Chapter 198: Saving Kohaku? (Bonus)

Moon chefs love giving titles to characters from Type-Moon works. Among them are positive ones like the Four Heroines of Type-Moon, humorous ones like the Four Heavenly Kings, and even ones filled with regret—the Four Fallen Girls of Type-Moon. Matou Sakura, Asagami Fujino, Kohaku, and Caren Hortensia—are the four female characters that bring the most regret to Moon chefs.

Among them, Sakura and Fujino have already had their fates changed by Shinji, and the uncontrollable aspects of their fallen status have completely disappeared. Now, let's talk about the story of the third fallen girl, Kohaku, also known as Amber.

Kohaku was born into a branch of the Fujou family(Kirie's family). Due to her mother breaking a taboo, the family fell into decline, leaving only young Kohaku and her twin sister, Hisui.

Kohaku and Hisui have the ability of ESP: Synchronization, which allows them to transfer their abilities to designated individuals through bodily fluids. Makihisa Tohno, recognizing the potential of the sisters' abilities, adopted both of them.

Suppressing the "Inversion Impulse" requires immense energy and physical strength. With the sisters' mutual empathy, Makihisa, who was old and weak, could replenish his stamina when the "Inversion Impulse" occurred, avoiding being consumed by it.

And so, the nightmare began.

On Kohaku's eighth birthday, Makihisa called her to his room under the pretext of giving her a birthday gift and violated her—this was the most efficient way to utilize their synchronization abilities.

After learning the truth about their adoption, Kohaku and Makihisa made an agreement: Makihisa could do anything to her, but he couldn't harm Hisui. Since then, young Kohaku became a tool for maintaining Makihisa's mental state, enduring his violations day after day.

During the "Inversion Impulse," the hybrid beings become no different from beasts. Kohaku suffered hellish pain every day, and her mind gradually deteriorated with the continuous violations.

She imagined herself as a doll so she could ignore the pain. However, she was not truly a doll; she was a human with human emotions. Amidst the relentless violations, seeds of hatred were deeply embedded in her heart, taking root, sprouting, and growing vigorously.

This hellish life continued until Akiha Tohno, at the age of fourteen and in her second year of middle school, learned about Makihisa's relationship with Kohaku. Akiha protested against Makihisa, and only then could Kohaku work as a servant in the Tohno household. However, it was already too late—hatred had twisted Kohaku's soul.

Finally gaining her freedom, Kohaku began planning her revenge against the Tohno family. She wanted to destroy them. In the five worldlines of "Tsukihime," regardless of the timeline, Kohaku would first kill Makihisa Tohno and then unleash the flames of revenge upon Akiha and Shiki, leading to a series of tragedies. In some timelines, Shiki also sacrifices his life for this cause.

Was Kohaku wrong? No, she had suffered inhumane treatment, and seeking revenge was not unjustified.

Were Akiha and Shiki wrong? No, they had not done anything excessive to Kohakku.

Was Shiki wrong? Absolutely not. Shiki was the only light in young Kohaku's heart.

The one who was truly at fault was Makihisa Tohno. Compared to Zouken Matou, who had become a monstrous figure in this world, Makihisa Tohno was the true embodiment of all wrongdoing, deserving countless deaths.

The problem is, that killing Makihisa now would be pointless. Simply killing him would not be enough to quench the fire of revenge burning in Kohaku's heart. Furthermore, if the plan leaked, Kohaku would have to face the revenge of the Tohno family.

The Tohno family is not like the dying Matou family. They are deeply rooted in the Tokyo area, with many branches and vast influence. The number of their ability users far surpasses the Matou family. If a conflict were to erupt, the consequences would be unimaginable. Shinji would not sacrifice so much for a girl unrelated to him.

But if he does nothing and watches the tragedy unfold, he feels a bit unwilling. He was in this dilemma until Touko asked about it today, and he finally vented his frustrations.

At this moment, Shinji only had Touko by his side. Mikiya was sent to take care of Shiki Tohno, and Shiki Ryougi was taken away to serve as the technical advisor for Fujino and Sakura. Mikiya is just an ordinary person, and Shinji doesn't want him to get too involved. As for Shiki, she seems cold but is easily swayed by emotions. Shinji has no idea what she might do. She could go and kill Makihisa directly.

The only person Shinji trusts is Touko—mature, rational, and composed. In exaggerated terms, Touko's way of doing things is similar to Scathach's, so Shinji chooses to confide in her.

After listening to Kohaku's story and Shinji's dilemma, Touko's initial reaction was not comforting or strategizing; she laughed, unabashedly, destroying her image as an intellectual beauty.

"Hey, I came to discuss with you, not to be laughed at," Shinji felt the urge to punch someone.

"Hahaha, sorry, sorry, I just couldn't help it," Touko covered her stomach, laughing uncontrollably. "I didn't expect you to be such a righteous person. It's truly admirable."

"In the world of magecraft, this is no different from insulting me directly."

Most magus are rational, cold, selfish, and willing to sacrifice without hesitation, be it their own life or others, as long as it's for the sake of magecraft. The so-called sense of justice is something mainstream magus must abandon. If they can't abandon it, they are considered unfit.

"You always say that you're an unfit magus, so you shouldn't mind, right?"

"I thought I wouldn't mind, but now that I've heard it, it still feels quite grating," Shinji said with a bitter expression. Touko restrained her laughter, gently patting his head.

"It's supposed to be grating because humans are inherently contradictory. We seek unity within the spiral of contradictions. Not every magus abandons emotions; they just appear more subdued compared to ordinary people. If you, Sakura, or Fujino were in trouble, I wouldn't just stand idly by. However, it's strange, even pathological, to be troubled by someone unrelated to you. Of course, if it's an interest in her abilities, that's another matter. Shinji, are you interested in her abilities?"

Shinji shook his head, emphasizing that such powers were almost useless for someone who had eaten a Golden Apple.

"Why is that? You're not having mental issues, are you?" Touko moved closer, scrutinizing Shinji's eyes as if she wanted to see into his soul.

"No, this kind of emotion is similar to someone being attracted to characters in a novel, investing feelings in fictional roles, just like someone being attracted to your dolls."

Most people would consider this a foolish answer, but it relieved Touko.

"I see, so that's it. Then there's no problem. Many magus, especially those like me who are devoted to creation, have similar feelings. Although you're a little different, it's just a problem with the direction, perhaps influenced by the emotional fluctuations she released when you infiltrated, or maybe you accidentally accessed something. The spiritual power of a shrine maiden and a magus is naturally stronger than that of an ordinary person, so it's not strange to encounter such a situation. Rest assured, you're normal, I can assure you of that."

"Thank you," Shinji sincerely thanked her, not for the seemingly correct analysis, but for the concern she showed.

Touko raised her head, and gently pushed her glasses, hiding the change in her expression from Shinji. It was a softness that not even her younger sister, Aoko, had seen.

"Really, spending so much time with all of you is starting to make me feel unlike myself."

PS: Huh? When did Shinji become a fan of older women?

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