People eat to live, not live to eat.
March is the time when cherry blossoms are in full bloom in Japan, and it is also the rainy season.
The raindrops pattered all the way from Kiyomizudera to Higashi Honganji Temple, making a lonely sound as they dropped on the ground…
Pedestrians on the road were all clutching umbrellas, and no one could see their faces.
The densely packed office buildings in Kyoto’s central business district are cloaked in gray and veiled in each other’s shadows…
When Kurokawa Ryuichi stepped out of the office, he was stopped by the newbie at the reception counter.
“Kurokawa senpai, I’m really sorry. Could you please help me send this file to the finance department of the branch?”
The gorgeous woman with fine nails and slender fingers put her hands on her cheeks and remarked coquettishly, “I have a lot of work to do, and I can’t leave.” As she talked, she looked at the intense downpour outside the building.
It’s probably not because you’re too busy at work and can’t leave; rather, you don’t want to deliver anything in the rain, right?
Ryuichi closed his eyes, adjusted his glasses as usual, nodded, and said, “Okay, Miss Zhizi, leave it to me.”
This response was not surprising at all. The receptionist, Zhizi, smiled with satisfaction.
After handing the man the file bag, Zhizi took the half-nail polish from the drawer and sat in the warm room, polishing her gorgeous nails. Ryuichi carefully placed the file bag in his windbreaker to keep it from getting wet, then opened the umbrella with one hand, squeezed out of the company’s side entrance, and walked out into the freezing rain…
Kurokawa Ryuichi is the type of nice old man we typically encounter in offices.
He has an unremarkable appearance, a weak personality, and a lack of presence. He is the type of person who always stands in the corner of company photos.
He has not seen tremendous storms and possesses no extraordinary abilities. He is lost among the millions of office workers in Japan. He wears an inconspicuous gray suit every day, carries a simple business bag under his arm, squeezes aboard the train, and walks quickly.
When he was younger, he was likewise passionate and aspired to get promoted to supervisor. As time passed, he became more aware of reality; therefore, he remained impartial and refused to compete for credit.
When confronted with wicked activities, he lacks the will to act bravely, yet he will never initiate harmful behavior. Although he may become confused when viewing rewards, he is normally kind-hearted. All of the conditions are ordinary. He isn’t competitive in today’s marriage market. Ryuichi continues to spend his after-work hours alone at a tavern.
At first, he assumed he’d be living this way forever.
A lifetime.
Kurokawa Ryuichi never gave much attention to how long his life would last.
Because no one would consider this matter.
Unless death appears before our eyes.
A large raindrop hit the umbrella, creating a loud noise!
This surprised Ryuichi, who was standing on the street corner with an umbrella! He found himself staring blankly down the street… He must have caused trouble for other passers-by, right?
He swiftly proceeded to the roadside, paused at the dim alley entrance, lowered his head to inspect the file bag inside the windbreaker, ensured that it was not damp, and exhaled… Then he abruptly stopped!
There appears to be something in the alley…
Ryuichi automatically took a step back, raised his hand, and casually cleaned a pair of foggy glasses. He carefully spotted a thing sitting in the alley’s shadows and was completely taken aback…
So beautiful…
A black cat… No, it is a boy.
His limbs are slim and supple, and he’s sitting casually against the alley wall. The rain soaked his seemingly sleek black hair, and drops of water studded the tips like decorations. The honey-colored skin offers an enticing moist sensation in the rain and dew. The half-squinted eyes, with long eyelashes hanging gently, and the coldly pursed lips, which were slender and pale in color, felt a little delicate under the rain… Ryuichi subconsciously raised his hand to cover his nose before taking a step forward. The shortened distance allowed him to observe more clearly the young man sitting casually on the street on a rainy day.
