What had Inuzuka Youka done?

At most, she had only shared information about Misfortune's Box on the internet with Fukuda and then told Inuzuka Shiren about the affair between Fukuda and Nakazato Aya.

From the beginning, she had kept herself completely uninvolved.

After all, it was Fukuda who sought Misfortune's Box, and the person who used Misfortune's Box was Inuzuka Shintaro.

She had not forced either Fukuda or Inuzuka Shintaro to use Misfortune's Box.

If one were to force a crime upon Inuzuka Youka's head, it would probably be for instigating murder and the attempted assault on Beichuan Si.

But that would be a stretch.

Considering their current states, Beichuan Si seemed more like the villain.

Of course... what mattered most was...

As Beichuan Si watched Inuzuka Youka lying on the ground like a corpse, his eyes surrounded by death, they flickered slightly—

Hovering over Inuzuka Youka's body were faint malice tendrils, barely visible.

Presumably, she had come into contact with Misfortune's Box in recent days, leading to this condition.

To Beichuan Si, these malicious thoughts were nothing, but for an ordinary person like Inuzuka Youka, they were like a slow-acting poison.

The portion of malice eroding her life force... roughly estimated, Inuzuka Youka would lose five years of her lifespan because of these malice tendrils.

The punishment could not be considered light; after all, Inuzuka Youka was at best a juvenile offender. Even if the charges of 'instigating murder' and 'attempted assault' were proven, she would probably only spend half a year in a juvenile detention center before being released. If the Inuzuka family were willing to spend money, the time Inuzuka Youka would be confined could be even shorter.

On the other hand, Inuzuka Youka, who had been lying on the ground, was looking at Beichuan Si.

There wasn't much numbness left in her body, but Inuzuka Youka had no desire to resist.

Setting aside whether she could resist Beichuan Si, even if she managed to escape from him... where could she go?

After all, she had nowhere to go.

Whether it was the Inuzuka family or the Hayakawa family...

After taking her revenge on Inuzuka Shintaro, all that surged in her heart was an endless void.

Yes... emptiness.

What could she gain after the death of Inuzuka Shintaro?

Inuzuka Youka didn't know, and she simply couldn't understand.

When it came down to it, she was just a middle school student, not some psychopath who killed for pleasure.

When the deep-seated hatred in her heart faded—

"What's left is just emptiness."

Beichuan Si's voice sounded, pulling back the flurry of Inuzuka Youka's thoughts.

Inuzuka Youka drifted back to reality, her eyes meeting Beichuan Si's eyes.

He stared at her motionlessly, and then—

Beichuan Si straightened up and silently put away the spring knife and the stun gun.

He extended his finger, pointing towards the exit of the park.

He did not speak, but the gesture made his intention clear.

He was letting Inuzuka Youka leave.

Yes, losing five years of her life was already a punishment for Inuzuka Youka.

Moreover, considering that both Inuzuka Shintaro and Fukuda were not virtuous people, Beichuan Si had no interest in seeking vengeance on their behalf.

"...you..." Inuzuka Youka's eyes widened, completely unexpected that Beichuan Si would choose to let her go under such advantageous circumstances.

Was it possible that he felt sympathy for her plight?

Inuzuka Youka carefully looked at Beichuan Si.

The young man's complexion was still as composed as ever, showing no hint of emotion.

Beichuan Si's voice rang out again: "I do not sympathize with you."

He continued,

"In fact, what you've been through in the past does warrant sympathy from others, but the moment you stained your hands with blood, no matter how justifiable the reasons, everything you did lost its right to sympathy."

"..." Inuzuka Youka.

Just as Beichuan Si had said, no matter how justified the reasons, the fact that she had stained her hands with blood was set in stone... something that could not be changed by anyone.

But for some reason, Inuzuka Youka just felt like she had something she wanted to say to Beichuan Si in front of her.

Yes... there was something she wanted to say...

She silently stood up from the ground, then she saw Beichuan Si striding towards the exit of the park.

Beichuan Si walked steadily, seemingly not caring about Inuzuka Youka, who stood still in her place.

Watching his departing back, the words Inuzuka Youka had held in her chest finally spilled out: "I, I will communicate with my current parents! I'm going back to my old home in Hayakawa Town to live alone!"

Her voice was not loud, and it quivered slightly, her face flushed, indicating she had mustered all her energy.

Beichuan Si paused for a moment, and then walked on.

Inuzuka Youka's life reduced by five years was a punishment, and her upcoming days living alone in Hayakawa Town would not be easy...

But what did that have to do with Beichuan Si?

He plunged into the night, soon disappearing from Inuzuka Youka's sight.

As she watched the direction in which Beichuan Si had left, Inuzuka Youka took a deep breath, then bent her knees, rested her forehead on her hands, and knelt down in full prostration.

Unbeknownst to her, her body trembled, and her crying voice followed—

"Thank you... thank you..."

"Really... thank you so much."

She shook helplessly.

In the dim yellow light, her distinct shadow... appeared exceptionally lonely.

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