When Yumemi's mother was punched, Erika was looking at Yumemi's expression.
If she had stayed calm, Erika might have just left her alone.
After all, Yumemi's mother had lied to frame Erika.
While Yumemi was serving as the core of the Kaigyo, she probably learned about this from Erika's remarks and harbored anger toward her.
She deserved to be punched.
However, Yumemi had only recently joined Erika's party.
She didn't know her own strength.
A body lighter than she imagined.
A punch sharper than she thought.
And the sickening crunch of something being crushed.
Yumemi surely hadn't intended to resort to a violent measure like instantly murdering her parents; she probably thought she'd just hit her once and then they could talk.
But the reality was that the mother in front of her had her face caved in, struck the back of her head hard against the wall, and collapsed with her eyes rolled back.
—Oh no, I went too far.
She must have thought that.
Honestly, it was an extremely satisfying sight for Erika—but setting that aside, Yumemi was in trouble.
Erika immediately rushed over to Yumemi's mother, placed a hand on her head, and used Healing at point-blank range to minimize any light leaking out.
Then, she laid her down on the floor.
"It looks like she doesn't have any injuries; she just fainted."
Erika was an amateur, but saying it with absolute confidence gave it a certain degree of persuasiveness.
The tense atmosphere relaxed slightly.
"I see..."
"What do you mean, 'I see'?! You, what did you do to your mother!"
Yumemi's father lunged at her.
But Erika stepped between them and smiled at him.
"Anyone would be surprised if they suddenly got slapped. Especially by a parent who was happy to let her own daughter be kidnapped by the Kaisei kyou, right? If anything, I think Yumemi chan should have been the one to launch a preemptive strike."
The Kaisei kyou—hearing that word caused a stir among the surrounding people.
Erika had simply stated a fact.
But that fact was extremely inconvenient for him.
Yumemi's father awkwardly looked down—and then, a nurse rushed over.
She asked Yumemi:
"What happened?!"
"A family argument, ma'am."
Yumemi answered awkwardly.
The nurse muttered, "We're busy enough as it is..." in a low voice and brought over a stretcher.
The mother was carried away, and the father chased after her.
He yelled at Yumemi, "You come too!"
Yumemi bit her lip.
Then, Erika grabbed her hand, looked straight into her eyes, and declared:
"I will become Yumemi chan's family."
She had intended to protect her.
Yumemi had wanted to become that kind of existence for Erika.
Becoming the core of the Kaigyo wasn't what she wanted, but as long as Erika survived, at the very least—with that thought in mind, she had even used the lives of others as fuel for her revenge.
But before she knew it, Erika's hands had grown so much larger—
"No matter what happens, I'll never leave you alone, Yumemi chan."
Dissatisfaction? A mismatch of interpretations?
No, she didn't feel a shred of that.
Rather, she was drawn to her even more strongly, more and more.
Perhaps in that moment, Yumemi felt tied to Erika by a bond even stronger than the Earth's gravity.
"So, there's nothing to be afraid of."
To be honest, she had been anxious.
Yumemi hadn't known her parents were Kaisei kyou believers.
She only learned of it after being kidnapped, and she only learned that the harm had extended to Erika after becoming the core.
In other words, since her "perception" changed, this was the first time she had actually seen her parents face-to-face.
Hypothetically, if her parents had shown her the faces of kind parents back then—Yumemi might have hesitated.
But that didn't happen.
Without even wearing a mask, her mother laid bare her desires and the anger stemming from them, and unleashed unreasonable violence upon her.
It was the final confirmation.
In that instant, she had confessed, 'We are believers of the Kaisei kyou, and we used our only daughter as a tool for our faith.'
That's why Yumemi reflexively struck back.
Anger.
Sadness.
Or perhaps it was even revenge.
Of course, it was her first time using violence against her parents.
Because Yumemi was such a good girl that she would never even conceive of such an idea, and her parents had always been kind.
But after actually punching her, she despaired at herself for not feeling any guilt, recognizing it as a natural outcome.
Her family had suddenly become strangers.
