"Inari!"
"Oh, what are you shouting for?" he masked his emotions again, facing Shirley.
"I called out to you many times, but you didn't hear me. Are you alright?"
"You should be worrying about yourself. You have a long recovery process ahead," Inari sighed. Meanwhile, he reminded himself to limit his activities for the time being and warn his partner. Attracting too much attention was not a good thing.
Just as his thoughts began wandering, she asked, "About what the princess said earlier… is it true? Did you lie to me about Freon?"
"This…" he was about to lie when Shirley's piercing gaze landed on him.
Looking as if she could see through all his deception, Inari was surprised. Was his poker face that pathetic now? That he could not even deceive a simple girl? No, that was not correct. It was not his disguise that had grown weaker, but her perception had grown stronger! Thanks to her life-threatening battles earlier, she managed to grasp a tiny glimpse of Perception Realm. Although she was far from truly stepping into that level, that enlightenment remained. Her five senses became permanently improved! This allowed Shirley to sense some of Inari's thoughts by observing his reactions. Earlier, she was too anxious to do so. But now, Inari could distinctly tell she had changed!
While he could double down and avoid the question, he closed his eyes. There was no point in continuing the lie any further. It would be easily found out later anyways. "Alright, I did lie to you. I don't know where Freon is. However, I don't think he should be in danger."
Assuming Protector Avin was behind everything, it was not an exaggeration to say that his powers far exceeded Inari's imagination. Just defeating the Third Hand singlehandedly was not something he thought possible until today. Since Nassandra was missing as well, it was more than likely that they were somewhere else, waiting for the commotion to die down a little. Similarly, that was what Inari was doing with Shirley too. He was hopping hideouts frequently to prevent their enemies from tracking them. And yet, despite his efforts, Princess Samanthie found them. The Alzar Kingdom's information network could not be underestimated! It made Inari looked like a fool. However, they could still not find Protector Avin! What that meant, no one knew, but it was clear that Protector Avin must be alive.
"I don't know where he is currently, but Freon and Nassandra should be with Protector Avin. This is the truth. So, you don't have to worry about them."
Shirley found no faults, and yet no happiness was shown. Her voice was stern, "How many lies have you told me so far, Inari? This isn't the first time, is it?"
For as long as she could tell, this man was hiding something. This was simply her intuition at play and nothing to do with her strengthened perception. Much like how she could tell Gunther was masking his true emotions, Inari was doing the same, albeit at a more proficient level. However, because it never seemed relevant to her or her family, she thought it was boorish to meddle. Everyone had secrets, including herself. That was how Shirley interpreted it. When Princess Samanthie said her final parting words though, Shirley began to see a new side of Inari. It was not something she could ignore! The Vensire Family, the Third Shadow, and the 'grim reaper of Firecast'… What secret was this man hiding?
"Her Highness didn't offer a single shred of evidence and you're going to believe everything Her Highness said?" Inari laughed.
"So, you're denying it then?"
"I should ask you this instead. Why do you want to know so badly? It won't do any good for you," his tone lacked his usual carefree flippant attitude. He was finally showing a hint of the power that terrorized the city, the grim reaper of Firecast!
That was right and Shirley understood this too. She felt that if Inari revealed his secrets, something would inevitably change forever. Nothing could stay the same anymore! Where did this intense feeling of longing come from? She searched the answer inwardly; however, when her eyes landed on her arm, she sensed it. Right there was a tiny puncture wound, created when Inari's partner transfused his blood into her. That risky operation with more cons than pros was successful because of him! Despite the man being absent, Shirley felt a faint… resonance. A heavy melancholy hit her, choking her chest tight. Something… No, someone dear to her was so close yet so far! Her heart was nearly torn to pieces.
"Are you okay?" Inari rushed over.
"I'm fine… Tell me… Was there someone else here?"
"Someone else? What are you talking about?"
"I'm not talking about the physician. No, someone else… Someone very close to me…"
She couldn't be talking about… Inari was shocked. He knew better than anyone else what she meant: his partner, the illusive second grim reaper of Firecast! On the surface, he was nothing more than that… A brutal killing machine, wearing a crying mask and striking fear into the hearts of countless people. Below that, no one knew anything more. Things such as his origins, motives, name, family, everything was a mystery. It was like he was a true ghost, appearing to kill and disappearing when done! But how could anything be so convenient? His partner was a human like anyone else! Inari averted his gaze and said nothing. What Shirley sensed was the truth, the truth from five years ago!
