You say this is a love game?

...It's about to end.

Now, what Mizutani Makoto hates most is the lack of "return bone fragments".

It was a long way from the hinterland of the mountain to the school building. He had a teleport point in the crevice, but it required stepping on the vermilion torii gate to teleport. Just thinking about the 365-mile journey was a pain in the ass.

The only way to return to the city quickly is for him to commit suicide by seppuku, with the little god of fortune acting as his kaishakunin.

However, if he dared to say to Jiazi, "Kill me and return to the city quickly," Jiazi's mother would immediately shout, "How dare you, my traitor?" and then take out a paper fan and hit him on the head hard to wake him up.

"Hurry back."

Mizutani Makoto muttered to himself, his voice raspy and weary. The blood cup couldn't possibly heal his gray hair; it had simply transformed him from a battered, dying man into a thriving, dying man. But he didn't want to use this body, a zombie on the side of the road, any longer.

Fortunately, all the wood spirits along the way have been cleared away.

Mizutani Makoto identified the direction and headed straight for the school building.

"..."

The night wind was cool, passing through the overturned earth, sweeping over the charred branches and broken petals scattered across the ground. The air still lingered with the residual heat of the fire and a hint of the gradually fading fragrance of the flowers.

A slender figure slowly walked out of the forest.

Mai Yajima was wearing the uniform skirt of Yami High School. The hem of the skirt fluttered gently in the wind, and her hair fell on her shoulders. Her eyes slowly swept across the scorched earth burned by the flames, and then fell on the receding back of Makoto Mizutani.

"call……"

When she arrived, Mizutani Makoto's hair had turned white and he was almost burning into a zombie on the roadside. She almost couldn't help but pounce on her knight.

How come she seems to be dying after not seeing her for a while!

She followed him with trepidation, hoping to catch a glimpse of her family's best knight, but she never expected to suffer such a blow.

Fortunately, she looked closely and found that the situation was not right. Mizutani Makoto had an absolute upper hand. The flames stirred by the sword energy even made her marvel. How could he be defeated?

After the war, she also heard the conversation between Mizutani Makoto and Satori Yoshiko.

"Cheng, his physical body is not in here."

Mai Yajima couldn't help but think.

So, is this the reason why he is unscrupulously spending his life in the cracks?

She frowned and muttered softly, "...What kind of magic is this?"

But anyway.

"That's awesome."

The girl sighed from the bottom of her heart, and a little pride suddenly emerged in her heart.

What is she happy about?

She didn't know, but she felt that he was very powerful, so she felt happy.

……

……

Panasonic Kei felt like he was dreaming.

He recalled his life bit by bit. He was only sixteen years old, still so young, but it seemed that he had experienced so many things, as if all the joys and sorrows of his life were compressed, torn apart, and swallowed up in those few short years.

For as long as he could remember, his parents had always been busy. Japanese society, for the lower classes, was oppressive and morbid. They were like two perpetual machines, leaving early and returning late, leaving their home perpetually deserted. Conversation at the dinner table was rare, often filled by the sound of the television.

People have to face a question - parents who are too busy to take time off to take care of their children, do they really love their children?

Matsushita Kei has been quite intelligent since he was young.

It's not that they don't love him, but the way they love him has long been deformed by the burden of life. The whole family is like a piece of glass with cracks spreading. It is fragile and fragile to the touch, but it is always a whole. What cares about him and his family is family affection.

And his sister, the clumsy girl who always tried to make him happy.

Under the influence of his parents, Matsushita Kei has somewhat developed a personality that judges people by their academic performance. From this perspective, his sister is actually very incompetent, and her academic performance is just hovering around the passing line, which is completely different from him, the eldest son who is the focus of much attention.

However, his relationship with his sister is surprisingly good.

It’s hard to say what the specific reason was; perhaps it was all buried in the heated conversations that occasionally took place at the dinner table.

A trace of inexplicable joy emerged in Panasonic Qi's heart, and a smiling face appeared in his mind. That smile was as warm as the sun, making him almost forget all his worries, but this trace of joy was too short-lived, almost fleeting.

He thought of that day.

