When she was forced to join the Black Organization, when she found the Black Organization's missions unbearable, when his mental state grew increasingly poor, when she finally learned the truth.
He only prayed that she would not implicate those around him.
At first, those people by his side were his family, but later, Gin was added to the list.
He just never expected that this day would come so soon.
He felt pain and fear in his heart, but she still managed to maintain a semblance of calm on his face.
In stark contrast to him, Gin's reaction was entirely different.
The Silver-haired youth's phoenix eyes were wide with disbelief, his dark green pupils filled with shock, his face, stained with light sweat and a bit of blood, was slightly contorted.
Shiratori Midori suddenly felt like laughing.
Ya.. This is the exact opposite of their usual character roles..
"What nonsense are you talking?!" the Silver-haired youth roared, his voice hoarse.
The Brown-haired girl smiled softly. "Don't you know if I'm talking nonsense, Zhenjun?"
She blinked her eyes playfully, attempting to ease the atmosphere.
I can't leave now that I've returned," Shiratori Midori said earnestly. "In that case, I might as well use my last bit of value—to help you escape.
Although it might look like I'm shielding you, once you've killed me, Zhenjun's mistakes will be greatly reduced, won't they?" The Brown-haired girl leaned against the wall alongside the Silver-haired youth, her green eyes clear. "With Zhenjun's ability, she will definitely, definitely be able to escape.
Heh.." Gin was almost driven to laughter by anger. He looked coldly at Shiratori Midori, his green eyes filled with icy, frigid fire. "Is that so? Then why did I let you go back then?!
I know.. But with the Black Organization around, I won't be able to escape sooner or later." He curled his lips into a self-deprecating smile. "With you here, I don't want to run away anymore.
Gin grit his teeth, a look of pain that even he himself had not noticed appearing on his young, handsome face, while the Silver-haired youth opened his mouth—
Shiratori Midori interrupted his words, looking directly into those ink-green eyes.
Zhenjun, if I am destined to die, I would be happy to do something for you—
If I know my death could bring you something, but I am destined to die without any value," she said, a serious light shimmering in her eyes, "then I will be deeply unsatisfied.
As he spoke these words, a flash of hesitation crossed Shiratori Midori's mind once again.
Perhaps there are people who can face death with composure, but Shiratori Midori is not one of them.
These past few days, she hadn't been without hesitation regarding whether or not she should return to the Black Organization to find Gin.
In fact, she had hesitated many, many times, but in the end, she still made the decision to "return to the Organization."
Tears flashed in the brown-haired girl's green eyes.
Ever since she joined the Black Organization, she had been feeling very uneasy.
She thought she could exercise self-control; she thought she could adjust her mindset and work hard to get things done.
Because she wanted more time to be with her family, because she wanted more time to be by that youth's side.
Because she wanted to live.
But in the end, she discovered that, in reality, nothing was within her control.
Her efforts, in the end, were almost like a joke.
In that instant, many things flashed through Shiratori Midori's mind.
Her mother's warm embrace after a fall in childhood, the laughter in the home after her little sister was born, the teachers and classmates from primary school, the faint coldness in the eyes of the silver-haired youth when they first met, the smell of gunpowder when firing a gun, the helplessness and nausea felt when taking another's life for the first time, her little sister's coquettish manner, the smirk at the corner of Gin's mouth..
She blinked, thinking to herself that with so many memories, she had lived a life without regrets.
A fragmented jigsaw puzzle flashed before her eyes.
Shiratori Midori's gaze suddenly became firm.
Zhenjun, do it.
..
The Silver-haired youth struggled to prop himself up, turning to face Shiratori Midori.
His expression carried a rare trace of sadness.
The brown-haired girl blinked and handed him a submachine gun, which Gin took with her left hand.
Shiratori Midori did not let go of his hand.
"Don't let your hands shake," Shiratori Midori said, leaning closer to Gin with a serious expression.
Gin felt that his hand was not shaking.
But when the Brown-haired girl released her hand, the hand he used to hold her gun began to shake as if he had Parkinson's.
Gin..
The Silver-haired youth fell silent for a moment.
In the gloomy Punishment Room, a man and a woman faced each other. The man held a gun in his left hand, pointing it at the woman, but his hand was shaking uncontrollably.
It was clearly a serious situation, yet it now possessed a strange, unexpected comedic air. However, both parties involved remained silent, one more than the other.
After a while, Gin's hand stopped trembling, but he remained silent.
Shiratori Midori broke the silence.
