I'm really not the number one slacker in Soul Society.

"Wow, the study materials are hidden quite well."

He gave a subtle smile, then deliberately raised his voice and said, "Let me see what good stuff is inside..."

Before he could finish speaking, the blanket was suddenly pulled off with a whoosh.

"Don't open it!"

With her hair disheveled and eyes red, Liu Yue hurriedly jumped off the bed. However, her eyesight seemed poor, and she misjudged the distance of her outstretched hand, grabbing at empty air. Losing her balance, she fell face down to the ground.

Mi Zhen was stunned.

"While comedic characters are indeed very strong."

He stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment: "But is it really necessary to jump straight from youth animation to children's channel?"

The implication is that this is too stupid to watch.

"I want you to take care of it!"

Liu Yue got up, rubbing her nose as she stomped on the power outlet. The computer, now without power, went black, and Mi Zhen's attempt to check her study materials was thwarted.

He shrugged, pulled a piece of paper from the table and handed it to Liuyue, pointing to his eyes and sighing, "Wipe it off, you can't exactly tell me you got cotton wool in your eyes."

"..."

Liu Yue pursed her lips, remained silent for two seconds, then snatched the tissue from Mi Zhen's hand, wiped her face haphazardly a couple of times, then turned her head away and muttered, "Why are you still coming to find a good-for-nothing like me? Isn't she doing a better job than me?"

“You’re killing the conversation.” Mima rolled her eyes. “What exactly did you absorb from me… I don’t remember having any rebellious tendencies.”

"Anyway, I'm just a piece of trash."

As if she had given up on herself, Liu Yue snorted, her neck stiff: "That old hag is right. She's stronger than me and more loyal. If you want to do something, go find her. Isn't it better to let me squat here and rot?"

"Really?"

Mi Zhen pretended to get up: "Then I'm leaving."

Liu Yue: "..."

She sniffed, then climbed back into bed, curled up with her back to Mi-jin, and grabbed the blanket to drape over herself.

But it couldn't be pulled.

"Alright." Mizhen, who was holding the other end of the blanket, sat down on the bed and reached out to rub Liuyue's head. "I don't believe you're so stubborn that you won't even believe the truth—wouldn't it be better if we could clear up the misunderstanding?"

"What facts..."

Liu Yue buried her head between her knees, her voice choked with sobs, and said, "Since that's how it is, she might as well just erase those years of memories! That way... I wouldn't have..."

"Playing dumb isn't a good idea. Don't you really know why?"

Mima shook her head and called out in a high-pitched voice, "Shigure Gyou! Are you there?"

"I always."

A cool, clear voice came from outside the door.

Then, he turned the handle once, and the door opened, revealing Shigure Nizuki standing outside.

So they were eavesdropping... That's really a perverse sense of humor.

"I've already started the conversation, but as for the rest... let's sit down and talk about it together."

He stood up, stretched, then sat back down in his computer chair, watching as Shigure nodded and walked into the room.

Liu Yue trembled slightly, curled herself up even tighter, and listened silently as the footsteps approached her step by step.

Nizuki Shigure slowly sat down on the edge of the bed, wanting to reach out to Ryugetsu, but then pulled back.

For a moment, no one spoke.

This is probably what it looks like when a mother and her rebellious teenager have a conflict... It's really stomach-churning to watch.

Mizhen sat in her computer chair, observed the awkward atmosphere, and finally sighed, snapping her fingers.

Suddenly, a slightly irregularly shaped light screen appeared in mid-air.

This is an application of the visualization ability he honed in the cinema where he travels through history—both sides are essentially his mental space, and this ability is universal.

"Oh, sorry."

Mima snapped his fingers again, conjuring three bottles of drinks on the table. He took one, opened it, and then threw the remaining two onto the bed.

"Let me speak for a moment—since you can't say anything, let me do it."

He crossed his legs and watched the images gradually appear on the screen: "For example... starting with watching an old movie?"

Chapter 144: The Vanished Past Life

The image quality was not very clear on the not-so-regular screen.

There's no way around it... after all, I'm not very skilled at visualizing yet, so it's normal for it to be a bit rough around the edges.

With the addition of some film reel-like sound effects, the screen looks like it's actually playing an old movie.

A child appeared in the picture.

He looked to be only about five years old, and his appearance was quite similar to that of Ryugetsu—he was Mima's previous incarnation.

As his soul grew stronger, his memory also improved day by day.

It's even powerful enough to play back-life footage from a simulated third-person perspective like this.

However, some details that I didn't actually remember had to be filled in by my imagination...

Shigure Gyou gave Mima a complicated look, but said nothing.

Liu Yue's expression turned somewhat grim, a mixture of fear and irritation tinged with sadness.

