It has been ten days since the meeting with Gin.
Shiratori Midori was bold, meticulous, possessed a certain level of experience. Combined with his outstanding talent, he had been on the run for many days and remained perfectly fine to this day. Although it couldn't be said that he hadn't faced any danger, he truly hadn't sustained a single injury.
Deep down, she felt a faint sense of unease, but the exhilaration of having escaped and the freedom of no longer having to suppress herself filled her heart, causing her to overlook that anxiety.
Although the escape was exhausting, her spirits were high.
Until today.
At this moment, she deftly dodged through the crowd and, after several turns and bends, walked along a small path.
At the end of the path stood a person, a young and charming woman.
Oh—Shiratori Midori thought expressionlessly; she was indeed charming, but was she actually young—who knew?
Vermouth glanced at the Brown-haired girl and smiled softly.
A high-ranking member of the Black Organization and a traitor of the Black Organization, now facing each other, they were not engaged in combat, which was quite a remarkable occurrence.
You are indeed very impressive," the Black Organization high-ranking official praised without reservation. "Even I had to spend several days confirming your whereabouts before I could get word to you—and yet, you appeared on your own after receiving the message.
"Since you went to such great lengths, was it just to tell me this?" the Brown-haired girl asked calmly.
You two really are a perfect match; even the way you speak is so similar.
The first half of this sentence successfully caused Shiratori Midori to frown—previously, Gin had put on a performance to help her escape, which had actually made her quite happy at the time, but being misunderstood by Vermouth like this now caused her to feel a sudden surge of displeasure.
"Stop playing games." The girl's tone was cold; she was no longer a member of the Black Organization, so there was no need for her to show any respect.
The Black Organization does not let traitors go," Vermouth said, twirling a strand of her blonde hair with her right hand. "The reason you are still safe is partly because, given your rank, it is not yet time for the higher-ups to take action, partly because your matter has been temporarily suppressed, so the speed at which it is being reported to the higher-ups has slowed down significantly.
Vermouth lowered her hand, her tone no longer so pretentious.
"In other words—" she looked toward the Brown-haired girl, the smile at the corners of his mouth fading:
“You are safe because someone is bearing the burden for you.”
This ordinary sentence, consisting of only a few simple words, was like a clap of thunder exploding in Shiratori Midori's ears.
The unease lurking deep within her heart finally surfaced.
It had remained motionless for a long time, not because it was a gentle and harmless rabbit, but because it was a ferocious beast baring its hideous fangs.
Shiratori Midori closed his eyes in pain and stumbled back two steps, feeling his blood rush backward, his heart racing irregularly, his head spinning with waves of dizziness.
She covered her face with her hands in a breakdown.
..
Gin felt as if he had fallen into a state of chaos.
Pain and numbness alternated in waves, leaving him in a state of semi-consciousness. He wanted to say something, but his mouth was so parched that he couldn't utter even half a sentence.
He faintly sensed the scent of blood, but his mind was too dull to react.
After a long while, he finally realized, with a delayed reaction, that it was his own blood.
Oh—I accidentally bit my lower lip just now.
Gin thought with a touch of dark humor that he had seen many people undergo torture; he had gone from feeling a flicker of compassion at first to being completely unmoved and even finding it a bit boring later on. Only now did he truly understand the saying that sooner or later, one must pay for their actions in this world.
But it was acceptable.
He thought calmly.
Compared to those wailing and howling like ghosts and wolves, he felt confident that he hadn't lost too much face.
This was not his limit.
His thoughts wandered aimlessly as he tried to distract himself, his consciousness gradually sank into darkness.
Suddenly, a "creak" echoed from the doorway, letting in a sliver of light, the dark Punishment Room brightened slightly.
Gin opened his eyes dizzily, thinking to himself that while he wasn't afraid yet, couldn't they have come a little later?
Even if he could endure it, it still hurts, okay?!
The person who arrived was not the one he had imagined.
The brown-haired girl's face was pale, his green eyes staring fixedly at Gin. The small, dim room was filled with a faint scent of blood, feeling like tiny steel needles piercing the girl's heart.
But he would have preferred it to be the person in his imagination.
The moment he realized who had arrived, the youth snapped awake. She wanted to say something and opened her mouth, but her throat, which had gone two days without water, was too parched to utter even a single word, only allowing a few muffled syllables to escape.
