soul stone

When Xue Ye and Joshua returned to the base at the same time, everyone immediately understood—no one guessed right this time.

Xue Ye was wrapped in bandages and looked a little tired, but Joshua was definitely not the type to show mercy.Since she can come back, Joshua must not be able to kill her.Joshua was as calm and composed as when he left, but when asked about the situation of the battle, he only casually said, "Don't worry, she will never threaten the brigade." The attitude changed so much that he always liked to joke Finx looked at his back and said, "This kid must be obsessed with her."

Except for No. [-], who had fought against him, the other team members believed that Xue Ye was weak, better than ordinary people, at most she could be regarded as a little girl who could read, and even disdain to regard her as an opponent.But since Joshua said that, everyone's opinion of her has somewhat changed.Joshua is very popular in the brigade, and his tongue is tight.He seems to be indifferent to everything, but as long as the interests of the brigade are involved, he has never made a mistake.Anyone with a discerning eye can see that as long as the leader is present, his eyes will stay on the leader most of the time.Kuroro also knew this well, so he joined the gamble with peace of mind.He not only confirmed Joshua's loyalty, but also had full confidence in Xue Ye's strength.

However, Xue Ye himself doesn't seem to think so.

Early the next morning, Xue Ye washed off the blood-stained kimono and put on a clean dress, made of beige linen.Gazing at her figure, Kuroro was a little dazed, as if he had returned to more than ten years ago.At that time, he was just a little thief named Villar who could pick locks.The experience of living on the edge of life and death for more than ten years has changed him too much, but in the girl in front of him, he can clearly see the shadow of the past.She looked very young for her age.He knew that it was difficult to tell the age from the appearance of a psychic, but she was different.Although I can't tell what is different, I can feel something different.Just like comparing two similar pictures, before picking out the nuances one by one, at first glance, there may be some subtle sense of dissonance.Just like the facts that have happened and the memory processed by consciousness, the details are distorted, but the overall feeling can only be blurred.

Xue Ye cut to the chase and said, "Villar, I'm leaving."

Chrollo rolled his eyes.This time, he didn't correct what she called him.The moment she called out the word "Villar", he finally found a suitable description——

It was almost like... the clock had stopped on her.

"I'm very happy to hear that you bet on me." She smiled sweetly, "It's a pity that you failed to live up to your expectations."

"To be honest, I'm relieved." Kuroro also smiled, "I don't want either of you to die."

"Would you be mad if I killed him?"

Kuroro shook his head: "Maybe you will go to find a new No. [-]. And you who killed him are qualified to join the brigade."

Xue Ye suppressed her smile and stared quietly into his eyes, as if trying to dig out his thoughts.After a while, she took a deep breath:

"What if...he kills me?"

"You can't really turn against each other among the members."

Xue Ye was slightly stunned, and immediately twitched the corner of her mouth: "So you are the leader of such a group."

"To kill a person, you don't have to do it yourself." Kuroro sneered, "Nuns and priests are examples of this."

As soon as these words came out, the two of them recalled everything they had experienced together in their minds, and they laughed at the same time.All the sufferings of those years, now it seems that they are all passing by, not worth mentioning.The girl's stiff expression relaxed a lot, and she smiled from the bottom of her heart.That is the No. 1 smile that is not within the range of 25 to 0, and it is a secret treasure exclusive to Villar.

"Villar... No, Kurolo, you are no longer who you used to be."

"You are still the same as before, Xue Ye." Kuroro said, "This outfit reminds me of that graduation exam."

"Yes, I didn't expect the test questions to become facts." Xue Ye smiled and sat down beside him.

That's right, that's true—it was only then that he realized that the subject of the prisoner's dilemma was so similar to the choices they made when they were forced to separate.However, the reality is different from the theory, Xue Ye was acquitted and he was sent to Meteor Street.

"I don't regret it," Kuroro closed his eyes.

"Me too." Xue Ye said calmly.

Kuroro frowned, and glanced at the girl beside him with a cold expression.He didn't expect Xue Ye to be so straightforward.

"Villar, you feel guilty about me, don't you? So at that time, you gave me the opportunity."

Before the words fell, the shadow of childhood raged in Kuroro's mind like a sandstorm.The tactile sensation of the first murder is still alive at the fingertips.Opening the dusty memory box, the ugly face of the father before his death, and the shivering little girl wrapped in a sheet, reproduced in front of his eyes like a movie.

He had a sad expression on his face.Such an uncontrollable expression of emotion was the first time after becoming Kuroro.At this moment, he seemed to have turned back into the little boy named Villar.

"You're right, I'm still the same. And you've changed... that's not okay."