They all knew what they were going to see next.

"Let's lighten the mood, I'm embarrassed to even show this kind of thing." Mima shrugged and zoomed out a little.

The boy's face was full of unease and fear. He squatted in the corner of the room, watching the children of the same age playing happily nearby. He wanted to join in but didn't dare to. He would only say a few words when the adults in charge of taking care of him came to greet him.

This is not a kindergarten, but a welfare home.

This is just an ordinary story, without any dramatic twists and turns: a five-year-old child lost his family in an accident and was sent to a welfare institution by the local government, where he grew up. Later, he entered university with scholarships and subsidies and began a life that was starting to look up a little.

If I had to pinpoint a single defining characteristic... it would probably be loneliness.

Unlike in the movie, no one paid special attention to this child. Although he was doing well, those who took care of him were mostly doing so out of work and responsibility. As he grew up, he even forgot what it felt like to be seen as a special person.

He developed good abilities in the orphanage, made friends and had teachers. People had a good impression of him, thinking he was a warm-hearted and sunny person. But no one ever truly entered his life. Perhaps it was the shadow left by those years that made him forget how to be loved and how to love others. So he always kept a distance from others, neither trying to understand them nor letting them understand him.

Of course, this is no one else's fault.

The world has been kind enough to him, allowing him to grow up safely after losing his loved ones. He has simply lost some of the abilities that a social animal should have due to some misfortunes—specifically, indifference, indifference towards himself.

Even when he died unexpectedly, he had no particular regrets. At most, he would say something as trivial as, "My bonsai will probably wither and die."

An ordinary tragedy caused by a lack of love.

It's not exactly dramatic, because there's no real conflict in this story, just a lonely person.

Of course, there's nothing to be sad about.

Because later events proved that Mizhen simply didn't know what love was, not that she was incapable of loving.

—This is thanks to Lisa, Shunsui, and other friends. It was their sincerity that pulled Mima out of that vicious cycle.

And then he became the slacker he is today...

Then, the screen ended and disappeared without a trace.

"cough……"

Mima took a sip of her cola, then said somewhat awkwardly, "After all, I didn't personally experience those conflicts you had in the past..."

He looked at Liu Yue: "I don't understand your pain."

Then he looked at Shigure Uesugi and said, "I can't say I understand your actions."

“But you are, after all, a part of me… This familiar scene is really hard for me to bear.” He sighed and pointed at his Zanpakuto with his index finger. “You two are really awkward. Even if you’re going to replicate me, you don’t have to replicate me so perfectly.”

Nizuki Shigure didn't speak, but Ryuzuki instinctively retorted, "I didn't!"

"No? Then don't you know that she didn't erase your memories because she cares about you?"

Midway through her sentence, Mima coughed and looked at Gyouki Shigure, "Ahem... I think I understood correctly, right? Don't betray me when I'm trying to be sentimental."

Shigure Nizuki didn't say anything, but just smiled helplessly.

"See, she admitted it too," Mi Zhen continued. "So why did you two have to learn from me in your past life?"

He pointed at Nizuki Shigure: "Shouldn't you persist a little longer? If you can't explain it once or twice, then try three or four times. We are originally from the same source, can't we really reason with each other? Do you have to wait for me to come?"

Then he stood up again, went up to her, and forcefully pressed Liuyue's shoulders to turn her around: "Scared? So you give up thinking? Stay in your comfort zone and just get by? I stopped doing this twelve years ago. Aren't you part of me? How come your version is so outdated?"

Then he clapped his hands and concluded: "It's too ugly to be afraid to take a step forward because of PTSD... Well, although I haven't experienced it myself and it's all just hearsay, it won't hurt to say something nice."

The effect of this conversation was immediate.

Nizuki Shigure maintained a calm expression, though there was a slight hint of emotion in her eyes. However, Ryugetsu's expression had become completely complicated. He looked at her one moment and then at Nizuki Shigure the next, his lips pressed tightly together, as if he was about to say something.

After a brief silence, Nizuki Shigure tried to raise her hand, moved it little by little to Ryugetsu's head, and then gently lowered it.

Liuyue instinctively shrank back, but instead of retreating to a corner to cover her head and crouch down as she had done before, she let Niyue Shiyu's hand rest on her head.

"Old hag..."

"Just to mention, I look exactly like you, so calling me that is also an insult to yourself."

Just as the atmosphere was gradually becoming more harmonious.

Strange banging sounds suddenly came from the center of the room.

Mima: "?"

Liu Yue: "!"

The three of them turned their heads in unison.

Then I witnessed a horrifying scene.

The small Shihōin Hyakugetsu floating on top of the jar... moved a few times!