That terrifying feeling.
Put simply, it was just a "confirmation of answers," and it wasn't as if reality had rewritten itself right then and there in that instant—even so, she felt a sensation like being suspended in mid-air and falling into darkness.
Perhaps, if Erika hadn't grabbed her hand, she would have fallen even further down by now.
"...Hehe, you've changed, Erika chan."
"You think so?"
"You've become strong. Or rather, you've become cool."
Saying she fell in love with her again—would be weird.
Because she loved her to begin with.
Perhaps she should say she fell more in love with her.
"Even though I already love you so much, Erika chan, I have a feeling I'm going to love you more and more from now on."
Then Yumemi naturally leaned closer to Erika and their lips touched.
There was no plan.
Instinctively, because she loved her so much, she just wanted to do it.
A soft, gentle sensation.
Even though it was just a part of their bodies touching, her chest felt warm, her whole body felt light, and she was enveloped in happiness.
The fear of loneliness was easily erased.
"Well then, I'm going."
"Y-Yeah... Do your best! I'll be waiting for you to come back."
This is the place Yumemi chan returns to—Erika's bold statement made Yumemi's heart race.
When I get back, let's share a sweet kiss, just the two of us this time.
Deciding that in her heart, she chased after her parents.
Erika saw Yumemi off, her cheeks blushing red.
And as the waving girl turned her back, Erika touched her lips with her fingertips.
"I'm reserving the third kiss."
Gii whispered softly into Erika's ear.
"Hya?! Th-Third...?"
"Gishishi. I'll yield up to the second one."
Saying that, she smoothly backed away.
Right after that, someone grabbed Erika's hand.
"Erika, come here!"
"Whoa?! Rea, what is it suddenly?!"
It was truly a hectic moment.
Pulled by Rea by the arm, Erika was brought in front of her father, Reiji.
Aren't these things supposed to be done more systematically?—Erika felt even more nervous than when facing the Kaigyo's fang.
Right there,
"Let me introduce you. This is my lifesaver and my lover. Kuragane Erika san."
Rea dropped another bombshell.
Well, yes, Erika had also steeled her resolve.
She had, but greeting a parent requires mental preparation, and more importantly, Erika, who had zero experience dating anyone to begin with, couldn't possibly handle such a situation properly.
"H-Hello..."
She shrank back, bowing her head while stammering.
Meanwhile, Reiji, who was suddenly introduced to a lover, was also bewildered.
"...A girl, I see."
"Well, yes."
"Dad, the important thing is how we feel. And as I told you earlier—"
"Yes, I understand. It seems my ex-wife, Aiko... caused you a lot of trouble."
Apparently, Erika had already conveyed Ooki's fate to him.
The air suddenly grew heavy.
But compared to the floating atmosphere from a moment ago, it was more familiar to Erika, so her tension eased slightly.
"That was... because I wanted to take revenge on Ooki... san."
"You don't need to be considerate. She is a criminal, after all."
Reiji said, biting down his words as if telling himself.
He knew it too.
Around the time they divorced, Ooki was already so deeply involved with the Kaisei kyou that normal conversation was impossible.
Even so, she was the woman he had loved enough to marry and build a family with.
He tried to interpret things positively, trying to find a way to understand her words and actions.
But—it was all a meaningless effort.
She had probably crossed the point of no return a long, long time ago.
"I have to accept that too."
"...Then I will do the same. Wanting to take revenge on Ooki was based on my personal feelings. I didn't do it for Rea's sake."
"But I heard you supported Rea."
"I just did it because I wanted to."
It wasn't as if she thought about separating Rea from Ooki to take revenge.
To begin with, when she met Rea and was drawn to her, Erika didn't know she was Ooki's daughter.
Hearing her answer, Reiji relaxed his cheeks.
"Heh, you speak quite straightforwardly."
"My life has been full of nothing but terrible things, but—I want to puff out my chest about the things I can be proud of."
"Pride, I suppose."
"Yes. A wonderful girl like Rea relies on me. I consider that fact to be my proof."
"I'm happy to hear that you care for Rea that much."
