After breaking up, my ex asked me to win her back-Chapter 344 - 343: The Most Tragic Future

The next morning, Kagura Hikaru, along with Komori Ai and a bunch of lilies, went up the mountain to the Shrine.

After years, the unsolved case was cracked, and Mizuno Yuna's ghost, after thirty years, regained her presence in the village, becoming the pitiable girl everyone talked about.

There were rumors that television media might come to interview and report on it, but it was uncertain if that was true or not.

As Kagura Hikaru stepped onto the stairs, the neglected Shrine he had seen the day before had disappeared. About a dozen villagers, some he knew and some he didn't, were busily cleaning the dirt around the Shrine with tools in hand, speaking and laughing with each other.

On his way there, when he noticed there were fewer dead leaves on the road, he had a premonition, and upon arriving at the Shrine and seeing such a scene, he felt a sense of inevitability.

A beautiful virtue of humanity—mending the fold after the sheep have been lost.

The Shrine, forgotten for decades, fell into neglect due to the sudden disappearance of the Shrine Maiden, turning it into a taboo that the villagers did not wish to speak of.

But with the resolution of the Shrine Maiden's murder case, the old times were uncovered in this new era. It seemed the villagers finally remembered the Shrine they had deliberately ignored for so many years. Out of respect, commemoration, and remembrance for the deceased, they spontaneously arranged to renovate the Shrine.

It was like finding an album that had been unfindable for a while, forgotten in a corner for many years, then stumbled upon while tidying the room when grown up, irresistibly curious to open and look. It was a similar sentiment.

Kagura Hikaru, with a poker face, walked toward the Shrine's main hall and stopped in front of the offering box.

As usual, he threw a 500-yen coin into it, then placed the lilies there following the ritual, rang the bell, and closed his eyes to pray.

When he opened his eyes, he didn't see that red and white figure.

Perhaps her wishes were fulfilled, and she had moved on to become a Buddha. That was for the best.

He didn't know whether he was disappointed or relieved, he sighed gently, again took Komori Ai's hand, and turned to leave.

But just like a replay of yesterday, a cheerful female voice sounded from behind him.

"Hey, you come to someone's home, place flowers, sigh, and leave. Do you think this is a graveyard?"

Kagura Hikaru calmly turned his head, looking at the proud Shrine Maiden with her hands on her hips.

"You haven't become a Buddha yet? Is it because you have too much karma left behind, and nobody wants you?"

"How rude! I was a Shrine Maiden after all, someone who served deities. How could I have any karma!"

"Nowadays, religious figures tend to be quite corrupted."

"Ah, that was true in my time too, I can't argue with that."

The Shrine Maiden, Mizuno Yuna, lightly leaped down, touched the flowers as if her hand were in the air, and then looked around the Shrine with a smile.

The villagers were voluntarily restoring the Shrine.

Although it was just cleaning up, since the main hall had been in disrepair for years, restoring its former glory would probably require rebuilding, and the village might not be willing to spend that money.

But to be able to see everyone coming to visit the Shrine after such a long time, she was very happy.

"Over there is the older sister from the Inoue family; oh, she should be called grandma now. I used to play at her house when I was a child, they even bought a game console."

"Mr. Akita, he's still alive... Mr. Akita used to teach calligraphy, but he retired before I inherited the Shrine."

"Eh, that person, is that Naruse? Haha, the little girl who used to chase after me has grown up, look at all those wrinkles on her face. Not like me, eternally young!"

Mizuno Yuna seemed to recognize every person who came to the Shrine, pointing them out to Kagura Hikaru one by one.

Just by reading the text, she seemed to be speaking with a smile, and she indeed was, but Kagura Hikaru could hear the hidden sorrow in her voice.

A deceased Mizuno Yuna, still lingering in the human world, was like an existence in a mirror, unable to pass through the mirror to reach the real world, she could only watch from the sidelines.

For thirty years, she might have seen the killer who took her life pass by over and over again, shouted and screamed to assert her existence, but it was all in vain.

Because she was already dead, unrelated to the living.

She knew everyone's name here and could recognize them, which meant that Mizuno Yuna had always been observing this village. You couldn't possibly recognize how childhood friends now looked if you only stayed at the Shrine, unmoving.

Realizing this only made Kagura Hikaru feel even more sorrowful.

There is nothing more painful and difficult than persistently doing something that is absolutely impossible to complete.

For thirty years, Mizuno Yuna continued to observe the acquaintances from her life, whether they were happy or sad, unable to exert any influence, only able to wander nearby unseen. If she hadn't become a ghost, her spirit probably would have collapsed long ago.

"I... I'm leaving today," Kagura Hikaru said to the Shrine Maiden.

"Leaving?" The Shrine Maiden was taken aback. "Where to?"

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"Tokyo. I need to go back to school."

"Is that so."

"I'll come back to see you during the summer and New Year's."

After finishing his words, Kagura Hikaru nodded, turned, and walked away.

Komori Ai looked back at the Shrine Maiden, followed without hesitation.

The Shrine Maiden raised her hand as if to hold them back, but in the end, she pulled it back and revealed a relieved smile. She shouted after them, "Next time you come, bring a gift! Otherwise, there's no way I'll let you off easy, little brother Kagura!"

A smile tugged at the corners of Kagura Hikaru's heart. He took Komori Ai by the hand and walked down the mountain.

However, as he descended the steps leading to the Shrine, a small accident occurred. He was suddenly pulled into a Foresight of the future.

Having been tricked by his new ability so many times, Kagura Hikaru was already used to it. At this moment, he simply maintained his calm and watched where the future image led.

The future shown to him was situated on a train station platform, and unusually, he could see himself, in his school uniform, suggesting the time point must not be far off.

But the 'him' in that future looked off—sweating profusely, trembling all over, both hands covering his ears, back bent over, a look of utter defeat on his face, almost like he was resigned to his miserable fate.

Yet, what surprised Kagura Hikaru the most was the absence of Komori Ai beside 'himself' in that future, even though they were always together.

On the other side of the tracks, the train clicked and clacked closer to the platform, emitting sharp braking noises, and just as the train was about to stop, Kagura Hikaru saw 'himself' wander past the yellow line in a daze and leap from the platform.

Immediately after, a burst of invisible blood spattered beneath the frame, and shocked screams echoed from the platform.

That was where the future image ended. Kagura Hikaru opened his eyes, back at the foot of the Shrine steps, surrounded by verdant woods and warm sunlight.

...So that's how it is.

Kagura Hikaru stood still for a few seconds, his grip tightening on Komori Ai's hand, his thoughts tinged with bitterness.

He had always wondered why, even though he could see himself in visions of the Predict Future, he never saw a future far off, only images of his high school years.

Previously, he might have fooled himself with bad luck, but after seeing the real answer, he could no longer ignore the possibility.

—The reason he could not see an older version of himself was that he would die before ever growing up.

Naturally, asking for a future from someone who has none will yield nothing.

Kagura Hikaru turned to look back up the stairs at the Shrine, where the Shrine Maiden existed, a dark light flickering in his eyes.

He might have to break his promise.