Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

The irritability and depression spread like mold on an apple, gradually eroding Xiangzi's reason.

Xiangzi pulled out his pistol for self-defense and fired several shots into the sky as if venting his anger.

boom! boom! boom!

The bullets flew into the sky, their final destination unknown.

Even after the bullets were all gone, Xiangzi's finger did not stop pulling the trigger, and the clicking sound continued incessantly.

She continued until she regained some of her composure, then listlessly lowered her hands.

Xiangzi was covered in sweat and panting heavily.

The simple act of firing a gun seemed to have exhausted all her strength.

He took out a spare pill bottle from his pocket, popped a mood-stabilizing pill into his mouth, chewed it into pieces like candy, and swallowed it with his saliva.

So tired...

Xiangzi thought.

She slumped to the ground, burying her face between her knees.

Maybe we should just end it here.

Anyway, even my other self couldn't stand it anymore.

She probably just couldn't stand it and that's why she didn't bother to come out.

In despair, Xiangzi threw his pistol to the ground.

She really, really, really, really, really did her best.

If you can't do something even with your best efforts, then don't be too demanding of yourself...

My gaze fell upon the M1911, which glowed red in the setting sun.

I swear, I am unarmed.

Like a long-lasting memory.

[Memoria is Spanish for 'memory,' but if you break it down and write it as 'me moria,' it becomes 'I am going to die.']

"me moria, me moria, memoria..."

Xiangzi muttered the Spanish word that had been broken down.

When you wake up, don't forget, memoria, me moria.

His dilated pupils gradually focused on the pistol.

The scattered clues in Xiangzi's mind were suddenly connected by a single word.

"No way......"

drip-

The one-hour countdown has ended.

The reset white light emanated from only one building, the Cocoon, and enveloped the barrier around it.

......

......

......

Saturday, the last 24 hours.

Tick.

Tick.

The Tale of Nirvana: Stay True to Yourself: Chapter 118 Internal Strife!

Saturday morning, 7:00 AM.

Ding-dong-

Chu Hua, wearing a slipper, made a slapping sound on the floor as she quickly walked forward and opened the door.

—"Hi, Hatsuko~"

Miao Meng stood outside the door, one hand behind her back, the other raised in a greeting.

Good morning, where's Xiangzi?

"Still in the room."

Chu Hua's hair was messy, and she had thick dark circles under her eyes. Her oversized T-shirt was askew, revealing her bare shoulders. She was wearing only one slipper, with the other one lying on the ground not far behind her.

"What about the rest?"

"You were the first one."

"what?"

"Come in first."

Miao Meng's gaze lingered on Chu Hua's face, which was adorned with natural smoky makeup, for a moment before her forced sunny expression crumbled.

Her hands, which had been behind her back, drooped down. Only then did Chu Hua realize that Miao Meng was actually holding a small bouquet of flowers, which she had been mysteriously hiding behind her back.

"Why did you buy flowers?" Chu Hua opened the shoe cabinet, tossed out a pair of slippers, and asked casually.

Miao Meng kicked off her shoes, put on slippers, walked past Chu Hua, casually grabbed a glass from the table, put the flowers in it, and moved as smoothly as if she were in her own home.

"The flower seller was a little beggar, and I got annoyed by his questions." Miao Meng rubbed her eyes, yawned, and "bought a bouquet as a token."

"..."

Chu Hua's eyes seemed to say:

"How come I didn't know you were such a kind person?"

Someone spoke for Chu Hua, expressing her true feelings.

Hai Ling leaned against the open door frame, while Mu peeked out from behind her, looking into Chu Hua's house.

After Hailing and Mu came in, Chu Hua said she was going back to her room to change her clothes and then disappeared. Hailing and Mu sat on the single sofas on either side, while Miao Meng casually occupied the long sofa in the middle.

“Gladiolus, marigolds, chrysanthemums, lycoris radiata, and orchids.” Hailing glanced at the bouquet Miaomeng had placed in the glass. “Gladiolus symbolizes ‘remembrance,’ marigolds represent ‘sadness,’ and orchids symbolize ‘love’…”

“Chrysanthemums are often used in funerals and can be interpreted as ‘death.’ Lycoris radiata, also known as spider lilies, represents the separation of life and death—if we exclude the death associated with chrysanthemums, it can also represent the fear of separation from loved ones…” Mu continued Hailing’s words in a low voice, “That way we can match them up.”