That was his honest feeling.
The circumstances of their meeting were unusual, but there was no stagnation in the feelings Erika directed toward Rea.
"I'm sorry, it seems I'll need a little time to sort things out in my head. But from our conversation just now, I think you're someone I can entrust Rea to."
Setting aside their current exchange, the fact that Erika was Rea's lifesaver was an undeniable truth.
On that point alone, Reiji felt an indescribable debt of gratitude toward Erika.
"Please continue to get along well with Rea."
At Reiji's words, Erika and Rea looked at each other and smiled.
Then, Erika bowed her head to him.
"Thank you very much!"
Rea threw her arms around her.
"We did it, Erika."
"Yeah, although I was surprised to be introduced so suddenly."
"Sorry, sorry, I was just so happy and elated to see my dad... anyway, I was just filled with the desire to show you off to my dad."
In short, it meant she was someone worth bragging about that much.
Receiving Rea's sparkling affection, Erika's cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Just then, Rea suddenly whispered into Erika's ear.
"Actually, it might be better to tell him about the other two lovers after things have settled down a bit."
Erika's expression stiffened.
"Um, is there really a need to tell him...?"
"Wouldn't it be more troublesome if he found out by accident later?"
"That's true, but..."
Even if he accepted their relationship, she didn't have the confidence he'd accept that much.
Looking suspiciously with an "Hm?" at his daughter and her lover whispering to each other, Reiji caught Erika's eye.
Erika could only force a wry smile and say, "Ahaha..."
◆◆◆
Perhaps disliking the commotion, the Hiyami couple left the hallway where Erika and the others were.
The place they headed to, bringing Ruka along, was a reception room in the hospital.
"I don't dislike that kind of liveliness either, though."
Ruka suddenly said just before entering the room.
Gosei replied expressionlessly.
"There are probably things that would be bad if overheard."
"So you intend to have that kind of conversation."
"Manami and I hiding ourselves was also to protect our lives. It's not something to carelessly let others hear."
"Then why did you come to this hospital, even risking being surrounded by the media? You, of all people, should have been the happiest that I was caught up in the Giraiguu summoning ritual."
"It's rare for you to be sarcastic."
"Because I thought there was no need to hold back. Besides, you should know that this is a situation where I'd want to make at least one sarcastic remark."
"That's true... Let's talk calmly inside."
"I also want to have a serious talk. But let me enter the room first. Father and Mother, don't come in until I say it's okay."
Saying that, Ruka stepped forward.
Grasping the doorknob, she turned it cautiously, as if checking something.
"Ruka chan, what does this mean?"
Ignoring her mother's puzzled face, Ruka opened the door with a serious expression and peered inside.
After observing the room, she crouched down, checked under the table, muttered "Gyges," and summoned her weapon.
"What in the world is that—!"
Reactions to her surprised parents would have to wait.
Extending the arm equipped with Gyges, she removed something stuck to the underside of the table.
Then, she showed it to Gosei.
"See, just as I expected."
When she squeezed it tightly, the bomb exploded with a poof! inside her fist.
"So it was planted."
"Are the hospital staff targeting our lives?"
"There are people within the Kaisei kyou who want to kill you two as well. I think it would be difficult to identify the culprit."
Ruka entered the room once again.
Her parents followed, and the three of them sat on the sofas, facing each other across the table.
"By the way, that arm is—"
Putting away Gyges, which had become a hindrance, Ruka answered.
"I won't say that I was given a fraction of Giraiguu sama's power—or anything like that."
"...I see."
Gosei seemed a little disappointed.
That's exactly why Ruka rejected it.
"I'll say this clearly: this is absolutely not Giraiguu's power. It's a treasure given to me by Marin."
"But doesn't it prove the existence of God?"
"God... huh. I wonder about that. Should that thing even be called a God?"
"The Giraiguu sama summoning ritual succeeded, didn't it? That's why such a thing appeared, isn't it?"
"Ruka chan, you encountered an entity equal to God, didn't you?"
What the two of them were saying wasn't wrong.
