The evening breeze carried a chill, blowing over the flowing water under Kyobashi Bridge and stirring Sonoko's chestnut hair. She leaned against the door of a luxury car, occasionally standing on her tiptoes to look around, her face a mix of anticipation and a hint of unease. When she saw Kanjuro's tall, upright figure walking unhurriedly from the twilight, she immediately broke into a bright smile and walked quickly to meet him.
"Brother Kanjuro! You're finally back!" Her tone was filled with the joy of being relieved.
Kanjuro pulled open the car door and sat elegantly in the passenger seat. His face had already returned to its usual gentle and calm demeanor, as if the terrifying scene in the alley that could overturn an ordinary person's worldview had never happened.
"Mhm, sorry to keep you waiting." His voice was peaceful, showing no sign of any disturbance.
Sonoko also sat in the driver's seat and turned to ask with concern: "Brother Kanjuro, did you find Kudo? How is he? Is he okay?"
Kanjuro's gaze drifted to the night scenery flowing outside the window, his tone carrying a perfect touch of helplessness and detachment, perfectly playing the role of a spectator who "failed to catch up": "I lost him. Classmate Kudo was too fast; he disappeared around a corner. I don't know where he is now or how he's doing."
He skillfully avoided the truth, attributing Shinichi Kudo's "disappearance" to losing track of him.
Upon hearing this, Sonoko curled her lip, her tone a mix of dissatisfaction and relief: "Hmph, that mystery maniac just loves to run around! If you couldn't find him, then forget it. Brother Kanjuro, don't worry about him! He's always acting on his own, making people worry!"
She seemed to quickly put Shinichi Kudo out of her mind, her attention fully refocusing on Kanjuro. She quietly moved a bit closer, reached out, and affectionately hooked her arm through Kanjuro's, resting her head gently on his shoulder, her voice sweet and coquettish:
"Brother Kanjuro... tonight, just the two of us, let's go have a candlelight dinner together, okay?"
She tilted her head up, her eyes sparkling with anticipation and a trace of undetectable nervousness. She wanted to know what that brief kiss under the roller coaster and this current intimacy really meant.
Kanjuro felt the warmth and softness from his arm. He looked down at Sonoko's close-at-hand face, filled with attachment and desire. He didn't just give a gentle smile or maintain distance as usual; instead, he made a move that made Sonoko's heart skip a beat—
He proactively reached out, gently covering the hand Sonoko had hooked around his arm, completely enveloping her slightly cool little hand within his warm, dry palm.
"Sure," he replied, his voice deeper and softer than usual, carrying a reassuring magnetism.
The warm touch on the back of her hand and the sense of security from being completely enveloped made Sonoko tremble. A huge surge of warmth and happiness instantly flooded her entire body. She felt her cheeks burning like fire, and her heart felt as if countless fireworks were exploding!
(Brother Kanjuro... he proactively held my hand! He agreed!)
This clear, proactive response touched her heart more than any words ever could. All her previous anxiety and guesswork transformed into wild joy at this moment.
"Re-really? That's wonderful!" Sonoko was so happy she almost jumped up, but she was held in place by Kanjuro's hand. She could only squeeze his hand back firmly, her face blossoming into an incomparably bright smile, as if she possessed the whole world.
"Mm." Looking at her undisguised joy, a gentle curve formed at the corner of Kanjuro's mouth, but deep within those profound eyes, there remained an unfathomable abyss of calm. He lightly caressed the back of her hand, then naturally let go and buckled his seatbelt.
"Let's go. Where do you want to go? You decide."
"Okay!" Sonoko nodded vigorously and started the car, her face overflowing with the glow of happiness as she drove toward the romantic restaurant she had already reserved.
The evening breeze continued as soothing music flowed from the car radio. Sonoko was immersed in the sweet fantasy of a 'date,' while Kanjuro sat calmly by her side, enjoying this moment of tranquility and... the cold calculation of everything, including the Suzuki Conglomerate, that was about to be completely under his control. To him, this candlelit dinner was merely a logical step in another carefully orchestrated play. Inside the elegant VIP room of the high-end restaurant, the candlelight flickered, creating a romantic and hazy atmosphere. The exquisite dishes were almost untouched; Sonoko's entire focus was tied to the extraordinarily handsome youth sitting across from her. After a few glasses of red wine, her cheeks were flushed crimson, her eyes were misty, and she summoned an unprecedented amount of courage.
"Brother Kanjuro..." She put down her wine glass, her hands nervously clasped on the table, her voice carrying a tipsy sweetness and a desperate finality, "I... I like you! Not the kind of like a sister has for a brother, but... but the kind of like a woman has for a man! From the first time I saw you, I... I couldn't control myself!"
