Challenge: The Fool with the Surname Okayamine

Chapter 14: Kurumi 3's Funeral for His Best Friend

After Mio Takamiya forcibly took Sawa, who had turned into a monster, away, the alleyway was a scene of utter devastation. A hole had been smashed into the wall, along with a small pit stained with blood, making it look as if it had suffered some kind of destruction.

At this moment, the boy named Gangfeng Ming was lying in the elephant pit in a daze, as if he had lost something very important. His eyes were closed and his face was full of pain, like a child whose precious treasure had been stolen and easily destroyed by someone else.

Ming's consciousness, as he fell into the deep sea, was shrouded in endless darkness. In the hazy distance, a female voice, which he had never heard before but seemed very familiar, was calling out to him, making Ming feel an immense sense of sorrow.

"Ming... Ming!... Help me..."

The sound kept echoing in his mind. Every time Ming heard it, crystal tears silently slid down the corners of his eyes, silently telling the story of the grief this young man had recently experienced.

"Who are you...? Why do you know my name?" But the girl inside her didn't respond. She slowly turned away, her smile turning forlorn. Seeing this, Ming tried to reach out and make her come back, but to no avail.

"Wait! Don't go! Tell me... don't go, Sawa!"

Suddenly, Ming opened his eyes in terror and sat up. As soon as he got up, he looked around and saw the deep pit next to the wall and the small pit where he was sitting.

"Where...where am I? I remember I was going home, so where is this?" Ming stood up, puzzled, and tried to find the answer in the pits, but to no avail.

Seeing this, Ming felt uneasy. He cautiously prepared to leave the strange alley, but for some reason, he felt a sense of emptiness in his heart, as if a very important person had disappeared.

Lost in thought, Ming walked out of the dark alley. As soon as he stepped out, the setting sun shone on his face, illuminating the pale face of the young man, which was already covered with tears.

His previously dull eyes now held an unprecedented sadness. Ming felt an itch on his face, and when he gently touched it, he discovered that his eyes were already filled with tears.

"It's...tears? Why...am I crying? It's like someone who's very important to me has disappeared from my heart. Is it my father or my mother? No, although she's not as important as him, she's still very memorable to me. What is it?"

Standing there dumbfounded, Ming muttered to himself in confusion. Then, still in a daze, Ming casually reached into his pocket and suddenly seemed to touch something that looked like paper.

Sensing something, Ming immediately took out the paper-like object from his pocket and unfolded it to examine it.

Ming watched it calmly. It was clearly a very corny love letter, but the Japanese writing on it felt very familiar to him. It wasn't until he saw the signature at the bottom of the page that Ming seemed to remember something.

“Yamata...Sawa..." Ming involuntarily uttered the name on the signature, and instantly a large number of memories that Mio had psychologically suggested to forget echoed in Ming's mind.

I also think about how the girl with chestnut hair and double braids who accompanied me through my youth, every word, every action, every smile, seems so vivid in my mind, as if that moment of youth was just yesterday.

“So it was her…” Ming murmured. But before Ming could continue reminiscing, a memory of her turning into a monster in front of him not long ago replayed in his mind. Thinking of this, Ming frowned and clenched his fists tightly.

"Sha and she are in danger!" That was Ming's first reaction, but in fact, his body reacted even faster than his brain. By the time Ming realized it, he found himself already running.

As Ming ran, he tried his best to recall the scene from the anime, attempting to find that crucial rooftop terrace.

Ming ran with all his might, his heart pounding faster and faster. Right now, Ming had only one thought in his mind.

“Sawa, wait for me!...I won’t let you fall before me.”

This was the vow Ming had made in her heart, and it was also her goal to protect the first person she could trust. Even though her body was still lingering with pain from many abrasions, Ming continued to run without any hesitation.

Just as Ming was desperately searching for that rooftop, Kurumi was on the other rooftop not long ago.

As the sun sets, its afterglow spills onto the rooftop, where Mio and Kurumi stand at the edge, creating a beautiful scene.

Seeing that it was almost time, Mio smiled and said to Kurumi beside her:

"Kurumi, I'm counting on you today too," Mio said softly, as if entrusting a trusted comrade-in-arms.

Kurumi nodded, her eyes flashing with determination: "Yes, leave it to me, Mio."

After speaking, Kurumi stepped forward slightly, waiting for the so-called "monster" to appear.

Just then, a purple barrier suddenly rose up, enveloping the entire rooftop.

Immediately afterwards, a monster covered in flames appeared inside the barrier, standing atop the building's exit, letting out a deafening roar, and then rapidly flew towards Kurumi.

Seeing this, Kurumi's face lit up with excitement. She quickly raised her right hand and shouted in a childish, chuunibyou tone:

"Spirit Gear Deployed! [Divine Might Spirit Gear - Third Time]!"

