The comments section all think I'm a really good person.

225. It's all your fault.

The first thing Koizumi Saki noticed was the visitor's black Doc Martens boots.

The shoes had a gleaming upper, and the mid-calf boots protected the ankles and covered a section of the calves. Above that were black trousers and a simple casual shirt, the hem of which was casually tucked in, revealing a slender yet toned waistline.

The lines of her legs, subtly outlined, were incredibly sharp and beautiful. Despite the fact that she wasn't dressed in a way that revealed anything, she inexplicably gave the impression that desire was wrapped in a plastic film, ready to burst forth.

The newcomer wore a white eye patch over her left eye, and her left hand was covered by a black leather glove. Her soft, white hair was quite fluffy and appeared to be a little long, hanging down and partially obscuring her eyelids, making it difficult to see her expression.

She stood on high ground, stepping on the heads of the familiars within the witch's barrier, looking down at this side, her face so pale she resembled a ghost.

It's different from what I remembered of Kita-Kirihara.

Her gaze toward Saki Koizumi was cold and sarcastic, carrying a chill she had never felt before.

Saki Koizumi opened her mouth as if to say something, but felt as if something was stuck in her throat, unable to speak.

She could only stare at Kita Kirihara in front of her, unable to look away, her heart aching terribly.

...Ah Yuan, you also look at me like that.

It's like meeting a stranger you already have a bad impression of on the street; you'll only feel a little bad.

That's probably how much I hate myself.

It wasn't that I was extremely disgusted, nor did I hate it to the core... I just found it an eyesore.

It was precisely because of the lightness of this feeling that Koizumi Saki felt so much pain.

"Seriously, Kita-Kiri-san!" Miki Sayaka, oblivious to the awkward atmosphere, sighed loudly and then called out to Kita-Kiri, "Stop standing there posing and get down here!"

“…Where did I pose?” Kitakiri said helplessly.

Her voice was different from that of the seventeen-year-old Ahara; it had become more mature and deeper, perhaps because the injuries inflicted on her by Koizumi Saki had not yet fully healed, and she was still somewhat weak.

Oh, right, the injuries.

Saki Koizumi had to confront a crucial question: how was the place where she had injured Ahara...?

This question became clear to her as Kita Kirihara approached.

The terms "necrosis of the left eye" and "amputation of the left hand" stung Saki Koizumi's optic nerve.

She almost instinctively rushed over in a panic.

Kita Kirihara didn't dodge; he just stood there, letting Koizumi Saki's trembling hand grasp the prosthetic limb installed on her left hand.

That's right, a prosthetic limb.

Even though the body was reconstructed, in order to ensure consistency with the previous situation, Kita Kirihara retained the old injury on his left hand when creating this body.

What she didn't realize was that the reversal of Koizumi Saki would focus on reopening old wounds.

As a result, it was so badly damaged that they simply replaced it with a new one.

It wouldn't be impossible for Beiqie to have his original, real left hand fitted, or even to have a healthy body that surpasses that of an ordinary person.

But Kita Kirihara was unwilling.

She wanted to continue using this broken body. A healthy body has its own value, and a broken body also has its uses.

Only in this way could they provoke Saki Koizumi.

Kita Kirihara seemed slightly dazed when he made this decision.

She pressed her hand to her chest, where her broken ribs had just been repaired. The tingling and itching sensation as the bone and flesh grew and healed could not mask the waves of excruciating pain she felt inside.

If it were the woman of the past, she might have abandoned this approach due to a guilty conscience or her love for Saki Koizumi.

After all, such deception was too much for both herself and Koizumi Saki.

This is not the kind of calculation that lovers should make.

but……

Kita Kirihara realized that with the change of body, something seemed to be gradually moving away from him.

Perhaps people would call this quality that left her "emotion" or "heart," or even "morality"...

But if a more fitting description were needed, it would be "human nature".

Kita Kirihara still feels that things will get worse if humanity leaves her, but as time goes by, she will one day realize that sometimes, letting go of these burdens will make everything clear.

The body can be discarded at will, life is nothing special, and love is even less important.

The existence of the world is actually meaningless... Everything is too boring, and one cannot see the future.

But things are different now. Kita Kirihara is only in the new stage of changing bodies, and his already thin humanity has not yet been worn away by the frequent changes of bodies.

So, as she looked at Saki Koizumi, beneath her calm and indifferent exterior, her heart was still aching.

Saki Koizumi grasped her left hand; it felt cold and hard, with a distinctly metallic texture…

The color drained from Shenming's face, and his eyes visibly reddened.

She murmured in a nasal voice, "Ah Yuan..."

