Kanjuro felt the change in her emotions and the closeness of her body. He stopped wiping, looking down at the trembling girl in his arms. Seeing the light in her eyes that was no longer purely dependency but stained with obsession and possessiveness, he knew that the "fruit" produced by the combined effect of the [Thousand Faces Garment] and the psychological shock of the scene had ripened.
He gently held her, his palm stroking her wet hair, his voice low and full of seduction:
"It's okay, it's all over... Yui. Papa is here, and I will always be here to protect you. Everything you did for me... I remember it all."
His words acted like the final catalyst. In his arms, Yui Yuigahama let out a whimper like a small beast, a mix of crying and strange pleasure. She closed her eyes tightly, burying all her fear, guilt, and that budding, immoral love beneath the sound of the roaring waterfall, and also tied herself firmly to this abyss-like "father," Kanjuro.
Her soul, through the baptism of blood and water, completed its total fall and reconstruction.
The next morning, the tranquility of the school trip group was completely shattered.
"Hube is gone!"
"He didn't return to the room last night!"
"We've looked everywhere, he's not here!"
Anxious shouts and discussions spread among the students. The teachers organized a search party, fanning out into the surrounding woods with last night's bonfire site as the center. Worry and speculation clouded everyone's hearts.
Kanjuro's methods for handling the scene were indeed experienced. Hube Sho's body was well hidden, and the bloodstains had been cleaned or covered. Combined with the complex environment of the woods, the search party's busy efforts ultimately yielded nothing. They could only temporarily list Hube Sho as "missing" and notify the local police and the school.
Throughout the search process, Kanjuro behaved like an ordinary, slightly concerned classmate. He even "actively" participated in the search, pointing out several seemingly possible directions that guided the search away from the actual scene.
Meanwhile, Yui Yuigahama was clearly preoccupied. Her face was pale, her eyes were evasive, and she stayed by Kanjuro's side, hardly daring to meet anyone's gaze. Whenever someone mentioned Hube Sho's name or the search party approached that area from last night, her body would stiffen imperceptibly, and her fingers would instinctively curl up.
Miura Yumiko and Ebina Hina also appeared unnatural. Yumiko tried hard to appear calm, but there was an unmistakable tension beneath her forced smile. Hina was even more silent, always keeping her head down to avoid prolonged eye contact with anyone.
All of this was observed by Yukinoshita Yukino, who was watching coldly from the sidelines. She recalled the so-called "good show" Kanjuro had mentioned last night, as well as the brief commotion she seemed to have heard later—blurred by distance and the wind—and... something like a scream? Although she wasn't certain, combined with Hube Sho's disappearance this morning and the abnormal reactions of these people, a bad premonition rose in her heart.
Taking advantage of a gap, she walked up to Yui Yuigahama and asked in a low voice: "Yuigahama, where did you go... later last night? Did you see or hear anything strange?"
Yui Yuigahama's body jolted violently like a startled rabbit. She looked at Kanjuro with panicked eyes, and only after receiving a subtle, reassuring nod from him did she stammer an answer: "I... I was with Kanjuro... Papa last night... I didn't, didn't go anywhere... and I didn't hear anything..."
Her answer was full of holes and her tone was weak, completely unlike her usual self.
Yukinoshita Yukino turned her gaze toward Yumiko and Hina. Yumiko immediately interjected, her tone somewhat hurried: "Yeah, we... we were all with husband Kanjuro later!" Hina also nodded silently in agreement.
At that moment, Kanjuro walked over and naturally draped an arm around Yui Yuigahama's slightly trembling shoulders. With a lazy and innocent smile on his face, he looked at Yukinoshita Yukino: "What's wrong, Yukino-chan? Are you concerned about our itinerary last night?" He deliberately used an intimate form of address and a flippant tone. "That's right, after the bonfire party ended last night, I felt like I hadn't had enough fun, so I took Yuigahama, Yumiko, and Hina to a quiet place... to deepen our emotional connection. It got too late, so we just rested together. Why? Do I need to report this to you, Yukino-chan? Or... are you dissatisfied with this arrangement?"
His words were half-truths and extremely ambiguous. They both explained the fact that the four of them were together and cleverly blurred the main point, diverting Yukinoshita's suspicion toward jealousy over romantic relationships.
Yukinoshita Yukino was so angered by his shameless remarks that her face turned slightly cold, but she suppressed her rage. Her ice-blue pupils stared intently at Kanjuro, trying to find a flaw in his eyes. She said coldly: "Kanjuro, although you are an excessive and frivolous person, I don't believe... you would truly be such a beast as to lay a hand on your nominal 'daughter'."
She said this very quietly, yet with a sense of certainty. She understood Kanjuro's wickedness, but she also intuitively felt that he had his own "principles" and "aesthetic" for toying with people's hearts; pure physical violation didn't seem to be where his greatest pleasure lay.
