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

"Please don't use such a rough and sudden method next time..." Xia Que complained softly, "I wasn't prepared at all..."

"But you still obediently came with me, didn't you?" Xuanze felt no guilt whatsoever.

“But at that time, I had no other choice but to go with you…” Xia Que said helplessly, “Even if I refused, you would definitely have forced me to go anyway.”

Li nodded in agreement. That was just Xuanze's style; there was probably no way he would refuse.

"So, what were you doing back then?" Li was very curious about what happened next, because she had heard that Hao had caught up with him.

“Back then…” Xuanze recalled for a moment, “it seems I went to cause trouble for the elves.”

"Oh..." Li seemed to recall this incident. "I see. So you captured Yan after that?"

"Uh... how should I put it..." Xia Que scratched his head, "Our original plan was to go and cause some trouble, but bringing back someone was a bit unexpected... or rather, I was just a henchman."

"If I remember correctly, we were testing whether we could use the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow to kill elves," Xuanze continued.

"Huh? There's such a thing?"

Li then remembered the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow's characteristic: it could kill anything. This characteristic had caused them great trouble and was a very troublesome one. The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow could even sever the concept of life and death. Since it possessed such a characteristic, perhaps it could also kill spirits.

"And then what?" Li asked again.

“I said…” Xuanze frowned, “Are you stupid? Is this the kind of thing you should ask in this kind of situation?”

"what……"

Li then realized the inappropriateness of his statement.

They now have a friendly relationship with the elves, and the elves' sincerity is far more genuine than they imagined. At least the Alyas Elf Kingdom has received a lot of help from the elf kingdom. Wouldn't it be a bit unfair for them to consider such matters now? Even the Demon King Xuanze understood this principle, and Li unconsciously said it out loud.

Just then, the waitress came like a godsend, promptly bringing over their drinks and placing them in front of them, along with some small snacks, before leaving with a smile. Thanks to her, Li could now change the subject.

“Sorry, let’s change the subject…” Li decided to get down to business. “Let’s get straight to the point.”

“I always felt you weren’t just inviting us out for fun.” Xuanze took a sip of his hot latte. “There’s one thing in common among the three of you here. I’m guessing you mostly want to talk about Earth, right?”

"About Earth..." Xia Que's eyes widened slightly.

“Yes, Xuanze is right,” Li said, no longer intending to keep them in suspense. “I called you two here today to talk about this matter, because it is very important and I hope to discuss it with you both in person.”

"Gu..."

Xia Que swallowed hard, looking a little nervous, because by connecting Earth and Li's abilities, she could roughly know what Li was going to say next.

“You should all know my power,” Li said, as silvery-white magic began to emerge as particles of light. “I am the Dragon King of Time and Space, possessing the power to control time and space. At first, I was also very vague about this concept, but now it’s different. Moreover, I now also have the skill of Goddess Proxy.”

“Goddess Agent…” Xuanze frowned. “Ultimately, what does this skill really mean?”

“It means exactly what it says,” Li said. “Having this skill means that you have the identity of the goddess’s agent. Simply put, it’s like the relationship between the group owner and the administrator in a QQ group. The goddess is the group owner, and I am the administrator. As the goddess’s agent, I have some permissions that were previously impossible to interfere with, such as time travel.”

Travel through time and space—!

These four words struck Xia Que and Xuan Ze like a hammer blow. Since Li possessed the ability to control time and space, obtaining this goddess's proxy skill meant they had the possibility of traveling through time and space to return to Earth through her power. A look of unease appeared on both their faces, even Xuan Ze, who was usually unfazed by anything, showed that expression.

This matter definitely needs to be discussed with them, and this line of thinking is correct. It shouldn't be told to others, because no one knows what the people of this world might think of other worlds—aggression? suspicion? Who knows? But at least, keeping this from them is enough. Xia Que and Xuan Ze, as original Earthlings, have the right to know.

Because their mission in this world has ended, it should be the responsibility of the people from the other world to send them back to their original world. However, the people from the other world are unable to fulfill this wish for them. These two have long had the right to return home, but they did not have the key to open that door. Now, Ri has obtained the key and found the door. She hopes that she can help them return to Earth.

The story has come to an end; it's time to send the heroes home and close this tale.

“I know it’s a bit sudden to tell you this,” Li said, taking a sip of fresh milk. “I won’t be sending you two back right away, because I haven’t tried doing that before. So I thought I’d tell you in advance so you can be mentally prepared.”

"Haven't you tried it yet..." Xuanze leaned back on the sofa. "Then, how confident are you of succeeding in time travel?"

"There's about an 80% success rate," Li said. "Recently, I've gained a lot of new understanding of this power, and with Ning's help, the success rate is still quite guaranteed."

