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

The stepmother got the answer she wanted—Kagura Hikaru did not mind her earlier rudeness, and she left, relieved.

Having closed the door, Kagura Hikaru sighed against the wall.

The time he'd spent with his mother, after such a long absence, brought back many "old memories," as well as the resentment that was originally suppressed in his heart.

No matter how peaceful his coexistence with his stepmother had been in the past, there was still an unresolved and stubborn conflict weighing on both of their hearts.

To this day, Kagura Hikaru still did not know how to get along with his father's mistress and new wife. Enjoy new stories from My Virtual Library Empire

There was silence through the night.

The next day, the Kagura family began preparing for the funeral.

The funeral of a person has always been a complex affair, especially in the countryside where many old traditions still remain.

Kagura Hikaru woke up early and saw his grandmother, father, and stepmother tidying up the house, cleaning filth, and making space for the upcoming funeral.

After breakfast, Kagura Hikaru was dispatched by his father to rent a black suit for the funeral from a town's clothing store. It was mainly for his own use, as his father and stepmother had brought their own black clothes when they came, and only Kagura Hikaru did not have one.

The somber and dignified black suit is the specified attire for funerals in the Island Nation, adhering to basic etiquette.

The town was small, and Kagura Hikaru walked to the store and rented a black suit without any issues.

On his way home, he found the funeral service staff at his home, applying makeup on his grandfather who lay in the coffin, arranging his appearance for the last time.

This was the first time Kagura Hikaru had seen his grandfather's body since returning to his hometown.

He looked peaceful, his posture flat and natural, suggesting he did not suffer in his final moments, just as his grandmother had said—he had passed away in his sleep.

Wreaths, candles, portraits, the funeral hall... all the items needed for a funeral soon appeared in the house.

At seven in the evening, the funeral officially began.

In this small countryside town in Wakayama, funerals were not uncommon—many of the villagers were elderly, and people were accustomed to others passing away.

And for that reason, funerals were taken very seriously—it was, after all, the last dignity of the deceased on earth, and even those who were not on good terms should be generous and forgiving now.

After seven o'clock, people from the town started to arrive one after another.

Everyone who entered would bow in front of the coffin, and those who were conscientious placed a bunch of flowers beneath the coffin as a sign of respect.

The grandmother and stepmother kept bringing out tea and snacks to serve them, while Kagura's father chatted with the guests.

As more and more people arrived, the piles of flowers near the coffin began to stack, as if crowning the departed elder.

Being a "child," Kagura Hikaru did not need to entertain guests and instead stayed in a corner, silently observing.

It was his own family's funeral, and of course, he took it seriously, but at the same time, he had another task—to find the murderer he saw in the prophecy, that suspicious middle-aged man.

Kagura Hikaru remembered his face clearly; if he was from this town, there was a good chance he would come to the funeral, and then Kagura Hikaru would have a way to make him reveal the location of the body and bring the murderer to justice.

Unfortunately, by the end of the funeral, when all the guests had left, he had not seen anyone who fit the image.

This left him somewhat disappointed.

It seemed he couldn't take the easy way out. Once the funeral was over, he would need to find a way to get a list of the villagers' names.

With the guests gone, the house felt empty.

The Kagura family began to clean up the aftermath.

"Mister Hikaru, you must be tired," said the stepmother as she passed by with a teapot, looking concerned, "I've prepared hot water for you, go take a bath first. There's the farewell ceremony in the morning, don't sleep too late."

"Hmm," Kagura Hikaru nodded, tied up the garbage he had collected, and quietly walked away.

The stepmother kept watching him, her eyes filled with unease.

Kiryu's father came out from the living room with a stern face, glanced at his son's retreating figure, and said to his wife, "Yuki, don't mind him, that's just his personality, he won't warm up to us."

"Darling, don't say that..." the stepmother Yuki said worriedly, holding her cheek, "I think he probably wants to live with his biological mother more."

"Hmph, that woman has already married someone else, and no matter what, they wouldn't tolerate having a burden in the house."

"By the way, what kind of person is he? Easy to get along with?"

"It seems to be the surname, Kiryu, a wealthy person."

"Is that so..."

Today had truly exhausted Kagura Hikaru.

Since the morning, he had been continuously tidying the house and preparing for the funeral, and in the evening, he had to entertain the guests.

The majority of the townspeople knew Kagura Hikaru's grandmother and were very curious about her grandson, and from time to time someone would come over to chat with him.

Moreover, Kagura Hikaru even had to divert some of his attention to the comings and goings of people to see whether among them was the 'murderer' he had seen in the prophetic vision, his nerves constantly on edge, which was exceptionally taxing.

After bathing and drying his hair, Kagura Hikaru immediately fell into a deep sleep, earlier than his usual bedtime.

This also resulted in him waking up very early the next day.

At four-thirty in the morning, he naturally woke up.

Some people, when they wake up early, may have a bit of low blood pressure, causing them to be groggy and habitually go back to sleep for a bit more rest.

But not Kagura Hikaru, his waking time was always very brief and swift, much like a soldier, a habit that lingered from a previous life—he didn't deliberately maintain this serious demeanor, he just felt that sleeping in was a waste of time, the hour or two of extra sleep was enough for him to read half a novel.

He glanced at the time on his phone, which he grabbed from beside the bed, and then flipped the covers off and got up.

The air in the room was much colder than before he went to sleep; just a deep breath allowed him to feel the chill of the air through his nostrils, a vivid sensation of winter's arrival.

In another month, it might even start to snow.

Kagura Hikaru's consciousness briefly drifted to that snowy night, that fragmented Christmas Eve.

He shook his head, scattering the memories.

Stepping out of the room, Kagura Hikaru was surprised to see that the lights were still on in the living room. Approaching, he discovered it was his grandmother, who had woken earlier than him, sitting at the table, flipping through something.

"Grandma," Kagura Hikaru greeted.

"Hikaru, you're up early," his grandmother said with some surprise.

"Mmm, I went to bed early last night."

Kagura Hikaru asked curiously, "What are you looking at?"

"A photo album," Grandma caressed the black photo album in her hands.

Kagura Hikaru immediately understood that she was reminiscing about Grandpa, and he also realized something—Grandma hadn't changed her clothes; she was still wearing the black outfit from the funeral.

She wasn't up early; she probably hadn't slept at all.

"Grandma, you should go get some rest."

"Haha, Hikaru has grown up, you've learned to care for others."

"Grandma..."

"Alright, alright, I'll listen to you and get some sleep," Grandma stood up, knocking her stiff back and revealing a pale smile, "The abbot is coming over this morning, and indeed I shouldn't meet him all groggy."

The 'abbot' she mentioned was the monk presiding over the farewell ceremony that day.

Kagura Hikaru silently stepped aside to make way for his grandmother.

But just as she was about to pass by Kagura Hikaru, the old woman suddenly stopped, turned around, and said, "Hikaru, can I ask you for a favor?"

"Hmm?"

"If you have time, after it gets light outside, go to the Shrine on the mountain and pray for your grandfather."

"The Shrine?"

Kagura Hikaru froze.

He had been to his ancestral home so many times and had never heard of any Shrine.

Then, like a flash of lightning, a decayed figure crossed his mind.

The female skeleton that had been dragged out of the well was dressed in a Shrine Maiden Attire.

Could she possibly be from the Shrine that Grandma mentioned?