Girl in the Box: Please tell me why I was reincarnated as a mimic monster!

"And," Akatsuki said, looking at Kuroba, "Miss Kuroba, why aren't you wearing any clothes...?"

"...? Clothes?" Kuroba was taken aback. "I don't need that."

"Haa..."

Xiao sighed helplessly.

Since entering the room, she hadn't had a chance to interject. Xuanze had been dominating the conversation, and because she wasn't very quick-witted, she had already tried her best to keep up with their conversation. So she hadn't been able to remind Heiyu that she wasn't wearing any clothes. Therefore, what Xiao had just witnessed looked like flirting.

Seeing that scene made Xiao feel uneasy. Besides, no matter how much these two flirted, they shouldn't be doing it in someone else's house, in front of others, right? So without a word, she stepped in to stop them. She thought for a moment, then looked at Xuanze under the bed, and their eyes met.

"Didn't you see it?" Xiao asked.

"Hmm, I didn't see him," Xuanze said without batting an eye. "Besides, there's nothing interesting about that person, is there? It's just a book, isn't it?"

"Yeah, there's nothing much to see." Xiao grabbed his collar. "But we still need you to go out first."

Go over there!

leave!

Xuanze, who was two heads taller than Xiao, was easily thrown out of the room by her, and precisely onto the sofa on the first floor.

Chapter 6 The Demon King Launches an Investigation

"So, what do you want to ask?"

After casually throwing on a couple of clothes for Hei Yu, Xiao forcibly pulled her out of the room and led her to the lobby on the first floor, where Xuan Ze was already sitting on the sofa eating fruit and waiting.

He glanced at Kuroba sitting on the opposite sofa and instinctively spat out the fruit he was chewing.

"Hello!?"

"Alas……"

Startled, Kuroba reacted quickly, using ice magic to freeze the filth before throwing it into the trash can. Both of them gave Xuanze a disgusted look; this demon king was truly exceptionally good at infuriating people, and offending others was certainly one of his methods.

"No? I mean you? Both of you??" Xuanze looked at him with a disbelief. "Neither of you knows how to manage your own lives?"

"Take care of daily life?" Xiao and Hei Yu both tilted their heads in unison.

"Tsk...you just casually put on two pieces of clothing, right?" Xuanze teased her.

Yes, exactly what it sounds like. After returning to her room, Xiao casually grabbed two pieces of clothing and put them on Hei Yu without any tidying up, then pulled her downstairs. Now, sitting opposite Xuan Ze, Hei Yu was only wearing a shirt and a jacket, the buttons undone, her chest completely exposed, and her lower body was naturally bare. Xuan Ze really couldn't bear to look.

Although Xuanze understood that this person was essentially just a book, the disheveled appearance before him was incredibly destructive, and he was also troubled by Xiao's upbringing.

“Xiao,” Xuanze asked, pointing at Heiyu, “do you usually dress like this when you come out?”

“Hmm,” Xiao actually nodded, “Of course.”

“Haa…” Xuanze sighed. “Anyway, button up your shirt first.”

"Hey, hey!! What are you doing?!"

Regardless of Hei Yu's willingness, Xuan Ze leaned over the table and approached her, carefully buttoning her clothes one by one. Hei Yu desperately wanted to drive him away, but she couldn't bring herself to do it; her mind went completely blank.

This bastard... what's he trying to do by being so gentle yet so lewd...?

Kuroba was both angry and ashamed, but she didn't know why she was ashamed. She could only obediently wait until everything was over and Xuanze returned to his seat.

"Ugh..." Xuanze rubbed his temples. "Why are there so many troubles today?"

Xuanze never expected that his trip to Akihabara would lead to so many headaches, and he almost regretted coming. However, for the sake of his subsequent investigation, he really needed to get to the bottom of things regarding the spirits.

“You two need to remember this,” Xuanze said helplessly, “dressing like this is deliberately tempting someone to rape you, you’re no different from those prostitutes.”

