This is not the date I wanted.

(Author: These three guys are obviously the mothers of the three-clothing group in Shidao's class =.=)

"I see. I felt that this matter was suspicious. Is there really someone behind this?"

"It's really inhumane to use other people's lives to make money."

"It's really unbearable!"

"Well, well - calm down, the three of you. This is just a rumor. There is no basis for it."

Noticing that classmates in the class began to discuss this topic, Longxiong's head was covered with cold sweat. He suddenly thought of a clever idea and locked his eyes on Zhenshi.

"Shinshi~"

"What, what's wrong?"

Shinji had a bad feeling.

"I heard that you went on a date with a very beautiful silver-haired beauty last Sunday, right?"

"Pfft..." Shinshi couldn't help but spit out the words, staring at Long Xiong in surprise, "Who told you that?"

"Haruko, she sent me a message last night saying that you two are already together. Congratulations~"

The corners of Long Xiong's mouth slightly raised.

"Throat, what? Takamiya-san has a girlfriend, and she's a foreign beauty?"

"What does the other person look like? What's his personality like? How far have you come?"

"It's really unbearable!"

The trio, who were indignant and fighting for the darkness of society just a second ago, instantly put the matter behind them and questioned Zhenshi with a gossipy look on their faces.

Zhenshi then realized that Longxiong was planning to use his gossip to cover up the previous topic.

"Long, Long Xiong, you bastard—"

"By the way, this is the photo of Shinji's girlfriend that Haruko sent me~"

In an instant, the class went into an uproar.

"Ahh, damn it! Where did this fairy come from!?"

"Takamiya you bastard! Didn't we agree to stay single together until we turn thirty and become wizards and travel to another world?"

"Burn! It's definitely going to burn!"

"Stand still! Take off your pants!"

"Wait! You—"

Just as Longxiong expected, Shinshi was bombarded by his classmates until the class meeting began.

——————————————I am the dividing line after school————————————

"Damn it... That guy Longxiong, when he and Haruko start dating, I will make sure the whole world knows about it."

After finally making it to the end of school, on the way home, Shinshi gritted his teeth and swore in his heart.

However, although he was dissatisfied with his friend for directing the fire on himself, he still secretly kept Long Xiong's words in mind.

(DEM? It seems to be a company in London. Mio also mentioned it. The few people I met before all spoke English.)

"On the surface, it is a conscientious company that saves people from danger, but in reality, it is the final boss who brings darkness to the world and only satisfies his own selfish desires... huh... haha..."

Shinji couldn't help but let out a wry smile. This incident sounded like something that would only appear in a novel.

However, Shinshi could not just laugh it off as a rumor because he actually found Mio in the hell that was supposed to be deserted.

Because he was so focused on thinking that he forgot to look at the road, Shinshi accidentally bumped into someone and stopped.

"Ah, sorry..."

Shinji's expression suddenly froze.

In front of me was a 2-meter-tall bald man wearing black and sunglasses. He looked like a character from a gunfight action movie, totally out of place with the atmosphere of the town.

If Zhenshi hadn't been so distracted by his thoughts and not looking at the road, he would have definitely taken a detour.

"Excuse me...Have you seen the girl in the photo?"

Speaking in awkward Japanese, the man in black handed a photo to Shinshi.

"—?!"

Shinji's heart suddenly jumped. The reason was simple, the naked, silver-haired girl in the photo was none other than Mio.

"...I've never seen her before. What is this? Is she the actress from that movie?"

Trying not to show his hesitation, Shinshi shook his head in denial.

"Really... then... forget it."

The man in black didn't suspect anything, but just sighed a little disappointedly and turned around to continue asking other people.

(Someone is looking for Mio... Could it be... DEM?)

--Drum-boom! --Drum-boom!

The sound of a heartbeat like thunder echoed in his ears, and Zhenshi was sweating all over as if he had been on a roller coaster.

Gradually, a sense of foreboding came over him. Fear and impatience were like anesthetics injected into his brain, making his hands and feet feel cold.

(…Mio.)

With an anxious mood, Shinshi walked towards home.

24 The Past of Shinji and Mio (Part )

==============================

"——Mio! Mana!"

Pushing open the door, Zhenshi shouted anxiously.

"Welcome back, really."

"What's wrong, Brother?"

Hearing Zhenshi's voice, two people came out of the living room and looked at him with some confusion.

Seeing that the two were fine, Zhenshi breathed a sigh of relief, but soon he tensed his expression again and spoke seriously.

"Get ready to escape, take the necessary things and leave this city immediately!"

"Eh?"

Seeing the Shinshi who started to act without explanation, Shin was surprised.

