Fiancée, Killing Impulse, Honesty

When I heard Ori's question, I said, "Then is your body male or female right now?"

Ori said, "This body has always been Shiki's body."

In that case, I still meant what I said before. You, the one named Shiki Ryougi, listen carefully: you are the woman fate destined for me.

After hearing me out, Ori conceded and said, "Even if I agree, you'll still have to win Shiki over yourself. We exist in opposition to each other. You can understand it as every aspect of Shiki and me being reversed."

Usually, Shiki's personality was the dominant one. You happened to meet me today, but tomorrow it might be Shiki. Whether Shiki agrees is another matter.

Then it looked like we'd have to go on another date tomorrow. I'll come again tomorrow, so Shiki should prepare herself mentally.

By the way, is the Genji Clan really this rich? Two billion US dollars... How much was that in yen? I couldn't even calculate it. I could never spend it all.

I smiled. "Genji Heavy Industries, Genji Light Industries, Genji Technology, Genji Electronics, Genji Transport, and other domestic companies all belong to me. I also hold major shares in many foreign companies. You'll gradually learn about it after you marry me."

Ori sighed. "Money really lets you do whatever you want."

After seeing Shiki Ryougi off, I returned to the hotel and lay on my bed, pondering a question: should I let Shiki awaken the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception?

Honestly, without the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, Shiki Ryougi definitely wouldn't have been nearly as popular in the anime from my previous life. The Garden of Sinners might have turned into a detective drama instead, and Shiki would have become nothing more than a highly skilled girl.

But if things were following the plot, Root Shiki should already exist. The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception had always been within Shiki; they simply hadn't awakened yet. Ori's death and roughly two years of coma were needed to unlock them.

Forget it. I'd deal with whatever came. Maybe there was another way.

The next day, as agreed with Shiki, I arrived at the Ryougi Family residence. There were more than twice as many people as yesterday, and Shiki Ryougi was among them. Her face was quite red, so it seemed the Ryougi Family had reached a conclusion as well.

Then the head of the Ryougi Family said, "Regarding your marriage, we have discussed it in a meeting and unanimously agreed. However, Shiki is not yet fourteen. We hope you can wait until she is eighteen before marrying. What do you think?"

So they were waiting for the money to come through. I immediately said, "Of course. It is my greatest honor to receive the approval of the Ryougi Family head."

As for yesterday's proposal, members of my Genji Council of Elders will coordinate with your side within seven days. Is there any issue with that?

I came today mainly to take Shiki out on a date, so please allow Shiki and me to excuse ourselves first.

"No problem. Young people should get out and about more often. Go on." The Ryougi Family would begin dividing up my enormous cake. Then I took Shiki's hand and led her outside.

Shiki still hadn't said a word. I couldn't hear Ori's voice, and if it were Ori, she would have spoken up long ago. It should be Shiki.

I spoke first. "Shiki, you know about what Ori and I talked about yesterday, right? Ori has already acknowledged me. I want to hear what you think."

"Ori only told you about my relationship with her. There are still some things she didn't tell you. If you can continue liking me after learning them, then I can acknowledge you too."

We found somewhere to sit, and I listened attentively.

Shiki spoke seriously. "Ori mentioned yesterday that many people develop split personalities and commit suicide. Ori and I maintain a certain balance, so we haven't developed split personalities, but we have other problems."

"The blood of our Demon-Exorcist Clan carries an instinct to hunt demons. The stronger the bloodline, the stronger the desire to kill."

"Since demons can no longer be found, we can only suppress it. Over time, a desire to kill people emerges. I call it a killing impulse."

"To be honest, at night, I wander through alleyways looking for targets, constantly imagining whether a murderer might happen to pass by so I can indulge that killing impulse."

After saying that, she pulled out a dagger and lunged at me.

Now that's the feeling! I let Shiki tackle me, her dagger pressed against my throat. I slowly said, "Then you probably haven't killed anyone—or even an animal. But I have."

"That was a long time ago. I think I was twelve. There was an indiscriminate killer at the time. I went to an inn and found that the employees inside had been murdered."

"Ridiculously, the reason he killed was simply that his hands itched and he wanted to kill. So I killed him."

"After killing someone, I didn't feel the slightest discomfort. I wouldn't call it pleasure, but I didn't suffer any psychological trauma either. Does that make me your kind?"

I tightly gripped the blade of the dagger, and blood flowed from my hand. Seeing me bleed, Shiki immediately withdrew the dagger and stared at my bleeding wound.

Instead, I pressed forward. One uninjured hand wrapped around her waist while the fingers of my injured hand, stained with blood, brushed across her lips. Smiling, I said, "You really do suit red."

"Are you satisfied with my answer? Do you acknowledge me now?"

"I know your secret, and you know mine. Let's keep each other's secrets."

"All right, let's begin today's date. Let's go to the shopping district again." With that, I took her hand and set off. The bleeding from my wound had long since stopped.

Today, we ate ice cream. Just like in the anime, Shiki seemed to be fond of it, eating three cups in one go.

After wandering around until nightfall, I said to Shiki, "Next time you feel the urge to kill, contact me anytime. I have a way to help you suppress it."

"Do you feel that impulse now? If you do, tell me. I'll help you suppress it. You don't have to endure it anymore."

My voice was like a devil's whisper, tempting Shiki's desire as I brought her into my hotel room.

When Shiki saw it, she said, "Your method isn't doing that, is it?" Her face flushed red after she spoke.

I smiled and asked in return, "Doing what?"

Shiki was so irritated she couldn't speak. She turned to leave, so I stopped teasing her.

I said, "The best way to resolve a killing impulse is obviously to kill someone who can't be killed."

Shiki let out an "Ah?" and said, "How could there be someone who can't be killed?"

You haven't even opened your eyes yet, and you're already getting cocky.

"There is. He's standing right in front of you."

With that, I grabbed Shiki's hand, made her grip the dagger, and had her stab it into my chest.

By the time Shiki reacted, blood had already splattered out.

It was a little better than the time Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasm pierced through me. It didn't hurt as much, and my health had only dropped by a small amount—not nearly enough to trigger Necromancer. After pulling out the dagger, I could feel the regeneration taking effect, and my health was slowly recovering too. It had been a long time since I'd fought or been injured. I felt a little excited. It seemed shedding some blood once in a while was necessary.

I did this because I wanted Shiki to follow her heart and release her true nature, to see whether she could awaken the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception from another direction.

But it seemed I would be disappointed. Right now, Shiki was only thinking about stopping my bleeding.