You'd better be steady," the Brown-haired girl said, appearing relaxed. "If you miss, it's going to hurt me a lot.
Gin finally spoke: "I understand."
Another moment of silence.
Both seemed to know the outcome, yet neither had the slightest intention of facing it.
Gin's green eyes were filled with sadness, his voice was hoarse, whether from days without water or from his low spirits, it was hard to tell.
Do you have anything else to say?
Shiratori Midori met Gin's eyes, a sudden surge of panic rising within him, but he gritted his teeth and restrained himself: "Nothing more."
The Silver-haired youth's fingers twitched.
In that instant, time seemed to slow down. The fear of death overwhelmed everything in a single moment, the Brown-haired girl cried out, "Wait!"
Gin stopped his movement.
Shiratori Midori burst into tears.
I'm really.. I'm so scared.." the Brown-haired girl sobbed. "I don't want to die.. Zhenjun.. Ah Zhen.. I really don't want to die.
Gin grit her teeth, the emotions in her green eyes fluctuating violently, her sorrow nearly overflowing.
I don't want to die.. I really, really don't want to die..
She cried out in a near-pleading tone.
Perhaps the emotions she had been desperately suppressing had suddenly burst forth like a dam breaking; her words were indistinct, leaving only a vague idea of what she was saying—and her speech at this moment was merely a way to vent the fear in her heart.
She was helpless.
And before him, the Silver-haired youth, who had always been so powerful in his heart, was also helpless.
Gin watched his cry in silence, showing no intention of making a move, even though he knew very well that their time was running out; if they couldn't end this before others discovered them, Shiratori Midori's sacrifice would be in vain.
The Brown-haired girl struggled to calm her emotions; she grit her teeth and looked up at Gin.
At this moment, her thoughts were in chaos, her eyes were filled with frantic terror. She spoke almost incoherently, barely aware of the words coming out of her mouth.
Zhenjun.. can you smile at me one more time.. Azhen.. could you just smile at me.. just once..
He pleaded, weeping as she did.
Please, just smile for me..
Gin blinked his eyes; his chest felt heavy, pressing down on him so hard he could barely breathe, in this moment, he only wanted to gasp loudly to relieve the suffocating sensation.
But he still managed to nod with effort, letting out a soft "mm."
..
Gin managed a strained smile toward Shiratori Midori.
The Silver-haired youth's temperament could hardly be described as good. While it wouldn't be accurate to say he rarely smiled, his smiles were certainly not frequent; as he grew older, his smiles had mostly taken on the meanings of sneers, cold laughs, or threats—none of which could be considered friendly.
But Shiratori Midori was an exception.
He smiled sincerely in front of her more times than he did in front of everyone else combined.
Gin thought that smiling in front of her would be no difficult feat, but the truth was, he struggled to lift the corners of his mouth, barely managing to form a slight curve.
It could hardly be called a smile, but when Shiratori Midori saw it, he closed his eyes as if a weight had been lifted from his heart.
Gin's mouth twitched unconsciously as he struggled to keep his expression from looking too ferocious.
She gritted her teeth and aimed at the Brown-haired girl's heart, pulling back her index finger.
Bang—
At the moment the gunshot exploded like thunder, Gin, who had never once averted his gaze while killing to ensure the success of a contract since taking his codename, closed his eyes instinctively, as if startled by the sound of the shot.
He simply could not bear to see the girl's death.
A shimmering green light flashed from the translucent Jade Ping An Kou on the youth's fair neck.
Outside the Black Organization base, the first light of dawn broke.
..
After that gunshot, the Silver-haired youth slowly opened his eyes.
Gin held his left hand still in the firing position, his emerald-like eyes staring blankly at the girl's blood-stained corpse.
His left hand only went limp and dropped after it grew numb from holding the same position for so long.
Two tears flowed from his eyes, sliding down his cheeks and falling straight to the ground, leaving two small, dark gray marks in the Punishment Room.
In this moment, all the pain that had been firmly suppressed surged into his brain all at once.
The wounds on his body, the exhaustion of many days, the dull pain in his chest eroded his sanity; the sudden, heart-wrenching agony forced Gin to bend over.
His right hand, which he had used to prop up his body against the ground, gave way under the pressure of his weight. The wounds on his fingertips split open once more, blood flowed from his fingers, mixing with the dust on the floor of the Punishment Room into a bloody mess.
His right arm went limp, he could no longer muster any strength, collapsing against the wall in a wretched state.