Chapter 2: You Are Someone I Cannot Forget

This girl who suddenly appeared was truly beautiful.

Her face was as clear and radiant as a pearl, yet as gentle as moonlight. Her pale violet eyes were filled with a mysterious allure that stirred the imagination.

Her shapely figure filled out the white dress perfectly. Her legs, wrapped in sheer white stockings that hinted at the color of her skin, poured into her boots like milk, creating a vision of ultimate earthly temptation.

Her slender ears swayed lightly with each step she took, a faint cherry blossom pink rising to the surface.

Loki didn’t relax after being saved; instead, he grew even more tense, his heart pounding uneasily.

Because he recognized the girl before him. He could even find newspapers at home with close-up photos of her.

“Hehe, the way you’re looking at me—it’s like you recognize me, don’t you?”

The Iron Saintess who’d recently been making a name for herself—Celulu—happily swung her legs.

*****

Come to think of it, did she just call my name?

Noticing this, Loki’s expression immediately turned wary.

“Did you… just call my name?”

“Yes.”

“…Why? I think this is the first time we’ve met.”

“The first time?”

At his words, the girl frowned, but soon relaxed, and then—

She suddenly yanked down her collar, revealing a shoulder lightly marked by a white lace strap.

On her snow-white skin was a faded Raven mark, barely recognizable.

“Who told you this was the first time we’ve met, Loki?”

Th-That’s—

The girl’s sudden action made Loki’s face fill with panic.

That was the mark of the “Hand of Truth.”

It meant she had once been one of the organization’s… caged children.

Loki’s memories rushed back. He really had crossed paths with a silver-haired, violet-eyed girl before.

But unlike Loki, she hadn’t been raised as a member of the organization, but rather treated as a medium for experiments—someone meant to communicate with the Soul Sea and channel the power of chaos.

*****

She actually became the church’s Saintess…

Uh, come to think of it, I really did do some… bad things to her in the past.

Loki couldn’t help but feel a guilty conscience, like a scumbag who’d promised his childhood sweetheart they’d get married after college, only to cheat with several women in a row.

“Your heart’s racing, your breathing’s quick… Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

As she spoke, Celulu suddenly leaned forward, her doll-like, beautiful yet slightly childish face almost brushing against Loki’s.

She grinned, squinting her eyes, and softly uttered a few syllables.

“Or… are you afraid of me?”

Loki leaned back in fright, nearly collapsing onto the floor.

“Aiya, your face looks terrible. Did this mark remind you of some unbearable memories?”

The next moment, as Loki couldn’t respond in time due to hyperventilating, the Saintess finally laughed out loud.

Her laughter bloomed like a night-blooming cereus.

“For me, though, that was actually quite a happy time.”

“Number 0013…”

Loki swallowed hard.

The “Hand of Truth” experiments were nothing but pure torment. They didn’t care if the subjects lived or died—if one was gone, they’d just kidnap another. Even Loki couldn’t interfere with every step of their process.

All he could do was give them hope to survive.

*****

So, did she come here for revenge? On me, who was once the organization’s lapdog?

With that thought, Loki hung his head in resignation.

If that was the case, he didn’t intend to resist. No matter how many excuses he found, he couldn’t deny his part in aiding evil.

“Don’t call me by that cold number, Loki. Call me Celulu. Isn’t it a cute name? It’s the heroine from the fairy tale you used to read to me, remember?”

Celulu admired the young man’s frightened look, giggling twice in delight.

She hopped down from the windowsill, patted her dress, and danced over like a butterfly, hugging Loki tightly.

Her long silver hair, a little messy from lack of care, filled Loki’s nose with the heavy scent of jasmine, making his head spin.

“I’m here to repay your kindness, Loki.”

“Repay… kindness?”

The young man stared in shock.

“That’s right. After all, it’s thanks to you that I could become who I am today. So, I came here especially to protect you.”

Celulu asked,

“Don’t believe me?”

Just four simple words, but they seemed to carry the weight of a thousand pounds. It was as if, if Loki’s answer didn’t satisfy her, those words would turn to metal and crush him flat.

