Zongman: Collecting starts with Shiori

"beg..."

It was like a mouth stuck shut with glue finally made a sound.

"Please... Yoshina... my friend..."

Seeing that the card device mission finally started to move, Shiki Shoufeng also laughed.

"Okay! Let's look for it together!"

Chapter 81 Helping Yoshino

Although he had silently decided in his heart to help Yoshino find her beloved puppet, Shikimori Kaede's mind remained calm and clear, and was not completely overwhelmed by this sudden kindness.

He knew very well that the mission he was carrying out was equally important.

So, Shi Shoufeng didn't hesitate too much and sat down on the ground in the pouring rain. Anyway, the rain had already soaked his clothes, so it didn't matter at all.

"Before we begin our search, I hope you can patiently answer a few questions for me, Yoshino."

His voice was gentle but unquestionable.

"This way, we can find Yoshina more efficiently, okay?"

Shion nodded obediently, her deep blue eyes revealing trust and expectation.

Without saying a word, she just imitated Shi Shoufeng's actions and sat down gently on the wet ground.

However, she was so absorbed in her imitation that she overlooked a small, slightly embarrassing detail - the light dress she was wearing.

When she crossed her legs and sat down facing Shiki Morikaze, the hem of her skirt swaying in the wind inadvertently revealed her secret, revealing the delicate and cute colorful panties underneath, which formed a sharp contrast with her shy expression.

This scene fell squarely into Shi Shoufeng's sight.

"cough……"

Shikimori Feng subconsciously cleared his throat and rubbed the tip of his nose lightly with his fingers, trying to hide the sudden embarrassment.

He didn't mention this little episode directly. Who knows if Yoshino would go berserk out of shame and anger?

So he chose a more direct way, shifting his gaze away from that embarrassing focus and refocusing on Yoshino's pure and flawless face.

"Shiono, first of all, tell me, when did you disappear? Was it yesterday?"

The moment Shino heard the question, her childish face froze instantly. Her eyes flashed with seriousness and thought, and her long eyelashes trembled slightly, like the wings of a butterfly dancing in the woods.

After a long moment, she seemed to be pulled out of a deep inner state, and answered timidly in a voice as thin as a mosquito, with a barely perceptible tremor.

“Yes…yes…”

These few words seemed to have drained away all her courage.

Then, she subconsciously clutched the cloak decorated with soft rabbit ears on her shoulders with both hands, as if the rabbit ears could give her a little comfort, or as if she wanted to use them to cover up the fear and uneasiness in her eyes.

The fabric of the cloak wrinkled slightly between her fingers, and the rabbit ears swayed gently with her movements, looking both innocent and helpless.

She slowly lowered her head, and her fine hair fell down, covering half of her face, leaving only a slight shadow, making it impossible to see her expression at the moment.

The voice became even lower, and each word seemed to be squeezed out from between the teeth, intermittent and full of struggle.

"Attacked by those...horrible people...By the time I found them...they were already...gone..."

As she spoke, one could still seem to sense the panic and despair remaining in her heart.

"That's it."

There was a barely perceptible calmness in Shikimori Kaede's tone, as if he was cheering himself up and comforting the girl beside him.

He looked around, and wherever he looked, he saw the devastating scene after the disaster - the collapsed buildings were like the wreckage of a fallen giant, with bricks and stones scattered on the ground, and the cracked roads were like scars on the earth, silently telling of the turmoil and sorrow not long ago.

Finding a missing doll in such an environment is undoubtedly a daunting task.

"Do you have any recollection of when you disappeared?"

"..."

Shion was silent and just shook her head in frustration, helplessness written all over her young face.

Her eyes were wandering, as if searching for something in her memories, but in the end she only caught a blank.

Indeed, if she could remember the exact moment when she lost Yoshina, perhaps she wouldn't have to stand here stupidly.

"It's okay. I will accompany you to find Yoshina. After all, it is very important to you, isn't it?"

After hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed across Shion's eyes, followed by incredible gratitude.

She blinked her eyes, which were as clear as lake water, and looked at Shi Shoufeng steadily, as if to confirm the truth of this promise.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment, and it was not until a long time later that she nodded vigorously. The trust and dependence on him were expressed without words.

"Thank you..."

Shion's voice is as thin as a mosquito's, but it is full of sincere emotions.

"You're welcome."

Shikimori Kaede responded with an extremely gentle smile.

"Let's get started. If we can't find it, I'll help you in other ways. Don't worry, we'll definitely find it!"

Yoshino nodded again, and this time, there was more strength in her movements, as if she was also infected by Shikimori's optimistic mood.

But as I searched side by side with Yoshino in the drizzle, time passed quietly, and in the blink of an eye, more than two hours had passed.

At this time, the rain in the sky was still lingering, and the sun had long been hidden behind the thick clouds, making this afternoon, which should have been bright and warm, become dim and cold.

Time has quietly slipped to noon, but with the endless rain and continuous labor intertwined, the surrounding atmosphere seems incompatible with the passage of time, appearing particularly solemn and long.

Although it was only two disappearing scenes, for Shikimori Feng, this period of time was like a long test.

The rain mercilessly wet his clothes, and the cold air penetrated through the thin fabric and penetrated into his skin bit by bit, making him shiver uncontrollably.

In addition, in order to find the elusive hand puppet, he had to bend down and lower his head for a long time, and move forward with difficulty in the mud and wetness. The double consumption of physical strength and will made him feel unprecedentedly tired.

