Love is not as fun as World of Warcraft

"When the subsequent miners tried to enter and dig out their companions' bodies, they all fell into a coma due to some special influence. It was only thanks to the talents of the Magical Girls' Society that they were rescued."

"But when they woke up, they had lost all memory of entering that place, and their bodies had become extremely weak, as if something had drained their energy."

"Even the members of the Magical Girls' Society who have entered the mines say that the tunnels seem to be blocked by some invisible force. Just being in the mines makes them physically uncomfortable, and even their guardian spirits are reminding them to leave."

Ichinose Shizuka told everything she could find out about the gold mine, including the stuff about the Magical Girls Club, even the stuff she had just asked Kitami Natsuka.

"Even those magicians can't detect it? Is the difference between evil spirits and monsters really that big?"

Shirasaka scratched his head. Listening to Ichinose's description, it seemed that what happened in the mine was indeed somewhat similar to what happened with evil spirits, and it also fits the plot of those supernatural ghost movies. The only difference was that even a magical girl like Kitami Natsuka couldn't observe the other party.

Are these evil spirits really that noble? But if that were the case, then they wouldn't have any reason to attack humans who couldn't observe them, right?

With puzzled looks, Shirasaka and Ichinose Shizuka looked at each other, hoping that this knowledgeable girl could give them a satisfactory answer.

"That's true. If you say that youkai are monsters formed by the evil in the world converging and attaching themselves to a certain object or even concept, then evil spirits may simply be a combination of human malice and resentment. That's why they seem to only target humans."

Ichinose Shizuka expressed her own inference. Although monsters and evil spirits seem to be some monsters that cannot be explained, there are still great differences between them. There are very few records about the latter even in ancient texts.

Even the ancient Onmyoji and Anti-Demon Ninja only mentioned some related things in some fragments, without a detailed description.

And to be honest, the latter's influence and destructive power are far inferior to those of monsters.

Just like the current gold mine, after all, apart from the initial landslide, it did not cause any particularly serious casualties, so there is not much information focusing on these things.

But since Shirasaka was interested, she would definitely help him look it up, after all, they were companions.

"There have been exceptions before. It is said that when the power of the Joan reaches a certain level, even the evil spirits within it will reveal their true form. However, they will also become monsters that are more difficult to deal with than simple monsters."

Ichinose Shizuka carefully told Shirasaka about the evil spirits, but when she mentioned the monsters, her tone became noticeably heavier.

"That might mean that even if you don't have the ability to see ghosts, you might still be able to see evil spirits directly in the darkness?"

Shirasaka pinched his chin and after getting a key piece of information from what Shizuka Ichinose said, he confirmed it with her.

"Yes, but it's not accurate. After all, few people have tried this."

Ichinose Shizuka nodded. There were not many records about evil spirits. She knew this because she inferred some events she occasionally came across in those ancient books.

But this is enough for Shirasaka. After all, it is one more method. As for how to put it into practice, that is his own problem.

Lead the evil spirits to the darkness? It sounds easy, but it seems that it is not an easy thing to do in reality.

Shirasaka thought about it and it seemed that the only area nearby that could be called a powerful dark area was the outer area of the courtyard he had just visited. With this thought, the priority of building a house there increased a lot.

Being able to help me detect invisible units like evil spirits is great in every sense!

"I understand. Let's go over and take a look tomorrow. As for whether it's an evil spirit or not, I'll have a way to verify it."

After agreeing on a time with Ichinose Shizuka, Shirasaka had already figured out how to determine whether the place was really haunted.

It would definitely not work to use the usual secret reconnaissance method, but he had a friend who could see.

Bring Nanase Mio over when the time comes. That won't solve all the problems. We can tell whether it's an evil spirit or not by letting her take a look.

If it is confirmed to be the case, then it means that a new amount of experience has been recorded. If not, then he can more conveniently check whether his gathering skills can work normally.

All in all, this is a deal that will definitely not lose money for Shirasaka, and he certainly won't miss such a good opportunity.

As for Nanashiki Mio, as the saying goes, it takes a thousand days to train an army and only a moment to deploy it. Shirasaka doesn't think that the little glutinous rice dumpling will reject her because of such a thing.

