In the corridor of the teaching building, Yu Duojiaye, Fujiang, and Jiayezi walked side by side.
As they reached the staircase, Fujiang suddenly spoke.
“Kawakami, go back to the classroom first.”
“Huh?”
Jiayezi looked at Fujiang, who had suddenly stopped and spoken, and at Yu Duojiaye, whose wrist she had grabbed, forcing him to stop as well. A flicker of hesitation crossed her face.
“I-I’ll wait—”
“I told you to go back first!”
Fujiang’s abrupt, angry outburst not only startled Jiayezi but also left Yu Duojiaye confused.
Glancing at Yu Duojiaye and then at Fujiang’s face, twisted with anger, Jiayezi nodded fearfully. She bowed to the two of them and hurried away.
“You didn’t have to yell—”
“What exactly is your relationship with her!”
Thud!
Before Yu Duojiaye could finish, Fujiang grabbed him angrily and shoved him against the wall. The pain in his back made him frown.
Seeing Fujiang’s furious expression, Yu Duojiaye knew it was due to jealousy and quickly tried to explain.
“We’ve only met twice, but she was being bullied. I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing, could I?”
Fujiang sneered at this explanation.
“Ha? Do you think I’d believe that? If you were so righteous, why did you turn a blind eye to all those who were bullied back in middle school?”
“…”
Having grown up together, the two knew each other well enough that this excuse clearly didn’t hold water for Fujiang.
But Yu Duojiaye couldn’t tell her the truth—that after her death, Jiayezi would become an exceptionally terrifying evil spirit, one that might even destroy all of Japan, or even the entire world.
Yu Duojiaye’s silence only made Fujiang more agitated. She grabbed his collar again and shoved him hard against the chest.
“Yu Duojiaye, why did you bring her home? And why did you fight for her?”
Even though Fujiang tried to keep her voice low, the anger and hysteria in it made Yu Duojiaye tremble inwardly.
Seeing the faint redness in her eyes, Yu Duojiaye stared at her for a moment, then took her pale hand and gently lowered it. He let out a heavy sigh.
“Let’s go to the rooftop. I’ll tell you everything.”
Fujiang gave him a deep look, then slowly released her grip and turned abruptly, heading up the stairs to the rooftop.
Yu Duojiaye followed closely behind. The scorching sun, accompanied by a gentle breeze, shone down, and in the corner, trash left by students who had been there still remained.
Fujiang stood with her arms crossed in front of the rooftop fence. After hesitating for a moment, Yu Duojiaye went to stand beside her.
“You can explain now.”
Under Fujiang’s cold gaze, Yu Duojiaye remained silent for a while before speaking softly.
“Haven’t you always wondered why I know so much about your abilities and why I’m unaffected by them?”
“I’m not entirely sure about the second part, but as for the first, I’ll do my best to explain.”
Fujiang turned to him with a frown. “Do your best? What do you mean?”
Yu Duojiaye didn’t dwell on the topic but instead began to reveal his secret.
“To put it simply, I’m a transmigrator with memories of my past life. Everything I knew about you when we first met was based on those past life memories.”
Fujiang was momentarily stunned, thinking what an absurd excuse this was – had he started lying just to avoid explaining things to her?
At this thought, Fujiang began to sneer coldly.
“Fine, since you don’t want to tell me, I’ll…”
But before she could finish, seeing Yu Duojiaye’s serious expression and unwavering gaze that showed no hint of joking, Fujiang suddenly froze.
“You’re really…”
Before Fujiang could collect her thoughts, Yu Duojiaye immediately recited a Chinese dish-naming rap for her right then and there.
Watching Fujiang who was completely bewildered by the dish-naming performance, Yu Duojiaye plopped down beside her.
“Weren’t you curious why I can cook so many Chinese dishes? And why they taste even better than those from Chinatown restaurants? This is the reason.”
Looking down at Yu Duojiaye sitting on the ground, Fujiang – who still hadn’t processed this information – blinked her eyes. Only after a long moment did she sit down on the ground beside Yu Duojiaye.
“Transmigrator? What’s that? Shouldn’t this be called reincarnation?”
Fujiang’s somewhat confused question made Yu Duojiaye pause as well.
“Well… I suppose so?”
He had forgotten that the concept of transmigration didn’t exist in the twentieth century.
In just a few short sentences, Yu Duojiaye had revealed his biggest secret – the very thing Fujiang had been intensely curious about but couldn’t bring herself to ask directly.
“Does your grandma know?”
Yu Duojiaye shook his head, but then hesitated.
“Grandma didn’t know, but… she probably guessed something…”
“Hmm?”
Yu Duojiaye didn’t answer, instead recalling the old woman’s meaningful words before she passed away.
“Since you’ve come to this world, even if you have to continue alone, you must live well…”
Hearing Yu Duojiaye emotionally recite the old woman’s last words, Fujiang felt a pang of heartache and reached out to gently hold his hand.
“You won’t be alone…”
“Mmm”
For a while after, the atmosphere between them was peaceful and serene. The gentle breeze brought a sense of comfort that made Yu Duojiaye feel drowsy.
“So, what exactly is your relationship with Jiayezi!”
“…”
Fujiang’s sudden question made Yu Duojiaye sharply turn his head. Seeing her serious, determined expression that suggested she wouldn’t rest until she got an answer, Yu Duojiaye felt a knot in his chest.
Petty woman.
Then Yu Duojiaye briefly explained Jiayezi’s situation to Fujiang. When she heard that Jiayezi, after becoming part of Ju-on, could crawl under blankets to kill people, Fujiang couldn’t help but shudder slightly.
“An evil spirit? The kind that might potentially destroy the world? Is that for real?!”
“I wish it weren’t true either. But considering your situation, I don’t dare gamble on whether this Jiayezi is the same Jiayezi I know.”
Tucking the wind-tousled hair behind her ear, Fujiang let out a heavy sigh.
“If she’s that dangerous, why don’t we just move? If we can’t stay in the country, we’ll go abroad!”
“…”
It’s too late for that. Mainly because Yu Duojiaye had already become Kobayashi Toshio…
Seeing Yu Duojiaye remain silent, Fujiang angrily slapped his shoulder.
“Why did you have to tell me all this when everything was fine? So annoying!”
“…Wasn’t it you who kept asking why I intervened for Jiayezi’s sake?”
“…”
“Shut up!”
Annoyed, Fujiang pinched Yu Duojiaye and then sat on the ground, puffing her cheeks as she crossed her arms.
But moments later, the thought that Yu Duojiaye had shared his biggest secret with her uncontrollably stirred a wave of sweetness and joy in her heart.
“Hey, I have a question for you now.”
“?”
“So, all this time, you’ve kept your distance from me because you were worried you might end up like those other men someday?”
“Especially after you injected the cells and pulled me back from the brink of death, I’ve realized I can no longer be as completely… about your abilities as I was at the beginning.”
Receiving the affirmative reply, Fujiang blinked rapidly.
Then, without giving Yu Duojiaye time to react, she cupped his cheeks and leaned in.
The soft sensation, coupled with her unabashedly assertive advance, left Yu Duojiaye flustered and scrambling.
After a long while, Fujiang released him with a satisfied hum.
“Don’t worry, no matter what you do to me, I’ll forgive you~!”