As Kurumi finished speaking, a dazzling red light burst forth from her body, instantly enveloping her.

When the red light disappeared, Kurumi had already changed into a red and black Lolita-style spirit dress. She held an old-fashioned flintlock pistol in each of her left and right hands, standing elegantly and dashingly on the rooftop.

As the "monster" charging towards her attacked, Kurumi simply raised her arm slightly and confidently summoned an angel.

"【Zafkiel】!" Kurumi shouted, raising her arm high. A huge, old-fashioned golden clock appeared behind the girl and began to spin along with the hands on Kurumi's left eye.

As Kurumi finished speaking, she raised the flintlock pistol in her hand, aimed at the "monster" in front of her, and quickly pulled the trigger.

In an instant, countless bullets flew out of the muzzle, forming a dense barrage.

Kurumi smiled slightly as she fired continuously at an astonishing speed, each bullet hitting its target precisely and knocking the "monster" to the ground.

After the burning "monster" collapsed, it looked weakly at Kurumi in front of it, trying to reach out and touch her, as if trying to say something to her, but it couldn't make a sound for a long time.

Seeing that this "monster" seemed to be begging her to let her go, Kurumi smiled decisively and said:

"Stop struggling," he said, pulling the trigger and firing a black shadow bullet.

With a loud bang, the "monster" was shot in the head and fell to the ground.

After Kurumi dealt with the "monster," Mio reappeared from the void, speaking in her familiar, gentle voice:

"Thank you for your hard work, Kurumi. As usual, leave the rest to me."

Upon hearing Mio's words, Kurumi immediately turned around and replied with a smile:

"Okay! Then I'll leave it to you, good day."

After saying that, Kurumi removed her spirit dress and, wearing the uniform of Anzakura Girls' Academy, happily walked out of the rooftop.

However, what Kurumi didn't know was that just now, she had personally caused the death of her most cherished friend.

As the sun sets, its orange-red afterglow spills across the earth, bathing the entire world in a warm hue.

Kurumi, who had just come out of the rooftop, was running with hurried steps, muttering to herself:

"Run faster, maybe we still have time to go play at Sawa's house!"

Her voice carried a hint of excitement and urgency. Just then, a thought suddenly flashed through Kurumi's mind, causing her to stop in her tracks.

Kurumi suddenly thought, "Speaking of which, why don't we invite Mio along too? Come to think of it, I haven't had a proper chat with Mio-san yet."

This thought made her eyes sparkle, so she decided to change her plans and turn back to the rooftop to find Mio, who was still dealing with the "monster" there.

A blood-stained black figure caught Kurumi's attention, and out of kindness, she stepped forward to offer her help.

But when Kurumi got closer, she saw that the black-clad figure was Ming, who was gritting his teeth and bleeding profusely from running so hard that his consciousness was becoming increasingly blurred.

"Okamine... Okamine-kun! What... what's wrong with you?!" Kurumi called out to Minglai in disbelief.

Hearing someone call his name, the weak Ming looked in the direction of the voice with confusion, and saw Kurumi looking at him in disbelief with a surprised expression.

Seeing Kurumi at this moment, Ming's eyes suddenly became empty again. Without a doubt, if Kurumi were here now, it would mean that Sawa was already...

At this moment, Ming's lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a single word. Seeing this, Kurumi quickly called out with concern:

"Ming, what happened to you? Should I carry you to the hospital right now?"

Kurumi blurted it out without thinking, seemingly forgetting that Ming was almost a head taller than her.

Hearing Kurumi's concern, Ming did not reply. His eyes were filled with despair, but he still wanted to run towards the nearest tall building.

If Kurumi came down from there, then without a doubt, Mio is at the very top of that tall building.

Even though Ming already knew the moment he saw Kurumi that Sawa had likely been killed by Kurumi's best friend, he still refused to believe it.

He wanted to see her one last time, even if it meant Mio would kill him with her own hands, he was not afraid.

"where are you going!"

Seeing that Ming ignored her and continued walking along the wall towards the rooftop where Mio was, Kurumi asked, puzzled.

"To see her one last time..."

Ming didn't turn around, but walked along the wall, with tears occasionally streaming from his eyes, making this boy, who was praised by everyone in the school as a cold genius, look extremely disheveled.

"No, who do you want to see in their final moments? Is that person very important to you?"

Although Kurumi didn't know what Ming was going to do, she still followed and asked.

“...It’s...Sabi and..." Ming answered after a long pause.

"What! What are you saying?!"

Kurumi exclaimed in disbelief, then quickly followed, wanting to ask more questions immediately.

Ming, however, no longer wanted to speak and walked straight toward the rooftop.