NABC Page 96
Page 96
The girl blinked, and tears slid from her eyes onto her hands, seeping between her fingers.
She lowered her hand, looking lost and forlorn.
For the young girl, her life was simple, incredibly simple.
Talking with friends, attending classes, and then resting—life outside of campus is also leisurely and relaxing. There's no need to think about the future or the burdens of life; you can focus only on your studies and your current life. You don't have to face the confusing and vast world; you can just live your life to the fullest.
In such an environment, a single moment of infatuation is a rare and precious experience for her, an experience that would make her give up many things. Pure and naive emotions may be invaluable, but they can also be deeply hurtful.
她低
She lowered her head, her shoulders trembling, her mind a complete mess. Being so caught up in the moment, she couldn't think about what she could do after leaving this relationship. Sometimes, people who are in extreme situations can't see things objectively, and that's exactly what happened to her right now.
I just feel so stupid. It seems like I've been deluding myself all along. What am I anyway?
Perhaps it means nothing at all.
Thinking this, she stood up, intending to leave.
As she reached the top of the stairs, she suddenly looked up and saw a boy brush past her.
The boy was in a hurry, short and thin, even thinner than Mitsuaki Akuta.
Chapter 50 Jealousy Creates Tragedy
"Mr. Jiangdao, am I acting strangely?"
The boy in front of me sat on the bed with his eyes closed, his tone full of trepidation.
"I always feel like I shouldn't be like this. I should be... a girl, but I can't resist it... I don't even know how to face my own heart. Ms. Jiangdao, what should I do?"
Jiangdao Yizai sat at his desk, wearing rather elegant glasses, and took a deep, helpless breath.
He hesitated for a long time before slowly speaking.
"Don't panic. Actually, this is a very normal thing. There are many people in the world just like you."
“You are not alone. Even after you return to Tokyo, you will still struggle, but at least for now, your teacher can help you face your true self.”
"Change back into your original clothes and go back."
The boy nodded and took off his wig, but before changing back into his clothes, he reached out and grabbed the hem of Ejima Iya's clothes.
"Teacher, would anyone in the world like me like this?"
Ejima Izai returned his gaze with unwavering determination.
"It will happen, Lord Kagami, it will definitely happen."
"Then, that person... could be..."
Looking at the teacher with clear eyes, the boy named Jingshan Guozhen felt a growing, unwarranted hope in his heart, which eventually extinguished into a bitter lack of self-confidence.
So he simply lowered his hand, his eyes flickering.
"……teacher."
"I'll go back right away, teacher."
He called him "teacher" twice. Ejima Iya seemed to understand his linguistic game, but he didn't say anything, only nodded.
With the bed curtains drawn, Jingshan Guozhen transformed from an unknown girl back into a thin and timid boy.
He thanked him softly and went out.
In the corridor, he encountered a girl with tears streaming down her face. The girl stood listlessly at the top of the stairs, carrying a lunchbox in her hand.
Jing Shan Guozhen brushed past her and caught a whiff of her light fragrance.
At the same time, he also heard the girl take a deep breath as he passed by, as if she wanted to firmly remember his scent.
Two months later.
The effects of Kyoyama Kuniyoshi's transvestism, or rather, his gender identity disorder, are becoming increasingly severe. He and Ejima Iya often stroll through the campus late at night, talking to each other. For Kyoyama Kuniyoshi, Ejima Iya is the only person in the world who can understand him, and he can never forget what Ejima Iya said.
He said, “Kyoyama-kun… no, Kyoyama-san, you must remember that your birth is not a curse, but just a little joke of fate. It all depends on how you face it, whether you raise your sword to resist or bow down to fate.”
Kyoyama Kuniyoshi remembered it. He spent several nights watching Ejima Iya's face as he looked up at the moon, engraving those words into his heart, one by one.
Meanwhile, during the day, seeing the increasingly dark circles under Ejima Iya's eyes, Mitsuaki Akuhachi gritted his teeth and etched his hatred for Kagami Kunisada into his heart.
Ejima Iya's gentleness brought forth feelings that slowly bred into disaster.
These disasters erupted after Jing Shan Guozhen discovered a secret passage.
In the deserted carport, Jingshan Guozhen discovered a long-neglected entrance. On a quiet night, he went inside with a flashlight and discovered the underground air-raid shelter.
One day, Kyoyama Kuniyoshi told Ejima Iya this secret. Ejima Iya didn't seem to care and just smiled.
