[Gintama] Immortal

"who am I?"

Large swathes of darkness covered the world, and the coolness of late autumn climbed into the night sky. Xu Xu's pupils were like red maples in the setting sun, scarlet as if they were condensed with fresh blood.

"I am not only the void in your mouth, but also something that has always existed in this body. The time that only belongs to Songyang has never existed from the beginning. I thought you would know it better than anyone else."

Yoshida Shoyo has never existed as an individual of Yoshida Shoyo, there are multiple personalities coexisting in Xuren's body, most of those personalities are bloodthirsty and have extremely negative emotions towards human beings.

If Songyang failed to suppress the personality in the body, other people would definitely fight for the mastery of the body, but the "Xu" standing in front of her now seems to be particularly comfortable, even calm.

She hasn't peeped into Xu Xu's spiritual world, so she can't make a definite judgment, but since the other party behaves like this, the most likely thing is...he perfectly suppressed other personalities.

...was simply the worst case scenario.

The only thing Yae is lucky about now is that the students from the Matsushita village school are not here.

Let the anti-social personality who has stained countless human blood for 500 years meet a group of eight or nine-year-old children?

Her head hadn't been kicked by a donkey yet.Even if he was kicked by a donkey, that's impossible.

"You come with me first."

Glancing at the gray monk's robe passing by at the corner of the corridor, Yae suddenly grabbed Xu's wrist and led him in the opposite direction without any explanation.

After dark, it is the job of the bottom monks to light the lamps in the temple.There are bronze hexagonal lanterns hanging under the eaves of the corridor. If they are lit one by one, the two parties will always collide.

It's not that she's afraid of meeting people in the monastery, but she's afraid that the other party will bump into Xu.

The personality that came out couldn't be pressed back like a gopher, and now she felt guilty for no reason, as if she had done something bad and was afraid of being caught, she had a strong urge to push him into the cabinet and hide him.

The Japanese room reserved for the guests was close at hand, and the sound of approaching footsteps suddenly came from the corner of the corridor.

Before Xu made a move, Yae suddenly turned around——

"……do not."

Grasping the haori on the opponent's body, Yae's voice was very low, so low that only two people could hear it, so soft that it seemed to be sighing and raving, and only two of them knew the turbulent undercurrent under the words.

If there is a murder case in the monastery, the Matsushita village school will be over.

She seemed to hear the sound of scriptures falling to the ground behind her, but also, from the perspective of others, the two of them were too close, even though she actually threw herself in front of Xu to block it.

The scarlet eyes narrowed slightly, Xu turned his head slightly, Yae clutched his clothes tightly, almost buried his face in the socket of his shoulder, against the blood-warmed neck.She repeated softly again: "Don't kill people."

No longer the twelfth generation of Amaterasu-in Naraku, Yoshida Matsuyo is now a good citizen who abides by the law.

"...Sorry...Sorry."

The novice's face turned red instantly, he hurriedly picked up the scripture scroll from the ground, and when he turned to leave, he couldn't help but look back at the two people who were still standing in the corridor.

It was completely dark, and there were no lights under the eaves where the two of them were, and the dark shadows were like veils, covering them layer by layer.

As if noticing his inability to look away, the man in haori raised his eyelids slightly, and looked towards him through the deep darkness in the corridor.

The red maple bloomed like burning in the dark night, and the man's eyes were as red as blood, as deep as a cold abyss that never sees light.

An inexplicable fear suddenly surged, shaking his brain to buzz, and the strong sense of crisis seemed to be pinching his nerves and screaming. Turning around and running, completely unaware that he had a brush with death tonight.

The sound of footsteps receded in the corridor, and Yae's tensed shoulders relaxed slightly.

"You want to stop me?" Xu Xu retracted his gaze, his deep voice was indifferent and cold, "Just with your current weak body?"

Although she overcame the problem of numbness and inability to move her limbs by will, her body couldn't stop trembling instinctively in the face of the god of death, which is almost equal to the natural enemy of human beings. If she is holding a knife now, the knife is probably in Kara There was a soft click.

Stop the ball.

How could this body, which she had always cherished and cared for, without any cocoons on her fingers, be able to beat the open-hanging physique that could regenerate infinitely.

In Yae's impression, Xu has never failed in the matter of killing people.

"No, I still have self-knowledge." Yae let go of his skirt, with a relaxed tone, "I can't stop you now."

After a pause, she continued: "So, this is a request."

After a moment of silence, Xu narrowed his scarlet eyes slightly: "I never made a promise that I wouldn't kill anyone. That was Songyang's oath, not mine."

