"On that note, before Yahiro reported you, Shu, did you trust him?" Kurumi asked, setting down her cup of ice cream.
"Of course I did!" Shu's eyes dimmed slightly. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone so far to protect Yahiro from that arrogant little cat-girl.
"Completely? Without reservation?" Kurumi continued.
"Yes. Without reservation." A shadow crossed Shu's gaze. His own naivety had been dealt a cruel blow by reality. Yahiro had used his trust—and betrayed him without hesitation.
"In that case, maybe you should try trusting him a little longer. Perhaps Yahiro has his reasons—something he can't say," Kurumi said with a gentle smile, folding her hands together.
But that innocent smile only deepened Shu's sense of frustration. Kurumi's a girl after all, he thought. Girls always want to believe the world is beautiful.
But I'm not like that. I can't afford to be. The truth is right in front of me—Yahiro betrayed me. No matter how naive I'd like to be, I can't deny what's real.
"I can clear that up for you," Segai said with a knowing smile, holding up his phone.
He then led Shu and Kurumi to the Infected Care Center. There, Shu saw Yahiro Samukawa gently holding the hand of a young boy. The boy's arm was half-crystallized by the virus.
"Yahiro's younger brother is infected. He needs regular antibody injections to stay alive. No matter what it takes, Yahiro needs money," Segai explained calmly, his eyes still on his phone.
"Yahiro... you betrayed me for your brother?" From the high floor where he stood, Shu's heart twisted with two conflicting emotions.
One was relief—a voice inside trying to justify Yahiro's actions, urging him to forgive.
The other was anger—raw, burning resentment. The uncertainty he once felt had transformed into hatred born of understanding. It's not fair, Shu thought bitterly. Why should he betray me just because of his brother? They're two separate things!
Now that he knew the reason, Shu's heart swayed wildly between forgiveness and hatred. Within him, the darker side of human nature quietly took root.
Later, Segai requested a private conversation with Shu, assuring him that no coercive methods would be used. Shu hesitated but eventually agreed. Not long after, a pen appeared in his hand.
The next day, a silver-haired maid arrived, bringing evidence of Shu Ouma's innocence. "These are the records of Funeral Parlor's activities since its founding. They prove Shu Ouma has no connection to the organization."
The maid, her tone calm and detached, laid a thick stack of documents on the table. Shu glanced at them—and was astonished. They even included his middle school attendance records, down to each individual day.
"Shu Ouma, I've also discovered something that might interest you. According to our investigation, you have an elder sister," the silver-haired maid said, handing him a drawing.
It was a picture Kurumi had drawn ten years ago—a colored sketch with the words on the back: To my dearest sister, Mana Ouma.
As he touched the drawing, pain pulsed sharply through Shu's head. He was certain—he himself had colored this picture, one stroke at a time. But he had no memory of it. Nor did he remember ever having a sister.
After finishing his review of the materials, Segai sighed and gathered the papers. "It seems Shu Ouma really has no ties to Funeral Parlor. In that case, I see no reason to continue holding—"
"Major! We've just received a broadcast from Gai Tsutsugami, the leader of Funeral Parlor!" a soldier interrupted. On the communicator, Gai appeared, standing proudly amid the infected zone.
Looking smug and self-important, Gai declared, "This is a message to GHQ! I will rescue my comrades, Kenji Kido and Shu Ouma. Your resistance is meaningless!"
"That son of a—!" Shu cursed furiously in his mind. What kind of grudge does he have against me? Does he really need to screw me over like this?! Watching Gai grandstand on screen, Shu wanted nothing more than to beat him a hundred times—no, a hundred times over!
"Oh my, how troublesome..." Kurumi said with a faintly amused smile, feigning distress.
"Miss Tokisaki, the fact that there were no previous ties doesn't mean there aren't any now. It seems we can't release Shu Ouma after all. Perhaps you should head home first," Segai said with his usual smile—one that carried a hint of Kurumi's own dark humor.
"Kurumi, you should go back. It's been a whole day and night—your family must be worried about you," Shu said dejectedly. He'd already been dragged into this mess because of Gai Tsutsugami, but he didn't want Kurumi to suffer for his sake.
"I don't have any family. I've always lived alone. But there's no point staying here either. Very well, I'll go back and think of another way. Shu, no matter what happens, don't lose hope. I know you're innocent," Kurumi said with her usual gentle smile before leaving. Shu tried to smile back, but it was faint and strained.
