Unfortunately, most of the high-tech assassination equipment Sakura carried had already been ruined by the infrasound vibrations.
Vill-V had installed the infrasound vibration device for far more than underwater defense. It could also survey underwater schools of fish and mineral deposits, communicate with elephants, create supernatural phenomena...
Anything an assassin might consider, Vill-V had considered as well, although most of those functions could hardly be said to have anything to do with assassins anymore.
Perhaps a merciless assassin really could do anything. Riding an elephant through the ocean while lying in wait for an assassination was entirely possible.
The mission has failed. I must withdraw immediately.
By now, Sakura had fully realized that this yacht was nothing more than a trap specifically designed for her.
Continuing to fight here would accomplish nothing. Sakura would inevitably be the one defeated.
Moreover, Sakura was already in poor condition after enduring the infrasound attack. Following such an intense battle, signs of exhaustion had begun to show.
Now, even if she wanted to draw a concealed weapon, she had to reach for it twice. Her sense of distance and direction had already begun to deteriorate.
But when Sakura staggered toward the bow, she discovered there was nowhere left to retreat.
At some point without her noticing, the yacht had already sailed into an enclosed cavern.
The cavern's smooth stone walls were covered in moss. Even with a grappling hook, there was probably no guarantee it could find a secure hold, much less in Sakura's current condition. Clinging to the wall would simply turn her into a living target.
Looking down, the cavern water was deep and pitch-black. There was no need to think about it. Dangerous mechanisms were undoubtedly hidden beneath the surface.
Since this was a trap, naturally it would not allow prey that had stepped inside to escape so easily.
Sakura lightly bit her pale lip, unwilling to give up. Hearing footsteps approaching behind her, she clung to a sliver of hope and leaped into the cavern water.
Perhaps I'm simply overthinking it?
Reality soon proved otherwise.
The icy water wrapped around her as equally cold mechanisms sprang to life. Traps from every direction captured Sakura.
A giant crab-shaped soap bubble locked Sakura's body firmly in place.
"As expected..."
Sakura stopped struggling. She squeezed the small blue flower-shaped necklace inside the pocket over her chest. Within it were warm memories of herself and Rin, along with a single 'forget-me-not.'
She murmured, "So this is where I'll die... Rin..."
To kill was to accept the possibility of being killed.
Those burdened with sin would one day face judgment.
Sakura had long since prepared herself for death.
And so Sakura was not worried about having been driven into a hopeless situation.
The only thing she worried about now was whether MOTH's higher-ups would still honor their promise to protect her younger sister from the Honkai after her mission had failed.
And whether Rin herself was already prepared to lose such an inadequate older sister.
Sakura's thoughts sank into darkness alongside the rising bubbles.
...
"Caught ourselves an adorable little bunny who fell in the water. Now, let's see who it is?"
"Oh my, isn't this Sakura? Looks like our little magic bunny's underwater escape act didn't go very smoothly~"
"Vill-V, please don't tease the prisoner."
"It's fine, Dr. Mei. Sakura isn't going to suddenly attack me. I believe Sakura has a gentle maiden's heart too... For example, perhaps she likes Homu plushies?"
Pfft—
Dr. Newton could not hold back her laughter. Teacher Vill-V discussing the maidenly heart of a cold and merciless assassin was simply too funny.
"Don't laugh. I'm serious. Look, I even brought a Homu plushie. And I've got other things too, like Eden's albums, a Blazing Sword-Draw toy, pink bunny ears..."
Kevin folded his arms and said coldly, "Vill-V, are you trying to imitate Elysia? Talking about a maiden's heart with an assassin? She's a professional killer."
Dr. Mei nodded. After experiencing a life like Sakura's, it was not impossible that she could still retain a pure and kind humanity. It was simply extraordinarily unlikely.
Maintaining one's humanity under those circumstances was no easy feat.
"Humans can become numb. And once that numbness sets in, healing it is often harder than healing a real wound."
Sakura sat inside the cell, staring with numb, hollow eyes as Dr. Newton, Vill-V, Dr. Mei, and Kevin discussed what should be done with her.
She understood. The moment her mission failed, she had needed to prepare for the worst possible outcome.
Committing suicide to conceal the secrets of MOTH's higher-ups and thereby protect her younger sister's safety had also been one of her plans.
Sakura had originally become an assassin for one reason—to protect her younger sister, Rin.
...
Sakura and Rin had once been young ladies of a prestigious family in the Far East. The Sakura family had operated a cherry blossom shrine for generations, and both sisters had bright futures ahead of them.
At the center of the shrine stood an ancient cherry tree planted when the shrine itself had first been established. Its towering trunk and thick branches bore witness to centuries of change.
Beneath that cherry tree, Sakura, as the eldest daughter, had received her father's strict instruction from childhood.
Her father taught Sakura the essence of swordsmanship, teaching her how to harness the strength of her body and harmonize her breathing, and how to control the weight, speed, and rhythm of her sword.
Kendo made Sakura suffer endlessly, but it also allowed her to experience the joy of a profound connection with her father.
Her father was stern, taciturn, and meticulous. Only at moments like these would he reveal his affection, speaking at length and sharing many heartfelt thoughts.
I'm close. If I can cut a cherry blossom apart while it's falling, Father will acknowledge my swordsmanship.
Striking a falling cherry blossom was not difficult, but actually cutting one apart required some skill.
Especially with a bamboo sword.
Yet fate played a cruel joke on her. On the very day Sakura finally succeeded in cutting through a falling cherry blossom as she had wished, her father committed suicide because he could no longer repay an enormous debt.
It was like a nightmare—sudden and incomprehensible. Yet in the Far East, such things were far from uncommon. All manner of financial risks could drive a seemingly prosperous, fulfilled middle-aged man to death.
And those astronomical debts did not disappear with her father's death.
Men from the underworld stormed into the shrine carrying contracts for high-interest loans.
They took away everything in the house that could be carried off. Even that was not enough. Brandishing knives, they threatened Sakura and forced her to repay her father's debts, otherwise they would sell Sakura and her younger sister Rin to the pleasure district as courtesans—in other words, prostitutes.
At the same time, the underworld offered Sakura a second choice: become their assassin and work for them.
Sakura's father had been a capable man, but he had refused to associate with the underworld.
They believed Sakura possessed the same value. On the very day they came to collect the debt, Sakura had already demonstrated her unparalleled talent in swordsmanship.
Despite being only a child, she had used a bamboo sword to cut down seven or eight armed grown men.
She was a flawless piece of unpolished jade. The money they could earn by selling her as a courtesan was nothing compared with the value she could bring them as an enforcer for the underworld!
To protect Rin's normal life, Sakura agreed and concealed the truth from her sister.
Sakura did not want her younger sister to be tainted by society's malice. Rin was so adorable, so innocent.
Sakura would become her umbrella, shielding her from all that malice.
All Sakura had left was her younger sister, Rin. Rin was her entire world, the final sanctuary remaining in her life.
Little did she know, this would mark the beginning of Sakura's suffering.
The malice lurking within humanity's shadows went far beyond anything an inexperienced young girl could imagine.
The Far East had long possessed a saying known as "Seven Days of Cherry Blossoms." Each time the cherry blossoms bloomed, magnificent flowers covered the entire tree, only to wither seven days later—a life brief yet dazzling.
And on that day, the girl who left behind the sunlight and cherry tree chose to become an epiphyllum born in shadow, whose life was even more fleeting.
All for the sake of protecting the younger sister who still grew beneath the sunlight.