Chapter 100: A Drunken Confession and a Nightmare's Whisper
"You play the piano quite well, kid."
As they stepped out of the restaurant, the cool night air a welcome change from the warm interior, Himeko offered a genuine compliment.
"I only studied it for a little while, a long time ago," Rovel replied modestly, a faint smile on his lips. "I haven't played in years, so I'm a bit rusty."
"Still trying to act humble in front of me?" Himeko laughed, effortlessly slipping an arm around his neck and pulling him into a playful headlock. "Do you think I can't tell the difference between good and bad playing?"
"One should always strive for modesty," Rovel grunted, not bothering to struggle against her hold. "But I wasn't lying. It really has been many years since I last touched a piano."
He rolled his eyes good-naturedly and then tilted his head. "So, where to next?"
"To a bar, of course!" Himeko answered instantly, her voice brimming with cheerful certainty.
Rovel blinked, a metaphorical question mark slowly materializing above his head. "A bar? You go to a bar for a blind date?"
"Of course not," Himeko said, letting him go. She lightly scratched her cheek, a faint blush dusting her features as she turned her head away. "It's just... a blind date with you feels... well, a little boring."
A wicked grin spread across Rovel's face as he leaned in slightly. "...Don't tell me you're actually interested?" he teased.
"Shut up!" Himeko snapped, her embarrassment flaring into a swift, retaliatory punch to his arm. It was a clear sign he'd hit the nail on the head.
A small "-52" popped up over Rovel's head. That punch had some real force behind it.
Once they arrived at the bar, any pretense of a formal date was unceremoniously tossed out the window. Himeko dropped the facade she'd maintained earlier and fully embraced her inner drunkard.
Rovel's own alcohol tolerance could only be described as average. He vividly remembered the last time he'd indulged at Mobius's laboratory, where a few dozen milliliters of the potent "Water of Life" had led to absolute disaster. According to a later, highly amused account from a certain Ms. Klein, he'd apparently had the audacity to pick up Dr. Mobius herself and lift her high into the air. He was the first person to ever dare such a thing, and more shockingly, the first to actually succeed. Even Elysia, for all her playful teasing, had never put such a wild thought into practice.
"Gulp, gulp... Hah! Another one!" Himeko's face was flushed with satisfaction as she downed glass after glass, her usual inhibitions melting away with each swallow.
"Are you trying to raise fish in your stomach?" Rovel quipped, watching her with a mixture of amusement and concern.
"Come on, bottoms up with this oolong tea!" she declared, holding up a glass of amber liquid that was most certainly not tea.
"Maybe drink some water to pace yourself," he suggested.
"Why is this water on fire?" she slurred, squinting at a glass of whiskey. "Isn't that perfectly normal?"
"Mmm, I... I can still drink~" Himeko mumbled, her head starting to bob.
"Yes, yes, you're the greatest drinker of them all," Rovel placated her, patting her back gently.
"Hmph... going on a blind date with you... I've... I've come to a conclusion..." she said, her words thick and disjointed.
"Oh? Let's hear it," Rovel prompted, playing along.
"At least I, Himeko, am not someone nobody wants!" she suddenly shouted, throwing her arms up in the air. The sudden movement threw her off balance, her legs locking straight as she started to tip backward.
Rovel reacted instantly, lunging forward and bending low to catch her, just barely managing to pull her back from the brink of a nasty fall.
"Alright, alright, easy there. Stop moving around so much," he sighed, continuing to humor her as he steadied her.
"You'll want me, right?" Himeko suddenly went quiet, wrapping her arms around his neck and whispering directly into his ear. The strong scent of alcohol, mingled with the faint, sweet trace of her perfume, washed over him.
Before he could even process the question, her mood shifted again. "...Ah, forget it. You're still just a brat." She pushed herself away slightly, her focus drifting. "That little girl Mei is quite good—so gentle, virtuous, and sensible! Kiana's not bad either; a bit of an idiot, but she's cute. And Bronya... she's still just a child!"
As if possessed by another wave of drunken energy, Himeko suddenly went wild again, clamping him in another headlock.
'Sigh,'Rovel thought,'This is exhausting.'
