In the faculty office, Hiratsuka Shizuka rubbed her temples irritably. Several newly submitted club application forms were spread across her desk—'New Occult Research Society.' The reasons for the application were written grandly, something about 'exploring the unknown' and 'expanding the boundaries of cognition,' but the names of the few girls on the list made alarm bells ring in her heart. They were all more or less involved with the subtle atmosphere in the school recently, and had even had seemingly casual contact with Kanjuro.
(Occult Research Society... eighteen years ago...)
This name was like a cold needle piercing into the deepest, most untouchable areas of her memory. She stood up abruptly, no longer able to sit peacefully in the office. She had to go find him, the forever eighteen-year-old demon who crouched in the shadows of this school—Kanjuro.
She found him on the rooftop of the school building. Kanjuro was wearing a neat male school uniform, leaning against the railing. The breeze blew his messy black hair, and the sunlight fell on his peerlessly handsome face. He looked pure and beautiful, out of place with the noisy campus yet eerily integrated into it. He was looking down at the students running and playing on the playground below, his eyes calm, as if admiring the lambs in his pasture.
"Shizuka, is there something you need from me?" Kanjuro didn't turn around, yet as if he had eyes in the back of his head, he accurately called out her name. His tone carried its usual intimate and gentle melody, as if they were still that pair of seemingly ordinary 'classmates' from eight years ago.
Hiratsuka Shizuka walked to his side, her hands tightly gripping the cold iron railing, her knuckles turning white from the force. She tried to make her voice sound calm and serious, looking directly into Kanjuro's bottomless eyes:
"A New Occult Research Society has been formed at school. Kanjuro, is it related to you?" She omitted the honorifics and called him directly by his name, attempting to bridge the chasm-like gap between them and regain a trace of her dignity as a teacher.
Hearing this, Kanjuro slowly turned his head, a perfectly timed expression of slight innocence and confusion appearing on his face. Then he burst out laughing; the laughter was clear and pleasant, yet it sent a chill through Hiratsuka Shizuka.
"Shizuka, why would you think that?" He tilted his head, his eyes as pure as an innocent youth's, "Club activities are the students' freedom. Why would I interfere? This has nothing to do with me."
His denial was nonchalant and flawless.
But Hiratsuka Shizuka knew him too well. His lies were always wrapped in a sweet sugar coating. She remembered eight years ago, when she was still a high school student, driven by curiosity about the school legend of the 'forever eighteen-year-old boy,' she had investigated step by step and finally identified this transfer student, Kanjuro, whose appearance hadn't changed for years. Back then, she was full of passion, thinking she had discovered some shocking secret, and had even followed the clues to a bizarre incident ten years prior (eighteen years ago from now) that led to the dissolution of the Occult Research Society and the mysterious disappearance or mental breakdown of several members.
She remembered herself back then, holding the collected, fragmented but clearly pointing evidence on a similarly bright and sunny afternoon, stopping Kanjuro on the rooftop to question him about who he was and his connection to those events.
And then... there was no then.
She only remembered Kanjuro looking at her with those same gentle eyes and saying: "Shizuka, you've investigated very diligently; you're truly cute." Then, she fell into a state of chaos, her consciousness wrapped in a warm tide. All her suspicion and vigilance melted and dissipated in his deep eyes. When she woke up again, her heart held only an inexpressible, burning infatuation and obedience toward Kanjuro, and all her previous investigation notes and evidence had vanished.
That was the first and last time she tried to resist and expose him. Since then, the trajectory of her life had been completely altered. She worked hard to obtain her teaching credentials and eventually returned to this school, less for the sake of education and more out of a distorted protective desire deep in her heart—she wanted to stay in the place closest to him, perhaps to... stop him from hurting more people? Or perhaps, simply to be able to see him always?
She couldn't even tell the difference herself.
Now, hearing Kanjuro's familiar, laughing denial, Hiratsuka Shizuka felt a surge of powerless anger and frustration.
"Kanjuro!" Her voice rose, carrying an uncontrollable tremble, "Don't lie to me! I know it must be related to you! Do you want the tragedy of eighteen years ago to repeat itself?!"
The smile on Kanjuro's face faded slightly. He took a step forward, closing in on Hiratsuka Shizuka. His clear yet dangerous aura instantly enveloped her. He reached out, his movement gentle as he tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, his fingertips intentionally or unintentionally brushing against her earlobe, sending a shiver through her.
"Shizuka," his voice dropped, carrying an intimate warning, his dark eyes seemingly swirling with vortices that sought to suck in one's soul, "stop investigating, okay?"
He leaned down slightly, close to her ear, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear—a whisper like a lover's, yet carrying a cold substance.
