedly in her nightmares, yet carried the source of her life's only madness and all subsequent hardships.
Eighteen years.
Years had carved marks on her face, and life had worn away her edges, but the memory of that night was like a red-hot iron, deeply branded into her soul. That "mysterious ritual" packaged in flowery language, that chaotic space filled with incense and desire, those more than a hundred poor women who were deceived, tempted by power, or forced into it... and that youth who, like a demon king amidst the distorted magical glow, had relations with all of them... yes, all of them—Kanjuro.
Why was he here?!
He and Rie...?
Huge fear and unbelievable shock made her almost unable to breathe, her face instantly turning as pale as paper.
"Mom? What's wrong?" Shiraki Rie noticed her mother's abnormality and took a step forward in concern.
Kanjuro took in Shiraki Reiko's reaction and understood. His face quickly switched to a slightly confused and caring, flawless expression of a junior, bowing slightly: "Hello, Auntie. I'm Classmate Shiraki's friend, Kanjuro. It's a pleasure to meet you, sorry for the intrusion."
His voice was gentle and polite, as if he were truly meeting this haggard middle-aged woman for the first time.
"Fr-friend..." Shiraki Reiko murmured, her eyes complex to the extreme—there was fear, resentment, a very faint trace of old infatuation she didn't even want to admit, and more so, a sense of the absurdity of fate. She forced herself to calm down; she couldn't scare her daughter.
She took a deep breath, trying to force an extremely stiff smile, and said to Shiraki Rie: "Rie, you... you go back to your room and do your homework 20 first. I... I have some things I want to talk to Kanjuro-kun about alone."
Although Shiraki Rie felt the atmosphere between her mother and Kanjuro was a bit strange, out of obedience to her mother and trust in Kanjuro, she still nodded: "Okay, Mom. Mr. Kanjuro, then I'll excuse myself for a moment." She glanced at Kanjuro with a hint of confusion, turned, and walked into her room, gently closing the door.
Only the two of them remained in the living room.
The air seemed to have solidified, carrying a suffocating heaviness.
Shiraki Reiko slowly stood up from the sofa, walked up to Kanjuro, and looked up at this face that was identical to the one in her memory, even more handsome and charming. Her voice carried uncontrollable trembling and bitterness: "Mr. Kanjuro... do you... do you still remember me?"
Kanjuro frowned slightly, showing a perfectly timed look of daze and thought, then shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of "apology": "I'm sorry, Auntie. Have we... met before? I don't have much of an impression." His performance was seamless, as if he truly had no memory of a "brief fling" from eighteen years ago.
"Heh... hehe..." Shiraki Reiko let out an extremely sorrowful bitter laugh, tears almost bursting from her eyes as she endured them, "As expected... you forgot. How could you possibly remember... back then, the hundred or so of us were probably just blurry background characters to you, 'materials' needed for the ritual..."
She took a deep breath, as if using all her strength to speak of that unbearable past: "Eighteen years ago... the final ritual of that 'Occult Research Society'... you, alone, with us... with over a hundred of us women... had relations... I, I was one of them."
She stared intently into Kanjuro's eyes, trying to find a single trace of guilt or memory, but there was only bottomless calm and a hint of... seemingly "surprised" emotion drawn out by her words.
Kanjuro timely showed a shocked expression, as if he had heard some fantasy. His gaze involuntarily flickered toward the direction of Shiraki Rie's room, his voice carrying a hint of "unbelievable" hesitation: "Auntie... you, you mean... could it be... Rie is... our... daughter?"
"Yes!" Shiraki Reiko said this fact almost through gritted teeth, tears finally falling, "Rie... she is your daughter! She is the... evidence left from that crazy night!"
She looked at Kanjuro, this demon who ruined her life and suddenly broke into her daughter's life, her heart full of despair and powerlessness. She didn't know if Kanjuro's appearance was a coincidence or for another purpose, but in any case, their peaceful (at least on the surface) life was likely to be completely shattered.
Kanjuro silent for a moment, the "shocked" expression on his face slowly transforming into an extremely complex one, mixed with "realization," "guilt," and an unspeakable... "interest."
(As expected... my feeling was right.)
(Bloodline wandering outside... and such a "high-quality" vessel.)
(Mother and daughter... hehe, this is interesting.)
He looked at the tearful Shiraki Reiko before him, full of fear and resentment, and then thought of the cool and pure "daughter" Shiraki Rie in the room who was full of trust in him. A darker and more twisted plan slowly took shape in his heart.
He didn't apologize or explain, but only said in a low voice with a strange magnetism:
"So... that's how it is. I... I understand."
