Mihou

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A thick line of silence surrounded us; our eyes met one another. Hers was gentle, mine was filled with anger; I couldn’t feel anything at all… anything but anger and disbelief, my hands shivered as we continued staring at each other until I broke down.

“MOM?! WHAT’S THE MEANING OF THIS?!” I screamed while grasping my fist before she shook her head as she replied.

“What other meaning could there be? Kaori is the only person who can contend with the person who will go after your little fiancée, what did you think my warnings for you were all about?” she replied with a sigh.

“What can she do that I can’t?!” I looked at Kaori and asked before she heaved a second sigh as she replied with an exhausted voice.

“Kaori is the third and last reincarnator this world can sustain; she was forcefully reincarnated by the Goddess of White Lilies for a special reason and for that reason she is granted powers that far surpass even the ones I was given.”

“I don’t know much about what Kaori had done in the past but all I know is her feelings are genuine and whatever the two of you had in the past is merely a misunderstanding. Anyhow, do you want to reject this single opportunity to protect the one you loved for mere anger of yours? Think rationally, Ayumi!” she screamed at me.

I felt a bit surprised but calmed down in an instant as I soon fell into a dilemma over what to do, logically thinking, if there is no one else who can contend with that person other than Kaori then it is worth the risk as long as Mana is safe but at the same time, my heart was of a different opinion, it sided with my anger more than logic.

“Anyhow... I don’t accept this!” I stomped my foot unconsciously before another heavy sigh left her mouth as Mom’s voice echoed throughout the place.

“Are you sure about your decision, don’t forget, once someone dies in this world, their souls will never come back at all… if by chance that little fiancée of yours was to somehow die because of this stupid decision of yours, how much will you regret?”

I instantly froze in place over her sudden reply, they made a hundred percent sense… the Goddess had already once explained to me that reincarnation is merely a fantasy unless a deity of some sort intervenes with the soul disintegration process… if Mana were to somehow die because of my stupid decision… then I would definitely be guilty to death.

“How can I trust her?” I looked back and asked, “How can I trust that she won’t be the one to go after Mana, how am I able to trust someone who once betrayed me… who I once trust with the entirety of my life?”

The three of us soon fell into a standstill as Mom soon opened her mouth only to be interrupted by none other than Kaori who said in a soft voice, “Mother-in-law… let me handle this, please…” before Mom looked at her, blinking once and nodding.

“Who are you calling mother-in—” I was about to refute her way of calling Mom before all of a sudden, she appeared in front of me, grabbing me from the back as our two lips touched one another. Her eyes were as if blood became clear to me.

I felt an enormous amount of warmth inside my heart, her kiss was sincere… it felt like I had placed all my anger on someone who did nothing wrong at all… I couldn’t understand why but I felt like I wanted more from her.

“Have you calmed down now, Ayumi?” she looked at me and smiled after the two of us had kissed for a few moments.

I hesitated a bit but nodded as she soon continued on with a ridiculous statement, “Would you believe me if I were to say that I was not the one who was beside you at that time?” causing me to be shocked as I pushed her away unconsciously.

“How can it be?! I clearly saw you at that time!” I shouted before she shook her head with a tired and guilty look on her face.

“At that time, I was on a vacation with my parents in New Zealand… I only heard about the news two days later when I returned back and was interrogated by the police who suspected me, but I was soon released after confirming that I was in New Zealand for the entirety of the time period…” she replied before taking a deep breath as she continued.

“After being released, I went wild and searched all around the world for clues over who was the one who killed you… I was mad at myself for not being there to save you… mad at my weakly self… I felt guilty and after almost a year of searching… on the bath, I killed myself…” she said before the atmosphere turned heavy.

I felt like my world had spun around, all this time, she was not the one who did it… but who else could imitate her voice, her look and even her atmosphere… I was really sure it was her all the time, there was no one else I knew who could imitate her.

“After dying, I soon met with the Goddess who soon realized she made a mistake in informing you at that time, she also thought I was the one who went after you when you arrived in the Dimension of Souls and informed you about it… but after a long while, she then realized it was someone else… someone who garnered a grudge towards mother-in-law for years…” she continued before looking at mother-in-law as she smiled wryly.

“The person who killed you was none other than the Goddess of Dark Lilies, Mei Shizaki… the person who also killed the people who you cared about…” her voice echoed throughout the entire place, giving all of us shivers.

Mihou

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