Kanjuro took the carefully wrapped heart-shaped chocolate, his fingertips lightly stroking the exquisite ribbon. He looked down at the chocolate, a playful dark light flashing in the depths of his eyes—with his superhuman perception, he could clearly detect the seductive Scarlet Magic energy entwined on the chocolate. This level of magic was enough to make an ordinary person instantly surrender and fall hopelessly in love with the caster.
"What a surprising gift." Kanjuro looked up, the corners of his lips curling into a perfect arc. When his deep eyes gazed at Koizumi Akako, they seemed to hold a trace of subtle tenderness. He deliberately made his voice sound deeper and more magnetic than usual, "I didn't expect to receive chocolate from such a lovely lady."
Koizumi Akako lifted her chin slightly, a flash of pride in her ruby-like eyes. She had always been confident in her charm and magic; even the reputedly unfathomable Kanjuro seemed unable to be completely immune. However, the moment her eyes met Kanjuro's, a mysterious throb from deep within her bloodline made her heart skip a beat. It was an indescribable sense of familiarity and pull that made her involuntarily avoid his gaze.
"I just... happened to make it." She tried to maintain her arrogant posture, but her tone was not as effortless as usual.
Kanjuro seemed not to notice her slight wavering. He slowly unwrapped the packaging and placed the chocolate, which exuded sweetness and hidden magic, into his mouth. He savored it carefully, and even when he felt that warm current trying to invade his will on the tip of his tongue, he cooperatively made his eyes look more focused and... carried a hint of being bewitched and blurred.
"It's very sweet..." he whispered, leaning forward slightly, his gaze seemingly glued to Koizumi Akako's face, "just like you, Akako-san."
Watching his rapid 'fall,' the unease Koizumi Akako felt from the sense of familiarity was temporarily suppressed by the joy of her plan's success. She calculated that as long as Kanjuro ate the chocolate, in a moment, he would completely become a captive of her magic. Then, whether it was gathering information or creating an opportunity for Kaito Kuroba, it would be as easy as turning over her hand.
She had no idea that the man before her, who seemingly had been captured by her magic, was not only the target of her mission but also her biological father, connected by blood. She knew even less that deep within Kanjuro's seemingly infatuated gaze was a calm and control like an abyss; he was like an experienced hunter, watching with great interest as the little prey, thinking she had succeeded, walked step by step into the web he had woven.
"Well then," Kanjuro swallowed the last bit of chocolate, his voice carrying a trace of deliberately crafted huskiness, "as a return gift, I wonder if I might have the honor of inviting Akako-san to dinner? I know a very good restaurant nearby."
He took the initiative to issue an invitation, playing along with her scheme, prepared to lead this magic game started by Koizumi Akako toward a direction completely under his control. And Koizumi Akako, in order to maintain the effect of the magic and continue her plan, would naturally agree.
The threads of fate, amidst ignorance and calculation, were once again tightly intertwined. A dangerous date born of deception and shrouded in the mists of magic and bloodline thus began. Koizumi Akako thought she was executing a dangerous mission, unaware that she was walking step by step into an even deeper and more complex trap set by her own biological father.
The afterglow of the setting sun lengthened the shadows of the two, and the bustle of the street seemed to be isolated. Koizumi Akako watched Kanjuro swallow the chocolate containing Scarlet Magic and felt the feedback of the magic power seemingly seeping in successfully (which was, of course, a false impression simulated by Kanjuro). The unease in her heart caused by the bloodline pull was finally completely replaced by an arrogant determination.
She lifted her chin slightly, her ruby-like eyes flashing with demonic light and a condescending sense of superiority, as if she could already see the scene of Kanjuro kneeling at her skirt. She cleared her throat and said clearly in a commanding, queen-like arrogant tone:
"Kanjuro, kneel down before me now and call me Queen!"
She paused and threw out the requirements she had already thought of, her tone matter-of-fact:
"Then, immediately go find Kaito Kuroba and Nakamori Aoko and apologize for everything they've suffered! Finally... for your own crimes, commit suicide to atone!"
After she finished speaking, she crossed her arms and waited leisurely for Kanjuro to execute her every command like a controlled puppet. She had even already sketched in her mind the image of Kanjuro with hollow eyes, kneeling humbly.
However, the expected scene did not happen.
The 'infatuated' look on Kanjuro's face receded like a tide, replaced by an expression of slight confusion and innocence, as if he completely didn't understand what she was saying. He even tilted his head slightly, facing her with that deceptively handsome face, his tone gentle to the point of being pure:
"Kneel? Queen? Akako-san, I don't quite understand what you mean." He blinked, his deep eyes clear as water, without a trace of being controlled by magic. "I just... feel that Akako-san is very special and want to sincerely invite you to dinner to get to know you better. Is there something wrong with that?"
