Chapter 21: Severed Limbs, Severed Arms
“It’s… clean now.”
“Hmm? Oh, oh… Thank you.”
“Wait, use my saliva.”
Xueqing put her finger in her mouth and then smeared her saliva into my nose.
I quickly averted my gaze and haphazardly wiped my mouth with my hand, wiping away all of Xueqing’s saliva that had stuck around my lips. My nosebleed had also stopped.
It was truly magical. This time, I didn’t even have to tilt my head back for the nosebleed to stop. Did Xueqing’s saliva also have healing properties like Kaoru Tsukiyose’s?
I looked at her again. Xueqing was wiping the blood on her hands onto her clothes, but she couldn’t get it clean. She wiped her face again, and bloodstains appeared on her cheeks as well. She looked very cute, like a little kitten who had dirtied its cheeks after eating.
I reached out and touched her cheek, sweeping away the bloodstains with my thumb.
Speaking of which, when I saw her in the park before, her cheeks were also stained with blood like this, weren’t they?
She had just killed someone, her whole body was still filled with killing intent, her pupils were blood red, and her hair was completely white. It was the complete opposite of her current demeanor.
Which one was the real Xueqing?
Could it be that she had a split personality, like Bing?
Or was that actually her true nature…?
Perhaps, I needed to understand her more deeply to see her true face.
However, before that, I had to pay the price for my actions.
“Um, Xueqing, I…”
“Hmm.”
She responded, indicating she was listening. After adjusting my breathing and calming myself down, I spoke.
“I did do some bad things to you, so I won’t make any excuses for my actions… In other words, you can ask for any compensation you want! I’ll agree to anything unconditionally!”
Xueqing tilted her head, missed something, and asked me.
“Bad… things?”
“Uh… you know, that…”
It was so embarrassing to say it out loud myself. It felt a bit like confessing a mistake to my homeroom teacher in elementary school. Speaking of which, my current homeroom teacher, Teacher Xiaozhen, is an even younger loli than Xueqing, but in front of Teacher Xiaozhen, even if I make a mistake, I don’t feel ashamed… Is it because I’ve always been casual with Teacher Xiaozhen? It seems the feeling of apology is indeed related to the other person’s appearance and physique…
Ah, no, my thoughts are drifting again. I need to get back to reality.
I’ve been taught many times since I was young to take responsibility for my mistakes, and now I have to admit mine!
Suppressing my shame, I placed my hands on Xueqing’s shoulders and shouted in despair.
“I… I helped you clean your body!”
“Mm, I know.”
“Oh… Huh?! You know!!!”
“Mm.”
A faint blush appeared on Xueqing’s cheeks. She placed her hands over mine on her shoulders.
“Ahhh! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!”
I dropped to my knees in front of her, clasping my hands together, bowing repeatedly and chanting “sorry” over and over.
If kneeling would work, why bother with rules! What’s the use of repeating apologies? You have to pay the price! You defiled my purity, what will you give me in return? How about… you chop off your hands and give them to me?
As if hearing such an accusation.
But in reality, Xueqing didn’t make a sound, nor would she use such an intense tone. She definitely couldn’t say so many words at once.
I was the one projecting my conscience’s accusations onto Xueqing’s imagined scolding.
Only then could I bring myself to pay the price!
After kowtowing with all my might, I said while still kneeling.
“I’m sorry! I know an apology is worthless! So… so! Even if you want to cut off my hands, I won’t resist at all!”
“…”
There was no response.
I had already resolved not to get up until I received a response, so I maintained my kneeling posture.
Although I couldn’t see, I could hear Xueqing’s breathing quicken slightly… Was she hesitating?
After a long while, Xueqing finally responded.
She cupped my face and whispered into my ear.
A three-part response, each three characters long, accompanied by her breath, entered my ears.
“It’s okay.”
“I don’t mind.”
“I forgive you.”
Don’t give me that kind of answer…
I suddenly raised my head, grabbed Xueqing’s shoulders, and said excitedly.
“No! I must compensate you! Please, make your demand!”
Please, I beg you, make your demand! Anything is fine! Otherwise, I’ll get carried away again!
“Then…”
“Mhm mhm!”
I swallowed hard, mentally prepared.
“Hair.”
“Huh? You want hair too? No, you just want hair! Don’t you want anything else?”
The price of hair is too light. It’s not enough to alleviate my guilt.
“Then… you still want…”
“Oh, what else do you want? I promise I’ll satisfy your request… well, I’ll try my best!”
I changed my mind halfway through because I suddenly thought that Xueqing might be a serial killer who dismembers her victims. If she wanted my life, should I resist or not?
I don’t want to die yet, so I can’t be too absolute with my words.
“Fingernails.”
“Support?”
What support?
“No, fingernails.”
Xueqing extended her fingers and showed me her clean fingernails. Only then did I understand what she meant.
Then Xueqing took my hand and used her fingertip to wipe my left thumbnail, saying:
“I’ll trim them for you.”
Her tone had a slight hint of excitement compared to usual.
“Oh, oh…”
She’s going to trim my nails for me? Is that all she wants?
As I was wondering, Xueqing took my hand and led me out of the bedroom into the bathroom.
“Juncheng, help me get them.”
“Oh? Oh, okay…”
She wants me to get those two knives hanging on the drying rack for her… Is it really okay to hand over such dangerous weapons to her… Hmm, whatever! I have to satisfy her requests as much as possible right now!