"...Go back to Earth...?" Xia Que began to worry as she looked at these words.

"What's wrong?" Li asked. "Is there a problem?"

“Ah… I’m sorry,” Xia Que explained, “I was lost in thought. But, is it really possible to travel through time and space back to Earth? I have a feeling that it’s not quite right…”

“You must have been confused by those old guys too,” Xuanze laughed. “There’s no need to keep believing what those old men from the church said. Eighty percent of what they said was false, just to scare you. I bet they also talked to you about whether you could go back to your original world, right?”

"Indeed it is……"

"Their reply was that they only knew how to summon the hero, but not how to send him back, right?"

"Exactly the same."

"That's right, I was just kidding you."

Xuanze had long since figured out the tricks of the people from the Kingdom of Alyas. He was extremely wary and would not easily believe the information given by suspicious people. So when he was first summoned, he naturally did not believe everything, which later saved his life.

"I feel like I've seen this routine somewhere before..." Li muttered to himself for a moment before continuing with the main point, "Anyway, I was planning to tell you about this first. My personal opinion is not that you necessarily have to leave this world. After all, if someone like Xuanze, who has already become the Demon King, suddenly disappears, the Demon Clan will probably be thrown into chaos again. I can't bear the situation that has been so hard to stabilize collapsing again. So whether you want to go back or not is up to you."

"........."

After hearing Li's words, neither of them spoke. They had been in this world for some time and had already planned to stay here for a long time, or even until they grew old. They had found their place in this world, but now that someone had suddenly told them that they might be able to return to Earth, the situation had become somewhat complicated.

Riri had considered these things before telling the two of them, but it seemed that this had put some psychological pressure on them, so Riri decided to change her approach.

"Ahem... Well, let me put it this way," Li explained, "I'll be going back to Earth soon because there are some things we need to buy for the harvest festival that this world can't produce right now. So I'll definitely have to go back to Earth then. Just give me your answer before then. And you don't need to worry about these things. If I can send you back, it means I can send you back. There's no need to be so nervous."

"...That makes sense."

After hearing Li's words, Xia Que's expression brightened considerably, while Xuan Ze remained silent with a stern face.

“In that case,” Xia Que stood up, “please give me some time to think about it.”

"Okay, it's alright," Li reassured her. "But it would be best if you could give me an answer within a week, because I'm not entirely clear on the mechanism of time travel..."

"Um……"

Xia Que nodded, finished the last bit of fresh milk in her glass, then petted the cat on the table and waved goodbye to the two. Li also waved goodbye to Xia Que before turning his gaze to Xuan Ze. Xuan Ze leaned back on the sofa, staring intently at the ceiling, saying and doing nothing, seemingly deep in thought.

Li stood up, tiptoed away from his seat, quietly settled the bill for the three of them, instructed the shopkeeper not to disturb the Demon King, and then left the Demon King alone to go back first.

"Go back..." Xuanze was lost in thought. "Is that old guy still around...?"

A certain figure surfaced in his mind, and the emotions within him were unclear. He was numb to his feelings when he first arrived here as a hero. After becoming the Demon King, he lost his identity from Earth. Now, if he went back, would that old man accept him...?

He stayed in the cat café for a whole day until the demons sent people to find him. Incidentally, by the time the demons found him, he was surrounded by cats.

Chapter 3 Discussion

Click.

Xia Que carefully opened the door and tiptoed inside. After observing for a moment and finding that her master, Hao Er, was not home, she simply lay down on the sofa in the living room.

This was the house that Li arranged for her and Hao'er. It wasn't much different from other people's homes; it was a simple two-story villa with some necessary furniture. Basically, it was a place where you could just bring your luggage and move in. However, she and Hao'er didn't have much luggage or buy any furniture because their current positions were not very stable.

Firstly, as a person burdened with guilt, bearing the stigma of assassinating nine heroes—a crime tantamount to betraying humanity—Haor could not simply be left unattended. For this reason, his ultimate fate remained uncertain. Too much had happened in the meantime, and they hadn't considered how to deal with Haor. However, Haor said he was content with his current situation, so they accepted it, making no changes and awaiting their final end.

How could it possibly get better...?

Xia Que covered her face with her arm, her eyes already welling up with tears. During her time with Hao Er, Xia Que had fallen in love with this expressionless young man. After she was summoned to this world, it was Hao Er who lent her a helping hand. Their story was not just that; the two had long since become an inseparable pair.

Xia Que was still unsure of her future, only understanding for the moment what she could do in this world to calm herself down. Only when she was busy with something could Xia Que temporarily forget her troubles. She hadn't made any changes to the house, because if Hao'er were gone, she probably wouldn't stay here either.