"Wha...?!"
The arrogant smile on Akako Koizumi's face instantly froze and shattered! She widened her eyes in disbelief, her red pupils filled with extreme shock and incredulity!
Impossible!
The effectiveness of Scarlet Magic is absolute! As long as the chocolate is eaten, no one can resist it!
Why is he fine?! Why can he still remain conscious, and even... invite her to dinner?!
The massive impact left her momentarily speechless, her mind going blank. The contrast of her plan's complete failure, combined with Kanjuro's innocent look as if nothing had happened, made her feel an unprecedented sense of frustration and a hint of... humiliation at being toyed with.
However, amidst this extreme shock and annoyance, as she gazed at Kanjuro's face so close at hand—that lazy smile tinged with wickedness, those deep eyes that seemed capable of sucking out one's soul, and the aura he exuded, a mixture of danger and extreme charm—an emotion completely beyond her rational control quietly sprouted in her heart.
That wasn't the effect of magic, but a more primal, direct attraction.
She clearly should be angry, should be afraid, and should immediately find a way to escape. Yet her heart raced uncontrollably, and her cheeks grew slightly hot. This man, even without the control of magic, even knowing he was extremely dangerous, was like a demonic flower exuding sweet, poisonous gas; even knowing that getting close would lead to eternal damnation, one still couldn't help but want to indulge.
Kanjuro took in all her shock, panic, and the fleeting struggle of attraction in her eyes. He understood clearly, knowing his charm had begun to affect this "daughter." He took another step forward, the distance between them so close they could almost feel each other's breath.
"What's wrong, Akako?" he asked in a low voice, his tone seductive and magnetic. "You don't look very well. Are you... scared of me? Or," he deliberately drew out his words, his gaze falling on her slightly trembling lips, "are you actually a little interested in me too?"
Akako Koizumi jerked back a step as if burned. Flustered and angry, she wanted to snap back, but found her throat dry. The frustration of her failed plan, her shock at Kanjuro's immunity to magic, and that inexplicable throb of emotion intertwined, leaving her heart in a mess.
"You... what nonsense are you talking!" She forced herself to stay calm, but her tone had lost its previous composure. "I... I'm warning you, stay away from me!"
After saying that, she practically fled, turning and walking away quickly, her purplish-red long hair cutting a hasty arc behind her, no longer able to maintain the proud and mysterious posture she had arrived with.
Kanjuro watched her retreating figure and did not give chase, simply standing there as the pleasant curve of his lips deepened.
Immunity to magic? This was just a trivial aspect of the dark bible's power. And making this proud "daughter," who tried to control him with magic, be attracted to his most primal charm and have her mind disturbed after the magic failed... this was undoubtedly much more interesting than simple control.
He lightly licked the corner of his lips, as if still savoring the sweet fragrance of the chocolate and... Akako Koizumi's shocked yet slightly dazed look from just now.
"Truly an interesting start, my... daughter," he whispered to himself, a predatory glint in his eyes. This unexpected father-daughter reunion, along with Akako Koizumi's alliance with Kaito, seemed destined to bring him more unexpected fun. And he had plenty of time and methods to slowly play along with them. Akako Koizumi practically fled back to her Gothic castle, hidden deep in the mountains and shrouded by a magical barrier. The heavy stone doors slammed shut behind her, completely cutting off the light and noise of the outside world, yet unable to cut off the chaotic turmoil in her heart.
She slumped into a magnificent but cold high-backed chair. Inside the castle, dim candlelight flickered, reflecting her pale and lost face. It was as if Kanjuro's face with that wicked smile was still swaying before her eyes, his deep, magnetic voice echoing in her ears. That uncontrollable heartbeat, like vines wrapping around her heart, made her incredibly irritable.
"Why... why is it like this?" she murmured to herself, her slender fingers tightly gripping the armrest until her knuckles turned white. "He's just a man I met for the first time... a target who should have been under my magic's control... why would I..."
She couldn't understand this inexplicable attraction; it completely exceeded her knowledge of magic and her confidence in her own self-control. This restlessness, this mind full of the other person, made her feel an unprecedented sense of loss of control and... panic.
After struggling for a moment, she suddenly stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling mirror in the center of the castle hall, which was covered by a heavy velvet cloth. Taking a deep breath, she reached out and tore the cloth away.
The surface of the mirror was not ordinary glass but like deep pool water, rippling with a strange luster. This was her Magic Mirror for communicating with the mysterious and seeking the truth.
"Magic Mirror, oh Magic Mirror," Akako Koizumi gazed at her slightly flustered reflection in the mirror, her voice carrying an undetectable tremble, "tell me, why am I so concerned about that man named Kanjuro? What exactly is his power? Why is my Scarlet Magic ineffective against him?"
