Chapter 30 "■■…Yoriichi…Who is he?…"

—What is he saying?

—She recognized this face immediately?

Azhi heard clearly what Upper Moon was saying, but she couldn't understand why he would ask such a question, nor could she understand his current behavior.

Soft fingertips brushed against the high bridge of Kuroshibo's nose. They were so close that his breath could be seen spraying onto their palms and between their fingers, making their already sweaty hands even more uncomfortable.

Her slender white fingers twitched slightly in surprise, but quickly unfolded again. What made her scalp tingle even more was her current position with Upper Moon.

With his knees crossed in a stark contrast, Shangxian supported his body without fully sinking down. However, without exception, every part of his body that could be touched felt hard and uncomfortable, with his bones and muscles being rock hard, such as his solid abdomen and thighs...

The old, dilapidated window couldn't be closed properly, and a wisp of cold wind could blow in through the cracks. Besides making the candle flame flicker, what affected A-Zhi even more was that the wind blew right onto her legs, which she had to spread apart because of her posture.

On her slender ankles, large patches of skin, as delicate as cheese, resembled a piece of beautiful jade, beneath which pale blue veins floated, exposed to the cold air without any barrier.

No matter how oblivious you are, you can't ignore it.

Even though no one could see, Azhi felt extremely ashamed. She involuntarily wanted to close her legs, but the obstacle between them clearly told her that it was impossible to achieve her goal.

Aori once accidentally stumbled upon a customer "flirting" with a prostitute at a nightclub, but she didn't know it was "flirting" at the time.

The businessman-looking man appeared rather ordinary, the kind who could easily blend into a crowd and go unnoticed. He leaned down and whispered something in the woman's ear, then took her hand and placed it on his cheek...

He caressed her gently, his eyes crinkling and his cheeks flushing. The woman couldn't help but cover her lips and laugh, and then the two embraced...

Azhi only caught a glimpse from afar before her older sister, Koi-ka, covered her eyes and led her away from that place. However, that scene was deeply imprinted in her mind.

At the time, A-Zhi thought it must be a very happy thing, otherwise why would she be smiling so... so full of hope? Later, she heard that the prostitute had been redeemed by this customer.

It's obvious to everyone that the current situation is different from back then, so if you want to eat her, why not just be direct?

Azhi started biting her lip again, hoping to get 000's help to escape this insurmountable predicament. [I don't understand what he's saying.]

His voice was clearly choked with sobs.

Of course I couldn't understand it. It was like talking to a brick wall; we weren't on the same wavelength at all!

But only 000 knew the truth, and it couldn't tell anyone. Keeping it to itself was also quite painful. So it succinctly said: "Ignore him, he's going crazy."

000's words were quite grand. He had just been urging her to rebel against the Upper Moon, and now he was telling her to ignore him. In a daze, Aori even thought that she was the real one in control during their brief time together.

000, wake up! This is Upper Moon One, the one who can crush Ori like an ant!

The girl was distracted again, even at this point.

Under his control, Azhi couldn't even look away freely. Her eyes were fixed on his face, but her gaze was unfocused, as if she were lost in some distant memory, shrouded in a mist.

Kokushibo knew, of course, which memory Ori was lost in. Indeed, it had been hundreds of years since he last saw Yoriichi Tsugikuni. How could he not be shocked to see an old friend after such a long time?

A strange and unfamiliar pain welled up in his chest. He knew the answer without needing to ask any further. As if torturing himself, Kokushibo gritted his teeth and said, "You really do like Yoriichi Tsugikuni the most!"

But he will never be Yoriichi Tsugikuni!

Yoriichi Tsugikuni's eyes were always calm and undisturbed, aloof and superior. He stood above everyone else by a wide margin. There was almost nothing in this world that could stump him, and no matter how hard others tried to catch up, they could never reach his level.

Just like the rising sun, he is incredibly dazzling, easily attracting others to approach him step by step. Anyone can be that other person, but it cannot be A-Zhi!

Kokushibo's voice deepened two octaves, like the roar of a trapped beast, lifting Aori's chin up slightly. His fingertips touched her lips, but he didn't exert much force, coldly demanding, "Speak!"

The full lips were gently pressed and sunken, turning a rosy hue. The tightly closed lips opened slightly, revealing glimpses of white teeth and a slightly moist tongue.

In the cramped space, their breaths mingled together, and an ambiguous yet indistinct atmosphere swept over them.

The girl's thick eyelashes trembled twice in time with her movements. She sniffed, her face showing clear tear tracks, her eyes and nose reddened, and her jet-black hair spread out on the floor like a black swamp entwining her.

It looked so pitiful, ravaged by the storm, that one couldn't bear to criticize it any further.

Azhi's breath hitched again. She felt the thin calluses on her fingertips chafing painfully. Her tearful eyes met Shangxian's eyes, which were brewing a storm. An indescribable dizziness gradually flowed into her blood. She blinked her wet eyes.

"Who is Yoriichi...?"

The name was a bit difficult for Azhi to pronounce when she first heard it. She was out of breath and stumbled over it, her pitiful yet beautiful face filled with visible confusion.

She didn't recognize Yoriichi Tsugikuni. Kokushibo's first reaction was disbelief. His pupils contracted slightly, and his prominent Adam's apple bobbed up and down hastily and even laboriously.

Kokushibo carefully observed the girl's eyes. Her eyes, washed clean, were clear and gleaming. There was nothing in them except panic and confusion.

She showed the most genuine reaction when she first heard the name "Yoichi Tsugikuni," and Kokushibo paused carefully for a second to confirm whether his judgment was correct.

That's why he realized what that faint sense of unease that had been there ever since he met A-Zhi was.

—Ren is now a blank slate; she doesn't know who Yoriichi Tsugikuni is, nor does she know Kokushibo, as if her memories have been erased.

But Kokushibo was certain that Aori was Aori, and not someone who looked extremely similar.

—She really doesn't know Yoriichi Tsugikuni!

Suddenly, the dark brilliance in Shangxian's eyes froze. He paused for a moment, straightened up, and pulled Azhi up by the shoulder, returning them to their kneeling position facing each other, making it seem as if everything that had just happened was an illusion.

Azhi stood there blankly, letting herself be put back on the futon. She had a chance to pull her legs, which were freezing from the wind, back into her clothes.

The Upper Moon's upper half of its face transformed back into six eyes. This time, Aori wasn't frightened, but unlike before, Kokushibo's gaze was noticeably more unfathomable.

His hands rested naturally on his knees, his gaze fixed on the girl who had stirred his emotions, a subtle hint of pleasure settling into his calm tone: "Very good!"

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Author's Note: Brother Yi: A contemporary veteran of the "face-changing" performance art!

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2023-04-28 20:28:54 and 2023-05-02 23:00:00!

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Iced Tea, 49088585 (10 bottles); and Sand Sculpture is Not a Sculpture (9 bottles);

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!