187: Defeat

Chapter 187: Defeat

—

The girls had escaped a few cities away from Eusha and taken refuge in one of Hado's family mansions in another city.

They weren't tired even after so many movements, even after the "otherworldly energy" disappeared with them at one point.

However, a minute ago, Kimi suddenly started to act weird.

"Huff..."

Kimi stopped huffing, sitting on her butt as she glanced at the girls looking at her worriedly.

"...I-I am fine now," she said after a while, huffing. "I felt as if s-something pulled me by my soul. It was a weird and painful feeling. But I am fine now…"

Rumi comforted her, hugging her shoulders. 

"It's fine, whatever it was, it ended, yeah? Neji probably fixed it, don't worry."

The other 'sane' person in there, Ryuko, nodded at that. 

The other two- Nejire was on a corner, silent, while Momo hadn't regained her consciousness, lying on a couch. Thankfully.

They kept speaking, exchanging words, just as a spark of multi-coloured light flashed beside them, blinding them for a second before Neji was found standing there the next second.

"Oh." Neji seemed slightly surprised, blinking, before he looked at her, their eyes meeting.

"Neji! Did you beat that woman?!" Rumi ran to Neji, jumping up and down.

"I did, it's all ended," Neji reassured her, as Kimi watched Kurai jump off from his shoulder and came to her, nudging closer and meowing nervously.

"Are you hurt anywhere…?"

Ryuko slipped in, blushing softly as she put a chest on Neji's chest. Kimi guessed some stuff still seemed off to her, that's why she was slightly uncomfortable.

"No, I am fine. Looks like you guys are fine too. Sorry about that sudden Avatar thing though, it must have been confusing to you guys." Neji said as Ryukyu shook her head gently.

"No, it's fine. Rather, it helped me…us, understand the severity of the danger instantly. That's how we were to make quick decisions to escape."

Rumi nodded. "She's not wrong. Like I was kinda confused and you know I don't run from enemies, so it's all thanks to Kimi bringing me along that I understood things."

"That's true." Neji nodded at Rumi, smiling softly.

"But… well, physical wounds aside, are you alright?" Ryuko asked this time, as Rumi shut her lips from saying anything.

It seemed she was self-aware. Kimi liked that. Rumi clearly wasn't the best at soothing people, after all.

"I am fine, mostly, don't worry about it. Anyway, may I speak to Kimi if you girls don't mind?" Neji asked, watching as the two girls exchanged glances and nodded.

Neji took that chance to slip towards Kimi, smiling softly as Kimi's heart clenched hard.

He was so sad.

He was just putting on a strong face.

The others probably couldn't tell… no, they possibly couldn't tell. Only she had seen him show sadness, weakness, frustration and many other negative emotions, after all.

That's why she could tell exactly how painful he must be feeling at this moment.

Yet, he was coming to her, to probably soothe her about the clone stuff.

Kimi couldn't watch that happen. So she opened her mouth.

"Young master, are you-"

"Shh," Neji put a finger on her lips. "You don't look so good, I apologise, it was my fault." Neji apologised, probably seeing her uncomfortable condition, making her quickly try to regain composure. However, he simply patted her cheeks softly. "It's fine, you don't have to pretend."

"..."

Kimi's heart seemed to twist in pain.

"Anyway, to make things short- your current state is my fault. I used one of Nawab's quirks to order a mass suicide for all her clones, which affected you too- though as you can see, it didn't work in the end." 

Kimi blinked at Neji. 

"So it's true…?"

"That you are a clone?"

She nodded.

"...Yes."

He smiled.

"Does it matter?" 

"..."

After a short silence, Neji glanced at Nejire once before coming even closer to Kimi, putting hands around her shoulder.

"Nawab was the one who observed her clones. However, she also had a clone whose sole job was to keep tabs on her other clones, or 'Bees' as she likes to call them." Neji said. "After defeating her, I stole her quirk [Queen Bee] and ordered a mass suicide to all her clones, and after they died I gained their quirks and memories."

He continued. "In those memories, I read your file. Kimi Sugihara is a Bee created for the sole purpose of becoming Neji Hado's maid. She even had a 'sister' who also was a clone, and that woman's sole job was to die so that Kimi could take a job in Neji's mansion."

"..." Kimi's eyes lost focus.

"I…" Neji chuckled weirdly. "You might hate me for this, but I actually like this revelation. It's kinda like you were tailor-made for me, yeah? We are a match made in heaven."

"...Ah."

Kimi almost laughed, even as tears suddenly started to trail down her cheeks, controlling only for a moment before she laughed properly.

"Aha… I see what you mean." She shook her head, her sad lips smiling suddenly as she sighed deeply. "Kinda sad that all my memories before my Shiketsu High time are fake… but, I don't regret being here with you at this moment. I also once said how it's lucky that my sister died, right? That's how I met you even…. Haah feels weird if I try to say that again now that I know she was destined to die."

Neji kept smiling as she spoke.

"But…you don't mind the fact that I am a fake? That… my purpose was to just spy on you?"

