Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 403: Road of Demons (2)

Dragon Raja 3

Caesar stared at him blankly for a moment, then suddenly showed a gratified expression and patted him on the shoulder. “Minister Fingel, what you said makes a lot of sense! I’ve decided to adopt your suggestion!”

“Chairman, see, I told you I’m useful,” Fingel nodded repeatedly.

“Then, as our most outstanding journalist, this great task falls on your shoulders! Whether it’s giving him psychological counseling or hanging him up and beating him, get the information about Osho out of his mouth.” Caesar opened the door and pushed Fingel in. “We’ll go have breakfast first; we hope to hear your good news when we return.”

As the door opened, a faint fragrance wafted out from the room. It was handmade Japanese tobacco slowly burning in a silver pipe. Ruri was not lying on the bed like a dead person as they had imagined. He was sitting under the quilt, smoking, his eyes hazy as he looked at the sunlight outside the window, neither sad nor happy, his expression indifferent. He had come back to life, but he no longer had the majesty of the “Dragon King” of the Oni Clan or the enigmatic allure of the kabuki master “Ruri.” If not for that silver pipe, he looked like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old high school student, that ordinary mountain boy.

His name was Chime.

The four of them sat around Ruri’s bed, and Ruri silently gazed out the window.

Since Ruri had woken up, he could speak at any time. Fingel’s relay might not be reliable, so Caesar felt he should stay and listen in person.

Silence had lasted for over five minutes. Chu Zihang looked at Caesar; Caesar looked at Lu Mingfei. Lu Mingfei pretended not to see Caesar’s signal.

Ruri carried a kind of tranquility that one could not bear to disturb. His brows were light, his features were light, so ordinary, yet so peaceful and serene. The sunlight cast shadows on his face that only a young man could have.

Caesar kicked Fingel, implying, “Didn’t you say as a useful person that you’d take on this honorable task? Go ahead now!”

Fingel looked a bit nervous. He cleared his throat and prepared his opening line: “You have the right to remain silent…”

Lu Mingfei thought, “Boss, how can you believe a slacker when he says, ‘I’m a useful person now’? The fact that he’s trying so hard to convince you just shows he’s still a slacker!”

Ruri gently exhaled a puff of smoke, his face submerged in the blue haze. “I know what you want to ask; I’ll tell you everything. But please don’t rush me with questions. Let me think it through slowly so I can explain it more clearly.”

His voice was clear, his breathing smooth, but the weak tone sent a chill through their hearts. He was no longer Ruri; he had reverted to Chime. Chime was not someone who could be their companion. Osho had destroyed his confidence, effectively killing half of him.

“You’re surprised by my current appearance, aren’t you? Actually, this is how I originally look. Every time you’ve seen me, I’ve been wearing some makeup, though some makeup techniques are advanced enough that you can’t tell.” Chime took a long time before speaking. “My brother and I have similar eyes and brows, but I’m not as good-looking as he is; only after applying makeup do I resemble him. When I was young, I always wished I could be like my brother. He’s such a perfect person, yet he has an unremarkable younger brother like me. People might even doubt whether I’m his real brother. There were times when others said we didn’t look alike, and I would hide and cry… I was that weak when I was a child.”

“We grew up in the mountains; there was only one middle school in that town. Every girl in school had a crush on my brother—at least, that’s what I always believed. He was the captain of the kendo club and the main player of the basketball team. The girls loved watching him practice swordsmanship in the sunset, sweating profusely. He was so focused, so intense, as if he’d split any wall that stood before him. So even though he was cold and wouldn’t even look at those girls, they would still secretly watch him day after day. You might think that my bloodline is superior to my brother’s, so I’m stronger than him. Actually, you’re wrong. My brother’s strength doesn’t lie in his bloodline but in his heart. He’s the kind of man who, once he decides on something, will move forward bravely. Such a man is destined to achieve great things. For example, if he decides to be a friend of justice, he’ll be a friend of justice his whole life.”

Lu Mingfei glanced at Chu Zihang, thinking, “Senior Brother, this is your Japanese counterpart.” Caesar raised an eyebrow; only now did he truly believe in Chime’s feelings for his brother. No matter how good an actor he was, able to portray thousands of characters on stage, only someone who genuinely loves another can describe that person so beautifully, moving the listeners.

“My brother said he must work hard because we have no parents, and only by working hard would we not be looked down upon. He said he wanted to get into Tokyo University and take me to Tokyo one day. I just hated that I was a useless younger brother; I couldn’t get into Tokyo University, and I couldn’t help my brother. Everything my brother did was so that he and I could have dignity. I really wanted to be like my brother—a determined man—so that standing beside him, I could truly be considered his brother. But I was also a bit jealous of him. Why, when we’re both brothers, is he so good while I’m so weak, being called effeminate? But I never thought of surpassing him; I just wanted to share a bit of his radiance, to be just slightly less than him.

“Later, Tachibana came to the mountains. He said that both my brother and I had excellent bloodlines, and he would take one of us to Tokyo for training, leaving the other in the mountains. If the first one was harmed, the other would be the substitute. He said we could never tell the outside world that there were two children from the Gen family; the Gen family didn’t need two heads. Naturally, my brother was taken away as the future family head, and I was left behind—I was his shadow. I’ve been his shadow all my life, my face blurred and indistinct. So sometimes, I hated him.

“It was then that I met Osho. When he appeared before me, he was a man wearing a Noh mask. I’ve loved Noh and Kabuki since I was young, so I was very curious about this masked man. But Osho couldn’t actually perform Noh; he just understood human nature very well. He started by giving me pointers on my performances, and gradually we became close. He always met me alone and asked me not to tell my brother or anyone else. I didn’t tell my brother because everything in this world belonged to him, but Osho was my own teacher—he belonged only to me. Osho said he saw potential in me; he said I was stronger than my brother.

“During that time, I felt like I was living in a dream. Every night, Osho would wait for me in the mountains, and we would stroll along the mountain paths until the moon was high in the sky. Under the stars, he explained Kabuki characters to me. He gave me a strong liquor to drink, which warmed my body and allowed me to wander the mountains with him all night without getting tired. One day, I noticed girls shyly smiling at me—a look I had never seen before. At first, I was delighted, thinking I could learn that expression. But when I kept practicing that shy smile in the mirror, I realized why they smiled at me that way… Because I had become beautiful, as if glowing all over.”

“That liquor had the Evolution Drug mixed in?” Caesar asked.

“Yes, I am the only person in the world who consumed a large amount of the Evolution Drug without losing control, because my own bloodline can suppress the drug’s side effects… My blood is even more toxic than the Evolution Drug,” Chime said softly.

“Sorry to interrupt you. Please continue,” Caesar said.

Series Navigation

<< Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 402: Road of Demons (1)Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 404: Road of Demons (3) >>