Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 430: Night of Wind and Tides (10)

Dragon Raja 3

“Loser?” Chime raised an eyebrow.

“It’s an internet term,” Lu Mingfei explained. “It refers to nobodies—background characters who have no presence. The kind of guys doomed to have a lifelong crush on the prettiest girl in class. The upgraded version is a middle-aged creep, and the final form is an old, hopeless loser.”

He was happy to have found a new topic to shift Chime’s attention. Talking about this didn’t make him sad at all—he had long since accepted his role as a loser.

“Sakura, you’re an actor too,” Chime said as he filled in his brows. “You’re just not a very good one.”

“Nonsense,” Lu Mingfei protested. “I’m an honest guy. I say what I mean. I don’t put on a façade.”

“You’re a lonely person,” Chime said, still focused on his makeup. “But you talk a lot to cover it up, don’t you?”

Lu Mingfei was taken aback. He instinctively tried to brush it off. “I wouldn’t say lonely—just a little bored sometimes. But eating and drinking usually make that go away.”

Only after he spoke did he realize he had subconsciously been covering something up. Chime had hit the mark.

“You’re running away,” Chime said. “As long as you run fast enough, loneliness can’t catch you. But one day, you’ll be too tired to run. And loneliness never gets tired. It will catch up with you eventually.”

“So what, I’m doomed?”

“Not necessarily. There’s someone you like, isn’t there? But you can’t be with her. If you could, that would save you.”

Lu Mingfei stiffened. He thought, Can he even tell that I have a crush on someone?

Chime met his gaze through the mirror. “I don’t mean to pry. I’m just an actor—observing people is my habit. The first time I saw your photo, I could tell you were hiding something. But you can’t hide it well.

The person inside you—the one you keep suppressing—is too powerful. Sooner or later, he’ll break through your disguise. And when he does, that’s when you’ll truly be yourself.”

Something stirred in Lu Mingfei’s heart.

He realized he hadn’t even heard the rest of what Chime was saying.

She suddenly realized something—Nono had always known what was on his mind. Nono’s nickname was the “Red-haired Witch,” and she was known for using tarot cards to tell fortunes. But that was just a joke she played on everyone. She didn’t need any cards to read a person’s thoughts—she had a natural ability for “profiling.” Lu Mingfei had seen her uncanny perceptiveness firsthand.

So how could Nono possibly not know what he was thinking? Even Chime could figure it out. But Nono had never acknowledged it—she pretended not to know anything.

His heart sank heavily. It turned out Nono was just like Chen Wenwen. Girls were the real actors—they knew everything but chose not to bring it up. Maybe they hoped you would take the hint and back off, or maybe they simply didn’t care.

Perhaps only a simple-minded little monster like Erii was the kind of girl he could handle. He never had to guess what she was feeling. At that moment, he suddenly missed Erii a little. He hoped that everything would be fine for her when she returned.

“How do I look?” Chime stood up.

Lu Mingfei looked him up and down. “Not bad… but you’re still missing a bit of presence. You need to control your emotions.”

“Don’t worry. Today is a big day—I’m reuniting with my brother. I’ll keep it together,” Chime nodded.

Lu Mingfei suddenly realized that when Chime wasn’t in his “Oni” state, he was actually quite a well-behaved little brother. “Actually, I have a younger brother too. When we were kids, he always fought with me over the computer. I used to find him so annoying. But looking back now, I don’t hate him anymore.”

“Why not?”

“If he hadn’t fought with me over the computer back then, wouldn’t I have been even lonelier? We used to sleep in the same room on two bamboo mats. In the middle of those hot summer nights, when he couldn’t sleep, he’d throw paper balls at me.” Lu Mingfei smiled faintly. “He’s my only little brother, so no matter what he does, I’ll always forgive him.”

He suddenly thought he heard a cold, mocking laugh. Instinctively, he turned his head, but Lu Mingze wasn’t behind him. He didn’t know why, but he always felt that the devilish version of Lu Mingze particularly hated the chubby little version of Lu Mingze. It was strange—two completely different people with the same name. The little devil was so refined and noble, like he existed above the mortal world when he wasn’t being mischievous. And yet, he despised the unambitious little fatty. But shouldn’t the little fatty be nothing more than dust in his eyes?