During his third year of middle school, his older brother, under pressure from his parents, was upset and had a huge argument with his younger sister. The reason for the argument was unclear; perhaps he said something he shouldn't have, or perhaps she did something he couldn't accept. Regardless, after the argument, she slammed the door and stormed out, threatening to go find her friends and asking him to leave.

He snorted coldly. Why would he bother to ask?

But she never came back.

Her disappearance was like a sudden storm, sweeping in and completely destroying the entire family. Her parents were depressed, the police investigated, the news reported... After all the commotion, only an empty house and two people who had gradually become strangers were left.

Matsushita Kei's expression began to become painful.

From then on, his originally taciturn personality became even more withdrawn, and his studies became one of the few things he still cared about in his life. Apart from that, his friends became distant, and he even lost interest in life.

He often felt like a piece of scrap metal covered with gold dust. There were always people praising his talents and placing their hopes on him, but he felt that what he did was meaningless. He just kept moving forward mechanically. At least he couldn't let down his sister who would praise him for his abilities.

Struggling in hopelessness, sinking in loneliness, becoming more and more humble, and becoming less and less accustomed to interacting with people.

Then he felt pain and despair, until a faint shadow shrouded him, and a pair of eyes, whitened by water, stared at him straight, like a nightmare.

He had a look of horror on his face.

This is a nightmare that has been repeated countless times.

There was always water in his dreams, cold, dark, and boundless. He was standing by the pool, the tiles under his feet were extremely slippery, and the water was as calm as a mirror, but he always felt that the pool seemed to be hiding some monster. Just standing here filled him with fear.

He dreamed that a pale hand suddenly stretched out from the water and grabbed his ankle.

He screamed immediately and struggled in fear, kicking and struggling with his legs, but the hand held his ankle tightly and pulled him into the water little by little.

He opened his eyes wide and watched his reflection on the water gradually distort and shatter, and then there was endless darkness.

He drowned.

Water rushed into the lungs, stinging like a knife, depriving the human body of the oxygen it relies on for survival, and consciousness gradually blurred in despair. The struggle began to become powerless, and the heartbeat gradually stopped until there was no movement.

Finally, he sank.

Sunk beneath the lightless waters.

Below him was a group of horrific drowned corpses swollen with water. They opened their stinking arms towards him, rejoicing as another soul fell into the abyss from which there was no escape.

This is how his life ended.

However, Panasonic Kei suddenly woke up.

Matsushita Kai's eyes snapped open, his chest heaving violently, as if he'd just emerged from deep water. Cold sweat soaked his clothes, his limbs trembled, and a piercing buzzing sound echoed in his ears, gradually giving way to the dull, thunderous thump of his heartbeat.

It was pitch black all around.

He didn't know where he was.

The air was filled with the smell of dampness and decay, as if he was deep under the water. Matsushita Kei tried to sit up, but found that his body was still heavy, as if he was still trapped in the shadow of death.

He had a confused expression on his face and looked down at himself, realizing that his hands were pale and there were still traces of water on his skin.

Was he really... dead?

"I'm alive?"

Matsushita Kei muttered to himself, his voice hoarse and filled with uncertainty and fear.

Suddenly, in the distance, there was a faint sound of water, as if someone was gently stirring the surface of the water. Song Xiaqi turned around suddenly, but saw only a pair of white, empty eyes in the darkness, staring at him quietly.

That slight sound was like the light in the deep sea that attracted prey, and he was the prey that took the bait.

Panasonic Kai held his breath.

But those eyes did not let him go. The sound of water stirring the surface became more and more urgent, and those eyes gradually moved closer. Suddenly, Song Xiaqi's throat tightened. He wanted to scream, but no sound came out.

Tick, tick. The sound of wet footsteps on the ground was getting closer and closer.

Matsushita Keiya finally saw the owner of those eyes—a blurry figure, soaking wet and swollen, looking like a drowned corpse. A strange smile hung on its mouth. It was the demon that had dragged him into the water that day.

"You can't escape."

The voice of the drowned corpse seemed to come from under the water, carrying with it the stench of decay and decay. "Songxia Qi, you are already dead. You have lived for so long, it is time to repay your debt."