As the search deepened, Jingshan Guozhen discovered many valuable wartime supplies underground, and the place appeared to be abandoned... This gave Jingshan Guozhen some malicious thoughts.
In order to "become a woman," Kyoyama Kunisada needed a lot of money, so he decided to keep this place a secret. The other accomplice in this secret was, of course, Ejima Iya, who knew everything about him.
Both Kyoyama Kuniyoshi and Mitsuaki Akuhachi had a stubborn and reckless personality. Finally, one day, Kyoyama Kuniyoshi invited Ejima Iya to the underground and told him everything.
That night, the two did not go home.
That night, someone saw Mitsuaki Akutagawa walking silently around the school with red eyes, wandering around all night.
Afterwards, Kyoyama Kuniyoshi seemed to notice something unusual in the underground passage, but he was so engrossed in his relationship with Ejima Iya that he didn't pay any attention to it.
Finally, on that night twelve years ago, Kyoyama Kuniyoshi and Ejima Iya had a secret rendezvous underground. During their passionate encounter, a fragrance wafted through the endless darkness.
The "girl" Kyoyama Kunisada, who was bowing her head to Ejima Iya's neck, saw a spark in the darkness—the light from a kitchen knife striking an iron wall.
He also smelled that unforgettable fragrance, the scent of Mitsuzaki Sakuraya.
“Teacher Jiangdao…” she whispered, as if calling out to her lover.
"Teacher Jiangdao!" Kageyama Kunisada's voice was filled with terror: "Quick, run..."
The two souls had forgotten what happened after that, only remembering that Ejima Iya seemed to have escaped from here, while Kyoyama Kunisada and Mitsuaki Akuhachi became spirits trapped underground forever.
Two people who are so deeply immersed in their emotions that they can't extricate themselves, both of them are at fault, yet it seems that both of them have been punished.
After recounting all of this, the identity of the female ghost becomes clear, or rather, she shouldn't be called a female ghost anymore.
The vengeful spirit filled with resentment is none other than Mitsuaki Kakuhachi from twelve years ago.
After hearing this tragic story, Dou Tang sighed.
Mitsuaki Akuta's terrifying red eyes stared intently at Kagami Kuniyoshi.
"You bastard, you've ruined Professor Jiangdao's life! Do you even know he's in poor health...? He stays up all night with you every day, do you know you'll cause him to lose his job? You don't understand anything at all..."
Jing Shan Guozhen gritted his teeth and said, "Then what do you know about him? You can't even enjoy his gentleness. Does that mean that being with him won't harm him? If the teacher-student relationship is exposed, he'll still be fired. We kept the secret, as long as... as long as I graduate and sell everything here..."
These two vengeful spirits, entangled for twelve years, are still blaming each other and living in the tragedy of twelve years ago.
Dou Tang shook his head and said sternly, "Shut up, all of you!"
After he finished speaking, a surge of resentment, like a tidal wave, emanated from his body, pinning the two vengeful spirits to the ground, rendering them unable to move. Dou Tang closed his eyes and suppressed his emotions for a long time, clearing away the chaos in his heart before speaking.
"So, Ejima Izai ran away back then, right?"
Hikaru Mitsuaki was pinned to the ground and whispered, "Yes, that's right, I... I could never hurt Professor Ejima..."
“You’re talking nonsense. You slashed the teacher several times back then. You’re a madman…” Jingshan Guozhen continued.
Dou Tang sighed: "Alright, stop arguing... I'll tell you the truth."
“Ejima Izai is dead, and has become a vengeful spirit just like you.”
Looking at the two suddenly stunned spirits on the ground, Dou Tang continued, "His body was dismantled, broken into pieces of white bones, and buried in the walls of the new campus, scattered all around."
"They cannot be saved, cannot be reborn in the Pure Land, cannot be liberated, and may even forget everything from their previous life, only remembering their own name."
After he finished speaking, darkness returned to silence, with only the blue light in his eyes trembling slowly.
The two vengeful spirits on the ground lay there motionless, stunned.
Chapter 51 Concealment
For Mitsuaki Akuhachi, Ejima Iya was a gentle person. It's not surprising that Mitsuaki Akuhachi was deeply fascinated by his mature and gentle nature, which seemed to encompass everything.
For Kyoyama Kuniyoshi, Ejima Iya was the only person in the world who could understand and accept him, and the person he wanted to dedicate everything to.
Mitsuaki Kakuro's infatuation turned into burning jealousy and hatred.
Jingshan Guozhen's dedication turned into a distorted form of self-possession.
