Hearing his promise, Kazuha and Hattori Shizuka finally broke into smiles through their tears, tightly embracing him back as if they possessed the whole world.
From an angle they couldn't see, the corner of Kanjuro's mouth curled into a cold, satisfied arc.
(See, so-called sacrifice and letting go only make them more devoted.)
(Fear of loss is a more effective shackle than fear of danger.)
(Now, they completely... belong to me.)
The morning light fully illuminated the hut, also illuminating this twisted yet sturdy, "life-and-death covenant" built upon lies and manipulation. Kanjuro knew that the pieces in his hand had completely become part of his being, inseparable. And the next step, he would use these two pieces, along with everything connected to them, to accomplish his grander plan.
Kanjuro held Hattori Shizuka and Toyama Kazuha even tighter, his chin lightly resting on Kazuha's hair, emitting a heavy sigh full of "worry." The cold light of dawn reflected on his still somewhat "pale" profile, creating a tragic atmosphere of a hero at his end accompanied by beauties.
"Nowadays... being hunted like this, hiding and fleeing, who knows... how long we can escape this kind of life." His voice was low, carrying a Just right hint of confusion and fatigue, as if filled with uncertainty about the future. These words, like stones thrown into a lake, deliberately stirred the inner turmoil of the two women beside him.
Sure enough, Hattori Shizuka was the first ignited with protective and indignant feelings. She snorted coldly, her usually gentle brow tinged with a hint of severity: "It's all Heizo's fault! Why won't he just let you go?! Husband Kanjuro, you clearly haven't done anything wrong, what right do they have to treat you like this!" She had naturally begun using the term "husband," completely severing herself from the Hattori family.
Toyama Kazuha immediately chimed in as well. She looked up, gazing at Kanjuro's "melancholy" eyes, her heart filled with agitation to defend him: "Heiji is the same! They simply don't understand how kind and gentle you are, Brother Kanjuro! They only believe in superficial things, completely blind to your inner self!" In her thoroughly twisted perception, Kanjuro had already become the perfect embodiment of someone suffering unjustly.
Listening to their unwavering defense and bias, the corner of Kanjuro's mouth curled slightly at an angle they couldn't see, but quickly transformed into a profound "tenderness." He lowered his head, gazing complexly at Kazuha in his arms, as if having resolved to test the ultimate limits of this loyalty with a shocking secret.
"Kazuha," his voice grew even softer, even carrying a hint of unspeakable "pain," "there's a... difficult matter, I've thought about it for a long time, and feel I must tell you."
He paused, as if organizing his words, finally speaking in a tone filled with "repentance" and "helplessness":
"Actually... I might be your... biological father."
He observed Kazuha's body stiffen instantly, continuing to weave lies with that highly deceptive voice:
"Your mother, Toyama Ayame... back then, like me, participated in that secret underground laboratory's ritual... At that time, I was controlled in mind and spirit by a powerful demon, unable to help myself... so... I had no choice but to have relations with many women... I, I wasn't willing..."
He portrayed himself as a "victim" controlled by evil forces, shifting all blame onto a nothingness "demon," attempting to Impact Kazuha's ethical Bottom line with this method.
Toyama Kazuha After listening, He was completely stunned.. She stared blankly at Kanjuro's face so close, those deep eyes filled with "pain" and "guilt." This information was too shocking, Enough to overturn any normal person's cognition.
Time seemed to freeze for a few seconds.
However, Unexpected Kanjuro's Unexpectedly, the initial shock in Kazuha's eyes quickly faded, replaced by an even deeper, more twisted obsession. Not only did she not push him away, she instead reached out, gently stroking Kanjuro's cheek, her eyes carrying a kind of Almost pity and Understanding that transcends all others.
She shook her head, her voice soft yet exceptionally firm, as if she had seen through everything:
"Brother Kanjuro... you don't have to lie to me."
"No matter what kind of person you are, no matter what you've done, even if you really are my father... I still love you."
"In this world, where are there any real demons?"
Her eyes were hollow and persistent, as if she were explaining a supreme truth:
"Nothing but the human heart can push a person to extremes."
"I believe that everything you do must have a reason. And I am willing to accept all of you."
These words marked the complete fall of Toyama Kazuha. She not only accepted the shocking "fact" that Kanjuro might be her biological father but even took the initiative to excuse him, blaming everything on the nebulous "human heart." She completely abandoned independent thought and moral judgment, offering her soul entirely to the man before her who controlled her everything.
