As if repaying Yuuki for sharing what he could, Ori spoke about her own secret with Shiki—or rather, what Shiki looked like through Ori's eyes.
She longed for an ordinary life, yet hated forming connections.
She didn't despise being loved, yet rejected the feelings she possessed.
Even when she had never killed anyone, there was always a certain urge inside her.
An urge that came from killing Ori countless times—an inescapable impulse to kill.
"People interact with the world through exchange," Ori said quietly, "and they only treat others in ways they themselves understand."
Ori—having endured being killed for so long—had only ever been "treated" through killing. So the only way she knew to treat others was also through killing. And because Ori and Shiki were one body, that overflowing murderous intent seeped into Shiki over time.
"I've influenced Shiki too deeply," Ori concluded. "Just like she says… Yuuki, today really is the last time. I think we shouldn't meet again."
It seemed both Shiki and Ori believed the same thing:
Shiki's urge to kill existed because Ori existed.
But Yuuki believed that was wrong—there had to be something off in that logic.
"I get it. This might not count as comfort, but… Ori, I don't think Shiki's killing impulse is entirely because of you."
He paused, then spoke with the weight of a decision.
"No—actually, I can say that for sure."
Ori blinked, stunned.
"Why?"
"Because I think anyone who's actually talked with you would realize you're a good person."
Yuuki knew what kind of person Ori was—tolerant, optimistic.
And something Yuuki knew but couldn't say out loud was that Ori would even accept death if it meant Shiki could live.
Facing Yuuki's certainty, Ori looked completely at a loss—but at the same time, as if a weight had left her shoulders.
"I can't believe you… Are you seriously that biased toward me? Shiki's never trusted me like that."
"That's because Shiki has terrible taste," Yuuki said bluntly. "Think about it—Shiki has accepted you even after killing you over and over, right? And you've kept suppressing yourself all this time."
"Stop, stop. No matter how much you praise me, I'm not going to help you talk to Shiki."
Ori leaned back in her chair and turned her face away so Yuuki couldn't see her expression.
…
After about half a minute of silence, Ori turned back and dropped a line like a bomb.
"Hey, Yuuki… could it be you've fallen for 'me'?"
Yuuki blinked, not knowing how to answer. After thinking, his expression darkened, and he decided to be blunt.
"If it's a question of 'like' or 'dislike,' then yeah—I like you."
"I'm pretty sure you know that's not the kind of 'like' I meant," Ori said, "but since that's how you're answering… fine."
She stood up and put her clothes back on. This time she really was leaving.
Yuuki wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing.
Right before she walked out, Ori left him with one last sentence.
"Whether Shiki's killing impulse comes from me or not, she already killed someone. But that isn't the most dangerous part."
Ori's gaze sharpened.
"The more dangerous thing is what you did."
Was she talking about the reckless risk Yuuki took to "help" Shiki?
Or about the fact that Yuuki's feelings for Shiki had gone beyond friendship?
Yuuki didn't get the chance to ask. Ori was already gone.
He quietly drew the curtains shut again and stared at the blank television, without any desire to turn it back on.
He sat on the bed, lost in thought, until evening deepened and a new message arrived on his phone.
[Fujino's home. I'm coming to you now.]
…
Not long after, the hospital room door opened a crack.
A familiar figure peeked in cautiously—sneaky, nosy—and in the last light of dusk, her blazing red hair swayed like a flame.
Once she confirmed the person in the bed really was Yuuki, she swung the door open and walked in boldly.
"Ahh, young master—if you saw me, you could at least make a sound. It's so dark in here I can't even see your face."
As she spoke, she flipped the obvious light switch beside the door.
Click.
The old ceiling lamp flickered like a party strobe before stabilizing.
Loose, fiery-red hair spilled down her back. Judging by appearance alone, she looked about twenty-three or twenty-four. Light makeup refined her already beautiful features, and there was a slyness hidden in the corner of her eyes.
She wore the same black-and-white standard maid uniform Yuuki remembered, adorned with the small purple flower that marked her as a maid of the Asagami household.
