Chapter 928

Truth

"You."

I said again.

I sprang to my feet.

"That's right."
He smiled, nodding slowly.
"You finally get it don't you?"

My eyes widened.

It couldn't be.

I shook my head, repetitively.

"No."

"I did it."

"No."

"I, Watanabe Akira, did it."

"All of it. Everything."

"No."

Chapter 929

Truth

Memories of
a thousand lifetimes
raced through my mind,
picture perfect still shots,
scattered across the floor,
one by one, frame by frame,
threatening me with tears.

All of it.

The pain and the suffering.

My life turned over.

Picked back up.

And turned over again.

Couldn't be.

"I won't believe that."

He laughed.

"You still don't understand."

"You don't remember anything do you?"

"How this all started?"

Chapter 930

Truth

"It was all you."

His eyes burning with contempt.

"Now I ruin your life."

"Now we can be even."

He smirked.

His smirk.

His smirk filled my vision.

That was all I needed.

Chapter 931

Truth

He hadn't winced.
Not even a bit.

As his face became bloody pulp
under my trembling fists,
he kept on smiling, smirking, grinning.

No matter what I did,
I could not wipe off that expression.
I had lost.

My life.
I had lost it all.
He treated my life as a game.
And he won.
He ruined it all.

Anything I did now would
no longer...
no longer...
no longer be able to repair anything.
No longer be able to repay everything.

Chapter 932

Truth

My arms slacked and my strength left me.
Each punch grew slower, weaker,
until I stepped back, releasing him.

He was still smiling.

Til now, he was still smiling.

His nose was bloody,
his lip was cracked,
but he was still smiling.

"Did you enjoy that?"

He sneered.

"All you can do is hit things when you're angry,
whine like a child, but you can't change a thing."

Chapter 933

Truth

"Stop fucking around!"

"Stop messing around!"

"How could you have done that to us all?"

"Are you human?"

"How can you have done that to Aoi?"

"How can you have done that to Airu?"

He spat on the ground.

"Don't you mention Aoi's name."

"You never deserved her."

"You got what you deserved."

I threw him against the wall and raised my fist again.
It was the only thing I could do.

"If you wanted me, you deal with me.
Don't mess with anyone else."

"Too late, didn't I already do all that?"

Chapter 934

Truth

"Seiji!"

I spun and found Airu,
panting, clutching at her chest,
speckles of dirt on her legs.

Her eyes flicked from Akira to me, in horror.

"What are you doing?" Her voice trembling.

Akira took advantage of my stupor and threw me off.

"Your boyfriend seems to be all brawn and no brains."

He laughed.

She stared at him in hatred.

Chapter 935

Truth

"Akira, what's going on?"

"He did it." I interrupted.

"He did everything."

"Everything since the beginning."

"Believe what you will, Seiji."
He snarled, spewing doubt at Airu.

"Don't listen to him."

I grabbed her hand.

"We gotta get out of here."

She hesitated.

Chapter 936

Truth

He smiled, not at me, but at Airu.

"Seiji... why did you..."

My heart twisted in agony,
upon hearing her doubt in me.
Her appearance had already broken my resolve.
I was left with only humiliation and confusion now.
I needed to escape.
I needed time.

"Don't you dare believe him, Airu."

"I'll tell you everything."

"Trust me."

Chapter 937

Truth

She sighed.

"I believe you, Seiji."

"No matter what, I'm on your side."

"You know that."

I nodded. "Okay."

I pulled her closer against me,
away from the monster that stood before me,
watching his features contort into surprise and anger.

I kept my eyes on him as I backed away.

"Akira, leave us alone."

"You've done more than enough."

Was that enough to stop him?

Chapter 938

Truth

After all he had done.

Was that enough?

Would he stop?

After all he had done.

It was because of him.

Everything was because of him.

If it wasn't because of him,
Aoi and I...

Airu and I...

My fists trembled.

The only thing
that could make us even,
would be
murder.

Chapter 939

Truth

I swore under my breath and pulled Airu along with me.

His words were devouring me.

We took long strides away from him.
As quick as we could.

As if distance between us,
each cement sidewalk block,
would keep the gnarled branches
of his warped satanic menace
far away from us.

Yet, only closer did it reach.