Hearing this, Kanjuro was stunned for a moment, then, as if he had heard something incredibly amusing, he burst out laughing. He thought to himself: (So in Little Yukino's heart, I actually still retain such a small 'bottom line'? Truly... naively cute.)
He suppressed his laughter and shrugged, adopting an attitude of "think whatever you want," his tone carrying a hint of roguishness: "Anyway, that's the fact. Believe it or not."
After saying that, he ignored the pale-faced Yukinoshita Yukino and looked down to say softly to Yui Yuigahama: "Yuigahama, don't worry. Hube-kun probably just got lost; the teachers and the police will find him. Let's go have breakfast first."
Holding Yuigahama and taking Yumiko and Hina with him, he left directly. He left Yukinoshita Yukino standing alone on the spot, her brow furrowed as she watched their departing backs.
She knew Kanjuro was lying, and Yuigahama and the others were also hiding something. Hube Sho's disappearance was definitely related to them. But the lack of evidence, combined with Kanjuro's airtight performance and the unified testimony of Yuigahama and the others, left her powerless at this moment.
A sense of helplessness and deeper doubt spread in her heart. Kanjuro... what exactly did you do last night?
What exactly happened with Hube Sho's disappearance? She faintly felt that a massive, dark net was slowly closing in, and she herself seemed unable to stay completely out of it.
The light of dawn failed to bring much warmth; instead, it made the chill in people's hearts even clearer. The police search continued for a while. Police cars and uniformed officers appeared around the campsite. The solemn atmosphere made many students feel the pressure. But as Teacher Hiratsuka Shizuka said, while the disappearance of such a large person in the wilderness was worrying, life—or rather, the school-arranged activities—had to continue until more definitive bad news (such as a body) was found.
Teacher Hiratsuka Shizuka stood before the gathered students, trying to make her voice sound steady and strong: "Students, quiet down! The police and teachers will fully follow up on Hube-kun's matter. However, our school trip plan cannot be completely interrupted because of this. To help everyone change their mood and to complete the scheduled social practice segment, a group of local elementary school children will be coming over in a while to conduct a collaborative camping activity with us. I hope everyone can act like seniors, take good care of them, and show the style of our Sobu High School students!"
This news caused some commotion in the originally somewhat suppressed group. Although most students still had Hube Sho on their minds, they were young after all, and they still felt a certain sense of novelty and responsibility toward the new activity and the upcoming children. They talked in low voices, their attention partially diverted.
"Elementary schoolers? That should be pretty fun, right?"
"I hope they aren't too naughty..."
"That guy Hube, where did he actually run off to?"
Yukinoshita Yukino did not participate in the discussion; her gaze constantly fell on Kanjuro's group. She saw Kanjuro slightly tilting his head, whispering something to Yui Yuigahama, whose face was still somewhat pale. The posture was intimate and natural, yet it gave her a sudden, inexplicable chill. As Yui Yuigahama listened to Kanjuro's words, her originally uneasy eyes gradually softened, even... flickering with a light of dependency or even obsession? Yukinoshita knit her brows, her doubts growing like vines, but she was frustrated by the lack of any evidence.
Hachiman Hikigaya shrank into a corner of the crowd, standing with his close friends Totsuka Saika and Zaimokuza Yoshiteru. Saika was worriedly muttering about his brother Hube Sho, while Zaimokuza had already begun fantasizing about how to show off his charm as a "mature senior" in front of the elementary school girls (though he would likely mess it up). Hikigaya kept his head down, his peripheral vision glancing toward Kanjuro, his heart racing uncontrollably. (It's definitely related to that guy... that aura of having everything under control, even being able to turn chaos to his own use...) But he knew the principle of self-preservation well. He suppressed all his guesses and fears deep in his heart, not daring to show even a hint of them, only vaguely agreeing with his friends' discussion about the camping trip.
In the center of the crowd, Kanjuro gently grasped Yui Yuigahama's cold and slightly trembling hand. His palm was warm and dry, carrying a strange, soothing power.
"Yuigahama, it's okay." His voice was very low, like a lover's whisper that only the two of them could hear. "Forget the unpleasant things from last night. Look, the sun is great, and there are interesting activities. With me here, there's nothing to fear. Remember, you only did an unavoidable thing to protect the person most important to you. And I will always be by your side."
His words were like a magical warm current, once again washing over Yui Yuigahama's chaotic memories and emotions. The terrifying images from last night seemed to blur a little, replaced by the focused and gentle look in Kanjuro's eyes as he carefully wiped the blood off her under the waterfall, and the solid, reliable embrace when he held her in his arms.
(He helped me wash away the blood... He protected me... He understands me...)
(If it wasn't love, why would he do so much for me?)
(Papa... no, Kanjuro...)
