You say this is a love game?

"Fully charged."

He stretched himself, feeling that after this afternoon, he was finally alive again.

This kind of person is really a human being.

He had been dying in the cracks, and every feeling of death was real and unmistakable, like the time he was set on fire, he rolled on the ground in pain.

"If you get used to death, you will become a psychopath sooner or later." He muttered.

Rather than fishing relentlessly, he still prefers to pick up his fishing rod on a leisurely afternoon and go fishing with his silly friends.

Okay, now that I have expressed my thoughts, I feel like a living human being again. I will go home and continue playing my game.

Before the refresh at 12 o'clock tonight, use up all the unused exploration times from last night!

Mizutani Makoto was walking back and was about to reach an intersection when he suddenly felt something in his pocket tremble slightly and a warm feeling came from it.

He raised his eyebrows slightly and took out a Buddhist rosary the size of a glass marble from his pocket.

【Ksitigarbha's Buddha Head Bead】

what's going on?

The Buddha Head Bead is a drop from Ksitigarbha, and the drop rate is extremely low. Mizutani Makoto has been hunting Ksitigarbha for four days in a row, and the only drop he got was a pair of [Ksitigarbha's rag shoes], which increase movement speed. However, he disliked the appearance of the thing and Ksitigarbha's feet, so he didn't dare to wear them.

Compared with those tattered cloth shoes with athlete's foot, Buddha head beads are much more powerful. Not only do they have the effect of warding off evil spirits, but they also have a magical effect, which is to allow people to gain "clairvoyance".

The prerequisite is that the user has "spiritual power".

Mizutani Makoto clenched the Buddha head beads, and a wisp of black mist floated in his sight.

The Buddha head bead's evil-warding effect was quite interesting, and its manifestation was much more useful than an amulet. For example, if his Buddha head bead vibrated now, it meant there must be some evil spirit nearby...

Suddenly, a bright red color appeared in the field of vision.

Mizutani Makoto stood still.

This is a street, and there is an intersection ahead. People are coming and going in an endless stream.

Not far ahead, among the crowd waiting for the green light, there was a little girl in red clothes. Wisps of black mist were emanating from her body, like a burning red candle.

She held a strawberry daifuku tightly in her hands, with her head lowered, not knowing what she was thinking.

Do Zashiki-warashi also have to obey traffic rules?

Mizutani Makoto put the Buddha head bead back into his pocket.

I thought it was just a roadside monster, and I had to enter a real battle scene. It turned out to be an old acquaintance.

She is well-behaved and cute, and looks like a first or second grade elementary school student. She is not even a loli, but a pure young girl.

Faced with such a young girl, the choice of the gentleman Mizutani Makoto is -

"Following."

Looking at the taskbar, Mizutani Makoto showed a determined look.

It was like he saw a tough matchup in ranked and was about to pull out his signature Draven.

The vehicles stopped, the green light appeared on the zebra crossing, and the bustling crowds of people were like a slowly advancing black ant colony.

Countless faces are buried in it, as if there is no specific person here, but a collection of concepts, reduced to tiny gears that no one cares about in the operation of the behemoth Night Light City.

Makoto Mizutani lowered his head, put his hands in his pockets, and like an unrelated passerby, he followed Zashiki-warashi from a distance and walked away with her.

Tax thieves,

I probably don't understand what he's following.

Chapter 024 Zashiki-warashi who lost his name

Although Makoto Mizutani has always been upright, it must be said that he has shown ample talent for following.

Silent and inconspicuous.

He always keeps a distance from Zashiki-warashi, and has sharp senses, so he quickly avoids them whenever he is about to be noticed.

Following like this all the way.

The red-clothed Zashiki-warashi has no fixed whereabouts and even looks like she is "wandering".

——Wandering without a destination.

From the intersection to the commercial district, from the commercial district to the hospital, he wandered around the hospital for a long time, then lowered his head and went somewhere else in frustration.

The only thing that remained unchanged was the strawberry daifuku she was holding tightly in her hand, not knowing who she was giving it to.

As the sky darkens, the clouds are coated with a layer of light gold, and the flowing tracks draw long and thin lines on the blue canvas.

The street lights lit up one by one, and the neon signs flashed a psychedelic light, falling right on her.

She stopped in front of a closed Japanese confectionery shop, and in the reflection of the window was a little girl in a red school uniform.

There was a pachinko parlor not far away, and Makoto Mizutani stood there watching from afar. Behind him was the roar of small steel balls being ejected, and the psychedelic light and shadow were no less than that of neon signs. Shrouded in this light, Makoto Mizutani felt his mood becoming impatient.

Damn legal gambling.

Noisy.

Mizutani Makoto was thinking about the progress of this mission.

Due to the requirements of the mission, Mizutani Makoto specifically went to learn about the origins of Zashiki-warashi.

