Reze slipped off her casual shorts, along with her little underwear. Because she had been holding Renji's hand moments before, her lower lips were already slick with moisture, the delicate folds thoroughly dampened.
[Ding~ Detected Reze's hopeful emotional state. System rewards 20 points.]
"Renji… just this once, I hope…"
Reze reached down, her fingers parting the soft folds of her entrance, drawing out a thin, glistening strand of fluid that stretched between them.
Then she raised her finger to Renji's lips.
"I hope you'll always remember what I taste like. Just like how I remembered your scent that day at school. Will you?"
The suddenness of it caught Renji off guard. He quickly glanced around, only relaxing slightly after confirming no one else could see them.
"This is… so sudden?"
"No? Renji… please…"
Renji parted his lips and accepted Reze's slender finger into his mouth.
At that same moment, the shrine festival's fireworks erupted spectacularly across the night sky. The booming reports, accompanied by dazzling bursts of light, illuminated the surroundings, casting the beautiful scenery around the shrine in an even more enchanting glow. Their ambiguous, intimate posture was captured—etched inadvertently into the shrine's long history.
[Ding~ Detected Reze's happy emotional state. System rewards 10 points.]
His tongue swirled inside his mouth, curling around Reze's finger, cleaning the slick moisture from her skin, mingling it with his own saliva before swallowing.
"Hmm…"
Reze let out a soft, breathy hum. Her body began to soften, and she instinctively leaned closer. The sensation of having her finger sucked was far more intense than she had expected.
She withdrew her finger from Renji's mouth. As she did, a thin, translucent strand stretched between them before breaking, splashing lightly in the air.
"Does my… taste good?"
"Mm. Delicious."
Renji wiped his mouth.
Reze pulled her underwear and shorts back into place, then leaned against the railing beside her. Her gaze fixed on the fireworks still blooming continuously in the sky. The colorful lights reflected on her face, illuminating her now expressionless features. The blush that had always graced her pretty cheeks had vanished entirely.
Renji also leaned on the railing, returning to his earlier position, watching the fireworks overhead.
"Renji… rather than your ultimate end being killed by someone else… it would be better if it were by me. At least then it would be by my own hands."
Reze spoke suddenly. Renji, beside her, nodded and softly hummed in acknowledgment.
"Aren't you surprised? That I'd suddenly say something like that?"
Renji shook his head.
"If it were the first time I'd heard it, I probably would be. But this is the second time today, so I'm already prepared."
A bitter smile touched Reze's lips.
"As expected…"
The festival fireworks ended, and the surroundings quickly grew quiet, leaving only a few stray sparks slowly fading into the air. Renji and Reze seemed to share an unspoken understanding—neither of them moved for a while, both maintaining their original postures.
"Are you waiting for the sedative to take effect?"
Renji spoke.
[Ding~ Detected Reze's shocked emotional state. System rewards 20 points.]
Reze's face filled with shock. Just as she was about to react, Renji suddenly lunged forward with lightning speed, closing the distance between them in an instant.
Before Reze could fully recover, Renji's warm lips pressed firmly against hers, kissing her deeply.
At that very moment, the second round of grand festival fireworks exploded across the night sky—even more magnificent and colorful than the first. The brilliant bursts illuminated the darkness like daylight, clearly outlining the figures of Renji and Reze locked together.
In that instant, their forms were once again seared deeply into the shrine's long history.
Blood began to slowly trickle from the corners of their mouths, dripping rapidly from their chins onto the ground below.
Reze's eyes flew wide open, filled with disbelief. Renji withdrew his tongue and released her.
Reze stumbled back several steps involuntarily, her footing unsteady, until finally she lurched and collapsed onto the grass.
—Splurt—
[Ding~ Detected Reze's 'blissful' emotional state. System rewards 20 points.]
Reze's release surged forth, spilling from between her thighs. Renji was slightly surprised, realizing he might have discovered some incredible hidden trait of Reze's.
Reze tremblingly raised her hand, slowly touching her mouth, feeling the half-severed tongue inside.
She looked at Renji, her face a mask of horror, her panicked eyes filled with doubt and confusion.
Renji slowly opened his mouth. The other half of Reze's tongue rested on his own. He turned his head and spat it onto the grass beside him.
"Stop pretending, Reze. I already know everything…"
Before he could finish speaking—before he could even turn his head back—a sharp gust of wind suddenly whistled past. A cold flash of steel arced toward Renji's wrist, aiming for the tendons.
Renji reacted instantly, twisting his body to evade the strike. In the same motion, he seized Reze's wrist, wrenched it hard, and disarmed her. The knife clattered as it changed hands.
He slashed across Reze's chest without hesitation. The blade cut cleanly through fabric and flesh; blood sprayed into the air.
Reze was immortal—a Weapon Human—but Renji could hardly bear it. He wanted to tell her to stop struggling.
But Reze showed no sign of stopping. She abandoned any attempt to counterattack and reached instead for the pull-ring at her throat.
Renji hardened his heart. A look of grim resolve flashed in his eyes. His blade swept out again, and Reze's outstretched hand was severed cleanly at the wrist, falling to the ground with a dull thud.
At last, Reze's consciousness began to fray. Her eyes grew hazy, unfocused, their light slowly dimming.
Her body trembled uncontrollably. Though she tried to remain upright, her head gradually drooped—like a flower wilting on its stem.
Renji slowly crouched down and gently hooked her chin with his finger.
Reze's mouth was filled with blood, which spilled continuously from the corners of her lips. Blood also bubbled from her nose, mingling with the red that stained her pale face.
At the corners of her eyes, something wet—tears, or sweat, or both—trailed down her cheeks.
"It must hurt a lot… I'm sorry. But for you, Reze… this is all I can do right now."
Renji murmured to himself, his voice thick with helplessness and guilt.
Then he leaned in slightly, closed his eyes, and pressed his lips gently to hers once more.
The kiss was long and deep. He used his tongue to comfort what remained of hers. Even as Reze teetered on the edge of death, her body seemed to reignite with a faint spark of vitality.
Unconsciously, she responded to his warmth. Her half-tongue intertwined with his, conveying pain, reluctance, and a love too deep for words.
A soft, wet sound came from beneath her.
Reze crested once more.
When Renji finally pulled back and opened his eyes, he found Reze looking at him.
Then he sensed it—something wrong. His gaze dropped to her neck.
The bomb's pull-ring had been pulled.
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