Neji shook his head. "I find that lovely. From a mere spy to a free person, that's a lot of development in my book. Remember when I said I ordered all the Bees to commit suicide? But you didn't do it. You're not under Nawab's quirk anymore, no- you have never been under her control. But now, you're simply officially free."

"..."

"It happened 2 months ago when I gave you the Mind Stone," Neji said. "Nawab made you, Kimi. But I, I created you. You are mine, you were mine and you will be mine. Don't you ever think of yourself as some lowly clone, okay?"

"..."

He hugged her while her wide eyes were blurry with tears, making her body shudder as she started to sniffle in his chest.

—

He hugged Kimi for a minute while the other two girls looked at her sympathetically, even Nejire peeking in from time to time. Neji softly told Rumi and Ryuko to go upstairs and give them some time, and they did without any question.

Now Kimi was calmed down as she drew her head back and wiped her eyes.

"Well, I can't cry like this as a grown-up woman while two little girls need your attention. Haah, I showed something unsightly to my owner-sama." Kimi said, giggling very softly before her smile vanished.

"...I am sorry." She looked down, her eyes weak. "I couldn't… protect them, even though that's my job as the family bodyguard. I-"

Neji stole her lips briefly to shut her up.

"You aren't at fault, please shut up."

"...I am sorry."

Neji nodded at her.

"Don't be. Just go upstairs too, I will talk to Nejire and Momo."

Kimi nodded, turning around and rushing off with Kurai in her arms.

Then, Neji walked over to where Nejire was, as the older girl stayed silent.

"Big sister…"

He spoke two words and she sniffled loudly.

She jumped from her spot and hurried at him, hugging him tightly and pushing her chest against him.

"I-I am so sorry, Neji!!!"

He hugged her back.

"You gave me so much power, yet- I-I couldn't use them, I couldn't even scratch that murderer's hair!"

His hug tightened.

"I- what do we do now, Neji?? Our parents… they." Nejire was sobbing, her eyes looking like fountains as her nose ran along. "Neeeji… what are we supposed to do from now on??"

Reality was slowly sinking in on Neji.

His parents…

They truly were dead.

He should have worked hard.

Hard enough to stop this situation from ever happening.

Or at least he should have made Kurai into a Death God already. Maybe she could have revived them….

Nejire's sobs suddenly came to a stop as she looked up at him, her eyes wide as Neji saw his own crying face in her eyes' reflection.

His cry was silent, his tears list simply trailing down.

"N-Neji…?"

Nejire sounded perplexed all of a sudden, as if suddenly realising that she was the older sibling here.

Right.

"I- Neji- Urm-"

"Shut up, just cry."

He put her head back on his chest.

He didn't need comfort.

He was a gamer.

Life and Death wasn't permanent for him.

Maybe not this year, or maybe not even in this century- but surely, on some particular day, he would be able to revive his parents. Some way, in any way.

'Dad, Mom, just take this as a vacation of some sort.'

No, even if he could revive them, he should only do that after the Primordial was killed. He didn't want to endanger his parents for another time.

But he didn't tell Nejire that. It's better to not give her such a fake-sounding hope.

Nejire and Neji kept hugging and crying to each other. This was a time where Neji would want to fall asleep with her, as brother and sister, but he had another person he needed to soothe.

"Sit down here, let me wake her up."

Neji said to Nejire, putting her on the couch. He didn't send Nejire upstairs because he didn't want to.

Then he walked over to the other couch, shaking Momo's body and pressing her acupuncture points later on to take her up.

"Ummm…."

Her eyes twitched as she woke up, blinking.

"Oh… Neji? Did you know I had a terrible nightmare today. Mhm, but where is-"

She stopped speaking, her eyes shaking suddenly as she snapped her neck around the mansion.

"W-where is this? Where is my mommy and papa?!"

Neji put a hand on her shoulder.

"They were killed."

"Neji, don't joke-"

"Along with mine."

"..."

She went silent.

"Do you remember now? It was not a nightmare."

Momo's eyes shook, becoming teary as she tried to speak…

"N-N…Nej-....i?"

But she failed.

Neji hugged her.

She was a smart girl, even though her EQ wasn't so high. She needed time. His time. She would be fine after a while, she just needed to accept the reality.

For now,

"Waaaahaaaaaaa!!!"

She should just release her pent up emotions– 

"N-Neji, you bastard!! W-why didn't you p-protect them?! You were supposed t-t-to keep them safe!!!"

–On him.

She blamed him, cursing him out loud, using the very limited curses she knew, she hugged him with everything and cried.

From the side, Nejire walked in and hugged them both, starting to sob again.

Neji sat between him, being hugged and hugging them both, silently as he didn't make a sound.

Unlike the other two girls, feeling regret and anger, Neji was just feeling… sadness.

Emptiness.

He didn't like the feeling.

He never wanted to feel this again.

He wanted- no, he needed to grow strong enough to ensure that.

"..."

The power of a true God…

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