Track 11
*Sound of waves*
—What was I doing…?
Hotel Suite
*Sound of the shower*
(I’m in the bath…? The water pouring over my head, is from the shower…?)
Ngh…
*Liguang tries to get out of the bathtub and fails*
…Haah, haah.
(I have no strength… Is his plan to let me drown in the bathtub like this?)
*Liguang’s phone vibrates*
«Have you come to?»
(...My phone is on speaker… Is Kiba calling from somewhere? He’s probably already left—)
…Why, didn’t you finish me off quickly?
«Because you might remember something if you die slowly, right?»
Remember…what…
«If you can’t remember, then you can just drown. We always have next time.»
…What…do you… mean?
«Haha, you don’t get it? …I see, you really don’t get it.»
«Use all of your willpower to remember, Liguang Lu. Then you’ll understand my hatred in its entirety, and drown in despair.»
«If you can’t, then no matter how many of your comrades I kill, it won’t amount to even half of the suffering I desire.»
You bastard… What are you…
«The reason why I left Ren with you.»
……
«Unless I make you atone for the “sin” of consigning to oblivion and forgetting how you repeatedly stole from me, killing you is meaningless.»
(What is he, saying…?)
«...I went out of my way to hand Ren over to you. I need you to atone in this life, or it’s not worth it.»
(My thoughts are scattered…I don’t understand, what Kiba is saying…)
«As long as you don’t remember everything, nothing will change. My true wish…won’t be fulfilled.»
Your true, wish…?
(What more could he want, than to take everything from me…? What is this “sin”...of consigning to oblivion?)
«...I’ll give you a hint, Liguang.»
«Aside from reincarnation, there’s a curse involved.»
……!
(I’m losing…consciousness…)
*Shower continues to run*
Downtown HAMA
*A crowd of people congest the streets*
They just announced the trains stopped running 'cause of the storm... People are everywhere!
Ten, you holding up okay?
I’m good. You make sure you don’t crash into anyone yourself, Renga-san.
We're almost at the hotel!
!
...Ten, what's wrong? Why'd you stop all of a sudden?
(The red-haired man that just walked past us…, he had his hood up and was on the phone with someone.)
(The higher ups strictly ordered me not to get involved. …Hmm.)
……Ten?
Renga-san, the hotel room number is 3125. Can you go on ahead without me?
*Liguang sinks underwater*
*Sound of waves*
“So you came again.”
It was I who spoke those words in exasperation.
『 』
The other person’s words were omitted.
What did they say, I wonder…?
“You were told not to come here, weren’t you? Does that person know about this?”
I scooped up some sand and gave it to the other person, who was smiling sheepishly.
As the sand fell into his hands, he laughed like a child.
『 』
He told me his wish, and I refused, saying I couldn’t do it.
He wishes for the same thing every time he comes here.
But it’s completely impossible.
When I shook my head, the other person’s eyes fell.
…Don’t be sad.
If he were to wish for it, perhaps…
Next time, if he asks again… I might just nod yes.
I might just make an outrageous promise.
—......No, that’s wrong
Wrong.
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
Remember.
I did.
I did make a promise…!
Hotel Suite
*Liguang is pulled out of the water*
Liguang……!!!!
Are you okay!? Your heart's... it's beating, what about your eyes!? Can you see me!?
…Gh.
*Cough, cough, cough…!*
Liguang…!
Haah, hah, *cough*, Haa….
...Did Kiba... did he do this to you?
……
To do something this awful to you… All of it, was really Kiba’s doing…? What’s he trying to do to you?!
So Kiba was lying to me this whole time too...?
…No. It wasn’t Kiba’s doing. Ren.
……Huh?
This has nothing to do with Kiba. Understood?
Wh-But... but...
(...Why in the world am I telling such a lie…?)
(I just felt compelled to protect him like this. As if I were tracing an engram…and beyond it was—)
(A promise made at the water’s edge…)
*Something happens to Liguang’s memory*
(Ah…, it’s fading, what I was about to remember… Damn it, it’s pulling away like a wave…)
...Liguang? What's... what's wrong? Are you in pain somewhere...!?
*Cough*, hah, damn it…
Flashback
«Aside from reincarnation, there’s a curse involved.»
Hotel Suite
(Is this, the curse…?)
……
Downtown HAMA
(He gave me the slip… Tch.)
Well, whatever.
(Maybe the cute dog managed to peel the disguise off that wolf in sheep’s clothing?)
…Looks like the rain’s stopping.
Alleyway
*Someone walks down the alley and opens a box*
It’s been a while since I’ve been here. …This mark is nostalgic.
(Even though you’re my only one…)
…It seems you’re drawn to the light again, Ren.