Unusual Fate Records

Chapter 23. Naïve and Sweet

The [Iron Horse and Ice River] energy within Jin Ziyue flowed through his limbs and bones along with his blood.

Every meridian felt as if it had been trampled by an iron hoof, and the discomfort of the cold air vanished.

A fierce and ruthless energy suddenly erupted, only to quickly subside.

The horses' hooves neighed, never ceasing; the glacier shimmered, freezing the heavens and earth.

The enormous ice crystal ogre seemed to be asleep, maintaining its posture with its ten claws close together. Its movements remained unchanged, still bowing and shrugging its shoulders, but it did not appear to be hunting; rather, it was guarding.

The pupils were empty and devoid of light.

The ice crystals collapsed, and thick chunks of ice broke off from the ogre's body, scattering white crystals all over the ground.

The ice blocks that make up the body crashed down, burying the motionless arid wood directly below.

Araki remained in the position of holding the knife with one hand, as he was swept away by the cascading ice shards.

Some parts were even broken.

The torso was cracked from the cold, with some flesh still clinging together. The gap resembled a broken tree branch, with sharp, intertwined tissue fibers.

The tumbling ice shards rolled and tumbled, raising a cloud of white mist.

Gara.

A piece of ice tumbled and bounced until it touched the white glove and stopped.

My fingers trembled slightly.

Ito propped himself up and sat up.

The smoke from the package gradually dissipated.

The girl raised her head, craned her neck, and stared longingly at the approaching person.

The black trench coat stopped at the girl's feet.

The man crouched down and looked at her through the mask.

Ito stared at him, a ripple appearing on her pale face. She opened her mouth to speak, but didn't know where to begin.

Upon witnessing the appearance of the white mask, Koji turned ashen-faced, staggered backward, and trembled violently.

Jin Ziyue glanced at him.

"what--"

The overweight man fled in panic, and with a thud, rushed out of the nearest window.

The shattering glass made a loud crashing sound.

……

Jin Ziyue turned around.

The girl said quietly, "At that time, I wanted to say, 'I will not compromise.'"

"Ah."

The dark brown gloves were pressed against the mask and then removed from one side.

The man's face was revealed, half of his hair was gray, the strands were frosty, and the gaps between his hair were full of shards of ice. His eyebrows and eyes were delicate, and the blood at the corner of his mouth was half-dried.

The girl's pupils darted slightly, scrutinizing her face, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"very nice."

After the girl finished speaking, she felt a metallic taste in her throat and coughed softly.

Jin Ziyue squatted down, took the girl's legs, and picked her up in his arms.

"Am I about to die?" The girl's hand was on Jin Ziyue's shoulder, her eyelids drooping.

"Ah."

"You didn't even try to comfort me."

The girl's eyes were listless, but her lips held a smile.

"You won't get angry."

Jin Ziyue looked straight ahead and carried the girl out of the icehouse.

A Maserati was parked on the side of the road near the ice storage facility, its loudspeaker blaring a wailing police siren.

"I'm not jealous of naive and innocent girls anymore," Ito Nanayuki murmured.

“You always like to say only half of what you mean, which is a bad habit,” Jin Ziyue said.

"If you can say anything, who would want to keep half of it to themselves?" she chuckled self-deprecatingly.

Ito Nanayuki smelled the outdoor air, looked up but saw no stars, and saw thin clouds drifting across the dark night sky.

“I just felt that she must have never seen you look like this before. I finally won against her this time.”

Jin Ziyue did not respond immediately.

"She's about to die, so there's no point in arguing with her anymore."

She raised her hand, staring at the bluish-gray skin spots on her arm.

Jin Ziyue remained silent.

"I'm just not reconciled..." The girl's voice suddenly became nasal, and the hand wrapped around Jin Ziyue's neck clenched into a fist, her voice trembling with tears.

"Why... I gave all my happiness and hope to the naive and innocent girl, but she still can't escape the same fate as me..."

The girl murmured, tears falling into Jin Ziyue's arms.

"I don't want to die... and I don't want the naive and innocent girl to die either."

“I protected her so well since she was little, and I endured all the hardships myself, but... but... I really tried my best…”

Ito Nanayuki nestled in Jin Ziyue's arms and burst into tears.

a long time.

"We're almost home."

Jin Ziyue looked up into the distance. The streetlights at the corner stood tall and straight, like family members waiting for their loved ones to return home, their lamp heads curving towards the dwellings with a respectful demeanor.

Ito Nanayuki was drowsy; her face was pale, and she no longer had the strength to cry.

Even opening my eyes was difficult.

"Do you believe in fate?" Jin Ziyue suddenly asked.

"destiny……"

"The cause and effect of everything can be traced. People always live according to the trajectory of fate, it's just a matter of whether those involved are aware of it or not."

“I believe you.” Ito Nanayuki squinted, her breathing heavy, yet she still looked like a cat, her expression docile.

"It is fate that Eisuke Asuka will mistreat you; it is also fate that will guide you to suffer violence and develop a split personality; it is also because of fate that Rui will become a naive and innocent girl."

Ito Nanayuki was silent for a while, then murmured, "What a bumpy life."

As if remembering something, she strained to raise her head, gazing at Jin Ziyue's face, and slowly asked in a hoarse voice:

"Then... was our meeting with you also fate?"

"Ah."

She shifted to a more comfortable position, squinted, her expression drowsy, and her voice sounded like a dream:

"Well... it doesn't seem so bad after all."

"Mr. Jin".

"I'm here."

"Let's leave the last moments to the naive and innocent. As the older sister, I've already taken advantage of her enough."

"I don't have the key, you'll have to wait a while to open the door." Jin Ziyue kept holding the door open and pulled the lock open with one hand.

"She is braver than me, laughs more than me, and makes people want to give her everything."

"Ta, ta."

Ito Nanayuki could tell that it was the wooden board in the entryway of her home.

My head is spinning.

The girl's voice was very soft, just like her frail body.

"Mr. Jin".

"I'm here."

I'm going to sleep now.

"Good night."

Jin Ziyue leaned down and glanced at the girl in his arms; a glistening tear rolled down her cheek.

"Good night."

The energy of the phrase "Give and take, agree and disagree" slowly dissipated from the girl's body.

……

A beam of white light pierced the night sky.

The raging motorcycle engine roared like a wild beast.

It shot up from outside the wall like a Tyrannosaurus Rex taking flight, arcing through the air before crashing down with astonishing force outside the fresh food freezer door.

It smashed down, leaving a pile of broken stones on the ground.

The motorcycle's tires slammed against the concrete surface, bouncing up and down, the headlights flickering, and a black high-heeled boot stepped on the ground like a tripod for an emergency stop.

Then, riding on the powerful momentum, he lifted the black heavy motorcycle by the handlebars with one hand and spun it halfway around.

The black mechanical behemoth suspended in the air roared a few times, then obediently closed its eyes and shut down.

The person retracted their other long leg, took off their black helmet, and tossed their long hair.

He puffed out his cheeks, blew a bubble gum, and mumbled something.

"Tch, are you late?"

He casually spat his chewing gum into a passing trash can, his black sheepskin gloves gripping his shiny black motorcycle helmet, which was decorated with a winking cat sticker.

All the lights in the icehouse went out, and it was so quiet that you could hear the chirping of insects in the haystacks outside.

Looking down, I saw a woman lying unconscious on her side by the door, wearing a uniform.

That's roughly the style... I hope you all like it. I'm currently preparing some minor finishing touches, and then I can start on Volume Two.

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(End of this chapter)