However, she didn't want to do anything that would satisfy their expectations.
"God, or rituals. Even though your daughter's arm has become like this, that's the first thing you care about, huh."
"Even if we don't worry about your well-being, you are alive right here, Ruka. But even though the academy returned to this world, Giraiguu sama did not manifest. We merely prioritized what had vanished."
"That's right, I am worried about you, Ruka chan. Just as much as Giraiguu sama."
"I am loved, but I will never be the priority. To you, Father and Mother, your daughter is an existence equal to Giraiguu."
Ruka intentionally sulked in an exaggerated manner.
"Are you dissatisfied?"
"It's not exactly that. I am grateful that you raised me as myself, and I know you loved me as parents. But—there's a loneliness that I wouldn't notice unless I paid attention to it."
However, Ruka's feelings were by no means an act.
It was something she had felt to some extent somewhere in her heart.
She was loved.
But she wasn't the number one existence.
Because right beside her, the entity known as Giraiguu, which didn't even have a physical form, was always standing side-by-side with her.
Sensing their daughter's loneliness, her parents' expressions clouded over.
That only swelled Ruka's dissatisfaction further.
"Yes, that's exactly it, Father. Mother too. As parents, you must feel guilty for making your daughter say such things, right?"
"Yes."
"Even though you possess such common values, when it comes to achieving the Kaisei kyou's dearest wish, you prioritize Giraiguu over your daughter's life. I'm sure you two have clear criteria for judgment. Because you're the kind of people who make those things clear. But I couldn't understand it. In the end, right up to the very end."
Ruka spoke as if regretting it.
Manami frowned at those ominous words.
"What do you mean by 'the very end'—"
"Since we have the chance today, let's talk about many things. I think of you, Father and Mother, as wonderful parents. With that in mind, I'm going to pour out all my little doubts."
Ruka didn't answer the question.
Because it was something she had to realize herself.
No, because it was something she absolutely must have already realized.
"Father, what did you think about Mother giving birth to Setaguchi's child?"
Manami looked surprised at Ruka's question.
"Why would you ask such a thing?"
But Gosei answered without being shaken.
"I thought it was a joyous occasion."
"Hey, dear."
"An exceptional child carrying Giraiguu's factor would be born. Exceptional humans are given many choices to become happy."
"Even if they don't share your blood?"
"For a child to be happy—that must be one of the dearest wishes of any parent. If that can be fulfilled, the presence or absence of blood is a trivial matter."
"How should I put this... even though I know I'm loved, why don't I feel any human warmth from this?"
"Ruka chan, what on earth happened inside that school?"
"How was it for you, Mother? Being embraced by Setaguchi."
"Ruka chan!"
"I want you to answer. No—I can read it from the change in your expression. There's no malice. Just that you know it's not something generally accepted by society."
"Because... no matter what, you are my and Gosei san's daughter, Ruka chan."
"How distorted."
"I think we're an ideal family. Because isn't it true, Ruka chan, you were happy. Gosei san and I were happy too."
"Perhaps only in form. But what about the color of the surface? Doesn't it have a muddy marbled pattern?"
"Who did this? What caused you to become like this, Ruka chan?"
"I had doubts from the beginning; I just didn't feel the need to voice them. My state of mind changed—probably around the time I enrolled in the academy."
"Indeed, you stopped enthusiastically participating in activities as a believer like you used to."
"It wasn't that I was particularly enthusiastic. Because if I did that, Father and Mother would be happy. But it's different now; I've found something even more important than that."
A sparkle returned to Ruka's eyes.
And she declared it as if talking about a dream.
"I fell in love."
Just hearing it conveyed how deeply she must have fallen—with a voice that communicated exactly that.
Her parents were surprised at first.
But the next moment, they were smiling.
As if blessing their daughter's love.
"May I ask her name?"
"Kuragane Marin. The woman I have decided to stake my entire life on making happy."
"I see... Congratulations, Ruka."
"Wait, Ruka chan, that girl is certainly—"
"Yes, we are sisters with the same father. But compared to the love I direct toward her, isn't that a trivial matter?"
