Chapter Forty: A Man's Duty (2/2)

The soaring crimson light collided with the torrential rain, finally descending in a state of unwilling defeat. With it, the spirits of Akazawa Izumi fell as well.

"You saw it all, didn't you? That person—the dead one."

Old Snake's voice resonated in Akazawa's ear at the perfect moment.

"I... I saw it..."

Allowing the heavy rain to lash against her face, the light in Akazawa Izumi's eyes gradually faded. She looked at Liu Mengchao in the distance with disbelief before turning away.

"Are you not going to keep watching?" Zhen Qianting's voice was heavy with sorrow. "I wanted to go find Mr. Chibiki Tatsuji to confirm this, but now..."

"Now, Mr. Chibiki is dead." Raindrops pelted Akazawa's body, and the helpless girl began to tremble uncontrollably. The person who had swung that great sword to kill her teacher—was he truly the same person who had saved her earlier today?

It was impossible to accept!

Rainwater mingled with tears as they cascaded down her cheeks, hitting the ground with a crisp patter—much like the girl's heart, shattering into pieces.

As Akazawa Izumi left in sorrow, someone sighed softly inside the library.

"Misaki."

"Mei."

The two identical girls gazed at each other as if looking at themselves in a mirror. They shared the same short hair, the same face, and the same smile on their lips.

"So cute."

Fujioka Misaki smiled, reaching out to touch her sister’s face, only to discover with astonishment that her transparent hand passed right through Misaki Mei's features.

She could no longer touch her sister's face.

Tears welled up in the girl's eyes—the same red eyes as Mei's—without her even noticing. Like a reflection on a lake, Mei’s eyes also filled with tears.

Without thinking, Mei extended her own hand. Her pale fingers bore faint, dark traces of graphite—remnants from her sketching.

Her hand passed through.

Perhaps it was fate. Mei’s hand likewise passed through Fujioka Misaki's face; the younger sister longed to touch the elder's face, and the elder longed to feel the younger's breath.

Like the moment they were born, they had missed each other due to inexplicable reasons. Now, meeting again in this dark room, they realized they could no longer touch one another.

"Pfft."

Mei suddenly laughed.

"Pfft."

In response, Fujioka Misaki, the younger sister, laughed as well. Their smiles were beautiful, yet for reasons unknown, to Liu Mengchao standing outside, they sounded profoundly sorrowful.

"Misaki, you are my other half. We even move in the same way."

"Yes, we do." Fujioka Misaki nodded, smiling, struggling to keep her eyes open just as Mei did, refusing to let the tears fall.

"We think the same things, too. Parting was always inevitable. I had thought I would be bound to this world for eternity," Fujioka Misaki said with a smile, though her eyes remained filled with lingering attachment. "If only I could be reborn as the dead next year and see you again—how wonderful that would be, Mei."

As she spoke, the girl's voice choked. She pressed her lips together tightly, keeping her smile from distorting, just as Mei did.

Sometimes, the younger sister is stronger than the elder, for they both wish for the other to live in peace, or to die in peace.

The two girls were both trying their best to act brave.

"After you leave, I won't remember you." Mei took a deep breath, not wanting her voice to waver with sorrow in these final moments. "I already showed you the drawing. Is it beautiful?"

"It is. I love the sketch you made. An angel with wings will surely help me fly to the heavens. When I am there, I will watch over you. I will become the brightest star and keep looking at you, Mei."

Suddenly, both girls fell silent, at a loss for words. Identical faces, identical heights—everything was the same, even the time of their birth differed by only a second.

Is this what it means for twins to say goodbye?

Liu Mengchao listened to the sudden silence inside the room and sighed softly. He had kept this final ghost, bound by the Class 3-3 curse, specifically for this moment.

To return a human soul to Misaki Mei.

He hoped he hadn't made a mistake. Liu Mengchao shook his head and drew his pistols. The white Ivory and the black Ebony lay in his hands.

"You," Liu Mengchao said to his guns, "are so much like the sisters inside." Yes, so much like them—identical sisters.