"What a rare combination," Hailing remarked, seemingly unconvinced.

"I don't even know what these flowers are called. I just picked a few randomly. There's no such thing as a combination. This is too far-fetched." Miao Meng waved her hand, flopped onto the sofa, put her legs on the coffee table, looking exhausted. Then, she changed the subject and said in a harsh tone, "Why is that guy still hiding in his room? Is he waiting to die?"

In reality, everyone looked extremely tired.

Miao Meng's words echoed in Chu Hua's house, but no one replied to her.

Hailing quietly opened a box of chocolate bars for breakfast and handed two to Miaomeng and Mumu as well.

In five days, they made considerable progress, or they made absolutely no progress.

"Making progress" means that the four of them are now able to complete their respective tasks within an hour, while "making no progress" refers to Oblivionis, whom Xiangzi claims he will take charge of.

Even now, the door to the cocoon remains tightly locked.

But with less than 24 hours left until the deadline, Xiangzi still locked himself in his room.

Miaomeng tilted her head and looked at the tightly closed door.

Click.

The doorknob turned, and the person inside pushed open the door that had been tightly closed.

Xiangzi appeared before them dressed in his outdoor clothes, with thick dark circles under his eyes.

“I won’t just wait to die,” Xiangzi said in a hoarse voice. “I’m going to find Yuxina and explain the situation to her. As long as I hand over the most crucial information—provided she’s willing to believe me—she should be able to spare my life.”

"As for Nirvana, we can leave that to them from now on."

"What if she doesn't trust you?" Miao Meng asked, dangling a chocolate bar like a cigarette.

"Let's part amicably." Xiangzi looked at Miaomeng with lifeless eyes.

“You…” Miao Meng snapped the chocolate bar in half with a snap, a '#' sign popping out of her forehead.

"Then what do we need to do?" Before Miaomeng could throw a tantrum, Hailing stuffed a chocolate bar into her mouth and changed the subject.

"You don't have to do anything, you can go wherever you want, just wait for my message."

Xiangzi turned to leave.

"Hey, hey, hey." Miao Meng turned around, grabbed the back of the sofa, chewed and swallowed the chocolate bar that Hai Ling had given her. "I said, if you're going to die, just run away. Going to Minato Yuki is like walking into a trap. You have to use information as collateral to let me go."

Xiangzi looked at Miaomeng with the eyes of someone looking at an idiot.

"What kind of divine message are you sending? What is the I Ching?"

“I was about to ask you that too.” Miao Meng gave her an international friendliness gesture. “Never mind me, I’m happy to.”

"Miaomeng is right. It would be better for any one of the four of us to go than for Xiaoxiang to go."

Chu Hua changed into clothes that she could wear outside and came out of her room.

Xiangzi clicked his tongue softly.

The last person she wants to see right now is Chu Hua.

The two have been at an impasse for two days.

"Let's run away, let's leave the reed plains," Chu Hua said.

It all started with Chu Hua's suggestion.

Chu Hua always prioritized Xiangzi's safety. She never cared about what Xiangzi was going to do; she cared about Xiangzi as a person.

As long as Xiangzi is alright, it doesn't matter what happens to Chuhua.

Having already heard enough of the same things to get tired of, Xiangzi's already dulled brain, which had been dulled by staying up all night, was ignited, and some words just slipped out without thinking.

"How long can you run? Can you run forever?!"

Xiangzi bared his teeth at them menacingly.

"Do you know the most basic function of the witch's kiss on you? It's to prevent you from leaving the reed plains!"

"How did you know?"

It was Hailing who spoke. She was holding a chocolate bar in her mouth, just like Miaomeng. Her tone was indifferent, but the words she uttered were anything but.

"While it's not impossible to guess, you seem very certain."

Suddenly, all eyes in the room were on Xiangzi.

Xiangzi belatedly realized what he had said, and touched his lips with trembling hands, as if those words had not come from his mouth.

Yeah, how would I know?

A possibility that had been lingering in Xiangzi's mind for the past few days arose.

how could I know?

because......

No.

Impossible, absolutely impossible.

Xiangzi gritted his teeth.

"Anyway, no one is leaving until this is over." Under everyone's scrutinizing gaze, she quickly walked to the entrance, put on her shoes, and tiptoed. "Wait for my news. This is not up for discussion."

bang.

Without waiting for anyone to respond, Xiangzi closed the door.

====

P.S.: There will be another chapter in a little while.