It was an answer that showed no hint of guilt.
It conveyed the will that she had no intention of stopping, no matter what anyone said.
"However... that's not the kind of story Mother wanted to hear, is it? In short, you want to know what happened inside the academy, and what kind of change it brought about in me. Then I'll briefly explain that too. In a school building where monsters made of rotten humans roamed, many people died. Setaguchi, and Giraiguu too. And in a collapsing world, I saw the ugliness of the organization known as the Kaisei kyou."
It wasn't as if Ruka despised the Kaisei kyou because she saw that.
Because her eyes were always directed toward Marin.
The reason she was conveying the wickedness of the Kaisei kyou to them here was to "confirm" something.
"It wasn't just me. Almost all the survivors witnessed the ugliness of the Kaisei kyou, and several of them genuinely intend to crush the cult."
"Are you saying we will be killed as well? No, perhaps the one who planted the bomb was—"
"She would have killed you both long ago if she intended to. Without resorting to something as roundabout as a bomb, either. The fact that there are others targeting your lives is exactly as we saw when entering this room."
"Which faction do you think is responsible, Ruka?"
"The evil deeds of the Kaisei kyou are being exposed to the world, and it's coming to light that people whose deaths were brushed off as accidents were actually murdered. You know that too, Father."
"Yes, since I'm an involved party."
"The likelihood that those families bear a grudge against you two is high. Also—do you know that a part of the Kaisei kyou betrayed the organization?"
"That's the first I've heard of it. Does that mean the believers targeting our lives are them?"
"They've been instilled with an ideology along the lines of 'If you kill the believers who committed evil deeds, your soul will be purified and you can go to heaven'—so they will probably come to kill you, Father and Mother. I doubt amateurs could get their hands on something like a bomb, so they might be the ones who planted it in this room."
"So the higher the authority, the higher the chance of being targeted. They've come up with a clever logic."
"I think the explosion outside just now was their doing too, but—"
"That's incorrect."
Gosei denied it flatly.
It seemed he knew the reason.
"A report came in. They were conducting an experiment to open the gate, but they rushed it too much, they said."
"The gate?"
"The gate to connect our world with the world where Giraiguu resides."
Ruka also knew that Giraiguu existed in a different dimension.
However, now that it was dead, what meaning could there possibly be in connecting a gate to that place?
"The ritual performed at Hikarinomiya Academy was, so to speak, a procedure to open the gate approached from an occult perspective. Therefore, it required sacrifices and human hatred."
"And the one that caused the explosion was different?"
"That was an experiment approached from a scientific perspective. They analyzed the connection data with the alternate dimension obtained from Hikarinomiya Academy and attempted to artificially open the gate."
"But as I said earlier, we killed Giraiguu. We physically crushed it."
"Giraiguu is nothing more than a symbol. If it's an entity with immense power summoned from 'over there', even a different individual could be called Giraiguu."
Ruka floated a slightly indignant expression.
She had no emotional attachment to Giraiguu, but there was no pride in the idea Gosei spoke of.
It was shallow and superficial.
"Then it's the exact same ideology as Setaguchi. Calling anything God as long as it has power is far too unprincipled."
"However, as long as the Cardinal approves of it, the other believers will likely move accordingly. No, perhaps some will follow the betrayers. Judging from the way you spoke, Ruka, they must be quite the big shot, right?"
"It's the Archbishop."
"That is surprising; Setaguchi, huh. For a devout man like him to end up like that, what kind of 'God' did he witness, I wonder."
Saying that, Gosei directed his gaze toward Ruka's right hand.
Gyges was no longer there, but Ruka understood what her father meant to say.
"Just so you know, it wasn't me."
"I see, I thought that would be interesting in its own way."
"Dear, this is no time to be laughing..."
"I know, Manami. However, to think the day would come when the Archbishop and the Cardinal fight."
"By Cardinal, do you mean someone came to Japan from the headquarters in Europe?"
"It seems they arrived very recently upon hearing the news that the ritual succeeded. We haven't met them yet, either."