"Eh? What do you mean? Skipping school? Has Brother entered his rebellious phase? Has he been bewitched by some weird pyramid scheme? Then I have no choice but to use violence to awaken Brother's conscience—"

"I'm totally awake now."

Seeing that Mana was a little confused about the situation, Shinshi explained in a deep voice.

"When I came back just now, I saw a few strange foreigners asking around for news about Mio."

"Brother, you mean..."

"Remember what Mio said? The first humans I saw were foreigners speaking English. I'm afraid it has something to do with them."

After hearing what Shinji said, Shin's brows furrowed and he asked uncertainly.

"…Onii-sama, are you sure? It's not just your wishful thinking, is it?"

"If it's really my delusion, then I'm really happy." With a helpless smile, Shinshi said, "But in fact, we - no, everyone's lives have been out of touch for a long time, right? It's just that everyone is unwilling to accept reality and chooses to turn their eyes away and escape."

It was really ironic. He had fantasized and expected some unexpected change to break this monotonous life many times, but when it actually happened, he hoped very much that it was just his wishful thinking.

"...I understand. Although it's nonsense, I will try to believe in you, my brother."

"Thank you, Mana."

Shinji said gratefully.

"So, what are you going to do next, Brother?"

"Anyway, I want to leave this city as soon as possible and go to my parents' place to hide out. Mio has been living here for more than a month. There should be a lot of people in the city who remember her. It's only a matter of time before they find her here."

"I'm sorry...Shin...Shin...I dragged you into this because of me."

Listening to what the two said, Mio bit her lip and lowered her head in self-blame.

"That's not the case. Mio did nothing wrong."

After noticing Mio's pale face, Shinshi immediately realized that his anxious attitude also caused Mio to feel uneasy, so he hurriedly hugged her in his arms and comforted her softly.

"real……"

"It's okay. You just want to live like an ordinary girl, right? Isn't this natural? There's no need for you to blame yourself."

"but……"

After hesitating for a moment, Mio looked at Mana.

"Well, my brother and I agree, so you don't have to blame yourself." Mana shrugged and said firmly, "After all, we are already a family. Abandoning your family is against the samurai's creed and the rules of the Takamiya family!"

"Does our family still have such a rule?"

Shinji couldn't help but complain.

“It didn’t exist before, but it exists now!”

"I'm making it up now!"

"hehe--"

Seeing the interaction between the Takamiya siblings, Mio couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"That's right. I really like to see Mio smile." With a chuckle, Shinshi kissed Mio's forehead and said firmly, "Believe in your lover and sister-in-law. We will definitely be able to overcome the difficulties safely and continue to live happily."

"……Um."

Hearing Shinji's answer, Mio nodded with a reassuring smile.

……

(But, having said that, how can we do it?)

Looking at the men in black wandering on the street, Zhenshi couldn't help feeling distressed.

Shinji and Mana have already left home with the minimum necessities. In order to avoid being recognized, Mio put on a knitted hat and sunglasses, disguising herself as a Harajuku-style beauty, which is completely different from the impression she usually gives.

It is said that this is what Mio learned when she asked Mana's friend for dressing tips before the date, as an alternative plan for date dressing. To be honest, if conditions permit, Mana would really like to go out on a date with Mio with this style.

"No, Onii-sama. The road here is also guarded."

After the investigation, Mana came over to the two and shook her head.

"Yeah……"

Shinshi gritted his teeth secretly. The other party's reaction was faster than Shinshi expected. It seemed that they had confirmed that Mio was in the city. On every road out of the city, some foreign soldiers in military uniforms could be seen guarding the road.

"Brother, how are the trains and the airport?"

"No. There are people guarding that place too."

Shinji also shook his head. He had just contacted Ryuo and Haruko. According to them, the station he usually took had foreigners in black guarding the station today. The reason seemed to be to investigate wanted criminals. Sunglasses and other accessories had to be taken off. Only after confirming the appearance could they pass. In this case, it was impossible for Mio to pass the checkpoints with this outfit.

"Ah, what those people did was really extreme."

Mana couldn't help but complain. Mio thought for a moment and proposed.

"I read in a book... This city is surrounded by mountains. If you want to leave, you only have three options: road, subway line, or plane. If none of these three options work... The only option left is to cross the forest."

"Forest?"

Shinji couldn't help but hesitate about Mio's suggestion. It's not like he hadn't thought about it before. But he and Mana lacked experience in acting in the forest, and the signal in the forest was very poor. If they got lost by accident, they might get killed.

However, judging from the current situation, this is the only option.

"I understand. Let's do it. Mana, Mio, come with me..."

After saying that, Shinshi led the two of them and walked towards the target while avoiding the patrolling men in black.

Zhenshi's goal is nothing else but the school he attends.