Hearing Kanjuro frankly state that he and Shiraki Rie were currently just "good friends," Shiraki Reiko's tense nerves finally relaxed a bit. As if a thousand-pound weight had been lifted, she let out a long sigh of relief. Her greatest fear was that Kanjuro was coming for her daughter, intending to repeat the nightmare of eighteen years ago.
"Thank you for telling me, Mr. Kanjuro." Shiraki Reiko's tone softened significantly, carrying a hint of a plea, "And please... you must continue to maintain this kind of relationship. Rie knows nothing; she has always believed her father passed away long ago. She is a simple child, and I don't want her to know about such a dark past; I don't want her life to be tainted. I beg you... don't tell her the truth. Just let her believe you are only her classmate, okay?"
She looked at Kanjuro, her eyes filled with the humble entreaty of a mother.
Kanjuro looked at this woman before him, whose luster had been worn away by time and life, leaving only a heart dedicated to protecting her daughter. He felt no pity, only a cold insight into her weaknesses. He nodded, his face showing impeccable sincerity: "I understand, Auntie. Rest assured, I won't tell Shiraki anything. I will also... do my best to look after her as a friend."
His promise sounded so reliable that it put Shiraki Reiko's heart at ease. She even felt an absurd sense of gratitude toward Kanjuro—gratitude that he hadn't acknowledged a father-daughter relationship and hadn't immediately destroyed the hard-won peace she and her daughter maintained.
"Then... go and accompany Rie while she does her homework. If there's anything she doesn't understand in her schoolwork, help her out more." Shiraki Reiko forced a normal smile, trying to bring the atmosphere back to normal.
Kanjuro nodded and turned toward Shiraki Rie's room. At the moment he turned, the imperceptible curve at the corner of his mouth betrayed the patience and calculation of a hunter.
In the room, Shiraki Rie was at her desk, frowning over a math problem. Kanjuro's arrival brought her a mix of surprise and shyness. He naturally pulled up a chair to sit beside her and began to explain. His reasoning was clear and his language concise, making it even easier to understand than the teacher's explanation. Shiraki Rie looked at his focused profile and listened to his deep, pleasant voice. The budding affection in her heart, mixed with her (self-perceived) admiration for his reliable, "father-like" wisdom, quietly grew. She felt that being with Kanjuro brought her immense peace and happiness.
Time slipped away amidst the rustling of pens and low-voiced discussions as the night grew deeper.
Having finished her homework, Shiraki Rie washed up and went to bed with a sense of satisfaction and a hint of fatigue. In the living room, only Shiraki Reiko and Kanjuro remained.
Shiraki Reiko brewed tea for Kanjuro. The two sat in silence, the atmosphere becoming subtle and awkward once again. The shadow of eighteen years ago stood between them like an invisible wall.
"It's getting late, Mr. Kanjuro, you..." Shiraki Reiko originally intended to politely see him out.
Kanjuro, however, set down his teacup and looked up at her. Those dark eyes, appearing exceptionally deep under the light, seemed capable of drawing out one's soul. He didn't speak, just watched her quietly.
Shiraki Reiko felt flustered under his gaze. Fragments of that night eighteen years ago flooded her mind uncontrollably, making her cheeks burn and her body feel strangely weak. She wanted to look away but found herself as if frozen in place.
"Miss Reiko..." Kanjuro suddenly spoke, calling her by her maiden name. His voice was deep, carrying an indescribable magnetism and suggestion. "It's been eighteen years... Have you been well?"
This call was like the key that opened Pandora's box. All of Shiraki Reiko's psychological defenses collapsed at this moment. Fear, resentment, long-suppressed physical needs, and that deeply buried, twisted fascination with the demon-like youth before her—all sorts of complex emotions intertwined, pushing her to the brink of losing control.
She watched Kanjuro stand up and walk toward her, and she did not hide... In the late-night living room, no lights were on. Only the scattered light from outside the window filtered in, outlining the blurred silhouette of the intertwined figures on the sofa.
When everything returned to tranquility, Shiraki Reiko curled up in the corner of the sofa, wrapping herself in a blanket, not daring to look at Kanjuro. Shame and despair almost drowned her.
Kanjuro unhurriedly straightened his clothes, as if what had just happened was merely an inconsequential exercise. He walked to the door, hand on the handle. Without looking back, he simply said flatly:
"From now on, I will come to visit 'you all' often."
These words were like a sentence, sealing the future fate of the Shiraki mother and daughter.
He pulled open the door and blended into the night outside, as silent as when he arrived.
In the living room, only Shiraki Reiko's suppressed, desperate sobbing remained, echoing slowly in the cold air.
She knew that the peaceful days were completely over.
Neither she nor her daughter would ever be able to escape this nightmare named Kanjuro.
And through all of this, Shiraki Rie in the next room remained entirely unaware, immersed in her sweet fantasies of her "boyfriend," Kanjuro.
