"I'll be useful, whether it's for killing or for my Byakugan."
Yayoi felt something damp against his shoulder.
"I'll work hard to get stronger and grow up. I'll become someone useful to you. Please don't abandon me."
The emotional turmoil made all the feelings Rin had buried inside her burst out at once.
After years of suppressing them, Rin couldn't control her emotions.
She was afraid of being abandoned, afraid their deal would end and leave them with nothing between them.
When she had been at her most helpless, powerless, and desperate, he had reached out to her.
When everyone else had told her to give up, he had helped her hold on to hope.
Now that hope had finally arrived, he was about to leave.
Rin knew their bond hadn't been severed.
But what if it was? Even if the chances were one in a hundred, or one in ten thousand, Rin didn't dare take the risk.
If she lost Yayoi, her only friend, what would give her the will to go on?
Then she would have lost her purpose in life completely.
So she didn't want Yayoi to leave, even if it was only for an ordinary outing.
"Rin..."
Hearing the small, animal-like sobs behind him, Yayoi didn't know what to do.
He didn't know what was going on with Rin, but he understood one thing.
Rin might actually mean it.
The loneliness and sorrow were so clear that Yayoi could hear them in her tears.
A tide of loneliness, with only one person to rely on.
"How could I leave you all alone?"
Yayoi gently reassured her.
But Rin still didn't respond.
"Since our deal is over, let's make another one—a brand-new deal, a brand-new contract."
Suddenly, Yayoi seemed to think of something and spoke solemnly.
"A