mesbooks Chapter 290 Alive
Chapter 290 Alive
"It sounds like we've already figured out the answer."
The voice was soft and gentle, calm, coming from the boy sitting in the shadows.
"Although I really didn't expect this issue to end in this way, we have at least come to a conclusion."
Such a calm voice, steady, almost devoid of any emotion, no anger, no anxiety, no disappointment, no sadness.
This is very illogical, but since the boy is a ghost, everything that is illogical becomes reasonable. Ghosts are inherently cold-hearted and ungrateful. Most ghosts have already abandoned those positive emotions, and what remains is nothing but hatred and loathing.
The boy may not act like a ghost most of the time, but that doesn't change the fact that he is still a ghost. Ubuyashiki listened to Amane beside him quietly describing the boy's reaction, but he didn't actually need to hear the specific scenes he saw. He seemed to be able to roughly imagine them based on his deductions and the sounds.
Rinko didn't seem sad, but this outward calm couldn't completely mask the emotions or feelings hidden deeper within him. He might not appear sad, but that didn't mean he wasn't truly moved.
"I do not think so."
A gentle, soft voice, like a stream flowing over pebbles, came from a man lying in the sunlight.
It was the sound of Ubuyashiki, very soft, so soft, just like the Ubuyashiki that Rinko could see, as faint as the last flame on a stick. It didn't need to be doused with water or crushed; just leave it there, and the flame would go out on its own in silence.
But that flame exists here so steadfastly, almost unbelievably, faint yet almost eternally.
“You’re always contradicting me, Mr. Ubuyashiki. You’re always disagreeing with my point of view.”
This time, it wasn't just calm. Ubuyashiki didn't need to see the boy's expression to get the corresponding information. He didn't need to see it; he could hear it. Beneath the feigned calm, there was a slight, very faint, barely concealed agitation.
Like a child.
This was almost the first thing Ubuyashiki could think of.
He almost laughed at this line of thinking.
It was inappropriate, so he didn't actually laugh. He just imagined the scene: the boy sitting there in the shadows, his eyes fixed on him, unhappy and dissatisfied, like a child who hadn't received a toy, or a child whose suggestions had all been rejected.
Rinko's manners were actually quite good, something Ubuyashiki later realized. Even though their conversation wasn't going well, and it was definitely going to be a completely unpleasant one for Rinko, he remained calm and composed, maintaining basic politeness. He sat there without swearing, hitting anyone, or showing any sign of his unhappiness.
Perhaps the boy had received a good education, which is why he didn't get angry easily even when he was constantly being rejected. Or, more likely, there were people with good upbringing who had spent a long time with the boy, so he had been educated and learned from them, which is why he had such an excellent reaction.
Whether considering his appearance as a child of that age or his identity as a demon, Rinko is a unique individual with very stable emotions.
"It seems so. Did I make you a little angry? I will apologize for that. But I don't think I said anything wrong. I stand by my point of view: Rinko is not alone, or at least, she doesn't have to be alone."
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Ubuyashiki is a stubborn person. There is no doubt that even though men may seem so fragile, in terms of willpower, or to put it more bluntly, in terms of personality and stubbornness, he has surpassed most people that Rinko knows.
Their views differed, which was obvious. Ubuyashiki's views were all untenable; his claims were merely wishful thinking, narrow-minded thoughts from a human perspective. Humans cannot understand demons, and Ubuyashiki could not understand Rinko either.
Rinko no longer wanted to continue arguing with the man, because the outcome would not change. Ubuyashiki would not back down, and neither would he. No one's point of view would be changed, and neither would listen to the other's ideas. It was a meaningless debate, at least a waste of energy and words.
"If you insist on sticking to your point of view, you should at least give a reasonable reason. Otherwise, I will just think you are daydreaming. Considering that you are now terminally ill and not long for life, I think this point of view is even more likely to be accepted than your point of view."
This statement is actually very impolite, rude, excessive, and lacks tact. Even if it is true, it does not change the fact that the statement itself is impolite.
When Rinko realized he was thinking about this, he thought that humans were indeed very strange and complex creatures.
When faced with danger, they say it's okay; when things are bad, they say it will be alright; and when the threat of death approaches, they only say it will be alright soon.
Lies are present in every moment.
Just like now.
Rinko could tell that Ubuyashiki was very ill, so much so that even Rinko knew that nothing could save him now.
But no one would tell this man that he is about to die.
Everyone who stands in front of him will say, "It will be alright, it will be alright, everything will be fine soon."
But this is a lie, without a doubt.
Yet humans keep telling such meaningless lies.
Rinko blinked gently. The flames before her still flickered in the invisible wind, making Rinko wonder when Ubuyashiki would die. The next second? This second? Or could he hold on longer?
Humans are not ghosts. Their physical condition is too poor and their internal organs are too fragile, making them prone to illness. Once they get sick, they become even more vulnerable and then more susceptible to illness.
Humans aren't ghosts. Eating meat won't make you better when you're sick. You need medicine, you need rest, and of course, you need to eat meat.
But humans aren't ghosts; when they get sick, they can't eat or sleep.
then.
They will die.
Just like Ubuyashiki now, the emaciated man has undoubtedly not had a proper meal in a long time. That's why he's so thin, with slender arms and even thinner legs. He probably hasn't been able to walk on the ground on his own for quite some time. His eyes are blind, and it's hard to know how much of his hearing is still usable. He can't eat anything, and his internal organs are probably bleeding silently from his body.
So how does Ubuyashiki survive?
Rinko became somewhat curious.
Someone like Ubuyashiki wouldn't find it strange to die at any moment, but it's strange that the man didn't die and just kept living.
It's even stranger that we can lie there and talk to each other like this.
