Live... well?
Living well... all alone?
Under the somewhat cold white light, Chiba stared at the cold corpse beside him for a long, long time. After what felt like an eternity, he slowly raised his hand and gently placed the icy hand that had been tightly holding his onto the girl whose face still bore a satisfied smile.
There was no expression on his face.
Yet a thought flashed through his heart.
Amid the grief, frustration, and despondency in his lifeless heart, a thought arose—one that seemed to question the girl who could no longer answer, and also seemed to question himself.
Then, he gently let go, releasing the hand he did not want to release.
Should I be grateful to my past self?
At that moment! After letting go, he fixed his eyes on the girl whose skin had nearly turned transparent, and the corner of his mouth slowly curled into a bitter smile.
A bitter smile, uglier than crying.
If I hadn't repeatedly gone through that cruel memory, repeatedly experienced so many deaths, so much grief—grief so overwhelming it nearly stripped me of all feeling and sensation—could I still maintain even this most basic shred of reason?
Beneath that ugly smile, such a thought passed through Chiba's mind.
That was right. The only reason Chiba could still remain rational, without making any extreme or even emotional move, was entirely because of that cruel memory.
Because of that cruel memory, he had matured.
If he had been the one who had not gone through that cruel memory, then by now, he would probably have completely broken down, utterly crushed by grief and fury. It would have been perfectly normal for him to do something irrational.
At best, he would probably have already rushed out, pursuing Uchiha Nobuhiko with no