After breaking up, my ex asked me to win her back

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Time rewound to several hours earlier.

After hanging up the phone with his father, Kagura Hikaru immediately began to pack his bags.

It wasn't difficult, as he hadn't brought much from home and had even taken an extra luggage bag with him; the guitar could be left here and picked up in a few days.

His father had just told him some bad news: Grandfather had passed away last night, peacefully in his sleep, without any pain—the only small comfort.

His father was already back in the country; he had returned on the day Komori Ai married Xiaosong Lisha, and the next day, when Kagura Hikaru tentatively mentioned moving out, his mother persuaded him to stay another day. Then on the third day, they received the news of Grandfather's passing.

A car would be downstairs shortly, and his father would take both him and his stepmother to the countryside for the funeral. Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

Of course, Kagura Hikaru couldn't refuse.

After packing, he shouldered his luggage bag and went downstairs.

Unaware of the situation, Xiaosong Lisha was sitting on the couch watching TV, with Kiryu Hina beside her, and a pile of snacks on the table. They had been watching dramas since early morning, seeming to get along quite well.

Kiryu Masaki was nowhere to be seen, probably working.

Kagura Hikaru's steps down the stairs were a bit heavier than usual. He saw his mother, Xiaosong Lisha, look up at him, her gaze quickly settling on the single-shoulder luggage bag he was carrying.

"Hikaru, are you leaving? So soon?"

Xiaosong Lisha's eyes widened, as if tears were gathering in them.

But Kagura Hikaru knew it was just her habitual coquettishness—like a fisherman baiting a hook, tossing it out whether there was something to catch or not.

Long accustomed to his mother's convincing acting, but not in the mood to play along, he said expressionlessly, "I'm going back to Wakayama with my dad; an older relative has died."

"...I see, okay."

Xiaosong Lisha's expression stalled, and she sighed.

She didn't inquire who the deceased was; her relationship with her ex-husband's family had worsened after the divorce. She simply watched with a look of regret as Kagura Hikaru headed to the entranceway.

Meanwhile, the oblivious Kiryu Hina finally realized what was happening and sprang up from the sofa, "Wait a sec, Kagura, are you going?"

"Yeah, I'll stay at my own place after I get back from Wakayama." Kagura Hikaru turned around, nodded, and added, "Thanks for your hospitality during this time."

Kiryu Hina immediately put on a 'fighting back disappointment but too proud to say it' expression, bit her lip, and her little face drooped.

They say women are born actresses, and the high school girl before him had spent three years in the Drama Club. Kagura Hikaru was unsure if this was a performance designed to elicit sympathy.

But Xiaosong Lisha was apparently taken in; she stood up to comfort her stepdaughter in a low voice, whispering into her ear, quickly bringing a smile back to her face... It was probably something that fitted well with her desires and aligned with her plans.

For Kagura Hikaru saw clearly that at the edge of his mother's field of vision, she gave a 'plan successful' look, then instantly reverted to the obedient girl.

...Eh, he knew it.

Kagura Hikaru turned back to put on his shoes, thereby missing Kiryu Hina's lingering gaze as she looked at his departing figure.

After saying goodbye to the two women at home, Kagura Hikaru, holding the strap of his luggage bag, took the elevator downstairs. After waiting for about five minutes in the lobby, his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, stood up, looked through the glass doors of the apartment, and, unsurprisingly, spotted a familiar black SUV, so he hung up and walked outside.

The window of the black Toyota rolled down, revealing Kagura Hikaru's father in the driver's seat as expected. He nodded at Kagura Hikaru, expressionless, signaling him to get in.

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Kagura Hikaru opened the rear car door and sat down, and his stepmother in the front passenger seat turned around with a smile, asking, "Mister Hikaru, it must have been tough on you these past days, leaving you alone in Tokyo. Have you been eating well?"

A rare hint of jealousy-laced malice could be discerned in her words. Hikaru gave her a surprised glance and then lowered his eyes without speaking.

Seeing his lack of response, the stepmother realized something and guiltily turned away.

Hikaru's father said nothing and started the car, driving along the main road until the luxury apartment was completely out of sight. Only then did he say, "This time we'll be staying in Wakayama for about three days. Have you asked for leave from school?"

"I'll talk to my teachers about it later," Hikaru answered.

The father asked a few trivial matters and never mentioned Hikaru's mother, Komori Risa, or their marriage.

Hikaru tended to believe he knew about it, even if his mother had no intention of notifying him or sending an invitation.

The two of them were now essentially as good as enemies, and of course, being caught in the middle, he himself wouldn't say much either.

However, due to Hikaru's reticence, the atmosphere in the car slowly grew heavy. The stepmother tried to lighten the mood with a forced cheerfulness, but neither of the two men engaged.

If it were any other day, such an atmosphere would quickly vanish without a trace, but today was different. The shadow of a family member's death was looming over them, and no one could ease their minds.

Soon, the car became very quiet, with only the occasional sounds of shifting gears and signaling, resembling a coffin driving down the street.

They were now headed to their old home in Wakayama. It was neither too far nor too close, and they would likely arrive by evening.

Hikaru felt a bit sleepy and really wanted to take a short nap in the car, but unfortunately, Komori Ai was sitting next to him, still engrossed in her video game. He couldn't very well rest his head on her thigh and lie down to sleep.

Bored, he took out his phone, planning to kill some time with it.

But as his finger was about to press the lock screen button to wake up the display, a sudden darkness enveloped him.

It was a vision—this ability had activated again without any warning.

Hikaru quickly realized that there were quite a few people in this scene, making the view somewhat crowded.

He saw the conspicuous police tape, the police maintaining order, himself, his father, his stepmother, and his grandmother, as well as many villagers.

They were people from the town around his family home, whose faces Hikaru faintly remembered.

Everyone was gathered around a well that had been chiseled open, all with serious expressions.

Among them, a bald middle-aged man stood out as he appeared inconsolable. He was nearly collapsing to the ground, and if it weren't for a police officer behind him who seemed to be supporting him but was actually restraining him, he might have.

Two villagers were using ropes to pull something out of the opened well with great effort.

Hikaru quickly saw what it was—a fleshless corpse, a skeleton.

Intuition told him that it was the bones of a woman, covered in a tattered, loose red and white garment that resembled shrine maiden attire.

The vision ended there, and Hikaru woke up to the sound of screams, looking down at his phone's dark screen with shock and uncertainty.

A shameful, horrific, and long-past murder case.

The peaceful countryside home of his memories was suddenly shrouded in a dark, oppressive gloom.