Whether it was the physical passion of lovers or the cycle of birth, aging, illness, and death, Void Shiki felt no interest in any of it.
She understood that even though she touched the Root, she was still human—and humans are destined to endure tribulations, love, hate, and the inevitable end. Therefore, the conflict between Shiki and SHIKI, Shiki's confusion regarding Mikiya Kokutou, her near-fatal accident, and even her "violation" by Haruka Kasugano... none of it moved her. Even the marks Haruka Kasugano buried within her body were beneath her concern.
But.
This man who was so boldly laying hands on her... Why was it that even within the Root, she could find no trace of information regarding him?
Who was he? Where did he come from? What was his ultimate goal?
Void Shiki knew absolutely nothing. This was the first time since her birth that she felt "dumbfounded," "confused," and "curious."
She couldn't understand it. Even though she possessed all knowledge from the Root, her mental maturity was like that of a young girl who had spent too little time awake. Much like Irisviel—an homunculus instilled with infinite knowledge at birth but emotionally a naive child—Void Shiki was the same. Her time "active" was even shorter than Irisviel's, making her emotional responses even more stunted.
For the first time, curiosity took root. She soon found herself unable to stop thinking about Haruka Kasugano, her heart growing anxious to explore this unknown.
Hmph!
I'm curious about him, but doing such things to a sleeping girl is a bit loathsome. I should find an opportunity to punish him.
No... he doesn't seem like a bad person. Does he have some hidden sorrow? After all... I can't read him at all.
She looked out the window again, dazed for a long while, before lying back down to sleep.
Afterward, every weekend, Void Shiki stayed awake to feel Haruka Kasugano's caresses. She used these moments to probe for information about him, but always to no avail. Although she knew intellectually that physical intimacy was supposed to be a joyful thing, she had never truly experienced it. However, through Haruka Kasugano's weekly "massages," her body began to actually perceive that pleasure.
Normally, she would remain dormant, even if Shiki were to marry, she wouldn't feel it. But now, out of curiosity toward Haruka Kasugano, she woke up every time he arrived. Gradually, she began to enjoy the sensation. Now, even when Haruka Kasugano kissed her "jade hooves," she felt happy.
This, it seemed, became her first way of experiencing the beauty of the world. She concluded that simply knowing facts was useless, actually feeling them was what brought true bliss to the body and soul. As the ancient Chinese sages said, the "Unity of Knowledge and Action" is the true path.
She began to crave the process: the massages that made her grow, the tingling of her skin under his kisses, and the full-body stimulation when he kissed her "rabbit lips."
Moreover, during this time, Haruka Kasugano conducted an experiment. Every day, he whispered into Shiki's ear: "Haruka Kasugano is your husband, no one else is. Only Haruka Kasugano truly loves you." Whether Shiki heard it was unknown, but Void Shiki heard every single word.
And so, this relationship persisted for over a year, until the bankruptcy of the Ogawa Apartment experiment.
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On this day, Haruka Kasugano was still admiring and kissing Shiki's "fragrant pomelos." They were round, moist, and as smooth as suet jade—absolute masterpieces.
"Ahem!" Souren Araya coughed from outside the ward.
Haruka Kasugano quickly dressed Shiki, covered her with the quilt, and stepped outside.
"The Ogawa Apartment experiment is likely going to fail," Araya said, his face looking grim.
Haruka Kasugano smiled and asked, "Was there a flaw in your design?"
Araya shook his head. "No. It's the Counter Force..."
This world has two major Counter Forces: Gaia (the will of the planet) and Alaya (the collective will of primates/humanity). Simply put, they are the administrators and guardians. When a human attempts to touch the Root, they inevitably intervene. Since they have no physical form, their interference is subtle.
In the case of the Ogawa Apartments, Alaya influenced the probability of success. Within three months, two errors had occurred. The puppets mimicking the tenants' final day began to deviate. The first was a suicide puppet that was supposed to fall into the courtyard but landed on the street instead, attracting witnesses and the police.
The second error convinced Araya it was the Counter Force. A man was supposed to beat his wife to death in a drunken rage, but he slipped and accidentally killed himself instead. Araya refused to believe his high-quality puppets could make such amateur mistakes. While his puppetry wasn't quite on Touko Aozaki's level, he was a master of flesh-and-blood substitutes.
"If a third error occurs, the experiment cannot succeed. The Counter Force is too strong..." Araya worried.
"So we just wait for the third failure?" Haruka Kasugano asked.
"No, we need backup plans," Araya replied. "Shiki hasn't woken up yet, so my Origin Awakening ritual is unusable. I'll activate two other schemes first."
"Need a hand?" Haruka Kasugano offered. After a year of "enjoying" himself, he figured it was time to be a decent partner.
"Really? Fantastic. You handle these two backup plans while I keep an eye on the apartments. If we can go three months without another incident, I can reach the Root!"
Araya handed Haruka Kasugano a file. "This is one of the plans. In the first room down the hall, there lives the daughter of an old friend. Her name is Kirie Fujou."
"She supposedly died in a car accident twenty years ago, but she alone survived. I've been paying her medical bills ever since. The name 'Fujou' should sound familiar—she's a descendant of the Asagami family, one of the four demon-hunting clans!"
"Her bloodline is unique, and her Origin is even more so. I want her to try it out. Since you're always at the hospital anyway, you won't mind helping me with this, right?"
"Not at all!" Haruka Kasugano laughed.
Oh... Kirie Fujou. Haruka Kasugano knew her well. The "ghost girl" from Kara no Kyoukai.
According to the file, Kirie was now 26. Because her entire world consisted only of the view from her hospital bed, she had an intense desire to see the world outside. Araya's plan was to fulfill that wish by granting her a "Double Existence"—a spiritual body that was also her true self, which could float above the Fujou Building.
A double existence... wouldn't that mean double the happiness? Shiki Ryougi was one body with two souls, but Kirie was one soul with two bodies! The true body as Yang, the spirit body as Yin. Another perfect template for the "Two Forms dying into Taiji" principle. No wonder Araya was interested.
However, this time, Haruka Kasugano was the one tasked with helping her birth her spiritual body. Though Araya explained the method in the file, Haruka Kasugano wasn't sure if he could pull it off in practice.
He arrived at the first room in the hallway. This room faced the stairwell, meaning she could see everyone who came to visit this floor. For twenty years, Kirie had watched the hospital staff and visitors. Over the past year, she had fallen in love. She had seen a quiet-looking man in black clothes and black-rimmed glasses visit the hospital once a week. From the nurses, she learned his name was Mikiya Kokutou, and she had developed a crush on him. Love at first sight.
...
In this ward, which was usually identical to every other day, her frail body was trembling. The door—which should have had no visitors—was pushed open. There were no footsteps, no sense of presence, a man simply appeared.
The visitor was a young, handsome male, seemingly younger than her. Why would such a person visit her? The man gazed at her with a cold look that felt like a closing gate, making her heart fill with dread. It was as if the air had been sucked out of the room, leaving only a suffocating tether.
Even as someone struggling on the brink of life and death, she could sense the aura of death radiating from him.
"Are you Kirie Fujou?" the man's voice was low and heavy, as if carrying an endless weight of distress.