“And this,” Kotori’s eyes sharpened, “undoubtedly gives Izumi, who has long advocated an eye for an eye and violence for violence, the most convincing reason! An irrefutable ‘righteous’ justification for revenge!”
She clearly pointed out the current action plan of the Chika sisters: "It is now clear that Chika's main personality has been persuaded by Izumi, or rather, under the huge shock and anger, she has chosen to walk with Izumi."
"Their goals were very clear: first, to take revenge on those 'culprits' who created the elves and brought them endless suffering; second, to save all the elves who were persecuted like them. Their intention was to overthrow the existing order that was unjust to the elves."
Finally, she revealed the most heartbreaking decision: "And in order to achieve this dangerous goal, they even... erased Chiin's memory. They believed this was to 'protect' him, to keep him away from this cruel vortex, and to spare him the responsibility and risk for them."
"But this precisely shows that they have embarked on a path full of determination and sacrifice, and one that no one can stop, not even their closest brother."
A long silence fell over the living room.
The cruelty of the truth, the resolute decision between Chika and Izumi, the tragedy of Chiin being unilaterally "protected," and the rise of "Anti-Entropy," an organization led by a powerful spirit in the name of "revenge" and "salvation"... all these factors intertwine to form an extremely complex and dangerous situation.
Ratatosk's long-advocated path of "peaceful coexistence" is facing a dual and severe challenge: from within—the pain and anger of the elves themselves—and from without—the threat from the DEM Corporation.
Chapter 229 The End
Kotori took the last jewel out of her mouth and twirled the candy stick between her fingers.
"In conclusion, Phoenix Institute Chinatsu and the 'Anti-Entropy' organization she established have goals and power that have exceeded the conventional scope. They are potential allies, but also uncontrollable variables."
Her voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet room, "They know the truth about the origin of the elves, are preparing to re-establish 'Anti-Entropy,' and have erased Senin's related memories. This means..."
She paused, a hint of heaviness flashing in her red eyes.
"This means they have completely cut off their escape route. They no longer seek understanding, no longer need protection. They have chosen the thorny path of revenge and salvation, in some ways running parallel to ours."
"But the methods will likely be much more drastic—and the end of this path may very well be the opposite of the peace we desire."
The indoor lights gradually brightened, and the three of them left, their minds heavy with unspoken thoughts.
Shido walked heavily down the corridor back to his room. When he passed Tohka's door, he hesitated for a moment, then stopped and gently knocked.
"Tohka, it's me." He said softly to the door, his tone full of sincerity, "What happened this afternoon... I'm so sorry. I made you sad."
Silence reigned inside the door; there was no response. Shido waited for a while, then could only sigh and turn away, disappointed.
Just as his footsteps completely disappeared at the end of the corridor, the tightly closed door silently slid open a tiny crack.
Tohka's clear purple eyes followed Shido's departing figure closely through the crack in the door until it completely disappeared into the dimness of the corridor.
Her eyes flickered with complex emotions, a mixture of grievance, confusion, and a hint of loneliness at being ignored.
The drizzle continued, tapping against the window and enveloping the world in a hazy mist.
Just as agreed yesterday, Murasame Reine visited the Itsuka family on time and was standing in front of Tohka's tightly closed door.
Her outfit today was completely different from her usual researcher's lab coat or captain's uniform. She wore a knitted sweater with a slightly worn teddy bear on the chest, paired with dark-colored trousers and a shoulder bag, looking completely casual as if she was about to go shopping.
"...That's how it is, Tohka. So I'd like to go out and buy something. Could you come with me?"
Lingyin spoke to the door in her unique, slightly weary, gentle voice.
However, the response from behind the door was exactly the same as yesterday, even more irritated: "Shut up! Leave me alone...!"
Standing beside Reine, Shido sighed deeply upon hearing the voice filled with resistance, his face showing helplessness and a hint of frustration.
"This has been their attitude since yesterday."
“…Hmm.” Lingyin seemed to be lost in thought, gently resting her fingers on her chin. She didn’t continue to persuade her, but instead skillfully took out a small terminal resembling a tablet from her backpack and quickly operated it with one hand.
Her gaze lingered on the screen for a moment, then she deftly put the terminal away, took another small step forward, and moved closer to the door.
"...Tohka."
