Chapter Thirty-Five: Kill Switch:

Minori sat alone in the dark. Black swirls covered her skin. The drugs her grandpa gave her helped, but this had to end tonight.

Minori held her sword by her side. She took a deep breath. According to her notes, the target had night classes. He should be getting out in an hour. She rose to her feet. One shot to get this right.  Minori told herself that as she walked out the door.

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One shot to get this right. Minori waited outside of the cram school. A small number of students exited the building. Her eyes scanned each face.

Come on! Show me your face, you bastard! Let’s end this tonight!

At last, he stepped out. Minori gritted her teeth.

“You,” she hissed. The young man paused and smirked.

“Oh, you’re here?” he asked. “So nice to see you… alive.” Minori breathed with her hand to her small sword.

“What did you do to me?” she asked. The swirls darkened on her skin. The tsukai narrowed his eyes.

“Why are you following me around?” he asked.

“You have to die.”

“Why? Because of your daddy? Aw, how cute!”

“Shut up.”

The target smirked. “Why not let it go? You can’t bring him back. Move on with your life.”

“Shut up!”

The target pouted at her. “What’s the matter? Can’t handle the truth?”

“I said, shut up!” The swirls spread over her body. Minori breathed sharply.

“Easy there,” the target said. “You wouldn’t want to house of leaves to kill you, would you?”

Minori cursed herself under her breath. She remembered her grandfather’s words.

“You must kill with a clear head,” he told her. “Being rash will get you kill. Don’t let their taunts get to you.” Minori rolled back her shoulders.

“Tell me something,” she said.

“What?” the target asked.

“What is the point? You’re going to die like the rest of us. Soon, you’ll run out of human to kill. Then what? Kill each other next? That’s a pity.”

The target narrowed his eyes. “What could you understand?”

“Not wanting to die.” Minori stepped forward. “Losing people I love. Being alone. Misguided.”

“I’m nothing like you!”

“I know.” Minori stepped closer. Her target was trembling. He shook his head.

“Shut up! You don’t know me! You don’t know anything! You’re going to die anyway!”

“Maybe,” Minori said. “But you will come with me.” Where did his bravado go? Looking into his eyes, she could see the fear in his eyes. Like a cornered rabbit.

Minori drew out her sword. One shot to end this.

“I applaud you the first time for trapping me,” she said. “I was careless, but it ends now.” The target snickered. Minori raised her eyebrow.

“May I ask what’s so funny?” she asked. That bravado returned in his eyes.

“You can kill me,” he said. “But it won’t change anything. Our clan will be around forever. Killing us won’t stop us.”

“Shut up, boy,” Minori said.

Stab!

She collapsed on her side, heavily breathing. The swirls on her skin began to disappear. A little smile came onto her face.

“It’s over,” she said. “I did it.” Minori went to sleep as the target and his kitsune’s bodies lay inches away.

Her team came and collected the corpses. Minori’s grandfather looked down at the hunter.

“You did good,” he said. “You did good.”

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-Meifu-

Anna froze and looked at her hands.

“Hm?” she asked.

“What is it?” Tsuzuki asked.

“My curse is gone,” Anna said.

“Oh. Does that mean…?”

“I believe so.”

“What happens to her now?”

His wife shrugged. “Keep hunting, I guess.” Tsuzuki watched as the last swirl disappeared from Anna’s body.