Chapter 112: A New Ending Emerges, The Past of Maki Tachibana

“Eri is my late husband’s child. Since we were already married at the time, strictly speaking, she is also my child.”

In the living room, Mai Tachibana spoke as she gently tried to feed the little girl in her arms some shrimp balls handed over by Sayu Amamiya.

The girl seemed ungrateful, turning her head away with no intention of eating.

Curious, Anwa tentatively picked up a shrimp ball with a toothpick and offered it to Eri Tachibana. This time, the girl opened her mouth and took the shrimp ball without hesitation.

“It seems Miss Tachibana and your daughter don’t get along very well,” Anwa joked with a smile. Finding the little one rather interesting, he continued feeding her.

Mai simply twitched her lips but didn’t respond to his teasing.

After a long silence, Mai suddenly spoke, looking at Anwa and asking, “Can we talk alone?”

“Talk alone? With me?” Anwa was a bit surprised. Glancing around at the women gathered nearby, he thought for a moment and didn’t refuse.

“Sure, where shall we talk?”

“Just outside the door,” Mai suggested.

Anwa nodded. After seating Eri properly on a high chair, the two stood and walked toward the entrance, one following the other. Before leaving, Anwa gave Sayu a reassuring glance.

Outside in the hallway, Mai didn’t rush to explain. Instead, she slowly took out a pack of women’s cigarettes, lit one, and took a gentle drag. Then, turning to face the sunset hanging high in the sky, she exhaled smoke rings softly and said quietly, “I’m going to die.”

Because of the earlier narration, Anwa wasn’t overly shocked. He nodded slightly and asked curiously, “Why?”

Mai looked at Anwa with surprise, clearly not expecting such calmness, but understanding their relationship, she relaxed.

After all, they were strangers; why get emotionally involved in someone else’s death?

She smiled wryly and half-jokingly explained, “Maybe because I’ve done too many evil deeds. Heaven has sent me a death notice.”

Turning, she leaned her shoulder against the railing, one hand holding the cigarette, the other crossed, quietly gazing at Anwa. After a long pause, she smiled faintly and asked, “Do you know how many people I’ve killed?”

Before Anwa could respond, she looked away toward the horizon and murmured, “One hundred and forty-nine. Since I joined the syndicate, one hundred and forty-nine people have died by my hand.”

“All sunk in Tokyo Bay?” Anwa interjected awkwardly.

Mai glanced at him, surprised, but didn’t deny it.

After a moment’s silence, Anwa asked again, “Why did you go down this path, Miss Tachibana?”

This question seemed to unlock a deep wound in Mai’s heart. Her expression changed noticeably, and after a long sigh, she began to explain softly.

“My real name isn’t Mai Tachibana. It’s Mai Nagase. My mother was a special action film actress. She worked with over a hundred actors, and I don’t even know which one was my biological father.”

“From a young age, my mother brainwashed me to inherit her legacy and promote female action stars in Japan, but I never wanted that.”

“So, at sixteen, when she wanted me to co-star in a film with her, I ran away from home and came alone to Tokyo from Osaka.”

“When I first arrived in the big city, I was like a rat in a gutter—constantly wary of wild cats eyeing me, while struggling to survive.”

“Last year, by chance, I met Kyoichi Tachibana, the local underground gang leader. Though almost forty, he could give me everything I wanted: money, power, and… safety.”

“I hesitated less than half a day before deciding: I would become Kyoichi’s woman and claim all he possessed.”

“And it turned out I succeeded.”

“With my mother’s relentless training during childhood, Kyoichi was captivated before he even touched me, and naturally, we got engaged.”

“On our wedding night, I killed for the first time.”

“Being inexperienced, my hands were covered in blood. The smell still sickens me even now.”

“Afterward, fearing exposure, I deliberately set the bridal suite on fire to stage an accidental blaze. To make sure no one suspected, I didn’t leave the room until firefighters rescued me from the bathroom engulfed in flames.”

“Kyoichi died, becoming a charred corpse that reeked constantly, and I became the ‘big sister’ of the underground organization as a widow.”

“At first, many challenged me, even tried to claim me, but they didn’t realize I wasn’t the same girl who had begged strangers for a steamed bun when I first arrived in Tokyo.”

“Anyone who opposed or disrespected me was sunk in Tokyo Bay.”

Mai’s voice was calm when she said that last sentence, but Anwa felt a chill—as if he were trapped in an iron bucket, watching helplessly as cement was poured over his lower body, then slowly lowered into the cold, dark sea.

Looking back at Mai, Anwa’s expression changed.

He had thought she was just powerful and ruthless, but never imagined she had clawed her way up from nothing.

Though Mai’s story was brief, the hardship was unmistakable.

Moreover, she had personally killed so many people.

This was no mere ruthlessness—it was the living embodiment of death.

Shaking his head, Anwa decided not to dwell on it.

Though Mai’s story was legendary, what he most wanted to know now was why she had sought him out.

Noticing the confusion in his eyes, Mai smiled faintly and flicked the spent cigarette into a nearby trash bag.

She reached for another cigarette but was suddenly stopped by a large hand.

“You’re already risking cancer. Cut down a bit; maybe you’ll live two days longer. If you want to hold something in your mouth, try this.”

Anwa pulled from his pocket a sky-blue lace-trimmed PC.

