In the end, he gave up. He would never know the answer, not unless he met Angelica again and asked her.

However, he was aware that their next meeting wouldn't be a peaceful one. Angelica had murdered Tens.h.i.+ in cold blood and carved her corpse into pieces. He couldn't forgive her for that. Even though he still had lingering affection for her, he couldn't let go of the fact that she had cruelly slaughtered his friend.

"You okay?" Glen asked, a little concerned. Shun Yin shook his head to clear his mind of ominous thoughts.

"Yeah, sorry. You were saying?"

"Nothing much. Just expressing my surprise that everyone seems to have moved on and forgotten about the ma.s.sacre last month. I mean, I know it has been a month, but still…it disturbs me how quickly people adapt to their circ.u.mstances."

"Ah. I know how you feel about that." Shun Yin nodded in agreement. Glen studied him anxiously before sighing.

"I'm most worried about you, buddy. I know you had a thing going with Angelica…that she was in love with you. Even among the clan, it was pretty obvious. She never forgot about you."

"I never forgot about her either."

"Of course." Glen chuckled wryly. "You'll have to be a machine if you didn't feel anything for someone as beautiful as her."

"It wasn't her beauty that attracted me." Shun Yin paused and glanced outside the window. "We were just kids back then. I'm not sure how to describe it…but she was just like the sun. Bright, radiant, warm, active…filling me with hope. When I was with her, I didn't worry about our difference in statuses. I just wanted to be…with her."

"Yet you didn't accept her offer and go along with her?" When Shun Yin gave him a stare, Glen shrugged helplessly. "Don't look at me like that. I know Angelica well enough that it's pretty obvious she would try and drag you along with her."

"…she did."

"Then why didn't you follow her? If I were you, I would most certainly throw away everything to follow the girl I love."

Shun Yin sighed as he gazed outside the window, his eyes blanking out wearily. He rested his chin on his hands and pondered.

"…people change. I haven't seen her in nine years. Our relations.h.i.+p can't be the same as before. It will no longer be as pure…as innocent…"

"Don't give me that bulls.h.i.+t. I know that look. You're obviously still in love with her." Glen glared at him. "Who cares about whether your relations.h.i.+p is the same as before or different? If you love her, you'll choose to be with her."

"Our paths diverged." Shun Yin lowered his head. "At some point…our values and paths differed from each other. She was walking down a road I cannot…will not take. I have responsibilities…not just to myself, but also my family and my master. You talk about throwing away everything for the girl I love, but I cannot. I will not discard my family, my master and my friends for a single girl. They are just as important to me as Angelica is."

He then stared hard at Glen.

"Would you abandon your parents…your father and mother just to elope with a girl?"

"…uh, well…you have a point there." Glen scratched his head sheepishly. "I was thinking way too romantically, but now that you've hit me over the head with harsh reality, I realize that the situation isn't as simple. Still…I really admire you. For you to keep your calm and composure and a.s.sess the situation rationally instead of throwing everything away in the heat of pa.s.sion and emotion…that is really impressive. I probably can't do that under such circ.u.mstances."

"Good thing the one Angelica approached was me and not you then."

Glen grimaced. "Ouch…you really know where to rub it in. Oh, don't worry. I was never interested in Angelica. I admit, I found her beautiful, but she was extremely intimidating, you know? She was this perfect, talented, once-in-lifetime prodigy who surpa.s.sed everybody's expectations. Any partner of hers has to match her."

"I'm not a genius, and yet she chose me."

"HA HA HA HA HA!" Glen burst out laughing when he heard that. Shaking his head, he slapped Shun Yin across the back. "Are you serious?! Do you really think you're not a genius?"

"Huh? Of course I'm not. I'm just a normal guy from a commoner family. We are just as average as you can get."

"I don't know if you're trying to be modest or delusional. Anyone with your skill will be regarded a prodigy in our generation. I think you can even match Angelica herself. We actually had footage of you fighting on par with her during that attack last month. You even defeated her in the first round. Okay, you let your guard down later and she cut your sword, but otherwise you're clearly on the same level as her." Glen patted his own chest. "I daresay that you'll be on the same level as me if it weren't for my White Tiger. But other than me, there is no one in this school who can challenge you."

"Are you saying that you're stronger than Angelica?" Shun Yin asked skeptically. Glen blanched at that.

"Well…no…not really…it depends." Glen looked sheepish. "If I can summon my White Tiger, I will have a high chance of defeating her. The problem is that…"

"…she always defeats you before you can complete the summoning spell for your White Tiger." Shun Yin understood. Glen grinned in embarra.s.sment.

"Exactly."

"Even so…we still have to stop her."

Shun Yin rested his head on his desk tiredly. Glen watched him in concern.

