"Naraku, don't you think you're ridiculous?" Xu Zhiqiu calmed down and asked him softly.
"Hmm?"
Xu Zhiqiu looked at him, his neck the only part of his body left exposed. She stopped resisting and leaned into him of her own accord.
When the woman's soft body pressed against him, he stiffened briefly above her.
Taking advantage of his momentary daze, Xu Zhiqiu broke free of his hold, slipped both hands through the opening beneath his mask, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Before he could pull her hands away, she removed the mask covering his head.
It revealed the same head as before, with a high ponytail and curled bangs. Unlike the face she had seen earlier, this one bore a trace of viciousness, with red eyes against blue beneath them.
For an instant after Xu Zhiqiu pulled it off, he was angry, but he suppressed it and glared at her darkly.
"Having fun?" Xu Zhiqiu demanded, staring at his face.
Exposed by Xu Zhiqiu, Naraku stopped pretending. He got off her and said coldly, "You can only stay here."
"Naraku." Xu Zhiqiu straightened the wrinkles in her clothes, stood up, and looked at the man with his back to her. "You told Inuyasha that you regretted what happened with Kikyo. You wanted to possess her, to make her obediently accept your affection, but unfortunately, she insisted on taking the Shikon Jewel with her even in death."
As she spoke, she gave a bitter smile herself. Fortunately, she had only felt a little fondness for him and had not fallen too deeply. She continued, "Your connection to Kikyo came from the bandit Onigumo and the Shikon Jewel. As an amalgamation of demons, it's perfectly normal for you to like Kikyo."
Her words stunned him. *So this was what she