The number on his chest kept falling—40, 39, 38. It was bright enough to paint the inside of the limo in a violet glow. Yuki's Deathmark wouldn't settle; it kept pulsating.
The only thing on her mind was that one question. Just one. And it had to matter. Her lips were dry. Should she ask about Kenji Igaguri? No—useless. They wouldn't know him. The disappearances? Highly unlikely they'd have anything to do with it. She feared her question could be wasted.
On second thought, would they be compelled to answer the question anyway? Would her Deathmark actually make him talk? The boss's mouth was covered in the iron chains. Probably a good thing, considering the fat bandit driving them couldn't hear thing.
She didn't even know what would happen if she failed to ask him a question. There had to be something she could say. Anything that made this curse worth using.
In the corner of her eye. The boss's partner, sitting just inches away, snapped his arm upward. Light flared from his magic gloves, forming a blade so fast it looked like it had always been there.
Yuki didn't even scream. He was too fast.
But Sasaki was faster. In the blink of an eye, his hand was clamped around the man's throat.
No words needed to be exchanged. The man's eyes bulged as foam spilled past his lips. His body convulsed, then collapsed sideways, out cold.
"Ask him who sent them to attack us," Sasaki said.
Yuki was distracted by Sasaki's action, shaking her head. She glanced at the timer on the boss's chest. The boss was shaking now, blood leaking from the corners of his eyes. The timer was ticking away. 10.... 9....8.
Her body froze as panic threatened to swallow the last of her breath. She had to say it now.
The boss's revolver came up slowly, hand dragging against the resistance of the chains. His fingers fumbled to take aim.
Sayuri Kanzaki's foot cracked into his elbow before he got the shot off. The joint broke sideways with a sound that made Yuki flinch. The gun fell to the ground. So did his last chance.
The timer hit zero and the man's eyes had no life in them anymore. His body had collapsed in front of her, limbs twitching before going still.
Yuki's chest rose unevenly, and she found herself unable to look away.
She held the front of her pajama shirt tight near her chest, eyes wide with shock. Her breath came in ragged gasps. It was the first time she'd seen a man die—no, no, not just seen. She'd caused it.
The blood on her cheek proved that much.
She had become what she despised.
A murderer.
"What have i done..."
Her jaw clenched as the weight of it all hit her. She doubled forward, one hand clamped over her mouth as a dry gag forced its way out.
Sayuri's hand touched her shoulder, steadying her.
Yuki barely noticed her pulling up her notebook, until she saw the words written in sharp, black ink:
"This is your reality now. The faster you get used to it, the easier it will be."
Yuki's breath hitched.
"How the hell am I supposed to get used to this? Don't you see...i Just killed a man!" Her voice cracked, and for a second, she thought she might cry.
Sasaki made his way next to her. As he moved the two bandits onto one of the free seats, then sat down beside her.
The bandit he choked out was still alive—unconscious. That alone caught her off guard. She didn't expect, Sasaki of all people to spare someone who tried to kill him. It didn't fit his personality.
"Well, you're gonna have to reflect on it later. Right now, you still have one more trial to go through and its a painful one," Sasaki said, his tone unkind.
Yuki wiped her face with the back of her sleeve, but it didn't help. The bandits blood just smeared all over her cheeks. But she nodded, because deep down she knew Sasaki was right.
Her chest started pulsing again. It was her Deathmark. She didn't know what was going on, till she remembered she didn't ask the bandit a question. She got distracted, due to him pulling the revolver on her.
Sasaki gave her a serious look, while removing his black tie and offering it to her.
"What? Why are you giving me this?" Yuki said.
"You're gonna need it, trust me. Put it in your mouth and bite as hard as you can. We can't afford you alerting the fat bandit driving us right now."
Yuki was confused, but took it anyways. However, she couldn't help but question him.
"What do you mean alerting? You think I'm loud or something?"
Sasaki's grin came back.
"Oh, just trust me. Like I said earlier, your trial is about to begin."
That's when she heard a voice.
「Failed to ask the target a question」「Pain Echo: Duration 5 minutes」
She turned to Sasaki with wide eyes, but before she could speak, he shoved her hand still clutching his tie—straight into her mouth.