If I could have turned the clock back.

Chapter 940

Truth

We were getting farther.
There were more than ten squares,
a sea of cement between us now.
Yet, I felt more pressed than ever.
Unseen arms reached out behind us,
threatening to ensnare us.

I felt a tug as Airu's hand slipped out of my own.

A fearful yelp of surprise.

I wheeled around.

Chapter 941

Truth

"What's-"

I stopped.

Akira's insane smirk.
Fiendish slits for eyes.
Airu terrified, petrified,
mouth open in panic and pain.

And a glittering knife.
On her throat.

Chapter 942

Truth

My mouth was open but nothing came out.
I wanted to shout her name.
I wanted to shout at him to stop.

A sound like a creak of a door
stumbled out from my lips.
My lips frozen and drying up,
parched like a desert.

It took a long time before any of us moved.
It was as if time had stopped.
In front of me,
she, who had become my everything,
in peril, oddly did not feel surreal.
No, it felt like this was supposed to happen.
Like this was the only logical conclusion for things.

Rather, it felt like my time has finally run out.
Instead of Airu being under the knife,
it felt like I was facing my imminent death.

He took two measured steps back,
his eyes never leaving me.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

"Akira, let go of her!"

Chapter 943

Truth

Two more steps backward.

"Stop!"

I took two steps forward.

Airu was gasping,
for air, or out of panic,
I did not know.

"Airu!"

He pressed the knife tighter against her throat,
her smooth pale skin starting to turn red.
But there was no blood yet.

"Akira! You're hurting her!"

He smiled, in all abandon.
In his black eyes, there was no remorse.

"No. I'm hurting you too."

He said.

Jagged pain arched through my body.

He was quite right.

Chapter 944

Truth

I could not do anything.
I didn't know what to do.
I was threatened into inaction.
What could I do?
For the girl I loved.
For the people I loved.
I was helpless, hopeless.
Weak, vulnerable.
It was me.
It was all my fault.
Because of my flaws,
others had to suffer.
Stop this.
Stop this.
Stop this.
God, stop this now.
Turn back time.
Do anything.
I should be the one under that knife.
Why was it her?
Why was it anyone else?
Make it stop.

Chapter 945

Truth

"Akira! Stop this. Are you insane?"
My voice shook.

He pressed the knife deeper,
this time it drew blood,
a thin line of scarlet ink,
slowly gathering.
Airu screamed in pain.
I heard myself scream too.

I looked around wildly.
But no one was around.
All of a sudden,
a busy metropolis was silent.
Everyone had abandoned us.

"I am insane."

"I want you to watch while I kill her."

"I will kill her in front of you."

The more he spoke,
the more pleasure was in his eyes.
He was laughing,
enjoying every moment of this.

Chapter 946

Truth

"How did you become like this?"

"How can you do this to us?"

He shook his head.

"Wrong question."

"The question is,
how come you made me like this?"

His mouth snarled in anger, in pain.

What had I done?

Chapter 947

Truth

My body felt weak, completely drained of strength.
I watched the tears, frightful tears running down Airu's face.
She was shivering, shaking, scared, lonely.

"Please...Akira... please let me go. Please don't do this."

Akira snorted. "Shut up, slut."

My fists shook in anger.
I needed to save her.
I couldn't let this.. monster
take her away from me.

This wasn't the end.
I told myself over and over.
This wasn't the end.
No, this was my responsibility.
She was my responsibility.
That's what I had said right?
I can't let her go.
Someone else suffering because of me.

Chapter 948

Truth

"Let go of her!"
I tried to raise my voice,
but only a desperate cry wailed from my lungs.

"Let go of her! She has nothing to do with this!"

"So do you remember now, Seiji?"

"This is our business."

He smirked. "This slut is your business though."

"Let go of her, Akira! Let go of her and just kill me."

"Oh you care so much don't you.
Trying to sound all that heroic.
She doesn't know about the cruel things you've done."

"Shut up!"

Chapter 949

Truth

"Those pathetic petty things you used to do, Seiji."

"I remember all of it, in this life time, I will never forget."
"I will never forget the stuff you did to my brother and I."
"Did you know it was because of you that he took his own life?"

I stared at him in horror.

What was he saying?

"It was you and your little gangs."