"...It's not good for you to kill people now."

"It doesn't do me any harm either."

"So it's just my personal request."

Yae looked at him, refusing to look away.

If it was the intangible and unscrupulous self before, she would have complained a long time ago.

Why is every void so difficult to deal with?

But not now, she has the most obvious weakness, before she figured out Xu's thoughts, she didn't want to bet and couldn't afford that bet.

"What if I say 'no'?" Xu Hao looked at her leisurely, knowing where her weaknesses were.

Matsushita Village School.

The corridor here is completely dark, and it seems to be a world away from the warm light.

They have the same face, the same voice, the same soft long hair, and the same eyes that bend like crescent moons when they smile, but Xu and Songyang give people completely different feelings, one is the warm and bright sun, the other It is a dark and eternal night.

"The other 'I' seems to attach great importance to his students." Xu whispered, his cold voice seemed to be shrouded in a layer of mist.

Yae raised her eyes and looked at him seriously.After a while, she raised the corners of her mouth with a half-smile: "...you know, if possible, I still want to live longer."

She would like to remain human for as long as she can.

But if Xu Xu planned to do something, she might have to risk her life here today.

"...You are still the same as before, just obsessed with meaningless things." The blood in the scarlet eyes surged, and Xu Xu put away the smile that had never really existed, "Accompany another 'me' to play every game. Are you also immersed in this meaningless role-playing game?"

Yae pursed her lips.

"Matsushita Village School is just a false and beautiful lie." He looked away indifferently, "The truth is that the teacher that those little devils think did not exist from the beginning, and the beloved teacher is actually a blood-stained executioner, Yoshida Matsu Yang is just another identity conceived by 'I' in a whimsical way."

"As for you," his voice paused, "you even pretend to be a human body, and you can't even be called a ghost."

The scarlet eyes were bottomless, and the voice seemed to be covered with frost that would not melt: "Teaching children to learn calligraphy? Even so, the countless killings I have committed in the past 500 years will not disappear, and this cursed fate will not disappear." It will not end, it will only increase unnecessary suffering."

He said, "How many years do you think those little ghosts will live?"

How many years do you think those children, students of Yoshida Shoyo, will live?

There was no wind in the dark courtyard, and the moon also hid itself behind thick clouds.In the bitter cold of late autumn, Yae stood in the unlit corridor, and after a long while, he spoke very softly:

"...Do you really think that I haven't thought about what you said?"

She was so happy when holding the little child's hand.

When everyone naturally called her Yae, she was really happy.

It's not that I haven't thought that it would be great if the status quo can continue forever, it's not that I haven't thought that it would be great if these children don't grow up.

When the little child sobbed and threw herself into her arms, she even knew clearly that after tens of hundreds of years, she would still remember what happened that day, the color of the sun leaking from the forest at that time, and the The warm body temperature of the child in his arms seemed to disappear in the blink of an eye.

When those children were no longer alive, she knew that if she recalled them, the first thing she would think of would be those little eyes on the edge of the counter looking at her making snacks pitifully.

There is also the whistling sea breeze, the small figure standing on the beach with a knife in his arms and looking up at the sky, the shrine exuding the smell of dried salt, and the gentle sea surface under the moonlight.

"...You are always like this," Yae smiled abruptly, "You are always like this, only seeing the inevitable decline of everything."

When you see the cherry blossoms in full bloom, you think of its doomed fate.

Seeing a half-full teacup reminds me of its empty appearance.

The full moon becomes eclipse, birth becomes death, encounter becomes separation, and happiness becomes pain.

Things are impermanent, only the end is eternal.

Therefore, all things lose their meaning, the end is happiness, and a long life with no end in sight is the ultimate pain.

But if she thinks like him, if she thinks of the inevitable future in an instant, even when she hugs those children, it is tantamount to hugging a corpse that will turn into bones and dust sooner or later.

What she hugged tightly was the destined farewell in the future.

- "Happy birthday, teacher."

The corolla that I took over will wither and fall apart in an instant.

The happy and warm time is as short as nothingness, and it will disappear when you turn around.

"However, it doesn't matter... even if it's short." Yae raised his eyes and looked at Xu, "It doesn't matter if it's only a few decades, or even a few years."

When the cherry blossoms are still in full bloom, just appreciate them.

Before the cup is emptied, just taste it carefully.

The moonlight tonight is so beautiful, it is enough to be happy enough to meet those children.

She would rather suffer for a short-lived happiness than spend a long time in emptiness and loneliness.

Even if it was so painful that she wanted to dig out her heart, she still wanted to remember the real feeling of being alive.

