Her tone was almost pleading, her eyes filled with the pity and despair of someone who had been through it before.
However, immersed in her "love" fantasy, Imari couldn't listen to this harsh but loyal advice. In her view, Ms. Kitami might be biased against Mr. Kanjuro for some reason she didn't know.
"Ms. Kitami, thank you for your concern." Imari took a deep breath, trying to make her voice sound firm. "But I believe in Mr. Kanjuro. I believe his feelings for me are real. He must... have his own difficulties."
After saying that, she gave Reika Kitami a slight bow, turned, and walked away quickly. Her back showed a kind of stubbornness and total commitment, as if even if there were a cliff ahead, she would jump without hesitation as long as Kanjuro was there.
Reika Kitami stood where she was, watching Imari's disappearing back. The evening breeze blew the hair on her forehead, revealing her pale face filled with worry and helplessness.
(Foolish... yet pitiable...)
She knew she couldn't wake someone who was pretending to sleep, let alone pull back a soul that was actively running toward hell. Kanjuro's web was already woven too tightly; Imari was deep within it and could no longer break free.
(Kanjuro... just how many more tragedies are you going to create...)
She looked up at the gray sky, feeling like the setting sun about to be swallowed by the night, powerless to stop the descent of darkness. And Imari Kurumi, this pure sacrifice, was walking step by step along the flower-strewn path Kanjuro had laid for her toward the magnificent altar he had already prepared.
Inside the hotel room, a lingering atmosphere of intimacy remained. Kanjuro stood by the window, casually draped in a bathrobe, looking out at the city's neon lights. Saeki Kaori had already hurriedly dressed. Her face held a hint of satisfaction and uncontrollable excitement; her entire mind was occupied by that holy bible of light (pseudo) that Kanjuro had "generously" bestowed upon her.
"Lord Kanjuro, thank you so much! I will definitely study this sacred text well!" She tightly clutched the book, which radiated tempting ripples of magical power, as if holding the key to a new world. She didn't even care to linger with Kanjuro for a moment longer, eager to get home and start her research.
Kanjuro kept his back to her and waved dismissively, his tone indifferent: "Go. Remember your'sincerity'."
As if granted a pardon, Saeki Kaori practically skipped out of the room, her footsteps quickly vanishing at the end of the hallway.
Kanjuro stood there for a while. Only after sensing that Saeki Kaori had completely left did he slowly turn around, his face devoid of expression. To him, this was merely a necessary, joyless transaction. He changed his clothes and calmly left the hotel.
However, just as he stepped out of the hotel entrance into the chilly night breeze, his footsteps paused slightly.
Under a streetlamp not far from the hotel entrance, a slender figure was curled up on a bench, knees pulled to her chest and head buried deep. In the early autumn chill, she looked exceptionally lonely and pitiable—it was Imari Kurumi.
She seemed to have been waiting there for a long time. Hearing footsteps, she snapped her head up. Her face still bore wet tear tracks, and her eyes were red and swollen. The moment she saw Kanjuro, a complex light erupted in her eyes—grievance, heartache, but mostly a stubborn desire for an explanation.
"Mr. Kanjuro..." She stood up, her voice raspy from crying and the cold.
Kanjuro's face appropriately showed a hint of "surprise" and "distress." He walked forward quickly, took off his coat, and draped it over her cold shoulders. "Imari? Why are you here? It's so late, and it's so cold..."
Imari didn't refuse his coat but grabbed his arm. She looked up, tears welling up again, her voice trembling and pleading: "Mr. Kanjuro... I... I saw it. You and Saeki-san went in together... I've been waiting here... waiting for so long..." She sniffled, trying to make her words coherent. "Tell me, you have a reason, right? Aren't we... aren't we already boyfriend and girlfriend? Why did you... why did you still... have relations with her?"
There was no anger in her questioning, only a humble search for confirmation. She desperately needed a reason to support her crumbling faith.
