Chapter Sixty-Nine: Blood Crystal

Just a few hours before the Prime Minister and Miku Ito began their confidential conversation, the RV had just arrived at the tree-lined path.

Meanwhile, atop Araname Mountain, Shigu was gazing intently at Mana Mizuhara.

“…In truth, are you afraid of possessing power?” Shigu asked.

Confronted by the young man's question, Mana Mizuhara fell silent.

“Afraid…”

The wind rustled softly around them. This ancient shrine, with its centuries-old history, had had its weeds and shrubs cleared away by Shigu’s divine tree avatar, yet it still exuded a desolation and emptiness. The chilly autumn wind brought with it a lingering sense of bleakness, as if the damp earth beneath their feet were a burial ground for gods.

After an indeterminate length of time, Mana Mizuhara finally raised her head, staring resolutely at Shigu.

“Yes… I am afraid.

“But what I fear isn’t the power itself. It’s that, after gaining power, I will become someone completely different from who I am now.

“…Just like Senior Miku Ito.

“I refuse to believe that Senior Miku is a heartless, bloodless monster. She must have her moments of hesitation and loneliness.

“—Perhaps she does have a monstrous side. Even before she obtained power, she was already strange in many ways. She never seemed to fear pain, nor did she ever show weakness; she was like a warrior who never retreats, or perhaps a cold-blooded assassin who always remains calm.

“But… even so, before she gained her power, I saw gentleness in her eyes. That gentleness is proof of her humanity.

“Maybe, Manager, you believe gentleness equals weakness, but even if that's true, what's wrong with being weak? Must one become a monster who never hesitates to kill and never stops the slaughter?

Mana Mizuhara stared at Shigu, anger swelling in her chest.

That anger rose like spring waters overflowing in a pond, little by little.

“I liked her then. Even if her face wasn’t so beautiful, she wouldn’t hurt anyone. She wasn’t so cruel.

“Now, she’s unimaginably beautiful—but whether it’s the her who appeared in the abandoned factory, or the one who now slaughters indiscriminately on the streets of Motomachi, she’s utterly changed from who she once was.

“So—what you call ‘power’ that you grant, Manager, can only be gained by twisting one’s own mind. But if that power distorts the mind and changes the self, is the one who gains it still themselves?

“And, that power will probably guide the new self down a path of destruction—whether it's destroying oneself or others, that's not what I want. What I desire is a world of mysticism overflowing with imagination, as if wandering in the sky, not one that feeds on the flesh and blood of others, a power even uglier than humanity’s darkest side!”

The girl's stirring anger transformed into sharp words, challenging Shigu sentence by sentence.

These thoughts had been circling her heart for some time, woven from remorse and newfound understanding.

Her character and resolve stood revealed in her speech.

Yet Shigu, still watching her, merely smiled, his gaze tinged with a hint of admiration.

He spoke lightly.

“A fascinating argument, but Mana, there’s something you’re gravely mistaken about.

“I never set limits on the power I give, nor do I demand any price in exchange. The power I grant has no fixed nature, no absolute requirements—it’s like a seed. Whatever grows from it depends entirely on a person’s own gifts.

“Some receive the seed, but their soil is barren, so nothing grows. Some plant it and pour their heart into nurturing it, and a brilliant flower blooms. Others bury the seed, and thorns emerge from the earth… But regardless of what the seed becomes, it has nothing to do with me.”

“But… Senior Miku…”

Mana Mizuhara’s voice wavered, uncertain.

Perhaps because Shigu’s words were nothing like she expected.

But she could tell there was no falsehood in his voice—it was sincere.

And as the incarnation of a deity, he had no reason to lie.

If so…

“That is simply the result of Miku Ito’s own wishes.

“…After all, aside from those two days together, and the stories Miya Mineyama told you—how much do you really know about Miku Ito?”

Mana Mizuhara wanted to reply, but at that moment, Shigu’s eyes, locked with hers, suddenly shone.

No, it wasn’t actual physical light.

It was a vision in her mind—a mental illusion.

But it was so vivid, imprinted on her retina like a film playing in a theater.

It was the story of Miku Ito before she gained her power.

—Tattered and bruised, she stumbled out of the abandoned factory; her conversation with Shigu in the bookstore; her distant past; matters relating to Hiroshi Ito; her wishes; her self-imposed rules…

A wave of dizziness crashed through Mana Mizuhara’s mind, scenes from the past unfurling before her as lively images.

In an instant, a torrent of information entered her mind through her eyes. Yet it wasn’t the sheer amount of information that shook Mana Mizuhara—it was the content itself that made her mind tremble.

“Miku Ito…”

She murmured the name inwardly.

Mana Mizuhara stood frozen, silent, until all the images had finished playing before her eyes.

At that moment, she finally became completely convinced by Shigu’s words.

She truly understood: the ‘resonance of flesh and blood’ power Miku Ito displayed was not forced on her by Shigu, but the result of her own wishes.

Yet, this realization plunged the girl into deeper despair.

Would she never again see the Miku Ito she once knew?

“There’s still a chance.”

Shigu, as if hearing her thoughts, replied offhandedly.

Mana Mizuhara shuddered, and at that moment, a red, solid object was tossed from Shigu’s hand.

She caught it instinctively.

Looking closely, she saw a crystal-clear droplet of blood.

“…Its effect is similar to the pendant, but the power within it far surpasses the pendant’s.”

“Unlike the pendant, once you use it, there’s no going back. You won’t be able to stop.

“So—when you truly gain the resolve, shatter it.

“…Then, you will stand on the same height as Miku Ito and see the world through her eyes.”

(End of chapter)