His body heat seemed to be taken away bit by bit by the incessant rain, leaving behind unspeakable coldness and fatigue.

"Yoshino, have you made any new discoveries?"

Shiki Shoufeng finally couldn't help it and used all his strength to barely straighten his back which was sore from being bent for so long.

For him, this action was like struggling to surface in the deep sea, eagerly seeking a breath of air that would allow him to catch his breath.

There was a subtle tremor in his voice, which was both physical fatigue and a faint anticipation for the result.

"No...no..."

Shion's voice was as soft as a mosquito's, but it was clearly audible in the quiet rain.

There was a hint of uneasiness and apology in her deep blue eyes, and her petite body seemed even more fragile in the wind and rain.

Perhaps it was the time she spent with Shi Shoufeng that made her feel Shi Shoufeng's kindness. The instinctive fear and wariness of strangers when she first met him was gradually being replaced by a warm trust.

Although she was still shy, she was able to muster up the courage and responded to Shiki Shoufeng's question with a slightly trembling voice.

Chapter 82 Bringing Yoshino Home

"Grrrrrrrrrr."

When Yoshino approached Shikimorikaze and was about to say something, a voice that made her feel very embarrassed was heard.

"Well..."

Shiono's shoulders trembled slightly, no longer because of the fear of facing the unknown, but because of the shyness that is unique to young girls.

Her hands unconsciously clenched the corners of her clothes, as if this could tightly wrap up the embarrassment and prevent it from leaking out at all.

"hungry?"

She hurriedly shook her head left and right, her eyes flickering, as if she wanted to deny this obvious fact with her actions, but she could not hide her embarrassment.

However, fate did not seem to let her go.

Just when she was trying hard to change the subject, her stomach protested even louder once again. The sound was so clear that it made the air around them seem to freeze a little.

"..."

Faced with this irrefutable "evidence", Shion gave up resisting, and her petite body drooped slightly, as if even the strength to stand had been taken away by the shame.

She slowly squatted down, and with her slender fingers she fumbled to pull up the hood of her cloak, completely hiding her blushing face under the deep brim.

Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, as if telling of Yoshino's inner entanglement and helplessness.

Just like that, Shion curled up into a ball like a frightened little animal, and with her last bit of stubbornness, she rejected the gazes of the outside world, especially the eyes of Shikimori Kaede that seemed to be able to see through everything.

"That's great. I've actually been hungry for a long time, but I didn't dare to say it because I saw Yoshino trying so hard."

Shikimori Kaede said as she looked at the extremely shy Yoshino with a smile.

He did not expose Yoshino's panic, but instead blamed himself for everything.

"I...I'm not hungry..."

Yoshino made one last effort as if she had not given up struggling.

“Gurgle…”

"......"

"......"

The two looked at each other hesitantly, and finally Shiki Shoufeng looked away awkwardly.

"But I'm hungry. If I'm hungry, I won't have the energy to find Yoshina. I suggest that we fill our stomachs first, how about that?"

Shion gave up and nodded in compromise.

"Well...that's really great."

But Shi Shoufeng just looked at his wet self.

"Well, if you don't mind, I'll go home, change clothes and cook for you, right?"

Shion tilted her head but didn't refuse. She was just a little curious.

Afterwards, Shikimori Kaede took Yoshino home with a guilty feeling as if she were kidnapping.

Since Shiori found out about Kotori's situation, they always appear as a pair on the command ship, so naturally, they are not seen in the room.

It's just that because Yoshino's appearance this time did not cause any space shock at all, and Shikimori Kaede had no intention of telling anyone, it's likely that the two of them wouldn't know.

"Click."

After Shikimori Kaede opened the entrance door, he brought Yoshino in.

"You sit in the living room for a while. I'll change my clothes and come down to cook for you, okay?"

Shikimori Kaede pointed in the direction of the living room, and then left after seeing Yoshino nod.

Yoshino is wearing a spiritual outfit that makes her immune to everything, but Shikimori Kaede can't do that.

He quickly returned to his room, changed into dry clothes, and went to the living room, fearing that something might happen to Yoshino.

But the moment he stepped into the living room, the scene before him warmed his heart.

Shion sat obediently on the sofa, her hands folded lightly on her knees, her green eyes looking around curiously at this completely unfamiliar space to her.

The light that was turned on because it was dark sprinkled on her soft blue hair, giving her a faint golden glow and making her look even more gentle and charming.

In the soft light of the room, her spiritual attire seemed to be infused with some unspeakable mysterious power, emitting a faint glow, forming a strange yet harmonious contrast with the daily scenery around her.

Shikimori Kaede coughed lightly, breaking the silence. Yoshino looked back in shock, but when she saw it was Shikimori Kaede, she relaxed again.

Shikimori Feng scratched his head embarrassedly and smiled.

"Sorry, did I scare you?"

Yoshino shook her head.

"Then I'll go cook first, I'm really hungry..."

Having said that, he turned and walked into the kitchen and started to get busy.

The kitchen was soon filled with the sound of cutting vegetables, the crackling of oil, and the occasional burst of aroma. These sounds and smells intertwined together and even aroused Yoshino's curiosity.

Shion quietly got up and approached the kitchen door cautiously, secretly observing Shikimori Kaede's busy figure through the crack of the door. Shion couldn't help but feel an inexplicable feeling in her heart. She had never thought that she would look at someone else's figure like this, even though she was always hiding...