"Who are you calling a prostitute?!" Kuroba suddenly became furious. "Do I, a dignified Book Spirit, need to do such things?! Mating is something only mammals do!!"

"Then I hope you can apologize to all mammals, because mating is very important on our planet. Besides, this wasn't said to you, why are you taking it personally? Xiao, didn't your sister teach you these things?"

"you……!!"

Hei Yu, who had finally begun to change her opinion of Xuan Ze, now felt that he was still a complete bastard. She knew that there was no point in talking to this self-centered guy, so she simply gave up and just sat there.

“Sigh, I didn’t come here to teach you this kind of thing,” Xuanze also gave up. “Let’s get straight to the point. I hope you can cooperate with me a little, Hei Yu, so that we can finish this faster, which will be better for both of us.”

"...Ask away."

Even though Kuroba was extremely unwilling, she could understand the situation. As long as this matter wasn't resolved, the Demon King would continue to harass her in various ways. If she wanted this matter to end as soon as possible, she had no choice but to cooperate with him obediently.

“How much do you know about elves… no…” Xuanze rephrased, “Tell me everything you know about elves. This is very important.”

"Ha...you have the nerve to say that to me..." Kuroba sighed for some reason, "Are you an idiot?"

"...Hey? You little brat?" Xuanze raised an eyebrow. "You're getting cocky, aren't you? Is this all you've learned after all that studying here?"

"Ah, yes, I understand a little why you, you idiot, became the hero of this world. It's a pity you're still no match for the Time-Space Dragon King." Kuroba crossed his legs and mocked, "You come from another world with a higher level of civilization. What heroes possess is not only the power they acquire, but also more advanced knowledge from another world."

"Tch, I'm too lazy to explain anymore." As he spoke, Xuanze prepared to resort to force.

"So, as the saying goes, the onlooker sees more of the game than the player," Kuroba laughed. "Demon King, you've already disrupted your own rhythm."

“…………Tsk.”

After being pointed at by Hei Yu, Xuan Ze suddenly understood what she meant.

Xuanze's pace was disrupted. When facing Seric, he had a clear mind and goal, allowing him to move forward steadily in one direction without confusion. But this time was different. There were too few clues to form the route he needed, and no clear objective. At this stage, he only knew what the elves were doing, and that it was something they were determined to achieve no matter how much he tried to stop them.

Therefore, Xuanze was in a hurry to gather information about the elves, and unknowingly his pace was disrupted. He only wanted to collect all the useful information as quickly as possible. Hei Yu noticed this, which is why she spoke up. It was the first time she had seen the Demon King so uncalm, and finding it somewhat strange, she decided to use this opportunity to mock him.

But it seems to have the opposite effect...

Xuanze obediently sat back down, clasped his hands together on his thighs, propped his head up, and let his gaze wander to somewhere else, as if he were carefully considering something. Hei Yu seemed to have inadvertently brought him to his senses; Xiao, still somewhat dazed, watched the interaction between the two.

"Hey, Kuroba," Xiao asked, pointing at Xuanze, "What happened to the Demon King?"

"Uh... how should I know..." Kuroba replied awkwardly, "It seems like I touched a sore spot."

"Really?" Xiao tilted her head. "It doesn't look like it. Ah..."

When Xiao looked over, her eyes met the Demon King's. The two stared at each other for a long time, and the atmosphere suddenly became awkward. Xiao remained there, dumbfounded, maintaining eye contact with the Demon King. After a long while, the Demon King spoke first.

"What are you looking at?" Xuanze asked.

"They're looking at the Demon King," Xiao said naively. "Isn't the Demon King looking at me too?"

"What kind of idiotic dialogue is this..." Xuanze couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, that's settled then. Hei Yu, what are your thoughts?"

"...?" Kuroba exclaimed in surprise, "Demon King? Have you lost your mind?"

“It’s not broken.” Xuanze leaned back on the sofa. “It’s just that, you’re right, I’m running around like a headless fly right now. To be honest, I’m an efficient person, and doing this is so inefficient.”