"Hmm? You miss me that much, my good boy?" Kita Kirihara just smiled, forcing himself not to look away and show his fear.

The acting skills she had learned were put to full use at this moment.

Strictly suppressing her thoughts of compromise, the white-haired woman simply lowered her eyes and bent down, as if embracing Saki Koizumi.

The two are now frighteningly close, like lovers, yet a huge chasm lies between them.

She whispered, "If others see this, they'll think there's something going on between you and me."

Saki Koizumi gritted her teeth, her eyes half-red, her mind in turmoil.

This is not her A Yuan.

Her tone was flippant and cloying, so unfamiliar that it frightened Saki Koizumi.

Before they met, Koizumi Saki still harbored a sliver of hope, but when she actually faced that all-too-familiar face, yet bearing unfamiliar wounds and expressions, she felt no sense of security.

Koizumi Saki was very uneasy; she was afraid and didn't want to see the expression on that face that didn't belong to her, that of Ahara.

But the guilt she felt still haunted her, making her unable to resist focusing on the other person's wounds.

Seemingly noticing this, the other person looked at her and slowly revealed a wicked smile.

“That’s how it is, Saki, you brutally broke my left hand. The already fragile wound is now unusable due to the secondary trauma... so I asked them to replace it with a better one.”

The words were like licks on Saki Koizumi's earlobe, a wet malice seeping into her ear.

"I can't see with my left eye right now, which is quite distressing. It hurts a lot, especially when the wind blows, and it looks ugly too, so I wear an eye patch... so I won't scare people, right?"

Knowing that the other party's words were deliberately meant to provoke her guilt, Koizumi Saki's face grew even paler.

"It's all your fault, Saki..."

226. If only it were that simple.

"It's all your fault, Saki."

Koizumi Saki was struck dumb.

Her face turned ashen, and Kita Kirihara seemed to have no intention of paying attention to her anymore, gently prying open her hand that was holding his prosthetic leg.

One finger, two fingers, three fingers... then flick it all away, as if brushing off dust.

Kita Kirihara regained her composure, as if the person who had just spoken ill of Koizumi Saki was not the same person, and easily showed her indifference to the name of the god.

She didn't give Koizumi Saki even a second's extra glance, as if she were just giving a normal greeting.

Then, he struck up a conversation with Aya Tamaki in front of him.

"Are you okay?"

The pink-haired magical girl's face was filled with bewilderment, her gaze shifting between Koizumi Saki and Kita Kirihara, showing a hint of worry.

She couldn't quite understand why the relationship between the hero she had just met and the tall woman in front of her was so complicated...

However, there are just too many things in this world that are hard to understand, and Huan Caiyu wisely suppressed her confusion.

"..." Kita Kirihara seemed somewhat uninterested, it was unclear whether it was because she didn't know Tamaki Aya, or because she saw someone she didn't want to see.

So she turned her gaze to the side and said to Sayaka Miki, "Sayaka, I'm leaving this to you."

“…Ah, okay.” Miki Sayaka feigned surprise and confusion at not knowing the relationship between Kita Kirihara and Koizumi Saki, and hesitated for a moment, “Kita Kirihara-san, what are you going to do?”

The latter's smile was faint; compared to his initial carefree demeanor, he was now clearly somewhat unhappy.

Her gaze turned serious: "Of course, we're going to catch that Kyubey. That guy is stealing our man on someone else's turf, it's outrageous."

With that, Kita Kirihara turned and left, not wanting to waste any more time there.

Sayaka Miki was completely bewildered: "What is that person doing... it's really baffling."

She scratched the back of her head, not quite sure where Kita Kirihara's emotions came from.

The voice of Ayako Tamaki behind her drew Sayaka Miki's attention away.

"Excuse me... Miki-san?" Confused by the situation, Iroha Tamaki couldn't help but ask, "Who is that person...? And what's with Kyubey? Why are you in this world...?"

Sayaka Miki wanted to say something more, but after the party witch's attack subsided for a while, noisy music started playing again inside the barrier.

The offensive resumed.

She sighed and rubbed her face.

"In short, let's get out of here first, and then we'll find somewhere to have a proper talk!"

The magical girl with short, light blue hair gave a carefree smile, turned her head, and spoke to Iroha Tamaki behind her.

..

The three arrived at Saki Koizumi's house.

Because Iroha Tamaki is a visitor from another world, and Sayaka Miki doesn't have a quiet place to talk—actually, the real reason is that she's currently living in the Silver Garden, which isn't open to Saki Koizumi—she chose the only adult's home.

Saki Koizumi's home was surprisingly messy.

“…This is clearly a situation after someone has been attacked,” Tamaki Iroha couldn’t help but say.