Chapter 70: He's in complete control; he needs to deceive his enemies.
"don't want!"
A sharp scream.
Without hesitation, Chika Takanashi stood in front of her adoptive father.
She knew it was too late, but the bullet was just one step too late.
"Bang!"
What came out of the gun wasn't bullets, but colorful ribbons.
"Hahahaha!" Karasuno Goku laughed wildly, holding the gun and almost unable to straighten up.
Chinatsuka Takanashi stood there dumbfounded. She had revealed her feelings for Yuki Takanashi and done something inappropriate. But what overwhelmed her more than panic was an overwhelming sense of grievance, and tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Oh dear, why are you crying? Black Cherry, good Cherry, good China, please don't cry, okay?" Karasuno Goku seemed startled by China's tears and hurriedly stepped forward to comfort her, coaxing her with increasingly gentle words: "I'm such a bad person, I made China unhappy, how about China punishes me?"
Takanashi Chika raised her hand and slapped Karasuno Goku hard across the face.
Karasuno Yuku was stunned.
Chika was also stunned, shrinking back half a step.
She thought Karasuno Gyoku would be angry, but Karasuno Gyoku touched his face and, far from being angry, even with the bright red handprint on his face, his eyes sparkled with enjoyment and surprise.
"China, you hit me?" As if she had received a great toy, Karasuno Goku danced around happily: "You know what? No one in this world has ever been able to hit me. As expected, China is different. As expected, China is the best!"
He stared intently at Qian Nai, as if she were the only treasure in the world.
Takanashi Chika was so startled that she stepped back. "Is this guy a pervert?"
“I’m giving this person to you. I will never refuse anything that China wants.” Karasuno Goku took a step back to show his friendliness.
Takanashi Chika glanced back at her adoptive father and said, "Come with me."
There was no response, but Takanashi Yuki followed in Chinatsu's footsteps.
As she walked, snowflakes fell again on China's head, shoulders, and cheeks.
Her cheeks felt cool and sore, and Takanashi Chika's nose started to sting again. She stared into her adoptive father's emotionless eyes, feeling an overwhelming sense of regret.
She was wrong.
She shouldn't have just waited like that. If she had noticed sooner, if she had acted sooner, perhaps her father wouldn't be in this state now.
After returning home, Takanashi Chinatsu lit the heater and handed Takanashi Yuuki a cup of ginger soup.
Takanashi Yuki did not accept it.
She pursed her lips and said, "Drink it."
Takanashi Yuki then reached out, took the cup, and started gulping it down, only to be hurriedly stopped by Takanashi Chinatsu.
"Careful, it's hot!" She hurriedly snatched the cup away, and the hot water inside splashed onto the back of her hand, burning it red.
"Chika, are you alright?" Kenji Hagiwara quickly blew on her, the cool air just enough to neutralize the heat.
When Takanashi Chinatsu ignored her, she stared intently at her father. Takanashi Yuki didn't react at all, just stood there quietly.
Her father used to love her the most...
He did not sit down, not because he was not tired, but because he had not received any orders.
He poured it directly into his mouth not because he wasn't afraid of the heat, but because it was her order.
Her adoptive father has become a machine that only obeys orders.
Kenji Hagiwara had been observing for a long time. He recognized the man; this was the "pervert" he had seen breaking into Chinatsu's house before. Now he realized that this was Chinatsu's adoptive father.
He said nothing, but stayed by China's side, sharing her worries about this man.
"When were you caught?" Takanashi Chinatsu asked.
Unsurprisingly, she received no answer.
"Do you still remember what happened before?" Takanashi Chinatsu stretched out her hand and gently waved it in front of Yusei.
There was no response.
Takanashi Yuki seems to be dead; the one standing here now is nothing but a walking corpse, her soul long gone.
Chinatsuka's hands clenched tightly around her clothes. She almost couldn't help but cry out "Father," but she was also worried that her adoptive father would betray her after being brainwashed.
Her adoptive father's identity must never be revealed, otherwise not only will she be in danger, but her adoptive father will also certainly not survive.
