Challenge: The Fool with the Surname Okayamine

Chapter 55 Heavenly Palace Arc: Prequel - "The Consensus Reached Between Ideal Justice and the

The night breeze gently blew into this long-abandoned building.

Inside this building, a girl named Kurumi Tokisaki stands on the top floor of the abandoned building, the afterglow of the moonlight shining on her bewildered face.

A cold wind swept by, the hands of the clock moved slightly, and the power of time flowed quietly. She looked down at the abandoned building, her heterochromatic golden eyes flashing with a bewildered gaze that seemed to have forgotten the past.

In that instant, the expression on the girl's face was a stark contrast to the bright red and black gothic spirit costume she was wearing, which exuded a mysterious aura—a look of profound sadness.

Just as Kurumi was deep in thought, footsteps came from downstairs, and then a man wearing a black military uniform, a monocle, a red goat's eye in his left eye, and a black overcoat worn as a cape appeared in her field of vision.

Kurumi became alert, slowly extending two flintlock pistols, one long and one short, towards the newcomer. Only after clearly recognizing the person did she lower the guns. For some reason, she felt she had seen this person before, yet she had no memory of him.

"It's you... the one who just said you could help me remember my past memories!" Kurumi's tone was somewhat excited, as if she could immediately rush forward, stand on tiptoe, grab Ming's collar, and question him.

Ming waved his hand, indicating that he didn't care. He walked steadily toward Kurumi, speaking as he went.

"It's simple if you want to regain your memories." With that, Ming pointed his finger at Kurumi's clock-like left eye.

"Since you can summon these two [Angels] from your subconscious, theoretically you could manifest your complete Angel [Zeffect], aim it at yourself with the [Tenth Bullet], and then you could recall everything..."

Kurumi paused slightly upon hearing this, a hint of hesitation flashing in her eyes.

She looked down at the flintlock pistol in her hand, a weapon that was both familiar and unfamiliar to her, just like her fragmented memories.

"Really...? It's really possible to remember just by using the [Tenth Bullet]!"

“Tokisaki-dō…” Ming hesitated for a moment, then changed his words, “Tokisaki-san, you have the memories of angelic abilities, so you should understand your abilities better than I do, right? You also understand the ability of the [Tenth Bullet].

After hearing this, Kurumi bit her lip. She knew about the [Tenth Bullet], but she was still filled with fear.

Noticing a fleeting hesitation in Kurumi's eyes, Ming asked:

"Fear? Even though you have no memory of it, did you subconsciously let your guard down when you looked at me? So you're afraid... afraid of the mistakes you made in the past."

Kurumi raised her head, her gaze fixed firmly on Ming. "Perhaps, I am afraid. But not knowing what happened in the past hurts me even more." With that, she took a deep breath and raised the flintlock pistol in her right hand.

As I focused my attention, I saw a strange light emanating from her body, and then a huge golden clock silhouette slowly appeared behind her.

"Zefir!" As Kurumi gathered her spirit and shouted, the complete [Zefir] gradually appeared behind her.

Kurumi's hand trembled slightly as she pointed the gun at herself.

【Zofkjet - Bullet 10】

The trigger of the flintlock pistol was pulled, and a dark red energy from the Zafkiel behind him drilled into the muzzle. Then, with a "bang," the energy of the Tenth Bullet was fired into it.

The instant Kurumi fired, a massive flood of memories overwhelmed her! Like a surging ocean, wave after wave crashed against her mental defenses.

Kurumi's mind was filled with flashbacks of the past, filled with tears, sadness, and anger... She saw the wonderful times she spent with her best friends, those carefree days filled with warmth and joy.

However, a bloody and horrific scene suddenly entered her vision—she had accidentally killed her closest friend! At that moment, pain and regret clung to her heart like venomous snakes, making it hard for her to breathe.

Besides this heartbreaking scene, Kurumi also recalled the person who deceived her—Mio. It was because she trusted Mio's lies that this series of tragedies occurred.

Kurumi knelt on the ground in grief and indignation, putting down the Zafkiel she was holding, and then slammed her fist heavily on the ground.

"Mio! I will... I will... kill you, to avenge Saya and all the others I have mistakenly killed!" Kurumi screamed hysterically, while Mei stood in front of her, his expression as cold as ice.

Ming slowly squatted down, looking directly into Kurumi's eyes. His expression was cold, but there was a hint of emotion in his eyes, even a touch of empathy.

"Hey, Tokisaki-san... no, I should say Tokisaki Kurumi-san, it's been a long time."

Hearing Ming's words, Kurumi snapped out of her grief, looked at the person in front of her, and asked in surprise, "Who are you? How do you know my name?"

Hearing the girl's question, Ming stood up and said with his back to Kurumi:

"Me?...The person who traveled back with her, someone you owe her just like you..." Ming said, his black eyes, which looked no different from an ordinary person's, became somewhat moist behind his monocle.

Kurumi frowned slightly upon hearing Ming's words. "You owe her? What exactly do you mean?"

Ming turned around, looked at Kurumi, and sighed softly, "Did you accidentally kill your best friend because of Mio's deception? As for me, I knew it was a threat but couldn't tell her... and I failed to protect her, who regarded me as a hero."

"Recognized as a hero by Sawa?" When Kurumi heard Ming say this, the image of a girl she still vaguely remembered gradually surfaced in her mind.

That was Ming, but his appearance seemed to have changed slightly compared to Kurumi's memories. Although their faces looked almost identical, Kurumi sensed a profound loneliness in Ming's eyes.

