Chapter 224 : Meeting [Birth] Again & Joining Hands with One Heart
The story of the past was slowly narrated from the braided woman's mouth. Before them, both Jiang Lai and Gojo Satoru remained silent until Amanai Riko's words stopped.
Ten thousand thoughts surged in Jiang Lai's mind, complex emotions swirling in his heart, choking in his throat. However, in the end, he only gently asked: "Are they still well now? And you?"
The black-haired young man's eyes seemed like stars, the first words he uttered were of concern for them.
In Amanai Riko's memory, that image of a young man in dawn light and warmth gradually gained a clear face, overlapping with the person before her.
This was Iris's younger brother.
Amanai Riko lowered her eyelids, answering: "After that incident, they never woke up again."
"They're still here, in the depths of the mental world, just... always sleeping."
"And I, because they gave me part of their power, I gained the ability to control this power. They can't control me as a puppet, nor can they extract and use this power alone. Although I'm still controlled by others, I have some autonomy to some degree."
Jiang Lai's heart was still mixed with various feelings, but his tense heartstrings relaxed somewhat.
After all, in some sense, this content could also be considered good news.
[Birth] hadn't dissipated, just like Jiang Lai once had, fallen into long slumber. And Riko also had power she could rely on, remaining a stubborn ram amidst the surrounding wolves.
At least, there was still hope for everything.
Jiang Lai thought about his conceptual family members.
The family head [Origin] and older sister (brother) [Birth] had both fallen into slumber, and good and evil [Death]'s coexistence was complicated. In the current situation, it seemed he had to support this family himself.
Jiang Lai felt weighty responsibility on his shoulders, his eyes also becoming calm.
At this moment, he felt an additional hand on his shoulder.
Gojo Satoru stood beside him, placing his hand on his shoulder. His clear blue eyes blinked once, his tone slightly rising: "Your expression is very heavy, Lai... let me share half the burden?"
His tone was light, a smile appearing on his delicate profile: "Through wind and rain together, right? You once told me that."
Jiang Lai paused first, then slightly relaxed mentally. He exhaled the stifled air accumulated in his chest, returning a smile as well, answering: "Yes, I know."
Without needing many words, they understood each other.
Then, Jiang Lai turned his face to look at Amanai Riko, asking gently: "May I see them once?"
"Even if you didn't mention it, I wanted to take you to see them." Amanai Riko nodded. She knew the person before her was [Birth]'s most treasured younger brother.
"To conserve power, this mental world hasn't constructed substance, mostly consisting of void." Amanai Riko slowly explained, "So please follow closely to avoid losing direction."
The turquoise kingfisher resting on Jiang Lai's finger spread its wings, lightly taking flight into this darkness. Its beautiful tail feathers traced an arc in the air, like a blade cutting through the darkness.
Amanai Riko gestured for Jiang Lai and Gojo Satoru to follow her.
The group followed the soaring turquoise kingfisher ahead, passing through endless void and shadows. Different colors faintly appeared ahead, and when they walked closer, they could clearly see clusters of iris flowers.
In this small garden-like iris flower cluster, a princess-cut beauty lay quietly. Her smooth long hair fell naturally like seaweed, her pale skin seeming to carry a faint glow.
Amanai Riko and Gojo Satoru both tacitly stopped at a distance, leaving the private space ahead for Jiang Lai.
Seeing the familiar face again with his own eyes, Jiang Lai's steps involuntarily slowed, becoming as heavy as if filled with lead.
He walked forward slowly but steadily, carefully avoiding the iris flowers at his feet, quietly stopping at the empty space in front of [Birth].
Jiang Lai's gentle brown eyes reflected the image of the princess-cut beauty, the turquoise kingfisher lightly landing on his shoulder. This time, the kingfisher didn't chirp.
The scene was incredibly quiet. Jiang Lai bent down to kneel and sit, looking closely at his slumbering older sister (brother).
He couldn't help thinking: back then, when he disappeared in the forest, did [Birth] feel this way too?
Knowing the person you care about is still here, but no longer able to look at each other and smile, no longer able to speak to each other.
He exhaled, gently grasping one of [Birth]'s hands. That hand was cool as jade, the same as before, just no longer able to respond to him as it had a thousand years ago.
"..." Jiang Lai quietly accompanied his slumbering older sister (brother) for a while, then stood up, steadying his mind again.
He knew he couldn't be trapped in surging emotions. The path ahead still required him to walk it step by step.
Only by completing the path ahead could new hope be brought.
"Let's go." Jiang Lai said, "Let them rest here, we'll clear the thorns and cut through obstacles."
His words were steady, his eyes incredibly brilliant, seemingly carrying countless stars.
……
The group left that iris flower cluster in the depths of the mental world.
