Asi Hell

Capítulo 2

Two months after her relationship with Kanako became closer, one day in June, Raiko's worries finally reached their limit.

The usual music was playing in the coffee shop, and Kanako listened with her eyes closed, just like always.

"Kanako, let me ask you this: why are you willing to be with me? I'm not very bright, I'm not of noble birth, I'm poor, and I don't even have a father. How could someone as outstanding as you—"

No matter how much time passes, you can never get used to music you don't like. This magnificent piece of music from abroad, as always, mercilessly swept over Lai Zi's mind and piled up near his spine.

"That's because you are me, and no one else can replace you."

"Huh?"

"Nanben, you are me. And I am also your reincarnation."

You said reincarnation...

What an unexpected answer!

"—Aren't you and I still alive?...So-called reincarnation, isn't it just that after a person dies, they are reborn as someone else?...Isn't that right?"

“That’s right, that’s exactly it. I became you after I died, and you became me after you died. Once you die, time is irrelevant. It’s not surprising that Nogi was reincarnated as Kato Kiyomasa after death, or that Senhime was reincarnated as Joan of Arc after death. We just happened to be born in the same era. You are my past life. And I am your past life. After we die, we are reincarnated and become each other, and we will always remain as we are now.”

Kanako's eyes concealed a bewitching smile.

—You are mine, and I am your reincarnation.

"How about it? A great idea, isn't it?"

So,

"So, other people... other people wouldn't be able to do it, right? For Kanako, I'm irreplaceable, aren't I?"

"I told you, I'm your replacement."

This was an answer that Lai Zi could never have imagined, no matter how hard he tried. He was bewildered. But since it was Kanako who said it, he had no choice but to believe her.

"If you don't believe me, then let's do it this way. Let's make a deal."

As she spoke, Jia Caizi took out a small bundle from her bag and then took out a white rope from it.

Then, she took Lai Zi's hand and used her slender, beautiful fingers to tie the rope around her wrist.

My heart is pounding harder and harder.

"You are not allowed to remove the rope. It's a spell called the Bonding Rope. This way, you will be mine."

"Then, we can be together forever, right?"

What a wonderful fantasy!

Although she doesn't know how long her life will last, after it ends, Raiko will be born as Kanako and live her life as Kanako, and she will also be able to meet her past self who was Kanako.

My mind was filled with joy and I felt incredibly happy.

After saying goodbye to Kanako that evening, Lai Zi still felt unsteady on his feet, as if he were walking on clouds. He even found himself liking his mother, who had been growing increasingly distant recently.

Lai Zi's mother was a craftswoman who made the heads of the Girls' Day dolls, and she was very beautiful when she was young.

Lai Zi has never seen his father since birth, and for a time his mother was everything in his world.

I had never seen anyone more beautiful than my mother, nor anyone gentler than her.

But as she grew up, her mother's beauty began to transform into a wanton allure, designed to please men, and her gentleness turned into shameless advances in pursuit of love. However, in the hardships of wartime and postwar times, raising a child single-handedly was an unimaginable burden for most, so Lai Zi could understand his mother's actions. Even so, the frequency with which the men around her changed far exceeded what was necessary.

That would have been bad enough. What Lai Zi found most unbearable was the fact that his mother was getting old. Her once smooth and delicate skin had become rough and dry, wrinkles had appeared on her once firm face, her soft fingers had become crooked and knotted, and her hair was now streaked with gray. His mother's warmth could no longer compete with the body heat of the drunken men, and his mother was becoming uglier and uglier with each passing moment.

Perhaps it's because she never bathes in moonlight.

It is very different from the Ganako, which lives against nature.

As Raiko and Kanako grew closer, their mother seemed even more distant.

But tonight is different.

The thought of her mother giving birth to Kanako in her next life and bringing her into this world makes her feel like she can still love her mother.

The mother greeted Lai Zi, who returned home late at night, with a look of annoyance.

At first, I would get harshly scolded, but recently I haven't been scolded as much.

Lai Zi told his mother how wonderful Kanako was.

This was the first time Raiko had talked to her mother about Kanako. Regardless of who she was talking to, Raiko couldn't suppress the urge to confide in someone. But her mother paid no attention to what she was saying.

"Xiao Lai, it wouldn't be good if the school found out you're going out and loitering at night. It's all that girl's fault. You're not allowed to continue associating with that delinquent. Even if she's a good student, her behavior is still terrible. What kind of family raises a girl like that? I really want to see what her parents look like."

The mother, carrying Lai Zi on her back, spoke without turning her head.

"That's too much! Mom, you can't criticize Yuzuki like that. Even as her mother, I can't forgive you. I'll always be Yuzuki's friend. No, I don't want to make any other friends besides Kanako! Because Kanako is my..." Kanako is my past life—Raiko's heart was filled with emotion.

Lai Zi rarely rebelled against his mother so fiercely.

This had never happened before. Lai Zi gripped the knotted rope on his right wrist tightly with his left hand.

Her mother turned around to face her, half of her makeup gone, making her look incredibly ugly.

“What nonsense are you talking about! You really have been infected by that weird girl. Just thinking about how hard your mother works, you shouldn’t be behaving like a delinquent girl. You know how much effort your mother put into getting you into that school! How could you say such things? If you get expelled from school, your mother will become a laughing stock, and all her hard work will have been for nothing.”