It had undoubtedly been raining for a long time, and the boy’s clothes were already wet. The rain wantonly licked his flesh everywhere… It poured from his hair, dripping across his delicate side face and neck, and crawled deeper inside the half-open shirt along the slightly undulating chest… The raindrops made small splashes on his palms lying on his knees, then slid down his slender fingers like vines, dropping tremblingly along them…
Ryuichi stood there, his umbrella tipped to one side, leaving half of his body exposed and soaked…
Who is this person?
Why are you sitting here alone, like an abandoned cat?
Did you faint? Are you sleeping? Isn’t this cold?
Ah, his eyes have opened… Look, did he notice me?
No, he’s not looking at me…
Who are you looking at?
Ah, he’s not looking at anyone…
His eyes are expressionless… But why does such an expression of rejecting people thousands of miles away make people feel pitiful?
That expression seems to be abandoned by the whole world…
Ah, could this child… Do you not want to live anymore?!
Ryuichi took another step closer, bent down, and looked at him worriedly…
“Meow…”
A faint meow emanated from the boy’s side, and a black-and-white kitten emerged from the crevice between his arm and body. Its fur was fully soaked, and its tiny body trembled…
“Ah… an abandoned cat…” Ryuichi murmured unconsciously.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Bang!
Ryuichi’s neatly held file bag dropped into a puddle on the ground, leaving a mess.
The umbrella is completely tilted to one side, the rain is striking the lenses, and the vision is distorted and hazy…
What did… He say?
I’ve been content for so long that I nearly forgot I’m a bad person.
Li Xiaobai lowered his head and silently shook off the woman’s blood on the knife.
This is most likely the first time Rod has witnessed him kill someone, right?
Not pursuing it does not imply that he agrees. The disdain in those emerald eyes was obvious at a glance.
That’s correct; even in the past, Rod had never forgiven murder; it was a sin, he’d declared, and sin is unforgivable.
Li Xiaobai put the knife away and looked at the woman lying on the ground. Her “Customs Inspection Department” nameplate was gradually submerged in blood crimson…
Killing someone was just a normal way for Li Xiaobai to deal with it.
It has nothing to do with feelings or morality; it is simply a method.
As a result, he has no idea why he is angry.
She is just an ordinary, insignificant person… Why are you upset with me over someone you don’t even know?
“She discovered that there was something wrong with our fake identity. If we don’t kill her and silence her, it will leave clues for those chasing us. Besides, if our fake identity is discovered, we will not be able to stay in this country.” So, my solution is the best.
Li Xiaobai glanced at Rod, who was standing with a frigid expression on his face. It was rare for him to defend himself.
Rod slowly squatted down next to the corpse, lowered his head for a long time, and clenched his fists tightly…
“For this reason? What are your… principles for being a person? Do you want to survive?”
Li Xiaobai frowned. Can’t he?
Rod stood up and turned to the innocent boy with a weapon in his hand, barely controlling the idea of choking the man’s neck. He gritted his teeth and said, “If it’s just to ‘survive’, you are no different from a beast!”
The slowly cooling corpse behind him appeared to expel a bone-chilling breath into the air, making the green-eyed guy quiver… “You are a human being, and you must learn to do other things besides living!”
Li Xiaobai tilted his head in confusion, “What does that mean?”
Rod has seen him be harsh and ignorant numerous times. He used to think he was cute since he didn’t know much about the world, but now it’s even more ironic…
Rod smiled for a moment, but he stopped before his jadeite-colored eyes could reach it. “At first… I thought I could change you to some extent; now it appears that I failed… Killing someone is something you don’t need to think about, right? You can do it no matter who it is, right?”
Li Xiaobai was stunned for a moment before murmuring quietly, “I… won’t kill you.”
“What about others?” Rod’s voice was unusually cold. “What about strangers? What about people who hinder you? What about pure passersby and ordinary people? For you, the only criterion for judging whether a person can be killed is whether it is necessary, right? But for me… there is no criterion for judging whether a person can be killed. Because the criterion is not to kill!”
