Huaizhu: "That girl looks so pitiful! Is she blindfolded because she's lost her sight?"
Saeko: "Look at how everyone around her is glaring with disgust. She must be a Cursed Child."
Raiden: "No need to guess—definitely. And it seems like she's begging, too."
Marika: "How heartbreaking... (sighs helplessly)."
Athena: "..."
As the live-chatting group voiced their thoughts, Seitenshi's expression shifted subtly.
She immediately rushed toward the little girl, with Yuki close behind.
The child's clothes were tattered, her once-fair face smeared with grime. Seitenshi felt an overwhelming surge of pity.
"Are you alright? Are you looking for something?"
She forced a gentle smile, trying to steady her voice as she spoke to the frail, white-haired girl.
"I-I'm okay, miss... I'm just searching for my sign. I won't bother you, I promise—s-sorry..."
The girl's voice trembled with fear, as if conditioned to expect punishment. Her cautious tone shattered Seitenshi's heart. Even the watching group members ached in silence.
"You don't need to apologize!"
"You're a Cursed Child, aren't you?"
Seitenshi inhaled deeply, fighting back tears as she softened her voice.
But the moment those words left her lips, the girl's face twisted in terror—like she'd heard something forbidden.
"N-No! I'm not!...so please... d-don't chase me away! My little sister at home needs food..."
That was the final straw.
Seitenshi reached down without hesitation, lifting the kneeling girl from the filthy ground.
"Don't worry, I'm not here to chase you away!"
"I'm here to help you!"
Seitenshi's voice was soft, reassuring.
"H-Help…?"
The silver-haired girl—Kiriya—paused, as if the word itself was foreign to her.
"Mhm! This big brother here and I, we want to help you."
Seeing the girl's tension ease slightly, Seitenshi pressed on gently.
"That's right, little one. What's your name?"
"I'm Rin Yuki, and this kind lady is Holy Emperor."
Yuki reached out, ruffling Kiriya's hair with a warmth that seemed to melt her fear. His voice, calm and steady, wrapped around her like a shield.
"I… I'm Kiriya."
"B-But… big brother, big sister… you shouldn't touch me. I'm… dirty."
The way she said it—so matter-of-fact, so resigned—hit like a knife. Even Marika, a woman known for her cunning and steel heart, felt her defenses crack.
Marika: "These Cursed Children… their suffering is beyond words. Those who've done this to them deserve no mercy."
Athena: "Agreed."
Saeko: "+1"
Yuki's thumb brushed a smudge from Kiriya's cheek, his smile unwavering.
"Funny—anyone else here could call themselves filthy. But not you, Kiriya."
"Big brother…"
The girl's lips trembled. A lump rose in her throat, tears threatening to spill. This was the first time strangers had touched her without recoiling, the first time no one screamed "monster" or raised a hand to strike her.
How could her heart not shatter?
Yet her ruined eyes, stolen by cruelty, would never let her see the faces of the two who'd shown her kindness.
"Tch, it's just a monster! Why bother coddling it?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down—Holy Emperor is right there!"
"Pfft. A 16-year-old puppet girl? What authority does she even have?"
"Exactly. Probably just putting on a show for some PR stunt. Monsters belong in the gutter!"
The crowd's whispers were sharp with disdain, their gazes icy. Seitenshi's hands trembled at their words, her fists clenched so tight her nails bit into her palms. But what could she do? They weren't wrong. She was just a figurehead—a porcelain doll with no real power.
And Kiriya? The moment those words reached her, her tiny body flinched instinctively, curling inward like a wounded animal. Yuki felt her shivering against him.
His expression darkened.
"Stay here with big sister, okay? I need to handle something."
Gently, he passed Kiriya's hand to Seitenshi, who gave him a silent nod. Then Yuki turned—slow, deliberate—and swept his gaze over the crowd.
The moment those people met his eyes, their hearts lurched. It was like staring into the abyss; their minds recoiled, legs trembling as primal terror seized them.
"W-What're you looking at? We were just calling out a monster, it's not like—"
One brave (or foolish) young man tried to sneer, but his voice died mid-sentence. His pupils dilated. Then—
"AAAAHHH! NO! STAY AWAY! DON'T COME NEAR ME!!"
His defiance twisted into raw, guttural screams. Stumbling backward, he grabbed objects—a chair, a bottle—swinging wildly at invisible foes.
And then—
Thud. Crunch. Splatter.
He turned the makeshift weapons on himself, bludgeoning his own body with manic strength. Blood sprayed as bones shattered, yet he kept laughing, cackling, like it was the most glorious battle.
"HAHAHA! SEE THAT? YOU'RE DEAD NOW! DEAD!!"
The crowd froze. No one needed to ask who was responsible.
They ran.
But Yuki's voice slithered after them, a nightmare given sound:
"You can't escape. Every last one of you will face judgment."
They turned—only to find themselves alone in the mall, their deepest, most visceral horrors materializing before them.
Ten minutes. That's how long the screams lasted.
By the end, every last one had torn themselves apart in their delirium, only regaining clarity in their final moments to see the ruin they'd made of their own bodies.
Death was too kind for them. Yuki would have to get creative next time.
But for now—
"It's over."
He knelt before Kiriya, voice warm again.
"Let's go see your home, little one. And…" His thumb brushed her scarred eyelids. "Let's fix those eyes of yours."
Kiriya's breath hitched. For the first time in her short, painful life—hope flickered.