The commission

On the rooftop at night, Bai Mo lay on the cement slab looking at the stars in the sky. He heard the sound of wooden clogs beside him, and Ryougi Shiki, a woman with long hair and wearing a gorgeous Shiki Ryougi, came to his side.

"It seems you have a real talent for directing."

Upon meeting, Shiki Ryougi acted like an old friend, squatting down next to Bai Mo, her long hair brushing against his face in the evening breeze.

"Ultimately, this whole thing started because of you, didn't it?"

Bai Mo brushed aside Shiki Ryougi's long hair, her tone tinged with helplessness. Shiki Ryougi asked with a curious look, "Why did you go to so much trouble? It's such a simple thing."

"Easier said than done. Experiencing something like this isn't just about physical damage; the damage here is the hardest to heal." Bai Mo pointed to his heart. What Fujino Asagami went through couldn't be cured simply by Cellular Regeneration.

"Wouldn't it be better to just take her and kill Keita Minato?" Shiki Ryougi asked curiously.

Bai Mo shook his head and said, "I once borrowed a book from the school's physical education teacher; it was Alexandre Dumas's *The Count of Monte Cristo *. If Fujino had simply killed Keita Minato, he would have only achieved revenge, just like the Count of Monte Cristo in the book. Only by overcoming the hurdle in his heart can he be said to have escaped the sea of revenge."

Anyone who goes through something like this will find it hard to get over it. Fujino Asagami hurdle wasn't simply about killing Keita Minato. Just like the Count of Monte Cristo's choice to forgive Danglars at the end of the novel, by letting go of his enemy, he also let go of himself. In the end, Edmond Dantès completely emerged from the shadow of the Château d'If, stood back in the sunlight, and walked towards a bright future with Haydée.

Therefore, for Fujino at that time, what she needed was not only the blood of her enemies, but also the encouragement of her loved ones and proper guidance. All three were indispensable in order to help her out of that shadow.

This is precisely why Bai Mo woke up Keita Minato at just the right time. After experiencing such a thing, one cannot expect her to completely forgive her enemy. That is the way of a saint, but one cannot demand others to meet the standards of a saint.

Moreover, according to Japan law, Fujino could Keita Minato be sentenced to 12 to 15 years in prison at most, while Fujino would likely be trapped in a long nightmare, with no idea how long it would take to completely escape. Fujino was not protected by law when she was harmed, while Kanade, who should have died with those scumbags Keita Minato, received justice from the law.

Bai Mo completely disagreed with this outcome. Rather than hoping that this scumbag would repent after serving more than ten years in prison, it would be simpler and more direct to simply reduce the number of scumbags in society. Repentance? When Fujino stood in front of him, and all he felt was the desire to escape without a trace of remorse, then the only place for him to repent was Hell.

If Fujino didn't have the Mystic Eyes, she would have been stabbed to death by those scumbags.

Bai Mo explained the reasoning to Shiki Ryougi Shiki Ryougi, who, somewhat intrigued, said, "I see. So the story of the Count of Monte Cristo has such thoughts and feelings. Interesting. Although I know the story very well, I was completely unaware of the emotions it contains."

She clapped her hands with delight and said, "There are so many books in this world, could you read them all to me?"

"You probably wouldn't be able to finish reading it in a lifetime." Bai Mo said helplessly, while Shiki Ryougi belatedly realized and said with some regret, "Yes, this body's lifespan is probably only eighty years."

"Why don't you just go to the library yourself?" Shiki Ryougi said somewhat displeasedly to Bai Mo's words, "I already know that. I want to know how these stories are from your perspective. If I only want this information, I don't need to go to the library at all."

She hugged her knees and muttered, "If you didn't read it to me, it would be meaningless."

"Everyone's understanding is different; only one's own understanding has meaning." Bai Mo didn't intend to spend her whole life reading with her, but her words sounded somewhat incongruous.

Shiki Ryougi's gaze was somewhat downcast. "I remember every single part clearly, so there's no point in watching it a thousand times."

"That's just memorizing from a book, are you a high school student preparing for the college entrance exam?"

"His educational background is indeed high school, but his academic level is probably similar to that of an average elementary school student."