Seeing her in such pain yet still choosing to believe in him, Kanjuro sneered inwardly, but his face took on a heavy, helpless expression of deep affection. He sighed softly and reached out to stroke her cheek, his fingertips cold.
"Imari..." His voice was low, carrying a weariness as if he bore a great secret. "You... saw it after all."
He paused, his eyes becoming "deep" and "worried," and began to weave the lie he had already prepared: "You're right, I indeed have an unavoidable reason. What happened with Saeki-san... was not my intention."
He cupped Imari's face, forcing her to look into his'sincere' eyes: "Saeki... she somehow obtained a magic book similar to the one Mizunurai used to have, the kind that records evil powers! That book possesses a terrifying power to control people's minds!"
Imari's eyes widened. Recalling Mizunurai's madness and the horrific tentacles she had encountered in the bathroom that night, her body began to tremble involuntarily.
Kanjuro continued in a sorrowful tone: "She has already been bewitched by the book's power, even more so than Mizunurai! She threatened me, saying that if I didn't obey her, she would use the power in the book to create chaos in the school and harm innocent classmates... just like Mizunurai tried to harm you!"
He timely displayed an expression of 'pain' and'self-sacrifice': "I... I can't just stand by and watch her become a second Mizunurai, let alone let her hurt anyone else! So, I had no choice but to feign obedience to get close to her, trying to find an opportunity to snatch that evil book from her hands, or... find a way to break its curse."
He gazed affectionately at Imari: "Imari, believe me. Everything I do is to protect you, to protect everyone. Between her and me... there is nothing. It's just... just an act I had to perform to gain her trust. In my heart, from beginning to end, there has only been you."
These lies, full of holes yet tightly gripping Imari's fear and kindness, were like a final life-saving straw. Looking at Kanjuro's eyes 'full of hardship' and 'deep affection,' and recalling the times he had'saved' her, the doubt and pain in her heart were instantly replaced by immense heartache, guilt, and a deeper reliance.
(So that was it! Mr. Kanjuro sacrificed himself for everyone! I actually doubted him; I'm so selfish!)
She suddenly threw herself into Kanjuro's arms, hugging him tightly. Tears soaked his clothes, and her voice was full of remorse and determination: "I'm sorry! Mr. Kanjuro! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have doubted you! You've suffered so much, and I... I'm so terrible! I believe you! I've always believed you!"
Kanjuro embraced the girl who was completely captured by his lies. Feeling her body tremble and her total trust, a cold and satisfied arc curled at the corner of his mouth where she couldn't see.
He gently patted her back and comforted her: "Silly girl, no need to apologize. As long as you are safe, believe me, whatever I do is worth it."
In the night wind, the two embraced—one immersed in false emotion and love, the other coldly calculating the countdown to sacrifice. Imari Kurumi sank deeper and deeper into this carefully woven trap, and the final chapter of her fate was quietly approaching. That night, Saeki Kaori locked her room door and drew the curtains tight. She sat cross-legged on the bed, tightly clutching the 'holy bible of light' (Pseudo) bestowed by Kanjuro. By the dim light of the desk lamp, she hungrily studied the twisted and obscure runes and incantations on the pages.
Following the book's guidance, she concentrated her mind, attempting to mobilize the faint but undeniably real dark magic within her that shared the same source as the book. The first few attempts failed, the magic darting around inside her like an unmanageable loach. But she did not lose heart; thinking of Kanjuro's 'favor' and the power she was about to gain, she grit her teeth and tried again and again.
Finally, when her focus was so intense she almost felt dizzy, a trace of extremely dim, nearly invisible black mist rose from her fingertips.
"It worked!" Saeki Kaori was ecstatic.
She tried a few of the simplest spells—making a pencil on the desk roll slightly, making a page of the book flip without any wind. Although the effect was weak and the duration extremely short, this was indeed supernatural power! It was a realm beyond the reach of ordinary people!
(I really... did it! I really have magic!)
