Zongman: Please stop destroying the worldview!

Father, what's wrong with you? How can I make you return to the way you used to be?

Xiangzi apologized repeatedly to her neighbor, grabbed her umbrella and rushed out of the building where she worked. She had to go back and fix the water pipes at home. This low-rent apartment was the cheapest place she could find. If the landlord kicked her out, she and her father would have to sleep on the streets!

-

After a frantic journey, Xiangzi, half soaked, finally returned home. She found her door unlocked. She pushed it open and saw her father, still drunk, leaning against the wall, dazed. What had happened? Hadn't the neighbor downstairs just said the door was locked? Could someone have taken advantage of this moment to break in?

Xiangzi mustered her courage, stepped over the threshold, and glanced over the messy illustration of hell on the ground. She saw a scene she had never dreamed of:

A dog fixing her plumbing?!

Chapter 18 Xiaoxiang next door

"Uh, um, Mr. Dog, where are you from?"

Watching this fantastical scene, Xiangzi began to feel a little insecure. This dog looked unusual in appearance, incredibly muscular. Xiangzi felt it could send him flying. Its yellow and black fur still gleamed even after being soaked by the rain. It looked familiar, but he couldn't place where he'd seen it before.

What the dog did was even more unbelievable to Xiangzi. It dug out tools from its own home and was repairing a damaged water pipe with a wrench in its mouth and a towel dangling from its paws. Looking closely at the surrounding traces, the dog had just closed the window, turned on the sluice gate, and unblocked the blocked sewer.

Was I experiencing some kind of adventure like the Snail Girl? But there didn't seem to be any legends about dogs that could do household chores or fix plumbing problems featuring a dog like this... No, there wasn't any urban legend about a giant dog that could fix plumbing.

Hearing Xiangzi's greeting, Chen Mo controlled Bruce to look at her. He couldn't say hello with the tool in his mouth, so he could only wag his tail in response.

Xiangzi saw the dog give him a cold look and wag its tail like a human waving his arm, as if to say, "I don't have time to chat with you. I'm working, sister."

Xiangzi stood aside awkwardly, watching the dog repair the water pipe - he had to admit that it was quite professional. Was the housekeeping department so short of staff that they had to hire a dog?

Outside the window, the torrential rain continued, the water and sky blending into one color. The only glimmers of light on the blurry streets were the lights and billboards. Inside the dark, cramped rental house, a drunken father leaned against the doorframe, mumbling incoherently, the dim light barely illuminating the room. After the water receded, water-stained debris lay scattered about the house. Amidst this chaos, a large, gleaming dog worked on a pipe in the kitchen. The entire scene intertwined into a surreal painting, leaving Xiangzi feeling as if he were standing in a illogical dream.

"Master Dog, what is your job?"

The dog ignored her, which made Xiangzi, who had said something strange for no apparent reason, so embarrassed that he almost dug out a Maybach with his toes.

After trying his best, Chen Mo gave up. The pipes were simply too old, rusted internally, causing the water pressure to burst through them. Repairs would require replacing the pipe. Temporarily patching the breach was a half-roll of yellowed waterproof tape he dug out of a kitchen drawer—but the dampness had already lost its stickiness. Chen Mo dismantled a damaged folding umbrella from the trash, used the ribs to block the breach, and then wrapped it with a plastic bag he had found in the trash. The water finally stopped flowing, temporarily.

Okay, I should go back soon. Chen Mo ended his control over Bruce, ordered him to wait at the door, and began to walk towards the rental house in the rain.

-

The water pipe was temporarily blocked, and Xiangzi saw that the big dog suddenly lost its spirituality, and the supernatural feeling as if it was communicating with a person disappeared.

Bruce opened his mouth after receiving Chen Mo's order, and various tools and debris fell to the ground, and then Peng Peng walked out.

"Wait a minute!" Curious Xiangzi followed Bruce out of the house, only to see it run a few steps in the corridor and sit down motionless at the door of the neighbor's house.

Xiangzi didn't know why he was talking to a dog: "Are you the neighbor's dog? You...you won't bite me, will you?" He has been busy with school and work recently, and he has to find time to find his drunk father on the street. He didn't notice when a new tenant moved in next door?

Seeing Bruce sitting there wagging his tail at him, Xiangzi felt itchy and slowly approached him, reaching out to stroke his back. The dog said nothing, but continued to wag its tail.

-

Just as Xiangzi was turning Bruce's ears with his hands, a voice suddenly came from behind:

"Classmate, this is my dog."

"Eh?" Xiangzi was startled by the familiar voice. She turned around and saw someone she hadn't expected to see there—it was Chen Mo! It was her idiotic friend who'd chatted with her online and gotten dragged into the magic support group to exchange their second-year settings!

Looking back at the dog he was petting, no wonder it felt so familiar. Wasn't this the "newly summoned creature" Chen Mo had shared in the group chat the other day?! It turned out this idiot had become his neighbor without him even realizing it!

