Shiki was seen walking outside as he simply wore a long sleeved black shirt, matching pants, and white sneakers as he was looking at his phone. Shiranui sent him an address earlier and he was going to check if they kept their word. While Shiki was walking, he couldn't help but let his mind wonder.

"What should I do when i'm done there? I should definitely contact Mirei afterwards. Maybe go see Megumi and Olivia next?"

As Shiki was thinking to himself, he looked around and saw that he was at his destination. Right now, the young man was walking into Miyagi cemetery. While doing this, he looked around and tried to find a grave with Rika's name on it. After about thirty minutes of walking, the glasses wearing boy finally found it. Right before him was a grave that had the name Kurogane Rika on it.

"............."

"In my eyes, Mr.Shiki is the nicest person!"

"I'm not some hero of justice who wants to save everyone, Rika. The only reason I took the mission was because I joined the church simply because I wanted to preserve the things in my own life. If you were still alive, what face would you make if I told you that? That I only saved you because I happened to be there. That i'm the one who killed your father and destroyed the only place you knew well enough to call home."

Shiki soon placed his hands together as he paid his respects to the girl. While this happened, the boy was thinking to himself. No matter how many times he beats himself up and keeps asking for forgiveness, the sins he committed will never be erased. The best he could do was try to prevent an incident like Jinoshima from happening again. However, that was easier said than done.

"Fushiguro Toji......that man has the body that carry out any idea his mind comes up with by pure reflex and can act faster as a result. What I need to do to get stronger is to make my own body stronger, strong enough so that when I come up with a plan in battle, it can react accordingly. I bet my senpai got even stronger while I was gone, I can't get left behind. I need to get stronger so I can be more prepared and be able to act accordingly."

After paying his respects to Rika and finishing his plan out in his head, Shiki began to let a sigh escape from his lips as he walked away. While the boy was walking, he took out his phone as he began to call someone. The moment he got an answer, a small smile appeared on his face.

"Hey Mirei, i'm back from my trip. I'm sorry I didn't tell you the moment I got back, I guess I was more exhausted than I thought."

"I'm just glad you're back and doing well! Are you going to be free this weekend?"

"Four days from now? Sure, sounds like a plan to me."

"Great. Also......glad to have you back, dumbass."

After saying her piece, Mirei hung up the phone as Shiki merely chuckled at this situation. He knew he was gonna get an earful once they met up, yet that didn't bother him at all. For now, Shiki was going to head over to see how Megumi and Olivia were doing. However, before the boy could set out to meet them, he saw a familiar figure walking by him.

"Ochita-san. Is that you?"

"Ah, Koritsu-kun. I believe this is the first time we met outside of the church."

As he heard the priest speak, Shiki couldn't help but be surprised seeing Ochita in casual attire. The man wore a long, black coat and a white button-down shirt underneath. He also had on black jeans and shoes as he had a necklace around his neck that had a silver cross on it.

"Ochita-san can actually chill?!"

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Just surprised to see you outside your usual priest attire."

"I see. Koritsu-kun, can you accompany me for a moment?"

As Ochita said this, Shiki merely nods his head as he didn't really have that many plans for today. While the two of them began to walk, Shiki couldn't help but stare at Ochita. He could never get a good read on what the man was thinking and they never really talked outside of what happens in the church. Maybe this was his chance to get to know the man better.

"So........ Ochita-san, i'm curious about something. How did you and Megumi-senpai meet exactly?"

"It was quite sometime ago, her situation is a little similar to yours. One day, I was tasked with eliminating a number of ghouls that attacked a small village. After completing the mission, I saw a young girl with glowing red eyes and fangs holding onto the corpse of her parents with tears down her eyes. Seeing her appearance and feeling the enormous amount of mana from her, I knew she wasn't human and should have been killed on the spot......but...."

As Shiki listened closely to every word Ochita said, he took a quick look at his surroundings and his eyes widen in shock. They were currently standing inside a park as the two sat down on a bench. Shiki knew this place too well. It was the same park where he first encountered Merkava and Megumi.

"When I saw her, I didn't see a monster out for blood like I usually exterminate. All I saw was a little girl who lost her family, home, everything. All because of the blood that courses through her veins. That's why, I made the same plea to the organization for her as I did when recruiting you."

"What was the plea?"

"That you and Megumi would both be under my care. Should either of you act out of line, I will claim my own life and any assets I accumulated over the years will go to the organization. In exchange, you two must leave the organization and Japan all together. But your lives will be spared."

Shiki couldn't hide the look of shock on his face. Was Ochita really risking everything just by keeping Megumi and himself around? Why would he do that? Why would he go so far for them? The glasses wearing boy couldn't wrap his head around this.

"But.....why me? I can kind of understand Megumi, but why spare me?"

"The one thing we human's can't take back is time. We only live once, experience youth once, grow old once, and die once. The way the organization is going is too outdated and unforgiving. We of the older generation shouldn't punish the young just because of our mistakes in the past. You weren't at this park to witness the supernatural world knowingly. You just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. If you told anyone else, they wouldn't believe you and just call you a nut, so why should we kill you?"

As Ochita said this, he looked down at his own hands. For a split second, he saw blood on those hands and the very ground. For a split second, he saw the dead body of his best friend's son right in front of him. In that split second, Ochita saw that he killed Fushiguro Megumi with his own hands.

"A priest is suppose to help with guidance on one's path, not to end it early. For once, even at the cost of my life, I want these hands to save a person instead of robbing them of a future. I can't erase my sin and what I did in the past, but maybe....just maybe.....I can change the future. If not for myself, then for the next generation to flourish."

"..........."

"You know, Shiranui relayed everything to me. Since i'm in charge of you, any results of a mission you do get directed to me as well."

Shiki's face began to turn pale. Ochita knew, he knew everything about what he did on Jinoshima. From killing the girl he was suppose to save, to letting another girl die, to killing every single villager and destroying the island itself. Shiki wanted to run away then and there, but he couldn't move his legs. He couldn't stop them from shaking. Just as the boy was about to speak to the priest, Shiki felt a hand being placed upon his head.

"That feeling of guilt.....hold on to it, Shiki. The worse thing this line of work can do is make you numb to that. Shedding tears, feeling the weight of your sins. That just shows you're more kind and human than anyone. You are not a monster, Koritsu Shiki. You're only human."