In a crossover anime, do you believe that a machine spirit can defeat a fake human?

“So you’re pretty scared, I know.” Hiratsuka Shizuka patted his shoulder, then turned her back to the city’s night view as well.

"After all, you're just a little kid."

"..." Chen Yi hesitated, realizing he couldn't refute it.

Judging from his identity in this world... he is indeed only 16 years old.

"To put it optimistically, these 'fake people' are just a bunch of irrational lunatics and murderers..."

"呲-"

"To put it realistically, what's hidden beneath this city isn't just fake people, but also crab-legged thugs, giant monsters, and phenomena that are impossible to 'resist'..." Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at him, yet it didn't seem like she was looking at him at all.

"It must be really tough for you to face all this alone."

The city became very quiet after losing many of its neon lights.

The warm yellow light in the living room illuminated Hiratsuka Shizuka's profile, her eyes filled with a melancholy.

"You are very strong, and you have some secrets of your own, which I do not intend to pry into."

"It really is true, I am a time traveler," Chen Yi thought to himself.

"However, as your homeroom teacher, I've decided to look after you. If you need anything, just come to me."

“Protecting my students is my responsibility.” Hiratsuka Shizuka, who had been in a relaxed state, suddenly straightened up and pulled Chen Yi over to rub his head vigorously.

"Huff..." Chen Yi, who almost broke free again due to the stress, pretended to be nonchalant and gasped for breath.

Wow, Hiratsuka-sensei is more charming than I imagined...

Chen Yi found himself blushing shamefully, and raised his trembling hand as if to cover something up.

"呲-"

"By the way, do you usually cook at home?" Ms. Hiratsuka asked, looking at his right hand in a cast, as if she had just remembered something.

"I don't like Japanese food."

"So what are you going to do these few days while you have your fracture? Are you going to take care of it yourself?"

"...Probably. I'm ambidextrous; I can cook noodles with just my left hand." Chen Yi raised his left hand to show that there was no need to worry.

"The problem is that your left hand is injured too."

"......" That's right.

"How about this, I'll cover your dinner until you're fully recovered." Hiratsuka Shizuka crossed her arms and gave a confident smile.

"...Eating takeout every day?"

"Hey, don't you trust my cooking skills?" Hiratsuka Shizuka's expression changed instantly.

"...Uh, Hiratsuka-sensei's personality doesn't seem like that of someone who would cook..."

"You judge a book by its cover, you bastard!" Hiratsuka Shizuka clenched her 'Shizuka Iron Fist', which was as big as a sandbag.

“Private Marseille.” Chen Yi readily complied.

"So what does Hiratsuka-sensei usually cook for herself at home?"

"......takeout."

Isn't that exactly right?!

"Well, teacher, I usually work very hard..." Blah blah blah, basically just that he's too lazy to cook, not because he cooks badly, but because when he does cook, it's always something extraordinary, and so on.

...Just take it as a serious listen.

......

"It's getting a bit chilly with the takeout wind..." Hiratsuka Shizuka mumbled, pulling her coat tighter around herself.

"Speaking of which, Xiao Yi..." After downing six or seven cans of beer, Hiratsuka Shizuka was already a little tipsy. She hooked her arm around Chen Yi's shoulder and leaned closer, intending to say something.

"I saw you carrying that guitar all day. When I took you to the club after school, you even went back to bring it with you... Is it expensive?"

"...Of course it's expensive. Gibson isn't some no-name brand." Chen Yi's expression hardened, and he began to make things up.

"This guitar is related to a YouTube guitarist I used to admire. I specifically bought the same electric guitar as hers, the LP Classic, which has a heavy body..."

"Alright, alright, play it for me." With a somewhat forceful tone, Hiratsuka Shizuka pulled Chen Yi back to the living room.

"...Eh, Hiratsuka-sensei, actually..." Knowing that he couldn't avoid it in the end, Chen Yi sighed and decided to tell the truth.

After all, this world is so dangerous, it's understandable that he would prepare something for self-defense... right?

"We're in trouble." Chen Yi looked up and saw that Hiratsuka Shizuka's eyes were clear, not at all like someone who was drunk.

“Counting from the left street corner this way, there’s a figure standing in the darkness to the right of the third streetlight, staring at us for quite a while.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Yi felt a chill run down his spine. He wanted to stand up to check if the other person was still there, but seeing Hiratsuka Shizuka's calm expression, he forced himself to sit back down.

"Did you know that there were 100 cases of spoof attacks in Chiba Prefecture last month?"

"If that guy was also... then it's like you, the unlucky kid, contributed 1% to the KPI of the entire Chiba Prefecture's Abnormal Biosafety Division."

"...Given the current situation outside, the probability of him not being one is even smaller than winning the lottery." Chen Yi casually replied, glancing at Hiratsuka Shizuka while secretly pondering.

Hiratsuka-sensei, it's not good for me to draw my gun while I'm here...

"Be careful when you're aiming, don't let the other side spot you. In some cases I know, even fake humans have a certain level of intelligence." Hiratsuka Shizuka interrupted him directly, walked to the violin case, unzipped it, took out the HK416, and handed it to him.

"flat......!"

"You want to ask me when I found out? Do you think I'm blind? The first time I came to your house, I saw a bright yellow bullet lying on the floor in the entryway." Hiratsuka Shizuka interrupted him irritably.