Chen Mo had already seen Xiangzi through Bruce's eyes and knew that she was the girl from his neighborhood. He introduced himself in a friendly manner:

"Hello, I'm the new kid here, my name is Chen Mo, and this is my dog, Midnight Bruce Jira, the Super Riff Destroyer.

We will be neighbors from now on, please give me your guidance!"

Xiangzi: "I'm an OB... No, my name is Xiangzi Toyokawa. Please give me your guidance."

No, casually chatting online is one thing, and meeting someone offline is another. As expected, I decided not to tell him my true identity.

Chen Mo: "By the way, your water pipe broke just now. I asked Bruce to knock on the door. The uncle opened the door but he was drunk.

I'll order it to repair your water pipes... This is an urgent matter, please forgive me for making a decision on my own."

"...No, it's okay. Thank you very much, Chen Mo."

Xiangzi, having recovered from the shock of his sudden encounter with his online friend, finally took in Chen Mo's appearance. If Xiangzi, holding the umbrella, was half soaked, then Chen Mo was completely soaked, like he had just been pulled out of the water, with drops of water dripping onto the ground.

Today, Chen Mo mentioned in the group chat that he went to exorcise spirits for free and was treated as a pervert, and it was because his office was soaked by the rain! Xiangzi was both angry and amused, and couldn't help but blurt out, "You're out in the rain again because of that magic office of yours?"

Oh no, this exposed the flaw. The current 'Toyokawa Shoko' shouldn't know what Chen Mo is doing.

However, Chen Mo did not doubt it, but showed a surprised expression: "You also know my Chen Mo Magic Handyman Shop? That's great, it seems that my business is starting to become famous! Let me show you my business card - ah, the business card is wet. Anyway, I can handle all difficult matters! Whether it's haunted houses, found objects, curses, or spiritualism, you can come to me for consultation, and the fee is only one time..."

Xiangzi: "Okay, take care of yourself first! You're soaked like this, you'll definitely catch a cold tomorrow!"

Chen Mo replied proudly, "No! With my physique, this small change in environment isn't enough to make me catch a cold!"

Xiangzi: "Hey, are you an idiot? Only idiots don't catch a cold!"

Chen Mo: "That's a Japanese proverb. We Chinese don't eat that!"

Chen Mo opened the door, and Xiangzi's mood deepened as he looked at his home. Originally, he and his father had been living in a low-rent apartment, so the environment was understandably shabby and messy. However, Chen Mo's room was tragically tidy—not because Chen Mo had kept it clean, but because the only things in the room were the tatami mat and a set of tables and chairs left by the landlord. Forget Chen Mo's personal belongings, even for a dog as big as Bruce, there weren't any dog ​​props! The only thing he had was a two-meter-long black and red sword!

What kind of life is Chen Mo living?

Xiangzi felt a long-lost sympathy and a sense of superiority that he didn't want to notice: "Your clothes are soaked. What are you going to wear tomorrow?"

Chen Mo: "It's okay, I'll wash my clothes later, and the Heavenly Fire Holy Judge will be able to dry them for me quickly, so it won't affect my going out tomorrow!"

Sure enough, it was Chen Mo's style again, using serious middle school fantasies to cover up the painful setbacks in life.

Xiangzi: "Don't treat yourself so badly. You can rely on others."

Chen Mo: "What? I didn't? Who could have predicted such a heavy rain?"

Xiangzi: "...Come to my house first. Father should have some wet clothes that he can lend you. This is to thank you for your help today."

Chen Mo replied happily: "Ah, thank you very much!"

My neighbor is such a nice guy! He showed such concern for me the first time we met! Even though this world is so different from mine, the people here are still very kind!

Chapter 19: Finding Friends When You're in Trouble

Although Xiangzi had kindly taken Chen Mo home to change clothes, it was only when Xiangzi and Chen Mo returned home to clean up that she realized the flood had caused a far greater mess than she had initially anticipated. Almost everything was wet and dirty, beer cans spilled everywhere, and the kitchen was littered with tools and debris left behind by Bruce when he was fixing the plumbing.

A room like this was barely suitable for living, let alone entertaining guests. Realizing this, Xiangzi, who was very concerned about his reputation, immediately turned around and pushed Chen Mo out: "Wait, wait, wait! Wait until I clean up the house. It's so rude to entertain guests like this!"

Chen Mo: "Where's the impoliteness? It's just flooded, it just needs a little cleaning. I think it's fine."

Xiangzi: "Are you mocking me?!"

Chen Mo: "How can I make fun of you when I live in this kind of environment? My apartment is even worse than yours! To be honest, I haven't even scraped together enough rent for this month. Forget about the mess and clean up the room first. A mess is a small matter. Don't wait until the walls and floors get moldy in a few days."

Xiangzi stopped pushing Chen Mo out and caught the message in his words: "You don't even have enough money to pay the rent now?"

Chen Mo nodded honestly. "Yes, I've only accepted two commissions so far, not to mention the ticket to the live show and the money to buy a second-hand phone. The rent for this house is over 30,000 yen a month, which is definitely not enough for me. I only have a place to live now thanks to the generosity of the agent who allowed me to pay the rent in full in three months..."