At some point, a smile had appeared on Fujioka Misaki's face. It was a genuine smile; the corners of her eyes crinkled as if recalling a happy past. She gently blew at the tears in her eyes, scattering them into the dust.

"Mei, from this moment on, the curse that has entangled Class 3-3 of Yomiyama North Middle School is over," Fujioka Misaki said, closing her eyes. Her red eyes, identical to Mei's, shut slowly, her expression serene as if she were falling asleep. "This year's dead one is the final one. No matter what happens, when the term ends, everything will truly be over."

"Mm..."

Mei nodded slowly, unable to speak. Her emotions were lodged in her throat, keeping her from voicing her longing.

She could only nod, again and again.

"Don't be like me, because I will always be watching you—in the sky, by your side."

"By my side...?"

"Yes." This time it was Fujioka Misaki’s turn, and the smile on her face grew more intense. No, not intense—radiant.

Like the sunlight in winter, it was truly warm when it appeared, a warmth that made one want to smile involuntarily.

"From now on, stop wearing that eye patch." Facing Mei's puzzled gaze, Fujioka Misaki shook her head and reached out her left hand, touching Mei's right eye.

"The color of this right eye is exactly the same as mine, Mei. Live for me, and see this world. You must look at it carefully. The things I loved, the things I longed for, the things I never experienced—there is so much more, so much more. You must remember to see it all. Look with both eyes; you must."

"Mm..." Mei nodded desperately, just like the smiling Fujioka Misaki before her. Her tears had long since breached their banks; the stronger a person is, the more sorrowful they are when they weep.

Tears flowed down Fujioka Misaki's face, gently blown away by a wind called sorrow.

The tears hit the ground without a sound. At the moment of impact, they shattered into countless pieces, turning into golden specks of light that vanished quietly into the night sky.

Looking up at the invisible stars, Fujioka Misaki suddenly smiled. I wonder, under such high stars, will I be able to see you, Mei?

She dared not look. Truly, she dared not.

Mei closed her eyes. She could no longer feel Fujioka Misaki's breath beside her. Her red eyes were squeezed shut, refusing to let another tear escape.

"Then, goodbye. No—don't be in a hurry to come see me. I would be sad, for you are me, Mei. Live for me, see the world I haven't seen, and smile for me."

The tears could no longer be stopped. They formed a stream on Fujioka Misaki's face, flowing like the passage of time, falling to the ground where they vanished in silence.

One last sigh, one last smile.

The winter sun is precious because every time it appears, it brings warmth. Even if it can no longer be seen, if one closes their eyes, the feeling of sunlight brushing against the skin remains.

Mei opened her eyes abruptly. She was gone.

Her twin, her younger sister, her radiance, her sun.

She was gone.

Before her was only empty darkness, save for a faint, lingering glow—the light left behind when Fujioka Misaki vanished.

*Plop.*

Unable to hold herself up, the girl collapsed to the ground. Her tears, unbidden and willful, flowed freely.

*Patter.*

A soft sound—her tears shattered on the floor, releasing the girl's sigh.

At some point, Liu Mengchao had come to stand behind Mei.

"Girls have the right to cry, and men have the duty to make them smile."

Liu Mengchao's voice sounded slowly behind her, and Mei felt her back resting against his.

They did not sit facing each other with the formal courtesy of a couple, but back-to-back, sitting in the darkness of the library.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

A rapid succession of gunshots rang in Mei's ears. Looking in the direction of the sound, silvery starlight suddenly spilled down from the roof.

"Your sister is there, isn't she, Mei?"

Mei looked up at the star-filled sky, nodded, and then smiled. The laughter started low, then grew, until finally, Liu Mengchao could hear the girl behind him giggling.

Before Liu Mengchao could react, he felt someone fall into his arms.

Mei had buried her head against his chest.

Tears and laughter filled the quiet night together.

"Laugh, cry," Liu Mengchao said, gently patting Mei's back with a smile. "I am here. I will always be here."

The laughter gradually faded.

The sound of weeping grew louder.

Mei suddenly felt very warm, very at peace.

The tears could no longer be contained.