"The more I investigate, the more I'm afraid... that just like when you investigated me back then, you'll be... completely manipulated by me again. You wouldn't want to utterly lose yourself once more, would you? Hmm?"
These words were like a final judgment, shattering all of Hiratsuka Shizuka's courage. Her face instantly turned pale, her body swayed slightly, and she instinctively took a half-step back, avoiding that suffocating proximity.
Fear surged into her heart like a tide. She was afraid—afraid of losing herself again, afraid of becoming a puppet controlled by him, unable to even protect this remaining, twisted will to 'guard.'
Seeing the fear and retreat surfacing in her eyes, Kanjuro straightened up with satisfaction, his face once again wearing that harmless, gentle smile.
"Don't worry, Shizuka. Just be a good teacher; you don't need to worry about other things."
He patted her shoulder as if it were just an ordinary encouragement from a senior to a junior, then turned and leisurely left the rooftop, leaving Hiratsuka Shizuka standing frozen in place, letting the cool early autumn wind blow through her cold body and despairing heart.
She knew the warning had been issued, and she had received it once again. She was powerless to stop anything and could only watch helplessly as the shadow named the 'Occult Research Society' began to quietly spread in the corners of this school once more, just as it had eighteen years ago. And Kanjuro remained that eternal young demon hidden behind the scenes.
Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at Kanjuro's dark eyes, which seemed able to see through everything; all her attempts at warning or dissuasion felt so pale and weak. She sighed gloomily, her shoulders slumping slightly, her usually vigorous and resolute teacher persona now revealing deep exhaustion and helplessness.
"In any case, I can't control you," she looked away toward the bustling campus below, her voice dropping low with an imperceptible sob. "Kanjuro, this matter is serious. What I'm truly worried about is... if others obtain abilities similar to yours, or the power of that... book, will it pose a danger to you?"
In the end, she exposed that deeply hidden, twisted concern. No matter what he was or what he had done, this complex emotion born from magical distortion and cultivated over long years had long since made it impossible for her to view him simply as an enemy.
Upon hearing this, a glimmer flashed in Kanjuro's eyes. He didn't answer the question about danger but suddenly hugged Hiratsuka Shizuka gently from behind. His arms wrapped around her waist, his chin rested in the crook of her neck, and his warm breath brushed against her ear. This sudden intimate gesture made Hiratsuka Shizuka's body stiffen, yet she did not break away.
"You always say you hate me and try to control me," Kanjuro's voice carried a hint of lazy amusement, burrowing into her heart like a magic spell. "But all these years, you've insisted on returning to this school to be a teacher... perhaps it's also because of me, isn't it?"
These words were like a sharp arrow, precisely striking the softest, most reluctant-to-admit corner of Hiratsuka Shizuka's heart. Her eyes instantly turned slightly red as she struggled to turn around and look deeply at the close-at-hand Kanjuro, her gaze a mixture of love, resentment, unwillingness, and resignation.
"Yes..." she admitted almost self-destructively, her voice trembling. "So what? Just like Teacher Kitami... I'm like I've been poisoned by you; even though I know it's an abyss, I'm still irredeemably in love with a demon like you! Are you satisfied with that answer?"
Seeing her eyes filled with stubborn yet fragile tears, Kanjuro laughed softly, his laughter carrying a sense of satisfied pleasure. He reached out and gently wiped the moisture from the corner of her eye with his thumb, his movements uncharacteristically carrying a hint of genuine gentleness.
"I've received your concern, Shizuka," he said, his tone as if soothing a sulking cat.
Then, he changed the subject and threw out a question that caught Hiratsuka Shizuka off guard: "By the way, Shizuka, shouldn't we... have a child?"
"Wh... What?!" Hiratsuka Shizuka's eyes widened suddenly, the sadness and fragility on her face instantly replaced by shock and even a hint of embarrassment. "Are... are you serious?!" She doubted if she had misheard or if some strange idea had suddenly sprouted in Kanjuro's eternal, long life.
Kanjuro nodded, his expression looking somewhat'serious': "Of course. Although Yukino and Yuigahama are my daughters and are very cute, they are still too young; both their bodies and minds are far from mature. I don't want, nor do I need, to continue anything through them." He paused, his gaze falling on Hiratsuka Shizuka's mature and beautiful face with a hint of appreciation and possessiveness. "But you are different, Shizuka. We've known each other for so many years; you are mature enough, strong enough, and you... know me well enough. Wouldn't it be more appropriate for you to bear my offspring?"
These words were ambiguous, sounding like he was giving Hiratsuka Shizuka a special'status' while also completing some cold plan. Hiratsuka Shizuka's mind was in a mess from his jumping thoughts and proposal, her face turning red and white. She glared at him crossly but didn't immediately refuse sternly, only muttering: "You... you really just do whatever comes to mind... and besides, when you married Haruno, I was... I was especially jealous!" She finally let out this little thought, sounding a bit aggrieved and complaining.
