Sayuri Matsumoto subconsciously shook her head. Both outcomes were tragic, and neither was what she wanted.
A moment later, when she fully came to her senses, her gaze toward the Xiaobai/Jiangxia grew incredibly complex... Not to mention the act of offering the blood pack — just from his words, this unfamiliar child knew way too much, didn't he?
But… it made so much sense.
Sayuri looked at the blood pack again, recalled Jiangxia's words, and felt an irresistible temptation.
Just then, the Tengu that Jiangxia had left at the door floated in, bringing news: Toshihiko Takasugi had arrived.
—When Takasugi fell earlier, his bow tie happened to land in the bride's waiting room. The fallen bow tie was then coincidentally snatched by a small white clay mouse and dragged into a corner. Only now did Takasugi realize something was missing.
"Alright, time's up." Almost all the main characters were here, leaving Sayuri no time to hesitate.
Taking advantage of the moment no one was looking, Jiangxia shoved the blood pack into her mouth, pressed Sayuri down, and placed the lemon can containing sodium hydroxide beside her hand.
Then he silently retreated behind the curtains, leaving the stage to the dramatic couple.
After all, the remaining lines on the script were: "A beautiful moment of life and death, not to be disturbed by outsiders."
Sayuri was still dazed, but the child's actions just now made her understand his intention.
At that moment, hearing a click at the door, she reflexively closed her eyes and lay down. In her panic, she bit open the blood pack, instantly filling her mouth with fake blood.
Toshihiko Takasugi opened the door and saw someone lying there. He wasn't surprised. He looked down at Sayuri, his expression complex.
Normally, he should have screamed and called Kiyonaga Matsumoto or others for help.
But before that, he noticed Sayuri was still conscious; her eyes were open, looking at him with a dodging gaze.
...She was awake. What if she realized the poisoning and warned someone before going to the hospital? That would expose him.
Toshihiko felt some pity for the innocent and beautiful Sayuri Matsumoto, but like any criminal in the act, he rationally wanted to clear himself.
After a moment's hesitation, he looked down the corridor. Seeing no one, he quickly entered and squatted beside Sayuri.
He didn't know how to make someone pass out quickly and quietly, so he just hoped she'd faint next second.
Jiangxia, silently observing, noticed some killing intent had been consumed.
—XiaoBai activated its forced confession skill.
Sayuri, emotional, looked up at Toshihiko.
XiaoBai's skill was linked to the target's favorability toward someone else; the more fond and excited they were, the less killing intent was needed to manipulate the confession.
Now, Sayuri—willing to die for Takasugi—recounted childhood memories from twenty years ago and her inner thoughts as XiaoBai intended, even raising her hand to touch Takasugi's face.
Sayuri still had fake blood in her mouth.
Neither she nor Jiangxia had much experience with this stuff. The blood pack looked small but gushed out a large amount when bitten. The chemical liquid was sticky, and Sayuri instinctively didn't want to swallow it. Spitting it out in front of Takasugi would kill the mood, so she spoke muffled, like she'd been burned, while slowly spitting blood.
Toshihiko knelt beside her, listening, his face going blank. He hadn't expected Sayuri to know everything, nor that she'd swallow the poisoned lemonade willingly.
Of course, he least expected the "childhood sweetheart I've secretly loved for twenty years" was right there.
Suddenly, all Sayuri's kindness since they started dating flooded his mind. Her bleeding figure overlapped with his mother's from back then. Emotions burst, and tears streamed down his face.
Originally, Toshihiko planned to run out, get first aid, and call an ambulance.
But at that moment, he glanced at the lemonade can nearby.
An indescribable feeling overwhelmed him. He remembered the despair in Sayuri's heart when she drank the lemonade. He remembered them happily drinking tea side by side as kids. Emotions surged; his mind went blank.
When he came to, he'd uncontrollably grabbed the can and chugged several big gulps.
Right then, this was the most powerful confession.
Sayuri, still playing dead: "!!!"
Jiangxia: "..."
Jiangxia: "...."
Jiangxia: "...…."
As Sayuri shrieked, ignoring the blood in her mouth, while holding the fallen Takasugi in shock, Jiangxia calmed XiaoBai's excitement, pulled back the curtain, quietly approached, and picked up the poisoned can to examine it.
When he built the puppet, he hadn't taken fingerprints, so no worries about leaving traces.
Toshihiko had chugged it fast. The empty lemonade can clattered to the ground. No need to worry about Sayuri making a second attempt.
Jiangxia silently put the can back, reached out, and picked up the killing intent nearby. Though it wasn't enough to refill what XiaoBai had used, something was better than nothing...
He then stepped back, looked at Sayuri—who was still shaking Takasugi—and quietly dispersed the puppet behind the thick curtains.
...
Toshihiko had sent away everyone, worried someone might perform first aid.
So, only Ran Mouri and Sonoko Suzuki rushed in after hearing Sayuri's scream. Takasugi had said he lost his bow tie earlier, so they were searching along his route and ended up nearby.
Hearing the scream, they tensed, ran to the door, opened their phones to call police and emergency services, and peered inside the bride's waiting room.
Seeing Sayuri covered in blood and Takasugi spitting blood, they were stunned.
They'd only been gone ten minutes... What on earth happened?!
...
Jiangxia's consciousness returned to his main body, and he casually opened his eyes in the lounge waiting area.
Kiyonaga Matsumoto was there too. Today was his daughter's big day; he paced anxiously, trying to look composed.
Toru Amuro sat nearby, browsing news. Seeing Jiangxia awake, he shifted his phone camera, occasionally glancing at Kiyonaga Matsumoto, signaling he was not slacking off—pretending to gather info.
*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 31 - 90 days by POWER STONES.
Progress: 52/60(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS
Goal #2: One BONUS CHAPTER per review for the first 10 REVIEWS.
Progress:2/10*