mtl008 Chapter 822 - 822
Chapter 822 - 822
"Nagisa?"Soon after, a girl came running down from above, filled with intense panic.
"Kijima, Eiji..."
The girl was utterly distraught; her usually lively eyes were now full of terror.
As if facing an abyss behind her, she hesitated for a moment but ultimately didn't approach the two. Instead, she ran toward the empty distance and disappeared into the night.
At the viewing spot built by the roadside, Kojou Akatsuki wore a face full of regret.
Beside him, Avrora was in tears, looking even more self-reproachful than Kojou.
"Hey, hey, it's New Year's Eve! What the hell is your family doing?"
Yaze Kijima groaned as if he had a headache.
"I'm going to look for Nagisa!"
After saying that, he chased after the direction where Nagisa had disappeared.
He left the remaining situation to you.
That seemed to be what he meant.
"Hmph."
Eiji let out a light snort.
Seeing that scene, he had already guessed what had just happened. He stepped forward.
"Kojou, you didn't think this through."
"I know!"
Kojou Akatsuki roared back roughly, his eyes bloodshot.
"But that damn dad said he'd help Nagisa recover, yet he hasn't done anything this whole month! While we're wasting time like this, Nagisa's body is getting weaker step by step!"
"If this continues, Nagisa will die!"
He had previously sought out Mimori Akatsuki.
Before, he had lost his memory, so he was kept in the dark.
But after learning the truth, he desperately wanted to know the real condition of Nagisa's body. Under his persistent insistence, Mimori Akatsuki finally told him about Nagisa's state.
Her time was limited.
The Fourth True Ancestor residing within her was constantly consuming her life force. Because of this, Nagisa had been hospitalized more frequently recently. If this continued, she wouldn't last much longer.
Left with no choice, Kojou Akatsuki came up with the worst possible method.
He called out both Nagisa and Avrora together.
If the two met, perhaps it would trigger some change. With Avrora's stimulation, maybe the Fourth True Ancestor would emerge?
He knew it might cause Nagisa to resent him, but since things couldn't get worse anyway, he decided to take a reckless gamble!
To soothe Nagisa's emotions as much as possible, he specifically chose this New Year's Eve, when everyone was celebrating happily, for them to meet.
"It's just a pity the result wasn't as good as you imagined."
Eiji glanced at the tearful Avrora, then looked toward the direction where Nagisa had disappeared.
Kojou Akatsuki remained silent, his face filled with regret.
He had made them meet, but the moment Nagisa saw Avrora's true form, she became terrified and panicked. She screamed and fled desperately without listening to anything.
Aside from causing Nagisa unnecessary panic, Kojou Akatsuki's actions yielded no positive results.
Eiji didn't know what to say either.
That guy Yaze Kijima—no wonder he ran off so quickly. He probably didn't want to get involved in this troublesome situation.
At half-past eleven.
Yaze Kijima called to say he had already taken Nagisa back to the Akatsuki household.
Although her condition wasn't completely stable yet, it had somewhat eased.
After hanging up the phone, Kojou Akatsuki breathed a genuine sigh of relief.
The group had gathered at this viewing spot, waiting for the New Year's fireworks half an hour later.
However, with Nagisa's incident, both Kojou Akatsuki and Avrora were in low spirits. With Nagisa and Kizuki absent, the atmosphere had become much heavier and more awkward.
"I should head back soon too."
Eiji estimated the time and unexpectedly chose this moment to say goodbye.
"Huh? Why?!"
Asagi was the first to show disappointment.
It already didn't feel much like New Year's Eve—why was he choosing such an inopportune time to leave?
Moreover, if he left too, what kind of New Year's would she even have?
"Goodbye."
Without offering any explanation, Eiji simply waved and walked away.
"I'm heading back too. I'm a bit worried about Nagisa."
Seeing him leave, Kojou Akatsuki also took Avrora and departed.
Veldiana, who had essentially become Avrora's shadow, quickly followed suit.
In the blink of an eye, only Asagi remained, staring in stunned silence at this unforeseen turn of events.
"Seriously! What is even going on?!"
Asagi stamped her foot in frustration and trudged helplessly toward the station.
Before long, the viewing spot was taken over by other tourists, and even a TV crew arrived, setting up cameras.
This New Year's Eve, everyone carried their own thoughts, destined to be less than satisfactory.
For many, it was a profound disappointment.
...
Click—Eiji opened the door.
Before him lay a pitch-black living room, not a single light turned on. The neon lights from outside rippled across the seawater, reflecting on the windowpanes, making the already silent room feel even more deathly still.
Eiji quietly stepped inside and approached a certain room's door.
It was a dark room.
Looking around, there wasn't even a window—not a trace of the neon lights from outside could penetrate inside.
Moreover, there was no furniture at all. In the spacious room, only a single chair stood in the very center.
On that chair sat a sleeping beauty.
"Why did you come back?"
The sleeping beauty opened her eyes, her deep blue pupils utterly unmoving.
Though she had the appearance of a young girl, the way she crossed her legs carried an air of authority, inexplicably giving off a condescending vibe.
"I thought the timing was about right."
Saying this, Eiji entered the room.
"Timing?"
Natsuki Minamiya raised an eyebrow slightly, then understood.
"Ah, you mean curfew? It's fine. Today is New Year's, right? Even if you stayed out until midnight, I wouldn't say anything."
For the past four years,
Eiji had never spent a single night outside, all because of the curfew Natsuki Minamiya had set.
"That's not what I meant."
Eiji brought over a chair he'd picked up from the living room and placed it next to Natsuki-chan.
Then he opened his phone, enlarged the screen, and set it before both of them.
On the screen, the official media of Itogami Island was broadcasting New Year's coverage. The footage was familiar to Eiji—it was clearly the viewing spot where he had been with Asagi and the others earlier.
A flicker of confusion appeared in Natsuki Minamiya's eyes; she couldn't quite grasp what he was trying to do.
"Three, two, one—"
Eiji counted down aloud.
"Whoosh—!"
"Boom!"
Fireworks bloomed across the screen.
"Happy New Year, Natsuki-chan."
Eiji smiled and offered his blessings to the witch who held him captive.
"...You little brat."
The witch froze for a moment. This was the last thing she expected to hear from Eiji.
"Don't add the suffix '-chan' after your guardian's name!"
She struck him with a folding fan, hitting him squarely on the forehead and eliciting a pained cry.
Under the faint glow, a brief smile bloomed across her face.