Rod smiled bitterly, “We are fundamentally different…”
It’s fundamentally different…
Li Xiaobai strolled alone on the unknown streets of Kyoto, where the drizzling rain had already begun to fall… He reached out to collect a few droplets of rain, but the icy sensation lingered in his palm…
Yes, it’s fundamentally different.
After living on the dark side for too long, I no longer belong to this positive world.
After all… Where does someone like me go?
Suddenly feeling exhausted, Li Xiaobai simply sat down in the alley on the corner of the street, silently looking at the dirty bricks in the corner…
At first, it was just about running away.
He is merely escaping, with no idea what he intends to accomplish.
Rod’s existence is unique.
He was the first person to enter Li Xiaobai’s world… Maybe only someone like him can enter, right?
Actually, Li Xiaobai felt fortunate to have met him.
Because Rod made him believe that even someone as dark and filthy as himself could survive in this positive world, could do something, and had a purpose to strive for.
Perhaps it is not the honest, brilliant, and loving existence of ordinary people, but it is still a form of belonging.
However, he gradually realized that it was different after all.
Even people like Rod, who live on the periphery of society, are unique.
The instinctive reaction at the critical moment exposed everything.
He is a beast.
Even if he hides his teeth and claws, he is still a beast.
Bloodthirstyness and disregard for life run deep in his bones.
No wonder it’s disgusting.
It’s raining heavily…
Li Xiaobai did not feel cold; he was used to it.
Anyway, it was usually chilly from the inside out.
Outside the alley is a bustling street in Kyoto.
The hardworking and busy regular people move back and forth… That is another world.
It is a world in which everyone aspires to live more humanely, works hard in accordance with civilized ideas, and is proud of themselves every day.
That is a human world.
As for beasts, they can only watch from a dark corner from afar, right? Looking from a distance with a little envy and a lot of puzzlement.
Unless it is adopted, the cat that just got under him to hide from the rain will only be able to roam the world of beasts.
Even if someone adopts a beast, it will eventually be abandoned… Especially if it is tough to tame.
Li Xiaobai lowered his head and smiled bitterly.
So, the conclusion is… Either return to the original world or create a new world and live alone forever?
It makes me feel miserable just thinking about it…
Is there no other way out? Like change, something like that…
Probably, impossible? Even guys like Rod have given up on him, let alone regular folks.
Crash…
The sound of umbrellas falling in the alley drew Li Xiaobai’s attention. He raised his head slightly and saw a man wearing an inconspicuous windbreaker standing in front of him with a dull expression. His hair and shoulders were wet, his eyes were hazy, and he appeared somewhat ludicrous. According to his body type, hands, and feet, he is a normal person with limited fighting ability, and based on his appearance, he is also an average office worker…
Hmm… An ordinary person…
“Meow~”
The cat squeezed out from under his arm, eagerly pleasing the dull man, hoping to be taken up and adopted away from the chilly rain and irritating hunger of this dark world…
Even beasts look forward to the human world…
“Hey, uncle… Do you want to pick me up and raise me?”
Sure enough, the impact of “seeing it with your own eyes” and “understanding it in your heart” is vastly different.
This is probably the first time he has witnessed him killing someone with his own eyes.
Smooth and natural movements that can be considered beautiful, without any emotional ups and downs in the eyes, a natural expression…
That young man whose real name he had never asked until now probably didn’t feel that he was doing something extremely cruel when he slit the innocent woman’s carotid artery.
When the knife was pulled out, the woman’s blood spurted out, suddenly turning the entire wall red… To avoid the blood, the killer took a cautious step back and jumped a tiny distance. There was no trace of murder on either of them; the evidence was so pristine… Rod’s stomach churned from how “clean” everything was…
The way he looked at him at this moment was probably clear anger and disgust?
The other person seemed to be stung by his own gaze for a moment, then lowered his head and silently shook off the blood on the knife.
Is there nothing left after wiping it clean? A life has just disappeared from that blade!
The other party acted like a child who realized he had done something wrong and muttered to defend himself, yet this harmless mistake cost a person a life!
Rod squatted down, forcing himself to look at the corpse on the ground.
