NOVEL NEXT Chapter 19: Chapter 19
Chapter 19: The Truth of Parricide
Saving Izumi Kyouka was, in reality, quite simple. The root of her inner torment came from the belief that her uncontrollable power, Yasha Shirayuki, had killed her parents. To her, this was no different from committing the murder herself. Unable to accept this harsh reality, the young girl sealed off her emotions and abandoned her ability to think freely, living like a doll without a heart.
Later, Akutagawa Ryuunosuke imposed his own philosophy on her, forcing Kyouka, who was inherently kind-hearted, into an even greater state of despair. Thus, she continued down a bloodstained path of thorns, ever deeper, until all that lay at the end was death.
However, Tokisaki Kurumi knew that Kyouka suffering was ultimately meaningless. Literally meaningless. This is because Yasha Shirayuki had not been the one to kill her parents. She had always misunderstood the truth about their deaths.
From a young age, Izumi Kyouka had been doted upon by her parents, living a carefree life she assumed was perfectly ordinary—a harmonious, loving family, like every family dreams of having. Yet what she didn't know was the hidden truth about her parents' identities. Her parents had been assassins employed by a government agency.
Yes, Kyouka's parents were no ordinary people; they were secret operatives for the government, a husband-and-wife team renowned in the assassin world. Moreover, Yasha Shirayuki wasn't Kyouka's own ability but rather her mother's.
In a previous assassination mission, her parents had left a trace, accidentally exposing their identities. For assassins, being unmasked was akin to a death sentence. Soon after, a vengeful ability user found their home and, in a moment of carelessness, seized control of Kyouka's parents with their own manipulative power. Once subdued, they were powerless against the enemy's commands.
Desperate to avoid becoming pawns of their enemy and determined to protect their daughter, Kyouka mother summoned Yasha Shirayuki and commanded it to kill both herself and her husband. Then, using a hidden technique, she transferred Yasha Shirayuki to her blood kin—her daughter, Izumi Kyouka.
Unaware of her parents' true identities, the fact that her mother was an ability user, or the vendetta that had pursued them, Kyouka only saw Yasha Shirayuki appearing unexpectedly, killing her parents, and attaching itself to her. Believing Yasha Shirayuki to be her own ability, Kyouka had shouldered the blame for her parents' deaths, convinced that her uncontrolled power was to blame. In her eyes, she was her parents' murderer.
To truly save Kyouka, she would need to understand the truth and be freed from the curse of parricide. With this in mind, Tokisaki Kurumi asked her, "Kyouka, if I told you that it wasn't you who killed your parents, would you believe me?"
Kyouka shook her head without hesitation. "Yasha Shirayuki is my ability. I saw it with my own eyes; it killed my parents. It was my uncontrollable ability that killed them… It was me who took their lives."
"What you see isn't always the truth," Kurumi replied. "Yasha Shirayuki was actually your mother's ability. Your parents were famous assassins, though they never revealed their profession to you."
Kyouka stared at Kurumi in disbelief, suspicion evident in her eyes. Her parents—famed assassins? Impossible. Her mother's smile was always so gentle, her father's hands so warm. How could people like her parents, loving and kind, ever be cold-blooded killers like herself?
Ignoring Kyouka's disbelief, Kurumi continued, "That night, your parents' enemies tracked them down and used an ability to control them. To protect the daughter they cherished, your mother summoned Yasha Shirayuki, ordering it to kill her and her husband. Rather than a curse of parricide, Yasha Shirayuki is actually the final gift your mother left for you."
"…"
"Think, Kyouka," Kurumi urged. "Think about it. Didn't your parents always skillfully avoid talking about their work? Didn't they ask you to take care of yourself whenever they traveled far? Didn't they treasure every moment they spent with you even more after each return?"
Her words stirred up memories long buried. The happier those past memories were, the more painful they now became. And so, Kyouka had always avoided looking back, never noticing the inconsistencies in her parents' behavior.
Having spent half a year in the Port Mafia, she was now much more mature, with a deeper perspective on things. Reflecting on those memories, she began to sense the hidden side of her parents' lives. Perhaps, they had indeed kept something from her.
"My parents… were hiding something?" she murmured. "Were they really assassins?"
"Yes, but unlike you, they were government operatives," Kurumi explained. "They kept their government ties minimal to avoid detection. When your parents were murdered, the government didn't realize right away. By the time they noticed, it was too late; you had already been taken by Akutagawa Ryuunosuke and inducted into the Port Mafia."
"Evidence." Kyouka's eyes fixed intently on Kurumi. "I need proof."
Kurumi summoned a large clock behind her, holding a flintlock pistol. "This is my ability, Zafkiel. The twelve numbers on the clock represent different abilities. The power of the Tenth Bullet, Yud Bet, allows me to transmit memories of the past to the target."
Kyouka might not fully understand Zafkiel or how an ability could grant twelve powers, but she grasped Kurumi's intention. "If you shoot both me and Yasha Shirayuki with the Tenth Bullet, I'll see who truly controlled Yasha Shirayuki and experience her original master's memories."
Taking a deep breath, she handed Kurumi the phone hanging around her neck. "Yasha Shirayuki only obeys the voice over the phone. Please."
"I've got this."
Memorizing Kyouka's number, Kurumi dialed the phone.
"Appear, Yasha Shirayuki."