After dinner, the four of them moved to the living room.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, night had already fallen deep. The garden lights illuminated the carefully trimmed pine trees and ornamental stones, making the courtyard look dreamlike.
Inside, warm yellow light spilled across the room. The fragrance of tea drifted through the air. By all rights, the atmosphere should have been warm and relaxed.
Yet at this moment, the living room felt faintly heavy.
Genichi sat on the sofa, holding an exquisite teacup in his hands, and took a small sip.
It was tea personally brewed by Mrs. Yukinoshita. Top-grade gyokuro, mellow and sweet on the tongue, with a lingering aftertaste.
He set the cup down, raised his head, and looked at Mrs. Yukinoshita, who sat in the main seat.
Without pleasantries or detours, he went straight to the point.
"I know what you want."
His voice was soft, yet it reached everyone clearly.
Mrs. Yukinoshita's body stiffened slightly.
Haruno's smile remained, but her eyes grew even brighter.
Only Yukino looked completely lost, unable to understand what he was talking about.
"But first, you need to understand something. If you want to gain something, you have to pay for it. And what you want requires you to pay with everything."
Genichi's gaze swept across Mrs. Yukinoshita and Haruno. His tone was calm and direct.
"So if you still want it, I can agree."
He paused, then lifted his teacup and took another sip.
"Think it over, then answer me."
A brief silence fell over the living room.
Mrs. Yukinoshita looked at the boy before her, complicated emotions rising in her heart.
He was right.
She had invited him here today not merely to thank him for saving Haruno.
More importantly, it was because of that supernatural power.
After returning that night, Haruno had told her everything.
The existence of vengeful spirits, Genichi's power, and those strange, unpredictable shadows.
As the head of the Yukinoshita family, Mrs. Yukinoshita had keenly sensed an extremely rare opportunity.
An opportunity to take the Yukinoshita family to the next level.
If they could obtain that kind of power, if they could build a deeper connection with Genichi, then the future of the Yukinoshita family would be limitless.
That was why she had cooked personally. That was why she had lowered herself. That was why she had behaved so warmly at the dinner table.
But now, Genichi had laid everything bare.
If they wanted power, they had to pay with everything.
Everything.
Her body, her soul, her life and death—all of it would fall under his control.
That price was far too great.
Conflict appeared on Mrs. Yukinoshita's face.
She looked at Genichi, trying to search for another answer.
"Is there no way to substitute another price?"
Genichi shook his head.
"No."
Simple and clean. There was no room for negotiation.
Mrs. Yukinoshita fell silent.
She knew this boy was not bargaining. He was stating a fact.
If they wanted that power, they could only accept this condition.
If they refused, they would get nothing.
Just then, a voice broke the silence.
"That's fine."
Haruno spoke.
Her voice was still light, and her face still carried a smile, but her eyes shone with determination.
"So, what do I need to do?"
"Haruno!"
When Mrs. Yukinoshita heard her eldest daughter's words, her eyes widened instantly.
Her face was full of shock and worry.
How could Haruno agree so easily?
Did she not understand what this meant?
Haruno looked at her mother's anxious expression and could not help smiling.
There was a hint of mischief in that smile, a hint of seriousness, and a trace of tenderness even she herself had not noticed.
"Hesitating isn't my style, Mother."
She spoke softly.
"And you should understand too, shouldn't you? If we miss this chance, there won't be a second one."
Mrs. Yukinoshita fell silent.
Of course she understood.
This sort of supernatural power, this existence beyond common sense, was not something one could encounter whenever one wished.
If they missed this chance, they might never get another opportunity for the rest of their lives.
"So I'll bear the risk."
Haruno's voice became more serious.
"Even if something really does go wrong, there's still Yukino."
She glanced at her younger sister, who sat nearby with a bewildered expression, and a trace of tenderness flashed through her eyes.
"Even if something happens to me, she can still support the Yukinoshita family."
Mrs. Yukinoshita opened her mouth, wanting to say something, only to find that no words came out.
She knew Haruno was right.
This opportunity truly could not be missed.
If Haruno was willing to bear the risk, then…
She fell silent.
The atmosphere in the living room grew even heavier.
At that moment, Yukino finally could not hold back anymore.
She abruptly stood and looked at her sister and mother, her face filled with confusion and incomprehension.
"What exactly are you talking about?"
Her voice trembled slightly, carrying deep confusion and unease.
From the beginning, she had been completely lost.
What were they talking about?
What power?
What price?
What opportunity?
Why could she not understand any of it?
Haruno looked at her sister and could not help smiling.
There was affection in that smile, along with helplessness and apology.
"Sorry, little Yukino. I never told you."
She walked to her sister's side and pulled her back down into her seat.
"The truth is, this world is far more complicated than we imagined."
She began to explain.
Starting with the vengeful spirits at the construction site, then Genichi saving her, and then those shadows and supernatural powers.
Yukino listened quietly. Her expression shifted from confusion to shock, then from shock to disbelief.
She looked at Genichi, her clear, cold eyes filled with complicated emotions.
That bastard who had mocked her as "flat as a board."
That cold man who seemed indifferent to everything.
That problem student in her eyes.
He was actually an existence capable of strangling vengeful spirits with his bare hands?
"So the risk Big Sister mentioned is obtaining power from you?"
She looked at Genichi and asked directly.
Genichi nodded.
"That's right. But the price is paying with everything. Body, soul, life and death—all of it will be under my control."
Yukino's pupils contracted slightly.
Paying with everything?
His control over life and death?
Was that not the same as handing oneself over to him?
She looked at her sister, her eyes full of worry.
"Big Sister, you…"
Haruno smiled and patted her hand.
"Don't worry, little Yukino. Your big sister knows what she's doing."
She knows what she's doing?
What kind of sense was that?
Yukino wanted to say something, but found herself unable to speak.
What could she say?
Tell her sister not to take the risk?
But this was her sister's own choice.
Tell Genichi not to do this?
But these were his rules from the start.
All she could do was stand there and look at her sister, a deep sense of helplessness rising inside her.
Genichi watched the scene, and a complicated emotion flashed through his eyes.
He stood and walked to the window, gazing out at the night.
"Haruno-nee, have you really thought this through?"
He did not turn back. His voice was quiet.
Haruno nodded.
"I have."
"Once you accept, there's no going back."
"I know."
"Your life and death will be under my control."
"I know."
"You may regret it."
"I won't."
But inside, Haruno was secretly delighted.
Did they understand how much value this move had?
It was a win-win.
Not only would she gain supernatural power, she would also get the handsome boy she wanted.
This was a win-win situation.
She won twice.
(End of Chapter)
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