It's always like this. Lai Zi is grateful for her mother's hard work for her, but she doesn't want to see her mother always putting on a condescending face. Lai Zi has always endured it. What has her mother done for her when she licks her wounds from school in the middle of the night?

“Jia Cai Zi isn’t as filthy as her mother, nor as ugly as you. She basks in the moonlight and will never grow old. Her mother understands nothing. I don’t want to grow old like you!”

Lai Zi shouted as he rushed back to his room, slamming the sliding door shut. His mother followed him without a second thought.

"Xiao Lai, what did you just say?"

"I don't want to talk to you, go away."

"What do you mean you won't grow old? What nonsense are you talking about! Anything that doesn't grow old isn't human; it's either a ghost or a monster!"

"Get away from me!"

The chasm between the two could never be bridged, and Lai Zi has barely spoken to his mother since the incident.

From that day on, his mother stopped actively stopping Lai Zi from going out at night, although she had never strictly forbidden it before. Lai Zi thought that it might be more convenient for his mother if he wasn't home at night.

But then again, what exactly is this so-called "wanliang"?

Lai Zi thought, "At least I should ask what that means."

But I really don't know how to bring it up with my mother.

About a month passed under these circumstances.

Returning from her evening walk, she found a man named Sasagawa in her house, supposedly a craftsman who made doll body parts. Upon seeing Raiko, Sasagawa showed no remorse whatsoever; instead, he shamelessly and arrogantly said:

"Xiao Lai, don't make your mother too sad. Don't go out wandering around every night. Try to be more understanding of her feelings."

The mother lowered her head, avoiding Lai Zi's gaze.

Lai Zi didn't reply, but stared at the man who looked like a piece of light black solid that had been roasted with wine.

"What kind of attitude is that!"

Sasakawa's eyes were bloodshot, and his ugly face was flushed with anger.

"Is that how you listen to someone?"

Why—why did she have to endure this ugly man's scolding? Lai Zi couldn't understand at all. Her mother stood by, not daring to speak, only daring to use her attitude and expression to dissuade the man. Her mother, somewhat disheveled, still looked very ugly without makeup. After that, Sasakawa often came to their house, and her mother stopped wearing makeup.

Sasakawa no longer roared like he did on the first night; instead, he stared intently at Raiko with a murky gaze full of complaints.

Home has become more unpleasant than school.

For Raiko, not only was Sasakawa annoying, but even her mother, who didn't wear makeup, became a terrifying monster.

I've heard of the saying "the five signs of decay in celestial beings." Celestial beings, who live in the heavens, don't experience pain or sorrow like mortals, but even they eventually perish.

First, the floral ornaments in her hair wither; then, her beautiful clothes become dusty; her armpits sweat; and her eyes grow dim. In the end, she can no longer feel joy, at best.

But precisely because of this, the celestial beings had to die.

Lai Zi thought, "Then what about people? What about my mother? And Kanako..."

Kacana should not even experience the five signs of decay.

Then Kanako even surpassed the Celestials.

Compared to her, her mother would have been better off dead.

The first semester was over. Raiko felt uneasy. School being on break meant she wouldn't see Kanako for a while, and it also meant she had to stay in her hated house all the time.

"Kusumoto."

Jia Caizi said.

"Want to go see a lake together? Let's go see a lake in a very, very far place."

"lake?"

"Take the last train and go as far as you can, even if it means camping in the wild. At night, take the last train again and head towards the distant lake. Go to the lakeside to admire the moon reflected on the water."

What a beautiful scene!

A lake reflecting the moonlight at night, a silent world ruled by death. The sea won't do; disgusting and terrifying creatures slither about there. It must be a mountain lake, uninhabited. To match Kanako, there must be a lake devoid of life, waves, and noise, a still, frozen lake, completely motionless.

Just imagining it fills my mind with joy.

Fortunately, Raiko's mother has been going out every Friday evening for the past three weeks, and Sasakawa is not with her either. Since she hasn't been talking to her mother lately, Raiko doesn't know where they go or what they do, only that they always return around dawn.

Therefore, Friday is the best day to carry out the plan. After all, even if he comes home late every day, his mother will become suspicious if he doesn't return by midnight. She might even call Sasagawa out to look for him, and if he gets caught along the way, it'll be all over. To escape to a distant place, they must use Friday to buy themselves some time.

Therefore, it was decided that the third Friday of summer vacation would be the day to carry out the plan.

For the two weeks prior, Lai Zi had been locked in his room. Even when he left the room, all he could see was a nauseating pile of doll heads and headless bodies scattered all over the living room floor.

The day finally arrived.

After six o'clock, Sasagawa came to greet his mother as she left. Raiko only left home after making sure they had completely disappeared from sight.

She hesitated for a moment about what to wear, but finally decided to wear her uniform, thinking it would be more appropriate.

Kanako was already waiting in front of the station, and sure enough, she was also wearing a uniform.

"Hi!"

Kanako seemed a little tired.

Incredibly, Kanako's eyes were red and swollen, and it was clear that she had been crying until just now—before Raiko arrived.