Becoming an Oni in this land of illusion

Chapter 36

[Ibaraki]

After supper, I intend to bring Stella to a private location and ask her what happened in the past, without leaving any missing information.

"Stella, what happened, after I passed away?"

After I finished the question, she looked away.

"Stella?"

I understand she is hesitant to say it or not, but I will not force her if she doesn't say it, because it's better to be silent than to lie.

"It's alright if you don't want to talk about it."

She heaved a sigh and looked me directly in the eyes.

I am enchanted by her, Shuten truly deserves to be part of the three great youkai. She is very charming.

"I will tell you everything and... I hope you won't hate me for it"

She said with resolve, and it made me wonder why she seemed so hesitant. Is it because she conquered a nation for me or something?

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To think that my life is worth conquering a nation must be a joke.

Do love and affection make people behave irrationally? No, love is a limiter, and once that love is gone, the person will become stronger than I could have imagined.

But, beyond that, I'm touched. It's kind of bad if I feel this way, but since you did those things just for me, I'm happy...

"You are really stupid..."

"You could simply forget about me and have a happy and satisfying life, you could be living in satisfaction..."

"Still, you go to such great lengths just to clear my name..."

"You are really stupid...."

I closed my eyes in order to prevent myself from crying, but it seemed that the tears still seeped out from between my eyelids and I could feel them sliding down my face.

I felt as if Stella had hugged me tightly, and I allowed her to do so.

"But... more than that... I'm glad we have met"

"Thank you for allowing me to feel the emotion called love.

"Sofia..."

She softly called my name, and I looked directly into her amethyst colored eyes. It seemed that I wanted to remove this regret of mine.

"Stella! I would like to let you know this!"

I paused and said it from the bottom of my heart.

"I love you, Stella! And I desperately need you to be a part of my life forever!"

"I'm asking you to be by my side and not leave me. I'm asking you to chastise me when I'm acting childish. I'm asking you to tell me when something is wrong or right."

"That is why I request that you accept me, Stella."

Even though I already know the answer, I looked at her intently because I desperately needed to hear the confirmation.

Although she had tears in her eyes, her beauty only increased as she wore a smile.

"Yes..."

After hearing that, I was overcome with happiness and I decided to kiss her.

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I am currently carrying Stella in my arms, since I may have become too excited and ended up making her breathless, causing her to faint.