A burning and distorted emotion surged in her heart, breaking through the last dam of ethics. She looked up, gazing blankly at Kanjuro's handsome face so close at hand. There was no more confusion or fear in her eyes, only total trust and a near-devout adoration. She gripped Kanjuro's hand tightly, as if it were the only driftwood in her life.
"Mm." She responded softly, her voice small but filled with a certain determination.
In her current perception, for the sake of this "love" that transcended all boundaries, even killing, even carrying the weight of sin, seemed to become... acceptable. Love can transcend ethics—this dangerous thought, like a poisonous weed, took deep root in her heart.
Kanjuro looked at the light of complete surrender in her eyes and smiled with satisfaction. He had successfully transformed a bloody murder into a cornerstone to strengthen the distorted connection between them.
In the distance, the chirping and energetic noise of children could be heard. Elementary school students, led by their teachers, were walking toward the campsite. The innocent laughter formed a sharp contrast with the lingering gloom in the hearts of the Sobu High School students and the dark secrets hidden beneath the calm surface.
A new "stage" had been set, and Kanjuro, the eternal "director," seemed to have found new "actors" and a potential "script."
He held Yui Yuigahama's hand and faced the direction of the sound, a characteristic, gentle, and profound smile appearing on his face.
With the joint efforts of the students and children, the campsite gradually took shape. Colorful tents were scattered across the grass like mushrooms, and the aroma of food and the laughter of children drifted through the air, trying to dilute the depression brought by Hube Sho's disappearance.
Yukinoshita Yukino was in front of a temporary stove, clumsily trying to light a campfire. She held a flint, her movements a bit awkward, failing several times. Fine beads of sweat dampened the hair on her forehead. She frowned slightly, seemingly preoccupied, even lighting the fire appeared a bit half-hearted... Kanjuro walked over, holding Yui Yuigahama's hand.
"Do you need help, Classmate Yukinoshita?" Kanjuro's voice was gentle, with just the right amount of concern.
Yuigahama also nodded quickly. "Yeah, Yukino-chan, let Kanjuro... let him help you. He's very good at this."
Yukinoshita Yukino glanced at them and didn't refuse, silently moving aside. Kanjuro knelt down and skillfully arranged the wood and kindling. In a few moments, a small flame leaped up and then burned brighter and brighter.
Taking advantage of the gap while Kanjuro was focused on lighting the fire, Yukinoshita Yukino leaned close to Yuigahama and asked in a very low voice, almost a whisper, "Yuigahama, tell me honestly, last night... what exactly happened later? Hube, he..."
Yuigahama's body stiffened almost imperceptibly, but soon, a nearly deliberate smile of sweet burden appeared on her face, interrupting Yukinoshita. "Oh, Yukino-chan, it's really nothing! Don't think too much about it." She grabbed Yukinoshita's arm, her grip a bit tight, as if seeking support or trying to stop her from asking further. "Yesterday, Kanjuro... he was very good to me and cared for me a lot. We... we were very happy together."
Her tone carried a trance-like quality of being immersed in "happiness," and her eyes flickered, not daring to meet Yukinoshita's sharp gaze. This abnormal sense of "happiness" didn't eliminate the doubts in Yukinoshita's heart; instead, they grew heavier.
Seeing her like this, Yukinoshita Yukino knew that asking further would yield no results. She could only sigh deeply, a hint of helplessness and worry flashing in her ice-blue eyes. "I hope... it's really as you say," she said softly, feeling that something was wrong. A sense of impending doom lingered in her heart.
Just then, Kanjuro had efficiently started the fire. He stood up, patted the dust off his hands, scanned the campsite casually, and then fixed his gaze in a certain direction. He spoke to Yukinoshita Yukino in a tone as if he were just making a casual suggestion:
"Yukinoshita, look over there." He tilted his chin toward a large tree not far away. "That little girl seems to be alone all the time; she looks quite lonely. Why don't you go comfort her? You should be quite good at this kind of thing."
Yukinoshita Yukino looked in the direction he pointed. Sure enough, she saw a little girl about ten years old, wearing an elementary school uniform, sitting alone on the grass under the tree, staring intently at her phone screen. She was out of place among the other children running around and laughing. Her small figure looked exceptionally lonely against the backdrop of the busy campsite.
This scene instantly struck a soft spot in Yukinoshita Yukino's heart. She had an almost instinctive resonance and concern for such situations of being isolated and alone. Pushing down her doubts about Kanjuro and Yuigahama for the moment, she nodded and walked toward the little girl.
She knelt beside the girl, trying to make her voice sound soft. "Hello, are you playing here alone?"
The little girl looked up, revealing a pretty but expressionless face. Her large eyes held a calmness and detachment that didn't match her age. She looked at Yukinoshita, then lowered her head and answered softly:
"Mm."
"What's your name?" Yukinoshita continued to ask patiently.
"Tsurumi Rumi." The girl's voice was still very soft, with a bit of a childish tone, but without much inflection.
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