"I wonder if that person is rushing them to find a scientific way to open the gate."
"The Kaisei kyou is being reported on the internet and TV every day. With things like this, the time left for the Japanese branch isn't very long. They must be impatient."
"Causing an explosion accident means people must have died; is it an experiment that needs to be forced through even at the cost of losing valuable personnel capable of conducting such advanced experiments?"
"They want a one-shot reversal. They believe that if only God manifests, everything will be resolved."
Even Ruka couldn't help but sigh at that vulgar thinking, unbefitting a secret society.
"Haa... I saw the so-called Blood Sheep too, they were vulgar. It's fine to drown in gambling, but I wish they'd stop dragging ordinary citizens into it pointlessly. I suppose they won't show any consideration for the gate either, right?"
"Most likely."
"Please don't speak as if it's someone else's problem. The Hiyami Group should be building the majority of the Kaisei kyou's facilities; as my father, you should be able to grasp their detailed movements."
"It's not something I can control. It's true that the Hiyami Group is a crucial existence for the Kaisei kyou, but its importance is merely as a source of funding."
However, Gosei must also know that doesn't mean he's unrelated.
Yes, he is unmistakably an involved party.
On the side of the perpetrators, to an undeniable degree.
"Say, Ruka."
"What's with the sudden formality, Father?"
"There is something I must apologize for."
"Father, to me?"
"I will likely be unable to leave the company to you."
Naturally, there was no way the Hiyami Group could survive.
At best, it would be divided by department and absorbed by other companies.
Given the massive number of deaths, even that might be impossible.
Of course, Ruka would also be pointed at behind her back, to no small degree.
"This is an apology as a father. I'm sorry for being a pathetic father, Ruka."
"Wait, Gosei san, it's still too early to give up—"
"You must know it's already too late. Struggling too much in the face of death strips away your dignity."
Gosei admonished Manami, who still refused to give up.
In an attempt to reassure the two of them, Ruka answered proudly.
"I don't mind. Because Father and Mother gave me enough strength to manage on my own."
"I'm relieved to hear that."
He floated a smile of relief.
But that smile looked somewhat lonely.
"Now then, Ruka. If I said I have no regrets—it would be a lie, but talking with you has allowed me to come to terms with it to some extent."
Do you understand?
Yes, I understand.—The exchange up to this point could have been concluded with just those two sentences if it were a straightforward conversation.
However, wanting to continue the conversation between parent and child even a little longer, or perhaps...
A heart that still couldn't fully accept it remained, or perhaps...
Such human-like, feeble emotions prolonged the conversation, almost as if trying to hold them back.
But, even that was over now.
In the end, there was no way Gosei and Manami, crucial funding sources for the Kaisei kyou and high-ranking executives themselves, could escape.
They were the ones giving orders to hitmen like Renjo.
Even if they hadn't dirtied their hands directly, they had killed several—no, dozens of people.
Even through other methods, they had used the company's power to make many people unhappy.
Such people couldn't simply run away and have that be the end of it; they weren't in a situation where they could meet a lukewarm conclusion.
"What should we do from here?"
Then, what was the last thing they could do?
After thinking about it, Gosei decided to ask his daughter.
While aware of his own patheticness, he thought that bringing the curtain down in the form his daughter desired was the last thing he could do as a parent.
Ruka narrowed her eyes, bit her lip slightly, and showed a faintly pained expression.
If possible, she didn't want to say it either.
Because her parents being safe and living was the best outcome.
However, that path had been closed the moment they became executives of the Kaisei kyou—in other words, before Ruka was even born.
"First, I want you to transfer your authority to other people in the company and give orders to fold the company in a way that minimizes the number of people ending up on the streets."
"Yes, that's a matter of course."
"And then—I want Father and Mother to reveal everything you know about the Kaisei kyou's evil deeds in front of a large crowd. We must stop their breathing as quickly as possible to reduce the victims of their desperate struggles even a little."
That was equivalent to commanding them to "die."
