Torrential rain poured down as Fujiang sat under the eaves eating watermelon. The drifting mist dampened her fair toes. Behind her, at the tea table, Yu Duojiaye was gripping his hair while writing his novel.
This reminded Fujiang of what Yu Duojiaye often muttered—something about having only a few years left and needing to seize the opportunity.
Fujiang knew he was worried about something but didn’t understand exactly what.
But it didn’t matter. As long as he was here.
Though she often found herself feeling annoyed by him, afterward, she would always think of him unconsciously.
She knew her feelings for Yu Duojiaye were inappropriate.
As a proud, self-assured being who enjoyed luring others into sin, she shouldn’t develop affection for a human.
Yet some things, even when you know they’re wrong, you willingly indulge in them.
Was it because she had always been killed and never saved?
“Idiot.”
“Speak if you have something to say! I’m busy!”
Turning to look at Yu Duojiaye, who hadn’t even glanced back, Fujiang leaned over the chair back and gazed at him.
“Will you still do things like in Yamazaki Alley?”
“Yes!”
Faced with Yu Duojiaye’s immediate, unwavering answer, Fujiang froze for a moment. Her voice sounded displeased, but the corners of her lips curled slightly.
“You answered without even thinking—are you brushing me off?”
“…The door’s on the left. If you’re having an episode, get out now.Seeing Yu Duojiaye impatiently pointing toward her exclusive small door, Fujiang instinctively wanted to throw her watermelon at him. But after a moment’s thought, she decided not to disturb him and simply spat out a watermelon seed.
Turning to face the rain outside, Fujiang sank into memories.
That day had been just like this—a sudden downpour had interrupted her games outside.
Just as those two college students were about to abandon their girlfriends because of her, the abrupt rain ruined Fujiang’s mood, and she withdrew her powers.
Remembering she’d forgotten to bring in the laundry at home, she knew Grandma would scold her again when she returned.
With her playful mood gone, Fujiang watched the two male college students arguing with their girlfriends. In her sour state, she randomly picked a man to buy her an ice cream and an umbrella.
Then, tapping along in her little leather shoes, she became a graceful silhouette in the rain, weaving through the crowd and heading home.
On the way, she was even chased by a few delinquents. Fortunately, they were brainless and genuinely repulsive.
With just a slight release of her charm, Fujiang made the mindless fools turn on each other.
After watching their scuffle and deciding delinquent fights were underwhelming, Fujiang hummed a tune and continued home. Until she reached Yamazaki Alley. Until she encountered those two homeless men huddled in a corner.
In her good mood, Fujiang looked at the two curled-up homeless men. Not having had enough entertainment earlier, her mischievous side flared up.
Pulling two yen notes from her wallet, Fujiang approached them with a playful smirk.
“Gentlemen, isn’t the rain boring?”
The two homeless men stared blankly at Fujiang. Even with their spirits long crushed by life, they were momentarily stunned by her beauty.
Watching the two men’s dazed eyes, a wicked smile crept onto Fujiang’s lips.
“Hey~ uncles, am I pretty?”
The two homeless men nodded blankly. Seeing they had fallen under her charm, Fujiang’s smile grew even brighter.
“Do you like me?”
“Like…”
The slightly stuttered affirmation made Fujiang proud of her charm, though she failed to notice the unnatural pauses in their speech indicating their poor mental state.
“Hey~ here’s five thousand yen.”
As she spoke, Fujiang bent over and smoothed her skirt along her black-stockinged calves.
“Since you like me, uncles, why don’t you fight? The more vicious, the better. The winner gets not only the money but also a chance to have dinner with me~”
The homeless men’s gazes followed Fujiang’s hand as if falling into an endless abyss.
Then, just as Fujiang commanded, they began tearing into each other wildly.
Broken teeth and splattered blood began flowing with the rainwater. The bloody stimulation excited Fujiang, making her breathing quicken, and her abilities expanded further.
Slap.