"Obviously I have chosen to wait and see, why did you choose to appear now?" Yae raised his hand, and pressed it on Xu's heart that had been torn, burned, and pierced countless times, "...you can feel it?" Right? Songyang’s mood.”

She raised her face: "Because you've always been here."

It can't disappear, it's always here.

There was a dangerous look in his eyes, and the blood in his eyes suddenly became terribly dark: "...It's ridiculous nonsense."

"Although it took 500 years," Yae continued as if he had never heard of it, "I was really happy when the other 'you' who had not yet become Songyang told me that he wanted to understand human beings and become human beings. .”

Get out of that ghostly place called Amaterasu-in Naraku, and stop repeating meaningless killings.

She squeezed her fingertips slightly: "You saw the unprecedented hope of change in Songyang, so you also saw the complete despair when it was shattered. But the ending is not yet determined, and it is too early for you to judge."

"So go back," Yae said, "go back, it's Shoyo time."

"His time is not over."

Xu's expression froze suddenly, he lowered his eyes, as if he was staring into the depths of his body, there was a look of struggle in his eyes.

His breathing became slightly disturbed, and he leaned against the wooden pillars in the corridor. "...Is that how you plan to play this boring game with another 'me'?" He lowered his voice.

Yae was very calm: "Until he said he didn't want to do it anymore, or...until he iterated."

Xu raised his scarlet eyes and looked straight at Yae, as if he wanted to see something clearly through her, or himself.

Finally, he slowly brought up a cold smile:

"If Songyang fails in the end..."

Breathing heavily, the low and deep voice suddenly stopped, and Yae hurried forward and supported the opponent's fallen body.

"Songyang?" She cautiously lowered her voice.

"...I'm fine."

When the familiar voice resounded in my ears, it seemed like a century had passed.

Leaning on her shoulder, Songyang took a breath, and the scarlet blood had turned into soft pine green when he opened his eyes again.He coughed a few times to suppress the discomfort in his heart.

"It happened suddenly, it took a little... time."

Yae nodded solemnly: "Did you give him an uppercut, a left uppercut, or a straight punch?"

"..."

"It's not that I said, the other 'you' is really underwhelming sometimes, next time remember to sweep him off." Yae said earnestly, she helped Songyang stand up in the corridor, and tentatively let go, " Can you walk by yourself? I will lend you a free shoulder for a limited time."

When there is no smiling expression, Songyang actually gives people a feeling of distance and alienation.

Slightly lowering his eyes, the smile on the corner of his mouth was very faint, and his voice was soft:

"Thank you, Yae."

What happened before seemed to be an illusion, and Songyang soon returned to normal, at least on the surface, he still seemed to be the gentle, calm, breezy teacher.

After walking a few steps forward, Yae turned to look at him: "Let's cancel tonight's kaiseki."

Without waiting for Songyang to respond, she continued: "Just come back next time, let's go back and find your students."

Songyang was silent for a moment: "Now?"

Knowing what he was worried about, Yae smiled: "Yes, right now."

The bronze hexagonal lanterns under the eaves illuminate the winding corridors. She looked at Songyang with a soft light in her eyes: "Because you won't let anyone hurt your students...not even yourself."

She turned her head slightly and raised the corners of her lips: "You just have to do what you want and watch your students. I will always watch you."

Always.

Just like she's been doing for 500 years.

……

The autumn festival is over.

The venue not far away was lit with lights on. When the three of Gintoki saw the two standing in the middle of the road on the way back, they couldn't hide their surprised expressions.

"...Songyang... Teacher?" Gui asked with some uncertainty. "What about the monastery?"

The reeds and weeds on the side of the road gently rippling and undulating in the night wind, Songyang smiled and nodded: "I won't go."

"Huh?" Gintoki showed some disbelief, and he turned to look at Yae: "You also decided not to go? How is that possible."

"Maybe the sun came out from the west today, who knows." Yae spread her hands.

Takasugi frowned and said nothing.

"Yinshi, Jinsuke, Kotaro," Songyang said softly, "Come here."

Crouching down, he reached out and took the three of them into his arms.Hold her tightly in her arms.

The three little Doudings were stunned, and Gao Shan stuttered: "...Teacher?"

"...it's okay," Songyang patted their heads, "let's go back."

Yinshi didn't make a sound, he seemed to feel that something was wrong, but he couldn't tell what went wrong.Raising his eyelids, he looked at Yae standing aside.

She just laughs.

It was a very gentle, gentle smile that made people feel a little helpless.

Song Yang said softly:

"Let's go back to private school."