Kisaragi Chiyo didn't care about those; he lifted his face and caught a glimpse of the bronze mirror's exquisite patterns through the lush foliage.
The Twin Mirror was right above his head, less than five or six meters away from him.
Kisaragi Chiyo's spirits rose, in his excitement at seeing success within reach, he subconsciously ignored the lurking danger.
To protect this mirror, of course, it was impossible to set up only this one trap of the Flying Head Man.
Just as Kisaragi Chiyo was about to touch the mirror, he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder, followed by a massive pulling force that gripped his leg and yanked him downward. His back slammed into a tree trunk, his spine throbbed with a dull ache.
Kisaragi Chiyo did not hesitate, raising his revolver and firing a shot right at his feet.
As the gunshot rang out, a withered hand with skin like tree bark fell from the treetops.
Kisaragi Chiyo looked at the scene before her and felt her scalp go numb.
Countless hands reached out from the trunk and the treetops, waving in the air as they searched for prey.
The difficulty of obtaining the mirror again has increased significantly.
But in the next second, Kisaragi Chiyo experienced what it truly meant for one misfortune to follow another.
When Matsuda Jinpei's shout of "Kisaragi" reached his ears, it sounded somewhat sharp. Kisaragi Chiyo slowly widened her eyes as the massive black snake appeared before her at some unknown moment. The creature opened its giant maw and lunged, aiming to bite Kisaragi Chiyo in half.
Witnessing this scene, Hara Kenji's eyes nearly bulged with shock, but before feelings of heartbreak and despair could surge, he saw the young man, who should have been swallowed whole by the great snake, crawl out of the thick purple-black mist, covered in dust and grime.
There were several scratches on his face, with thin streams of blood seeping from them.
“Kisaragi!” Hara Kenji rushed over and grabbed Kisaragi Chiyo in an embrace. Although it was only for a moment, that sense of relief after nearly losing him still left him feeling agitated and panicked.
"I'm fine, I just used a Stand Paper Man to absorb the damage." Kisaragi Chiyo coughed several times in succession, her face terrifyingly pale. While coughing, Kisaragi tasted the metallic tang of blood surging up from her throat.
He must have been injured during the fall from the tree just now.
However, Kisaragi Chiyo did not mention this to Hara Kenji, as in this situation, saying more would only serve to increase his worry.
Matsuda Jinpei also came over, his condition did not look very good either. Although there were no fatal wounds visible on his exterior, blood was dripping bit by bit from the tips of the large wings tucked behind his back.
If this continues, we're all going to die here sooner or later." Matsuda Jinpei's tone was more serious than ever before. "I've used my shadow to temporarily trap him, but I can only hold out for two more minutes at most.
And after two minutes?
The three of them looked at each other, each seeing their own disheveled reflection in the eyes of the others.
I have a theory." Kisaragi Chiyo coughed as she voiced her thoughts. "I have a method I want to try regarding Nozomi and Saku.
"But I'm not sure if it will succeed." Kisaragi Chiyo was merely speculating, not asserting, so the probability of success and failure was roughly fifty-fifty.
"Let's do it your way, then." Hara Kenji shrugged indifferently. A large dark red bloodstain stained the green ribbon in his hair, but his expression remained relaxed as he spoke, as if Kisaragi Chiyo had just asked if he wanted to replace the jam in a sandwich cookie with marshmallows.
"How much worse could it possibly get anyway?" Matsuda Jinpei had already assumed a combat stance, because he could already feel it about to burst through the web he had woven.
"I understand." Kisaragi Chiyo nodded vigorously toward the two of them.
His body swayed as he approached once again amidst the purplish-black mist, at the same time, Kisaragi Chiyo saw countless figures emerging from underground.
This level of horror and oppression was almost on par with a zombie siege.
Kisaragi Chiyo did not hesitate any further; there was no longer any time left for him to think or make a choice.
Kisaragi Chiyo pulled out the bronze mirror that Matsuda Jinpei had pressed into his hand before they set off.
From the side of the Nameless Shrine, as the Saku mirror that existed as the twin to the Black Mirror [Nozomi], what he wanted to attempt was to test whether the damage sustained by the Twin Mirror was shared between them.
Red characters surged from the young man's dark red pupils like swimming fish, eventually coalescing at his fingertips to form the shape of a sharp dagger.
