Genichi showed no surprise when Haruno returned alone.
He lounged against the sofa, idly swirling the glass of blood wine he had already poured. The liquid shifted gently inside, its crimson glow shimmering beneath the light.
The corner of his mouth curled into a faint, mocking smile. The mockery wasn't directed at Haruno, but at the girl who had chosen not to come.
"You only get one chance."
His voice was calm.
"Yukino refused. I won't offer her another opportunity."
Haruno stood in the doorway, still holding her high heels in one hand instead of putting them on.
Her hair was slightly disheveled, with several strands clinging to her cheeks. Even her makeup had smudged from rushing around.
Her expression was complicated. Disappointment, helplessness, and an indescribable trace of self-reproach were all written across her face.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, only to realize that no words would come.
Haruno knew Genichi's personality.
There was only one chance. If you seized it, you became one of his people. If you let it pass, you could never turn back.
He wouldn't change his mind simply because you regretted your decision. He wouldn't soften because you pleaded with him, nor would he make an exception merely because you were the Yukinoshita family's second daughter.
Haruno set down her high heels and walked barefoot into the living room. She sat on the sofa opposite Genichi.
Her movements were unusually quiet, as though she feared disturbing something. Her fingers gently rubbed against her knees, a small habit she had whenever she felt nervous.
"Yukino, she..."
Haruno began, then stopped.
She didn't know what to say.
Should she claim Yukino was still young and didn't know any better?
That she had only acted impulsively?
That she would eventually come around?
Even Haruno herself couldn't believe those excuses.
Yukino, her younger sister, had been protected far too well ever since she was a child.
So well that she had no idea how cruel the world could be. So well that she believed whatever she saw represented the whole truth. So well that she felt entitled to judge everyone according to her own self-righteous standards of justice.
She believed Genichi was selfish. She believed he was unworthy of his power and had no right to control the lives and deaths of others.
She knew nothing about what Genichi had endured, how much he had sacrificed to survive, or what kind of enemies he faced.
She knew absolutely nothing, yet believed she understood everything.
Haruno thought about the script she had prepared for Yukino.
Accept the power, become one of Genichi's people, then slowly learn about him. Gradually grow closer to him and step into his world.
It had been such a perfect plan. All Yukino had to do was follow it, and she would obtain supernatural power, earn Genichi's trust, and discover a much broader world.
Instead, Yukino had not only pushed the script aside, but torn it to pieces.
What else could Haruno possibly say after that?
Genichi studied her conflicted expression and already knew the answer.
He didn't press her for details or mock her. He simply sat in silence, gently running his fingers along the side of his glass.
"Still, it would be a shame to waste this glass of blood wine."
His voice was soft, almost as though he were talking to himself.
"Who do you think I should give it to?"
Haruno's heart gave a violent thump.
Her eyes immediately lit up. She stared at the glass of blood wine, a trace of longing flashing through them.
Blood wine represented power. It represented the supernatural. It was a ticket into another world.
Yukino didn't want it, so could Haruno take it?
No, she already had.
She had already established a connection with Genichi.
Then what else could she ask for?
A thought flashed through her mind.
Her mother.
Mrs. Yukinoshita.
The woman who had once looked down on Genichi, only to be humbled by his power and now treat him with considerable respect.
If her mother drank the blood wine, gained power, and entered the supernatural world as well, then the Yukinoshita family would truly be bound to Genichi.
It wouldn't be limited to Haruno and Yukino. Their entire family would become tied to him.
Haruno's breathing quickened, and her fingers tightened around the fabric of her skirt.
Yet she swiftly rejected the idea.
She wasn't stupid.
She knew exactly what drinking the blood wine meant. Her mother would establish an intimate connection with Genichi as well. Her life and death would become subject to his will, and she would become another part of his power system.
That wasn't "cooperation," nor was it an "alliance."
It was a much deeper, more intimate, and inseparable relationship.
And then...
An image suddenly appeared in Haruno's mind.
She saw herself standing beside a bed, her hands resting on Genichi's waist as she helped push him forward. Lying on the bed was her normally dignified mother.
Haruno shook her head violently, banishing the image from her mind.
Her heart pounded so fiercely that it felt ready to leap from her chest, and her face turned bright red.
She lowered her head, too afraid to look at Genichi. She was terrified that he might realize what she had just been imagining.
"What's wrong?"
Genichi's voice came from across the room, carrying a hint of confusion.
"N-Nothing."
Haruno stammered slightly.
"I was only wondering who should receive this glass of blood wine."
Seeing how guilty she looked, the corner of Genichi's mouth lifted slightly.
He didn't question her further. Instead, he placed the glass on the table and slid it across to Haruno.
"There's no hurry. Take your time thinking about it. The blood wine can be preserved for three days. Let me know once you've made your decision."
Haruno nodded and carefully picked up the glass.
The wine swayed gently inside, casting its blood-red glow across her face and obscuring her expression.
Her fingers trembled slightly, not from fear, but because she was still thinking about that image.
She no longer knew how she was supposed to face her mother, Genichi, or even herself.
How could she have imagined something like that?
How could she have associated her mother with such a thing?
Was she losing her mind?
Genichi rose and walked over to her, then gently patted her head.
"Don't overthink it. Go home and get some rest."
Haruno raised her head and looked at him.
His black eyes contained tenderness, helplessness, and another emotion she couldn't quite understand.
She nodded, rose to her feet, put on her shoes, and left the apartment while carefully carrying the glass of blood wine.
The sound of her footsteps gradually faded down the corridor.
Genichi stood in the doorway, gazing in the direction she had gone. He remained silent for a long time.
Then he closed the door, walked back to the window, and looked out at the night.
"Yukino..."
He murmured her name with a trace of faint mockery in his voice.
"Naive, foolish, and self-righteous."
He remembered the girl standing at the entrance to the Service Club, staring at him with that cool, proud gaze.
She believed she was intelligent. She believed she could see through everything and that her judgment could never be wrong.
She didn't understand that many things in this world couldn't be judged through her simplistic view of right and wrong.
She didn't know that some people only appeared selfish because they had endured darkness beyond anything she could imagine.
She didn't understand that some opportunities, once lost, were gone forever.
Genichi shook his head and stopped thinking about her.
He turned around, entered the bedroom, and switched off the light.
Moonlight slipped through the gap between the curtains, casting several pale streaks across the floor.
The apartment was silent aside from the occasional car horn outside.
Genichi lay on the bed with his eyes closed, but he felt no desire to sleep.
He kept thinking about Haruno's reaction earlier. How she had suddenly blushed, become flustered, and refused to meet his eyes.
What had she been thinking about?
He couldn't be certain, but he could make a reasonable guess.
Genichi sighed and rolled over.
(End of Chapter)
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