The ripples on the surface of the Magic Mirror fluctuated violently, like a lake into which a giant boulder had been thrown. Eerie light gathered, and her reflection in the mirror gradually blurred, replaced by a deep vortex seemingly composed of pure dark energy. An ancient and ethereal voice, as if coming from a distant time and space, echoed directly in her mind:
"Pryer... the existence you inquire about is named Kanjuro... he is no ordinary esper or magician..."
The Magic Mirror's voice carried an unprecedented gravity.
"He has inherited and mastered a forbidden power from ancient times—the 'dark bible'... it is a power of pure darkness and chaos that stands above the vast majority of known magic systems... although your Scarlet Magic is strong, before its source, it is like a stream trying to erode the ocean—naturally ineffective..."
"The dark bible?!" Akako Koizumi gasped, her red eyes filled with horror. She had seen snippets of records in her family's oldest forbidden texts about what was considered a long-lost, perhaps even legendary, supreme dark grimoire!
"Not only that..." the Magic Mirror's voice continued to echo, throwing out a piece of news that shook her soul even more, "his existence... has a deep, inseparable connection with your origins..."
"My origins?" Akako Koizumi was startled, an ominous premonition seizing her throat. "What do you mean? Explain clearly!"
The eerie light of the Magic Mirror fluctuated again, and blurry, broken images began to appear on the surface—it was her mother, Aozaki Sakuya, her beautiful and cold figure from her youth... then, the scene switched to a dark setting that seemed to be an endless underground secret chamber... countless distorted figures, painful groans, pervasive dark energy... and at the center of that chaos was none other than a young Kanjuro, his body wrapped in ominous black mist, his eyes cold and greedy... the image finally settled on the moment Aozaki Sakuya and Kanjuro's figures overlapped... although the images were broken and blurry, the evil and chaotic meaning they contained, along with the obvious "connection" between her mother and Kanjuro, made the clever Akako Koizumi understand something instantly!
"No... impossible!" she cried out in shock, stumbling back two steps and knocking over a nearby candlestick. The candle rolled to the floor, the flame flickering a few times before going out, leaving only a wisp of blue smoke.
She was cold all over, as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
The ethereal and cruel voice of the Magic Mirror, like a final judgment, clearly reached her ears:
"You, Akako Koizumi... are precisely the daughter born after your mother, Aozaki Sakuya of the Aozaki Family, coupled with Kanjuro... eighteen years ago, on that night at the 'Sacred Scripture Academy Occult Research Society' shrouded in darkness, during that dark ritual led by Kanjuro involving over a hundred women..."
"You are Kanjuro's biological bloodline..."
"!!!"
Time seemed to stand still at this moment.
Akako Koizumi stood frozen in place, her pupils dilated to the extreme, her mind a complete blank. All her thoughts were thoroughly shattered by this earth-shattering truth.
Kanjuro... that evil and powerful man she was ordered (or rather, volunteered) to deal with... that man who had just made her feel an inexplicable throb and attraction... was actually... was actually her... biological father?!
This absurd, cruel, and nauseating truth, like a poisoned dagger, stabbed ruthlessly into her heart, crushing all her pride, confidence, and plans into powder.
She recalled the meaningful look Kanjuro gave her, that smile that seemed to see through everything... had he known all along?! Had he been watching her perform like a clown?!
A massive sense of humiliation, betrayal (even though her mother didn't seem entirely innocent), and a bone-chilling fear instantly overwhelmed her. She had always thought of herself as the high-and-mighty successor of Scarlet Magic, yet she never expected that the source of her bloodline was the deepest darkness itself!
The light of the Magic Mirror gradually dimmed, returning to the appearance of an ordinary mirror, reflecting only Akako Koizumi's despondent figure, her face as pale as paper.
She slowly slid to the floor, holding her head in her hands, her purplish-red long hair falling loose and covering her desperate and confused expression.
So that inexplicable attraction wasn't groundless, but stemmed from this damn, unbreakable blood curse!
So what she was trying to oppose was not just external evil, but the source of darkness hidden deep within her own bloodline!
Fate had played such a cruel joke on her.
There was dead silence in the castle, leaving only the girl's suppressed and painful gasps. Her once-clear world had completely disintegrated at this moment, falling into a chaotic darkness and confusion. And far away at the Suzuki Mansion, Kanjuro seemed to sense the sprouting of this seed of chaos he had personally sown through endless time and space, and the corner of his mouth curved into an even deeper and more pleasant arc.
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the story has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 chapters in advance over on my Patreon: patreon.com/TLHimejima1
Every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and let me know.