Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 497: Epilogue (3)

Dragon Raja 3

Dragon Raja 4

The song “Friend” started playing again, this time the original version by Koji Tamaki. The music felt like wind blowing over a mountaintop.

“Goodbye, no more words

In your shadow, my tears fell

My fingers, hair, and voice all grew cold

The life we shared is gone, even our breaths have faded away…”

But Lu Mingfei could no longer hear any sound. No applause, no sobbing, not even the music or the wind and rain. The entire world was silent in his ears. All he could see was the signature on the check, written in familiar handwriting in the corner:

Uesugi Erii.

How awful… this kind of tragedy, discovering the traces someone left in this world long after they’re gone. But what’s the point? Why bring it up again? Wouldn’t it be better to let everything irretrievable wash away with the tide?

But the tears came anyway, beyond his control. Lu Mingfei lowered his head and made a strange gesture—he gently pressed his chest, trying to figure out if his heart was in pain.

Outside his world, the cheers were deafening, and thousands of strings of cherry blossom firecrackers began to fall, exploding in bursts. All 100,320 firecrackers, one for each flower vote, were ignited by Whale. The scent of cherry blossoms filled the air, and the firecracker fragments, like drifting snow, swept through the entire hall, blurring everyone’s vision.

“Leave now, while you can,” Whale patted Caesar’s shoulder. “Otherwise, you won’t be able to get away.”

“Was that really the girl’s check?” Caesar asked, pulling the large check from the box and lightly flicking it.

“How could a check from the Yamata no Orochi be fake? Who would dare forge the head family’s check?” Whale replied calmly. “One afternoon a few months ago, a girl in a Lolita dress came to the club asking for Sakura. Little Sakura wasn’t there, so the staff brought her to me.

“She was a very beautiful girl, but she couldn’t speak. She said she was looking for Sakura, and I explained the club’s rules—hosts can only meet clients during business hours, and private meetings are not allowed. She seemed very pleased and said that as long as Sakura was here, she would return during business hours. I told her, ‘If you like Sakura so much, remember to buy flower votes to help him stay.’ She asked me how many votes it would take, and I said 800. She told me she didn’t have that much cash on hand but could give me a check and asked me to discreetly cash it without letting her brother find out. I never imagined such a quiet girl would have a checkbook, but she signed a check for 100 million yen without hesitation, and to my surprise, it was a check from the Yamata no Orochi. She must have really wanted to keep Sakura here, huh?”

“Manager, you really couldn’t recognize her status, huh? She’s the princess of the underworld, of course, she has a checkbook,” Caesar remarked. “Though it’s probably the first time she’s ever used it.”

“I know that now. The boss’s wife said the underworld princess couldn’t come tonight, so I had to bring this check myself,” Whale said. “So, I had to come, even with just one arm.”

“She actually found this place,” Chu Zihang commented.

“Seems like she used Line’s navigation. Don’t ever think a woman is easy to shake off. If she likes you, she’ll chase you to the ends of the earth,” Whale added. “When a woman loves a man, the cost she pays is much higher, but they’re willing to do it.”

“Lu Mingfei,” Caesar called out to his retreating figure.

As they were talking, Lu Mingfei had already walked far away, stumbling through the deafening noise of firecrackers and the pink snowfall of cherry blossom confetti, looking like a wind-up doll running out of energy.

The helicopter was waiting in a parking lot two streets away, with the Yamata no Orochi’s Execution Bureau lined up to bid farewell. After this incident, the Japan Branch was reestablished, but a new alliance was also formed. Anjou relinquished his authority over personnel decisions in the Japan Branch but still retained the highest decision-making power.

Koeru was right—when it comes to dragon-slaying, Anjou is a tyrant. He won’t relinquish his power until the Black Emperor’s funeral is over.

As the sole surviving family head, Sakurai Nanami had been promoted to head of the Japan Branch, accompanied by the new acting director of the Execution Bureau, Crow. They were waiting beneath the helicopter’s rotors.

“A small gift from the patriarch, just a token of appreciation,” Crow said, handing bottles of sunscreen to Caesar, Anjou, Lu Mingfei, Zero, and Finger. “These were his collectibles. He was seriously considering selling sunscreen.”