Xueqing took out the shorter dagger and said to me.
“Extend your hand.”
“Uh… oh!”
She’s going to use this to trim my nails?!
Trembling, I extended my right hand. Xueqing didn’t even steady my hand; she directly swung the blade.
Staring at her, my body stiffened again, my hands frozen in mid-air, unable to move.
One cut.
She didn’t make a second cut. My right thumbnail was trimmed. The excess was caught by Xueqing with her other hand.
I witnessed firsthand what it meant for a blade to dance!
She trimmed all ten fingernails with just ten cuts.
This feeling…! It’s similar to the feeling of something flashing past my eyes last time. Was Xueqing using this knife to trim my eyebrows back then?!
Even a professional acrobat would be ashamed of her knife skills!
Xueqing retracted the blade with satisfaction, then ran out of the bathroom with my fingernail clippings.
I stared blankly at her retreating back. After she ran out, I called out.
“Hey! Xueqing! Where are you going?”
As I stood up to chase after her, I noticed something strange.
Wait, where’s the bathwater?
I remember I hurriedly carried Xueqing out of the bathroom yesterday and forgot to drain the bathwater. But now the bathwater has been drained!
Now that I think about it… Since Xueqing doesn’t know how to use the water heater at all, why has the water heater always been plugged in?
Could this be a ghost… No, let’s not think about unscientific things.
Although Xueqing told me she lived alone, perhaps there were other people living here. Some of the door handles on the second floor weren’t dusty. I hadn’t entered those rooms yet.
Thinking this, I also walked out of the bathroom and returned to the second floor.
Xueqing seemed to be in her room, so I’ll check the other rooms.
Besides Xueqing’s bedroom, there were three other rooms on the second floor whose door handles were not dusty.
Whether they were dusty or not, I decided to open them all to check.
I first walked to the room next to Xueqing’s bedroom and pushed open the door by pressing the handle.
This looked like a study. Seeing Xueqing always holding a book, she must have quite a collection.
I didn’t go inside but continued to the next room.
The next room looked like a projection room. A huge screen hung on one wall, a high-quality sofa was placed in the center, and various fruits, snacks, and 3D glasses were on the low table. Several of the latest game consoles were placed below the screen, and the cabinet in the corner was filled with discs, presumably movie or game discs.
This was an entertainment room, a place for movie appreciation or gaming. With such complete equipment, it was enviable. Many otaku must dream of having such a room. I kind of wanted to try playing Monster Hunter on that huge screen; the immersion should be great.
No, now is not the time for games. I shook my head, left the room, and continued checking the other rooms. I also opened the rooms with dusty door handles; they were all empty.
It seemed that only the rooms in use were kept clean.
Then the last room must be the room of that mysterious guest, right?
Entering the last room, I couldn’t immediately tell what it was used for, but the atmosphere suggested it was a storage room because there were no windows.
The corners of my mouth twitched because this meant… Xueqing really lived alone!
Is there really no one here! Then who drained the bathwater! Don’t tell me it was a ghost!
As if to confirm my suspicion, a blast of cold air hit me, making me shiver involuntarily.
Speaking of which, since I lent my jacket to Kaoru Tsukiyose and my shirt was being worn by Xueqing, my upper body was bare.
Ugh, it’s so cold…
I rubbed my hands and shoulders vigorously, hunched my body, and walked into this storage room to see what was stored inside.
First, I looked at the bookshelf on the right. The bookshelf had two tiers. The upper tier held square bottles, and the lower tier held round bottles.
What are those…
When I clearly saw what they were, my scalp tingled, and I couldn’t help but grimace.
Because… those things were!
Fingernails!
Fingernails were stored in small square bottles, each with a label indicating the date and name. They weren’t trimmed by nail clippers but were whole fingernails, ten in each bottle.
All the fingernails were neatly stacked like bricks.
Some fingernails were yellowed, while others were still white. Some were even stained with blood, as if they had just been torn from someone’s fingers.
I looked down at the lower shelf. The round bottles contained…
Eyeballs!
The eyeballs were soaked in yellowish formalin. Each small bottle contained one eyeball. All the eyeballs stared straight ahead and slightly upward. Even though they were just eyeballs, I felt like countless eyes were staring at me… no, staring at something else…
I turned my head to look at the other side. There was a large cabinet. When I opened it, it was filled with small boxes the size of phone cases, also with labels.
An ominous premonition surged through me, but I couldn’t resist taking out a box and opening it…
Inside were fingers.
From the thumb to the little finger, they were neatly arranged in order in the boxes. The cross-sections of the fingers were clean, and there were no fingernails on them.
Each finger stood straight, pointing in the same direction.
So, I searched in the direction of those fingers again…
I found a severed hand without fingers.
A chill ran down my spine!
This place was like an exhibition of human hands and eyes, with human parts neatly displayed!
What kind of twisted psychology would lead someone to do this!
It was simply inhuman!
Was this all… was this all Xueqing’s doing?
I swayed like a person standing on the edge of a cliff, repeatedly murmuring “No way?” and “Impossible!” in my heart.
But the undeniable facts were before me. Any explanation felt weak and powerless.
Damn it!
Xueqing… How could she…!
“Jun… cheng?”
A voice from behind, one that had become familiar and then suddenly strange again.
My heart sank to the bottom!