Kanjuro looked at the unquestionable flame of destructive love burning in her eyes and knew the final test had been passed. The last faint ripple of guilt in his heart from using her completely subsided, leaving only a cold sense of control.
He closed his eyes in "emotion" and held Kazuha tightly, as if she were a long-lost treasure, whispering in her ear: "Kazuha... thank you... meeting you is my greatest fortune."
Hattori Shizuka watched from the side. Although she was momentarily surprised by the "father-daughter" relationship, she was quickly convinced by Kazuha's "words of wisdom" and even felt a deep sense of resonance. In her view, as long as she could stay by Kanjuro's side, what did worldly ethics matter?
Sunlight completely illuminated the small cabin, yet it could not brighten the deep darkness within, built of lies, manipulation, and distorted love. Kanjuro knew that the sharpest, most desperate weapon in his hand had been forged. Kanjuro's question, like a final touchstone, was cast into Kazuha's heart, which was already burning for him regardless of the cost. He no longer wove lies but almost cruelly tore away all pretenses, laying the bloody possibilities before her.
"Kazuha," his voice was calm and steady as he gazed into her eyes, "if... everything Heiji Hattori and Uncle Heizo said was true—the Yukinoshita Family, the Suzuki Zaibatsu, those elementary school students, even your father's death... what if all of it is true? What if I really am the evil demon they say I am, with hands stained with blood?"
He no longer played the victim or blamed a nebulous demon; instead, he directly presented his darkest "self" to her.
Toyama Kazuha fell silent. She didn't answer immediately but lowered her head as if digesting this blunt question. Only the faint sound of the wind outside and their intertwined breathing remained in the air. After a long while, she looked up again. There was no fear or disgust in her eyes, only an exceptionally calm clarity after a struggle. She let out a soft sigh:
"Kanjuro... you don't have to test me like this anymore."
"I said, I'm choosing to be with you now, with no regrets, not because I was deceived by you, nor because I had no choice."
Her voice was soft, yet it carried an unwavering strength:
"It's because I love you."
"Whether you did those wrong things or did nothing at all no longer matters to me. I love you as a person, all of you—including what you're willing to show me and... the side you might never want to reveal."
Kanjuro's deep eyes stared at her for a long time, as if trying to see every line in the depths of her soul through her pupils. The follow-up speech he had prepared seemed redundant in the face of her declaration, which completely abandoned right and wrong to stay loyal to her inner feelings. He gently pulled the corner of his mouth, revealing an arc of indistinguishable meaning:
"I thought... you were just deceived by my superb acting."
Kazuha sighed again, a sigh filled with a resigned, almost self-mocking tenderness:
"What if you did lie to me? By now, after being with you for so long and going through so much, can't I... fall in love with the real you because of it? Even if that reality is so... unsightly in the eyes of the world."
She accepted everything he might be, even accepting that her feelings might have originated from deception, and ultimately attributed it all to "love." This complete logical loop ensured she could no longer be swayed by external forces within the web Kanjuro had woven.
Kanjuro finally burst out laughing, a low laughter carrying an indescribable sense of satisfaction, as if he had achieved some ultimate goal. He reached out his arms and pulled Kazuha's soft body tighter into his embrace, his chin rubbing against the top of her head.
"Do you have any other questions... you want to ask me?" At this moment, his voice had lost some of its feigned weakness and gained more of a real, composed sense of total control.
Toyama Kazuha remained quiet in his arms for a moment, then looked up at him with a complex gaze and asked the two questions that had been lingering in her heart:
"Kanjuro... Ran... she is different from me. I don't know if there is also a... blood connection between you and her like the one we just discussed. I can ignore everything about you, but I don't want you to hurt her or put her in a more painful situation because of certain reasons. I hope... you can think this thing through."
Her first question was actually out of consideration for Ran; this trace of kindness and sanity remaining amidst the distortion was particularly jarring.
She paused and continued, this time aiming straight for the core:
"Also, I've always had a question I wanted to ask you..."
"Why... did you become like this?"
There was no accusation in her eyes, only deep confusion and a longing to touch the essence of his soul. "What... made you choose such a path?"
Kanjuro listened quietly. Regarding the first question about Ran, he was non-committal and gave no answer, his eyes only flickering subtly.
Regarding the second question, he looked down at Kazuha, then glanced at Hattori Shizuka, who was also listening intently, the corners of his mouth hooking into a mysterious arc.