The knocking saved Chizuru; she dared not look at Takanashi Yuuki again and hurriedly went to the door to open it.
"Gin." As if she had found her pillar of support, Takanashi Chinatsu grabbed Gin's arm and looked at him hopefully.
Gin patted her head, walked over and glanced at Takanashi Yuki, coldly saying, "Liqueur."
Takanashi Yuusei did not respond.
"You think you can get away with pretending to be crazy? I didn't know you were an undercover agent." Gin scoffed, maintaining his usual persona.
Takanashi Yuki simply stood there, as if she hadn't heard his mockery.
Gin pulled out his gun and pointed it menacingly at Takanashi Yuki.
"Wait!" Takanashi Chinatsu quickly grabbed his hand.
“I know he’s been brainwashed, but an undercover agent is an undercover agent. He can’t follow you,” Gin said coldly.
Of course, Takanashi Chika knew that her brother was putting on an act with her. After all, no one knew the extent to which Takanashi Yuki had been brainwashed. If they said or did something and Takanashi Yuki reported it to her, it would be troublesome.
But she still didn't want to treat her adoptive father this way.
In her dream, her adoptive father treated her so well and even talked to her about their next plans. Why has he become like this now?
That's not right at all. It hasn't been long since I entered the dream. Even if it's to brainwash the adoptive father, there's not enough time at all.
Can……
What if the adoptive father was already on the verge of a mental breakdown at that time?
Perhaps her adoptive father was already at his limit, so he used his last strength to enter her dream and show her the way.
But at the time, my adoptive father was so certain that everything was under his control, wasn't it?
Liar, this liar!
"Liqueur, stop playing dumb, come with me." Gin grabbed Takanashi Yuki by the collar and was about to drag him away.
"No, I want to keep him here." Takanashi Chinatsu immediately tried to pull Gin's hand away.
Gin frowned unhappily, his eyebrows almost forming a knot, and he forcefully pulled Takanashi Yuuki back a step, avoiding Chika's hand, and said coldly, "Do you know what you're saying? This is an undercover agent."
His voice was stern.
Takanashi Chika bit her lower lip. She understood what her brother meant. Her brainwashed adoptive father was like a time bomb, and she didn't know when he would hurt her, but she didn't care.
Where can we go if we follow Gin? Are we going to lock up our adoptive father?
What if the rest of the organization finds out? Her adoptive father will be tossed around and ordered to do tasks he doesn't want to do; no one will treat a machine as a human being.
Her adoptive father is safest only if he stays by her side.
"Black Cherry, don't act rashly," Gin warned, glaring at her.
But Chizuru Takanashi wouldn't listen and stubbornly refused: "I asked you to come here so you could help me see if he would betray me. You have no right to take him away."
She just wanted her brother to give her some advice, preferably one that could help her adoptive father regain his senses, rather than abandoning him for her safety.
Gin's face remained cold, but he eventually relented under Takanashi Chinatsu's pleading gaze, his voice softening: "Let me take a look for you."
Chika Takanashi then released her adoptive father's hand, allowing Gin to help with the examination.
Gin brought a flashlight and shone it directly into the eyes of the bird.
When the incandescent light shone on the bird, Yuuki Yuuki didn't react at all; its eyes were just staring blankly at the light from the flashlight.
Takanashi Chika became even more worried. Had her adoptive father gone mad?
The lights suddenly changed color.
Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and violet—seven colors of light flashed one after another.
Takanashi Yuuki finally reacted this time. Like a vampire exposed to the sun, he let out a painful howl, covered his eyes, collapsed to the ground, curled up, and trembled.
"Huffing and puffing"
There was no cry for help, only heavy breathing.
Takanashi Yuki was in so much pain that his body was convulsing, but Gin showed no mercy, forcefully prying open his hands that were covering his eyes and shining the light on him once again.
Chinatsu Takanashi was stunned. She tried to step forward to stop him, but Kenji Hagiwara held her arm tightly.
"Don't worry, Gin is helping him regain his memories."