Renjo's family was killed just for investigating the Kaisei kyou; if executives openly disclosed such information where many people could see—Gosei and Manami would undoubtedly be erased using any means necessary.
But they were going to die anyway.
Whether by someone holding a grudge, or by the betrayers within the Kaisei kyou.
Even if both of them failed to kill them, as long as the Hiyami Group existed and the Kaisei kyou's influence didn't vanish, Erika might even kill them.
In any case, surviving, escaping, and having a touching family reunion—such a thing was impossible.
They knew it.
The daughter, the father, the mother, everyone in this room knew it.
"Is there anything else we can do as a family?"
"There is."
The father wished to grant whatever he could within his power.
But, if possible, Ruka hadn't wanted him to ask that.
"There are countless things."
There were countless "things she wanted them to do," and "things they were supposed to do."
There was no end to her desires.
After all, Ruka respected her parents and loved them.
She had even wanted to show her filial piety.
"But because you can't fulfill them, even though this is our last moment, we could only have this kind of tasteless conversation, couldn't we?"
Ruka's eyes seemed to be faintly misting over.
Thinking back, neither Gosei nor Manami had ever seen her cry.
She was a beautiful, calm, intellectual—and strong daughter.
And they were making her shed tears.
"Everyone staying alive is the best thing. But you two should know that's impossible."
Hearing her trembling voice, the two of them thought:
"So at the very least, I want you to die in a way that allows me to proudly say, 'I loved my parents very much.'"
What pathetic parents we are, they thought.
Gosei nodded deeply, saying, "Yes, I understand."
And together with his wife, he gently embraced his daughter.
◆◆◆
Leaving Ruka in the reception room, the Hiyami couple exited the room.
They could have just gone outside, but they intentionally took a detour to pass through the hallway in front of the examination room.
Perhaps because time had passed since the Ikuna family left, the atmosphere there had calmed down considerably.
Erika was talking with Rea's father—while Marin, without exchanging words with her parents nearby, stared intently at Erika and the others.
However, noticing the approaching footsteps, she turned her gaze toward them.
When their eyes met, Gosei floated a gentle smile.
"You are Kuragane Marin san, aren't you."
"Ruka's parents..."
He placed a hand lightly on Marin's shoulder and said one sentence—
"Please live happily with my daughter."
Saying that, he walked away with his wife.
Marin, who didn't know the circumstances—realizing they had just finished talking with Ruka, declared to their retreating backs:
"We absolutely will! If it's the two of us, Ruka and I, absolutely!"
It wasn't a plan or an imagination.
It was a conviction.
Hearing those reliable words, Gosei floated a satisfied expression.
"Looking at that, it seems I can safely entrust Ruka to her."
They descended the stairs and walked alone together in a deserted place.
Intentionally not using the elevator.
As if begrudging the little time they had left.
"There really is no other path anymore, is there."
"To find an escape route, the Kaisei kyou has killed far too many people."
"If we had just stayed hidden like that—"
"That was also only a matter of time. Besides, we can't have a calm conversation with you if we're just fleeing in fear."
Gosei himself thought that hiding was cowardly.
But Manami had continued to hope even so.
She insisted that their physical safety should be prioritized above all else, and that she wanted to continue running away like this.
But the expression of the person saying that was already beginning to break down from exhaustion and fear.
Both her mind and body would reach their limits in the not-so-distant future.
When that happened, she would probably choose to die by her own hand.
Rather than being killed by someone else.
Because they had been together for so many years, Gosei knew that.
He didn't want a sad ending like a double suicide without even seeing their daughter, nor did he want her to experience that.
Thinking that, Gosei forcibly pulled Manami's hand, left their hideout, and decided to come out into the open.
"Shall we have a nice long talk over dinner tonight? About everything up until now."
"Yes, let's do that. Come to think of it, we rarely ever looked back on the past amidst our busy days."
That was why Ruka asked, 'Why did you come out into the open?'
If they ran, they might as well have kept running until the very end.
Since they knew they were going to die anyway.
From the perspective of the daughter left behind, it was a natural anger.
But Gosei thought this was fine.