In that instance, something warm leaked from the corner of her eyes. Confused, her fingers brushed her cheek, what came away wasn't tears. It was blood. Her blood!
She bit down into the tie as hard as she could. But no matter how hard she clenched, the scream inside her throat, kept climbing up. Something was crushing her chest from the inside.
Root-like veins spread outward from her Deathmark across her chest and collarbones, setting her nerves alight. Her muscles spasmed so violently. It felt like her bones were being minced from the inside.
She collapsed sideways into Sayuri's lap, her fingers twitching like they were stuck between life and death.
Thankfully, it seemed her 5 minutes were up. As the pain faded.
She heard the voice once more.
「Pain Echo: Completed」 「Deathmark: Trait Obtained」
"What! Not again, please I can't take it anymore."
Sasaki tapped her thigh, glaring at her.
"Listen to the voice. It's important to know what type of trait you've gained."
「Condition Met — victim perished with unresolved resentment and paranoia.」
「Trait Acquired From Victim: Paranoia (PPD)」
Her chains went back to her chest, as the pulse faded.
"Well, that is quite unfortunate... paranoia, uh," Sasaki murmured.
Sayuri reached over to brush the blood off Yuki's cheek.
But Yuki flinched. Her arm jerked back on instinct.
"Don't touch me! You're trying to hurt me or something?"
Sayuri's one eye widen, her hand hovering in the air.
"....."
Sasaki Shin took back his tie, damp with Yuki's saliva. His nose twitched in visible disgust as he flicked it toward his receptionist.
"Try not to touch her, Little Ayano here picked up a trait from her Deathmark called : Paranoid Personality Disorder, of all things. She's going to be quite a handful." Sasaki said.
"Wait—what are you talking about? What do you mean I picked it up? How do I get rid of it?"
Sasaki leaned back, resting one ankle over his knee.
"That's how it works. When you use your Deathmark, it doesn't just kill someone. It leaves you with...Their possible trait. It's not always what they showed on the outside."
Yuki shook her head. "But—"
"But what? there is no but. The Deathmark doesn't care what you noticed. It sees what they died with. And in this case? Paranoia."
Damn it, i hate when he reads my mind! Yuki thought.
She looked down at her hands, they were still shaking.
"How long does it last?" Yuki said
"You can always use the curse again and trade it out. Just mark someone new… and take their worse trait instead. That's the curse of the Deathmark in a nutshell."
The limo jerked uphill, slamming her back against the seat. A sharp jolt raced down her spine. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Sayuri resorted to hovering her hand over Yuki's back, simulating a sort of "air petting." It was like she was silently mouthing, 'there, there... relax... I'm here to help', while not actually touching her.
Yuki narrowed her eyes, then slapped the air-hand away with a snap.
"I said stop it!"
Yuki got up from her seat and turned towards the little glass window at the front of the limo. It was tinted, but she could see through it.
That's when she saw him.
The fat bandit, he had one hand on the wheel. His chauffeur cap drooped slightly, casting a shadow over his eyes. He had red headphones on, nodding his head back and forth. The rain had stopped, but the road was still slippery and foggy.
Riko was still in the front passenger seat, slouched forward, her arms still tied down by a rubber-band magic tool. Her mouth was covered by a white cloth preventing her from screaming.
A flash of fur darted right onto the narrow mountain road.
Riko's eyes met Yuki's. As she moved her head side to side, almost looking like she was trying to warn her of something.
The fat bandit looked up.
His eyes widened. He cranked the wheel hard to the right.
"Shit—!"
The limo swung, tires screeching. It tilted just enough as it clipped the edge of the guardrail.
The car flew into the gray sky.
Yuki barely had time to gasp before gravity gave out. She was flung sideways, her head slammed against the window, blood began dripping from her forehead.
Her vision blurred slightly.
Sasaki didn't waste anymore time. He punched through the small tinted glass—his hand gripping the bandit by the collar, as they were free falling.
"Undo it now!," he growled.
The fat bandit coughed, fumbling toward Riko's restraints. The rubber cords loosened.
But it was too late.
Through the side glass, Yuki saw the outline of a foggy farmhouse. They were getting closer, way too close. She clenched her seat, breath held—unsure if the next second would be her last.