Near midnight. A blue moon hung high.
After the fireworks festival ended, on the road home, Asagami Yuuki parted ways with his younger sister and the maid who remained behind, and came alone to the Ryougi estate where Shiki lived.
The main house lights were already off. Though he could have simply climbed the wall and entered the grounds, Yuuki still chose to press the doorbell like a normal person.
No one came to open the gate. No voice responded from inside.
Empty…?
"—Shiki! Are you there, Shiki!"
As if inviting her out, Yuuki raised his voice when there was no movement.
Still no reply—only a faint sound like cicadas, and the rustle of countless bamboo stalks in the yard swaying under the wind.
Shiki wasn't the kind of delinquent girl who stayed out all night. Even if she wandered at night sometimes, she would always come back after a while.
So all Yuuki had to do was wait.
Yuuki could easily vault the wall surrounding Shiki's home now, but for the sake of his plan, he instead leaned back against the wall outside and waited patiently, calming his emotions.
The ability called Overlapping Thought came in handy at times like this—like a partial out-of-body experience. A portion of his awareness detached from the body, watching himself as an observer, thinking through the problem.
In the end he arrived at a rough guess, but he still couldn't settle on a conclusion…
So what Yuuki would do next was an act of pure risk—something where it wouldn't be strange if he died.
Creaaak—
The Ryougi gate opened slowly. The moment Yuuki heard it, his hair bristled. He stood, faced the darkness within, and retreated one silent step.
A girl in a blue-green kimono—Ryougi Shiki—stood quietly inside, staring at Asagami Yuuki.
The streetlamp made Yuuki's figure outside the gate clearly visible, while Shiki was covered in shadow, her expression unreadable.
But her killing intent and anger were completely undisguised. No matter how dense someone was, face-to-face with Shiki like this, no one could mistake her mood for "good."
Even so, Yuuki forced a light smile.
"Shiki… I came to—"
"I believe I made myself very clear when I warned you."
Next time, I really will kill you.
That emotionless, cold voice—Yuuki could never forget it.
"Ah… yeah… you did."
It's fine. It's fine.
He soothed himself like that, forcing calm, stepping back again—yet giving a positive answer that contradicted his movement.
"But I still can't give up. We're friends, aren't we? Like childhood friends, right? No matter what you say, even if you say something worse, I won't give up on you, Shiki."
The shallow lines—so fake they were obvious—combined with an excuse too flimsy to be real, made Shiki laugh outright.
When she saw Yuuki retreat a third step, Shiki advanced one. She crossed the boundary between the estate and the outside world—and likewise crossed the boundary between lamplight and shadow.
In her hand was a spring knife with a blade roughly ten centimeters long.
"Then I'll end this."
A weapon that could easily take his life might have triggered instinctive fear—but stronger than fear was a different feeling, clear and cold.
Because after more than a month, Yuuki could finally see Shiki's face clearly again.
Just like the night a month ago when she'd saved him under the bridge—under moonlight, she was beautiful enough to stop his breath for a moment.
Admiration is the farthest emotion from understanding. But admiration can also be the drive to understand.
Not "Ryougi Shiki" understood through stories, or through yearning—but Shiki understood by stripping away those influences, by trying to understand the Shiki he'd actually known, over two months spent together.
The Shiki before him was no longer the distant existence he'd once yearned for in a favorite work.
So—so—
Ah… Fujino, you were right. I really still—
Asagami Yuuki turned and ran, racing death itself.
…
This time, no one would stop it. No one could save him. Ryougi Mikiya wasn't back from Misaki Town yet. The maid was occupied caring for Fujino and couldn't leave.
Accounting for possible bystanders—and for the handful of servants still on the Ryougi grounds—Yuuki, who had pulled back early, immediately fled the estate.
The Ryougi home sat on the edge of Mifune City. If he veered slightly off the road ahead, he'd hit the forest that hugged the estate's perimeter.
At night the forest was pitch-black. Dense canopy spread like a massive curtain, and even the high blue moon could barely cast light onto the ground.
"Hah—ah…"
Yuuki ran desperately through the trees, clutching a short blade. The air was damp with greenery and the raw scent of soil.
How long had he run? With no reference for time and no mental room to spare, he'd already thrown away the cumbersome haori somewhere. His underlayer had been slashed open in several places, shredded and ragged. His wooden sandals were gone at some point, and his white tabi socks were stained with mud.
Unilateral clinging meant nothing. No matter the form, he needed Shiki to step out of her safe zone on her own, to pursue him—killing intent as fuel was fine.
It was the only way for him to stand on the "correct" side of the situation.
Just as Yuuki planned, once Shiki stepped out of the shadows and came before him, she would chase him to the very end.
When he finally felt his stamina draining dangerously, Yuuki stopped.
He looked back.
As expected, Shiki stood about seven paces behind. Even after he'd sprinted in utter misery, he couldn't open much distance at all.
"Whew… Is the chase game over? Then you've made your resolve, haven't you, Asagami?"
"Yeah. I have."
Running alone was pointless—nothing would be solved.
He'd chosen the deep forest to avoid outsiders—and also to corner himself with no escape.
He'd spent a lot of stamina, but it was fine. If he hadn't misread Shiki's intent, then at least physically he should be stronger than Shiki, a girl.
So Shiki's consumption had to be heavier. Her chest rose and fell slightly; she was quietly catching her breath. Yuuki didn't miss it.
Only like this could he have a chance.
Just like the past month—almost nonstop—training against Ryougi Mikiya.
Asagami Yuuki gripped his short blade tight. Across seven paces, he pointed the edge at Shiki. They faced each other from afar.
"Then let's put everything down for now—and start slaughtering each other!"
A life-on-the-line gamble.
The greatest gamble he had ever made.
....
My Patreon : patreon/RuneA
If you want to read the novel in advance, you can subscribe for early access. I also have many more novels in my collection that you might be interested in
I upload ten novels a day, with 3 to 4 chapters per title depending on the length. If you're following a particular series, please wait your turn a little
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it