"...Hmph, so you know that too," Kuroba said casually. "So, what are you planning to do next?"

“I’d like to hear your opinion first.” Xuanze looked at her. “Since you just said that, you must already know something about this matter.”

"Hmm~ Who knows..."

Kuroba's gaze wandered, neither confirming nor denying.

"dawn."

"Well, I'm here."

Xuanze suddenly called Xiao again. Although she was confused, she still answered. Usually, she was not the one to speak in these kinds of things, so she usually just stood by and watched.

“Ning didn’t tell me about what happened between you and the elves during this time,” Xuanze asked. “Do you remember?”

"Hmm... I do remember..." Xiao said somewhat awkwardly, "but I can't remember much... I only remember some rather unusual things that happened in between."

“That’s alright,” Xuanze glanced at Heiyu. “Anyway, the person who’s holed up in the study and refuses to come out probably doesn’t know about this.”

"……!!whispering sound--!"

Xuanze was indeed not one to stay still; he started acting up again in no time, and even if Heiyu wanted to retaliate, there was nothing she could do. Although she knew what had happened around Akihabara, she didn't know what had happened to the three sisters after they went out, and judging from Xiao's expression, it seemed like something serious had happened.

Even if she intends to offer any opinions, it should only be based on what she knows. To do so would be a breach of her contract and responsibilities; she must uphold her professional ethics and perform her job to the best of her ability. Therefore, she needs to understand the situation outside before drawing any conclusions.

Xiao then briefly recounted what she remembered. They had only encountered two major events during this time: the discovery of the Crystal Forest, the gathering place of the elves, and the elven siege that devastated the New Kingdom.

"I can't believe there's such a thing..." Xuanze stroked his chin, deep in thought.

He initially thought that elves were a group of beings without a base, moving around in search of habitats, but now it seems that's not the case. Their base is near Akihabara, in a crystal forest with extremely dense magic. Knowing this was a pleasant surprise, since they had always been in a state of being passively attacked by elves.

Now that they knew the elves' location, it meant they could take the initiative. However, this wasn't very effective, because they had no way to deal with the elves. The reason was simple: they couldn't truly and effectively restrain the elves' actions. And, some things could be explained as well.

The crystals that Xuanze saw flying backwards like trees that day were magic crystals from the Crystal Forest. He had wondered then what they were for and where they came from; now he knew. Some of the information he received from Xiao resolved some of Xuanze's doubts, but the crucial question remained unresolved.

Xuanze looked at Heiyu opposite him. She was curled up on the sofa, a faint light shining in her eyes. The ancient black book that was her true form floated in front of her, flipping through pages rapidly. Her eyes kept moving, searching for the knowledge she needed. Judging from this, even she, who was like a supercomputer, seemed to be experiencing a system crash.

It was clear that this matter was quite tricky for her. Xuanze glanced at her and judged that it would take some time to reach a conclusion, so he waited there. Xiao was also a perceptive child; seeing that Heiyu had entered a working state, she obediently sat down next to Xuanze and waited for Heiyu to reach a conclusion.

After a long while, the ancient book adorned with black feathers closed, turning into specks of light that returned to the black feather's body. The faint light in her eyes gradually disappeared, and it seemed that it was probably over.

"Hmm~~~"

Hei Yu stretched and yawned, completely disregarding his unseemly figure as he displayed it before Xuan Ze.

It had been a long time since she'd worked seriously, and this time she truly encountered a rather thorny problem. Therefore, she spent a considerable amount of time organizing the intelligence, connecting the dots, and arriving at a relatively credible conclusion. Although the workload was heavy, the long-awaited serious work made her feel much better.

Hmm...maybe I've been staying at other people's houses for too long...

Kuroba believed that she had definitely made a profit from the permanent contract she signed this time. Not only did she have a stable supply of a large number of books from other worlds, but even the Time Dragon King, her contract partner, was a kind person to the core. She felt that she was being spoiled by him, and if things continued like this, she was afraid she would become a useless book.

Yes! It's decided. I need to work hard to repay the Dragon King and the others!