Dou Tang lamented more than once that most vengeful spirits linger in the world not only with unfulfilled wishes, but also with unresolved hatred.
But neither of the two vengeful spirits in front of them had any intention of harming Ejima Iya, so there must be something else going on with Ejima Iya's death.
The two vengeful spirits collapsed to the ground, sobbing and making almost identical sounds.
“Twelve years,” Dou Tang said. “You’ve been entangled here for twelve years, while Jiangdao Yizai has been wandering outside for twelve years.”
His voice seemed to come from the abyss, and everything around him was slowly and steadily twisting. The ground shimmered with mottled, colorful light, the air brightened, and the smell of dampness and dust turned into the sweet scent of candy.
Looking down at the two vengeful spirits, the entire underground world was being molded into a dreamlike illusion because of Dou Tang's mood. Bright light appeared, and candy was spread layer upon layer on the walls. Dou Tang reached out his hand to the two of them.
“If you agree to put aside your hatred for each other, then I will allow you to accompany me to investigate the truth behind the death of Ejima Izai, whom you care about.”
"If you refuse, then please disappear from here."
The two vengeful spirits looked around and found that only the area where Dou Tang was located was filled with dazzling light. Centered on Dou Tang, the underground passage within a dozen meters had transformed into a sweet world of jelly beans. Looking further into the distance, there was only unchanging deep darkness.
Dou Tang, standing at the center of the light, was like the only lantern illuminating this dark world.
The vengeful spirit's silence didn't last long; soon, a response came.
Dou Tang looked down at them and nodded slightly.
………………
Lu Zizhen carried the unconscious woman through the campus. At the gate, she saw Shinzen Ringo rushing into the school, followed by a man covered in sweat.
Seeing Ryūzō, Kōzen Ringo was a little puzzled, but quickly rushed forward.
Lu Zizhen allowed Jinqian Ringo to take the woman from her arms. Jinqian Ringo felt around on the unconscious woman, breathed a sigh of relief, and turned to look at the man:
Thankfully, I was just startled; I wasn't injured.
The man quickly took the woman and knelt on the ground with her in his arms.
Ringo Shinzen looked at Michiko Sada, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Th-thank you... May I ask who you are?"
“This is not the place to talk. Tell him not to call the police. Let’s go to the back and talk.”
After Lu Zizhen finished speaking, she walked towards the teaching building without looking back.
Ringo Shinzen followed.
The two arrived at the teaching building, away from the couple, and Lu Zizhen then said, "Your name is Shinzen Ringo, right?"
Ringo didn't recognize the person in front of her as the photographer wearing a mask that night, assuming she was also an exorcist. She nodded and said, "I am... but why do you know me? Who are you?"
“I not only know you, but I also know…some old stories about Yiyan Private Academy.”
Lu Zizhen turned around, raised one eyebrow, and said with a hint of mystery in her voice: "Your father used someone to seal something away in Yiyan Private Academy, so the Shenqian family needs to go to the school for inspections regularly."
"At the same time, you are always on guard against everything here. I think your contact with that man and woman must have been because your father said something to you, right?"
She wagged one finger: "For example, things like, 'There are some unknown threats in this school, and you have to protect everyone who comes to this school. This is the justice of exorcists.' I can tell at a glance that you are the kind of person who would believe such rhetoric."
Ringo Shinzen seemed confused by what Michiko Sadako was saying, blinking incredulously and asking, "Wh-what?"
“I’ve made myself very clear,” Lu Zizhen said. “Regarding Yiyan Private Academy, although I don’t know what you’re hiding, those matters are undoubtedly related to your family.”
"I want that information. If you know anything, please tell me."
Ringo Kami's expression was uncertain, but she still said, "I...I don't know what you're talking about. Besides, if something really happened to the Kami family, it's not something I could know. Similarly, I wouldn't tell a stranger whose name I don't even know."
"My name is Lu Zizhen." Lu Zizhen introduced herself without hesitation: "I am an exorcist. If you have really been in contact with the circle of exorcists in Tokyo, then you should know me."
"Roar--"
From the distant underground, a twisted and long roar came faintly, yet it was captivating and unsettling.
Ringo Shinzen was startled and asked, "What was that sound just now?"
Lu Zizhen glanced back indifferently and said, "Oh, it's nothing. My friend is just exorcising vengeful spirits underground."
"What?" Upon hearing this, Ringo Shinzen wanted to investigate, but was stopped by Michiko Sadaharu.
Lu Zizhen raised a hand to block her and shook her head, saying, "Little God, don't worry about my friend, you should worry about yourself."