Why does it always have to be just a tiny bit short of the mark?
What exactly was the reason for Sola this time?
Was it perhaps due to her status as Kayneth's fiancée? Currently, the Clock Tower remains unaware that she is still alive, she must return to settle the matter.
Haruka Kasugano gently stroked her head, smiling as he said, "You're beautiful. Go back in a few days—you know what to do."
Sola's heart was filled with reluctance, but she understood that she had to return. She needed not only to reclaim her identity within the Clock Tower but also to dissolve her engagement with the El-Melloi family... and more importantly, she hoped to receive her father's blessing and his consent for her to marry Haruka Kasugano.
With these thoughts in mind, she readily agreed.
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Touko Aozaki renamed her workshop to "Zhong's Garan no Dou" and thereafter regarded herself as an employee. Now that she was no longer plagued by financial troubles—thanks to Haruka Kasugano's punctual monthly salary—she had finally cast off the mountain of debt that had weighed her down. Consequently, she unhesitatingly rejected an applicant named Mikiya Kokutou. With her coffers full, she naturally had no need for cheap amateurs to help out!
On the eve of boarding her flight back to London, Sola, like a lithe dancer utilizing her restored limbs, shared one last moment of lingering intimacy with Haruka Kasugano. Having regained both arms, she was now able to demonstrate maneuvers and positions far more advanced than before.
This change allowed Haruka Kasugano to experience an unprecedented level of pleasure, as if he were residing in a world of pure bliss. Sola was like a noble swan on the grand stage of Haruka Kasugano's embrace, dancing like a fairy. Every movement was as beautiful as poetry or a painting, utterly intoxicating. Her posture was light and agile, leaving dreamlike trails in the air. Every spin was like a flower in full bloom, radiating endless charm. Every leap was like a spirited butterfly taking flight. Her dance was a visual feast, drawing one in until they were unable to extricate themselves.
"Ah... ah..." Sola sang out. Finally, she huddled like an obedient kitten in Haruka Kasugano's warm embrace. Her delicate skin was as moist as suet jade, emitting a captivating scent that refreshed the soul like a clear spring. Her face was as flushed as a ripe apple, looking so vibrant it seemed as if water could be squeezed from it.
...
The following day, she boarded her flight to London like a bird taking wing. With the end of spring break, Haruka Kasugano also returned to Fuyuki to attend classes. Since the objective of his trip had been achieved—and he had harvested a beauty like Aoko Aozaki—it had truly been a worthwhile journey! There are still several beauties in Fuyuki to "develop", the comrade must continue to work hard!
However, after only one week of classes, Haruka Kasugano flew back to Misaki City as soon as the weekend arrived. At this moment, only one thought occupied his mind: he had to obtain Shiki Ryougi.
It was another night where all was silent. Haruka Kasugano, like a specter shielded by [Presence Concealment], crept back into the Misaki City General Hospital. After several meticulous, hound-like searches, he finally discovered that Shiki Ryougi had been moved out of the formidable ICU and into a general ward.
Hehehe, didn't this mean she was out of critical danger? Haruka Kasugano secretly rejoiced, envisioning beautiful scenes of doing exactly as he pleased. He slipped into her room as quietly as a cat.
At this moment, Shiki Ryougi lay quietly on the bed like a sleeping immortal. Her beauty was like a masterpiece, intoxicating and world-turning. Her face was as warm as jade, an exquisite work of art radiating a charming luster. Her tightly closed eyes were like two deep pools hiding endless secrets. Her breathing was soft and steady, like a beautiful lullaby. Even in slumber, her beauty shone like the stars in the night sky.
Haruka Kasugano began to get to work. He pulled back the sheets covering her, reaching out to stroke and admire her figure. Her body was graceful, her waist as slender as a willow, and her legs as long and elegant as jade chopsticks. Even in a coma, her skin remained silky smooth, elastic, and lustrous—truly a natural beauty capable of toppling nations. Though her chest was somewhat flat, it did not detract from her beauty, "clove-like breasts" are a synonym for sexy in their own right. Not to mention her delicate collarbones and slender neck—she was like a fairy from a painting, breathtakingly beautiful.
Haruka Kasugano turned her over to admire her back, the vast area of exposed skin made it impossible to stay calm. As his gaze drifted downward, a more captivating scene came into view. Her pale skin seemed to shimmer with a soft light, like the first rays of moonlight—quiet and mysterious. The curves of her body were as soft as mountains, filled with feminine charm. Her long legs were like exquisite jade scepters, their lines smooth and elegant.
Haruka Kasugano couldn't help but reach out, it was too stimulating. He could no longer restrain himself. Though Shiki was still unconscious and it was "improper" to move on her now, Haruka Kasugano had no patience for charms and could not cool down. He climbed over her, intending to have an "in-depth exchange." As his chest touched her snowy, delicate skin—what a thrill!