Chapter 99: No comparison, no harm

By the time Shirasaka said goodbye to Ichinose Shizuka and returned to his apartment, it was already a starry night.

Carrying two meals that he had packed from a roadside restaurant, Shirasaka didn't even go back home. Instead, he turned around and knocked on the door of Asano Chiya's house upstairs.

What surprised Shirasaka was that Asano Chiye, who usually took a long time to open the door, opened the door at a speed beyond his imagination today, and then pounced on the food in his hand like a tiger coming down the mountain.

Well, it was indeed something this pig could do. Shirasaka breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that she was still the same as before.

He thought that the pig had changed its nature, but it turned out that it just became active because of the attraction of food. The pig was still a pig and was not possessed by any strange creature.

"I'm telling you, if I don't bring anything back, you won't have dinner, right? It's fine if you're alone, but what about the little Qi Se who's being fostered with you?"

Looking at Chiya Asano who couldn't wait to open the takeaway bag at the entrance, Shirasaka covered his face and complained. When he came back, he was thinking about whether he should bring some food for them. As he guessed, this guy really hadn't eaten yet.

"I, I'm fine. Sister Asano still has some leftover instant noodles at home, and she also taught me how to use the hot water in the kitchen."

It was not until this time that Nanashiki Mio came out of Asano Chiya's room and answered Shirasaka weakly, but her attention was obviously attracted by the fragrance emanating from the takeaway bag in Asano Chiya's hand, and she swallowed a little.

Having said that, in fact, from morning till now, Nanashiki Mio has only eaten a pack of instant noodles. The main reason is that if Asano Chiya, as her master, has not eaten, how can she have the nerve to eat alone?

It just so happened that this guy slept the whole time during the day. Even now, if Shirasaka hadn't knocked on the door, Asano Chiye would have shown no sign of waking up.

"You're not her, how can you be satisfied with just instant noodles?"

Shirasaka sighed, called Nanashiki Mio over, and rolled his eyes at Asano Chiya who was already eating beside him.

She just ate instant noodles as a snack. Although it had no nutritional value, if she could make four or five packets in one meal, which could even be put into a basin, there was no way she would be malnourished.

It can even be said that the way Asano Chiya eats, eating and sleeping and then sleeping and eating, has not made her into a heavy tank. This fact itself is strange enough.

This can only be attributed to her extraordinary talent. Shirasaka can't expect Nanashiki Mio to learn from her.

"I'll give you food money from now on. If this guy isn't awake during the day, you can just order takeout or buy something to eat at a nearby convenience store."

Rubbing his eyebrows, Shirasaka had forgotten to pay Nanashiki Mio for food. This girl wouldn't ask him for money on her own initiative, and Asano Chiya wasn't the type to take the initiative to feed her. He was actually kind enough to feed her instant noodles.

"Is this really okay? But I've already received too much help from you, Shirasaka-kun."

Nanashiki Mio, who was nibbling at the lunch box that Shirasaka had brought back, raised her head and looked at the boy with eyes full of embarrassment and guilt.

After all, ever since she met Shirasaka, she has been enjoying the kindness that Shirasaka has shown her, and even if she wanted to repay him, she didn't know what to do.

Even though Shirasaka had said that as long as she stayed by his side and lured the evil spirits away for him, wasn't this also another way of helping herself?

It was because of his existence that she no longer had to worry about being haunted by evil spirits. It was also because of Shirasaka's arrival that she was able to enjoy things like she is now, things she had never dared to imagine in her dreams before.

"It's okay. I'll be able to use you tomorrow. You don't have to feel too bad about it. If you really feel too strongly about it, just look at the person next to you."

Shirasaka patted Nanashiki Mio's somewhat thin shoulders, and then pointed to a pig next to her who raised its head from the food bowl in confusion because it was called. Many times, it is because there is no comparison that one can feel the change in mentality. Compared with Asano Chiya next to her, isn't she much more useful?

Looking at the way this thing eats with a clear conscience, those who don’t know would think that this is the pig he raised himself, the kind that he will find an opportunity to slaughter and eat when it is fattened up during the New Year.