It's too much—Gin thought—if he could just get out of here, he would definitely voice her opinion; if things turn out like this, even if others want to complain, they won't be able to say anything!
The White-haired girl approached with rational restraint, scanning him from head to toe. When her gaze fell upon her hands, she finally could not help but reveal an expression on the verge of tears.
They treated you like this.. How could they do this to you?
Gin is left-handed, for the sake of his remaining value and to avoid affecting his combat effectiveness, the interrogators did nothing to his left hand.
However, the nails on his right hand had been forcibly pried up, leaving the flesh bloody and mangled.
This kind of injury heals easily, the nails grow back quite quickly.
But it hurt.
Shiratori Midori stared blankly at Gin, as the youth's long silver hair was soaked with sweat, clinging to his fair face.
The girl stepped forward and slowly embraced Gin, carefully avoiding any potential wounds on his body, then took the youth's right hand and gently pressed it against his face.
They really did treat you like this.
He said the same-sounding words three times, yet the underlying meanings were all different.
“You.. how.. did you come?” The youth opened his mouth several times before finally managing to squeeze out those words.
The words were spoken haltingly; the voice that had been clear only ten days ago was now hoarse, as if a piece of coarse sandpaper were lodged in his throat.
Shiratori Midori blinked his eyes and said with a forced smile, "Of course I'll come.. otherwise, what would you do?"
She let go of Gin's hand and pressed her face against the youth's face, as Gin felt a wet, cool liquid against her cheek.
They were her tears.
"Zhenjun is such a big dummy.." Even though it was the youth who was suffering, the girl cried so sorrowfully; even though she was crying so sorrowfully, she still tried her best to smile.
Zhenjun is a big idiot.." she scolded through her tears. "Why are you so stubborn? Why didn't you just say it? Everything would have been fine if you had just spoken up.
So many years have passed, yet Zhenjun is still just like before.. she hasn't changed one bit!
He was still that same youth in the rain.
Even if he has grown a lot, even if he has long since become composed regarding things he once felt powerless to change, even if he has gradually shed his youthful innocence to become cold and ruthless.
Even if he would become someone else's nightmare in the future, even if he would soon hide or overcome his weaknesses one by one, even if he would later navigate the darkness with ease.
In her heart, he was still that youth in the rain.
"Didn't I tell you not to look back?" The youth's voice was weak, yet his tone carried a firmness that contradicted his voice.
"I can't escape," Shiratori Midori said, repeating the words she had once spoken.
Her voice was very, very soft, as light as a feather, drifting slowly through the air.
You're here, how could I possibly escape?
Since you are here, how could I not look back?
That puzzle flashed before her eyes—it was the countless time she had thought of that puzzle since discovering that secret.
She wanted to protect that youth—even if he no longer needed it, at the very least, she could not harm him.
Shiratori Midori had tears in his eyes, but his voice was very calm.
It was a calmness that caused panic.
Kill me, Zhenjun.
Author's Note:
----------------------
The reason Sister Bei told Little sister about this was because of the previous incident at the bar.
It was starting to feel a bit like a CP fan's perspective..
Even though this CP is destined for a Bad Ending.
..
Reveal some foreshadowing
One
I previously wrote about Gin's inner thoughts, such as "He will protect Shiratori," and in this section, he indeed chooses to let Shiratori leave and shoulder everything himself.
As for Shiratori, his inner thoughts were "I hope he becomes the center of everyone's attention" and "He will never hurt him," so she would rather die himself.
Two
Do you really think that "Gin is an orphan, while Shiratori's parents and younger sister are both still around" was just providing background information? How naive!
If this is just background, but I am hinting that Shiratori is doing something that his parents don't know about, his younger sister doesn't know about either..
Both of their parents are ordinary people, Shiratori's training was all completed within the Black Organization.. This means that prior to this, she had not demonstrated any talent worthy of being accepted by the Black Organization..
The question is obvious, isn't it?
..
I had some things to take care of the past two days.. that's why I'm updating today.
This chapter puts Gin and Shiratori through the wringer, as for the next chapter.. I don't want to say too much.
After this wave passes, Gin won't be mistreated again!
—Even if there is to be any angst, it will only be inflicted on others.. In any case, Gin will not be the one suffering!
Chapter 12: But this time, even Shiratori Midori..
Shiratori Midori had long had a premonition that he might die.