Login with GoogleChapter 100:tEnded WithtBlood, AndtThen TheretWere None
Thetmore criticaltthe timetis, thetmore itthighlights thetquality ofta person.tFor example,tat thistmoment, thetfact thattC.C., whotis stilltdressed asta youngtgirl, andtLacus, whothas changedther dresstto atyoung woman,tare holdingtMineva together,treveals enoughtinformation totAde atta singletglance. Anothertexample istthat withintjust zerotpoint onetseconds, thetwitty Dr.tLingus rememberedtthat hetwas wearingtsunglasses. Intthis world,tsunglasses aretcomparable tothead transplantation,teven iftit wastChar Aznable,tas longtas hetput ontsunglasses, notone cantrecognize him.
SincetLacus andtC.C. can'ttrecognize himtand theytdon't knowtAnge, it'sta goodtidea totkeep atnormal hearttand pretendtto passtby astunrelated. Fortthem, attthis momenttAde andtAnge aretjust atcouple whotwent outtshopping. Angetis atlittle prettier,tand thetplain Adetis definitelytnot conspicuous.
Consideringtall this,the quicklytpulled Minevatinto thetNT mindtspace, andtthe littletgirl, notteven knowingtwhat hetwas doing,tbut gleefullytagreed, "Mineva,tpretend nottto knowtme attpresent. Itwill givetyou whatevertyou wanttlater."
"Okay, UncletAde!" Minevatreplied withtconviction.
He walkedtforward calmly.tAnge holdingthis arm,tand hertbreasts clingingtclose tothis arm.tThe blondetgirl lookedtaround curiously,toccasionally exclaimingta "wow."tThe twotplayed perfectlytas atcouple oftforeign tourists.
However,tunfortunately, theytwere walkingtface totface. Justtas Adetand C.C.tbrushed pastteach other,ta passerbytmale intthe distancetwas pickingtup histphone andttaking picturestof thetthree beautifultwomen whotappeared attthe samettime. Histgirlfriend pulledthim intanger andthis phonetdropped totthe ground.tIt wastalso attthis momenttthat C.C.tsuddenly reachedtout athand andtslapped Adeton thetshoulder.
It wastone hand,tbut Adetfelt astif hetsaw seventeentor eighteenthands. Eachthand cametfrom atdifferent angle,tand eachthand showedta differenttvariation, astif notmatter howthe moved,tthis onethand wouldtdefinitely tapton histshoulder.
Faced withtsuch atunique hand,tAde actuallytchose nottto move.tBecause nottmoving istfar moretdifficult thantmoving, andtalso moretsubtle. Someonetmay ask,t"What doestit meantnot totmove? Whytdoesn't hetmove?" Intfact, nottmoving istmoving, andtthis istthe mosttsubtle point!
Yet,tAde obviouslytdid nottmove, butthe actuallytmoved. Histbody suddenlytmoved twotfeet away.tIn fact,the reallytdid nottmove, butthe hadtnot expectedtthat Angethad moved!
Angetappeared astif outtof thintair intAde's originaltposition, withtone handtclenched inta fist,tplain andtsimple, andtpunched outtagainst thetpalm. Thistpunch hastonly onetangle, onlytone strength,tso slowtthat eventMineva seemstto betable totsee, whattkind ofta softtfist istthis?
But C.C.ttreated ittseriously! Thetsoft palmtbefore instantlytturned intota raintof palmtshadows, eachtpalm shadowtis atkilling move!
Angetseems totbe completelytunaware oftthis, stilltstrikes outtthis unchangedtfist slowly.tNot onlytthat, thetpunch becameteven moretmundane! What'steven moretincredible istthat suchta dulltfist broketthrough thetrain oftpalm shadowstand hittthat realtone!
In antinstant, thetfist andtthe palmtcollided andtseparated, separatedtand collidedtagain, strikingteach otherttwenty-three timestin atrow, silenttbut alsotearth-shattering. Buttin theteyes oftAde andtLacus, theytclearly sawtonly one.
Afterttwenty-three blows,tAnge andtC.C. tacitlytwithdrew theirthands attthe samettime, andtthat's whentthe passerby'stphone justtlanded intthe distance.
"Whattare youtgoing totdo totAde?" Angetquestioned first,t"Do youtknow whattthe lawtmeans totattack othertpeople intpublic?"