"No way, do you know how many people want to feed a beautiful girl but never get the chance? Being able to come into such close contact with a beautiful girl is something many people would love to have. I'm just eating two bowls of rice from you, you're so lucky, okay?"

After carefully rolling the rice grains at the corners of his mouth into his mouth, Asano Chiya swallowed the last grain of curry rice in his mouth, and then he patted his chest and answered Shirasaka heartlessly, without any sense of guilt that one should have for eating for free.

Nanashiki Mio looked at Chiya Asano who said this, and suddenly felt that her heart was indeed relieved a lot.

Isn't there someone who is even more useless than me? Thinking about it this way, it's not like I can't help Shirasaka at all. He will need me tomorrow!

"Is there anything I need to prepare? Did Shirasaka-kun encounter something related to an evil spirit?"

Subconsciously ignoring Chiya Asano who was eating her second bowl of rice, Nanashiki Mio put down her chopsticks and asked Shirasaka in a low voice with some doubt.

Since it was Shirasaka who took the initiative to ask for her help, Nanashiki Mio knew without hesitation that he must have had some problems with the evil spirits, which was why he said that. This was her greatest value to him.

She did not feel like she was being treated as an object just because Shirasaka needed to use her abilities. On the contrary, for Nanashiki Mio, nothing made her happier than being able to prove her own value.

As long as I can still be of use to Shirasaka, I don't have to worry about being abandoned by him, and I can continue to live the dream life of an ordinary girl like I do now.

"Well, I might be going to a haunted place, so I need your help to confirm if there really is an evil spirit haunting it. If there really is such a thing, I might need you to point out its location for me."

Shirasaka nodded, without any intention of being polite, and replied to Nanashiki Mio in the same low voice. If she wanted to refuse, Shirasaka had no way to force her. After all, she was just an ordinary little girl, and it was normal for her to be afraid.

"Okay, I'll be ready."

Without any hesitation, Nanashiki Mio nodded her little head like pounding garlic. Shirasaka even saw some eagerness on her little face. If someone didn't know, they would definitely think that she could level up by killing monsters just like him.

However, Shirasaka was still very satisfied that Nanashiki Mio agreed to this. This way, he didn't have to do any psychological work on her. As long as she was not afraid, he would definitely be able to protect her.

"Are you two hiding something from me?"

The little movements of Shirasaka and Nanashiki Mio did not escape the eyes of Asano Chiya who was eating nearby. Although she was eating the whole time, she did not completely ignore what was happening around her. The key point was that the two of them were whispering in her ears, which made it obvious that there was something they did not want her to hear, which made her feel even more dissatisfied.

Are they going to secretly go out to eat with each other without me?

"No, it has nothing to do with eating. Go eat your food."

Shirasaka just glanced at her and guessed the hidden meaning of her words from the expression on her little face. After covering his face and sighing, he directly told her what he cared about most.

"That's fine, just keep chatting and ignore me."

Hearing that it had nothing to do with eating, the girl who had just been full of indignation and felt isolated suddenly calmed down. She took out the takeaway box that Shirasaka brought back as if nothing had happened, and then turned around to look at the boy who was completely speechless.

"Remember to bring an extra portion next time. I was only half full."

With a solemn expression as if she was saying something very important, Asano Chiya's face became serious. If you only look at her like this, it is hard to imagine her true nature, which is so pitiful that people can't find words to describe it.

"Just eat. Who can eat more than you? You don't have to do anything else. You can at least clean up the room. Don't make another mountain of garbage."

Shirasaka, who was no longer surprised by this, sighed, and then as if he had thought of something, he glanced at Nanashiki Mio who had also finished eating, and walked to the balcony of Asano Chiya's house.

Fortunately, Nanashiki Mio was obviously talented in observing people's expressions. She easily understood Shirasaka's eyes and quickly followed Shirasaka to the balcony. She looked at the boy who suddenly called her out with some doubts.

"Shirasaka-kun, is there anything else?"

Tilting her head, Nanashiki Mio asked Shirasaka curiously.

"How should I put it? I just have a feeling that our relationship could be more advanced. In other words, a relationship where we can share some things. To be more precise, would you be willing to be my companion?"