Kisaragi Chiyo raised the dagger and pointed the blade toward the mirror placed flat on the ground in front of her. The blurred mirror surface seemed to reflect light, faintly showing the young man's expressionless face.
As the blade left its mark, Kisaragi Chiyo heard a crisp shattering sound. As the mirror surface broke, everything in the surroundings began to recede rapidly like a tide.
"How is that possible!?" Saku's voice was laced with exasperation.
But after hearing that, Kisaragi Chiyo couldn't help but start laughing. He gazed at the shattered mirror and tilted his head back, as wind mixed with snow fell from the sky, pattering against his face.
"What a beautiful color." Kisaragi Chiyo felt the coldness on his face, yet his heart was filled with relief, even as the taste of blood he had been suppressing in his throat finally surged uncontrollably.
Kisaragi Chiyo felt waves of throbbing pain and dizziness washing over her brain, her vision began to blur and turn black. Her chest, back, arms all began to ache unbearably.
It was probably because of the injuries sustained when falling from the tree just now, right?
Kisaragi Chiyo thought calmly, seeing Hozuki rushing in with a mace, the arrowheads streaking through the air with blue flames.
The moment she saw the arrow, Kisaragi Chiyo realized that Oboshima-san had also come along.
Where?
Kisaragi Chiyo turned around blankly, searching for the Oboshima shrine maiden's figure, but he felt the vision before his eyes growing darker and darker. Aside from the figure in the distance twisting and surging within the blue flames, nothing else could be seen clearly.
"Chiyo-chan." For some reason, her vision suddenly shifted, Hara Kenji's anxious face appeared before her eyes.
"Hara.." Kisaragi Chiyo wanted to say that she was fine, but for some reason, as soon as she uttered those two words, she felt something surging into her mouth.
Then, her mouth opened, she spat out a large mouthful of blood.
Don't move." Matsuda Jinpei rushed over and pressed down on Kisaragi Chiyo, who was trying to get up. "You likely have internal injuries; stay lying down.
“Me?” Kisaragi Chiyo actually felt quite alright; she had been feeling pain just a moment ago, but now she could no longer feel it.
"It'll be fine." Matsuda Jinpei gently brushed his cheek with his fingers.
Take a rest." The teal eyes looked down at him with a gentle expression. "You are already very tired.
"Is it alright? The matter is still.." Kisaragi Chiyo actually wanted to see more of his miserable state; just the thought that his enemy was suffering more than himself made him feel much more mentally relieved.
"Just leave the rest to Hozuki." Hara interrupted the young man's words, his tone carrying an air of unquestionable firmness.
"Close your eyes." A cool palm covered his eyes, amidst the smell of blood, Kisaragi Chiyo caught a scent of a familiar, comforting, chilly fragrance.
"If you really can't sleep, I can sing 'Red Dragonfly' for you." Hara Kenji's voice carried a hint of a smile, after saying that, he actually began to sing "Red Dragonfly" to Kisaragi Chiyo.
[Red dragonfly in the sunset glow, please tell me]
[On which day did I first meet you in my childhood?]
..
The original singer's voice was actually quite pleasant to listen to.
After this thought flashed through her mind, Kisaragi Chiyo finally succumbed to a sudden sense of exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep.
The snow from the sky continued to fall without stopping, pure white flakes piling up layer upon layer, gradually covering those traces.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thanks for the support, my little angels. Mwah!
Chapter 153
Kisaragi Chiyo hated hospital food.
Although Hara Kenji would try his best to find ways to vary the ingredients he cooked for him, Kisaragi Chiyo still missed those foods he now had to avoid very, very much.
He missed the fragrant, spicy, bubbling hotpot, the high-calorie foods that brought a sense of happiness, he also missed seafood curry and beef dishes.
"You'd better behave yourself." Matsuda Jinpei peeled an orange-flavored hard candy and stuffed it into Kisaragi Chiyo's mouth.
Kisaragi Chiyo said nothing, but as she lay on the hospital bed puffing out her cheeks, Matsuda was certain the young man was definitely badmouthing him in his head.
But it didn't matter, Matsuda Jinpei thought happily. Then, right in front of Kisaragi Chiyo, he lifted the cheese corn dog he had just bought from outside and took a bite, making a crisp, delicious sound.