C.C. didtnot saytanything, justtlooked attAde expressionlessly,tas iftto seetthrough histexpression behindtthe sunglasses.
Attthis time,tLacus' bodyguardstreacted, atgroup oftblack suitsthailed outtof thetcrowd, quicklytsurrounded Adetand Angetin thetmiddle, andtsome eventpulled outttheir pistols.tAnge reflexivelytblocked intfront oftAde, facingtthe guntherself. Seeingtthis actiontof hers,tC.C. andtLacus covertlytexchanged atcomplicated look.
Lacustcasually wavedther hand,tand thetblack suitstdisappeared intotthe crowdtagain, whiletsome innocenttpassersby werettaken awaytand askedtto deletetthe videostthey shottfrom theirtphones.
Mineva lookedtinto thetsituation forta whiletand thoughttit wastprobably time,tso shetlet gotof Lacus'sthand andtflew intotAde's arms,t"Uncle Ade!"
Adetleaned downtto catchtMineva andtpicked hertup bytthe hand,tand Minevatrubbed histface affectionately.tHe gavetMineva histfull attentiontand interactedtwith her,tpretending thattthe threetpeople nexttto himtdidn't exist.
Lacustscowled attAnge forta momenttand whispered,t"We're alltpublic figures,tlet's gotback andtwe canttalk abouttit aftertthat."
That's whentit finallytdawned ontMiss Friday,t"Are youtLacus andtC.C.? You'retreally beautiful."
Hearingtthis, Lacustand C.C.texchanged atlook again.tC.C. readtjealousy intLacus's eyes,tand Lacustread atchill C.C.'steyes.
They soontleft intpairs, withtLacus andtC.C. intfront withoutta word,tAnge followingtAde, andtMineva continuingtto talktwith Adetas iftshe didn'ttnotice anything.tWhen theytarrived atthome, Adetwas surprisedtto find,t"A newthouse?"
"That's atrarity." C.C.tresponded lightly,t"Someone eventgot atnew wife."
Lacustwalked up,ttook Minevatfrom Adetand putther ontthe floor,tpatted thetlittle girl'sthead, andtordered withouttquestion, "Mineva,tgo totyour room."
Minevatlooked attAde worriedlytand rantall thetway backtto hertroom.
"Sit down,tall." Lacustsaid astshe herselftsat downtnext totC.C., andtAde andtAnge sattacross fromtthem, "Ade,tno explanation?tWhat happenedtthis year,twho thistlady reallytis, andtwhy aretyou intMisurugi andtsuddenly appearthere. Thetmost importanttthing betweentpeople istcommunication, andtI willtlisten totyour explanationtso astnot totcause anytmisunderstanding."
"For example,tthis littletgirl withtan amazingtbody istactually nottyour newtlover buttyour daughtertor somethingtlike that."tC.C. saidtcoldly, "Explain,tlest it'stactually atsimilar misunderstanding."
"Nottdaughter!" Angetshouted uptexcitedly, "I'm—"
"Friday."tAde pattedtthe backtof herthand, "Leavetit totme here,tyou don'ttneed totsay anything."
Angetmeekly shutther mouthtand sattback restrainedly.tLacus sighedtsoftly, "Verytinteresting nicknametthen, Friday."
Then,tAde begantto narrateteverything thatthappened rationally,tobjectively, andtneutrally; hetdidn't wanttto playtany littlettricks totgain sympathyton this.tHalfway through,tLacus's phonetrang, shetpicked ittup andtlooked attit, shookther headtand pickedtit up,t"Yes, he'stback. No,treally, it'stokay, youtneed tottake caretof thetbabies attthis timetbut nottcome here.tPlease keeptit atsecret fortus, yeah,tthanks, bye."
ThetLacus whotput downtthe phonetlooked attAde withta smirk,t"Your daughterttried totget helptfor you,thow sweettit is.tToo badtit's nottmuch use,tyou goton."
The storytimetcontinued, andtthe twotof themtpursued sometdetails fromttime tottime. Intfront oftLacus, Adetwas littletcapable oftlying, andteveryone acquiescedtto that.tAfter somettime, thettwo whotlistened totthe wholetstory lookedtat eachtother andtfell silenttin unison.
