“But there was nothing I could do, right? My sister really was a genius. Not just because she was a Magical Girl. She was talented in the arts too. Compared to her, my existence felt... so unnecessary.”

Because Mai’s mother kept all her attention on Mai while eating, she spilled quite a bit. So Mai took the lunchbox from her and started feeding her instead.

“My father and mother were both pretty snobbish. They were always comparing my sister and me, and they’d say awful things to me. But every time something like that happened, my sister would always hug me and comfort me.”

“There was a time when I really hated my sister too. But at this point, there’s no meaning in saying more. My sister and my father both died at Borel’s hands. From then on, my mother went mad. No matter how I tried to talk to her, she ignored me. Even Qinglong was the same. But, Yukieda, look.”

Mai stood up and showed off her clothes.

“As long as I put on my sister’s clothes, my mother reacts.”

“So that’s why Mai dresses like a girl...”

Yukieda thought silently.

At that moment, Mai stood up and packed away the lunchbox. It looked like he was getting ready to leave. And Mai’s mother really had not looked at Yukieda standing beside them even once.

The moment she saw Mai about to leave, the woman suddenly became hysterical.

Just then, the chubby nurse came back too. She hurriedly called for several orderlies.

Mai waved a hand, signaling for them to back off.

“But if you do that, you’ll be in danger!”

Ignoring the chubby nurse’s warning, Mai rested his face on the woman’s lap. Incredibly, the woman calmed down.

“Mom, if you don’t behave, you won’t get to see me anymore.”

After leaving the psychiatric hospital, Yukieda looked at Mai. His face was still cold and expressionless. His neat ponytail swayed in the wind.

If Borel were still alive, even more families would be torn apart.

Yukieda thought of what Mr. Kenji had said a few days ago.

Borel had already been badly wounded. This was the best chance to eliminate her.

They absolutely could not let her leave White Crane City.

“Do you want revenge, Mai?”

Yukieda said it casually.

Revenge? Against whom? There could only be Borel.

Mai stopped walking. He looked seriously into Yukieda’s eyes.

There was a trace of moisture in those golden eyes. With her long lashes, like little fans, she looked utterly breathtaking.

“I do. But I want pointless sacrifice even less. Yukieda, you can’t beat Borel. If there’s any new information about her, just report it.”

Yukieda scratched her head a little awkwardly and said with a smile, “Come on, what do you take me for, Mai? I treasure my life a lot. I can’t bear to let my daughter die young all alone.”

—

At last, Mr. Kenji sent a message.

He told Yukieda that he had learned Omi’s schedule in advance. Omi would be returning to his home in the city center by evening.

Mr. Kenji believed this was the best opportunity.

“I understand. I’ll follow Mr. Kenji’s arrangements in everything.”

—

For many people, what does home mean?

A house, neither too big nor too small? Or the place where a lover or family waits? Or maybe a safe harbor, a refuge from reality?

For Omi, home was simple. Wherever his wife was, that was home. After she died, he no longer knew what home was. That place called home was just an empty house.

Fortunately, later on, Omi came to understand the meaning of home once again.

Because of the nature of his work, he rarely had chances to go home. Most of the time, he was either away on business or staying at his workplace.

For the current him, wherever his grandson was, that was home. If not for wanting to see his adorable grandson once a week, he would never have come here—a manor.

Though the manor was nominally his property, in truth, this was his son’s home.

His son, his daughter-in-law, and the servants all wore expressions of fear or respect. Omi, meanwhile, kept his old face drooping and expressionless, maintaining the dignity of the family head.

At times like this, only his young grandson would warmly call him Grandpa and break the heavy atmosphere.

Only when he was with his grandson could Omi let down all his guard. He no longer needed to deliberately pretend or hide anything.

A few more years and I can retire. When that time comes, I can stroll through the park like any other old man, or take my grandson to an amusement park... Before that, nothing can go wrong.

Before he knew it, a smile appeared on Omi’s face. But soon, when he saw a familiar name among the mountain of work files, the smile faded again.

Young people really were young people. They simply didn’t understand that what those above wanted was a steady approach.

He thought again of the humiliation he had suffered from that man in the command center. It had utterly disgraced his old face.

Actually, Kenji’s offense wasn’t that serious. At most, he would have been dismissed from his post. It was only because Omi had piled on a lot of extra charges that didn’t really matter.

At that thought, a hint of satisfaction appeared in Omi’s eyes.

Bang.

The window shook violently. The wind outside seemed to have grown stronger. Through the glass, he could see the trees swaying in the gale, and the rain pattering softly against the window.

At that moment, Omi sat before a heavy redwood desk, typing on his computer. In the whole room, only the desk lamp was on, making the room unusually dim.

Then came a knock at the door.

“Master, dinner is ready,” a somewhat nervous female voice called from outside.

“Didn’t I tell you? Don’t disturb me when I’m working!”

A harsh voice answered from inside. The woman outside apologized again, followed by footsteps gradually fading away.

Omi’s brows furrowed deeply. There was a great deal of work that needed to be handed over after Kenji’s departure, and arrangements had to be made in advance.

To be fair, that Kenji fellow really was capable. The problem was that their views clashed.

One project after another, one operation codename after another—there were things Omi apparently knew nothing about. Tomorrow, he absolutely had to get clear answers.

Take this recent Project D862, Mitsuru Sanjo. It was marked completed, yet the contents of the plan were completely blank.

