The muzzle of the gun firmly points at the the back of the man's head, giving pressure on him. This is not only the physical pressure, but also fear of death.

"I have told you, don't touch my friend. And now you should bear your fault... "

With Yume's cold voice, her index finger slips into the gap of the trigger guard rests on the trigger.

"And go to the hell! "

Bomp!

A red hair girl pants when she is wrapping her arms around Yume's body. Her hands clutch Yume's one. And the gun is pointing at the ground only 1 inch near the man's body...

The man stares at the firing trace on the ground in front of him. Only inch left... From his pale face and blanked eyes, you will know how frightened he was just a few seconds before.

"Ako!"

Yume pushes the girl behind her away, throwing her to the ground.

"Why did you stop me from killing him?! He almost raped you!!!" Rage can be seen from her blood red eyes.

Ako half lays on the ground, staring at Yume. Pain from her wounds spreads all over her body. At the same time, fear slowly rises from her spine. She understands her reactions to her stepfather, but is unable to believe that she will treat her the same way.

No mercy...

Is the real Yume already killed by her crazy, ruthless stepfather...?

She suddenly remembers a scene... She watched Yume being tortured by him...

Maybe she also bears the responsibility by forcing Yume to face the hell...

Small noises come behind Yume. She hears it and quickly turns back with a motion of pointing the gun...

Bomp!

"Ahh!!!"

Bright red blood stream flows out from the flesh. It traces a red path on the leg to the ground.

"Are you going to escape?" Yume smiles brightly.

Her stepfather embraces his right leg with tears around his eyes corners, shivering violently. "N-no... no... " He looks at the ground, afraid of staring his step daughter's eyes.

"P-please... release me... I still have a wife at home..." He suddenly widens his eyes and stares at Yume with pled, "Your lovely stepmother! Do you remember her? She took care of you and cooked you delicious food everyday in the past! She... "

Bomp!

"Shut up!!!" Yume shouts when a bullet flies near his cheek, digging into the floor. A blood red line is left on his cheek.

"You said that she is my lovely stepmother? She took care of me? She cooked delicious food for me everyday? Are you kidding me?" Her smile fades. "She never took care of me, even I was seriously ill. She just threw me in the storage room and watched me survived or died the next day... She never cooked food for me with her true heart. I just ate your remains! Is that called a happy life? The most important thing is... "

Her hand with gun slowly rises again and points at his head.

"If you and she really loved me and saw me as your daughter, would you plan to kill me?"

At this moment, her eyes are not only filled with rage, but also sorrow...

"You just saw me as your tool to earn money. Otherwise, would you save me in the alley? In your family, I was always an outsider... Was there any love to me?"

His face turns more pale as his plan fails. He cannot refute as he knows that he cannot lie to himself.

"I-I am s-sorry... "

"Can a word 'sorry' replace all the pain in my life?" Her index finger rests on the trigger again. "And your phoney face has already betrayed you... "

Sweats form on his forehead as he finds her finger presses even harder. If his leg was not hurt, he might have a chance to struggle and flee. However, the reality is always harsh. He can only close his eyes so as not to see how he dies because of himself.

"YUME! IS IT WHAT YOU REALLY WANT?"

Yume feels herself tremble slightly, but she quickly calms down herself.

"Yes, it is what I want. I want him die."

Ako barely stands up abd strumbles to her.

"Is it your real answer?"

"Yes..."

"In my mind, Nijino Yume was a kind girl. Even she was grown in a dark family, she still had love and mercy... She knew how to love and forgive the others... "

Yume feels her hands quiver. She cannot point the gun accurately at her stepfather.

"Are you the Yume in my mind? ..."

Yume's heart arches when hearing these words. She starts considering what she was done. Are she the real Yume? She starts questioning herself.

"And are you the Yume who is loved the most by Subaru?"

These words stab at her heart, just like million of blades.

Yes... Ako is right. She was actually being blinded by her hatred and rage. Her kindness and mercy were all being covered by coldness and cruelty. She lost herself in her hostility. This is definitely not the girl Subaru loved. This is not the girl who is cared by her friends and her fans...

Unconsiously, her gun slowly slips off her hand and drops on the ground. Tears form around her eyes. And now, the darkness in her eyes is already faded.

"S-sorry... Sorry... " She murmurs with her trembling lips. She instantly turns around and pulls Ako into a tight hug.

"SORRY!!! AKO CHAN!!!" She cries out when burying her face in Ako's shoulder.

Ako feels warmth in her eyes too. She closes her eyes when wrapping her arms around the girl. Tears slowly stream down her cheeks.

"It is fine... I am glad that my best friend Yume is finally come back... "

"But please release me as you are adding pressure on my wounds."

Yume jumps back with a red face. "S-sorry..."

Ako giggles at her reaction, especially at her lovely red face.

"It is so touching to see you two cry together..."

Yume and Ako shiver as they hear this voice. Their eyes quickly focus on the source of the voice. Yume's stepfather stands up with the help of a iron stick and points the gun at them. A terrible smirk is shwn on his face.

"I have no need to act disgustingly nice on you since now I am the ruler of the gun. And I will end your lives... Yume, let's me tell your why you lose. The only reason is... "

"You have love and mercy..."