Chinatsu, who had been lying in Shido's arms pretending to be Sleeping Beauty, finally began to tremble slightly again under Shido's worried gaze and Kurumi's thoughtful scrutiny.
This time, it was no longer the performative mumbling from before, but rather as if something within her was violently conflicting and merging.
She slowly, and with extreme difficulty, opened her eyes.
Her pair of icy blue eyes now resembled shattered glass, reflecting not the clarity belonging to an ordinary high school girl, but a vortex of countless chaotic and heavy shadows.
Confusion, like being lost in a thick fog; pain, as if her soul was being ripped apart and forcibly stitched back together; hatred, directed at the source of the suffering and injustice; sorrow, for the perished heroes and the burning past... various extreme emotions wildly collided and tore at each other in her eyes, nearly crushing her last vestige of self-awareness.
Her breathing became rapid and ragged, and her fingers unconsciously dug into Shido's arm beneath her, her knuckles turning white.
Shido's heart leaped into his throat; he instinctively held his breath, not daring to make a sound even if his skin was torn and bleeding from her grip, afraid of disturbing her.
Finally, the chaotic storm in the depths of her eyes gradually subsided.
However, all the confusion, pain, hatred, and sorrow that had been present in her eyes did not vanish; instead, like ore thrown into a furnace, they were forcibly hammered and tempered under extreme heat and pressure, ultimately condensing into a nearly icy, indestructible resolve.
The storm in her eyes calmed, replaced by a stillness akin to stagnant water, but beneath that calm lay an unfathomable weight and determination.
That gaze caused Shido a sudden, inexplicable palpitation.
It was as if he was looking at a martyr about to step onto the gallows, or a warrior who had personally buried her last shred of softness.
It was the same brokenness, the same burden of life and mission bought by the sacrifice of others, the same willingness to burn herself out without hesitation for a certain goal, carrying a resolve almost like atonement.
Supporting herself with her arms, she slowly, staggeringly struggled to stand up from Shido's embrace, moving with a sluggishness as if every joint was groaning.
Her movements lacked the lightness of a young girl; instead, she resembled a prisoner bearing invisible shackles, her actions stiff like a newborn, yet strangely stable.
She looked at Shido, forcing out an extremely strained and apologetic smile.
"Classmate Itsuka..."
Her voice was unusually hoarse, carrying the weakness of someone who had survived a catastrophe, yet possessing an undeniable clarity, "I truly... apologize... for letting you see me look so unsightly."
She turned her head slightly, seemingly unable to look directly into Shido's eyes, which were filled with pure worry. She cut him off before he could speak, her voice deepening as she spoke:
"I... I already know. I know the truth about the'Spirits,' I know the weight of this power, and I also know... the mission I must fulfill."
Her fingers quietly clenched her arm, her knuckles turning white again from the exertion.
"Welt... he entrusted everything to me. Those memories, that pain, those unfulfilled ideals... and also, the power and responsibility of the Herrscher of Reason."
Her tone was calm, yet carried a heartbreaking sense of resignation.
"Regarding this world... regarding the origin of the Spirits... regarding DEM's crimes..."
With every word she spoke, the resolve in her eyes intensified, yet the deeply hidden sorrow did not fade.
Then, she made a move that instantly blanked Shido's mind.
She finally raised her head and looked back at Shido, sadness and resolve intertwining like ice and fire in her icy blue eyes.
"Therefore, Shido."
Her voice was soft, yet it hammered against Shido's heart.
"I... I like you."
"!!!" Shido froze completely, wanting to say something, but not knowing where to start.
However, Chinatsu gave him no time to react, immediately following up with an undisputed determination in her tone:
"But, precisely because I like you, I cannot reciprocate, nor can I stay by your side."
"The path beneath my feet is destined to be covered in thorns and darkness, filled with sacrifice and bloodshed."
"What I bear is too heavy, so heavy that... it cannot allow me to possess any weakness or attachment."
"I cannot... and I will never... drag you into this endless abyss."
Just then, the faint but increasingly close roar of engines and footsteps came from outside the factory! The DEM company's pursuers had arrived!
(The timing is perfect!)
She took one last deep, greedy look at Shido, as if to engrave his image, along with this nascent affection she had to personally extinguish, deep into her soul to take into the eternal battlefield.
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Rexlent
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"