"Didn't I tell you to leave me alone...?! I—"
“…Besides shopping, let’s eat out. Okay?” Reine calmly interrupted Tohka’s impending outburst of complaints and offered a new suggestion.
The words had barely left his mouth when the sound from the other side of the door abruptly stopped.
Then came a silence that lasted for tens of seconds, almost long enough to hear the dust settling on the ground.
With a "creak," the door was suddenly pulled open a crack, and Tohka poked her head out from behind it with obvious displeasure on her face.
She was still wearing the same high school uniform she wore yesterday, which looked wrinkled and even slightly darker in some places due to dampness.
Clearly, she hadn't changed her clothes since yesterday. Even more striking were the clearly visible dark circles under her eyes, silently testifying to the exhaustion of a sleepless night.
If she stood next to Lingyin, who also had heavy dark circles under her eyes, they might really be mistaken for a pair of sisters with a unique style.
"Varied……!"
Shido's eyes widened in surprise, almost unable to believe that Tohka had opened the door like that.
"Ling... Lingyin? What exactly did you do...?"
"...I didn't do anything." Lingyin's tone was as calm as ever.
"It's just that Tohka's hunger level has been rising and has exceeded the safety threshold. So I think her physical needs are almost overpowering her emotions."
"I see... But when I called her for dinner yesterday, she still didn't come out..."
"……oops,"
Reine turned her head and looked at Shido with her emotionless eyes.
"That must be because I didn't want to see you at the time."
"........."
Shido was speechless, struck by the overly blunt and cruel truth and fell into silence.
And this is indeed an undeniable fact. Tohka, who finally stepped out of the room, immediately turned her face away as if she had been burned the moment her gaze met Shido's.
Then, he walked to Reine's side with a deliberately slowed but clearly urging pace.
"Let's go!" she said to Lingyin, her tone harsh.
"...Well, let's do it this way."
Lingyin nodded, then added as if she had remembered something.
"It's been raining since this morning, so don't forget to bring an umbrella."
As she spoke, she subtly glanced at Shido, her eyes clearly conveying, "Proceed according to plan, leave it to me."
"...Please...please help me..."
Shido could only watch with some trepidation as Reine and Tohka left one after the other.
For the next few minutes, Shido stood there blankly in the entryway until the cool air brought him back to his senses.
He gently patted his cheeks, trying to cheer himself up.
"School's closed today... I'll take advantage of this morning to buy some things."
He remembered that he had planned to go to the shopping street after school yesterday, but a series of unexpected events interrupted his plans, and his shopping plans were put on hold.
Without further hesitation, Shido quickly changed into his outdoor clothes, picked up the umbrella leaning against the wall, and walked out of the house.
"Door lock—oh well, I'll just lock it anyway. Kotori is probably still sleeping."
He muttered to himself and deftly locked the door. Then, Itsuka Shido's footsteps blended into the pattering rain outside the window, echoing softly on the damp, empty street.
Chapter 230 A backup plan?
The drizzle continued, washing Tiangong City into a hazy mist.
In an inconspicuous corner of the city, mountains of garbage, soaked by rainwater, exude a stuffy, damp smell.
In the gaps between these "mountains" made of waste, a faint blue light stubbornly flickered, like a star fallen to earth.
The next second, a bright blue light shone, dissolving, stretching, and reshaping as if it had a life of its own... Finally, Chiin's figure appeared unharmed beside the garbage heap, as if he had just awakened from a brief slumber.
"Bah ah..."
He brushed off the few stains and dust that had gotten on his body with disgust, even though his reconstructed body was essentially spotless.
"Luckily, I was smart enough to have a backup plan."
He muttered to himself, a relieved smile curving his lips.
"If I were to lie in Fraxinus's life support tank like a vegetable, I wouldn't be able to do anything."
He looked up at the gray sky, raindrops falling on his face, bringing a cool touch.
"It's almost time... According to the 'plot,' Sister Lingyin should have already used her 'food offensive' to lure Tohka out of her room."
He stroked his chin, a calculating glint in his eyes. "Next, I'll talk to that stubborn girl at the dinner table, and then... well, according to the 'original script,' Tohka will definitely get excited after she figures things out and immediately run home to make up with Shido."
Chiin's expression turned somewhat helpless:
"The problem is that she ran back at the perfect time, just in time to catch Shido and Yoshino 'interacting intimately' at home... Well, all the comfort and advice she gave her before was for nothing, and her jealousy exploded."