"Do you want to know the answer?" His voice was tempting and carried an unquestionable condition.
"As long as you and Shizuka do two things for me next..."
He paused deliberately, creating enough suspense and pressure:
"After those two things are done, I will tell you why I became the way I am today."
"An answer... you could absolutely never imagine."
He didn't say what the tasks were, but this condition filled with the unknown was like a new shackle placed upon Kazuha and Hattori Shizuka. To touch the deepest secrets of the person they loved, for that promised "truth," they were already prepared to do whatever those two things were without hesitation.
The dark journey was not over; instead, because of a promised answer, it sailed toward an even more unpredictable abyss. Kanjuro saw the light rising in their eyes—a mixture of love, curiosity, and absolute obedience—and knew the key to the next stage was already in his hand. Kanjuro's words were like ice picks, piercing the last bit of fake warmth in the cabin. He no longer detoured or concealed, laying out the cruelest, most immoral command nakedly before the two women who had poured everything into him.
Hearing the question, Kazuha's body reflexively sat up straighter, her eyes filled with a resolute determination: "Brother Kanjuro, what do you want me to do? No matter what it is, I'm willing!"
Although Hattori Shizuka remained silent, she squeezed Kanjuro's hand slightly harder, indicating her stance.
Kanjuro's gaze slowly swept over them, finally fixing on Hattori Shizuka's face before moving back to Kazuha's eyes. His voice was terrifyingly calm, yet carried an unquestionable authority:
"To Heiji Hattori and Hattori Heizo, you—Kazuha and Shizuka—are the most important people in this world to them. You are their weakness and the attachment they cannot let go of."
He paused, and a suffocating chill filled the air.
"So, I want you to help me... kill them."
The moment the words fell, a dark light silently gathered in Kanjuro's palm. The light twisted and stretched like a living thing, finally taking shape—two flintlock pistols with an ancient design, entirely black, as if they could absorb all light. An ominous dark glow flowed over the barrels, emitting a bone-chilling aura; they were lethal weapons manifested purely from the power of the dark bible.
Kanjuro handed these two Black Magic Pistols to Kazuha and Hattori Shizuka.
"Take them." His command was brief and cold.
Kazuha looked at the weapon emitting an ominous aura before her, her pupils shrinking slightly, but it was only a moment's hesitation. She remembered the scene of Heiji Hattori shooting and wounding Kanjuro, and their aggressive accusations. An impulse mixed with hatred, protectiveness, and distorted love made her reach out without hesitation and take the heavy, cold black pistol. The moment the gun was in her hand, a frigid power seemed to spread from her fingertips, creating a bizarre resonance with the emotions surging within her because of Kanjuro.
Hattori Shizuka's reaction was more complex. Her hand paused in the air for a moment, her fingertips trembling slightly. Hattori Heizo... he was her nominal husband, someone she had lived with for eighteen years. Heiji Hattori... he was the child she had raised as her own. Killing her husband? Killing her son? These words were like a sledgehammer hitting her conscience.
However, when she looked up and saw Kanjuro's eyes, deep as a cold abyss and seemingly able to swallow everything, and when she felt the cold touch of the weapon in her hand formed by his power, as if connected to his bloodline, the lingering warmth of last night's intimacy, the deeply distorted obsession, and the resentment toward the "family" for obstructing them being together instantly drowned out her last bit of hesitation.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, only a nearly numb resolve remained. She reached out and steadily took the other black pistol.
Kanjuro watched them grip the weapons, the cold arc at the corner of his mouth becoming more pronounced. He continued in that voice full of seduction and pressure:
"These two guns are condensed from my Original Black Magic, and the bullets contain pure destructive energy. As long as they hit, regardless of where, it's enough... for a one-shot kill, with no possibility of survival."
He deliberately emphasized the absolute nature of the weapons, eliminating their final fluke thoughts about "missing" or "emergency rescue."
Then, he threw out the final temptation, his gaze particularly locked onto Kazuha, who had just pressed him on "why he fell":
"As long as you help me kill Heiji Hattori and Hattori Heizo..."
His voice was low and magnetic, like a demon whispering in one's ear, making an irresistible promise:
"After it's done, I will tell you why I became the way I am today, why I... fell."
He leaned forward slightly, staring into Kazuha's eyes, his tone carrying a sort of bestowed "grace":
"This is my... only gift to you, Kazuha."
"The only gift."
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