Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

Miaomeng writhed on the ground like an earthworm, which was a bit disgusting to look at.

"I really don't know anything! Please, have mercy on me!"

"Yeah."

Xiangzi stepped on Miaomeng's shoulders to stop her body from writhing so disgustingly, then squatted down and held the M1911, a work of art inherited from his father, against Miaomeng's forehead.

Miao Meng felt a tingling and cool sensation on her forehead.

“You just recounted what happened that day; you haven’t told me how you sold my information to Roselia.”

“Didn’t I tell you I saw your face? I described the witch’s name and the face I saw to Roselia.” Meow Dream blinked innocently. “They found out the rest themselves. I don’t even know your name.”

“Toyokawa Shoko,” Shoko said.

"what?"

“My name is Toyokawa Shoko, now you know.”

"But so what... wait, Toyokawa? The Toyokawa of Toyokawa?"

Miao Meng suddenly recalled being rejected by a man surnamed Feng Chuan when she was bidding everywhere last year or the year before. He was an actor who had become a producer. Although he was no longer a top-tier actor and his fame was not as high, the industry resources he possessed were terrifying.

This man named Toyokawa died last year. It is said that he went crazy gambling, lost all his money, shot and killed his family, and then shot himself. It was quite a news story at the time.

Logically speaking, this family should have died out. Even if Xiangzi's surname is Fengchuan, there are so many people in the world with the surname Fengchuan, how could there be so many coincidences?

But the moment Miaomeng heard Xiangzi's full name, her mind immediately connected the tragedy of the Toyokawa family with Xiangzi.

So she said the man's full name, and sure enough, Xiangzi's pupils contracted for a moment.

"No way..." Miao Meng's lips twitched. "This world is too ridiculous."

"I think so too," Xiangzi said calmly, "but we're talking about your situation now."

"I really don't know anything anymore, can you let me go?"

"Look around, see if you see the white human figure you saw that day." Xiangzi stood up and moved his feet away.

"what?"

Miaomeng rubbed her numb shoulders and got up.

"How was I supposed to know? This isn't a witch's barrier..."

"..."

Miao Meng has reached her limit on the number of expressions she can use today, and she finds that she can no longer make a surprised expression.

Numb.

A ghost with an X on its head walked past them without making a sound, just like the scene she saw when she accidentally wandered in that day.

The central square is surrounded by skyscrapers with a futuristic, sci-fi feel, and directly in front of them is a skyscraper wrapped in wings.

“It was there originally.”

Miaomeng pointed to the "cocoon".

“It’s very tall and large, with a texture like white feathers, and the face is yours, which is why I’m certain you’ve become a witch,” Miao Meng said calmly.

It was so calm it didn't seem like a human being; it was more like an automated customer service AI.

"No wonder Yuki was so sure I was the witch."

Xiangzi sighed.

"The only witness saw my face."

"I not only have no alibi, but I also have proof of my presence."

"The Soul Gem that should have been carried with me has also disappeared without a trace."

"If I weren't truly unable to do anything other than come in and out, I would be 100% certain."

"Even if Xiao Xiang is a witch, I will stay with you." Chu Hua looked into Xiangzi's eyes.

"..." Xiangzi turned his gaze away.

"Is there anything else you want to ask?" Miaomeng said.

"No more." Xiangzi shook his head.

"Can I leave now? If so, I never want to go near this pine forest again in my life."

"No."

"Why?!" Miaomeng raised her voice, "I've already said everything I can say, what more do you want from me!"

"Let me go!"

“Asking questions is only the first thing. There’s a second thing I need your help with.” Xiangzi glanced at her. “It’s something related to the barrier.”

"What?! You want me to work for free after all this torture?! No way!"

“It’s not free work, I’ll pay you.” Xiangzi said.

"I won't do it! I won't—do it—! I won't do anything you want me to do! I only became a magical girl at seventeen, what can I possibly do?!"

The cat rolled around on the ground, turning into a mess.

Many magical girls sign contracts with Kyubey around the age of middle school. The more talented a girl is, the earlier Kyubey will approach her. By seventeen, she is almost past puberty, and those who can wait until they are seventeen to sign a contract are a very small minority.

The fact that he was only approached at the age of seventeen simply means that he wasn't very talented, and Kyubey made do with him to boost their performance.

"I'm just an information broker, I have no fighting ability whatsoever, what do you expect me to do?!"

"I only owe you a few Lament Seeds, please, be merciful and forgive me! I'll give you as many Lament Seeds as you want, ten? Twenty? Thirty? I have them all!"

"I don't need your Grief Seed, I need your ability to obtain it."

"I won't do it! Even if I could, I wouldn't! I only have this worthless life left, and I want to live a little longer!"

"Oh, then there's nothing I can do about it."

Xiangzi sighed deeply, as if he were sighing out the rest of Miaomeng's life.

"Chu Hua, if the administrator finds out that someone is keeping a witch in the group, what will the person who is keeping the witch do?"