He recalled the result of his attempt to stop the rampaging Tohka yesterday—it wasn't a stop at all, it was a one-sided crushing defeat.
"In my current state, trying to stop Tohka by force is nothing short of a pipe dream... However,"
A sly glint flashed in his eyes. "Tohka has a very high level of affection for 'Chinatsu.' If we use that form, we might be able to stall her for a while with 'chance encounters' and 'casual chats,' as long as we can miss that crucial moment."
Having made up his mind, Qianyuan quickly surveyed his surroundings, confirming that this was a blind spot devoid of any surveillance equipment or pedestrians. He took a deep breath, his consciousness sinking into another restless and powerful core within his body—
Unlike the rational azure of the Law Core, the Judgment Core, symbolizing the power of space and thunder, roared into operation! Senin's figure began to change under the influence of an invisible force.
The black hair grew rapidly, faded, and transformed into long, pure white hair that flowed like moonlight.
His pupils were tinged with a brilliant gold, as if they contained thunder.
Her usual clothes were conceptually reconstructed and replaced with a completely different style, black and white color scheme, and flowing skirt dress. Black stockings wrapped around her slender legs, outlining a figure that was completely different from the Herrscher of Reason form, and more aggressive and mysterious.
Standing in the rain at this moment is the spirit who controls space and thunder—Chika (Heavenly Judgment Form).
“Okay…” she murmured to herself, her voice carrying a sharper quality than usual.
She started walking, her figure disappearing into the rain, heading towards the route that Tohka might have taken on her way home, as she remembered it.
After she left, in that deserted corner, a melodious and slightly melancholic saxophone tune seemed to appear out of nowhere, echoing softly amidst the pattering rain, adding a touch of eeriness and poetry to the damp and chilly morning.
Meanwhile, deep within the system status bar, unnoticed by Chika, an icon marked "Kurumi's Curiosity" was flashing a bright light, like a cat's eye that had been awakened.
Chapter 231 Unexpected
With the rain pouring down, Tohka, her heart still soothed by Murasame Reine and filled with an urge to see Shido and clear up the misunderstanding, was running quickly down the street on her way home.
She didn't even bother to open her umbrella, letting the cold rain soak her hair and clothes. She had only one thought in her mind—hurry, hurry, get back to the home where Shido was!
At a street corner, because she was running so fast and her vision was slightly blurred by the rain, she didn't notice the figure walking towards her from the other side.
With a short gasp, Tohka crashed solidly into a soft yet resilient body. The immense inertia caused her to lose her balance instantly and fall forward.
The expected pain from contact with the cold, slippery ground did not occur.
Just as her body tilted, a warm and strong hand precisely grasped her wrist.
Immediately afterwards, an irresistible yet exceptionally gentle force came, propelling her body into a smooth rotation.
The next second, her waist was firmly encircled by a strong arm, and she was pulled by a force into a warm embrace with a faint fragrance, avoiding the embarrassment of falling to the ground.
"Ah...ah...!"
Tohka was completely bewildered by this sudden situation, and her cheeks instantly flushed red.
She looked up, trying to see who had caught her, but instead met a pair of eyes as bright as gold and a head of long, flowing white hair.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, such as an apology or thanks, but her mind was a mess, and she could only let out a few meaningless, embarrassed sobs.
Looking at the adorable girl in her arms, who was flustered and too shy to speak, a hint of a smile and doting flashed in Qianxia's golden eyes.
Instead of letting go immediately, she tightened her arms around Tohka, allowing her to feel the warmth of her embrace more clearly and shielding her from the cold rain outside.
She lowered her head, her cheek close to Tohka's blushing ear, and softly said in a tone tinged with intimacy and playfulness:
"What's wrong, Tohka? Why are you running so fast? Is there something delicious waiting for you ahead? Or... have you forgotten about me after all this time?"
That familiar voice, with its unique and reassuring quality, finally pierced through Tohka's panic. She blinked her large, rain-dampened purple eyes sharply, gazing intently at the face so close to hers.
"That voice...and...that scent!" Her gaze swept over the distinctive platinum blonde hair and golden eyes. A figure and a name finally overlapped, and surprise instantly replaced her shyness.
"Chinatsu! It's Chinatsu!"
She recognized it!
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