Sakura Brew That Ended the Reincarnation

The girl picked up a dried cherry blossom and put it into the water tank.

The cherry blossoms float on the water, infused with a unique vitality. Their withered appearance gradually disappears, replaced by a delicate and vibrant beauty.

The cherry blossoms are in full bloom.

Yae Sakura gazed at the scene, smiled, and whispered:

"I'm sorry, Rin. I've unilaterally kept my promise to you, so does that count as us watching the cherry blossoms together?"

She still Broken Promise, but perhaps that's enough.

The Miko sighed and said:

"Father, you're always so decisive."

Yesterday, this man entered Rin's room with a knife, only to be quickly subdued by the Miko who was kneeling quietly in the darkness.

Yae Sakura understood what he wanted to do.

As before, they severed Rin's Achilles tendon, cutting off her escape route.

Yaehiko was now bound hand and foot, his head resting against the wall, his eyes staring at the wooden ceiling, his emotions swirling in a complex spiral.

He looked towards the Miko following the voice, and suddenly burst out laughing.

The emotions in his eyes were crushed by the enormous thing, and the subtle sounds in the man's brain were suddenly amplified.

Noisy, volatile, quiet—a myriad of trivial, mysterious forces twisted the mind, steerding the outcome toward the predetermined path.

Yaehiko said with a smile:

"Sakura, do you know? I actually really hate Rin."

"It has been that way since she was born."

"So, using her as a sacrifice has never been a particularly difficult decision for me."

Yae Sakura understood what the man meant.

My mother didn't die from illness; as the previous generation's Miko, she had always been in good health.

But she died in childbirth on the day she gave birth to Rin.

Even though Yaehiko, who deeply loves his wife, understands that all of this has nothing to do with Rin, he can't help but be swayed by his emotions.

Yae Sakura retrieved a porcelain cup from the cabinet, her expression serene and elegant.

She said calmly:

"My mother won't be happy if she finds out."

Yaehiko said:

"Yes, but that's just how terrible I am."

"While I hoped that Sakura would stop me, I held nothing back. I knew the limits of your abilities, knew you couldn't do it, but I also felt that if you could stop me, it would be a good ending."

The man uttered something that was both awkward and utterly contradictory.

Yae Sakura understood what he meant, but she just found it funny.

She gently placed the porcelain cup in front of the man and said:

"Father, you've clearly followed through to the end, haven't you? So stop saying all this nonsense. Who will believe you if it's just talk?"

"As Mother once said, the human heart can be as treacherous as a Demonic Beast. The fact that Father could stay with Mother back then means that in Mother's eyes you were a kind and gentle person."

Yae Sakura's lips parted slightly, her beautifully shaped eyes brimming with laughter. She bent down and said to the man:

"But look at you now, how are you any different from Demonic Beast? For the village? For upholding the name of the God? For the Yae lineage? Perhaps, but I don't care about any of that. All I know is that for Rin and me, our father is now the kind of person our mother hates the most."

Yes, I hate it the most.

The one who understands that woman best is Yaehiko; he certainly knows how disappointed she will be with his actions.

But the human heart is like a demon, and the Yaehiko of yesteryear and the Yaehiko of today are no longer the same person.

Does he still really love that woman?

Death may beautify love, but time can erase many more things.

Yaehiko suddenly fell silent.

He thought he was just making excuses for himself. Because Rin killed his wife, he disliked Rin, so he could use Rin as a sacrifice without any burden.

Even I, who did this, can understand how ridiculous this logic is.

But hidden within its core lies a degree of cowardice.

Power is poison.

But if worldly rules are violated, will the position of the deity become unstable?

He harbored a desire for these things, and then added many embellished reasons to justify this desire.

Those reasons may be true or false, but do they matter?

It doesn't matter anymore.

The man was silent for a moment, then looked at the porcelain cup on the ground and suddenly said:

"Sakura, give me a cup of Sakura Brew."

Seeing the girl's somewhat surprised expression, Yaehiko smiled and said:

"I know, you've been working on it, haven't you? The brewing should be almost finished by now."

"I haven't drunk Sakura Brew wine since that person left."

"Perhaps this is an excessive request."

"But this is the last time, Sakura."

The smile on Yae Sakura's face faded, and she slowly nodded.

Accompanied by melodious sounds, withered cherry blossoms quietly bloom in the clear wine.

As the man gazed at the full porcelain cup, all the voices in his mind gradually quieted down, and countless negative emotions were gently drawn away. It was as if he were recalling distant memories, and his expression softened.

The Spirit Blade slashed through the ropes binding Yaehiko, and the man tremblingly reached out and took the porcelain cup.

Is this due to emotional fluctuations, or is it the body expressing discomfort from being bound for a long time?

It doesn't matter anymore.

He said:

"Aren't you going to add something? I've killed Demonic Beast before, and I'm extremely sensitive to Demonic Beast blood and scent. There's some Demonic Beast blood in this room, isn't there?"

Yae Sakura smiled and said:

"I knew I couldn't hide it from you, Father."

Even when he was young, Yaehiko could easily tell whether he was slacking off in training.

Even when playing hide-and-seek, he always finds you within minutes.

She said:

"But the wine Sakura Brew doesn't taste good when blood is added."

"So, let's have another drink."

The sake Sakura Brew has a translucent pink color.

The man took a small sip, then tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.

The initial taste was sweet with a hint of cherry blossom fragrance. The refreshing texture and the slight astringency after tasting it left a lasting impression on Yaehiko.

Ancient memories are revived along with the familiar sensations that bloom on the taste buds.

It tastes great, he thought.

He handed the porcelain cup to the Miko, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Yae Sakura quietly poured the wine, and the last drop of bright red blood fell into the porcelain cup.

The Miko handed the porcelain cup to the man with both hands.

Yaehiko accepted it with a smile.

He stared at the cloudy yet clear cherry blossom wine for a moment, then simply drank it down.

Surprisingly, the taste of blood, combined with the alcohol, wasn't too bad. The rusty flavor and the refreshing sweet and sour notes gently warmed my entire body.

The fragrance of cherry blossoms filled my nostrils, and my mind was filled with memories and an almost blank emotional landscape.

The porcelain cup slipped from his tightly clenched hand and shattered into pieces.

"Sakura, Sakura Brew with blood in it is also delicious."

The man laughed and let out his final sigh, then lost his mind and life, becoming a speechless monster.

Yae Sakura drew her crimson sword and said:

"Rest in peace. I will intercede for you, Father."

The sword in the Miko's hand is no longer the Spirit Blade named Sakura Fubuki.

It is Demon Blade, Crimson Cherry Blossom.

Blood flooded the scene before my eyes, and even the cherry blossoms floating in the water tank were stained crimson...

Yae Sakura was defeated here.