At this point, Yoshinobu lifted his head, glaring venomously at Wentworth as he growled through clenched teeth:
"Such a pity, the second Obscurial of the Uesugi family hasn't been successfully raised. Otherwise, you wouldn't have made it into my room so easily today!"
"Crucio!"
The words had barely left Yoshinobu's mouth when Wentworth, his face devoid of emotion, cast the Cruciatus Curse directly at him.
As Yoshinobu writhed in agony on the floor once more, Wentworth spat in disgust:
"Disgusting."
Then he turned his gaze toward Yusei, who had been trembling in the corner. The moment their eyes met, Yusei began to quake even harder, stammering:
"Wentworth, this is a Uesugi family matter, it has nothing to do with me!"
Suddenly, as if struck by inspiration, Yusei blurted out in a panic:
"Wentworth! I have something to tell you, let me trade it for my life!"
Wentworth frowned, his voice flat and cold:
"Let's hear it. We'll see if it's worth your life."
Swallowing nervously, Yusei rushed to speak:
"Wentworth, you need to leave, right now!"
Seeing Wentworth's frown deepen, Yusei hastily explained:
"Please, trust me, I'm saying this for your own good! The Hachiya families, we are all connected. Each of our islands has what's known as a shadow kin. These are operatives who remain hidden, even if their main family is wiped out, they won't show themselves."
"Their only role is to send out a covert distress signal to the other seven families in case of an overwhelming threat, to call for reinforcements!"
"For all we know, backup from the other clans could already be on its way! No matter how powerful you are, you can't take on all of Japan's wizarding world alone, can you?!"
Wentworth grew contemplative, saying nothing as he turned his gaze away from the cowering Yusei and back to Yoshinobu, who was still writhing in pain on the floor.
After a long moment, Wentworth finally spoke, his head still bowed:
"What are you still doing here? Get out."
Yusei froze in disbelief. Then, his face lit up with joy. He bowed again and again to Wentworth, stammering:
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much!"
"GET OUT!"
Wentworth roared, clearly out of patience.
Panicked, Yusei scrambled out of the room, disappearing into the rainy night beyond.
At that moment, Yoshinobu, writhing on the ground, seemed to summon the last of his strength. He slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with venom as he stared at Wentworth.
A second later, with a harsh splutter, he coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed, his body twitching uncontrollably. Blood poured from his mouth like a spring, quickly soaking his entire body in crimson. After a long time, he finally fell completely still.
Without a word, Wentworth walked over and pried open Yoshinobu's mouth. What he saw made his eyes narrow, Yoshinobu had bitten off his own tongue.
Even so, Wentworth raised his wand, his tone colder than ice:
"Avada Kedavra."
Only after casting the Killing Curse did Wentworth finally turn and leave the blood-reeking room.
Following the path he'd glimpsed in Yoshinobu's memories, he walked slowly to Yukina's room.
The room was simply decorated. Only one thing stood out, a cabinet filled with handmade dolls.
Wentworth looked around, his heart aching. Perhaps it was because she hadn't returned for days, but a thin layer of dust had settled over the place.
He quietly straightened up the room one last time for Yukina, then turned to leave, only to pause as if remembering something. He walked over to the cabinet filled with dolls.
Gazing at the collection, grief swept over him. He whispered to himself:
"Yukina... which one was your favorite? Would you mind if I buried it with you?"
Suddenly, one doll caught his eye, a patchwork one, stitched together from torn fabric. He recognized it.
He had seen it before, within Yoshinobu's memories.
It was the doll Yukina had secretly repaired with a Mending Charm, the same one that had earned her a brutal beating from her father.
But looking at it now, it was no longer just magically mended. It had been carefully hand-stitched back together with needle and thread, evidence of a girl who had given up magic after the trauma of her abuse.
Wentworth sighed deeply. Gently, he opened the cabinet and took the doll, intending to bury it with her.
But just as he lifted it, he noticed something unusual on its back.
Turning it over, he froze.
Embroidered on the doll's back, in delicate, looping thread, were two names:
Yukina & Wentworth.
The stitches on Yukina's name were worn, aged, clearly sewn long ago.
But Wentworth was fresh and bright, recently added.
In that moment, a flood of memories surged through his mind:
"Please! Don't hand me over, please!"
"No, I like school. What I hate… is going home."
"Wentworth, you've been to so many places, haven't you? Can you tell me about them? I've never left Japan…"
"This is wonderful! I got you a gift! When you come to my house again, I'll show it to you!"
"Wentworth! Because of you, I feel like I've seen the whole world!"
Tears welled in Wentworth's eyes and slid silently down his cheeks.
He turned again to the cabinet, randomly selecting another doll. On its left side was Yukina's name. On the right, his own.
One by one, he examined them all. Each doll bore the same two names; one aged, one new.
Finally, at the bottom of the cabinet, he found a carefully wrapped gift box.
Opening it, he discovered a brand-new doll. It was crudely made, clearly hand-stitched by Yukina herself.
Unlike the others, this one was a blond-haired boy.
Like the rest, it bore both their names, but this time, they were embroidered on the chest, over the heart.
And on the back, a single stitched sentence:
"Thank you for showing me the world. I want to share mine with you."
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This fanfic has been fully translated!