Kisaragi Chiyo: ".."
“Matsuda, I hate you.” Kisaragi Chiyo glared fiercely at Matsuda Jinpei, turned her back, pulled the blanket covering her abdomen up to her head, leaving only a small portion of her fuzzy head exposed.
“Really?” Matsuda Jinpei finished the corn dog in a few bites. He patted his hands together and, while pretending to get up and leave, said leisurely, “I originally brought you chawanmushi, but I suppose you probably don't feel like eating it now..”
"Who said I wasn't willing?" Kisaragi Chiyo sat up from the bed instantly. His hair had grown quite long because he hadn't really groomed it during these past two or three months in the hospital.
"Didn't you just say you hated me and didn't want to see me?" Matsuda Jinpei raised an eyebrow, then turned and sat back down in his chair.
Kisaragi Chiyo let out two dissatisfied huffs. "I never said I didn't want to see you."
"Just that?" The corners of Matsuda Jinpei's mouth curled upward, a hint of a smile dancing in his teal eyes.
"You're such a handful." Kisaragi Chiyo glanced at him, her tone tinged with a hint of helplessness.
I love you, I love you so much, are you satisfied now?
"Oh?" Matsuda Jinpei braced both hands on the edge of the hospital bed, leaning his body slightly forward. He drew closer to Kisaragi Chiyo, stopping only when he was close enough to feel the warmth of the other's breath.
“How much do you love me?” Matsuda Jinpei used his gaze to carefully trace the young woman's features, before slowly sliding down, brushing past the bridge of her nose and coming to rest upon her soft lips.
During those months of hospitalization, the young man's lip color shifted from pale back to a healthy flush. Matsuda had always thought Kisaragi Chiyo had very beautiful lips—full and perfectly suited for kissing.
“How much do you think I love you?” Kisaragi Chiyo laughed softly. He lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes fluttering slightly, each blink stirring a sense of restlessness deep within Matsuda Jinpei's heart.
I don't know." Matsuda Jinpei shook his head honestly, leaning in a little closer, his nose brushing against the young man's nose, his voice low and suggesting something ambiguous, "Then would you mind telling me?
“I'm a patient right now.” Kisaragi Chiyo hooked her fingers with Matsuda Jinpei's, "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Not for long." Matsuda Jinpei pecked at the young man's lips, one of his hands rose to rest slowly upon the other's shoulder.
"Can't you just endure it a little longer?" Kisaragi Chiyo teased with a smile, but he still followed Matsuda's lead and lay back down.
"No." Matsuda Jinpei's breathing gradually grew heavier as he cupped the young man's cheeks in both hands, his gentle kisses descending from his forehead.
It felt as if he were being brushed by feathers, as if his entire being were sinking into a cloud. When the kiss landed on his lips, Kisaragi Chiyo closed his eyes. Without waiting for Matsuda to pry his lips open, he took the initiative to part his lips slightly, his movement carrying a hint of passionate invitation.
..
“Matsuda..” Kisaragi Chiyo's voice trembled slightly. He breathed heavily with his mouth agape, his waist involuntarily tensing at his lover's touch.
Relax, Kisaragi, you're too tense." Matsuda Jinpei used his fingertips to intimately wipe away the tears welling in the young man's eyes. "It feels good, doesn't it?
Kisaragi Chiyo did not answer, only letting a few indistinct syllables escape from his throat.
“Alright, alright.” Matsuda Jinpei leaned down and bit the young man's earlobe, saying in a muddled voice, “Can't you endure just a little longer? I'll speed up my movements next.”
Kisaragi Chiyo's consciousness was slightly fracturing, but Matsuda Jinpei's words still reached his ears clearly and completely. In a delayed reaction, Kisaragi Chiyo suddenly realized that the phrase "just endure it a little longer" was something he had just said to Matsuda Jinpei a few minutes ago.
And now, at a time like this, the other person threw those exact words back at him.
“You really are the worst cat in the whole world!” Kisaragi Chiyo issued a stern accusation, in the next second, he let out a low moan because of Matsuda's sudden, rapid movement.
“You're right.” Matsuda Jinpei magnanimously let the young man's earlobes stop bleeding, "But don't you think that saying things like that at a time like this.. is actually more like acting spoiled? Or perhaps it could be called something else?"