“I-I believe you… Uh, but, could you let go a bit first? I’m having a little trouble breathing…”

“Nope. A reunion hug is precious, you know. I want you to remember exactly how I look and smell right now—for the rest of your life.”

Even though he still didn’t quite understand what was going on, Loki wasn’t foolish enough to ignore Celulu’s blatant intentions.

So… so heavy…

Loki felt like he was being sucked into a black hole.

“And to wash off the disgusting stench that damned ** left on you.”

Celulu’s expression darkened as she added this, kicking the woman tied up on the bed for emphasis.

But she quickly replaced the gloom with a bright smile.

“From now on, to protect you from these petty scoundrels, I’ll be staying by your side at all times.”

Loki opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but Celulu immediately released him from her soft, fragrant prison, only to raise her hand and cut him off.

Her cool fingertips carried a hint of sweetness, making Loki instinctively swirl his tongue.

“I’m not asking your opinion, Loki. And you don’t have the right to refuse. I’m just informing you of what I’m going to do next.”

“…Uh, can I ask, just how ‘close’ do you mean by ‘staying by my side’?”

“At the very least, we’ll be living together.”

“What about my privacy?”

“You don’t want to?”

For a moment, Loki’s mind drifted, imagining what it would be like to live with her, but he quickly snapped back and forced himself to remain calm.

No, something’s not right.

Don’t get seduced so easily, Loki… Remember, just a moment ago, there was a woman who tried to lure you to bed and then stab you—how could you trust Celulu so easily?

Don’t forget, she’s with the church.

In other words, this could be a deliberate honey trap, or perhaps a carefully planned act of revenge.

Realizing this, Loki immediately became extremely alert, switching into his Sigma mode.

“Didn’t you just say my answer doesn’t matter at all?”

Loki raised an eyebrow.

“Hehe, I did say that, but I still want to know what you think.”

Celulu laughed, blooming in Loki’s eyes like a bright oleander.

“Isn’t it every man’s dream to be pursued by a beautiful girl from the sky? Or do you actually prefer a childhood friend who grew up with you?”

“Why does it have to be one or the other? Personally, I think a sexy, gentle older neighbor is nice.”

Loki replied seriously.

“In any case, I refuse.”

“I knew you’d say that… What a pity, but I’ll respect your wishes.”

Celulu blinked, then waved her hand. The woman on the bed was dragged over by chains to Celulu’s side.

“I’d like to spend more time alone with you, but I have to send this woman to prison first… I hope we meet again soon, Loki.”

With those words, she took the woman who had just tried to assassinate Loki and leapt out the window.

Before leaving, she even threw him a mischievous wink.

The room finally fell completely silent, with only the faint, lingering scent of jasmine reminding him that a strange girl had just been standing here.

Loki let out a long breath and sat down against the wall.

“Phew… That almost scared me to death. I thought for sure it was another person trying to stab me.”

He rested for a while, then got up and poured himself a glass of water.

The world’s really gone to hell—these days, you can’t even go downstairs for a meal without running into a few people who want to stab you.

…Sigh, if it weren’t for blowing up with that old bastard and losing most of my strength, I wouldn’t be in such a passive situation.

Number 0013… no, Celulu.

After all these years without seeing each other or having any contact, she suddenly appears before me, saying all those heart-stirring things—

What on earth does she want?

There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Even if someone throws themselves at you, there’s always a catch.

Loki had experienced many similar situations.

Unfortunately, maybe due to his upbringing, he’d never met a girl with a pure heart.

They were either the lunatics from the “Hand of Truth,” or pathetic women hoping to climb the ladder by selling their bodies, or old enemies ready to stab him over some trivial grudge.

Could Celulu really be the exception?

Loki didn’t dare bet on it.

Beautiful flowers are either thorny or poisonous, and harmless little flowers… only get trampled in this world.

But there was no point worrying alone for half the day.

Remembering he still had important things to do, Loki returned to the windowsill and tossed a coin outside.

A Raven plummeted from the sky, cutting through the curtain of neon lights, caught the coin, and flew to Loki, obediently perching on his shoulder.

“Target’s been captured, Christine.”