Takanashi Chika watched this scene anxiously. Of course she knew her brother wouldn't hurt their adoptive father, but he was in so much pain. Wasn't there any way to help him without the pain?
Gin also explained, "Brainwashing is accomplished with the help of various colored lights, so after being exposed to various colored lights, he is likely to regain his memories. I have to make sure he won't regain his memories in this way before I can feel at ease."
He looked very uncomfortable.
"That's because his brain suffered a shock, and his past will is struggling."
So, is it possible that her father will regain his memory? Takanashi Chinatsu's eyes lit up slightly.
"ah--"
"Ahhhh—"
The wails grew louder and louder.
Chinatsu's heart clenched tighter and tighter, and she finally couldn't help but stop him: "That's enough, Gin, stop it, he can't take it if this continues."
"If you can't hold out, it means the brainwashing wasn't thorough enough." Gin stared coldly at Takanashi Yuuki, his eyes devoid of any emotion.
"He's in so much pain, please stop torturing him!"
Gin coldly ordered, "Hold her tight."
Upon hearing this, Kenji Hagiwara gripped Chinatsu Takanashi even tighter and covered her eyes with his other hand, whispering in her ear, "Don't worry, Chinatsu, everything will be alright. Gin won't hurt him."
Takanashi Chika struggled, tears welling up between Hagiwara Kenji's fingers.
“Chika…” Kenji Hagiwara’s fingers trembled slightly, wishing he could pull Chika into his arms.
Finally, the wailing stopped.
The inability to hear her adoptive father's cries only made Chika more worried. She hurriedly removed Hagiwara Kenji's hand and saw her adoptive father lying on the ground, covered in cold sweat, and unconscious.
Before Chizuru could ask, Gin spoke first: "Don't worry, he's fine. He just fainted from the shock."
"Has he regained his memory?" Takanashi Chika asked hurriedly.
Gin remained silent and did not answer.
Chika Takanashi was greatly disappointed, but she still pulled her father up and, together with Gin, helped him lie down on the sofa.
"Is this your organization's brainwashing? It's too insidious." Kenji Hagiwara appeared, now able to briefly appear in front of people without relying on the power of the rhinoceros horn.
Gin glanced at him indifferently and said to Chizuru, "His current condition is not suitable for him to stay by your side. I'm taking him away."
"no!"
"Don't be willful. Karasuno Gyoku sent him to your side with ill intentions. Although he is your adoptive father, he is now also Karasuno Gyoku's spy."
Takanashi Chika pursed her lips; of course, she was aware of this as well.
She acted too strangely. It's normal that Karasuma Renya and Karasuno Goku don't trust her. She's too close to the undercover agent and too far removed from the organization.
They were worried that she would betray the organization.
Can……
Despite knowing she was a spy, Takanashi Chika couldn't bring herself to send Takanashi Yuuki away.
“They know I care about undercover agents, and they went to great lengths to brainwash and send one over. He's only useful to me. Once I get rid of him, he'll immediately become useless and be discarded by the organization.” Takanashi Chinatsu looked directly into Gin's eyes and asked, “What happens to someone deemed useless by the organization? Brother, you don't know?”
A cold glint flashed in Gin's eyes.
"Of course I know you care about me. I'm the person you care about most in the whole organization, but I also have people I care about. Brother, I care about you, and I care about our adoptive father. I won't allow anything to happen to any of you." Takanashi Chinatsu's attitude was resolute. Since she could save her adoptive father, she would never let him get hurt, even if he was now Karasuma Renya and Karasuno Goku's informant.
She gazed at the disheveled and unconscious Takanashi Yuki on the sofa, gently wiping the sweat from his forehead with a tissue, her eyes revealing deep affection.
She said to her brother, almost as if talking to herself, "I don't know how he got through the past few years, but he must not have had a good time. Of course, brother, I'm not blaming you, but he has always been very good to me. I've already lost him once, and I don't want to lose him a second time. I can't fail to save him twice."
She looked up at her brother, feeling as if a piece of her heart had been ripped out.