She confessed her feelings boldly, her heart pounding wildly as she awaited Kanjuro's response.
Kanjuro watched her quietly, the candlelight dancing in his deep eyes, making it impossible to discern his true emotions. He didn't show surprise, nor did he immediately respond to her feelings; instead, he sighed softly, a sigh carrying a complex and indescribable meaning.
"Sonoko," his voice was still gentle, but it held a trace of unusual solemnity, "hearing you say that, I... I don't know how to respond. Because there is something I think it's time to tell you."
Seeing his suddenly serious expression, the anticipation in Sonoko's heart cooled by several degrees, replaced by a flicker of unease. "What is it?"
Kanjuro gazed into her eyes and said clearly, word by word: "You... Sonoko, you are very likely my daughter."
"—!!!"
It was as if a clap of thunder had exploded in her ears! Sonoko's eyes widened instantly, the flush on her face rapidly fading until she turned deathly pale. As if she had heard the world's most absurd joke, she shook her head violently, her voice sharp with disbelief:
"Brother Kanjuro! Wh-what kind of nonsense are you talking about?! This joke isn't funny at all!"
Kanjuro was not at all surprised by her reaction, and he continued to drop bombshells in a calm tone: "I'm not joking. Eighteen years ago, in an underground research facility... I had a relationship with your mother, Tomoko Suzuki. You and Ayako were conceived at that time."
"Impossible! You're lying!" Sonoko stood up excitedly, her chair making a harsh scraping sound against the floor. "How could my mother... and you look so young! This is completely impossible!"
Kanjuro didn't rush to argue. Instead, he asked softly in a guiding, pitying tone: "Sonoko, calm down and think back carefully. Has your 'father,' Shiro Suzuki, truly given you and Ayako meticulous, fatherly care since you were children? Or was it more of a polite and distant... responsibility?"
Sonoko froze, her body trembling slightly. She recalled her childhood; Shiro Suzuki always seemed very busy. Even when he was home, he mostly asked about schoolwork and provided material things, but rarely gave the intimate hugs, patient companionship, and unreserved affection of an ordinary father. That feeling... truly was more like an obligation.
"Father... he didn't manage us much, he was busy with work... but, but it's not like he was bad..." Her defense was pale and weak; she couldn't even convince herself.
"True fatherly love isn't like that, Sonoko." Kanjuro's voice had a strange penetrating power, as if it could reach straight into one's heart. "It's an instinct that flows in the blood, an unconditional protection, a constant concern. Do you think Shiro Suzuki has that for you?"
Sonoko was speechless, a cold chill crawling up her spine.
Seeing her wavering expression, Kanjuro knew he was only one step away. He shook his head with a bitter smile: "I know that without proof, it's hard for you to believe. So... let me show you the 'evidence.'"
He slowly raised his right hand, palm upward. A wisp of dim light gathered and flowed at his fingertips, the surrounding air seemingly distorting slightly along with it. Under Sonoko's shocked gaze, the light rapidly expanded, transforming into a floating, crystal-ball-like orb of light!
"This... this is..." Sonoko covered her mouth, her eyes filled with the fear and confusion brought by supernatural phenomena.
"Look at it, Sonoko." Kanjuro's voice was like a magic spell.
Within the light orb, images began to emerge—a dark and damp environment, flickering candlelight, a young Tomoko Suzuki whose face bore a resemblance to Sonoko, her expression a complex mix of confusion, fear, yet a hint of surrender... and that handsome youth with a demonic charm, Kanjuro, who looked almost exactly as he did now! The figures of the two were closely intertwined; though the images were hazy, Sonoko could never mistake that crucial scene and her mother's youthful face!
"Ah!" Sonoko's face turned beet red instantly before turning deathly pale again. She jerked her head away, not daring to look at the shameful and shocking images any longer, her body trembling violently.
Kanjuro closed his palm, and the light orb containing the fragments of time and space vanished quietly like a phantom, as if it had never existed.
"Now, do you understand?" Kanjuro's voice pulled Sonoko back from her extreme shock. "This is the... 'truth.' What I possess is power beyond the mundane; seeing the past is merely a trivial part of it."
Sonoko slumped into her chair, her eyes vacant, her mind a complete blank. The supernatural ability Kanjuro displayed and the indisputable 'evidence' in those images were like a fierce tsunami, completely demolishing all her perceptions of her birth and family from the past eighteen years!
Her father wasn't her biological father... her mother and this seemingly youthful Kanjuro... she was actually his daughter?!
Confusion, shame, fear, a sense of betrayal... countless emotions crashed wildly in her heart, nearly tearing her apart. She looked up at Kanjuro's face, which was still handsome but now appeared utterly strange and terrifying, and tears finally gushed out uncontrollably.