At least to the extent that he could self-praise, thinking that considering the magnitude of the sins they committed, they managed to have a decent ending.
The moment the two of them stepped out of the hospital, the press surrounded them.
"Is it true that you provided funding to the Kaisei kyou?!"
"It's being said that the explosion incident that occurred earlier happened at an affiliated facility of the Hiyami Group, any comments?!"
Even Gosei had no intention of telling everything here.
Having the hospital staff clear a path for him, he moved forward.
Still, the reporters' aggressive offensive continued fiercely.
"There are rumors that you are also involved in the serial murders in Hikarinomiya City!"
"Please answer, are you running away?!"
"It has been revealed that the suicide by jumping that occurred last year is highly likely a murder case, but—"
He would finish his talks with the company today, and hold a press conference tomorrow.
That was Gosei's plan.
It was a very forceful schedule, but if he dragged it out any longer, the possibility of the two of them being erased by the Kaisei kyou would drastically increase.
To grant Ruka's wish, he had to accomplish at least that much—
"Why did she have to be killed!"
Suddenly, Gosei heard a sound of intense hatred mixed within the reporters.
He turned his gaze.
He knew.
The deaths of dozens of people for the sake of the justice known as the Kaisei kyou.
And because he had seen the sorrow of hundreds, thousands of people around them.
Yes, he knew.
That the eyes of that man belonged to someone who had been robbed of what was most precious to them.
"Why did my wife have to die!"
What the man pointed was not a voice recorder, but a gun.
Given its model, it was highly likely stolen from someone associated with the Kaisei kyou.
Now that the organization was collapsing, it might have been leaked.
And—the muzzle was not aimed at Gosei.
Next to him.
He was aiming at Manami.
By the time he noticed, the bullet had already been fired, and she had her head blown off before she even noticed the man's presence.
The echoing gunshot.
His wife collapsing as if wilting.
The scream of someone who noticed rang out, and starting with that, the surrounding people fell into a state of panic.
Some fled at top speed, but some bravely tackled the culprit.
But it seemed the man had no intention of firing anymore.
It was too noisy to hear his voice, but Gosei understood from the movement of his mouth.
'Now, you too'
Know the pain of losing a wife, he meant.
Receiving strong, intense hatred directly, Gosei admonished himself, 'I still lacked awareness.'
Holding Manami, he spoke to her, who no longer moved.
"Taking our time to talk... I was too naive, wasn't I. No wonder Ruka was angry."
The many people whose lives they had taken were surely never given such a grace period.
Similarly, Gosei would not be granted a satisfactory death.
◆◆◆
Leaving his wife's mourning to his subordinates, Gosei resigned from all his executive positions in the company that very day.
Of course, exactly as Ruka had told him, he discussed with his successors how to fold the company in a way that minimized the number of employees ending up on the streets.
Furthermore, the next day, he compiled all the information he possessed on the Kaisei kyou and held a press conference.
He would expose everything—the sins he committed, the darkness of Hikarinomiya City, everything—
During that press conference, an intruder burst in and showered Gosei with numerous bullets, ending his life.
The culprit was reportedly a believer of the Kaisei kyou.
However, because the documents had been sent to various media outlets beforehand, the goal of silencing him was not achieved.
Rather, the shooting incident made it a huge topic, and the danger of the Kaisei kyou spread to even more people.
Ironically, Gosei's death fulfilled Ruka's wish.
◆◆◆
But—that is a matter for "tomorrow".
Ruka, left alone in the reception room, had no way of knowing.
In fact, she still didn't know that her mother had just been killed outside.
But as she leaned back and closed her eyes, the illusion she saw was the figure of her parents meeting a terrible death.
Precisely because she had a sharp mind and could make calm judgments, she knew her parents' future was doomed.
No, perhaps if Ruka had thrown everything away and made the decision to help them escape and protect them, they might have survived.
But the two who survived that way wouldn't be the parents Ruka could respect, and more importantly, they had no intention of letting Marin go.
"Goodbye... Father, Mother."
Tears streamed down Ruka's cheeks.
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