I said you are all war criminals

The warm water flowed into a shallow pool on the floor tiles. Xiangzi's toes curled up and hit the smooth tiles again and again, as if he wanted to transfer the pain and self-blame accumulated in his heart to the cold ground through these insignificant impacts.

The water ripples out, spreading in circles, and finally returns to calm.

Xiangzi looked at his feet and whispered.

"Don't cry, Toyokawa Shoko."

It's been two months already?

Why can't you just let her go like Yili did?

"—I'll leave everything else to you."

Nana Ohba's last words churned in Shoko's mind like a curse.

Two months later, Nana's death was still like a thorn in her heart, making her unable to breathe. Every time she closed her eyes, Nana's last image appeared in her mind.

It was a seemingly ordinary mission. Xiangzi and Nana just planned to rescue a family that was kidnapped by an organization.

The mission went smoothly at first. They sneaked into the factory and quickly found the prison where the half-demon was imprisoned. However, just as they were about to release the imprisoned family, something unexpected happened.

...It's a spell.

The cold water kept washing over Xiangzi's body.

Two months later, the piercing sound still echoed in her ears, lingering.

The air of the abandoned factory was filled with the smell of engine oil and rust. In the dim light, the imprisoned family of three huddled in a corner, their eyes filled with fear. Xiangzi remembered that Nana smiled at them and whispered, "Don't be afraid, we are here to save you."

Xiangzi would never forget that smile, like the faint sunlight on a winter's day, briefly illuminating the cold, damp prison.

Then--

Nana's head was pierced by a long sword flashing with lightning.

The warm water blurred Xiangzi's vision. She shook her head violently, trying to get rid of the chaotic fragments of memory. But the scene before Nana's death was like a branding iron, deeply imprinted in her mind.

At that moment, Nana's head was pierced by the long knife flashing with lightning, and blood gushed out of her eyes, staining her clothes red. Before Xiangzi could even react, Nana pushed her away, and the three of them were smashed down like sandbags.

"Looks like that's all I'm going to do."

Nana said in her usual clear voice: "--I'll leave everything else to you."

...After that, Xiangzi's memory became very vague.

She didn't remember how Nana died. She only remembered that after she took the kidnapped family of three away, it was already too late.

The scorching water soaked Xiangzi's whole body.

…She slowly recalled the appearance of Nana’s body.

It was a horrible corpse.

As a chef, her understanding of ingredients far surpassed that of ordinary people. Nana's body... rather than a body, it was more like a pile of roughly handled food scraps.

Nana's thigh muscles were completely peeled off, and the incision was smooth, as if performed by a skilled butcher with a terrifying precision; her chest was violently cut open, her heart and the surrounding major blood vessels disappeared, and only coagulated blood remained in the empty chest; and what horrified Xiangzi the most was Nana's lower abdomen, which was hollowed out and all the abdominal organs were taken out. The technique was so skillful that it reminded Xiangzi of the scene when he processed puffer fish roe, as clean and neat as some kind of terrible ritual.

"damn it……"

Xiangzi gritted his teeth and squeezed out a few words. She suddenly turned off the faucet, wrapped herself in a bath towel, and stumbled to the mirror. The person in the mirror was pale, her eyes bloodshot, like a walking corpse.

"Calm down, Toyokawa Shoko!"

She growled at herself in the mirror, "Nana is dead, you have to find the murderer and avenge her!"

During these two months, Xiangzi gave up on forming the "Wildfire" organization and instead focused on tracking down the true culprit behind the case. The spell was so ingeniously executed that even Xiangzi, a Dragon-level chef, couldn't discern the clues... Not many people can pull off this feat with chef's skill, truly not many.

...However, two months passed and Xiangzi still hadn't found the real murderer.

She picked up her phone and saw an anonymous message from an underground black market forum on the screen. The content of the message was encrypted and could only be decrypted with a specific key.

She had found this information in the corpse of an information dealer, and it was said to be related to the trade of some "special ingredients." The information vaguely mentioned the processing method of some "high-end ingredients", and that description... Xiangzi almost immediately thought of Nana's corpse.

Same clean, same precise cut, same unpleasant feeling.

Xiangzi entered the key, and a line of words popped up on the screen:

“Top quality ingredients, freshly arrived.”

There is a picture attached below. The picture is blurry, but Xiangzi knows what it is... It is a heart, a heart that is still beating slightly.

"...I hope that this time, the people who did this are the ones who killed Nana."

Looking at the heart, Xiangzi's mouth twitched slightly.

She didn't care whose heart it was.

This was the fifteenth time she had started over from the beginning... The previous fourteen times, she had found the wrong person. Even after killing one organization after another, she still couldn't find who killed Nana.

…She didn’t want there to be a sixteenth time.

"—I'll leave everything else to you."

...Asshole, he just died like that.

Toyokawa Shoko let the wet hair stick to her forehead. She whispered in a voice that seemed full of hatred, "Are you kidding me, Nana Ohba..."

126

Chapter 126 Let me take everything from you.

Goto Ichiri looked out over Disneyland.

Today is a date.

She made an appointment with Yukinoshita Yukino to go to Disneyland together.

"You came."

Yukinoshita walked over.

She wore a white coat with the collar turned up to keep out the cold, black fur gloves, and a tweed plaid scarf around her neck that also looked warm. The pleated skirt was a bit short, but the part that peeked out from under the hem revealed her slender and long calves, with beautiful lines and no excess fat. Although covered by tights and long boots, the beauty of her legs was still visible.

In comparison, what Yili wore was very ordinary.

Goto Ichiri wore an off-white lambskin coat, its fluffy texture making her look like a cute polar bear cub. To ward off the winter chill, she also wore a furry knit hat with two pompoms on the brim, matching her hair accessories: one yellow, one blue. She layered it with a light yellow sweater, light blue jeans, and camel-colored snow boots. The jeans hugged her legs, highlighting their toned, voluptuous curves.