"Both of your hands are injured, so it's hard for you to aim. If you really can't, I'll do it."

"..." Chen Yi remained silent, his mind churning with storms that eventually subsided.

Without keeping the other party waiting for too long, Chen Yi took the rifle and walked out onto the balcony.

......

It is indeed difficult to hold a gun when the right hand is fractured.

Holding the handguard against his shoulder with his left hand, Chen Yi thought for a moment and bent his elbow in a V-shape to secure it in the crook of his arm.

"Hoo..." Chen Yi took a deep breath, his left eye aimed at the hybrid holographic sight, trying to find the other party in the dark environment.

"...Hiratsuka-sensei, it got away." After a while, Chen Yi returned from the balcony, put the gun on the ground, and said with some regret.

"I see, it's got its eye on you." Hiratsuka Shizuka stood up and stretched.

"Let's pack our bags."

"?"

"You can stay at my place for the next few days."

"...Hiratsuka-sensei, it's only targeting me."

"Just leave when I tell you to, stop talking nonsense."

"......Thanks."

New Life: Chapter Fifteen - The Grand Escape

"Hiratsuka-sensei, driving... or should I drive?" Chen Yi thought about the few empty beer cans at home and felt a little unsure.

Don't run headfirst into a tree when the time comes.

"What's the big deal? I drink every day, this little bit of alcohol won't get me drunk. Hold on tight, if it dares to stop me, I'll run it over!" Hiratsuka Shizuka, usually so calm, now exuded a sharp and aggressive aura.

"boom--"

The engine roared like a supercar, and Hiratsuka Shizuka slammed on the gas, sending the car hurtling forward.

"...Are you really not drunk?"

"You think that's beer? It's just fruit juice." Hiratsuka Shizuka said dismissively.

"It doesn't seem to be catching up." Hiratsuka Shizuka glanced at the rearview mirror. Apart from a few streetlights, there were no pedestrians on the street.

"It doesn't necessarily have to chase us to the death." Chen Yi took the rifle out of the violin case and casually placed the violin case behind his seat.

“Some of these fake humans seem to have tracking abilities… I’m sorry, Hiratsuka-sensei, for dragging you into this.”

"No apologies allowed. I said I'd protect you, and I mean it." Hiratsuka Shizuka gripped the steering wheel, her tone revealing a hint of displeasure.

"You're still a minor, yet you think you can shoulder everything yourself? What about us adults?"

Chen Yi remained silent.

"...I won't let you fend for yourself." Without even looking at the traffic lights, she stepped on the gas and drove straight through the intersection.

There are hardly any cars on the road anyway, so it doesn't matter whether you follow the traffic rules or not.

"...Thank you." Chen Yi hesitated for a moment, but finally chose to compromise.

People in this world know better than I do how to handle these kinds of dangers. Oh well, I'll just consider it clinging to their coattails.

"By the way, Hiratsuka-sensei."... Chen Yi didn't notice any signs of being followed for a while. He thought for a moment and decided to try to get some information out of Hiratsuka Shizuka.

"What was that huge monster you mentioned before?"

"Simply put, they are composite life forms."

"A composite life form?" Chen Yi's eyes flickered, but he pretended to be nonchalant.

"That...you don't know?" Hiratsuka Shizuka glanced at him.

"..." Damn it, how am I supposed to reply to this?

"Have you heard of the San Francisco drainage system?"

"Uh... what's wrong?"

"That thing is a composite life form."

and many more.

What does "a complex life form" mean?

"I've never heard of that before? It doesn't seem impossible."

"Simply put, it's about what happened in San Francisco six months ago. It was rained heavily and then flooded. Experts thought it was a problem with the sewage pipes, and when they went down to investigate, they found a huge lump of meat."

"The cleaning staff at the time thought it was just ordinary 'parts' that had naturally formed as trash before they were completely cleaned up, but that was not actually the case."

"It ate the cleaning staff."

"Later, that lump of flesh roamed in San Francisco's sewer system, occasionally attacking the city's surface through the sewer openings, and it has not been eliminated to this day."

"That's it," Hiratsuka Shizuka concluded.

"...It sounds like an urban legend."

“I think so too, but nobody really thinks that there won’t be something like this hidden beneath the land they live on.”

Chen Yi fell silent.

Suddenly I feel like the world of anime isn't so wonderful after all. What's going on?

"...We've arrived." Hiratsuka Shizuka drove very fast, and after a few intersections, she arrived at her place.

It's also a studio apartment building, but it looks much more luxurious than where he lives, and even has its own underground garage.

"Let's go." Hiratsuka Shizuka parked the car and glanced at Chen Yi, who got out of the other car. "I'll take you up."

......

"The resident of 6F03?" Behind the heavy glass was the building's security guard, sitting alone without a hint of tension. "Why are there two people?" He flipped through the roster, then suddenly frowned.

“This is my student, he’s seeking refuge here.” Hiratsuka Shizuka handed over the pass, along with her own ID card.

"Hmm... the pass and ID card are fine, but what about the guy next to you?"

"Oh..." Chen Yi belatedly realized and slipped the residence card through the small window.

"Yes, this document is still valid... Wait a moment, I'll call the landline at 6F03."

Chen Yi noticed the security guard's finger pause on the phone keys for a moment, as if recalling a number. Then, he quickly pressed a string of numbers and picked up the receiver.

The phone rang for a long time, but no one answered.