This woman, possibly someone’s daughter, worked hard and hoped to please her parents with the news of her promotion. Perhaps she was someone’s mother, and just a second before she was killed, she was thinking about what things were in the refrigerator that could be used to make dinner for her family. She could be someone’s favorite or someone’s only support in this world… Now, she died like this, when there was no need to die at all.
The culprit felt no guilt towards her and only whispered a defense because he was scared his companions would become mad.
It’s simply… so innocent yet cruel!
There are no rules or taboos. In his world, survival is the most important thing, much like a beast-like creature.
At that moment, Rod realized for the first time that the other person was not a good person.
Although he himself is definitely not a good thing, only when he sees this young man can he understand what pure darkness is.
A completely different world…
Beasts with hidden claws and those who break societal rules coexist in short harmony.
However, it is fundamentally different after all.
So one day, conflicts will eventually erupt.
Tear away the illusion to uncover reality.
It hurts to kill…
Aah… Is it fundamentally different?
Rod closed his eyes and muttered, “Leave.”
That young man wandering alone beneath Florence’s blue sky, I once imagined myself as his companion…
It’s pouring; will it rain heavily?
Rod threw the fake identities of the two into the incinerator, stood calmly for a moment, and watched as the photos on the documents were burned to ashes in the flames…
Next, I need to get a new identity from an old friend in Shitamachi, then look into the underground auction. The buyer’s identity has to be confirmed, tools for stealing paintings must be prepared, and a temporary hiding spot must be booked… That’s right. I still have a lot to do; how can I stand here and refuse to move at all?
My former partner taught me never to linger.
Because attachment is the most unprofitable thing in the world, there is no reward other than the misery of being alone.
That child has probably heard the same teaching, right? When he left, didn’t he show no attachment and never once look back?
The big boy with jadeite eyes gave a bitter smile; his slightly curled black hair was damp from the rain and scattered across his face, giving off an unruly vibe…
Foreigners’ physiques and appearances are likely to remain attractive in this country. High school females occasionally mumble and yell after school…
The girl’s scream… Heh… When that guy was walking behind me, nothing good occurred to him… Rod bent down and took the backpack left by the young man who had left.
Li Xiaobai just carried the dagger with him.
Just like when he came.
Everything else is given to him by this world, and what comes from his world is only the ominous weapon and himself.
Maybe that person will be lonely for the rest of his life.
Rod instantly realized this as he stood up.
An inexplicable feeling came over him: a little loneliness, a lot of pity… And maybe a little forgiveness.
After all, that’s how he was raised.
It’s not entirely his fault…
The zipper of the backpack cracked, revealing a few scattered packages of snacks… Rod’s gaze was unable to move, as if it were glued.
After all, he is just a child.
Should I just give up on him?
It’s pouring quite heavily.
The guy had nothing—no umbrella, no money, no identity—only a knife.
Is he probably sitting somewhere in the rain right now?
Most likely, in his mind, he doesn’t get sick if he gets caught in the rain.
A guy who makes people feel… Uneasy.
By the time Rod realized this, he found himself running around looking for some dark-haired young man…
I don’t mind if it’s different; then it’s different.
Is it possible to find two people who are identical?
After all, did humans originate from beasts?
If he leaves that guy alone, would he truly be the beast and alone forever?
If I let go, will he only use that hand to hold the knife?
With that thought, Rod was breathing heavily when he noticed the drenched young man sitting on the corner of the street in the pouring rain, which made him apprehensive.
However, there were others present besides the young man.
“Hey uncle, do you want to pick me up and raise me?”
Rod stood at a distance.
Silently watching the man help him up and hold an umbrella for him, the two gradually walked away…
Ahh, that’s right…
Even if I let go, someone else can hold him.
In the end, actually, can anyone do it?
That’s right too…
As if he had suddenly relaxed, the green-eyed, big thief sat down on the ground, breathing slowly…
The rain in Kyoto in March is getting heavier and heavier.