Lu Mingfei shook his head, clearing away his scattered thoughts. “It’s about time. Your brother will be waiting for you at Summer Moon Hall. Stay calm.”

“I understand. Thank you, Lu-kun.” Kazama Ruri nodded firmly.

Chisei sat upright in the Summer Moon Hall, the faint scent of tobacco lingering in the air.

Paper cigarettes didn’t produce this kind of aroma—it was the scent of hand-rolled tobacco burning. The last time Chisei had rushed to the Kabuki Theater, Chime had already left, leaving behind only the lingering fragrance of tobacco, the same scent that now filled the Summer Moon Hall. Clearly, Chime had been here smoking not long ago.

Chisei could guess why his brother had chosen to sit here alone before the negotiation. He himself sat down at the table, unconsciously pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. This was an incredibly important meeting. Both of them must have rehearsed it in their minds countless times. But the moment he imagined sitting across from him, anxiety inevitably crept in, and he found himself reaching for a cigarette to steady himself.

Summer Moon Hall had the best view in all of Takamagahara. When the wooden doors were opened, the full moon shone bright in the sky. A river flowed not far away, its banks lined with cherry and maple trees, the moon’s reflection rippling on the water’s surface. It had been a long time since such a beautiful moonlit night. It had also been a long time since Chisei had the time or the state of mind to appreciate the scenery. But now, in this moment, he felt at ease and gradually relaxed.

At this point, the gods were dead. The main force of the Oni Clan had been wiped out. Though the Osho was terrifying, he wouldn’t dare show himself so brazenly in front of Yamata no Orochi. The war was nearing its end. Everything would gradually improve. It was time to sit down and have a real conversation with the “Dragon King.”

Even though he had declared to Tachibana Masamune that he was determined to “kill Chime again,” the moment he learned his brother was still alive, he couldn’t deny the jolt of emotion that ran through him. It was as if a knot in his heart had loosened ever so slightly. For years, he had been haunted by the same nightmare—deep at the bottom of a well, a pair of lifeless eyes stared blankly at the sky. He would lean over the edge, looking down at the corpse, only for it to slowly reach up and pull him in. He could never resist.

The corpse was Chime. Chisei had sealed him in that well with his own hands.

He had spent his whole life trapped in that nightmarish moment—killing his own brother, burying him with his own hands.

Because his brother was an Oni.

He was back in that desolate rainy night, deep in the basement where wax figures made from the bodies of young girls stood in eerie silence. His demon-like brother hummed a tune as he worked over a bathtub filled with chemical solutions. At that moment, Chisei had been consumed by overwhelming despair. From that instant, the boy who called him “brother” was dead. What remained was a demon wearing his brother’s skin.

He had to kill that demon. He could suppress the pain in his heart, but he could never betray justice. He was a friend of justice.

Until the very last moment, Chime never fought back. He simply clung to his brother’s neck, calling out to him in confusion. Chisei gritted his teeth and twisted the knife. A fountain of blood erupted from his brother’s chest.

That was the price he paid for justice. A price far too steep. From that day forward, he had no hesitation in using violence against Oni. Only once had he ever wavered—when he met Sakurai Akira. That lonely man had sneered at him and said:

“They all say Amaterasu’s light can illuminate every soul. But for moths like us, born in the darkness… your sunlight only burns us to ash.”

In that moment, Chisei’s heart trembled violently.

Yes, he was the Emperor, the great Amaterasu. But he couldn’t bring light to everyone.

His own brother had already been burned to ash by that blazing sunlight.

That was why he had wanted to leave. He was tired of killing—he only wanted to live in peace.

But fate had given him a second chance.

Years later, Chime stood before him once more, his features still faintly resembling the boy from the past.

If we meet again after all these years, how should I face you? With silence, with tears, or with my blade?

I watch you like I would a demon, yet I can’t help but want to embrace you with all my strength.

Even Fūma Kōtarō and Sakurai Nanami didn’t know Chisei’s true reason for coming here today.

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