At this point, Shiki Ryougi seemed to realize something belatedly, and said to Bai Mo, "By the way, to you, there's no difference between how you address me and that child Shiki. Although I sometimes know you're talking to me, isn't it easy to get confused if you call me Shiki?"

Bai Mo brushed aside Shiki Ryougi's long hair, which was blowing in the wind across her face, and said, "With hair like that, there's no way you could possibly confuse a Japanese shiki with a shiki."

"No, it might be because of your influence that I've started paying attention to these things. Hmm, I've decided. From now on, 'Shiki' will be my exclusive title. If you see that child, please address her as Shiki Ryougi in full."

Bai Mo, looking defeated, waved his hand and said, "Fine, fine, I'll listen to you."

Shiki Ryougi stood up with some delight and said, "Well then, it's getting late, so I'll take my leave now, Bai Mo."

"Okay, goodbye."

Upon hearing Bai Mo's farewell, Shi's smiling face instantly turned cold.

"Um... goodbye, Shiki."

After hearing this, Shi left satisfied, leaving Bai Mo alone on the rooftop. Just then, a phone call came in.

"Touko? What's up so late?"

On the other end of the phone, Touko's anxious voice came through. "Bai Mo, something's happened! Just Fujino Asagami twisted a passerby's limbs into a pretzel!"

Bai Mo's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "Isn't Shiki Ryougi by her side? How could this happen?"

In the previous case, the client was Fujino Asagami's father. Fujino's previous acts of revenge had deeply aggravated his fragile nerves. To him, if Fujino Asagami out of control, she would be a complete time bomb, so he had to get rid of her.

The job was to protect Fujino Asagami, but the actual requirement was to kill her immediately if Fujino Asagami committed any murder. After what had happened, Touko felt that this job was just a way to make money; Fujino was unlikely to commit another murder. So she asked Ryougi Shiki Ryougi to look after Fujino. She only needed to work for a few days to complete the job. After tidying up at home, Shiki Ryougi went to work with little enthusiasm.

After all, this kind of work requires living with her, so it's naturally unsuitable for Bai Mo and Mikiya, who are both men. As for Caren, Touko said that they are a legitimate company and would not engage in illegal activities such as employing child labor.

On Fujino Asagami's side, Shiki also frowned deeply. Fujino Asagami had only gone out alone to buy two ice creams downstairs, and suddenly went berserk and tore apart the limbs of a homeless man. This was too absurd. Regardless of the internal struggle she had gone through, the most basic appendicitis had been treated by Bai Mo, Fujino had recovered from pain, should not have been able to activate the Mystic Eyes of Distortion.

Just as Shi was struggling with this internal conflict, a voice appeared in her mind.

"What's so strange about this? You and that Bai Mo kid are the strange ones, possessing the power to rule the world, yet you insist on pretending to be just another ordinary person."

The voice of the Giant Shark Heavenly King echoed in Shiki Ryougi's mind, stopping her just as she was about to leave.

"I don't want to listen to some outdated old man spouting his high-sounding principles," Shiki Ryougi. She had to stop Fujino Asagami now; the homeless man was about to leave, and Fujino was already walking towards the convenience store clerk who had just paid for her.

"Hey? There's an old saying: 'Those who don't heed the advice of their elders will suffer the consequences.' What that girl did was the right thing. Having superhuman strength means you can toy with them at will. This strength isn't a curse; it's proof that you are the pinnacle of humanity."

The Giant Shark's roar irritated Shiki Ryougi, yet she couldn't silence it.

"Shiki Ryougi, you should learn from her, learn from her! Use this power to get what others can't get, do what others can't do. That in itself is a kind of 'style.' The so-called trend of progress in the times is about people who possess this kind of power. Shiki Ryougi, think about it, think carefully about how many things you can get with your power that others can't get in a lifetime. Then you will understand the wisdom of this Heavenly King."

The Giant Shark continued its rambling, when Shiki Ryougi landed like a cat in front of Fujino. Fujino's eyes were filled with fear. Shiki Ryougi gritted her teeth and said, "That's enough... Enough is enough!"