『A crystal can only reveal its hidden structure when fractures thread through its inclusions』
Jewelry embedded with the finest of gemstones will always capture a person's attention. Whether it be through the flurry of colors running through the glas...
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『ARC FOUR: A BUTTERFLY'S DEDUCTION』
✧ ▬▭▬ ▬▭▬ ✦✧✦ ▬▭▬ ▬▭▬ ✧
Cascading down in a luminous glow, the dim lights bathed the adult and teenager's skin in a radiant shine. Through his peripheral vision, Akihiko could make out faint objects that consisted of cardboard boxes with labels strewn across their surfaces. A thin layer of dust settled on top of everything the minuscule grains could touch. He was in a storage room from the looks of it. The adolescent took a step back in hesitance, trying to gain some distance between himself and the woman.
He stayed vigilant, keeping his gaze on Junri in fear that she would make any sudden movements. She did the same, except it was for an entirely different reason. Her golden eyes swirled with nothing but bewilderment as her face contorted into one of dismay. She opened her mouth to utter a word but she decided against it. As her lips stayed still in a straight line, Junri fell into deep thought.
A curtain of fog veiled the inside of Akihiko's mind, causing him to feel as if his body was half-submerged in water and half grasping at the air with his fingertips. Memories, those of recent times, flooded his brain as he recalled what had occurred.
Releasing her grasp on Akihiko, Junri instantly fell back onto her feet. She swerved around, her beige coat and white hair fluttering behind her. With reflexes faster than either boy could ever evade, she quickly curled her fingers around the crimson tie looped around Junpei's neck. With a good enough yank, the black-haired male was placed on his feet and roughly slammed against the wall. Nearing her face to his, the woman smiled softly.
"A plaything should return as it is. I think I've allowed you enough freedom. Farewell, my dear child." Junri whispered with a tinge of sadness lacing her tone. It felt fake.
The tip of the knife had sliced through with ease and a muffled gargle bounced off the walls of the hallway. Junri allowed Junpei's body to slip free from her grasp. The teenager's body collapsed, red spilling from the large wound drawn across his neck. That awful color of crimson began to stain the dark blue of the blazer he wore. The light in his eye faded, leaving behind a dull magenta.
The rapid breath he had suddenly inhaled lodged itself in his throat and refused to unclog itself. Right, of course. Junpei was dead, so to speak. This woman had sliced the sharp knife across Junpei's throat without any guilt plaguing her. She stood before him, staring at nothing but the air in front of her. Junri appeared exhausted and lost, but not one ounce of regret or misery swept across her expression. She felt nothing for what she did, did she?
"Do..." the tone of his voice filtered out in a raspy tone. It sounded like he had not used his voice in months from the way it entered his ears. His hand lightly gripped his throat as he continued to speak. "Do you feel no remorse?"
It took a few moments for Junri to respond since she was lost in her thoughts. "What did you say?"
Akihiko's teeth clenched down. The back of his throat tickled. "Do you feel nothing for what you have done?"