The romantic atmosphere of the candlelit dinner had long since vanished, leaving only the suffocating coldness brought by the cruel truth. Sonoko's words were like a sharp blade, stabbing directly at the web of lies Kanjuro had carefully woven. She snapped her head up, a hint of sharpness in her tearful eyes: "If... if what you say is true... then you aren't Ran's brother either? You and her..."
Kanjuro met her questioning gaze and nodded frankly, his tone carrying a deliberately crafted, heavy sense of helplessness: "Yes... Ran's mother, Eri Kisaki, was also at that place back then, just like your mother... the same thing happened between us. She is also my daughter."
"Scumbag! Pervert!" Sonoko could no longer restrain herself; she grabbed the water glass on the table and splashed it at Kanjuro, her voice trembling with anger and disgust. "You actually... you actually deceived Mother and Aunt Eri at the same time! You even deceived me and Ran! What do you take us for?!"
Cold water slid down Kanjuro's handsome face, but he didn't even blink. Instead, he revealed a bitter, self-mocking smile. He gently wiped the water from his face, his voice low as if carrying endless pain:
"Well said... I am a scumbag, a pervert." He looked up, his gaze deep as he looked at Sonoko, and began weaving a new lie, "But Sonoko, have you ever wondered why my appearance hasn't changed at all after eighteen years?"
Sonoko was startled by his question.
Kanjuro continued in a voice full of allure: "Because back then, I was also just a sacrificial offering bewitched and controlled by Black Magic! That dark bible... it eroded my soul, twisted my will, and made me do those things against my own volition! The reason I still look so young isn't because I want to, but because I was struck by the most vicious curse—to stay eighteen forever, burdened with eternal sins, never to be released!"
He cast himself as a fellow victim, pushing all the blame onto the ethereal 'Black Magic' and 'curse.'
Looking at the'sincere' pain and helplessness on his face and hearing his seemingly reasonable explanation, the anger in Sonoko's heart couldn't help but waver. If... if he was also a victim?
She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her roiling emotions, but her voice still carried a broken sob: "I... I can't accept it... this is too absurd... how can I accept that you are my... father..." The word was incredibly difficult for her to say.
Seeing her struggling and in pain, that hint of amusement and desire for control resurfaced deep in Kanjuro's eyes. He suddenly leaned closer and lowered his voice, which carried a demonic temptation and provocation:
"You can't accept it? But Sonoko... don't you think this is actually... quite thrilling?"
He tilted his head slightly, a nearly wicked, playful smile appearing on his face that was completely out of place with the heavy atmosphere.
"!!!"
Sonoko's heart jolted as if struck by an electric current! She looked at Kanjuro's face, handsome to the point of being eerie, and the soul-stirring curve of his lips. Feeling the forbidden, dangerous implication in his words... her body couldn't help but tremble slightly. A mixture of immense shame, fear... and a hint of quietly ignited, unspeakable sinful excitement coiled around her heart like poisonous vines.
(Th-thrilling...?)
(What... what is he saying?!)
(But... why is my heart beating so fast...?)
Kanjuro took in all of her reactions. Seeing the abnormal flush on her pale face and the complex look of struggle and confusion in her eyes, he delivered the final blow like a master hunter.
His voice dropped even lower, carrying a hypnotic magnetic quality as he slowly asked:
"Calling me 'Father'... doesn't it feel better?"
These words were like a final judgment, or a key opening Pandora's box.
Sonoko's eyes snapped open. Looking at Kanjuro's figure, which seemed deeper and more charming in the candlelight, her mind went blank. All ethics, morals, and worldly common sense were shattered in that instant. An unprecedented sense of guilt, defying all social norms, washed over her like a tide. Yet, deep within that guilt, there was a trembling, dark throb.
She opened her mouth, the title rolling on the tip of her tongue, but she ultimately lacked the courage to say it. However, her eyes, her trembling, and the expression on her face—a mix of pain and secret desire—already said everything.
Kanjuro watched her completely disordered state of mind with satisfaction, knowing that the seed named "Taboo" had been successfully planted. He didn't push any further, simply sitting back up and resuming his gentle, slightly sorrowful appearance, as if the demon radiating evil and temptation just now was merely her hallucination.
"Let's go, Sonoko. I'll take you back. You need time... to calm down."
He stood up and reached out his hand to Sonoko, who was still immersed in the massive shock and chaotic emotions. That hand, which had once given her warmth and security, now felt like it was connected to a bottomless abyss.
Sonoko looked at that hand, her body still trembling slightly. For the first time, she felt a clear and painful... sense of guilt toward herself, Kanjuro, and this twisted relationship. And this guilt was quietly warping all her perceptions of the word "Father."
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