At the Kuhoin Residence
"Wow, what a lovely night sky!"
Overhead, the heavens were like a canvas splashed with ink, stars faintly emerging between layers of cloud.
It was Menjou Hare who voiced her admiration as she stepped out onto the balcony.
Someone else was already there, quietly gazing up at the stars.
Yuzuriha Inori turned around.
"You… aren't you going to rest?"
Enjoying the cool breeze, Ouma Mana approached.
"Heh heh, even if we've parted, your body remains my Dominant Genetic Armament. So I can hear your heart's voice loud and clear."
Mana shot her a glare, pressing a hand to her own chest.
"It keeps talking in here—I can't get a wink of sleep."
Smiling, she went on, "Seems like you're really missing Rei Ao. Why not call him over?"
"…"
Inori didn't deny it.
"I suspect Rei Ao might be busy."
Hearing that, Mana rolled her eyes.
"He's always communicating with some new beauty. You think he's that busy? It's a pointless worry."
"…"
Inori met her gaze and asked in return, "What about you? Don't you miss him too?"
"…"
Now Mana fell silent. Alright, so it was the pot calling the kettle black. Of course she longed to hold, to kiss, even to become one with the man she loved—but exactly because she loved him, she wanted to avoid troubling him.
When she was about to say something more, she picked up on a disturbance in the distance.
"Something's off over there!"
Far away, the night sky suddenly brightened, like a radiant star rising from the ground.
Having once been Eve, Mana sensed it—the power of the Apocalypse Virus!
"Inori, hurry and wake Ayase and the others!"
"!!!"
But Inori did not move. Her eyes locked on the figure up ahead. Mana also looked intently in that direction. In the courtyard stood a boy with icy eyes, wearing a pure-white long coat. He lifted his head; white bandages wrapped around his left eye, while his right eye glowed ominous violet.
He seemed to be staring at Mana. A faint smile formed at his lips.
"Long time no see… Sister."
Mana frowned. She recognized that younger brother, with whom she was never close.
"Ouma Shu?"
"It's me, Sis."
Shu smiled, but that emotionless curve of his mouth sent chills down their spines. He raised his right hand, fingertips swirling with purple crystalline specks.
"The Apocalypse Virus?!"
Mana exclaimed, startled. She knew that power all too well from its distinctive aura.
"Surprised?" Shu said.
"I never imagined I'd return in this form either—the virus chose me, Sister. I'm Adam now."
That once-ordinary student Ouma Shu was gone, replaced by a menacing Adam, exuding danger. He spread his arms wide, nearly manic.
"Sister… Come join me once more as Eve, so we can forge a new world!"
Mana glowered.
"You're the chosen Adam? Or maybe just a host—unable to break free of the virus?"
"…"
Shu tilted his head, the violet glow in his eye intensifying.
"'Break free'?"
He repeated softly. Then he laughed—a mocking laugh.
"No, Sister."
"You're just running away from your true essence. We were born to remake the world."
Reaching out a hand:
"Come with me, so we can reshape it together."
Another invitation. Mana's expression, however, remained calm.
"I refuse," she said firmly. Because of Rei Ao, she was no longer that Eve controlled by the virus.
"I've found the life I truly want—and the one I truly love. I won't return to that madness. You're nobody to me—how do you have the right to invite me anywhere?"
Her words were blunt, treating Shu like a stranger. Hearing this, Shu's face hardened. The courtyard lights flickered, and the air quivered slightly.
"You… fell in love with someone else?"
He spoke in a voice so low it was barely audible.
"Heh… Hahahahaha…"
All at once, Shu erupted in mad laughter, tinged with despair.
"How ridiculous!"
"I came back seeking Eve, like the Apocalypse demanded. But the former Eve says this?!"
He grabbed the bandages around his head and yanked them off. Mana and Inori both tensed. Shu's right eye had entirely crystallized, purple virus markings crawling from his eyelid across half his cheek, an evil-looking pattern.
"Look at the world, Sister!"
He threw his arms wide. Tiny purple cracks spread across the ground beneath his feet.
"A world so fake, filthy, full of lies! Only we can purge it! You must've seen it as well, thanks to the Apocalypse—so why don't you understand?!"
Mana raised a brow inwardly. He's beyond saving. The virus must have shown him too many visions, just as it did to her. In other words, he'd gone mad. His voice climbed to a near roar:
"Since you refuse to be my Eve, I'll make this world bury itself with me!"
Purple light burst from Shu's entire body.
"!!!"
Mana and Inori had to shield their eyes. When they opened them again, the area was filled with soaring purple crystals.
"You turned me down, Sister," Shu said, voice eerily calm, more frightening than his earlier mania.
"Then witness the Lost Christmas once again."
He lifted his hands. A violet beam shot into the sky. From afar came thunderous crashes, the earth trembling violently. Through a shattered window, they saw the city center's ground heaving upward.
A colossal purple crystal tower thrust out from beneath the streets, spearing into the clouds. Standing in the midst of it, virus markings covering most of his body, Shu looked down at Mana, not a shred of humanity in his gaze.
"If I can't create a new world with you, then I'll destroy this old one. Farewell, Sister."
His figure faded into the purple glow, only his voice echoing in the air. More massive crystal pillars erupted from the ground. Drawn by the commotion, Arisa and Ayase rushed out, looking on in shock.
"What happened?!"
"…"
Mana's face was grim. She glanced at Inori:
"This time, I'm afraid we do need Rei Ao."
"Yes!"
Inori nodded emphatically, opening the chat group.
~~~
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