Zashiki-warashi, considered to be the god of fortune and guardian of the home, is itself a tragedy.

In the most widely circulated legend of Zashiki-warashi, Zashiki-warashi was a poor child from a poor family.

Her father died, her mother was seriously ill, and her family was extremely poor, so she had to live with her mother in a dilapidated little house.

The burden of life fell on the girl's shoulders, and the mother and daughter relied on the girl to go up the mountain to collect herbs every day to maintain their lives and treat their illnesses.

But from one day, the girl disappeared and never came down after going up the mountain.

Then something strange happened. Fresh herbs appeared at the doorstep of my mother's house every day. Eventually, my mother's life got better and her illness was cured.

In fact, it is not difficult to guess that the girl is dead, but her soul is still struggling for her mother's illness.

At the end of the story, the mother chased the girl to the cliff and saw the girl's medicine basket and shoes.

Did she fall off a cliff and die?

That's not it.

In this story, the girl lived frugally every day and eventually starved to death.

It was because she had suffered from poverty, misfortune and hardship that the girl decided to help the poor and bring happiness to them after her death.

This is the story of "Zashiki-warashi".

The characteristics of Zashiki-warashi summarized from this are also very clear.

During his lifetime, he was from a poor family and had a kind heart.

After death - no regrets, selfless dedication.

No matter how this story changes, the core elements will not change. The core is that a child who has been caught in the rain decides to hold an umbrella for others. It is a story full of love, kindness and hope.

It can also be said that Zashiki-warashi are a group of pitiful little angels.

"It's this black fog..."

Focusing again on Zashiki-warashi's back, wisps of black mist were still floating from her. Mizutani Makoto didn't know what this meant, but he instinctively felt that something was not right.

He thought to himself that he had observed it long enough and there would be no new changes if he continued.

After hesitating for a while, he walked towards the Japanese confectionery shop where the girl was.

Step, step...

There were footsteps behind me.

Zashiki-warashi had a very keen sense and immediately turned his head like a stray cat, staring at the visitor behind him with his bright big eyes.

The shadow faded, and the street light illuminated Mizutani Makoto's face. A look of surprise appeared on the girl's chubby little face again.

"Hey, big brother?"

"How will you be here?"

The girl was stunned for a moment.

She didn't know what she remembered, but she turned around and was about to run.

"Wait! Don't run!"

Mizutani Makoto rushed forward and before Zashiki-warashi could run away, he shouted, "I want to help you!"

"Others can't see you, but I can. Give me a chance, I think there should be something I can help with!"

sincere!

Makoto Mizutani has always believed that sincerity is the ultimate weapon.

Especially his impeccably handsome face, which provides an unimaginable bonus when using his special moves.

"...?"

It seems to be of some use.

Zashiki-warashi paused.

She stood there motionless, looking at him with a little uneasiness, and her hand holding the strawberry Daifuku became much tighter.

Finally, I can move forward with the task.

Mizutani Makoto felt relieved. He supported himself on his knees and bent slightly, maintaining a more friendly posture.

He struck while the iron was hot, "I didn't introduce myself the last few times we met. My name is Mizutani Makoto, what's yours?"

"name……"

The girl's tone suddenly dimmed.

"……I forgot."

She said in a dull, low voice:

"I forgot my name."

……

……

The location is Mizutani Makoto's low-rise apartment.

The small apartment of about ten square meters has miscellaneous items piled up in the corners. The bathroom, bedroom and kitchen are separated by curtains. In fact, it doesn't make much difference whether they are divided or not, as they are just next to each other.

There is no place here that can be called a living room.

The bedroom was covered with tatami mats, and a chopped straw mat was placed in the corner. The girl looked there with special attention and found two wooden swords, one large and one small.

The room has only one window.

As the evening breeze blew, a light blue glass bell swayed gently in the wind, and the faint halo of light made the bell body look like condensed tears.

The wind blew in from far away, carrying with it the astringent fragrance of newly blossoming hydrangeas, and the delicate chimes flowed down the threads of the wind chimes.

The girl finally felt a sense of peace as the crisp ringtone echoed in her ears.

The girl, let’s call her “Zashiki” for now.

Since there was no living room, Mizutani Makoto and she both sat on the tatami.

Mizutani Makoto noticed her little action of observing the wind chimes and immediately understood.

The system's task description reminded him that Zashiki had personally hung a wind chime on the window of his house after his second encounter with Zashiki.

He had specially checked a few days ago and found this wind chime. After all, it was tied by the God of Fortune, so of course he accepted it directly.

Now, the God of Fortune has appeared before him.

But the problems encountered by the little god of fortune are much more serious than he imagined.

"Forgot your name?" He was confused for a moment.

"Hmm..." Zashiki nodded slightly.