"Can you understand how I feel, bro?"
Gin let out a long sigh.
He can fight and kill others, and he even dares to fight to the death against Karasuno Prison.
Gin only feels this deep helplessness when facing his own sister.
“I understand.” Of course he could understand.
He loved his only sister so much, and he had lost her once before, so he knew very well how she was feeling at that moment.
He made too many mistakes.
He had been absent from his sister's life for too long, and his sister had formed a deep bond with Takanashi Yuki. Now, of course, all he could do was help his sister.
“He fainted from the shock, but that doesn’t mean he can regain his memory. If he still doesn’t remember you when he wakes up, don’t be sad. I’ll think of another way.” Gin finished speaking and his cold gaze swept over Kenji Hagiwara.
Kenji Hagiwara immediately understood: "Don't worry, I will definitely protect Chika."
Gin came in a hurry, and left in a hurry.
Takanashi Chika watched his retreating figure as he left, then quietly watched from the window as the brand-new black Porsche drove away, feeling a deep sense of loss.
Her brother was always in a rush, and in reality, they didn't spend much time together.
Fortunately, she didn't have a deep impression of that period of constant experimentation because she was too young.
After being captured by the organization, she felt more anger and hostility towards Gin, and they did not get along very well.
Now that she knows Gin's identity, she tries to get closer to him. The two of them are as close as if they had never been apart, but... in her heart, the most important person is probably still her adoptive father who has been with her on the sofa for many years.
Although Takanashi Yuki often travels for work, the happy days spent by her side can never be erased.
She must have hurt her brother's feelings.
Takanashi Chika clenched her fingers. Even though Gin was her biological brother, she was now worried about an adoptive father with whom she had no blood relation.
In fact, if it were her brother, she would do everything in her power to protect him as well. She would never let go of either her adoptive father or her brother.
Chinatsuka Takanashi moved a chair and sat quietly next to Yuuki Takanashi, waiting, but unknowingly fell asleep.
It was a dream.
It was an obvious dream, fleeting and enchanting.
Takanashi Chinatsu sat on a swing woven from vines, and she must have been smiling because she was overjoyed.
Someone took her hand and gently stroked the feather mark on her wrist.
"An angel has given you a wonderful gift."
“Father!” China immediately turned her head.
Takanashi Yuki gently patted her head and asked with a smile, "Did I make you sad? I'm sorry, Chika."
"You've been brainwashed, how are you?"
"The brainwashing was very successful. My consciousness was pushed to its deepest point and trapped by a dense layer of shackles." Takanashi Yuki recounted her experience in a detached tone, as if she were talking about someone else's story.
Chinatsu's eyelashes trembled slightly as she gripped her father's hand tightly.
"But don't worry, I'm just temporarily unable to break free, but everything is still under my control."
"You're lying!" Takanashi Chinatsu isn't so easily fooled.
Takanashi Yuuki has already lied to her once with this phrase, and now she's saying it again. How many more times does Takanashi Yuuki want to lie to her?
Is she that easy to fool? Takanashi Yuki's current situation is clearly terrible, how could it possibly still be under control!
Takanashi Yuki was patient and composed: "I'm not lying to you, Chika. I can still enter your dreams through magic, which means things aren't completely out of my control. Although I can't regain my senses in front of you, it's only temporary. I need this confused state to lull the enemy into a false sense of security."
"Couldn't you have told me?"
“I am talking to you.”
Why don't you wake up and tell me?
Takanashi Yuki sighed and patiently explained, "Anyone who is an expert in this can tell whether someone has been brainwashed. No matter how good my acting skills are, it is difficult for me to act like I have been brainwashed all the time, so it is better to confirm it."
Takanashi Chinatsu finally calmed down, but was still worried: "Father, can you really restore your memories?"
"Yes, but it's not the right time yet."
"But if your consciousness is completely blocked, and you can't perceive anything in the outside world, how will you know when the time will come?"
Takanashi Yuki nodded her head and said confidently, "I trust my intuition; it never lies to me."
