Chapter 16

Ayatsuji Yukito seemed a little angry, and his tongue grew sharper still, but An Xinyi never minded such things.

With their lodging sorted out, An Xinyi eagerly dragged Ayatsuji Yukito along to the town's summer festival. As luck would have it, that day happened to be the day of the fireworks display.

Everyone passing by wore relaxed, happy smiles. Even Ayatsuji Yukito's perpetually cold expression softened considerably, though that lasted only until An Xinyi dragged him through the crowd and forced their way to the very front. "I've never seen fireworks before. They must be beautiful."

Ayatsuji Yukito frowned as he straightened his clothes and hair, which had been mussed in the crush. "Are you an elementary schooler?" How childish.

An Xinyi wasn't offended. "Yep." After all, in terms of age, forget being an elementary schooler-143 was only a baby.

Ayatsuji Yukito felt stifled. Truth be told, most people couldn't stand his sharp tongue. This was his first time meeting someone like An Xinyi, who didn't care in the slightest, and for a moment, he actually found himself at a loss for words.

"Look!" An Xinyi pointed at the night sky. "The fireworks are about to start."

With the boom of a shell launching, a huge firework bloomed in the sky. Its petals fell like rain, seemingly close enough for people to touch.

Japan's fireworks were famed above all for their circular blooms. Dazzling fireworks burst across the night sky, seeming, in that instant, to light up all the darkness.

The people around them all broke into joyful smiles, beautiful light reflected in their eyes.

Even Ayatsuji Yukito couldn't help being swept up in the atmosphere, the faintest curve appearing at the corners of his mouth.

"Yes, yes, just like that." An Xinyi suddenly leaned close, smiling as always. "I thought you seemed unhappy earlier, Yukito. I knew it-you really do look best when you smile."

"I wasn't smiling." Ayatsuji Yukito stiffly pushed An Xinyi's face away.

"Haha, if you say you weren't, then you weren't." An Xinyi beamed.

He turned back to the fireworks, their brilliant colors reflected in his obsidian eyes. His face always carried a smile brimming with life, like a little child seeing the world for the first time, full of curiosity and excitement.

"Fireworks last an instant, then quickly fade." An Xinyi's voice was soft. "In their entire lives, they only get to bloom once."

Ayatsuji Yukito turned to look at him.

"But that's good, too." An Xinyi smiled at him. "Even if their lives are that short, they can still light up the darkness in the moment they bloom."

"I really like that."

Just like him. Just like all the An Xinyis who had died.

It was just a shame that the other An Xinyis hadn't come to see these fireworks.

It was just a shame that, apart from An Xinyi, no one admired these fireworks that bloomed at the cost of their lives.

Everyone fell silent.

Unlike Ayatsuji Yukito, who hadn't understood at the time, they understood An Xinyi's words perfectly.

One An Xinyi after another had died in obscurity, with no one knowing, and no one able to help.

"How terrifying." Satoru Gojo propped up his chin. "I stand by what I said. If that immense love of his became a cursed spirit, even I would probably have trouble exorcising it." For the first time, Satoru Gojo, the strongest, had given someone other than Suguru Geto such high praise.

Masamichi Yaga sighed. "Admirable." And far too heartbreaking.

Fyodor chuckled. "He certainly doesn't need our sympathy. An Xinyi's heart is colder and harder than any of ours."

How could he bear it? How could he turn a blind eye to his former dearest friends, his former greatest loves?

How ridiculous. The Demon lowered his eyes. He actually felt a little unreconciled. Could he really have been shaken?

"This is the path he chose." Ranpo sounded a little dispirited.

Yukichi Fukuzawa stroked Ranpo's head. "This is his greater cause."

Ayatsuji Yukito pressed his lips tight, his reddish-brown eyes flickering behind his lenses.

After watching the fireworks, the two wandered around the summer festival. An Xinyi lived up to his claim of being good at everything: before long, his hands were full of prizes he'd won, and he was still thoroughly enjoying himself. Even Ayatsuji Yukito had been forced to carry a few things.

Only when Ayatsuji Yukito finally reached the end of his patience and urged him on did An Xinyi reluctantly end his unbeaten gaming campaign and prepare to leave, sent off enthusiastically by the stall owners.

But there were simply too many people. Amid the crush, an elderly man over seventy lost his footing and nearly fell.

"Are you all right?" An Xinyi steadied the old man and led him somewhere clear of the crowd. "You didn't hurt yourself anywhere, did you?"

The old man shook his head. "Thank you, young man." Without An Xinyi, he really might have fallen.

"There you are, dear." An elderly woman walked over with a cane.

After learning what had happened, both of them apologized to An Xinyi and Ayatsuji Yukito. Following a brief exchange of pleasantries, they left, supporting each other.

A single glance or expression was all they needed to understand each other. Even after so many years, the atmosphere between them remained warm and natural. They had supported each other through most of their lives, and they would walk through the rest together, too.

"How lovely. I like the way they are together," An Xinyi said wistfully. "Having someone who still stays beside you and understands you when you're old really is a fortunate thing."

Before Ayatsuji Yukito could answer, he grinned again. "I wonder if you'll become an old grandpa with a face full of wrinkles, trembling with every step, Yukito?"

You're getting awfully full of yourself. Ayatsuji Yukito sneered. "By the time you're old, all your teeth will probably have fallen out, and you won't be able to say things that make people want to punch you." Everyone gets old. When that time came, he would definitely laugh at him.

"...Sorry to disappoint you, but you won't get to see that." An Xinyi's smile remained unchanged, but his gaze drifted toward the elderly couple.

Ayatsuji Yukito instinctively frowned. What did that mean? That they wouldn't be seeing each other anymore when they were old, or...

An Xinyi said nothing more.

Because he would never have the chance to grow old.

An Xinyi, who treated himself as expendable, who used himself as a tool, would never live to see that day.

All the clones were created with eighteen-year-old bodies. They could live two or three years at most before their bodily functions deteriorated and their lives reached their end.

Even 143 was no exception. It was a defect written into their genes.

If they threw themselves into research from the moment they were born, perhaps they might overcome it. But no An Xinyi would do that. They wouldn't waste time on their own insignificant selves.

That included 143. He hadn't done so, either.

In the end-

An Xinyi watched the white-haired couple supporting each other, leaning against each other, his gaze gentle.

He had never resented Zero's decision.

Besides, even a lifespan of a mere two or three years couldn't negate the worth of the life he had lived as 143.

Just like the fireworks, brief as it might be, it was still 143's life.