"Back in the day, badass Seiji.
The most popular kid.
The leader.
The gangster."

"Oh I remember it all, Seiji."

"Do you?"

Chapter 950

Truth

"Your brother..."

He smiled. "Yes."

"He took his own life."

"Without a note."

"But I knew why."

He sighed, nonchalantly.

"Because of you,
the whole school made our lives miserable.
Yet, my brother looked up to you no matter what."

"I couldn't understand that."

"Just because you were popular."

"I wanted to show him I could do better."

"But I wasn't strong enough."

"But it's not always about brawn, Seiji."

"It's about brains."

"You can't do anything any more."

"I've become more than you will ever be."

Chapter 951

Truth

Yet, I couldn't remember a thing.
No, from what I remember,
I had never done that much to him.
What had I done?
Something I couldn't remember?
Was my memories fooling me?
Or was he making it up?

But what if he was right?

What if I was a monster?

"You were the monster back then."

"But you're weak now."

"You've changed, Seiji."

"Over time, she changed you."

"You don't stand a chance any more."

Chapter 952

Truth

Airu's gaze met mine,
I looked away.
Her eyes were pained,
disappointment severe.
My heart ached.
Did she believe him?
Was I a monster?

Did I kill someone?
With my own hands?

I felt hot tears running down my face.
Uncontrollably, I was broken down.

"I'm sorry."

"Akira, I'm sorry."

He groaned. "Don't give me such a pathetic apology."

"If you're sorry, kneel in front of me."

Chapter 953

Truth

"No! Don't!"

"Seiji, I believe you."

"You're not like that!"

"Shut up!"
He snapped, twisting the blade against her throat.

She squeezed her eyes shut in pain.

"If I kneel, let go of her."

He shrugged at me.

"Of course."

Chapter 954

Truth

I made up my mind.

She caught my eye,
shaking her head
as little as she could.
My chest ached.
How could she be thinking of me right now?
Was I not the monster?

Her eyes shone with affection,
a secret message encoded
to tell me she believed me.
That it wasn't my fault.

But everything was.

That was the truth.

The tears in my eyes only welled up more.

Yes, I made up my mind.

Chapter 955

Truth

I held out three quiet fingers,
slightly behind my back.
I watched her hazel eyes,
swirling slowly,
willing themselves to calm--
our connection
never faltered.

Yes, even though everything had happened,
everything had ruined my life,
and the lives of those around me --
everything Akira did only brought us closer.
Everything Akira did... only strengthened me.

Just like any tree that withstood
hail and lightning, day and night,
summer and winter, year after year,
it grew firmly rooted and stronger.

I had made up my mind.

I've changed. We all have.

Whether for better or worse.

Akira, you lose.

Chapter 956

Truth

Things have changed.
Time has passed.

Those who
hold on
to the past,
will suffer.

In the ever moving continuum of time and space,
everything moves for a reason,
everything happens to make way for the future.

My knees bent,
slowly lowering themselves
to the ground
before Akira's
dark silhouette,
under his shadow.

For the future.

Chapter 957

Truth

Three.

Two.

One.

My fingers disappeared.

Now.

A loud yelp.

Cry of pain.

Flash of the knife.

My tensed muscles.

A growl.

Impact.

Chapter 958

Truth

Wrestling,
my arms'
strength
ebbing
away.

Bruises,
blood,
pain,
knotted
seized
muscles.

Head
swimming,
world
spinning.

Akira
went
under.

You lose.

Chapter 959

Truth

"Fuck you Seiji!"

Screams and the sound of someone calling the police.

He was writhing and thrashing
against the ground,
both of his wrists in my hands.

He wouldn't let go of the knife.

My vice grip wasn't enough
to capture a live monster.

A sudden burst of strength,
I was launched backwards.

No.

Chapter 960

Truth

I watched with weary eyes
as he got up and ran,
sprinting down the street,
sidewalk squares rising up
like a coming tide,
cement stretching between us,
shifting and slipping him away,
faster than ever.

Down the street he went,
past a grove of trees,
weaving around an elderly man,
behind cinder block walls,
and rickety Japanese houses.

He ran and ran.
Going, going, gone.

He was the one running now.

But I would never forget the look on his face.
That last glance of hatred in his eyes.