Damn it... I’m the highest-ranking authority in White Crane. What do they take me for?

The door was gently turned open.

Omi didn’t look up. He only lowered his voice and repeated, “Didn’t I say not to disturb me?”

The rain and wind outside grew even more urgent.

Only then did Omi realize something was wrong. The servants in the house, even his son, would never open the door without his permission. And his grandson would never be this quiet. He would have already rushed over by now.

He raised his graying head and looked at the person before him.

The girl in front of him took off her hood, revealing silver-white hair. Beneath the transparent raincoat was a school uniform, its edges stained with rainwater.

As a senior official in White Crane City’s special department, Omi naturally knew who she was.

The Magical Girl stationed in White Crane City—Oriuchi Yuki.

He did not think Yuki had appeared here, at this time and place, to have a chat with him.

Omi did not shout either, because he understood that it would not mean much.

Then, as if he had suddenly thought of something, his expression changed.

“My family?”

Yuki shook her head. The rain outside seemed truly heavy. Strands of wet hair clung to her forehead.

“I snuck in. Don’t worry. Everyone’s fine.”

The girl’s tone was very gentle. She had come to kill someone, yet she sounded like she was comforting him.

Omi fell silent for a while, then said, “So, you’re here to kill me?”

Yuki did not answer. She simply took a handgun from her left pocket, then fished a suppressor from her right pocket and slowly screwed it on in front of him.

It was obvious Yuki was a little clumsy, like it was her first time using something like this, even though the steps were very simple.

The room was left with nothing but the sound of metal rubbing against metal.

To Omi, this scene was terrifying beyond doubt. He felt like a pig waiting to be slaughtered, while the butcher sharpened the knife right in front of him.

Omi seemed to have a lot he wanted to say. “Was this Kenji’s order? I’d already heard your relationship with him was anything but ordinary. I didn’t expect he could directly order you around and make you do things for him.”

Yuki did not answer. Omi took that as tacit agreement.

He began explaining from every angle what an impulsive person Kenji was, how young he still was, how he acted without considering the consequences, and what kind of price would have to be paid to hunt down the Witch, as well as the benefits of letting her go.

“If you don’t pursue Borel, then for at least three months—three whole months—she won’t make another move! And after three months, she definitely won’t keep appearing in White Crane City! You don’t want to fight that thing either, do you? If Kenji keeps charge of White Crane, he’ll definitely keep provoking Borel! Have you even thought about what’ll happen then? That Witch will definitely lash out like a cornered beast!”

“Everything you said is right, Mr. Omi.”

Yuki wrapped the handgun in a handkerchief and pointed the black muzzle at Omi.

Actually, she had already said a little too much. The order Mr. Kenji had given her was only eight words.

“No need for talk. Capture him, then kill him.”

Just then, the door was knocked on again, and a young child’s voice came from outside.

“Grandpa, open up. Dinner’s getting cold, Grandpa.”

It was the voice of a small child. You couldn’t tell if it was a boy or a girl, only that they were around five or six.

Omi moved his gaze away from the black muzzle. Forcing out a trace of a smile, he used the tone of someone coaxing a child.

“So it’s Hiroyuki. Grandpa’s working right now. Wait a little longer, okay? You eat first.”

“Huh?” A somewhat dissatisfied voice came from outside, followed by the tentative turning of the doorknob.

But he had no idea that behind the door, Yuki was bracing it shut with her leather shoe.

After trying for a while and failing—

“Then I’ll wait and eat with Grandpa.”

All of Omi’s long-winded nonsense had failed to stir even the slightest ripple in Yuki’s heart. But this scene just now made her waver a little.

For someone killing another person with their own hands for the first time, there were always many doubts in the heart.

There are many firsts in a person’s life, some chosen, some forced.

A forced first is usually marked by a soft whimper, or a cry of pain. Afterward, you can still say, it wasn’t what I wanted. But a chosen first is another matter entirely.

You have to think it through. Will you regret it in the future? Do you have the courage to bear the responsibility that comes with it? Or rather, whether you want it or not, once it happens, it will be tied to you forever.

Outside the window, a fierce flash lit up the entire room.

Yuki and Omi looked at each other. Both realized that the final moment had come.

Boom!

“The rain tonight is really heavy.”

The maid immediately noticed that the window at the end of the third-floor corridor had been blown open again by the wild wind. It was banging noisily with each gust, along with the heavy curtains rolling and flapping nonstop.

The maid thought in confusion that she had clearly shut the window earlier. Could it be she really hadn’t closed it properly? Forget it. This wasn’t the time to think about that. She had to hurry and shut the window, then deal with the rainwater, or Master would get furious again.

As she passed Master’s room, the maid hesitated, but still knocked and reminded him, “Master, the rain outside is very heavy. Please check whether your window is shut properly.”

Inside the room, under the dim light, Omi sat blankly in the chair with a gun in his right hand, his head tilted to one side.

Meanwhile, Yuki walked down the street. Because of the weather, there were barely any people out. Only passing cars hurried by, splashing water as they went. Rain slipped in through her collar and burrowed into her clothes, sliding across every inch of her skin, making her shiver involuntarily.

So I forgot to put my hood up...

Only then did Yuki realize it and pull the hood back over her head. It was also then that she remembered she should send Mr. Kenji a reply.

She took out her rain-soaked terminal and made the call.