Chapter 40: I Am Your Believer

Chapter 40: I Am Your Believer

This was an ordinary little road that seemed to have no end.

Everything was ordinary and visible, old furnishings that had already aged.

Mottled walls, climbing ivy, and crooked, slanting trees that looked as though they were about to collapse.

The sunset’s light stubbornly passed through the gaps between the leaves and fell on her clean, delicate face, as though trying to dye her pupils amber.

The farther they went, the more familiar it became.

Kiyono Mitsuki raised her head slightly. She listened to the sound of the wheelchair, and it seemed she could not hear any footsteps at all.

“I used to really dislike walking this road.”

“Why?”

The young man behind her asked.

Kiyono Mitsuki smiled self-mockingly.

“Because buses never stopped nearby. Every time, it felt like I had to walk for ages before I could get in. Back then, I was always complaining to my parents. Why did we have to move to a place like this? I wanted to live in a bustling district too. I also wanted to be like many classmates back then, able to travel everywhere whenever there was a holiday, even go abroad without any burden.”

She thought of the past.

Even her voice became much more immersed and gentle.

It was a tone she never had when she locked herself away in that small room.

“Mom told me that everything would get better, that Dad was working hard. Father told me that our family of three would all live a good life. After his business succeeded, I would live like a princess. Actually, I rarely imagined whether such a day would come. I only felt that this road was really long.”

“I would sprain my ankle on this road.”

“I would be afraid that a stray dog might suddenly rush out and bite me.”

“I would worry that if I came home a little late, bad people might appear on the road.”

“I was afraid that one day, all the surrounding walls on this road would collapse.”

She spoke softly. The sound of the wheelchair was very steady, and the speed at which Yatsuno Gen pushed her did not seem to change.

It was neither too slow nor too fast, and no strenuous breathing could be heard from him.

Even at this moment, his tone remained as calm as ever when he replied.

“You were afraid of quite a lot. Were you not afraid of me?”

“Why would I be afraid of you?”

Kiyono Mitsuki asked with some amusement.

Yatsuno Gen thought for a moment.

“Back then, I was an orphan living next door to your home. You weren’t afraid. Instead, you brought me fruit.”

Kiyono Mitsuki wrinkled her little face in dissatisfaction and slightly tilted her head up, seemingly trying to look at him from that angle.

But she could not see his full appearance, only that beautiful jawline and delicate skin.

“Because you were good-looking. I wasn’t mature back then, so of course I thought good-looking people didn’t look like bad people.”

“Hoh, you’re quite honest.”

“Of course. Hmph.”

Yatsuno Gen looked at the clearly raised corners of her mouth as emerald leaves drifted down.

“Then what do you feel when you look at this road now?”

Kiyono Mitsuki saw the end of the road, where traffic was gradually becoming lively, and she also smelled the scent of some roadside stalls.

She shook her head.

“I don’t feel anything. It would be nice if Mom and Dad were still here.”

She said this sentence very calmly.

She looked as though she had gone through the vicissitudes of life.

But how many helpless nights of crying, how much longing in dreams, how much empty melancholy after waking had been exchanged for the fact that she could say this sentence so calmly today?

“Since you’re not afraid anymore, you can come downstairs more often. Getting some sun is good too.”

Yatsuno Gen said this.

The girl smiled.

“It’s not as if you always have time to push me down.”

“You won’t go out without me?”

“Of course...”

The words almost came out before she immediately stopped herself.

The girl’s cheeks were dyed the color of sunset. Dusk was visibly arriving, and the sky grew darker with every second.

The light had now become dim, but the streetlights had not completely lit up yet.

In this kind of light, it seemed like a fog, like a chaos from which no one could escape.

“You really...”

Even her voice became a little softer.

Then she heard the young man’s laughter from behind her.

“Don’t worry. As long as you want to come downstairs, I’ll have time to push you down. You no longer have to be afraid of this road. Even if the walls collapse, I’ll help hold them up for you.”

Kiyono Mitsuki could not help raising her head.

It was very difficult for her. She nearly had to twist her entire body around to see him completely.

In order not to make her so tired, Yatsuno Gen let go. This was a flat stretch of road.

Beside them was a twenty-four-hour convenience store.

The open lights illuminated the small square area before its entrance, and he placed the girl in the light while he came before her and bent down.

Looking at her from outside the light.

“What do you want to say?”

Kiyono Mitsuki’s gaze was somewhat misty, as though she herself did not know what her eyes meant at that moment.

She looked at this beautiful face that seemed unreal, like something out of a dream, and said,

“I feel like I’m a believer in some kind of cult.”

“Why?”

“Because right now, my trust in you... is like fanatical faith.”

Yatsuno Gen blinked.

In the dim light, he looked at her cold and elegant face.

“You’re pretty good at saying romantic lines. I suggest using that part in your novel.”

The girl’s face flushed red.

She glared at Yatsuno Gen.

“Go die.”

“Why are you cursing me again?”