Honestly, Hao'er's conformist attitude infuriated her. She wanted to say something, but couldn't. The problem Hao'er caused wasn't just the killing of the hero; the subsequent series of events could also be said to have occurred because of him. Hao'er's position was different from Xia Que's, and from Xia Que's perspective, she shouldn't have said those things to Hao'er. If she had, she would definitely have been scolded by Hao'er.

One side is the perpetrator, the other the victim. Although everything Hao'er did later somewhat compensated for the problems he caused, it wasn't enough to absolve him of his guilt. If Xia Que were to plead for him at this point, his position would become unstable, and Hao'er would certainly worry that Xia Que would be dragged into the matter as well.

Therefore, Xia Que didn't say anything. She and Hao Er maintained a very subtle distance, as if their master-disciple relationship was fake. The two interacted in the villa like strangers, keeping a certain distance from each other on weekdays. Their conversations gradually decreased, and their relationship grew more and more distant.

Xia Que naturally didn't want her relationship with Hao Er to become like this. Moreover, rather than being too awkward to get along normally, it was more accurate to say that Hao Er was actively avoiding Xia Que. She really didn't want their relationship to end like this.

But then, Li told her that there was a possibility of going home. Going home—a word she had once longed for. The despair she felt when she first came to this world, knowing she could never return to Earth, still lingered in her heart. After that, she became a hero of humanity and did many things she never dared to dream of. Did she want to do them? No, but she couldn't refuse.

During those painful days, it was thanks to Hao'er's companionship that she was able to persevere. She couldn't even imagine what she would have done without Hao'er's presence. Hao'er had become an irreplaceable part of her life, but...

When Li mentioned the possibility of time travel, Xia Que was destined to be sleepless that night. She had imagined countless times the day she would return to Earth, but when that day actually came, she became conflicted. Naturally, she was worried about how her family was doing on Earth, whether her parents would be worried after her sudden disappearance, and whether they had already reported it to the police.

In short, she was very worried about her parents. She wanted to go back to Earth to take good care of them, but the image of Hao Er's back kept flashing through her mind. If Xia Que left this world now and returned to Earth, wouldn't Hao Er be all alone? She didn't want Hao Er to be alone, and at the same time, she was worried about her parents on Earth.

She couldn't bear to part with either of them, and she truly didn't know what to do. She had another week to consider, but she believed that if she couldn't come to an answer now, she definitely wouldn't be able to in the following days.

"What should I do..." Xia Que rolled over on the sofa.

This was probably the most difficult decision she would ever have to make in her life, far more daunting than any middle school or college entrance exam. The fact that it was a decision only she could make made it even more challenging. She tossed and turned on the sofa for a while, deep in thought. Then the door opened, and she saw it was Hao'er who had returned.

"...Welcome back." Although embarrassed, Xia Que still greeted her politely.

"Hmm." Hao Er nodded indifferently.

"Today, Li asked me to go out," Xia Que brought up the topic.

Hao Er paused noticeably, his expression changing slightly, before saying, "Really... Li asked you to go out."

“Yes,” Xia Que nodded, “They said they… found a way for me to go back.”

"——!?"

Hao'er suddenly turned his face and stared intently at Xia Que. After spending so much time together, she could now recognize the surprise on Hao'er's face. She knew that Hao'er wouldn't continue asking questions, so she brought up the topic herself to get his attention. After a while, Hao'er realized what he had done, coughed twice, and then returned to his original state.

“Really…” Hale nodded. “You can finally go back.”

"Hmm..." Xia Que nodded, hugging the cushion, "Finally... I can go back to my original world."

Then, silence returned, and an awkward atmosphere filled the air once more; neither of them continued speaking. Hao'er silently walked to the sofa, poured himself a glass of water, and sat down opposite Xia Que.

"Don't you... have any ideas?" Xia Que asked.

"...I..." Hao'er hesitated, "I feel very happy...but at the same time I regret that if I had found a way to send you back sooner, you wouldn't have had to go through that."

These were Hao'er's true feelings. If he had been more decisive, more hardworking, and stronger back then, perhaps he could have changed the outcome. But now, nothing could change things. Let bygones be bygones. Now that he knew Xia Que could go back, he was still somewhat happy.

"Hmm...I see..." Xia Que buried her face in the cushion. "Li said that whether she can do it now is still unknown, so she needs to do a week of experiments and preparations. I need to give her an answer within this week."

“Then go back,” Hale said. “Go back to your original world. This place isn’t for you. I remember you’ve always wanted to go back…”

"That's not what I want to hear!!!"

puff!