Suddenly, however, he sensed hostility nearby. He stood up abruptly and pulled the sheets back over her.
"Who's there?" Haruka Kasugano questioned toward the doorway.
"That's what I should be asking," a majestic voice rang out. "This is my specimen, my vital material for reaching the Root. How dare you come in the middle of the night to defile her? You deserve to die!"
A man dressed entirely in black appeared—it was Souren Araya. To ensure Shiki's safety, he was currently working at this hospital.
"Heh, I want to go in and out of the Root too!" Haruka Kasugano laughed.
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Faced with Haruka Kasugano's words, Souren Araya froze for ten seconds before regaining his composure.
"You... you also discovered the secret that she can reach the Root? So you also came to..." Araya trailed off, making his guess.
Souren Araya knew everything about her secret. She had already touched that unfathomable Root. As a magus pursuing the "archetype of the soul" and skilled in the art of Awakening Origins, he knew the Origin of every person. When he learned her Origin was "Voidness," he began his plan to use her to pursue the Root. To him, reaching the Root was the ultimate goal, like Tokiomi Tohsaka, he was obsessed with it.
However, their motives differed. Tokiomi did it to revitalize his family, whereas Araya, in his long life of over two hundred years, had witnessed the inescapable death of humanity and thus began exploring human origins to find the Spiral of Origin. His longevity was no accident, but stemmed from his own Origin—"Stillness." Upon awakening, he could move freely as a stationary object within a Bounded Field, achieving a state near immortality.
Because Shiki's Origin was Voidness—the foundation from which all things are born—in a sense, Voidness is equivalent to the Origin itself. Thus, Araya intended to use his "Origin Awakening Ritual" to trigger her power. However, he was unaware that Shiki's Origin had already awakened—not in her soul, but in her physical body, the existence known as "Void Shiki."
Under the influence of the Ryougi family's centuries of secret techniques, Void Shiki successfully awakened a personality, but as a physical body, she had little interest in the outside world. Having touched the Root, she saw through the truths of the world and was even more indifferent. Thus, she chose to return to her inner self, sleeping within the body and letting the souls "Shiki" and "SHIKI" dominate.
For two years, Araya used every means to stimulate her, hoping she would awaken the Root, but he never succeeded. The reason was that he chose the wrong target. He used Lio Shirazumi, who had a crush on Shiki, to trigger his Origin of "Consumption," causing him to commit a series of murders around her. He tried to twist her personality to stimulate an awakening. Due to the family's secret arts, Shiki had multiple personalities: besides Void Shiki, the surface layers were the "Yin" and "Yang" personalities, Shiki and SHIKI.
Araya hypothesized that by causing these personalities to twist and collapse—merging Yin and Yang to reverse the process of Taiji creating the Two Forms—he could trigger the Void Origin of "Taiji." Yet his plan failed. The physical "Taiji" of Void Shiki had already awakened, while Araya was wasting his efforts on the spiritual level.
Finally, he turned his gaze to Mikiya Kokutou, a common and gentle person. He guided Mikiya to fall in love with Shiki, trying to let this ordinary existence shatter her isolated life. However, Shiki, fearing her own abnormality, broke down when faced with Mikiya. While developing feelings for him, she also began to deny the existence of the killer personality, SHIKI. SHIKI did not want to die, and Shiki did not want him to vanish. Thus, she began to spiral.
On that rainy night, wearing her red kimono, she hunted Mikiya. Araya was thrilled, believing she was finally collapsing. To his surprise, she chose suicide instead. He moved quickly to stop her, he needed the collapse caused by her killing Mikiya, not her death by her own hand. If she died, how could he reach the Root?
Things didn't go as planned. Shiki was hit by a car while fleeing. Left with no choice, Araya began working at this hospital to preserve her life. Fortunately, she lived, but his plan had reached a stalemate.
"Let's put it that way! I also want to use Shiki Ryougi to pursue the Root!" Haruka Kasugano laughed.
Araya, half-doubting, asked, "You have no Magic Circuits. You aren't a magus. Why do you pursue the Root?"
"What a joke. The Executors of the Holy Church are powerful yet have no Magic Circuits. Can one not pursue the Root if they aren't a magus?" Haruka Kasugano laughed.
"So... what you were doing tonight was actually reaching the Root?" Araya was bewildered.
"Exactly! I was truly going 'in and out' of the Root!" Haruka Kasugano joked.
"Absurd! How is that possible!" Araya cursed.
"Hilarious. What right does a failure like you have to question my methods?" Haruka Kasugano mocked.
"You..." Araya was even more confused. Could the brat's actions just now really cause Shiki's Origin to awaken?