Seeing the bloodied homeless man who had fallen under her charm grabbing her ankle, Fujiang slightly frowned and said with a curled lip,
“Uncle, you haven’t won yet. I can’t go with you~”
She expected these two homeless men to resume fighting like other men under her influence, but an unnoticed detail sent the situation spiraling out of control.
Their minds were already fragile, and under the increasing drive of Fujiang’s ability, they instantly collapsed and reached the final stage.
Possess her, then chop her up, eat her!!
“Hey, you’re dirtying my stockings.”
The grip on her ankle made Fujiang frown slightly. She ordered the homeless man to let go, but when that failed, she tried to shake him off.
Just then, Yu Duojiaye, who had come out in the heavy rain to buy snacks, happened to pass through Yamazaki Alley.
If it were simple harassment, Yu Duojiaye would have at most stepped in to shoo the two away.
But the moment Yu Duojiaye and Fujiang locked eyes in stunned silence, a glint of a blade suddenly flashed. Before either could react,
With a spurt of blood, Fujiang’s scream erupted.
“Ah!!”
Her umbrella dropped instantly as Fujiang clutched her left face in pain.
“Mine, mine!In mad murmurs, the homeless man with the knife slashed hard at Fujiang’s shoulder. Seeing this, the other homeless man, not to be outdone, picked up a brick from the roadside and smashed it against Fujiang’s head as if fighting over a treasure.
Thud. Fujiang fell to the ground in agony. Blood trickled into her eyes, meeting Yu Duojiaye’s stunned gaze directly.
Tch… To think this freak would witness my dismemberment. Troublesome. How should I explain my revival…
Before the thought fully formed in her mind, a stone violently crushed her eye socket. Under Fujiang’s damaged, bewildered gaze, Yu Duojiaye, with a furious and ferocious expression, threw down the bag in his hand and charged forward.
A few minutes later, Fujiang abruptly sat up from the ground due to her powerful regenerative ability. With no memory of the recent events due to her brain injury, she stared blankly at the pools of blood and the two homeless men’s corpses not far away.
Recalling Yu Duojiaye’s figure lunging toward her earlier, an absurd thought crossed her mind—one she found utterly ridiculous.
Someone… would save me?
After a moment of confusion, Fujiang instinctively followed the trail of blood with her eyes. Through the heavy rain, she saw Yu Duojiaye leaning against the wall, clutching his stomach, head bowed, his lips unnaturally pale.
“Are you insane?”
Yu Duojiaye lifted his head with effort upon hearing this, his gaze unfocused as he took in Fujiang—drenched and exuding an eerie, siren-like beauty.
“I forgot you could regenerate.”
Feeling the warmth gradually leaving his body, he raised a hand to point at her, then weakly grabbed a nearby scattered snack and threw it at her.
“Fuck your mouth”
The sudden vulgarity and the snack hitting her made Fujiang freeze for a second. She didn’t understand what the words meant.
But as she looked at Yu Duojiaye, his head hanging low, Fujiang—who had died and regenerated countless times—felt something she had never experienced before: panic.
Recalling this, Fujiang rose from her chair, her damp feet leaving wet prints on the floor.
Yu Duojiaye looked up at the sound, frowning at the trail of moisture.
“Could you please dry your feet before coming in?”
Fujiang ignored him, kneeling opposite him and leaning intently over the coffee table, her eyes fixed on him.
“What did you mean by what you said that day?”
“That day? Which day, and what words?”
Her question left Yu Duojiaye utterly confused, wondering what madness had struck her now.
Seeing that he genuinely couldn’t remember, Fujiang sighed.
“That day in Yamazaki Alley, right before you passed out from blood loss! What you said to me!”
“…”
Yu Duojiaye’s silence made Fujiang narrow her beautiful eyes.
“Speak!”
“Are you sure?”
“Tell me!”
Under her persistent demands, Yu Duojiaye finally explained the meaning of those words, and then—
“It just means going in and out while saying ‘I love you’…”
Fujiang stared blankly for a moment before her face flushed crimson with rage.
“Yu Duojiaye, go die!!!”