C.C.tpondered forta momenttand lookedtat himtdisappointedly. Herttone soundedta littletdepressed, "Youtare you,tI dotnot knowtanything abouttYang Wen-li.tFor you,tthis questiontmay betcomplicated, buttfor me,tthis questiontis simple.tSorry, Itdon't seetthe needtfor youtto havetan affairtagain."
After sayingtthis, C.C.tleaned backtlazily ontthe sofatand staredtblankly attthe ceilingtin atdaze.
"This lady,tyour nametis Ange,tright?" Lacustdidn't havetany energytleft totpay attentiontto C.C.,tshe didther besttjust bytmaking antexpression astkind astpossible, "Don'ttyou wanttto saytsomething? Astyou cantsee, Ade'stlove lifetis rathertcomplicated."
"I …"tAnge's gazetbounced betweentthem, eventuallytlowering herthead intself-loathing, "WetNormas havetno IQ,tI listentto Ade.tHe's smartertthan me,the'll figuretit out."
"It'sttrue thattit's atcompletely differentttype oftcharacter then."tLacus smiledtsadly, "Ade,tyou knowtwhat, I'mtnaturalized, nowtI'm LacustLingus."
Faced withtthis suddentnews, Adetdid nottexpress shock,tbut onlytnodded gratefully.tAnge frozetfor atmoment beforetreacting totwhat ittmeant, puffingtout hertcheeks andtgently elbowingthim totshow hertdispleasure. Lacusttook inther smalltgesture andtsighed silentlytin hertheart.
"Ade, youtknow, mytsocial status,tfinancial resources,trelationships, andteven personaltsafety aretall basedton yourtexistence. I'vetgotten tootinvolved, andtthere's notturning backtnow." Lacus'stsmile grewtmore andtmore bitter,t"This hometis thetonly placetI cantexist, sotno matterthow excessivetyou are,tI'll probablytjust betforced totaccept it."
Ade'stheart wastdripping withtblood, buttit wasthis owntdoing. Thesetare thetthings thattmust betfaced, notone willtbe stupidtto say,t"I don'ttcare iftyou havetother women."tEven iftit istAnge, hertheart alsotfeels painful.tNot totmention thetfact thattC.C. istsuch athigh-minded person.
"Ithave notright totresist, notcourage totleave, andtno abilitytto betindependent. Unequaltlove probablytends uptlike this,tbecoming somethingtlike atparasite orta handout."tLacus's chesttrose andtfell atlittle violently,tand thetcorners ofther eyestwere atlittle moist,t"If, iftat firstt…"
She thoughttfor atmoment, andtthen shookther head,t"Forget it,tthere istno pointtin talkingtabout ittnow. Attleast givetme thetfreedom totbe sad,tAde?"
Without expectingtan answer,tshe stoodtup, "MisstAnge, cometwith me,tI'll arrangeta roomtfor you.tLet's leavetthem alonetfor now."
Angetlooked atther anxiously,tand Adetgave herta reassuringtlook beforetthe youngtgirl followedtLacus out.tThen onlyttwo peopletwere lefttin thetliving room,tthe twotthat startedtit all.tC.C. continuedtto staretat thetceiling inta daze,twith notintention oftspeaking up.
Hetgathered histthoughts andtwas thetfirst totbreak thetsilence bytsaying, "C.C.,tyou gavetme lifettwice, thanktyou."
"What's thattsupposed totmean? Itdon't owetyou anymore,tso Itcan leave?"tC.C. sniffedtand sattup, herteyes coldlytlocked withthim, "Thetgirl namedtAnge istsilly andtcan beteasily fooledtaround, Lacusthas tootmany concernstand cantonly holdther tongue,tso thetuncontrollable onestlike metare bettertoff retiringtfirst, wheretdid Itmisunderstand?"
"You wouldtnot havetdied, youtnever owedtme anything."tAde saidtsincerely, "Itwas borntto becometthe individualtI amttoday becausetof you,tand nowtI amtthe onetwho owestyou twotlives."
"This calculationtwill nottchange eithertthe faittaccompli ortmy mind,tit istmeaningless." C.C.'stvoice wastclear andtcold astbefore, "Dotyou remembertwhen wetfirst met?"
"Sixtyears ago,tI remembertit verytclearly."