She was the maid assigned to Yuuki—later handed over to Fujino—Miss "Tama."
Tama had been caring for Yuuki since before he'd arrived in this world. With Lady Asagami deceased, Tama—beyond her formal role—was the closest thing Yuuki had to a practical, living "mother."
But Yuuki had sought independence absurdly early. At five—right after arriving—he'd already started insisting on doing things himself.
Rumor had it Tama came from a family that had ties to the Asagami household—perhaps even to the Asagami clan's original line. From the scraps of information Yuuki had pieced together, she'd been cast out for violating a taboo, stripped of her surname, and refused to take it back—so Yuuki didn't even know what her family name had been.
Maybe even "Tama" was false. Whenever Yuuki tried to ask about her past, she'd brush it off with absurd excuses.
Like: her existence would doom the whole clan, so she couldn't say.
Like: she'd be killed if the secret got out, so she couldn't say.
Like: she was actually a divorced single mom with two kids pretending to be young, so she couldn't say.
Back then, Yuuki was still visibly a child, and her answers were obviously lies. Later, Yuuki stopped asking.
Traditionally, families tied to the Asagami line were old and rigid, full of rules. It wasn't rare for someone with "good blood" to be expelled.
The old Asagami house had maintained public alliances with such families, and in private, used branch families like the Asagami household to "take in" those cast-outs—preserving special bloodlines as the Asagami core decayed.
In the end, the Asagami line diluted itself into near "mixed blood," and that was one of the seeds of its downfall.
Tama was one such leftover piece—like a noble knight on a checkmate board, long after the game was already decided.
She was usually bright—sometimes airheaded—but occasionally, traces of aristocratic discipline would surface. She was a mysterious woman, yet Yuuki felt he could trust her.
And that only made the rumors feel more plausible.
That was Tama.
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (400 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (140 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (158 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (400 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (172 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (200 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (200 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (96 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (140 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (160 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (165 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (180 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (160 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (130 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (90 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (160 Chapter)
Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (130 Chapter)
I Just Want to Live a Normal (50 Chapter).
Genshin Impact: A Hundred Confessions? It's Just a System Task (70 Chapter)
OnePiece : Starting as a Veteran of the Roger Pirates (60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : I Have Special Horse Taming Techniques (190 Chapter)
Uma Musume : My other self is a Horse Girl (130 Chapter)
Jujutsu Kaisen : All Affection Stats Maxed Out (200 Chapter)
Satou Kazuma's Decision to Live by Swindling, Starting from Re:Zero (60 Chapter)
Bleach : Ichigo! Take Over the Soul Society (89 Chapter)
Crossover Anime: The Master of Plagiarism with a 'Love Obstacle (140 Chapter)
Arknights Succubus Nurturing System, But I'm a Quiet Office Worker (90 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: Using My Personas to Break the Hearts of Players (50 Chapter)
One Punch Man : i am King? (150 Chapter)
Genshin: My Stats Are Irresistible (70 Chapter)
Naruto: Master of Dream Fulfillment! (70 Chapter)
Why Are All My Chat Group Friends Spin-Off Characters? (120 Chapter)
Arknights : Batman System (30 Chapter)
Chat Group: Swapping Bodies with the Bad-Ending Herta from the Start (62 Chapter)
DanMachi: Why Did My Dungeon Turn Into a Soulslike Game? (90 Chapter)
Losing Money on Uma Musume...What Do You Mean You Actually Won? (86 Chapter)
I'm Gotou Hitori—Who Are You? (40 Chapter)
Were You Ever Even a Uma Musume? Stop Making Things Up! (70 Chapter)
Moon Project: A Full-Time Love Adventure for the Lobotomy Corporation (75 Chapter)
The Leisurely Days of the Hyuga Main House (65 Chapter)
Arknights : A Draco Surviving in a Matriarchal Terra (72 Chapter)
Arknights: What if My Luck Is Too Good? (91 Chapter)
Honkai: The Romance System Only Shows Up After I Marry Mei (50 Chapter)
Arknights: Who Are You Calling Repressed, X?! (53 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it