Family heirloom, then turned into a demon girl

Chapter 107 Mission: 04-2 Becoming Human
Shoko Toyokawa is human.

In other words, Toyokawa Shoko was once human. For a very short period of time.

It was a joyful and dazzling time. After making a wish with Little Ace and gaining the power to fight the devil, and working with her friends, that brief period was the only time that Toyokawa Shoko lived as a human.

In principle, Shoko was trained by the Toyokawa family as the heir, and she is also the only direct descendant of the current head of the family.

But the heir needs to be intelligent, talented, polite and knowledgeable.

But it doesn't necessarily need to be human.

From the outset, the Toyokawa family had two options for how to deal with Shoko, their daughter. If Shoko was capable of great things, then she could naturally take over the family business; but if Shoko was merely a pretty vase, then the only option was to recruit a capable son-in-law.

Therefore, for Xiangzi, who is the heir, temperament and talent that can serve as a backup are more important considerations than real talents and knowledge that may be useful.

To this end, Xiangzi needs to speak in a moderate manner, be polite, and appear in various occasions to show his appearance, demeanor and talents.

Need to become a puppet dancing on the stage.

A doll named "Heir to the Toyokawa Family."

Fortunately, Xiangzi does have the potential to take on great responsibilities, and her training in this area has never been neglected. However, even so, before she grows into a true heir and takes over the family business, she will still only appear on various stages, dancing for people to laugh.

Xiangzi had no complaints about this kind of life, but compared to it, the leisure time seemed extremely precious. Among these times, the most noteworthy ones were Wakaba Mutsu, who had been with him since birth, and Sanjiao Chuhua, the "wild child" on the island, who he only saw briefly during the summer vacation every year.

For Xiangzi, Ruoye Mu was a "sister" with whom he shared no secrets, a close bond, and someone who could empathize with him; while Chuhua was the only "friend" with whom Xiangzi could let go of everything else and simply indulge in joy and comfort. During Xiangzi's time as a puppet, spending time with these two was the only time he could relax.

All of this came to an end the moment I saw little Ace.

"Do you have a wish you want to fulfill?" it asked. "I can fulfill it, but in return, you need to take up arms and fight the demons that threaten this city."

For Xiangzi, who has always been a puppet, the answer to this question is not difficult to find.

"I want to... I want to experience a life like other human beings besides my current life."

Yes, Xiangzi never thought of escaping the burden of her family. All she wanted was to know how real human beings live.

After making this wish, Xiangzi receives a pair of snake-shaped bracelets called "Hermes." Their powers, "blackening" and "whitening," can create an alternate dimension overlapping with reality, allowing Xiangzi to leave home at night and move freely. Soon after, he is joined by Wakaba Mutsu, who has made a similar wish, and his new friends.

Those were truly radiant days. Xiangzi and his teammates constantly bonded, becoming closer and closer, trying many things he had never done before. Xiangzi, a family puppet from birth, pretended to be human and lived a human life.

There's the gentle Soshi, the stern yet always attentive Riki. And, most of all, the one Xiangzi cherishes: Touma, who constantly shouts out her heart's voice. Takamatsu Touma's wand, the Parthenopole, transforms its wielder's voice into a powerful magical barrage. To master it, the taciturn Touma constantly clears his mind during battle, pouring out the words that spring to mind. For Xiangzi, these are like long poems expressing his inner voice.

"Deng is actually very talented." Xiangzi said this after a battle one day.

And because someone recognized her and acknowledged her inner voice, Deng found Xiangzi one night and secretly told her something.

"I want a friend who will stay with me for the rest of my life," she said. "That's my wish."

After saying this, Gao Songdeng looked at Xiangzi and smiled shyly: "Now, I can finally believe that this wish has really come true."

How did Xiangzi respond at that time? She no longer remembered.

But thinking about it afterwards, most of the answers would be naive and stupid, like "Well, I will be Deng's friend for life" or "It's a deal, I won't leave Deng."

As early as then, she should have understood that "Little Ace" would not really fulfill their wishes, but would only make them "think that their wishes had come true."

It was precisely because she did not see through this that a series of tragedies occurred afterwards.

That day, Xiangzi's family suddenly decided to abandon Xiangzi, whom they had been nurturing as their heir. Looking back, it's likely Little Ace was behind this, but for Xiangzi at the time, it was a bolt from the blue. It was that very night that the distraught Xiangzi encountered the demon alone.

She dragged the demon into the dark world, trying to delay time, but was eventually distracted by the heavy blow from her family, and was torn apart by the demon in front of the hurriedly arriving Deng.

But whether it was by chance or fate, Xiangzi survived even after her body was torn apart by the demon. She was led by the dark world created by Hermes and sank into the demonic realm. Then, deep within the demonic realm, she encountered a blood-red moon.

That day, Toyokawa Shoko, who had just become human, disappeared. In her place, the demon Oblivionis emerged. Using her newfound power, she erased everyone's memory of her, her quest for revenge.

As a close friend who never hid anything from Xiangzi, Wakaba Mu's wish was clear to Xiangzi: "I want to be like everyone else." As Xiangzi had anticipated, Mu, having never truly achieved his wish, fell into the abyss again—just like Xiangzi and countless others before him. After losing Xiangzi, Wakaba Mu collapsed alone on a quiet night.

In order to pull her back from the abyss of death, Xiangzi appeared before her and gave her the power called "Death (Mortis)" and this new name, along with his own blood.

Dolls can never become human. After a brief dream, destruction is inevitable.

And the next one will be a girl who also dreams of becoming a normal human being——

Takamatsu lights.

　I'm in good shape today, and I feel like I can try posting four chapters.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)