Chapter 68 - A Lonely Night

"Did you regret it?"

"Regret what?" Yanna asked with a smile on her face. Based on her expression, Ayami knew that she was playing dumb. Ayami clicked her tongue at her before rolling her eyes. Of course she wouldn't.

"Nevermind."

Ayami was pertaining to the day Yanna betrayed her. 

An awkward silence followed after that, making it unbearable for the both of them. Yanna was the first one to speak. "Aren't you going to go now?"

"No?" Ayami shook her head. "Didn't I say that I'll stay here?"

"You were serious about that?" Yanna looked at her in surprise. She could only sigh and agree. There were still some things to talk about and she didn't have the energy to argue as the sudden flood of memories attacked her mind, making her a little bit confused. "Fine."

***

While laying down on the bed, Ayami pondered about the dream she had earlier. Her brows were knitted together as she tried to recall it. It was really a headache as it was difficult to remember.

She could vaguely remember the person wearing a half-mask and a robe. She did not know who it was, but she had an inkling feeling that it was the mastermind.

'It is needed for the world to be saved.'

The words that person said kept lingering on her mind.

'You're a threat to this world so I need you to disappear.'

The words that the mastermind said in one of their messages and that person had the same feeling.

Seriously though, how did she even become a threat when all she did was scheme against Yanna. Is there something she didn't know? Obviously there is.

The guide probably knows what that is but unfortunately she didn't have any ways to contact her. If she had to die to see her again, then she'd rather find out herself. And who knows if that woman would still let her live again.

What confused her the most was the library. It didn't feel like a dream and was more like a memory. It didn't happen in either of her life.

So she speculated that the guide must have erased her memories or something and it happened from one of her lives. Or, it was possible that it was just really a dream and she was just overthinking things.

"The first one is possible, but why would she even erase my memories?" She mumbled to herself.

Thinking about it, that guide was suspicious. She didn't know anything about her. Ayami decided that she would be wary the next time they met. Hopefully, they won't meet when her life is at the death's door like last time.

The next morning, Ayami and Yanna had breakfast together inside their dorm in a sour mood. Seeing the other's face first thing in the morning made her mood plummet down to the ground. There was no helping it as Ayami was the one who decided this.

"What will we do now?" Yanna asked, munching on the toast with strawberry jam on it. 

"Take over the Coiling Snake Gang." 

Yanna almost choked on her answer. She immediately grabbed the glass of water beside her and chugged it down. Then, she glanced at Ayami with a bewildered look on her face.

"Are you serious?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

Yanna shook her head and continued her breakfast. "Hm… Okay. But do that yourself."

"I'll be going now." Ayami didn't bother eating the breakfast made by Yanna. Who knows if that fake secretly poisoned her meal?

Classes finally started and Ayami went to her classes for the whole day without skipping. When the two crossed paths, they acted like they didn't get along.

And when the day ended, Ayami would sneak inside Yanna's dorm to brainstorm and plan. 

Three days later.

In the dead of the night, inside a warehouse, a girl was surrounded by burly mens with a woman beside her. The girl, Ayami, was humming as if in a good mood while she was assembling the gun.

The sight terrified the burly men and it was enough to make their knees soften like slimes. The smile their young miss was flashing, terrified them to the bone.

Usually, the young miss was mostly expressionless. But when she did smile, it was an evil one.

"Gentlemen, I hope you are ready." Ayami said in a bone-chilling voice, enough to make them submit to her in fear. They were nervous because if they committed a single mistake, they didn't know what the young miss would do to them.

They had heard terrifying rumors about the young miss from the main house, so now, they confirmed that the young miss wasn't much different compared to the rumors.

"Let's go and ki— oops, I meant visit." Ayami giggled at her clumsy mistake. While the burly men: their hearts were shaking and some wanted to faint right there.

Even though the young miss didn't finish the word, they knew what word it was. 'Kill'.

Today was the first time they received a mission so naturally, their reactions were mixed. Anxious, scared, and excited.

Ayami didn't care about their feelings and led the group outside, with Marie following her like a loyal puppy.

At the same time, inside a luxurious room, a person wearing a mask that covered half of their face and a black robe was sitting on a sofa, with their legs crossed.

In front of them, a fat man with tattoos on their body was prostrating, their bodies shivering from fear.

"P-Please… I'll do a-anything you say…" The fat man pleaded, tears and snot streaming down his face.

"Anything?" The half-masked person smiled, amused at the words that came out of the fat man. "If I say that I want you to die right now, will you do it?"

The fat man couldn't answer and could only lower his head to the floor. The person snorted. "You said you'd do anything. Now look at you going back on your word."

"Oh well, I'll forgive you only this time. You still have some use, after all."

"T-thank… you, f-for your generosity."

"First, I'm the leader now. Second, you'll obey everything I say. And third, hm…, what should I add?" They rubbed their chin, deep in thought, before waving their hand. "Oh forget it."

"My first task is for you to keep an eye on Ayami Gardner and report to me if she is behaving suspiciously." The person smiled but their looks were threatening. "You know what will happen if you fail this simple task."

The fat man nodded his head and once he was dismissed, he quickly scurried out of the room, almost tripping. 

The whole room was enveloped in silence. The person looked outside the window. The full moon was shining brightly under the clear sky.

Their gaze remained on the moon for a long time. There was a hint of sadness in their eyes, as if reminiscing about a sad past. Their back were hunched as if they had been carrying the burdens of the world.. Soon after, they turned away.