The next afternoon on campus, the sunlight was just right. Shiraki Rie, with a faint, difficult-to-hide smile on her face, walked side-by-side with Kanjuro along the tree-lined path. After last night's "home visit" and Kanjuro's patient tutoring, her trust and affection for him had deepened another level. Although her mother's mood seemed a bit low afterward, she attributed it to physical discomfort.
Kanjuro keenly captured this subtle happiness of hers, and he deliberately acted even more intimate than usual. He would lean in slightly to listen intently to her; he would naturally reach out to fix her hair when it was blown messy by the wind; and when passing a vending machine, he would specifically buy her favorite drink, thoughtfully opening it before handing it to her.
To onlookers, these actions looked exactly like a couple in a passionate relationship. Although Shiraki Rie was a bit shy, she didn't refuse, and a secret sweetness even welled up in her heart.
All of this happened to be witnessed by Saeki Kaori not far away. Seeing Kanjuro's meticulous "tenderness" toward Shiraki Rie, and seeing the rare radiance blooming on Shiraki Rie's cool face because of Kanjuro, a strong sense of jealousy and unease gnawed at her heart like a poisonous snake.
(Lord Kanjuro... how can he be so special toward that Shiraki girl? Has he really fallen for that kind of dull honor student? Then what about me? I am the one who possesses the holy bible of light (Pseudo), shares secrets with him, and is willing to give everything for him!)
She couldn't bear this feeling of being "neglected." Once Shiraki Rie temporarily left to go to the Library, Saeki Kaori immediately stepped forward and blocked Kanjuro as he was preparing to go elsewhere.
"Lord Kanjuro!" Her voice carried a hint of imperceptible urgency and grievance.
Kanjuro stopped his pace, his face still wearing that calm and gentle smile: "It's Kaori. Is something the matter?"
Saeki Kaori bit her lip and finally asked: "Lord Kanjuro, are you... are you and Shiraki Rie getting too close? I saw you two just now..." Her words were full of probing and jealousy.
Kanjuro looked at the light of jealousy and ambition in her eyes and sneered inwardly. However, he showed a meaningful expression on his face. Instead of answering directly, he asked back: "Kaori, you are so concerned about my relationship with other girls... have you forgotten our true goal?"
He took a step forward, lowering his voice with a leading suggestion: "You've studied that book; you should be very clear. What we ultimately need to do is restart that ritual, isn't it?"
Saeki Kaori was startled by his question, but then a fanatical light ignited in her eyes. She nodded vigorously and lowered her voice, speaking with the excitement of sharing a secret: "Yes, Lord Kanjuro! I've been studying it! I already have a lead on the 'Abyssal Wisdom' ritual recorded in the book! The most critical point is the need to find the 'purest' female soul as the core sacrifice. By offering her purity as a sacrifice, we can please the ancient existence and open the gates to wisdom and power!"
Kanjuro nodded approvingly, as if in deep agreement with her words. His gaze swept toward the direction Shiraki Rie had left, his eyes becoming deep and cold, his tone flat yet carrying a chilling implication:
"You're right. The sacrifice must be 'pure' enough." He paused, as if stating an established plan. "And Shiraki Rie, she is just such a target. Her mind is simple, she is naive to the ways of the world, and her soul is like unpolished crystal—the most suitable candidate for a sacrifice."
Saeki Kaori suddenly understood. So Kanjuro's approach to Shiraki Rie wasn't out of affection, but for the ritual! This realization caused her jealousy to vanish instantly, replaced by a sense of excitement and a twisted sense of belonging from finding a "kindred spirit."
Kanjuro continued to weave his cold-blooded plan with his magnetic voice: "But, Kaori, you should also understand. The purer something is, the more it needs to be 'tainted' before it is sacrificed." The corner of his mouth hooked into a cruel arc. "Total possession, complete control from body to soul, making her fall into the depths of love and dependence before pushing her onto the altar of despair... such a fall can please the darkness to the greatest extent and stimulate the most powerful energy."
He looked at Saeki Kaori, his eyes as if evaluating a tool: "Therefore, my intimacy with her is merely for this necessary process. I need to 'get' her first, making her completely my possession. This is also part of the ritual preparation."
Hearing Kanjuro speak of such a dark plan in such a calm tone, Saeki Kaori didn't feel fear. Instead, she trembled slightly with excitement from being trusted and included in the core plan. She looked at Kanjuro, her eyes full of admiration and obedience:
"I understand, Lord Kanjuro! So you were preparing for the ritual! I misunderstood you." She hurried to show her loyalty, "Rest assured, I will definitely assist you in completing the... 'preparation work' for Shiraki Rie. Please command me for anything you need!"
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