"Do you know how? h.e.l.l, do you even know where she is right now? The Porter clan is tearing the entire city apart trying to track down her location, you know? What makes you think you can find her when the sheer amount of manpower that the Porter clan brought to bear can't?"

"Oh…I won't be able to find her. I believe that Angelica will be the one who comes to find me."

Glen stared at him, his jaw dropping for a second, and then he guffawed boisterously. "So you do have some confidence, after all! And here I thought you were trying to be modest."

"No…it's just something she said." Shun Yin rubbed his temple as he recalled his conversation with her. "Angelica said that we'll meet again. Knowing her, she probably isn't lying or being figurative. She still plans to persuade me, if I'm not mistaken."

"So that's what you mean." Glen looked a little disappointed. He then leaned back in his desk. "Oh well…whatever happens, happens. Just don't try and take everything upon yourself, you hear? The moment you get something, let me know immediately. We'll figure it out together."

Shun Yin simply smiled silently, but he didn't promise or agree.

*

With the month being peaceful and quiet, there was little for Shun Yin to do after school ended, except to head to the Miyamoto dojo and resume his usual training. Even in the week out of school, and the rest of the weeks that followed as Vermillion High struggled to return to normalcy, he had continued to train and spar with his master in the dojo.

However, today, he paused right at the road. Months ago, he was first attacked here by Ying Bu Si. Back then, the Sakura blossoms were scattering across the road, turning the entire place pink. However, spring was nearing its end and summer was taking over. Bright sunlight baked the green trees that stood tall on both sides of the road.

There was no longer any sign of damage on the place where he had fought the Umbra a.s.sa.s.sin. Rather, the presence belonged not to an enemy but…someone unexpected.

"Lord Michael." Shun Yin bowed his head slightly. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"I have a message from my sister."

Shun Yin immediately froze. "Angelica?"

"Yes." Michael regarded Shun Yin impa.s.sively, his expression unreadable. "The very same girl who betrayed the Porter clan to obtain more power, all for the sake of the man she loves."

"That's…" Shun Yin narrowed his eyes. "If that is so, why are you talking to me? Shouldn't you be reporting this to your parents? To the Porter clan?"

"She's still my sister."

"…you are on the side of your sister? The a.s.sa.s.sins Guild?" Somehow that struck Shun Yin as odd. A hero like Michael would never join hands with the a.s.sa.s.sins Guild. The person he had been idolizing, wors.h.i.+pping, admiring…he would never…

"No. I am on n.o.body's side." Michael sighed. "But…she's still my sister. Besides, there is nothing for me to report to my father. What am I supposed to tell him? That she left a letter for you? If I tell him that, you're the one who suffers the most. They will take you in for interrogation and torture you for whatever information they think you have. But…" he clenched his fists. "I know you well enough. You aren't related to this at all."

"Then why would Angelica leave me a letter?"

"I don't know. That's between you and her. It's none of my business." Michael stepped forward and handed a white envelope to Shun Yin. He accepted it, but kept his eyes on Michael.

"What is she planning? What did she tell you?"

"You misunderstand. I never met her. I found the letter in my room. I don't know how she delivered it to my room…maybe she left it there before her so-called disappearance and I didn't notice it for a month…or more likely, she used some sort of spell to deliver the letter to my room. Or bribed one of the servants…but obviously I don't know which one, and all of them claimed not to know anything about it. In any case, I found it in my room this morning, and it has your name on it."

True enough, Shun Yin found his name spelled across the front of the white envelope. He frowned, recognizing Angelica's handwriting. It hadn't changed, even after nine years…still the pretty and elegant script.

Sighing, he tore it open and read it.

"Please don't join the a.s.sa.s.sins Guild. I intend to betray the organization hiring them."

"…what in the world?"

"What's the matter?" Michael raised an eyebrow. Shun Yin didn't hesitate in showing him the letter. After the older guy read the letter, Shun Yin wasn't able to resist his question.

"What is Angelica plotting?"

"Your guess is good as mine. I've known that she has been in love with you all this time. I wager she just doesn't want to involve you in her own affairs."

"Isn't it a bit too late for that?" Shun Yin pointed out dryly. Michael shrugged and gestured toward the rest of the message. Shun Yin returned his attention and continued reading.

"All I desire is more power…that way, I will be able to be together with you. Our paths may be different, but our destination is definitely the same. I'm sure we'll arrive there together…eventually."

Shun Yin glanced up at Michael, scowling at the cryptic message. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know." Michael sighed in frustration. "This is the first time that Angelica is behaving neither logically nor rationally." He shook his head as he stared hard at Shun Yin. "All I can guess is that she is…acting impulsively because of love."

Shun Yin didn't know whether to laugh or cry over such a cheesy bulls.h.i.+t line.