Mai was startled; Anwa himself was surprised but quickly recovered, slipping it back into his pocket and pulling out a lollipop instead, apologizing, “Sorry, grabbed the wrong thing.”

Mai watched with amusement but didn’t take it.

Seeing this, Anwa blushed slightly, then offered the lollipop with the other hand.

Only then did Mai accept it, tearing the wrapper while keeping her eyes on Anwa’s pocket. After a long pause, curiosity got the better of her, and she asked, “Whose was that just now?”

“Uh…” Anwa awkwardly scratched his nose but didn’t hide the truth. “Yui Serizawa—the short-haired girl in the room.”

Mai frowned slightly, her tone dripping with disdain. “You slept with her?”

“Of course not. Do I look that desperate?” Anwa retorted sharply.

Hearing this, Mai’s brow relaxed as she popped the lollipop into her mouth, savoring the sweetness she’d only tasted as a child, muttering, “That’s more like it.”

Then she turned her gaze to the sky painted red by the setting sun, the confused look replaced by a faint gleam.

“Eri is smart. Though she hasn’t said it, I can feel she already knows her father died because of me. She probably doesn’t say it to protect herself. She knows once I’m gone, no one in the syndicate will care for her, nor will anyone bother if she’s the daughter of the previous boss.”

“Smart, huh?” Anwa was surprised, recalling how the little girl had seemed so innocent when he fed her earlier.

Mai continued, “I know I don’t have much time left, so I want to find a place where this girl can grow up healthy. It’s my way of making amends.”

“So that’s why you came to me?” Anwa guessed.

Mai nodded.

Anwa’s mouth twitched, curious, “Why me? Don’t you have that doctor friend?”

“Her…” Mai’s eyes flickered with memories of a short-haired woman in a white coat but shook her head.

“Only the dead can keep secrets.”

Then she looked at Anwa, a strange smile playing on her lips as she said softly, “As for you, you’re somewhat of a good person.”

“Uh… thanks for the compliment,” Anwa replied awkwardly but then raised an eyebrow at Mai.

“Why should I help you?”

Mai didn’t answer immediately but slowly pulled a stack of documents from her bag.

“Is this acceptable?”

Anwa took them with curiosity and glanced through, then froze.

There were only six documents, all asset transfer contracts.

Shares of the Amamiya family, and property transfer agreements.

“You’re planning to transfer all your inheritance?”

Anwa looked at Mai in astonishment. She smiled sheepishly.

“Something like that. I’ve officially handed over the syndicate to others. From today on, I will no longer live as Mai Tachibana.”

“To what then? Mai Nagase?” Anwa asked, sensing her disdain for her mother.

It made sense—a woman willing to sacrifice her own daughter for fame hardly deserved the title of mother.

Mai, meanwhile, appeared lost in thought.

She stared blankly at the sinking sun, searching her mind for another surname, but could find none beyond Nagase.

Seeing the confusion in her eyes, Anwa hesitated then suggested, “Why not take my surname?”

“Huh?” Mai was taken aback, instinctively turning to look at Anwa Yusheng, who nodded seriously and repeated, “How about Anwa? Anwa Mai.”

Mai stared at him. Their eyes met, and after a long moment, a slight smile curved her lips as she nodded.

“Not bad. Let’s go with that. Anwa Mai.”

Under the sunset, they smiled at each other, their shadows stretching long.

Suddenly, Anwa’s expression shifted.

Above Mai’s head appeared a black background with white text:

[Name: Anwa Mai]

[Current Status: Withering Rose]

[Current Affection Level: 57 (Confidant)]

[Possible Endings:]

[1. Thorned Rose Withering in Slaughter. Condition: Reject all requests. Reward: Master-level language proficiency.]

[2. Brief but Beautiful Twilight of Life. Condition: Affection reaches 80% before death. Reward: 30 basic attribute points.]

[Hidden Ending 3: Nirvana Rebirth. Condition: Unknown. Reward: Unknown.]

“What the hell…” Anwa hadn’t even digested the info when the narrator’s voice echoed again in his mind.

[A move you thought clever but was already a sacrifice. After playing with others’ lives, you’ll be toyed with in turn. A spark flashes in your eyes: since you’re being played, why not take control? Compared to a thorned rose, you, the meek lamb, better suit their tastes…]

Clenching his fists, Anwa sometimes wished he could rip open his head, drag out the narrator, and punish him mercilessly—whipping, dripping wax, then shoving his size 40 shoe through the back door.

[Ready to awaken? Whip, wax, maybe you just need a blindfold and gag! I recall that Kusako Kurohai often depicted such scenes in her works. Maybe you can get her drunk tonight, sneak into her home, and use those props on everyone in the room…]

“Shh~” Anwa gasped, never expected Kusako Kurohai to have such tastes.

No wonder one of her endings involved eighteen secrets.

“Looks like Miss Kusako still has a lot to develop,” he thought with a mischievous grin.

“What are you thinking?” Mai—no, now Anwa Mai—asked curiously at his lecherous smile.

Snapping out of it, he waved his hand, replying casually, “Nothing, just some fun ideas.”

He then looked down at the contracts, quickly pulling out the Amamiya Group stock transfer and a suburban villa property deed.

He handed the rest back to Mai.

She looked confused but smiled faintly and nodded, taking the remaining documents.

“Thank you.”

(End of chapter)