"Are you...Okamine-kun?" Kurumi stood up, her eyes filled with surprise as she looked at Ming. "Then why are you also a spirit!"

Hearing the girl's question, Ming gave a wry smile and remained silent for a long time before finally speaking:

"It's a long story." Ming raised his head, his black spiritual armor receding as he gazed at the dark ceiling of the abandoned building, as if recalling that painful experience.

“At that time, Sawa died before my eyes, and you were knocked unconscious and kidnapped by Mio. Just when my life was hanging by a thread, my hatred for her for inducing you to kill Sawa spurred me to fight her with all my might, and I finally obtained the Spirit Crystal from her hands…”

"Although I was later taken back, I was transformed into an elf for some unknown reason."

After finishing his story, Ming slowly turned around, a barely perceptible worry flashing in his deep eyes. He gazed silently into the distance, pondering whether he should tell Kurumi that Asmodeus was hidden within him.

However, after careful consideration, Ming ultimately decided to keep this secret from Kurumi.

After all, since the future 'Phantom' had taken the initiative to seek out Kurumi, Ming had doubts about whether Kurumi could keep such important information.

He couldn't be sure if telling Kurumi the truth would lead to her being taken away by Mio in some passive way and her information being leaked.

Kurumi listened quietly, a complex emotion flickering in her eyes. "So that's how it is. Fate has been playing tricks on both of us," Kurumi said slowly.

Ming shook his head with a wry smile, "We've all become like this now, and I've just been looking for a way to make amends."

"Make amends? What are you planning to do?" Kurumi asked.

"I must find the key to break this hopeless cycle! And that key may very well be hidden with Mio."

Ming clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, but he felt no pain at all.

"If we can find a way to travel back in time and eliminate her before she kills Sawa, then all the tragedies will be rewritten!"

Kurumi paused for a moment after hearing this, then her gaze gradually hardened, and she finally murmured to herself:

"So that's how it is? As long as I use [Zafkiel] to go back in time... can I undo all the tragedies?!"

Ming was overjoyed to see that Kurumi understood the meaning behind his words. In fact, he had deliberately guided Kurumi in this way.

Knowing that Kurumi in the original work had a strong desire to change the past, and because the future is difficult to rewrite, Ming took the initiative to try to guide Kurumi.

My primary goal is to see Sawa again, and secondly, to personally kill Mio to avenge Sawa. During this process, I am prepared to use others, and even to the extreme, I can discard useless pawns, but... Kurumi is an exception.

He wouldn't take advantage of her, and with him by her side, her close friend wouldn't be in danger. This was one of the few things Ming could do to be true to Sawa.

Beside her, after reaffirming her resolve, Kurumi looked at Ming with a hint of dazedness in her eyes, and after a moment she asked:

"Gangfeng-kun, do you...do you blame me for accidentally killing Sawa?" Ming was slightly taken aback, then sighed softly.

"At first, I was indeed filled with resentment. You see, Sawa is not just an ordinary person to me; she is the light and salvation that truly holds great significance in my life! However, despite this, I know very clearly deep down that none of this came from your own heart. At that time, you were merely being used by Mio."

At this moment, Kurumi's delicate body trembled slightly, as fragile as a flower swaying in the wind. She murmured to herself:

"But... regardless of whether it was because she was being used, Sawa ultimately left because of me, leaving this world forever..." Her words were filled with endless pain and self-blame.

Just then, Ming slowly stepped forward and comforted him:

"The most crucial question now is how we should change what has already happened? Besides, I firmly believe that if Sawa could know this from beyond the grave, she would definitely choose to forgive you."

"Th...thank you!" Kurumi said excitedly to Ming in front of her.

The two continued their conversation inside the magnificent building.

They sat in the spacious and bright lounge area, where sunlight streamed through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, casting soft shadows on them.

Note: The two chatted like this until 6 a.m. Don't ask why they could stay up so long; one only sleeps once a month, and the other had just been released from the spirit world. With the added benefit of their elven bodies, staying up all night didn't make them feel tired at all.

The conversation gradually delved into Sawa's past experiences, and those stories buried deep in the past were revealed one by one like treasures.

Time slipped by unnoticed, and quite some time had passed. She gently stood up and said goodbye to Ming.

However, just as she turned to leave, Ming suddenly stepped forward and blocked her way.

He pulled out an elegant card and a stylish flip phone from his pocket and handed them to Kurumi without hesitation.

Kurumi took the card and phone, looking at Ming with a puzzled expression. Ming said, "There's enough money in this card for you to use, and this phone is a spare; it'll allow you to contact me from afar."

A hint of surprise flashed in Kurumi's eyes. "Why are you helping me like this?"

Kurumi clutched the card and her phone tightly, her heart filled with mixed emotions. She looked up at Ming, her gaze revealing a complex mix of feelings.

Ming finally managed a forced smile on his stiff face and said:

“Sawa once trusted me just like that, but I failed to protect her. I really hope to meet her again in the future. You are another way for me to realize my wish. If the path I want to take fails, my dream of seeing her will continue. Please help me continue it.”

After hearing this, Kurumi was slightly stunned, said nothing more, nodded silently, and then disappeared into the shadows at the innermost part of the abandoned building.

Note: This story features a single female protagonist; the relationship between Ming and Kurumi is more akin to that of comrades-in-arms with a shared goal.

As for Kurumi... she doesn't yet have the ability to discern the truth in Ming's words, and can only be led by the nose. However, once the main story begins, Kurumi, who has already read extensively, will be on par with Ming in terms of intelligence.