A cushion was thrown at him, and Hao Er didn't dodge, letting it hit his head hard before falling to the ground. His eyes were only on the girl standing on the sofa, almost in tears. Although he had seen Xia Que cry several times before, this was the first time he had seen her with such an expression—helplessness, anger, and sadness.

"I don't want to hear you say all this..." Xia Que's tears streamed down her cheeks.

She turned and jumped off the sofa, pushed open the door, and hurriedly left the house. Hao'er was also stunned by her actions, but after regaining his composure, he didn't chase after her. He silently picked up the cushion that had fallen to the floor, dusted it off, put it back on the sofa, and then sat there, staring blankly at the ceiling.

“I know all of that…” he murmured, “Of course I know…”

Hao'er knew all this. In fact, he and Xia Que were thinking the same thing. He also knew why Xia Que had brought up that topic earlier and what she wanted to hear. He was well aware of it, but it was inappropriate.

He was destined to face judgment sooner or later, and shouldn't waste Xia Que's time here, causing her pain. Having finally found a way back, he hoped Xia Que could return to her original world, to her original life, and no longer be troubled by this world. That was all he could do; he hoped Xia Que could be happy.

Therefore, he couldn't continue to interfere in Xia Que's life. He was already content just being able to stay by her side, but honestly...

"So...it's finally come to that time..."

That day finally arrived. Ever since he dealt with Seric, he had a premonition that everything would end, everything would return to normal, and Xia Que would eventually return to her own world. However, this had been far too long for Xia Que; she didn't know how long she had waited for this day. But Hao Er didn't know what expression he should wear now.

He didn't want Xia Que to leave him either; he wanted to be with her forever, even if it was just as a guardian by her side. However, he couldn't do that now. He didn't have the right or the qualification. He was a sinner in this world and needed appropriate punishment to satisfy the people.

He had never seen Xia Que like this before. Although he had encountered it once when he was escaping with her, this time was the most surprising. Xia Que actually showed that kind of expression, something he had never expected. Perhaps she shared the same thoughts as him, but neither of them dared to speak up because of their respective positions.

This incident even made her cry...

However, Hao Er couldn't think of a better solution. He had no other way to protect Xia Que's safety in these final moments except by distancing himself from her, so this was the only thing he could do.

"I think I... made her angry..." Hao'er's head started to ache. "Where did she go... Never mind, it's not a good time for me to go out and look for her right now... Let's leave it at that for now."

Both Hao'er and Xia Que had their own opinions on this matter. They shared the same thoughts, but due to their differing stances, they couldn't make the same rational choice. Xia Que couldn't make a decision, while Hao'er had already tacitly agreed to sacrifice himself to bring Xia Que a stable future.

“Perhaps,” Hale pondered, “I should go and ask Li about this first, it might not be too late…”

He tidied up the living room and then left the house. He decided to find the person who knew relatively well about this world, namely, Ri herself. There were limited things he could do right now, and he hoped that he could at least clarify with Ri the full picture of the power that brought Xia Que back to Earth within this limited time.

After Xia Que left home, she had no idea where she was. Her mind was blank, and she couldn't think of anything. She walked through the streets of Akihabara at night like a walking corpse. The noise and bustle around her seemed to have nothing to do with her. She didn't know where to go next and just wandered around silently.

She began to regret what she had just done. It was a hysterical outburst after she lost control of her emotions. Now that she thought about it carefully, she realized that she had indeed been too impulsive. Was it unfair to Hao'er and the others that she was being willful all by herself?

Although she still couldn't let go of the matter, she had come to terms with it somewhat. At a time like this, acting impulsively wouldn't help. Instead of waiting idly, she might as well try to change the outcome. Even though it was a dramatic plot twist only seen in comics, Xia Que still wanted to give it a shot. She couldn't interfere with the grand finale, but at least she could do something about the smaller endings, right?

"Anyway..." Xia Que silently made up her mind, "Let's go find them and see..."

Xia Que's first thought was that those who held power in this era must have a say in how Hao Er was dealt with. Xia Que planned to go to them to see if they could plead for leniency for Hao Er.

This somewhat clumsy master and apprentice begin to move toward their respective goals, but everything they do is for the sake of each other's future. They both do this without realizing it, and in this sense, they really are a master and apprentice. But what will the final outcome be?

We don't know for sure right now, at least not at the moment.

Is Chapter 4 a honeymoon?

Unlike Xia Que and Xuan Ze, who were worried about this matter, Li remained calm, because for her, there was only one place left to belong. As for Earth, she didn't have much attachment to it, but that didn't mean she had none at all. She still cared about the situation of her family after she passed away on Earth, and about the person who had been erased from the world's memory.