Rumble!! Whoosh!!
An hour had passed since Sato and the others left. The thunderstorm continued, vast banks of black clouds resembling a million lions, as though they would swallow everything in the world.
In the inner world, over the chessboard.
Tap, tap!!
Igarashi Amaha propped his chin on one hand and tapped the chessboard with the other, signaling his opponent to hurry up.
"Damn it..." The shadow's eyes were bloodshot as he stared fixedly at his shattered position, trying to find a sliver of hope within it.
Igarashi Amaha scoffed at the anxious shadow and teased, "I thought you were supposed to be impressive. All that grand talk, and this is all you've got?"
"How is this possible!? I clearly studied every aspect of your approach to chess! Why, why!? This isn't your level of skill! Damn it, what the hell is going on with you!!??" the shadow roared in disbelief. He had been with He Liangchuan for decades, yet he had never even heard of an approach to chess like this. It was as though he had become a different person.
Igarashi Amaha raised an eyebrow in boredom. "You've been with me for so many years, you must have figured out every move I make. But have you ever considered one thing? In all my past matches, I never once went all out," he said playfully, rubbing his chin with his fingers.
Hearing this, the shadow laughed in fury. "H-how is that possible!? Those people were geniuses selected from tens of thousands, no matter how you look at it! How could they not even force you to go all out? Stop bluffing. I won't believe your bullshit."
"My, my. Suit yourself. If those few sorry excuses could count as geniuses..." Igarashi Amaha paused, then flashed a handsome smile. "Then, sorry, but being a genius is merely the threshold for facing me."
The shadow froze on the spot. Looking at his hopeless position, he struggled to tug up the corners of his mouth into an exceptionally ugly smile. "I see. So that's how it is. He Liangchuan... no, Igarashi Amaha. I truly can't believe someone like you actually got married in your previous life. A man who could deceive even his own shadow. Hahahaha! Absurd. Truly absurd."
Click! "Sorry. Checkmate."
The match was over!
Igarashi Amaha won!!
"So close. Just a little more, and this body would have been yours. What a shame. Tsk, tsk." Igarashi Amaha shook his head regretfully.
"Heh. Are you mocking me?"
"No, I'm merely stating the facts. But your reaction really surprised me," Igarashi Amaha said with a smile.
Watching his body grow dimmer and dimmer, the shadow shook his head as though he had made peace with it. "Should I be making one final counterattack with bloodshot eyes, only to be pinned down hard by these chains? That would be far too ugly."
"Igarashi Amaha, I'll be waiting for you in hell. Even if you've regained some consciousness, that kind of blow isn't something you can withstand. Hahahaha! Hahahahaha!"
The shadow's voice stopped abruptly, and his body turned to dust and vanished into the air. Suddenly, a violent mental shock swept over him.
Outside, the unconscious Igarashi Amaha abruptly opened his eyes and gasped for breath.
So clear... is this the complete me? My mind has become fully active...
"It hurts!" A wave of intense pain swept over him. Feeling his eyelids grow heavier and heavier, Igarashi Amaha couldn't help cursing inwardly: Goddammit, staying alive is such a fucking struggle. I might really be done for this time.
"Kid, how are you!?" Aoki Akawa hurriedly asked when he saw Igarashi Amaha suddenly open his eyes.
Igarashi Amaha turned his head and saw Aoki Akawa looking at him anxiously, his eyes full of worry. It made him pause, and he used what little strength he had left to tease him. "Hey, hey, hey, seriously? You haven't really started treating me as your little brother, have you? There's no need to be so sad. Hehe."
Aoki Akawa frowned and scolded him. "Stop wasting words. How are you, really? Is it serious? Your breathing seemed fairly steady while you were unconscious. Why is it getting weaker and weaker now that you're awake?"
Igarashi Amaha shook his head with a wry smile at that, murmuring inwardly: That must have been the shadow's doing just now, so he could quickly heal the wounds after taking over my body. How thoughtful of him.
"I can still barely manage a few breaths right now. Without a cursed spirit, those might be my last," Igarashi Amaha said.
Aoki Akawa fell silent at that and said nothing more.
Igarashi Amaha was momentarily taken aback by Aoki Akawa's silence, then involuntarily sighed. He closed his eyes, his heart bleak. I finally got to experience something like rebirth. I finally reclaimed the part of my mind I'd lost so long ago. I finally had a chance to truly live however I wanted, and now I have to wait to die in this dark basement. What a melodramatic mess. In the few years since my rebirth, I've either been beaten up or tormented. I'm going to die before the good part even starts. What an utterly... shitty fate!
Clatter!
The sound of dragging chains rang out. Igarashi Amaha weakly opened his eyes and looked over.
It was Aoki Akawa. Dragging chains thicker than his arms, he slowly walked toward him.
"Kid, even without a cursed spirit, there's still one way to keep you alive," Aoki Akawa said, clenching his fists tightly.
Igarashi Amaha sighed helplessly, closed his eyes, and said weakly, "Kill you, then eat you. Right?"
Aoki Akawa paused, a bitter smile appearing on his face. "So you already thought of that. Then why didn't you do it?"
"Tch. Of course I thought of it. But all I can do now is run my mouth."
"At most, we're just cellmates who get along pretty well. I'd be more than happy to kill you in exchange for my own life. Don't look at me through such a thick little-brother filter. I'm not going to act out some brothers-in-suffering drama with you. After all, I'm no saint, nor am I the obedient little brother you remember. Hahaha."
Igarashi Amaha gave a couple of dry laughs, then used all his strength to adjust his sitting position, seemingly intending to find a comfortable position to die in.
"That mouth of yours really doesn't spare anyone's feelings. We've lived here together for so long, at least," Aoki Akawa said.
"If you have something to say, say it. Otherwise, leave. I'm in no mood to waste my attention chatting with you. Can't you let me die in peace? Every minute, every second, this intense pain is stabbing at my nerves. I really don't have the strength to talk to you anymore," Igarashi Amaha said in a low voice.
Aoki Akawa shook his head with a smile, then made a startling statement. "What if I said I was willing to give everything I have in exchange for your life?"
Please give whatever support you can. I'd be endlessly grateful.