Jiang Lai remembered he needed to tell Amanai Riko about Kuroi Misato. However, when the words reached his mouth, he couldn't say them no matter what.
Amanai Riko noticed Jiang Lai's hesitation to speak. Being a woman with spiritual wisdom, she took the initiative: "Whatever you want to say, just say it."
"..." Jiang Lai sighed softly. In the end, he still quietly told Riko about what had happened to Kuroi Misato at Mount Shichi not long ago.
As the words slipped from his lips, Jiang Lai couldn't bear to look at Amanai Riko's expression. So he tried to use less shocking language to briefly and clearly explain the situation.
After he finished speaking, there was no sound in the air for a long time.
Jiang Lai paused, finally raising his face. Before him, Amanai Riko's eyes were red-rimmed. She made no sound, only silently shedding tears.
Great sorrow was like this: all strength seemed gathered at the place of tears, unable to speak a word.
After a long while, she wiped her eyes, her voice hoarse: "Thank you for telling me... actually, I was mentally prepared."
Mentally prepared? Jiang Lai was somewhat surprised.
Amanai Riko continued: "I'm inside the Supervisory Committee and know what kind of people they are. Kuroi... Kuroi was the type of person without value in their eyes."
"I knew they wouldn't spare Kuroi, even if I was obedient."
"It's just that all these years, I still held onto wishful thinking, hoping that perhaps no news was the best news. Very ridiculous, isn't it?" Amanai Riko forced a smile, tears still hanging on her face, her eyes filled with crystal clarity. "This was just self-deception."
Jiang Lai didn't speak. He knew Amanai Riko didn't need comforting words, so he chose to listen quietly.
"What I regret most is not saying goodbye properly back then... At that time I was afraid of parting scenes, worried I'd regret it. So I just quickly hugged her and fled like flying."
Amanai Riko's gaze scattered, hazily focusing on the ground beneath her feet.
"If I had known that was the last time, I... I definitely would have hugged her tightly and told her that meeting her was the luckiest thing in my life."
"If there's a next life, I'll be the adult and she'll be the child. This time, let me take care of her."
"And in this life, I'll avenge her... even if what I can do is minimal, I'll keep doing it."
Amanai Riko spoke word by word, her voice low, hoarse, and trembling, but her eyes still carried that stubborn refusal to give up.
Jiang Lai paused, saying: "Perhaps it's not completely hopeless." His gaze was gentle as he said, "[Birth]'s abilities relate to souls, and you can now use such abilities too, can't you? Perhaps, if Kuroi hasn't yet entered the flow of reincarnation, you might still be able to find her."
"...!?" Amanai Riko's eyes widened, visible joy appearing on her face.
She nodded, but then immediately shook her head: "I'm currently under the Supervisory Committee's surveillance and can't freely use my abilities."
"Then let's overthrow the Supervisory Committee first, then search, wouldn't that work?" At this point, Gojo Satoru finally spoke, his tone lightly rising, carrying sharpness. "Those guys have occupied this territory long enough. It's time to uproot them completely."
"You...?" Amanai Riko didn't quite react.
Jiang Lai thought for a moment, saying: "Our preparations are pretty much complete now. Although it's not yet time for the real decisive battle, we've done everything we should. Just some details need perfecting."
"..." Amanai Riko hesitated for a second, "Are you going to clash head-on with those guys? Actually, actually you don't need to..."
"How don't we need to? Not only do you have grudges with them, but I, Lai, and many others all have grudges with them." Gojo Satoru pointed with his finger, saying, "So overthrowing the Supervisory Committee is what everyone hopes for."
"We've all reunited now, and we've made quite a few preparations. If we must collide, there's no reason we wouldn't win, right?"
Confidence radiated from the white-haired man's handsome features. He raised an eyebrow with a smile: "I am the strongest, and not the strongest alone. Such a me is truly, truly invincible~"
Amanai Riko was stunned. Her gaze swept over Gojo Satoru and Jiang Lai, her expression gradually becoming resolute.
"Alright." She said, "If you're determined to directly overthrow it, I'll also lend you a helping hand. I'll tell you everything I know, and during the decisive battle, I'll assist you with all my strength."
"Still prioritize your own safety." Jiang Lai advised, "After all, you're inside the Supervisory Committee."
The turquoise kingfisher chirped softly, spreading its wings to circle around Amanai Riko before landing on the braided woman's shoulder.
Amanai Riko's eyes curved slightly: "Don't worry about me. You see, I'm not alone either." She raised her other hand, stroking the kingfisher on her shoulder.
Times had changed, but she once again showed the fearless courage of that middle school girl from years ago.
A smile spread across Jiang Lai's face. He stood beside them, book resting in his palm, saying seriously: "Joining hands with one heart, we will definitely win."