Chapter Sixty-Six Knock If You Must
I’m My Own High School Rival: Rika’s Arc: Of Fate and Future.
I watched the rise and fall of her chest through her white dress as heavy breaths escaped her, and then she sucked in air, releasing a soft sigh.She reached over and touched my shoulder, gently squeezing it, as if checking my integrity.
“Just wow. I haven’t laughed like that since the Ash invaded the Veil.” She turned toward me; her face was flushed, and her smile seemed…different, like it radiated warmth. “You’ve made me happier than any man I’ve ever killed, Cross.” Her eyes were somewhat watery but gentle.
I swallowed what felt like steel.
“A-are you laughing at the war or…”
“Her son, of course.”
Why? Being a boy in this country was… strange. But Ryo was a sprout…
“Why!?” I said louder than even I expected. “He is…was a sprout. So why is that a laughing matter—”
“Wow,” she said. “You really are from another world.”
I held her stare, unsure if she believed me.
“I assume you’ve lived here for a while, because of how good your Japanese is, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”
She leaned in closer, our faces almost touching.
“Do you at least know the Veil’s royal order?”
I fought the weight of her question, but my eyes sank into the lap of her clean, wrinkle-free white dress.
“Aw, my poor little oddity, let me teach it to you,” she said, as her hand reached up, cradling my neck, bringing my head to her shoulder.
She took a deep breath.
“First came Kisaragi, soft and sure,
then Shigure, calm and pure.
Mizuhara followed fast,
Akagiri thirsts at last.
Kuroda waits and watches near,
Azawa cries when fear draws near—
and it all begins once more.”
She softly sang the words, enunciating each name so that it was identifiable, but her voice dropped low when she said Akagiri.
“Do you understand now, Cross?”
I understand that whoever made that song up is tone-deaf. Wait a second.
I lifted my head and placed my hand to my mouth, touching my lips.
Silence.
“The order—the end; you said it all begins once more. Is it always in that order?”
She nodded, and panic filled my chest.
“W-what if it breaks? Like, what if Akagiri skips over…over—”
“Kuroda?” She said, placing a finger to the side of her head.
“Yeah…”
“That would never happen. The Crimson Council wouldn’t let it, Cross,” she said, still sitting too close, still holding my future at the end of a hidden blade. “There is something you aren’t telling me, or these questions wouldn’t be as specific.”
My eyes started to drift away from hers as I measured the weight of this knowledge, but, with one hand, she grabbed me by the cheeks and brought me back to her.
“Don’t run yet, Cross. We are having so much fun, right?”
She stood up, bringing me with her, and gently walked me to the wall next to the bed, softly pinning me. My heart pounded.
What is she doing?
She cradled my neck again, bringing our faces closer until I could see my reflection in her eyes.
“Not until you tell me why being born a man in a position of power…is bad…please.”
Her breath was warm against my face, and the burgundy carpet contrasted nicely with her pale complexion.
“Because, Cross, male sprouts have no power. Their only purpose in life is to breed the next queen and look nice. Once that’s done, he’ll be lucky for even a passing glance from his room.”
She slid her fingers from my cheeks to my lips, tracing me over.
“Now, it’s your turn to sing, Cross,” she said, sliding her hand onto my chest, gently pushing me against the wall, but with each passing moment, she applied more pressure.
“But what happens…” My chest started to hurt. “You're hurting—”
I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t sp—
I tapped her arm, hoping that she would stop, and gradually she let up. The air filling my lungs made me cough.
“I’ve given you something when I didn’t have to. Now, don’t make me ask again, Cross.”
Well… does she believe me that much?
“Her… son’s last name… Azawa, not—”
“Not Kuroda,” she said, releasing me entirely, and I dropped to the floor. “They both die if she breaks the order… The other families prioritize having sons to feed the matriarchal line.” She stooped down. “No, Cross. They wouldn’t kill Jade. They aren’t that foolish. But the boy and the father would be killed… Hell, the Azawa branch may even be wiped out.”
“Why…the hell do you believe me?!”
Her eyes flickered to me, and she slowly raised her hand.
“I don’t care! You shouldn’t believe any of this… You should be calling me crazy!”
She lowered her hand and looked down at the ground before me.
“Your story sounds fantastical, Cross. If written, I would dismiss it as such. But the way you tell it,” she raised her finger to my lips, “through these lips, those eyes, and your haphazard care make me believe… some. But the more we talk, the more I grow attached to you—”
She stood up and hovered over me, and then circled the bed and lifted the mattress.
Knowing she was at a safe distance, I stood, too. She was standing by the door with her knife and mine.
I knew it would come… but the door?
“Congratulations, Cross. You’ve survived longer than anyone, so I commend you. As per your request, you’ll have your rematch, but I’ve decided to make it more interesting.”
I slowly shifted my weight.
“Well… You see, part of me wants you to escape, so we can witness the future you’ve described together. But I thirst for satisfaction.” She tossed my knife on the bed.
My eyes oscillated between my knife and her, and my fist clenched.
“It’s okay, Cross, pick it up.”
I slowly, deliberately moved my hand across the bed while holding eye contact. My fingers found the knife’s pointed blade first and then searched for its darkened handle.
“Great job, Cross. Now, come here,” she said, beckoning me with her free hand.
I slowly made my way around the bed as rage’s warmth washed over me. I squeezed the knife’s handle.
Once I was in front of her, she gently caressed my cheek.
“We are going to play a new game. We are on the fifth floor of a derelict apartment where the residents consist mostly of discarded men.”
I swallowed.
“There are only a few serviceable ways down, but if you escape the building, I won’t come after you.”
I looked away.
“What’s the catch?”
“What do you mean?
“What does my escaping have to do with other guys living in this rundown place. And going down…?”
Her hand slid from my cheek to my jaw, guiding my eyes to hers.
“I will give you a one-minute head start, because you made me laugh. If you feel like I’m catching up to you, just knock on one of the doors. I’ll stop to kill anyone who answers, Cross.”
She smiled with the same warmth from earlier, and my stomach sank.
“Why would you—”
She placed a finger to my lips.
“As for the exits, there are only two ways down. Jump to your death, or risk a broken stairwell. Oh!” she said with excitement. “The elevator works, but everyone uses it, so who knows which floor it will be on if you call for it.”
Her finger slid from my lips.
“And Cross,” she said in a sweet voice, “I really hope you survive.”