“You know perfectly well.”

“I really don’t.”

He really did not?

I said something like that, and you answered with use it in the novel?

He really was too awful!

Fortunately,

the road had been very long when they came, and it would also be very long when they went back. He still had to push her for a while longer.

In these final two weeks, she wanted to go out a few more times and walk this road a few more times.

Because she was no longer afraid.

After sending Kiyono Mitsuki back to her room,

“All right, I’ll head back first. You should rest early too.”

Kiyono Mitsuki seemed somewhat hesitant. After a moment of silence, she still looked at him.

“You really must not go near those people. They may seem like they’re still being polite to me, but they are absolutely not good people. And don’t act impulsively, okay?”

Yatsuno Gen did not react much to those almost pleading words.

He merely nodded.

“Don’t worry. I’m not that foolish. Besides, what can a high school student like me use to fight them?”

“...Mhm. That’s good.”

As for what she herself would do, she did not say.

She merely hoped Yatsuno Gen really was very smart, and a little more selfish. That would be good.

What was wrong with being selfish?

At the very least, selfish people would not let themselves get hurt easily.

After closing her door, Yatsuno Gen returned home and immediately opened his phone.

Then he easily dialed a number. This number was the one he had seen on the threat letter. It had to be said that modern organizations still followed some rules. If they did not leave a number, how would they know whether any kindhearted person was willing to help repay the debt?

“Hello? Who is this?”

A very rude voice came from the other end.

The voice sounded a little like the buzz-cut man he had seen at the apartment entrance when he returned today.

“A kindhearted person.”

Yatsuno Gen answered.

“A kindhearted person? What the hell kind of kindhearted person? Hey! Are you messing with me? Do you know who I am?”

“Do you know Kiyono Mitsuki?”

Yatsuno Gen asked.

The other party fell silent for a moment.

“You’re her friend?”

“More or less. I heard her father owed you a debt.”

Yatsuno Gen leaned against the chair and languidly looked at the sinking night outside the window. Starlight flickered in the dark clouds, and the moon sharply pierced the edge of the clouds.

“That’s right. He owed a huge debt. What, are you going to repay it for her? Do you know how much she owes?”

“Over thirty million, right?”

“You’re talking pretty big... Is over thirty million very little to you? You sound young. Can you really pay it back?”

“That’s not something you should worry about. You just need to remember that in two weeks, we’ll meet at the entrance to Kiyono Mitsuki’s apartment. I’ll wait for you there.”

The other end fell silent again.

Very quickly,

“Fine, I’ll wait for you. If you dare mess with me, I’ll make you regret coming into this world...”

Beep.

Yatsuno Gen directly hung up.

After hanging up, he frowned.

“Something is off. What he cares about doesn’t seem to be whether the money can be repaid, but who repays it.”

The matter suddenly seemed to have become complicated.

He did not call Morita Chinatsu at this moment, because the moment he sensed something was off, he gave up on asking which organization the other party belonged to.

Something was off, but it was not too difficult either. Yatsuno Gen returned to his room and began to meditate with his eyes closed.

As expected, the spiritual energy these past few days did not seem all that abundant again, and he had not absorbed much either.

Did he really have to proactively do certain things in order to trigger changes in spiritual energy?

In the room where the lights were not turned on, darkness gradually swallowed him.

At the same time, the buzz-cut man whose call had been hung up on cursed furiously at his phone.

“What kind of lunatic is so damn arrogant? Damn it, don’t let me catch you... Forget it, make the call first.”

He immediately dialed another number.

The phone rang for a long time before it was answered.

The buzz-cut man instantly changed his expression, becoming fawning and cautious.

“Hello... I’m Oishi, the debt collector.”

“...I know. What is it?”

The other person’s voice was very cold, and the surroundings were very quiet.

Oishi considered his wording, then said carefully,

“It’s like this... I just received a phone call. Someone said... he was some kindhearted person and wanted to help Kiyono Mitsuki repay the money.”

“...Who is it?”

“I don’t know who he is. Seems like her friend. He said he could repay over thirty million, but judging from his voice, he sounded pretty young.”

“Was he talking nonsense?”

“But he also took the initiative to arrange a meeting with me in two weeks at the entrance to Kiyono Mitsuki’s apartment. It sounded like he was serious. What should I do?”

The other end fell silent for a moment.

Then the voice said coldly,

“Do what you’re supposed to do as usual. Meet him in two weeks, and bring more people. If he doesn’t bring the money, you know what to do.”

“Don’t worry about that. I definitely understand. But if he really has that much money...”

“I’ll send you information in advance. Remember, everything stays the same for now. Don’t act on your own. And don’t meet him in advance before that day arrives. Understood?”

“Understood, understood.”

“Also, delete this number immediately. Don’t contact me again in the future. Wait for me to contact you.”

“Got it.”

After the other party hung up,

the buzz-cut man looked at his phone and fell into thought.

“It’s just a high-interest loan, isn’t it? Why make it so strange...”