Hearing this, Kanjuro chuckled as if he found her jealousy quite cute. He leaned in close to her, his forehead almost touching hers, his voice low and full of allure:
"That was just a game of 'playing house' to make Haruno happy; I was glad to play along with her. She got the 'binding' she wanted, and I got the 'collection' I wanted—each getting what we needed." He gently stroked Hiratsuka Shizuka's back as if comforting her. "But you were unhappy, I saw it... so, I should compensate you properly, shouldn't I? A child belonging to us—is this compensation significant enough?"
His words were like the sweetest poison, packaging a reproductive plan that might involve dark rituals as heartfelt compensation and a unique gift.
Hiratsuka Shizuka looked into his eyes so close to her own, which seemed to contain a vortex of stars, sucking in all her reason and resistance. She knew full well this was likely another of his schemes—perhaps to create more powerful descendants, or perhaps to bind her more firmly to his side... but the infatuation and desire for him deep in her heart, along with the secret vanity of'surpassing Yukinoshita Haruno,' made it impossible for her to say no.
She remained silent and finally buried her face in Kanjuro's chest, signifying her consent.
Kanjuro embraced her, feeling the softness and compliance of the mature woman's body in his arms, a deep curve hooking at the corner of his mouth. Another bond was firmly tied. Offspring? That might be an interesting embellishment in the long years to come, but more importantly, it allowed every important character he 'collected' to fall deeper into the web of fate he wove, unable to escape.
The wind on the rooftop continued to blow, carrying the chill of early autumn, yet it could not disperse the twisted and fiery bond between these two. A new life might be conceived, but a child born under such complex circumstances would have their fate shrouded in eternal shadow from the very beginning.
Leaving the school rooftop, Hiratsuka Shizuka's behavior along the way was vastly different from her usual capable and brisk 'Shizuka-sensei' image. She kept her head down, her steps a bit hesitant, her eyes evasive, not even daring to meet the gaze of passing students, her face wearing a complex blush of embarrassment and resignation.
Walking beside her, Kanjuro took in her rare, bashful state and couldn't help but let out a low, pleasant chuckle. That laughter sounded exceptionally piercing to Hiratsuka Shizuka.
"Haha, this is truly a rare sight, Shizuka." Kanjuro glanced at her, his tone carrying unabashed teasing. "Usually such a tomboy, even I'm a bit afraid when you scold students, yet now you're actually shy like a little girl?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka snapped her head up and glared fiercely at Kanjuro, her cheeks turning even redder as she retorted in a low voice, "Who—who's shy! Stop talking nonsense!" She tried to regain some momentum, but her flickering eyes and slightly trembling voice betrayed her.
Kanjuro didn't expose her but only smiled deeper. He naturally reached out, put his arm around her waist, and half-forced her toward a nearby elegantly decorated hotel. Hiratsuka Shizuka's body stiffened slightly; she made a token struggle and then let him lead her away.
(Honestly... I've lost to him...) she sighed helplessly in her heart, a familiar, inescapable sense of destiny enveloping her once more.
Inside the hotel room, heavy curtains shut out the light from outside, creating a secretive and suggestive atmosphere.
The clouds dispersed and the rain stopped.
Hiratsuka Shizuka curled up in the messy bedding, her back to Kanjuro, her breathing not yet fully settled.
She was not an ignorant girl and immediately understood what Kanjuro's phrase "no need this time" meant. She felt it.
Kanjuro leaned against the headboard in a lazy posture, lighting a post-coital cigarette (even though his eternally youthful body didn't need one). The hazy smoke blurred his handsome profile, making it impossible to see his true emotions at this moment.
"Shizuka," he suddenly spoke, his voice carrying a hint of post-coital raspiness, "what I said earlier was serious."
Hiratsuka Shizuka's body trembled slightly; she didn't look back but only wrapped the quilt tighter around herself.
She knew what he was referring to—having a child.
This wasn't a joke on a whim but a decision he had carefully considered. She, Hiratsuka Shizuka—the woman who had once tried to investigate him but ultimately fell for him—had been chosen by him to be the vessel for his offspring.
Was this compensation, a gift, or a deeper, more inescapable curse?
She didn't know the answer. She only knew that from this moment on, her life's trajectory might once again undergo a world-shaking change. And this time, it wouldn't just be her alone who was changed.
The room was silent, with only the smoke slowly rising like the clouds of fate, shrouding the space between the two of them and quietly enveloping a future life that had not yet begun to be conceived but was destined to be extraordinary.
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