A huge sense of accomplishment overwhelmed her. However, when she tried the more advanced spells recorded in the book—those involving influencing others' minds or emotions—she failed without exception. That faint trace of magic was like hitting an invisible wall; it couldn't penetrate at all, let alone control others.
(Is it because my magic isn't strong enough? Or... does it require specific conditions?) She felt a bit frustrated, but was soon drawn back by the book's content.
She flipped to the latter half of the book, which detailed a sacrificial ritual called 'Wisdom of the Abyss.' The book claimed that by arranging an altar in a specific way and offering a suitable'sacrifice' (the book vaguely mentioned needing a spiritual 'female' as the 'root' and 'key' of the ritual), one could please a certain ancient existence, thereby opening the gates of wisdom and obtaining supreme knowledge and true power.
The content of this ritual was exceptionally realistic and detailed; every step and every rune carried a heart-palpitating, ancient, and evil aura. Unlike those simple Black Magic spells with limited effects, this ritual gave Saeki Kaori the feeling that—it was absolutely real! It was the only path to a higher level of power!
(Needs a female as a sacrifice...) A flash of fanaticism crossed Saeki Kaori's eyes, but it was immediately replaced by a trace of doubt. (The sacrifice... what will happen to them?) The book didn't say explicitly, but an ominous premonition made her instinctively feel a chill.
But this chill was quickly suppressed by her thirst for power. She remembered Shiraki Rie, whom she had noticed in class today. That usually cold and self-possessed top student had seemed to show an extremely abnormal, blank expression for a split second when Mizunurai tried to cast a spell on her, though she quickly returned to normal. Saeki had found it strange at the time, but thinking about it now... (Mizunurai! He must have possessed similar power before! And he definitely did something to Shiraki!)
This discovery excited her, but then another question surfaced—where did Mizunurai go? Since yesterday, he hadn't come to school, and there was no sign of him today either. When she asked people in his class, they all said they didn't know and couldn't contact him, as if he had vanished into thin air.
(Missing?) Saeki Kaori's heart skipped a beat. (Could it be... an accident while practicing magic? Or... he was consumed by'something'? Or... he had other enemies?)
A trace of fear flickered through her mind. If Mizunurai really met with misfortune because of magic, it meant this path was indeed full of danger. But this fear only further aroused her competitiveness and sense of urgency.
(No! I can't follow in his footsteps! I must get stronger faster! This 'Wisdom of the Abyss' ritual is my only chance!)
She looked at the description of the sacrificial ritual in the book, her gaze finally landing on the words 'female as the root.'
(I can't complete this ritual alone... I need helpers, I need... more'sisters'.)
A plan quickly took shape in her mind. She would form a new, true Occult Research Society! No longer the previous small-scale hobbyist club, but a secret society dedicated to exploring real supernatural powers and willing to pay the 'price' for it!
She would recruit members, seeking those who, like her, were bored with the ordinary world and craved contact with the extraordinary, or... those with strong desires and ambitions in their hearts. She would use the book bestowed by Lord Kanjuro (she firmly believed this was Kanjuro's test and blessing) and the faint magic she had just mastered as a demonstration to attract them to join.
Then, she would filter out the most suitable candidates... to complete that great ritual together!
As for who the sacrifice would be... when the time came, a'suitable' candidate would naturally appear. To obtain supreme knowledge and power, sacrifice... was necessary.
In Saeki Kaori's eyes, a flame of ambition, fanaticism, and coldness burned, completely at odds with her delicate appearance. She picked up her phone and began to cautiously post messages in the various occult forums and small circles she used to frequent, under the names of'Seeking the Truth' and 'Unlocking Inner Potential,' beginning to secretly scout for her first batch of 'members.'
Once the seeds of darkness are sown, they will spontaneously seek fertile soil to grow and spread. Saeki Kaori, the pawn chosen by Kanjuro, was actively and fanatically digging graves for herself and others. A bloody farce driven by lies and desire was about to begin a new act.
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