Hei Yu made up his mind about this matter in his heart, and then stood up to explain it to Xuan Ze, but Xuan Ze grabbed him with a dragon claw.

"I said..." Kuroba asked, suppressing his anger, "What are you doing?"

"Don't rush to say anything," Xuanze said calmly. "Let's talk somewhere else. Xiao, may I borrow your room for a moment?"

"Huh? Eh? Wait a minute? What are you guys doing???" Xiao was completely confused.

“It’s nothing,” Xuanze said, scooping up Heiyu. “I’m just taking her to change her clothes and then going out for a bit. You’re coming too.”

"Oh, oh???" Xiao agreed, seemingly confused but actually impressed.

While Hei Yu was thinking, Xuan Ze also pondered some things. It didn't matter where he listened to her explanation, so he decided to take Hei Yu with him to find the Crystal Forest and investigate it there. Rather than waiting around, Xuan Ze preferred to get started.

Chapter 7 It's been a long time since I went out, and this guy just had to come along!

"You bastard, Demon King!!!"

"Hmm, isn't every demon king a bastard?"

"You utterly despicable bastard!!!"

Thank you for your compliment.

"Demon King, you've gone the wrong way, it's not that way."

"Oh, thanks."

Because he had been bickering with someone the whole way, Xuanze hadn't really paid much attention to the map crystal of the maze. If Xiao hadn't reminded him earlier, he would have just wandered off to another place. He returned carrying an ancient book adorned with black feathers, and walked into another correct path, the black book in his hand trembling incessantly.

Not only that, the book is also constantly hurling insults at the Demon King Xuanze, using every kind of vulgar and offensive language imaginable. But Xuanze, that shameless guy, is like an insulator, casually accepting all the vicious words directed at him, giving a perfunctory reply or two with little effect, or even a whimper.

By the way, this "someone" is naturally referring to Kuroba.

Kuroba's mood was absolutely terrible, in every sense of the word. Not only was she treated roughly, but she was also forcibly taken away from Akihabara. The worst part was that this wasn't Kuroba's choice at all; she was completely forced by the Demon King. What's worse, this bastard even took her true form and fixed it to his hand with magic threads.

Her compatibility with the Demon King is absolutely the worst.

The existence of the Demon King was already abhorrent to the Book Spirits, and when Kuroba first met the Demon King, their impression of him became even worse. The extent of that person's despicable nature was beyond description.

She now deeply regrets signing the contract with the Demon King for that tiny bit of knowledge from another world in his mind. The reward he offered was like a worthless check; in the end, she didn't receive the return she deserved. Not only that, she was also forced to do hard labor for a long time. In short, this guy is a demon!

From that moment on, she vowed to stay as far away from that damned demon king as possible, because nothing good ever came of encountering him. This was the first time she had faced Xuanze directly since then, which confirmed her suspicions: she truly didn't want to see that jinx again; so much trouble had already occurred in less than half a day since their meeting.

"You bastard! You scoundrel!! You shameless!!"

"If this can solve the problem, I don't care."

Because Xuanze kept making these seemingly innocuous remarks, Hei Yu could sense a certain persistence and seriousness in his words and actions, so she didn't know what to say and just kept shouting. Xiao walked at the front without much reaction, because the matter between the Demon King and Hei Yu didn't concern her much, and she maintained a completely detached attitude.

"Quiet down." Xuanze had reached his limit. "Cooperate a little, it'll make us both feel better. I've said it before, as long as you cooperate, things between us can end as soon as possible, okay?"

"Ugh..." Kuroba couldn't find the words to refute, and reluctantly nodded. "But! That's one thing! Put me down right now! You bastard! I can walk by myself!!"

"Oh. Is that so? Then you can go by yourself."

"Eh?"

Xuanze released her decisively, and the magic threads binding Hei Yu's body quickly dissipated. Hei Yu immediately transformed into human form, and the black-haired girl fell heavily to the ground with a thud, a sight that evoked pity.

"Waaaaah... Hmph!!!"