"I… don't know what you're talking about," he lied. He could not reveal it. No matter what, it was something that man fought to protect. And Inari intended to preserve it for as long as possible!
"Inari!" she shouted. In doing so, her wounds opened again, forcing her to stop.
"Calm down! You're still heavily wounded. If you move too much, you might really die."
"Then tell me, Inari! What is this feeling?" Shirley cried. She began sobbing uncontrollably. Despite not knowing a thing, her body could perhaps feel something.
"I can't tell you, Shirley. I really want to, but I can't. There are some things that you shouldn't know because it would only hurt you. I'm sorry." His tone was resolute and irreversible.
"But why? Why won't you tell me?" Her pleading was filled with indescribable pain, anger, and confusion. She likely did not understand what she was saying, which served to fuel her frustration.
"Why?" Inari repeatedly wryly. "Do you really want to know why I won't tell you? It's because you're… weak."
Shirley returned a blank expression. "Weak?"
"That's right. You're too weak and powerless to change anything. Even if I told you, so what? What could you do? Isn't it better to stay ignorant and happy? That's what… your father died to protect."
The word 'weak' seemed to be a spell for Shirley. Like Elizabeth and Benedict, it was something that deeply haunted her. Despite her friendly and kind-hearted nature, she was human like everyone else. She might not show it, but underneath that smile was a painful and dark past, littered with regrets and failures! Ironically, the reason she might be able to see through other people's masks… was because she was wearing a mask herself! A mask to hide her true emotions, to hide from the cruel reality, and to reject it outright. It was not like she was pretending. No, Shirley would never do something like that. Rather, instead of doing it consciously, it was probably a subconscious act meant to distract her from the truth.
Why? One look at her past would make anyone pity her. During the Teria Sea Campaign, five years ago, her hometown was invaded by the Xingyuu Empire. A frightening number of friends and family were killed in resistance. Because of that, her father died, her mother was comatose, her family was ruined, and she was kidnapped! For an entire nightmarish year, Shirley was used as the soldier's plaything to put it nicely. That sensation of hopelessness, of having your freedom plucked, and of being treated less than livestock was truly tormenting. No words could describe the endless agony she experienced. Nothing else seemed to compare! To prevent herself from breaking down, she buried that pain deep below the surface, hidden behind a benign smile.
Yet, the chain of tragedies never ended. Half a year ago, she was kidnapped along with Elizabeth, Benedict, and Freon and taken to the Yunyun Stronghold in the Xingyuu Empire. Then, she flirted with death in the fight with Emperor Lianghu. Finally, Shirley nearly died again, fighting the Third Hand… Time and time again, the idea of powerlessness was beaten into her. Shirley was not a hopeless romantic. She did not envision herself, singlehandedly sweeping away adversity like a hero from fables. However, it was a fact that strength created opportunity and a chance to change. If she were a little stronger, a little faster, a little smarter, then maybe her future could have been dramatically altered. That thought ignited her drive to grow!
"I can train you to become stronger," Inari easily saw through her thoughts.
Inside though, he felt awful. This was nothing but a thinly veiled attempt at redirecting her frustrations. Instead of saying he was not telling her, it was now because she was too weak to handle it. This prevented him from receiving the bulk of her criticisms. However, this was not really a lie. If she did learn the truth, it would inevitably implicate her into the dark side of the world. It was not something that Inari wanted to see. That said, his statement was not entirely half-hearted. He genuinely wanted to help her grow stronger, at least to protect herself. Shirley came close to death too many times, and this time around, if Inari arrived a second later, she would have died! The same might not happen the next time. Even as a master assassin, who killed enough to be considered a grim reaper, there were things he did not want to see and that was one. Perhaps he was soft, but he was human after all!
Shirley closed her eyes. Her tears were drying up as a fiery resolve surged from within. "Can I really do it? Can you train me?"
"I won't make any promises," Inari said plainly. "The training will be tough and arduous too and I won't go easy on you. Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yes," she firmly replied. She curled her fists tightly. "I need to become stronger!" And like this, the third strange duo between neighbours grew to a discipleship. Shirley would come to learn how blessed she was to have one of the strongest assassins teaching her personally!