"You still go to see live?"

"It was my first commission. I was helping that band find a guitarist. After finding the right person, I had to go and see the band perform live. That's the conscience of after-sales service!

Honestly, it's pretty good. The band is called The End, you should check it out. By then, you'll be their second-biggest fan after me."

"...So you still have a dog? And you bought such a big one, a sword?"

"I summoned them all, and they didn't cost me anything! Hey, why are you still keeping track of my bills like an old woman?"

Xiangzi laughed angrily.

-

Although life was difficult, at least the small, shabby apartment I lived in with my father was rented with his savings, and I worked part-time to cover our daily expenses. I had given up almost all my hobbies, playing the piano on the public piano at school, and I couldn't drink my favorite black tea anymore.

This idiot, even though he's broke, actually spent his little money on raising a dog and buying weird gadgets! Even at this point, he's still spouting these chuunibyou words. His stubbornness in this worldview is far greater than mine!

Chen Mo: "The room is too humid now, let me dry it out first. Bruce, go get the Holy Judge of Heavenly Fire."

"Wang!"

Soon, the black and red sword was placed in the middle of the room. As the runes on the sword lit up, a heat wave rolled in. The originally cold room began to become warm and dry, and the remaining water stains on the ground began to evaporate.

Xiangzi: "So this big sword is actually an electric heater?!"

Chen Mo: "Well, that's understandable. It's just that the power of this electric heater can be increased to an exaggerated level."

Xiangzi: "You are short of money now, right? Instead of spending it on this...this kind of weird props, why don't you spend it on something more useful?"

Chen Mo looked at Xiangzi in surprise. "I told you, I didn't buy this weapon. If you must say, I copied it from a friend. Besides, this sword is an important part of my fighting power. How can it not be spent in the right place?"

"Forget it, there's no point talking to a moron like you."

Chen Mo was completely immersed in his own middle school fantasy. Xiangzi gave up arguing with him and went to look for clothes in the small cabinet. He had just said that he would lend clothes to Chen Mo, so of course he had to do it.

Then she saw a cruel sight: all her clothes were soaking wet. The small cabinet in this shabby rental house wasn't exactly waterproof, so it was only natural that water would seep in from below and rain would pour down from above. Xiangzi searched through the folded clothes and realized, despairingly, that not only did his father not have a single wearable item, but he himself had nothing to change into either.

Her clothes were soaked by the rain, and if she didn't wash them, they might start to stink tomorrow, and she had to go to school and work tomorrow. She sat on the floor in despair, and the tatami didn't let her go: the mattress had become heavy, and like a sponge, it seeped out water the moment she sat on it.

"...It's no use anymore." A feeling of bitterness rushed to the tip of his nose, but was suppressed by willpower.

She couldn't be weak, couldn't cry. Toyokawa Shoko had to be strong and stay elegant, especially since that idiot was still in her house. She couldn't let that idiot have his own chance. The weaker me would have died long ago! Shoko gritted her teeth, trying to lie and get away with it. She looked up, but Chen Mo wasn't looking at her. Instead, he had already started working.

"Xiangzi, please use this washbasin at home. Bruce, take this basin to our house to get some clean water, and then find a rag to mop the floor - you know how to mop the floor, right? I don't need to control your body to do such a small thing, right? I'll collect these beer cans first, and then wash these soaked things and lay them out to dry...Xiangzi?"

As they spoke, Chen Mo had already collected the beer cans and trash scattered on the floor into bags and sorted the soaked items onto the table, waiting to be washed and dried. Bruce was carrying a washbasin back to Chen Mo's house to fetch water because the pipe had burst and there was no clean water.

The room, so disastrously chaotic moments ago, had become a slightly messier mess within minutes. The heat from the Heavenly Fire Sacred Judgment dried the air, nearly drying even Chen Mo's clothes. He seemed oblivious to the discomfort of his condition, completely absorbed in his task. Could it be that this person was completely immune to the pain of the external environment? Why was he able to face it all with such a constant cheerfulness?

To be honest, I still know nothing about him. His entire self-introduction is covered in the illusion of being a "planeswalker." He should be Chinese, so why did he come to Japan alone and open this magic shop when he was broke?

Was he a Chinese student studying in Japan, or a stowaway? Didn't his family and friends stop him from doing this?

"Xiangzi? Are you okay? Why do you look so grim? Do you have a cold?"

"It's okay, I just thought of something. Chen Mo, how do you live like this? What about the people around you?

Didn't the friend who gave you this heater stop you from messing around and getting wet in the rain?"

The words turned around on his tongue, but he finally changed them to a euphemism. Xiangzi couldn't help but think of the possibility that made him sympathize with others - maybe this fool had also lost his relatives?

Chen Mo actually paused to think for a moment before answering, "I can't contact my family right now. I haven't been able to find the coordinates of the world I originally lived in, and I can't find the direction to go back. As for my friends..."