Caesar accepted the gift and joked, “I’ll be sure to apply it on some beautiful ladies’ backs in his place.”

“That’s exactly what he would have wanted,” Crow replied, then turned to Chu Zihang. “There’s a special gift for you.”

He opened a long white wooden box containing the simple yet elegantly designed ancient blades, Kumogiri and Dōjigiri, once wielded by Chisei.

“To be honest, giving such precious relics to someone outside the family is something I hesitate to do,” Crow admitted. “But it was the patriarch’s wish. Before leaving the shrine, he left a recording saying that if these blades survived, they should be given to you, Mr. Chu. I’m sorry he couldn’t find the answers to what you asked. He did send people to investigate the fragments of that sword, but they found nothing. The only conclusion is that it wasn’t a genuine Japanese sword—it was probably forged outside Japan.”

Chu Zihang gently stroked the scabbards of the swords, remembering how, when he had fought against their previous owner, these dangerous weapons had nearly suffocated him with their oppressive power.

Now, as their new owner, the scabbards felt warm in his hands, carrying the blessings of someone long gone. Despite everything that had happened, Chisei had remembered Chu Zihang’s request and actually tried to investigate the sword. Chisei was always so serious about everything, and in the end, that seriousness made his life harder.

The helicopter lifted them into the sky. The city below had regained its vibrant lights, with large screens playing commercials, and the bright Tokyo Skytree standing tall in the center. Cars flowed like rivers along the elevated roads.

Caesar’s phone buzzed with a message from Eva. After the Tokyo Crisis, Eva had gone back into hibernation, replaced by the academy’s secretary, Norma, but apparently, Eva could still send messages.

The message contained a photo of Caesar with a girl who had sandalwood-scented hair, their heads tilted toward each other. The girl’s hair brushed against Caesar’s shoulder, making it look like a couple’s portrait.

Caesar sighed, “Senior, have mercy. What did I do wrong this time?”

Eva: “As per your previous request, this photo is about to be deleted. I can remove all copies from every corner of the internet. Once you confirm, the deletion will proceed.”

Caesar paused for a long time. “Senior, please send this photo to Nono’s email. Just say that this girl saved me in the crossfire in Tokyo.”

“Lonesome George is dead,” Chu Zihang said, setting aside the magazine he had been reading. “Surprising timing.”

“Lonesome George?” Caesar didn’t understand.

“The last Pinta Island tortoise in the world. His name was George. Chisei once said he was like that tortoise.” Chu Zihang handed the magazine to Caesar. “Not long ago, he was found dead in the reserve. It seems he was trying to escape the reserve, but he didn’t make it to the boundary before he died. He moved very slowly. When they found him, his head was facing Santa Cruz Island. People speculate that there was a watering hole there for him.”

“He didn’t make it to his watering hole either, huh?” Caesar said softly.

“Just one step short.”

They were chatting quietly. Anjou had already fallen asleep with his noise-canceling headphones on. Finger was applying ointment to Zero’s knee, which had mostly healed after three months, though the doctor still recommended daily application of the ointment. Finger, who was normally such a lecherous guy, showed no inappropriate expression as he massaged Zero’s knee. Instead, he wore a fawning look, resembling a loyal dog at the queen’s feet. Given his usual behavior, it was a mystery how Zero managed to tame him so effectively.

Lu Mingfei silently gazed down below. The Shinkansen bullet train sped through the night like an iron dragon. Who was on this late-night train, and where were they heading?

It seemed like someone was whispering in his ear. Yes, on that stormy night, in that dimly lit love hotel, the girl who was thought to be mute had leaned in close and whispered, “We’re all little monsters, one day the righteous Ultraman will come and kill us.”

Yes, you’re a little monster, but little monsters have their own little monster friends. Lonely little monsters cling to each other in fear, but if the righteous Ultraman comes to kill you, then I’ll help you kill him first. But I promised, and I didn’t do it.

“04.24, went with Sakura to Tokyo Skytree, the warmest place in the world is at the top of Skytree.”

“04.26, went with Sakura to Meiji Shrine, someone was having a wedding there.”

“04.25, went with Sakura to Disneyland, the haunted house was scary, but with Sakura there, it wasn’t scary at all.”

“Sakura is the best.”

Part 3 Completed.

Dragon Raja 4

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