After finishing his meal, Ryuseki said goodbye to Lin Yingbin and Ryuu Mufei, then walked in the direction of his home. It was already close to midnight, and Ryuseki muttered to himself as he walked. "What on earth was that guy Ryuu Mufei was talking about?"
He seemed to dwell on Ryuu Mufei's words from just moments before. Suddenly, a dark figure flashed past his side. Ryuseki immediately spotted the fellow—it was that man from earlier who wore a Crimson-brimmed Hat on his head. Extremely curious about this person's identity, he took off running in pursuit.
The guy was fast. Ryuseki couldn't catch up to his speed from afar at all, and the distance between them kept growing. At that, Ryuseki shouted at the man's back, "Who are you?"
Ryuseki wasn't clear on why he was chasing after him; he was merely driven by an instinctive curiosity about this person. Yet he hadn't considered at all whether this individual posed a danger or was safe to approach, recklessly charging forward just like that. However, the man paid no mind to Ryuseki's shouts, acting as if he hadn't heard them at all, and continued running forward at a steady pace.
Ryuseki grew even more curious. Not knowing where he suddenly found the energy, he actually picked up his pace and caught up to the man at a speed he rarely managed in normal times.
"Hey! Answer me first."
Yet the man still ignored Ryuseki, sprinting onward as though no one else was around. No matter how Ryuseki chased or shouted, his gaze—with its crimson pupils—never once shifted away from the distant, silent night.
Ryuseki chased him relentlessly, following him all the way to the vicinity of his house before losing the trail. The figure had vanished somewhere or another, and with no trace left to find, Ryuseki gave up.
"What is this game?"
Ryuseki raised his head to look up at the dim night sky with an unwilling expression, then strolled back the way he came.
The lights in the house were dark. Feeling his way to the switch to turn them on, he discovered that his older brother Kouhi was fast asleep on the living room sofa. Ryuseki brought over a quilt and stealthily draped it over his brother, but unexpectedly ended up waking him.
"You're back." Kouhi pushed the quilt aside and sat up, rubbing his eyes before saying to Ryuseki, "Right, Kikka You's family moved away, and her mother even moved her grave along with them."
"Is that so?" Suddenly, Ryuseki's heart trembled. A flurry of Kikka You's smiling faces flashed through his mind like movie frames, and then his memories were interrupted by his brother.
"I think you should step out of the shadows now!" Kouhi offered Ryuseki a faint smile.
How could it be so easy to step out of the shadows... Ryuseki thought with his head lowered. He asked in a low voice, harboring a desperate, gambling hope, "Did... did her aunt leave any message?"
From the bottom of his heart, he hoped to obtain forgiveness, even if a single sentence would be enough to lighten the burden pressing down upon his shoulders. He clearly knew that Kikka You's mother couldn't possibly forgive him, yet he clung to a one-in-ten-thousand chance.
Kouhi shook his head. He fell silent for a moment, understanding what Ryuseki meant by that question.
Ryuseki sighed in disappointment, then stood up and walked toward the kitchen.
"Oh right, a new neighbor moved in next door. They just moved in today and bought Kikka You's old place." Kouhi also stood up to fold the quilt.
"Really!" Ryuseki forced a smile and then asked, "By the way, Bro! Have you noticed a man wearing a Crimson-brimmed Hat showing up around the neighborhood lately?" Ryuseki asked as he entered the kitchen.
"I haven't noticed him. Why? A friend of yours?" Kouhi asked.
From inside the kitchen, Ryuseki answered, "No!"
As he spoke, he opened the refrigerator, took out a can of soda, and after a moment of thought, continued, "I've only seen him. But man, he's pretty strong!" Ryuseki began to gulp down his soda, continuing to praise him between swallows. "He might be as tough as you!"
"Is that so! Well, I'll be sure to tell you if I see him next time."
"That is..." Ryuseki emerged from the kitchen, pointing at Kouhi's hand as he gazed solemnly at the index finger of his left hand.
"This?" Kouhi held up his left index finger, which was wrapped in a band-aid, for Ryuseki to see. "I accidentally cut it while chopping vegetables." He answered with a smile. "Don't worry, I'm fine."
With that, he finished folding the quilt and carried it back to his own room.
"Oh! Is that so? Then you should get some good rest." Ryuseki headed upstairs toward his own room as well. Pushing open his bedroom door, he looked back and yelled toward the living room, "Well, Bro! Goodnight."
"Yeah! You too," Kouhi answered with a smile as he turned off the lights.
Ryuseki entered his room. Not feeling sleepy just yet, he sat down at his desk and looked out the window. From here, he could see the window of what used to be Kikka You's room; the two windows sat directly opposite each other. Ryuseki looked over at Kikka You's room. Even though the window was covered by curtains, he could still make out the silhouette of a person inside. It seemed someone over in that room was sitting by the window and watching something, too. After looking across the way, Ryuseki glanced down at the photo of himself and Kikka You on his desk and muttered to himself, "Someone really did move in."
Out in the living room, Kouhi walked out of his room once more. He lay down quietly on the sofa, facing the ceiling and staring at it in a daze, watching it continuously until he fell soundly asleep.
Meanwhile, deep in Ryuseki's mind, that fellow wearing the Crimson-brimmed Hat refused to fade away. He was exceptionally curious about who on earth that guy actually was.
Before you continue