After organizing his words for a long time, Shirasaka finally chose to test his idea. Alliances in World of Warcraft are usually set up when entering the game, so there is no such thing as adding them in the middle.

But in order to give himself the possibility of finding a way to catch the girl's sight in the future, Shirasaka decided to give it a try first.

Anyway, there is no loss for him, right?

Chapter 100: A lifetime or something, isn’t that too heavy?

"Eh? Companion? Me?"

Nanashiki Mio covered her little mouth, obviously not knowing that Shirasaka called her out so formally for this kind of thing.

She had even wondered if Shirasaka was finally going to make some request to her that Asano Chiya couldn't know about, but in the end, she actually wanted to be her companion?

She lowered her head silently, as if she was thinking about something very important, and Nanami Mio fell into silence.

After a long while, she raised her head while biting her teeth lightly, looked directly into Shirasaka's eyes with her eyes full of determination, and gave her answer.

"Can I refuse?"

"what?"

Shirasaka couldn't have imagined that she would give this answer. Although she was prepared that forming an alliance was not an easy thing, Shirasaka simply thought that the mechanism might not allow it. But now it seems that Nanashiki Mio herself was to blame for not agreeing?

But no matter how Shirasaka thought about it, she couldn't figure out why Nanashiki Mio would want to reject her. Could it be that she still wanted to go back to the miserable life she had before, or that she still couldn't let go of the past and ultimately wanted to pursue death?

Apart from this, Shirasaka really couldn't figure out what other reasons she could have. It couldn't be that she wasn't used to it because he was too nice to her, right?

"I, I'm not saying I don't want to be your partner, Shirasaka-kun. It's just that I feel I'm not qualified."

Nanashiki Mio became less and less confident the more she spoke, and she curled up her body. Her back, which was already bent due to lack of confidence, was now almost bent like a shrimp. Shirasaka had no doubt that if she continued to go down, she would definitely find a corner and curl up into a ball.

But Shirasaka was even more puzzled by her mention of not being qualified. What qualifications were needed to become companions or form allies?

Well, it seems that there is such a saying. If they are not equal, then they may not be companions, but subordinates or slaves.

Shirasaka pinched his chin, but his eyes still looked at the girl in front of him with confusion.

"So, I hope you can use me as... a tool, Shirasaka-kun. That way, as long as I'm still useful to you, I can stay by your side forever, right? If we become companions, sooner or later, there will be a day when we part ways. I don't want to be separated from you, that's it!"

At the end of her speech, Nanashiki Mio seemed to have used up all her strength. She held Shirasaka's arm and poured out all her thoughts to the young man in front of her.

She had seen too many things like separation from companions. Even when she was very young, she had a brief moment of having these things, but under the baptism of time and reality, they eventually turned into illusory bubbles in her painful memories.

Compared to the feelings between companions, Nanashi Mio believes more in the interests between people. Having known the cruelty of reality since childhood, she knows that the most fundamental reason why something will not be abandoned is when it still has value.

Everything she has now was given by Shirasaka, and she has no intention of giving it up. Therefore, in order to keep everything going, she would rather give up her dignity, which has no meaning to her, in exchange for a chance to maintain everything.

"No, a lifetime or something like that, isn't that a bit too heavy?"

Shirasaka pursed her lips. Nanashiki Mio's words were already beyond the level of a heavy girl. Even if a few words were changed, it could be said to be a yandere.

He knew that this girl might have grown up a little crooked because of her past experiences, but he really didn't expect that her values and cognition had been distorted to this extent.

All I can say is that it was because of her cowardly character that she couldn't express these emotions before, but now that she has been given such an opportunity, Shirasaka realized how serious the psychological problems of this girl who was picked up for free are.

As expected of a guy who could think of taking revenge on himself by hanging himself in front of his own family, this is really shocking.

For a moment, Shirasaka didn't know how to comment on Nanashiki Mio's words. He could only scratch his face and fell silent.

He had originally just wanted to form an alliance with her to gain some attention, so why was she suddenly asking him to form a lifelong band? Although she was a beautiful girl and the conditions she proposed seemed completely beneficial to him, Shirasaka still felt that it was a bit strange to agree to them.