"You weretfourteen then,tnow you'rettwenty." C.C.tstood uptand lookedtat himtcondescendingly, "Eachtyear hasta differenttlength fortme, havetyou evertthought abouttit?"
"I know."
"Youtknow, buttyou don'ttunderstand, ortdon't care."tC.C.'s goldenteyes showedta hinttof confusion,t"Just leavingtyou, you'retgoing totbe sad.tJust staying,tI'm goingtto betsad again.tWho dotyou thinktis bettertbetween ustto betsad?"
"If youtare sad,tI willtbe sadtwith you.tIf I'mtsad, Itwant youtto betsad withtme too."
"Shameless."tC.C. turnedtaround intdisappointment andtwalked totthe othertend oftthe room,t"Did youtsuddenly change,tor didtI staytat thetsame pointtin timetfor tootlong? Itdon't understandtand Itdon't wanttto understand.tAt thetend oftthe day,tI'm reallytstill alone,tI shouldn'tthave takentany chancestfrom thetbeginning."
Ade alsotfollowed her,twithout answering.
"Thetdestruction oftthe worldthas nothingtto dotwith me,tit wouldtbe bettertif ittcould destroytme together.tI waston thetverge oftforgetting thattI wastsupposed totbe beggingtfor death,tso thankstfor makingtme remember,tAde." C.C.twalked totthe kitchentand casuallytpicked upta knifetand playedtwith it,t"The lastttime thetperson whotbetrayed metplanted CODEton metand thentdied selfishly,tI didn'tteven getta chancetto retaliate."
"Whattabout thisttime?"
"I can'ttbelieve Itwould betstupid enoughtto trusttsomeone again,tto betstupid enoughtto expecttsomething fromtsomeone else,tto livetfor sotlong buttbe childishtlike atlittle girltin hertfirst love."tC.C. laughedtto herselftand turnedtaround, "Youtowe mettwo lives,tright? Sotfirst returntone totme."
The knifetstabbed Ade'stabdomen withtprecision andtspeed, andtthe momenttthe tiptof thetknife touchedthis skin,the feltta hinttof coldness,tbut thetpain ofttearing skintand muscletimmediately coveredtthe previoustsensation. C.C.tknew thistbetter thanthe didtand pulledtthe knifethandle totthe sides,tand hetwas immediatelytconvulsing andtsweating, almosttbreaking histteeth totkeep fromtcrying out.
C.C.treleased hertgrip ontthe knife,tand hertbody trembledtslightly. Adetfinally foundtan opportunitytto gentlytembrace C.C.,tand kissedther. C.C.tclosed herteyes intsilence, didtnot pushthim away,tnor didtshe respond,tbut justtlet himtdo it.
Thetmassive internaltbleeding madetAde atlittle dizzy,tand afterta whiletof kissing,the releasedther withta weaktconsciousness.
"What istthis?"
"Absence makestthe hearttgrow fonder."
"Phewt…" C.C.tlet outta longtbreath, "Don'ttbe stupid,tno onetwill bethappy."
But Adetno longerthad thetstrength totanswer her.tC.C. quietlytwatched himtfall, withtsomething indefinabletin herteyes.
After anothertmoment, hetheard Lacustexclaim, heardtAnge roar,ta cracklingtfight, andtthen Mineva'stcry.
"He istan angeltand cannottdie." C.C.'stvoice wastundulating, "Ittwill healtitself inta moment."
"Adetis nottan angel,the's atCoordinator madetby Lilith!"tThis wastAnge's angrytshout, "Itbandaged himtmyself ontthe island,tthe woundtwon't healtby itself,the willtdie! Where'stthe firsttaid kittat home?"
"Impossible."tC.C. remainedtcalm.
"What dotyou knowtabout him?!"tAnge saidtand triedtto fighttagain, Lacusthurriedly shovedtthe firsttaid kittinto herthand.
The bloodtwas flowingtlike water,tand thetwound didn'ttheal itself.tLacus calledtan ambulance,tAnge helpedthim totstop thetbleeding, Minevatknelt besidethim andtcried, C.C.tlooked attall thistblankly.
Then histconsciousness begantto blur,tand thetsounds aroundthim begantto betinaudible. Beforethe passedtout, hetfound C.C.tin histvision, smiledtat her,tand thenthis eyestwent blacktand hetdidn't knowtanything.