The events that followed unfolded just like a scripted story. Gai Tsutsugami personally infiltrated GHQ headquarters, relying entirely on his own Void powers. Breaking through their defenses with ease, he freed Shu, who was left with no choice but to use his own Void in turn, joining Gai in their escape.
Just as Gai had declared, both Kenji Kido and Shu Ouma were rescued successfully. But as a result, Shu was branded a member of Funeral Parlor and officially wanted by GHQ. He could no longer return to school and was forced to remain with Funeral Parlor, drifting along with their fate.
"Do I really have a sister? Why don't I remember anything?" Lying on the rooftop of an abandoned building, Shu stared at the old drawing in his hands. It depicted a girl with a gentle smile, and on the back were the words: To my dearest sister, Mana Ouma.
"Shu!" a soft, sleepy voice called out. Inori approached, looking adorably dazed. Shu glanced between the drawing and her—suddenly realizing how much she resembled the girl in the picture.
"Shu, what are you looking at?" Inori asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"It's nothing. I just thought... you feel familiar, like an older sister somehow," Shu said with a small smile, folding the drawing carefully and tucking it into his chest pocket.
"I feel the same—you're like a little brother to me," Inori replied after a moment's thought, nodding seriously. Shu's hand trembled slightly as he held the folded picture.
Then a thought struck him. The picture was hand-drawn. If that were true, then it couldn't perfectly match the real person—it should only be similar. So maybe my sister doesn't look exactly like the drawing...
"Shu? What's wrong?" Inori's puzzled voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Shu shook his head. "It's nothing. Did you need me for something, Inori?"
"Gai wants to see you!" she said, leading him down to the first floor. There, the first thing that caught Shu's eye was Kurumi's gentle smile. Once, he had thought her smile was distant—beautiful but unreachable. Now, he saw warmth in it, a glow of kindness that drew him in.
"Shu?" her soft voice called him back to reality. Flustered, Shu felt his face heat up.
"Shu Ouma is now officially part of Funeral Parlor. But his basic abilities are lacking. Ayase, you'll be in charge of training him," Gai said in his usual lofty tone. Shu looked utterly miserable, but with no school to return to, he could only accept his new situation.
"Wheelchair girl! Please take care of me," Shu said with a friendly smile, extending his hand toward Ayase Shinomiya. The words hit her like a slap to the face—everyone around them groaned inwardly, unable to watch Shu dig his own grave.
"Of course," Ayase said sweetly as she took his hand—then spun her wheelchair sharply, throwing Shu over her shoulder and slamming him to the ground.
"The wheelchair's part of who I am. Got a problem with that?" she said coldly.
Shu hit the ground hard. A pen slipped from his pocket, and a drawing fluttered into the air before slowly drifting down.
"Hmm?" Gai, usually calm and composed, suddenly froze. Striding over, he bent down and picked up the picture.
"Ouch..." Shu groaned, rubbing his back as he stood up—only to see Gai staring tenderly at the drawing. A surge of irritation rose in Shu's chest. Gai's flawless composure, his strength, his poise—everything about him made Shu feel small. And now, that gentle look on his face made Shu burn with jealousy.
"Uh, excuse me—that's mine. Could you give it back?" Shu reached out for the picture, but Gai recoiled as if shocked, clutching it tightly against his chest.
"What's your problem?!" Shu snapped.
"Yours? What makes you think you have the right to say that so casually?" Gai's voice was low, his eyes flaring with anger.
"Are you insane? It is mine!" Shu shot back, fury rising.
"Yours? Yours?! Don't give me that self-righteous attitude! Mana doesn't belong to you!" Gai's roar stunned everyone around them. For him to lose control like that—it was unthinkable.
"You... you know Mana?!" Shu blurted in shock.
"So, you really don't remember... You let fear erase her from your mind. You have no right to claim her! Tell me, what gives you the right, you worthless coward?!" Gai's bloodshot eyes burned with rage. Those nearby instinctively stepped back, unnerved by his outburst.
"Hey! Just because you're talented doesn't mean you can look down on people! No matter what you say, that's my picture!" Shu snapped, lunging forward to grab it back. Being called worthless had struck a raw nerve.
"I'll say it again—Mana doesn't belong to you. Stop acting like she does!" Gai pressed one hand firmly against Shu's head, his eyes cold as ice.
"You bastard! Enough already! Stealing someone's stuff—what kind of manners is that?!" Enraged, Shu swung his fist straight into Gai's face, splitting his lip.
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