Unusual Fate Records

Chapter 53, Section 025: The Wood Demon

Jin Ziyue's expression instantly turned serious as he stood protectively in front of the little girl.

Megumi Amamiya listened quietly, then suddenly said, "This voice sounds a bit like Eiko's."

"Ok?"

"It's my good friend, Yingzi! Is that you?" She called out halfway through her sentence towards the empty stairwell.

The singing grew closer, and suddenly the glass door opened.

"Welcome back again," an electronic voice suddenly announced.

The newcomer was short, about the same height as Amamiya Megumi, and walked with a slight stumble. His body was covered in brown tree bark, except for his eyes, which had clear yellow pupils. He muttered to himself and spoke with a slight stutter.

The character “林” belongs to the category of wood spirits.

Jin Ziyue didn't listen to the nursery rhyme because he stuttered and couldn't quite make it out.

"Yingzi..."

Megumi Amamiya's voice was trembling, and tears kept flowing from her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Yingzi, I'm so sorry..."

The little girl's crying became increasingly nasal.

The song stopped abruptly, and the other person stiffly turned their head, as if something was stuck in their neck, causing them to twitch.

“I didn’t even dare to go to your father’s funeral… I didn’t know how to face you…” Amamiya Megumi wiped away her tears.

"Dad... Dad?... Goodbye, Dad..."

The other person was having some difficulty speaking, and their words were somewhat incoherent.

The brown-haired man took a step forward, and Jin Ziyue stepped aside to block Amamiya Megumi's path.

Suddenly, Jin Ziyue realized that cherry tree branches were growing from his body. The intertwined branches swelled up from all over his body, breaking through his skin and covering his entire body. He tried to raise his hands to struggle, but found that his hands had turned into brownish-gray bark, twisting in the opposite direction and wrapping around his neck.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free. His eyes were bulging out from being constricted, and he was only hanging on by a thread in his chest, as if he could be suffocated at any moment.

Amamiya Megumi looked at Jin Ziyue, who was blocking her way, and without warning, slowly knelt down and collapsed to the ground.

"Big brother!" She quickly squatted down and shook Jin Ziyue.

You could tell he was in pain, and fine beads of cold sweat were forming on his forehead.

Megumi Amamiya panicked: "Eiko!"

The Wood Demon turned to look at her, its eyes glowing before slowly fading back to normal.

Soon, Jin Ziyue's breathing became calm, but he remained unconscious.

"Yingzi, it's me, Xiaohui..."

Megumi Amamiya slowly approached and met her gaze into her yellow eyes.

"Xiao Hui... Xiao Hui..."

The doll-like face of the Wood Demon looked somewhat confused until Megumi Amamiya walked up to her.

Originally, Eiko was half a head shorter than Amamiya Megumi, but with the suit covering her, their heights were similar.

"Now...we're about the same height." Megumi Amamiya forced a smile, stretched out her chubby little hand, and touched it. The dry, rough texture of the wood brought tears to her eyes.

The Wood Demon seemed to understand but not quite, tilting its head and staring at her with its round eyes.

"Xiao Hui... Xiao Hui..."

It seemed to be a murmur, its eyes lifeless.

"Yes, I'm Xiaohui, we're good friends."

"Xiao Hui... is a friend..."

The Wood Demon slowly regained his senses and murmured, "Alone... I'm afraid... I miss... Megumi..."

"Eiko!" Megumi Amamiya could no longer hold back. She hugged Eiko's neck, and the hard texture in her hands made her burst into tears.

The Wood Demon stood there blankly, its expression wooden.

"I was wrong. I didn't protect Yingzi, I didn't protect my best friend..."

Megumi Amamiya wept uncontrollably.

"Don't cry..." The Wood Demon's hand, like a short, thick twig, gently rested on the girl's shoulder. "Don't cry..."

Its arms were stiff, mechanically patting its shoulders.

"Sweetie...pat pat...cry...go away..."

When it spoke, its speech was mumbled, which reminded Amamiya Megumi of Eiko's stammering manner, and how everyone at school called her a slow learner.

Megumi Amamiya looked at it; its blinking eyes were just like Eiko's.

That lonely shadow standing at the door after school, the shadow that handed her candy when she was naughty, the smile that told her she had to exchange her homework for pocket money when she found out she didn't have enough snacks.

They overlap one by one.

A surge of courage inexplicably rose within her.

The little girl said solemnly, "Yingzi, I must save you."

She remembered the young man lying on the ground, his eyes filled with determination as he stared straight at the danger.

Big brother, this time, it's Xiaohui's turn to protect you.

And Yingzi, no matter what, I will not give up.

The little girl looked at the brown wooden demon and began to circle her right index finger.

A faint golden halo appeared, illuminating their faces.

"Yingzi! Look! This is a game we often play."

She struggled to circle around for a while, and the golden halo emitted a soft glow, swaying back and forth, beginning to sparkle like fireworks.

Megumi Amamiya's eyes sparkled with the exact same fireworks.

The Wood Demon's expression gradually became flustered, and he scratched his head in frustration.

A painful groan came from his nose.

Its brows furrowed, and it struggled with gritted teeth.

"Yingzi? Yingzi, can you hear me?"

Amamiya Megumi asked with concern.

"Ah!" The baby voice broke, and the ending sound suddenly became hoarse.

Raising its head, the Wood Demon's pupils subtly crimsoned.

It met Amamiya Megumi's gaze, and for a fleeting moment, a red light flashed in its eyes.

The demon's face darkened with anger as the surrounding scenery began to change.

Megumi Amamiya was startled by its sudden change in expression. When she looked down, her body was already covered with cherry blossoms.

The entangled branches pierced his ankles, and his calves were pinned down by the spiraling branches, leaving half of his body unable to move.

Megumi Amamiya closed her eyes tightly, enduring the stinging pain without making a sound.

Tears were squeezed from the corners of her eyes and slid down her face.

The girl reached out her hand, but the thorns climbing up her body blocked her way, leaving cuts on her slender white arm.

The Wood Demon stared at her fiercely with a gloomy expression, his breathing gradually becoming heavy.

Undeterred, Amamiya Megumi gritted her teeth and tried her best to move her body so that her short arms could reach a little longer.

She reached out with difficulty, her fingers darting back and forth, but she couldn't touch the Wood Demon at all. It seemed so close, yet so far away.

"Yingzi, this time, I will never give up on you, no matter what!"

The girl's expression was stubborn, and blood beads seeped from her arm, gathering between her fingers and condensing into drops.

A man's voice suddenly rang out behind her.

"Enough! How long are you going to keep dreaming of being a hero?!"

Amamiya Megumi was startled. Although she didn't turn around, she could still recognize her father's voice!

Amamiya Ichiro's voice was filled with uncontrollable rage, almost a hoarse roar.

She had never heard her father scold her before, and was momentarily stunned.

"What hero? That's all wishful thinking on your part! Do you want to kill even more people because of your recklessness, Amamiya Megumi?!"

"Who named you a hero! There's a limit to self-importance! Do you want to drag others down again and again?"

The little girl listened quietly, tears and snot bubbles streaming down her face.

These are things Dad wouldn't normally say. A loving man would simply let himself tease gently, remind him to be safe, and then disappear into the night.

Megumi Amamiya's voice choked with emotion. Without turning around, she shouted:

"Because... if I don't become a hero, then you—"

"Who will save us?!"

I've been squandering some of my drafts these past couple of days, emm, this volume is almost finished. Time to start preparing the details for the next volume.

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(End of this chapter)