Chizuru Takanashi remained silent.
She trusted her intuition because of her good fortune, but why was her father so confident? Intuition? His bad luck seemed to come in waves; what if he was wrong?
"How's Ran Mouri doing lately?" Yuuki Takanashi changed the subject.
Hearing her father's question, Takanashi Chika felt a little guilty. Her father was in a dangerous situation fighting against the organization, and yet she hadn't managed to complete such a small task assigned to her.
She couldn't help it; she was too weak.
She also tried to cast a spell on Ran Mouri, but her magic was always out of control. Not only did she fail to make Ran less lucky, but she even put her into a deep sleep.
It's really strange. If Ran Mouri really has great luck, according to Eriol, the magic she casts should benefit Ran Mouri, allowing her to escape the organization's surveillance. Logically speaking, even the heavens should help her succeed.
But she still failed.
"It didn't work?" Takanashi Yuki noticed.
Chinatsu nods and answers truthfully: "She failed. She just took a nap, but she was still very lucky when she woke up."
"It shouldn't be like that."
"I can't help it, my magic talent went astray." Takanashi Chinatsu said with deep helplessness.
With a "pfft," Takanashi Yuki laughed.
He ruffled China's hair and tapped the feather mark on her wrist with his finger: "Borrow power from the angels."
Chika stared blankly at the mark on her wrist.
"Let the power of the angel control you, let her guide you to complete this magic. Be quick, Chika, he doesn't have much patience."
As Takanashi Yuusei spoke, Takanashi Chinatsu seemed to be pushed hard by something, and she fell out of the dream, opening her eyes blankly.
She woke up.
Oh no, she hadn't even had a chance to ask her father, Karasuma Renya, about his condition. She still didn't know what Karasuma Renya looked like.
Just as she was feeling annoyed, Takanashi Yuki opened her eyes.
Unlike his gentle and shrewd demeanor in his dreams, he was now cowering in fear of everything around him after being brainwashed.
"You're awake." Takanashi Chinatsu asked in surprise, "Do you remember me? Karasuno Goku made you listen to me."
Takanashi Yuki's gaze wandered wildly, as if unable to focus, but compared to her previous lifeless appearance, she seemed to have gained a bit more humanity.
He was so frightened that he couldn't answer China's question.
"liqueur."
Upon hearing her code name, Takanashi Yuki finally turned her gaze to Chizuru.
"Sit up, liqueur." Takanashi Chika felt a deep sadness when she said those words.
Despite being so terrified, despite looking around nervously, she needed her permission to even sit up, and showed no intention of running away.
Is this what it means to have complete control?
She shouldn't doubt her adoptive father, but his current state is truly worrying.
Seeing Takanashi Yuuki sit up hesitantly, Takanashi Chinatsu gave the order again: "Stand up."
Takanashi Yuki suddenly stood up.
It was very fast, as if it happened without thinking.
Thinking of this, Takanashi Chika fell into a subtle silence again. In her current state of being brainwashed, Takanashi Yuki was indeed acting without thinking, after all, his brain was still locked in the deep consciousness.
Can magic be used, yet not to break through brainwashing? Although it was meant to paralyze the enemy, it still worried Takanashi Chinatsu.
"You have to listen to me from now on, okay?" Takanashi Chika tried to guide her.
There was no response.
Takanashi Yuki stared with her large, brown eyes, her gaze devoid of any emotion.
Don't understand the question? Is a direct command required?
Takanashi Chika frowned, and although she wasn't quite used to it, she still said, "You must obey me."
"Yes." Takanashi Yuki finally spoke, her command strictly obeyed.
"My first order is for you to go to that room and sleep in the bed," Takanashi Chika commanded, pointing to one of the guest rooms.
Takanashi Yuki executed the order meticulously. Chika followed to see him and found him lying stiffly on the bed with his hands folded over his abdomen and his eyes closed.
Chinatsuko: ...
So even something as simple as covering oneself with a blanket requires an order?
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Author's Note: Black Cherry: Is this also under your control? You're such a control freak!
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