Matsushita Kai seemed to be able to move. He propped himself up and took a step back, but bumped into a cold wall. The darkness in front of him was illuminated by a faint light, and he realized that he was lying under the swimming pool. The walls around him were all cold tiles, like a morgue.

Upward, the shimmering water reflected the image of him drowning. The more fragmented the light, the richer the imagery—different times, different angles, different expressions. He screamed, leaning back and reaching out to tear the surface of the water, only to find his hand simply passed through it, failing to stir up even a ripple.

"This is... my memory?"

He asked tremblingly.

"No,"

The voice of the Drowned Corpse suddenly rang in his ears, "This is your obsession."

Looking up at the water, the image above began to distort, and Matsushita Kei saw his sister's face appear in it. She stood by the pool, waving at him, but she refused to turn around. Unable to bear it any longer, he climbed to his feet and swam towards the surface. Just as he was about to touch the water and embrace her, the drowned corpse's hand grabbed his ankle again and dragged him under.

This time, he didn't struggle.

"Why are you looking for me? Why me? Why do I have to die?"

He roared, and seemed to be sad: "I didn't do anything wrong!"

"you are wrong."

The water ghost's voice suddenly became gentle, "You clearly remember her."

The water was like a mirror, and the image in it shattered, countless fragments piercing his skin. Matsushita Kei fell to his knees, blood oozing from the wound, but it turned into water droplets the moment it touched the ground.

He saw the scene reflected in his memory. On the day when his sister had quarreled with him, it was he who broke the promise. His silly sister knew that he liked swimming, and had been shaking his hand and asking him to take her to learn several days ago. She also wanted to learn his favorite thing and wanted to go with him to see...how blue the sea could be.

He remembered, of course he remembered.

But that very day, he and his parents were arguing. Wasn't it just a lousy test? What was the big deal about a small drop in score? He'd get it back next time, so why put so much pressure on him? He was so annoyed that he didn't even hear the girl's warm and caring words.

"me……"

Matsushita Kai covered his head, his nails digging deep into his hair, "Why did I forget?"

"Because you don't dare to face it."

The water ghost's voice was getting closer and closer, and those eyes were almost burned into his sight. "You forgot about her, and threw away the cause and effect. You just hid in the corner and complained to yourself like a poor worm, but tortured yourself again and again in your dreams."

"You hate yourself. You've long since given up on living. You want to make up for the mistakes you've made, but you find that they can't be changed. Even if you do the best you can, what good will it do? Will anyone forgive you? Will anyone agree to let you be saved?"

"You might as well leave with your sister. You don't have much to do anyway—"

The image in the water began to burn, the flames engulfing the drowning scene, but leaving behind the sister's smile.

Matsushita Kei saw her standing in the firelight, stretching out her hand towards him, her mouth opening and closing, as if she was saying something... It didn't matter what she said, Matsushita Kei suddenly pounced on the burning memory.

My chest feels hot.

It felt like something was burning in my heart.

I could feel the water running down my face as if I were crying.

But this time, his hand passed through the flames and the water, but he could not touch or feel anything. It was a creepy feeling of emptiness, as if the whole world had instantly disappeared under his touch, leaving only endless void and darkness.

Even if it's anything...

He tried to grab something, anything - even his sister's hand, even a trace of warmth, but every time he reached out, he just passed through those illusory images in vain, leaving nothing behind.

The water ghost's screams stopped abruptly.

When Matsushita Kai opened his eyes again, there was nothing left in front of him. All the dreams, hallucinations, and kaleidoscopes disappeared. He sat on a bench in the park, leaning back with his head tilted back, staring blankly at the night sky.

He remembered everything.

he died.

He was dragged into the pool by a drowned corpse and died in the pool.

I still can't forget that biting cold feeling and the suffocating despair.

The drowned corpses used the contract as bait to lure him into the trap step by step... His last memory was fixed on the blurry figure of the young man, which was the figure of Mizutani Makoto. Mizutani Makoto talked to him and chatted with him, as if they had met too late, but then told him that he was already dead.

I'm dead - this thought popped into my mind again.

Matsushita Kei only remembered that he was too weak to struggle, his consciousness was rapidly withdrawing, his long-dead and rotten body fell to the ground, and he stared straight at the radiant person.

light...