Flower of Evil

The movie Su Youzi went to see with Kujo Ryuko was a late-night showing.

Before entering the theater, Su Youzi bought some popcorn and spicy chicken wings.

In the game.

Kujo Ryuko's golden special affection gift had been a Late Night Double Feature Ticket, while the fairly common... purple affection gift was Spicy Chicken Wings.

Since she had decided to watch a movie with Kujo Ryuko, Su Youzi naturally wanted to arrange everything as perfectly as possible.

Looking at the caramel-like sheen on the chicken wings and breathing in their enticing aroma.

Gulp—

Kujo Ryuko swallowed unconsciously.

She simply could not understand why everything Su Youzi prepared for her always managed to hit her weak spot so precisely.

Seeing that the girl seemed to have turned around only after hearing her swallow, Kujo Ryuko kept a cold expression as she awkwardly tried to change the subject.

"Youzi..."

"Youzi." She had always addressed people by their given names.

Normally, there was nothing wrong with that.

But... in this situation, Kujo Ryuko somehow felt a tiny bit uneasy.

"Hm?" Su Youzi tilted her head at Kujo Ryuko.

"What... are we watching tonight?" Her scarlet eyes unconsciously fell upon the wing tip. Kujo Ryuko tried hard to look away and change the subject.

"I don't know either~" Su Youzi waved the wing tip in her hand, watching the reaction of the "Big Cat" before her.

Smiling, Su Youzi stuffed the packaged Spicy Chicken Wings into Kujo Ryuko's hands.

She genuinely had no idea what movie it was.

The movie she had come to see with Kujo Ryuko was an affection reward earned after Kujo Ryuko had "yielded" last time.

[Precious Movie Ticket (Two-Person Edition)].

It should have been a movie Kujo Ryuko liked.

Wait—

Suddenly recalling the affection rewards obtained together with the movie ticket—the Sturdy Red Rope and Medical Anesthetic... Su Youzi suddenly had an ominous feeling.

This was not going to be some weird little movie, was it?

Carrying that unease, Su Youzi led Kujo Ryuko into the theater to have their tickets checked.

The gentle big sister checking tickets suddenly revealed a surprised expression when she saw the ticket Su Youzi handed over. Her brown eyes moved back and forth between Su Youzi and Kujo Ryuko, then she gave Su Youzi an encouraging gesture.

A great many question marks suddenly appeared over Su Youzi's head.

¿¿¿

Then... when the movie began and Su Youzi saw that enormous "R16 Restricted" symbol, even more question marks appeared over her head.

¿¿¿¿¿

Because of the Advent of Calamity Beasts.

To encourage childbirth, people in This World could generally marry at eighteen.

So... "R16 Restricted" was already quite a severe restriction.

The movie was called [Flower of Evil].

It told A Story from a Hundred Years Ago.

At that time, more than half of the Atlantic Ocean had been Crystallized by Calamity, becoming the Territory of Calamity Beasts and Altered Users.

And the protagonist of the story... was the legendary Seventh Sequence Ability User from a hundred years ago, "Seat of Evil," and her lover.

Well—

With the idea that adaptation was not fabrication and dramatization was not nonsense.

The director had boldly portrayed the "Seat of Evil," whose face had always been hidden behind Heavy armor, as a weak, silver-haired, red-eyed loli with a delicate body.

The Tragic Story of a Knight and Princess instantly became... forbidden.

Su Youzi suddenly seemed to understand what the gentle big sister's encouraging gesture at the ticket gate had meant.

Stiffly turning her head to look around.

The theater was empty. Aside from herself and Kujo Ryuko, there was not a single other person.

This [Precious Movie Ticket (Two-Person Edition)] had even booked out the entire theater.

Su Youzi gripped the popcorn bag tightly.

She even felt a little nervous.

Given Kujo Ryuko's strength... if Ignite Passion struck later and she wanted to Forcefully Unlock Her CG, Su Youzi really would have no way to resist.

She could only be Painful Yet Joyful.

Fortunately... although it was an "R16 Restricted" movie.

The entire film leaned more toward artistic drama.

The most Explicit Scene was only in the Final Chapter of the movie.

"Seat of Evil" was about to Fall into the Anomaly Abyss.

The Sobbing Girl took off her Wedding Dress and slipped naked into the armor of "Seat of Evil," tightly embracing that Delicate Body in her arms.

Then—

The Heavy armor carried both of them down to be Forever Buried at the Bottom of the Sea.

[Ding—]

[Movie Viewing: Kujo Ryuko's affection +1.]

[Received Affection Boost Reward: Thorn Whip.]

[...]

After watching the movie, Su Youzi felt that even the popcorn in her hands no longer smelled good.

She did not like tragedies.

She liked endings where everyone could smile.

The girl looked toward her side.

Kujo Ryuko's scarlet eyes stared fixedly at the screen, their depths filled with complicated emotions.

"Senior Kujo?" Su Youzi called softly to Kujo Ryuko.

Kujo Ryuko blinked and looked at Su Youzi.

Seeing that complicated expression on Kujo Ryuko's face, Su Youzi asked, "Senior Kujo... what are you thinking?"

"If 'Seat of Evil' has already Fallen into an Anomaly." Kujo Ryuko frowned.

"Then she would definitely kill her lover without hesitation."

"She would lurk at the bottom of the ocean, waiting for the Time to Attack."

"When that time comes... she will be Humanity's Greatest Threat."

Hearing Kujo Ryuko's words, Su Youzi suddenly could not hold it together anymore.

Was this truly Kujo Ryuko? Her perspective on things was always so peculiar. "It's just a movie."

"How could the Seventh Sequence Ability User 'Seat of Evil' be some weak, silver-haired loli with straight hair?"

"Besides..."

"Didn't 'Seat of Evil's' lover possess a Rule-based Ability that could 'erase' all abnormalities?"

"Although the movie was a tragedy."

"In the end... 'Seat of Evil' and her lover should both have been Forever Buried at the Bottom of the Sea."

Su Youzi gently took Kujo Ryuko's hand.

She knew.

Kujo Ryuko hated Altered Users so much, gritted her teeth over them... all because of her Older Sister, Kujo Iruka.

That shadow looming over the land.

The Abyssal Empress who always smiled.

Because of Kujo Iruka, Kujo Ryuko believed.

That if "Seat of Evil" fell, she would definitely kill her lover without hesitation.

She tightened her grip on Kujo Ryuko's hand.

But... had "Seat of Evil" really been buried at the bottom of the sea with her lover?

Su Youzi suddenly became a little uncertain as well.

In the game... after clearing the world boss Kujo Iruka.

The next expansion was clearly called... [Sealed Throne].

A figure standing alone within an iron throne, Dark Golden Vertical Pupils gazing upward coldly.

It was not until they walked out of the theater.

That Kujo Ryuko realized she was still holding Su Youzi's hand.

But... the maiden merely glanced sideways at Su Youzi, who seemed completely unaware and kept walking forward on her own. Su Youzi even turned back blankly and tugged Kujo Ryuko along again.

Kujo Ryuko pressed her lips together and followed Su Youzi's footsteps.

Outside the Assault Department Dormitory.

A pale-lipped girl hugged her knees and crouched on the steps, shivering from the cold.

She had waited from morning until late at night... yet Su Youzi still had not returned.

But... she did not dare disobey her father's orders.

Grievance and anger accumulated in her heart as the Flower of Evil Bud of resentment brewed.