-
Rinko saw it very clearly, not just from the bandages on the surface and the thin body, but more accurately, from the light reflected in his eyes, just as he said, the last spark flickering in the wind.
Akaza is like a torch held aloft in a cave, while Kokushibo is almost like a second moon in the night; it is only natural for such beings to live.
But it's Ubuyashiki.
Fragile and helpless, it doesn't need a strong wind or a basin of cold water. Just leave it there and do nothing. Even if someone tries to hold onto this spark and approaches it with the most flammable firewood, they won't be able to save it because it's too fragile. Even if it tries to ignite something, it will only end up destroying itself.
For Ubuyashiki, whatever is in front of him will only become the fuse of gunpowder; it may not necessarily ignite a new flame, but it is destined to ignite himself.
"Does Rinko want me to convince you?"
It wasn't a question, it was a statement of affirmation.
Rinko's thoughts were interrupted by Ubuyashiki's words, but he wasn't angry, not even a tenth as angry as he was when Ubuyashiki refuted him.
He didn't actually hate Ubuyashiki. There was no suitable reason, no deep-seated hatred between them, and no order to hunt him down. Muzan had been searching for Ubuyashiki's whereabouts for a long time, wanting to kill him, but that wasn't Rinko's mission. In fact, for most of his life, he didn't even know the surname Ubuyashiki.
"No, I just feel that your reasoning is unsupported. If you can provide a reasonable explanation and stop just talking nonsense, I will consider continuing to talk to you. Otherwise, I think we have nothing more to say... at least not on this topic."
Rinko's addition was a beat late, and the pause was so obvious that even Amane would have noticed the boy's thoughts without Ubuyashiki needing to listen carefully.
"Rinko has other questions she wants to ask me."
"Are you always so perceptive?"
This time, the conversation started quickly. Rinko's eyes swept over, not out of curiosity, but in return, with an affirmative tone.
"Not always, but I try my best to notice more."
He answered very humbly, saying that it was hard to tell the difference between pretense and sincerity, but it seemed that Ubuyashiki had no reason to lie to him. There was no business between them, and the other party was dying. There were many reasons.
On the contrary, there are very few reasons for lying.
"Is this the question Rinko wants to ask me?"
"No."
Silence is waiting, a silent invitation, almost like encouragement and indulgence. Rinko subconsciously thought that when Kokushibo was silent, he would take it as a silent permission to do what he wanted.
“I want to ask you, why don’t you run away? Even if you’re about to die, isn’t that the instinct of a living being? To run away, to do everything you can to survive, even if it’s just for one more second, even if it requires lies, deception, even if it means breaking bones and sacrificing dignity, but living is the most important thing.”
This is a very blunt statement.
That's true, but it was certainly not very polite.
"Such sharp words. But why run away?"
"In order to survive."
"and then."
There's no "then". Isn't survival the most important thing for any living being? All the creatures he's seen do the same: deceive, betray, turn against each other. It's reasonable to give anything to survive.
"Then live on."
"What is the purpose of living?"
Ubuyashiki asked him again, another strange, meaningless question: Isn't the very meaning of life to live? Eating, sleeping, all actions are for the purpose of living. Striving, exercising, and having a healthy body are also for the purpose of living longer, aren't they?
But clearly, this wouldn't be a convincing answer for Ubuyashiki. Rinko didn't want to be simply refuted by the other party anymore, so he thought about it briefly, because it wasn't a difficult question, and everyone around him was offering him ideas.
"Live on, to do what you want to do, to do what you need to do, for those goals."
Yes, that is the meaning of life: to achieve goals, to be obsessed with things, to fulfill desires, to find something, to grasp something, to become something. Time is the record, and blood and tears are the ink, constantly leaving marks on the blank sheet of life.
"Then, what is Rinko living for? What does Rinko want?"
A brief silence, still and deathly.
There was no answer, nor was he thinking. The boy's eyes were not downcast, but fixed on the viewer without hesitation.
“I am asking you a question. You seem to be the one who needs to answer it, Mr. Ubuyashiki. Don’t get it wrong.”
There was no anger or rage, but even a heavenly voice could discern the emotions within.
It was almost an overly obvious form of avoidance.
"No offense intended, just a bit of curiosity. If you don't want to answer, I won't ask any further questions."
"Then continue. Why don't you run, Mr. Ubuyashiki? You don't think you can stop the demon by relying on the wisteria flowers around you, do you?"
Rinko raised her head and looked out of the door. In the distance, wisteria flowers were in full bloom, dense and lush, and the surrounding area was a sea of purple flowers.
The fragrance was so rich it was almost tangible, filling every breath like cotton.
"will not."
“This place is secluded, but it’s not impossible for someone to find us, Mr. Ubuyashiki. You even left me here. Perhaps the wisteria is indeed in full bloom, and perhaps the sun is indeed blazing right now, but the wisteria can’t stop all ghosts, and the sun will eventually set.”
Rinko's gaze dipped slightly downwards, from outside the window to inside the room.
He noticed the line on the ground.
The dividing line between light and darkness is shifting. The sun outside the window has begun to tilt, just like the life of Ubuyashiki. Rinko thought, the sun is going to fall with him. The man won't survive tonight.
"Rinko, are you afraid of death?"
He's being asked questions again.
Rinko sighed silently in her heart.
"will not."
"why."
"Because there is no why."
It was almost like a cheating answer. Every time he gave a similar answer, he would be pressed for details, and he was already thinking about how to explain it to Ubuyashiki.
But it's not necessary.
It wasn't used.
"So am I too."
Rinko raised her eyes and looked at the man on the ground. The flame flickered, so weak, yet so resolute.
"Death is not something to be afraid of."