By the time he managed to haul her back to the Valkyrie dormitory, Rovel was so thoroughly tormented that the light in his eyes had all but faded. He looked utterly drained.
"Major Himeko? How did she get so drunk?"
Hearing the commotion, Mei hurried out of her room. She took one look at the scene and rushed over to help Rovel guide the barely-conscious Himeko onto the sofa. She had originally been on her way to swap shifts with her teacher, only to find that Himeko had already absconded with Rovel for the evening.
"In short... sigh... it's a long story," Rovel said, spreading his hands in a gesture of weary resignation.
"Are you alright, Mr. Ruobai?" Mei asked, her eyes filled with concern. Rovel's sudden collapse earlier that afternoon had given her quite a scare.
"Hmm... I'm not sure what happened either, but I don't feel uncomfortable anywhere," Rovel admitted, shaking his head. The whole incident was still a mystery to him. 'Could it be because of using the Stigmata's power? Maybe it led to some kind of mental exhaustion?' he speculated internally.
"I see... Please get some good rest tonight, Mr. Ruobai. Good night." Mei gave him a light, comforting hug.
"Yeah, you too. Good night." Rovel inhaled the faint, pleasant scent from her hair and felt his frayed nerves begin to settle.
Returning to the real world, Rovel took a quick shower and collapsed onto his bed, letting sleep claim him.
But his rest was not peaceful.
"Xiao Bai... have you really forgotten?"
A woman's voice, her face obscured in shadow, echoed through the darkness of his mind.
"Have you forgotten the ugly, twisted faces of those people?"
"It was them... who cruelly murdered me!"
"It was them who burdened you with these heavy shackles!"
"We could have lived so happily, forever..."
"It was them who tore us apart..."
"Revenge... Revenge... Revenge..."
The disembodied voice kept muttering, a venomous litany of pain and hatred.
When Rovel opened his eyes again, the scene had changed. Yuki was sitting by his bedside, staring at him with an unnerving intensity.
"Yuki? Why are you here again?" Rovel murmured, shaking his head to clear the lingering fog of the previous nightmare.
"Is Big Brother rejecting me?" she asked, her voice flat.
Just as Rovel was about to reply, he noticed her expression was terribly wrong. Her eyes were hollow, her face a mask of despair.
"Big Brother, didn't you say you would take me away from the Zhou Family? Why haven't you come to get me...?"
"Big Brother... Big Brother... Big Brother..."
"Save me..." Yuki reached a trembling hand out to him, her face a portrait of helpless pleading.
But in the dream, Rovel remained motionless, watching with cold indifference as tendrils of black mist rose from the floor, swirling around her and swallowing her whole.
He slowly sat up in bed. Staring at the roiling black mist where his sister had just been, he spat out three words, his voice laced with contempt.
"Higokumaru."
The black mist writhed, then gradually condensed, taking the form of a cunning, crimson-eyed fox.
"What exactly are you trying to do?" Rovel demanded, his brow furrowed in irritation.
"I'm helping you!" the fox spirit purred, circling him like a predator. "You are clearly in so much pain. Your heart is screaming. I am helping you find release!"
"As long as you accept me, I can give you power," Higokumaru continued, her voice a seductive whisper that seemed to slither directly into his ear. "Power enough to overthrow the Zhou Family. Power enough to protect your sister. Power enough to kill every last person who wronged you!"
She leaned closer, her tone dropping to an insidious murmur. "Don't you want to... avenge your mother?"
Rovel scoffed, a look of utter disdain on his face. "With the paltry power of a Pseudo-Herrscher, you think you're worthy of making such an offer? I do need power, but you," he said, his voice dripping with scorn, "are nowhere near qualified enough to provide it."
Higokumaru choked on his words, her ethereal form flickering as if struck. The illusion shattered instantly.
Rovel's eyes snapped open. This time, he was truly awake, the sterile quiet of his room a stark contrast to the nightmarish visions.
'So, it was Higokumaru playing tricks on me all this time,'he thought, his mind racing. A far more chilling realization followed.'But... does this mean the Stigmata has synchronized with reality, too?'
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