I said you are all war criminals

Chapter 31: Hongxia's Dream

After dinner, Hakuno sent all the girls back home.

Then he went home, turned on his beloved Switch, and prepared to hunt for two.

What's wrong? You don't play games anymore because you have an emulator? That's impossible. No matter how fun emulation is, you'll get tired of it if you keep playing.

Besides, after two consecutive simulations, Bai Ye felt that it was time to let the girls "develop" freely - mainly Hong Xia. Bai Ye was ready to see what Hong Xia, who inherited two memories, would do.

Before Hongxia takes the next step, Bai Ye prepares to suspend the simulation.

"Anyway, let's hunt!"

Hakuno picked up the perfect weapon and jumped again and again outside the Fire Village.

On the other hand, Hong Xia, who was highly expected by Bai Ye, she...she...

She tossed and turned and couldn't sleep.

Tonight, after hearing Kita and Ryo's college aspirations, Hongxia became anxious because of the two memories in her mind.

What should I do if those two idiots really turn into world-destroying demons just as I remember?

"...There's no other way. After all, I have to transform the prosthesis."

To be honest, Hongxia didn't want to do this.

Even though her future self contained less human flesh than a bag of potato chips, Hongxia was still just a high school girl. She couldn't easily make up her mind to "transform her body."

Besides, she doesn't have the money for prosthetic surgery.

Prosthetic transformation is a costly and time-consuming endeavor. Current chip capabilities simply cannot support the objective requirements of prosthetics. Even if Hong Xia desperately wants to, she can't wake up and transform into Adam's Hammer.

In her second life, it took her nearly eight years to build a prosthetic body. Even then, she had to rely on the Golden God to optimize the adaptability of the prosthetic body so that she could barely complete the transformation before Kita went crazy.

But by then it was too late.

If you want to change the world, you have to do it early.

"As expected, we still need to raise money and build a factory... Maybe the chip can be replaced by the Golden God's water veins... Kita claims to be a descendant of the Golden God, can her body fluids replace the Golden God's water veins..."

Before she knew it, Hongxia fell asleep.

In her dream, she went back to the past.

The distant past.

"Hey... why did you fall asleep again? Did I overdose on the anesthetic?"

Hongxia opened her eyes and saw her body being placed on the operating table. The idiot prosthetic doctor turned his back to her and moved a screwdriver around on her body.

Hongxia was sure that she saw herself smile.

"I'm awake, Hakuno."

"That's good. I wouldn't dare connect your nerves while you're asleep." Bai Ye tapped Hong Xia's forehead with a screwdriver. "How does the prosthetic eye feel?"

"No problem, your craftsmanship is as reassuring as always."

"I'm not the kind of doctor you can trust."

Bai Ye's voice was filled with a hint of sneer.

Hongxia remembered that this was the third year of her cooperation with Baiye. Baiye was replacing Hongxia's time-delay processor and strengthening her artificial eye.

At that time, they could already be considered friends.

But at that time, Hongxia didn't know that Hakuno was Yamada Ryo's brother...

"Hakuno, why are you rebelling against Yamada?"

Hong Xia asked this question almost subconsciously.

She immediately realized the ridiculousness of the question.

This was just a dream, a fleeting illusion. No matter what Bai Ye said in the illusion, it was what Hong Xia wanted to hear, not what Bai Ye really said in the first life.

"To help you, I suppose."

...This is just a dream.

Hongxia remembered very clearly that she had not asked this question at that time, and Bai Ye had not answered it in the same way.

However, in front of Hong Xia now, Bai Ye spoke clearly.

"At first, I just disliked Liang, but after working with you, I felt: 'Ah, this person can't do without me'."

"Hey, what do you mean I can't live without you?" Hong Xia retorted fluently in a voice that surprised even herself. "It should be the other way around, right? You came to find me... Why did you come to find me? Back then, I was living a muddled life, worse than an ordinary person."

Hong Xia was talking about her first life, when she hadn't yet decided to rebel against Liang. Back then, she wasn't just confused, she was even thinking about giving up everything and not caring about anything anymore.

It was Hakuno who made Hongxia give up that idea.

It was Hakuno who made Hongxia make up her mind to go and see what Liang had done.

why me?

Hongxia wanted to ask this question.

But she couldn't bring herself to ask.

Maybe it was because she already knew the answer to the question, or maybe it was because she didn't want to know the answer to the question.

But even if she didn't ask, the answer would have come out on its own.

"Because, Nijiya, you're Ryo's best friend, aren't you?"

This is the cruelty of lucid dreaming.

You can't fool yourself.

"You are the only one who can stop Liang."

...Hongxia opened her eyes.

This is the room upstairs in Starry, the Ijichi family's home.

She rubbed her eyes and started her day.

She washed her face, brushed her teeth, packed her backpack, and prepared her sister's breakfast... After doing everything, she peeled off a note, wrote a line of words on it, and then stuck it on the refrigerator.

[To Xingge: I'm going out to find myself. I'll be back in three or four days. Hongxia.]

Fortunately, it’s winter vacation now, so I don’t have to worry about school.

Hongxia gently closed the door and stepped onto the street.