Xue Ye raised her head, her neck stretched into a gentle curve, her eyes stared blankly ahead, as if she didn't see anything, and she seemed to have penetrated the thick concrete wall and saw the end of the world.

"I... am very, very weak. Staying here will only become a burden to Villar. So..."

"Heh... You left here because of your brother, right?"

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, his eyes widened in surprise—this inexplicable anger felt like jealousy anyway.Was he jealous of Xia Tian, ​​that little boy who fell ill and died before he was four years old?In order to cover up his emotional fluctuations, he immediately changed the subject: "The Oyagi family does not seem to have a successful resurrection precedent. It is just a legend, right?"

"Ah. Very attractive legend."

She leaned over to the window.As the twilight deepened, the city was decorated with car lights and neon lights, and the searchlights on the top of the buildings in the distance were like lighthouses at sea, periodically sweeping across her snowy cheeks.Xue Ye's black pupils reflected the colorful night, but the fundus of his eyes was like a deep sky, with no starlight, and was slightly reddened by the reflection of the light from the ground.

"'The dead don't die, the soul lives forever.'" Like a player, she repeated her mother's daily teachings, and suddenly sneered, "It's easy to say."

Kuroro gave him a questioning look.

"In your eyes, I'm just a sister who loves my younger brother, right? She loves her so much that she's crazy." Xue Ye lowered her eyes.

"Actually, I'm just doing it for myself."

She turned her back to the window sill, half of her face was immersed in the shadow of the night, and the other half of her face was covered by long black hair.

"Just now you said, 'The Oyagi's family does not seem to have a successful resurrection precedent'... It seems that you have done some research. Have you been to my house?"

Kurolo didn't deny it.

"Then you must have found something." Xue Ye asked, "Is there any 'gas' on the gem you found?"

"No, just some ordinary stones." Kuroro thought of something, "If you want, I can return them all to you."

"No need," Xue Ye smiled and shook her head, "There are no souls on those rocks."

She walked away from the window, stroking the overcrowded bookcase with her slender fingers.

"'There is no precedent for successful resurrection'... Hearing what you said, I finally understand one thing." Xue Ye tilted her head, showing her eyes overlooking the night scene from the viewing glass on the top floor, "Why did my mother cast such a curse on me? .”

"curse?"

Once he decides to speak out, the secret accumulated for decades is like a volcanic eruption, bursting out from the trembling corner of Xue Ye's desperately suppressed mouth:

"I...will kill my mother one day, kill Xia Tian."

The lingering sound disappeared, and the silence shrouded the not-so-spacious bedroom like suffocation.

After a long time, Kuroro said, "Your mother really said that?"

"Well. I'm afraid not only for me, but also for Xia Tian..."

"..."

At this time, the girl was trembling and holding her arms tightly, as if she was experiencing the arctic wind that froze her soul.Her eyes were closed, her brows were furrowed, her face was covered with cold sweat, and the corners of her lips were bitten and bleeding.Suddenly her body went limp, and she fell forward like a collapse.

Kuroro hurriedly supported her.Xue Ye's head rested on Kuroro's chest, her eyelashes trembling slightly like butterfly wings in the rain.

"The soul stone is the only one." Her voice was distorted with pain, "I have already killed my mother, and I have killed Xia Tian. This is the fate of Oyagi's bloodline."

"?"

"Mom... I knew that the day my mother was killed. Dad was tired of us long ago, and he acquiesced in the gang's 'punishment'. I happened to hear him discussing with others on the phone...so that night, I wanted to I took away my mother's soul stone. Without the soul stone, my mother cannot be resurrected."

Xue Ye opened his eyes, and a wry smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Yes, I couldn't stand the torture, so I thought that I should realize the curse sooner, maybe I could get rid of it sooner. I didn't realize that was not the case until after Xia Tian died."

"You are tired," Kuroro hugged her and walked to her room, "Go to bed early."

The snowy night nestled in Kuroro's arms let go of her usual vigor and curled up like a stray kitten on the street.

"Hey, Villar." She grabbed his skirt, her voice intermittent, "I don't want such a fate. I don't even want to die."

"……Yes, I know."

Kuroro put her gently on the bed, covered her with the quilt, and stood staring at her face.On her right ear, the amethyst earring faintly reveals a dark light.

She wants to revive her brother.The soul stone that only contains Xia Tian's soul is her last straw.

"If you need me," he said awkwardly, "I'm next door."

Xue Ye narrowed her eyes and smiled.

"Thank you, Villar. I'm fine. Just get some sleep."

Kuroro nodded and turned to leave.When he was holding the doorknob, he suddenly remembered something, covered his mouth and hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke:

"Hey, Xue Ye. I thought, if I had a soul stone, what color would it be?"