Xiangzi asked Chuhua curiously.

The cat's body, which had been rolling around, froze.

"They'll be hunted down to their deaths," Chu Hua chuckled.

"Can't we even escape the reed fields?" Xiangzi asked again.

“We exchange ideas with magical girl organizations all over the country, not to mention that PasPale and RAS often tour around the world,” Chu Hua replied.

"That......"

Xiangzi wanted to ask something more, but the sensation under her feet told her that she didn't need to continue.

Miao Meng hugged Xiangzi's feet.

"I'll do it, I'll do it! I'll do whatever you ask me to do!"

The Tale of Nirvana: Keeping to Your True Self: Chapter 49 - Robbing a Bank

"I'll do it, I'll do it! I'll do whatever you ask me to do!"

Miaomeng clung tightly to Xiangzi's feet like human shackles, her cheek pressed against Xiangzi's calf, her tearful expression seemingly genuine.

Xiangzi tentatively moved his feet.

The cat made a squeaking sound as it rubbed against the ground.

“You’re leaving, right? I can send you off now,” Xiangzi said.

"No, I'm not leaving! I've changed my mind!"

"Then let go first."

"I won't let you go! I'll only let you go if you promise not to tell the administrator about the money!"

What we were just talking about...

"I agree!!!"

“Alright, it’s settled then.” Xiangzi looked down at Miaomeng, a strange smile playing on his lips. “I won’t go too far. You just need to do one thing for me, and then all our grudges will be wiped clean. In addition, I will give you an extra reward—an opportunity to interview Sumimi. How about it?”

Chu Hua made a peace sign next to her.

"Okay!" (The last part is a nonsensical string of characters and doesn't translate directly.)

Miaomeng immediately let go and got up from the ground.

"Boss, you're my boss for this order. I'll do whatever you say."

"You're so professional?"

“I’ve met plenty of clients before, what’s one more?” Miao Meng stood at attention and saluted. “Boss, what’s next?”

"Stealing," Xiangzi said.

"It's just stealing, no big deal!"

......

Miao Meng really wished she hadn't said that.

"'The Bank' is the territory of the familiar Amoris, and it has the largest garrison of the five familiar territories."

Xiangzi led Chuhua and Miaomeng to another area, found a tall building, and looked down from the building.

It was a true steel fortress, with countless soldiers patrolling around it, including a number of elite units such as white horses and white elephants. The difficulty of conquering it was visibly much higher than that of the initial "soldiers".

Leading them was a headless woman, Amoris, dressed in a bright Victorian-style peach-pink gown.

This guy was loitering on the walls of the steel fortress, very conspicuous.

“Amoris has no weaknesses. Nothing can kill it, not even if you blow it to pieces. It’s a bit like your super regeneration.” Xiangzi glanced at Miaomeng.

"If you can't kill me, what use am I?"

"Based on the information we have so far, no matter how exaggerated the exterior of a building may be, its internal structure must correspond to a building in the same location in the real world," Xiangzi said.

"Is that so? Is this barrier really that big?" Miao Meng raised an eyebrow. "And it even corresponds to a real-world location? Is it as big as the Reed Plain?"

“Yes, it’s as big as the Reed Plain,” Chu Hua explained. “The location corresponding to the ‘bank’ is also a bank in the Reed Plain.”

“It’s a private bank,” Xiangzi said. “Chuhua and I went to check it out this morning. The bank’s vault is on the third basement level, and the surveillance cameras cover every corner, so the security level is extremely high. The service they provide is very thoughtful, and the free black tea is delicious.”

"Is black tea the main focus?" Miaomeng asked.

Xiangzi rolled his eyes at her.

Miaomeng tactfully changed the subject.

“I guess when you say ‘vault,’ you mean there’s a vault inside the ‘bank,’ and that a professional thief like me would be needed to steal something, right?”

"Very clever. It seems our collaboration will be very easy."

Xiangzi nodded and took out a simple topographical map he had drawn himself.

"Don't be fooled by the fact that the barrier is a dead city; there is a lot of hidden information in the surrounding area."

"The ghosts with an X on their heads are not just decorations; they are more like NPCs, capable of responding to external stimuli."

"At first I didn't quite understand how witches could create such detailed barriers, but after talking with Tae Hanazono of Popipa a while ago, I understood."

"Protagonists possess a new technology called 'Reverse Barrier,' which is essentially a witch barrier created by magical girls. RiNG, CiRCLE, and Galaxy all use this technology."

"Senior Tae said that the barrier exists based on dreams. The reason why the witch barrier is so bizarre is because it has no rationality but has the memories of magical girls, and the chaotic subconscious is intertwined."

“These wandering ghosts with Xs on their heads are also part of the subconscious, and they carry truly useful information.”

"That sounds familiar," said Meow Dream. "Can I sue the witch for plagiarizing Inception?"

"You also need to see if any witches agree to sue you."

"Tsk, tsk."