Yukinoshita noticed Ichiri's gaze and turned her head away awkwardly: "What are you looking at?"

"Yukino looks so beautiful today."

Yili admired sincerely.

Yukino turned her face aside, her long black hair fluttering in the wind against her white coat.

Just like that, the two of them walked into Disneyland in silence.

Looking from the gate to the front of the square, there stands a tall Christmas tree decorated with colorful lights; Western-style buildings are lined up on the central street, and at the end of the back is the famous pink and white castle.

Tonight is Christmas.

Beneath the carousel's golden canopy, shimmering lights cast a halo over Yukinoshita's face, casting a dreamy glow on her fair skin. She rarely showed disdain. Instead, a subtle tenderness lingered in her eyes as she clutched the golden pole tightly. The horse rose and fell in time with the music, and Yukinoshita felt like a fairytale princess, noble and inviolable. However, the princess seemed uneasy with this childish amusement, her body stiff and her lips pursed.

"...Why did you come to the amusement park?"

After riding a full circle on the carousel, Yukinoshita jogged a few steps as if she was running away.

Goto Ichiri looked at Yukinoshita's slightly flustered back, quickly followed her, and grabbed her cold hand. Yukinoshita's body suddenly stiffened, as if she had been electrocuted and wanted to shrink back, but it was as if she was cast under a spell, and she froze in place, allowing Ichiri to hold her hand.

Ichiri's hands were warm, like a little sun on a winter's day, slowly transferring heat to Yukinoshita's icy fingertips. This warmth made Yukinoshita feel a little uncomfortable, yet strangely at ease.

Holding Yukinoshita's slightly chilled hand, Goto Ichiri followed closely behind her, her gaze wandering between the dazzling array of shop windows at Disneyland. A plush Duffy bear, Mickey Mouse in his Christmas outfit, a glittering princess dress... until they passed a shop selling plush toys, where a giant pink Stella bunny caught Ichiri's eye and made her stop in her tracks.

Yukinoshita followed her gaze and said lightly: "Childish."

"There's nothing wrong with being like a child, right?"

Yili said softly.

Then she took Yukinoshita into the store.

A wide variety of plush toys filled the entire space, and the air was filled with a faint fragrance.

Ichiri walked straight towards the giant Stella rabbit and gently stroked its soft fur. Yukinoshita stood aside, watching her focused expression, feeling a mixture of emotions.

"Do you like it?"

Yukinoshita asked.

Ichiri turned his head and looked at Yukinoshita, "I quite like it."

"Then why not buy it?"

Yukinoshita asked again, "Money shouldn't be a problem for you now."

Half a year has passed since the Olympics.

The band Quan, which stole the show at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, has become the hottest band in the past six months.

I made money, a lot of money.

A doll definitely does not exceed the scope of "pocket money".

“Just because I like it doesn’t mean I have to own it.”

Ichiri looked up at the rabbit.

Yukinoshita looked at Ichiri's profile.

The winter sun shone through the shop window onto Yili's face, outlining her soft profile. She tilted her head slightly, gazing intently at the giant Stella Rabbit, her long eyelashes casting a faint shadow under her eyelids.

For Yukino, this is a face she never gets tired of looking at.

She still remembered the first time she saw this face, at an open-air performance on the street.

Goto Ichiri was playing the guitar by himself, and in the sunlight, his guitar sparkled like a gem.

The song ended, the crowd dispersed, but Yukinoshita walked over.

“You sing very well.”

Yili raised his head, paused for a moment, and then said, "Thank you."

Later, Yukinoshita became a regular at Goto Ichiri's street performances. She would listen quietly in the crowd and occasionally chat with her after Ichiri's performance.

Then, a few sentences turned into a conversation.

The conversation turned into a confession.

In the end, the relationship became like this.

...No, they are not a couple.

Never a couple.

"...Don't you want to have me, Ichiri?"

Yukinoshita asked softly.

"Just because I like you doesn't mean I have to own you."

Ichiri didn't look at Yukinoshita.

As Ichiri repeated those words, Yukinoshita felt as if an invisible hand had gripped her heart. "Like someone but not wanting to possess them—what kind of logic is that?" Yukinoshita felt that her relationship with Ichiri was a tangled mess, tangled and tangled. They were clearly attracted to each other, yet it felt like there was a layer of glass between them, visible but intangible.

They are not a couple.

Not a couple yet.

She didn't ask any more questions, but just followed Yili silently, walking through the dazzling shelves. Yili picked up a Mickey Mouse doll dressed in Christmas clothes and held it in front of Yukinoshita: "It matches the color of your clothes today."

Yukinoshita forced a smile, accepted the gift and walked out.

Coming out of the store, they happened to catch the parade. The cheerful music, the gorgeous floats, and the cheers of the crowd around them made the originally awkward atmosphere lively.

The surging crowd squeezed them tightly together. Yukinoshita could almost feel Ichiri's warm breath against her ear. The surrounding noise seemed to fade away, leaving only Ichiri and her delicate, sun-like fragrance in her world.

Ichiri suddenly grabbed Yukinoshita's cold hand, and Yukinoshita's heart suddenly jumped, as if it was about to jump out of her throat. She subconsciously wanted to pull her hand back, but Ichiri held it tightly again.

"One mile..."

As soon as Yukinoshita opened her mouth, she was drowned out by the deafening sound of music.

After the parade ended and the crowds gradually dispersed, Yukinoshita spoke again, "Do you want to possess me?"

She had asked this question once before. But this time, Ichiri did not answer directly, but asked in return: "Are you willing to die for me, Yukino?"