She decided to get some money first.

According to the information she remembered, there were several Yakuza organizations in Shibuya. Although Hong Xia didn't have a prosthetic body, she was confident that she could get some money from them.

However, before that, you need to make some weapons for self-defense.

There should be suitable steel pipes in the scrapyard, and Hong Xia is confident that she can make a crude set of electronic ignition firearms. Using this set of firearms, it should be no problem to rob the Yakuza.

After getting the start-up capital from the Yakuza, I can start building a factory. With a factory, I can upgrade the basic materials of the prosthesis... Within a year, I should be able to produce the simplest subcutaneous armor, right?

Yes, there's also the Golden God Water. It's not just Kita, there are supposedly three Golden Gods in Japan. As far as I remember, it takes ten years for the Golden Gods to be unearthed, and you could set up a mining company to dig them up...

Hong Xia slapped her face.

On the winter streets, Hongxia said to herself, "Okay, Hongxia, cheer up... I'll have to work hard from now on."

In order to make herself known to Hakuno as "Ryou's best friend", she is no longer "Ryou's best friend", but "Ichichi Nikka".

Just for this simple goal, go save the world.

Chapter 32: Quick Report

The news that Ijichi Hongxia had run away from home quickly spread throughout the social circle of the band.

Hakuno is no exception.

The way he found out about this was when he received an angry call from Liang early in the morning.

"Hongxia actually ran away from home. This is unbelievable!"

Liang complained on the phone with a rather resentful voice, "Hong Xia didn't even take me with her on such a rock and roll thing!"

"Then you can run away from home now," Bai Ye yawned. He hunted until after three last night and was still very tired. "Are you planning to ask me for start-up capital?"

"What a joke," Liang sneered, "Do I need a reason to borrow money from you?"

"But seriously," Liang's voice suddenly turned serious, "Hongxia is out alone, and I'm a little worried. Do you have any clues?"

Bai Ye rubbed his eyes, trying to clear his mind. He knew the friendship between Liang and Hong Xia, and he also knew that Liang was really worried about Hong Xia.

"I only officially met Hong Xia last night. There's no way that guy would tell me any information, right?" Bai Ye asked, "Where do you think Hong Xia will go?"

Liang was silent.

After a long time, she said in a somewhat unwilling voice.

"……I have no idea."

Bai Ye could almost imagine Liang biting his lip on the other end of the phone, his face full of self-blame.

"I just realized that I didn't really know Hongxia that well... The Ijichi Hongxia I knew would never run away from home."

In Yamada Ryo's memory, Ijichi Hongka was that kind of "good kid" - just like the "kid next door" that only appears in parents' mouths.

Hongxia would not violate any rules or laws, nor would she go back on her word, nor would she fly into a rage, and she would not even say anything unpleasant.

Compared with Yamada Ryo, and compared with the rebellious Ryo, Hongxia is the kind of person who will walk on the right path and keep going on it unswervingly.

...Ryo originally thought that was the case.

"Hmm... I was thinking about this last night while we were having dinner," Hakuno explained after listening to Ryo's troubles. "Compared to you wanting to go to college, Hongxia, who wants to debut as a band, is the more rebellious one, right?"

At least for students, further education is the more natural path.

It is normal for students to go from elementary school to middle school, from middle school to university, from university to graduate school and doctoral degree... and only consider entering society when there is no further promotion.

After all, school occupies most of their lives.

"Didn't Hongxia say last night that she wanted to consider debuting as a band? I'm not saying that debuting as a band is easier than continuing to study, or vice versa - but compared to you who want to continue to study, Hongxia who wants to debut is more likely to run away from home, right?"

Bai Ye made his own judgment.

Liang was silent for a while and finally hung up the phone.

Bai Ye stretched and got up from the bed.

Then, in the bright sunshine, he fished out the thin air and pulled out a television.

“Ding ding ding, personal biography camera (sold for 1 achievement)!”

This is a prop that Hakuno purchased earlier. Its origin is unknown. Hakuno thinks it is most likely Doraemon.

The effect, in a nutshell, is to film the chosen subject's actions today as if it were a biopic. And the subject Hakuno wants to film today is none other than Ijichi Nikka.

Hakuno arranged the props, set up the subject, pressed the button, and waited for the film to come out... The personal biographical camera shook, and then began to play the images.

[Reiwa's monster, Ijichi Nijika. This is the beginning of her legend...]

Bai Ye:?

[A heartless monster, a gangster's gangster, a woman like the sun, these are all her names.]

Bai Ye:? ?

"Please allow us to interview this person. This is Hakuno, the legendary lover of Nijiya."

Bai Ye:? ? ?

"Mr. Hakuno, what do you think of Ijichi Nikka?"

[Hakuno, whose face is blurred: "That child, at first, just wanted a place to go."]

[It turns out that Ijichi Hongxia lost her mother at a young age, and her father never came home for many years, so she basically lived with her sister.]

[As she did so, she unknowingly began to desire a place to call home.]

[Liang, whose eyes are blurred: "At that time, she told me, 'I like Liang's bass,' and invited me to form a 'band.'"]