I'm doing abstract animation

Her complexion wasn't good; it was a bit dark and fierce, probably because she held a grudge against Shinobu Kocho.

That makes sense. After all, Saeko Busujima had stopped the other party from attacking her, yet she still managed to kill them. Even if she could be resurrected, she had truly experienced the pain and fear of death. It would be impossible for her not to feel any resentment.

Yuki nodded, then pondered for a moment before saying, "It's not necessarily about killing the other party. Actually, there's another way to get through the second floor and even the subsequent floors."

"what way?"

"Get the other side to acknowledge you." Yuki said slowly, "To be honest, these guardians in the tower are characters I copied from other worlds. Although they have self-awareness, they are ultimately just cards, and the ownership belongs to me. If any of them can acknowledge any of you, I don't mind transferring ownership to you."

Once a character dies in battle, the card will be destroyed. He originally planned to design a mechanism where the guardian would automatically turn into a card if they were in mortal danger, and the person who successfully challenged them would obtain that card.

However, plans can't keep up with changes. Just two days after designing the Tower of Despair, Komi Shoko obtained the card that contained the opportunity to travel through time, so she forgot about this mechanism.

Now that I'm focusing on research into time travel, I really don't have the energy to design such a mechanism anymore, so I had to change it to a mechanism that better suits the girls' sense of identity.

Upon hearing Yuki's words, Saeko Busujima's eyes lit up. Although she hadn't fully grasped all the procedures due to time constraints, thankfully Yui and the others still had some conscience and told her the core point: the cards were the source of their power.

So she immediately turned around and ran towards the base gate.

"Where are you going?"

Seeing Saeko Busujima rush out the door without saying a word, Yuuki was a little confused.

"Go home and get the knife!"

She practically spat out those words through gritted teeth, clearly showing her resentment.

Indeed, she was a genius who was invincible among her peers in Japan. Now, she was being beaten up because of her weapon. Although her opponent was physically stronger than her, he wasn't so strong that she was completely unable to fight back. She was confident that if she were given a real knife, the outcome would definitely be different.

Yuuki Osamu: "..."

This kid's pretty brave... but that's what I like about bravery.

So he reached out, and a long sword slowly took shape in his hand before he casually tossed it to Saeko Busujima.

"Give it a try and see if it's easy to use."

After taking the knife, Saeko Busujima brandished it a couple of times before frowning slightly: "It feels a bit heavy, and a bit long too."

This sword is one that Yuuki Ritsu usually uses and is quite comfortable with. He is used to using numerical values ​​to unleash Musou attacks, so the sword is larger and longer than usual.

Saeko Busujima hasn't yet received any physical enhancements, so this knife is definitely a bit too overpowered for her.

After thinking for a moment, Yuki reached out and took the long sword, gripped the blade with his hand, and then pulled hard.

blah blah blah...

Sparks flew everywhere, and in the blink of an eye, the long sword was shortened in his hand.

Saeko Busujima's eyelids twitched violently. If it weren't for Yuki Risa's nascent human form, she would have suspected that the other party was a hydraulic press that had come to life...

"try again."

Saeko Busujima was very satisfied this time. While the weight and length didn't perfectly match her needs, they were at least comparable to ordinary blades.

"Thank you."

She thanked Yukiri earnestly, which made Yukiri a little embarrassed.

"Well... it's just a little toy, it's no big deal."

He scratched his cheek with his index finger, his tone somewhat embarrassed.

After all, Yui Yuigahama and the others were becoming increasingly abstract, and he really hadn't had much contact with honest girls like Saeko Busujima.

"Hehe, I didn't expect Yuuki-kun to be shy..."

Seeing Yuki's expression, Saeko Busujima covered her mouth and chuckled: "I thought you were the kind of person who was cold and aloof, making people feel chilled from head to toe!"

"You're talking about a refrigerator that's come to life!" Yuuki Osamu was speechless. "No normal person would do that. If someone did, they would definitely have mental problems."

After saying that, Yuuki suddenly remembered something. When he first met Yui Yuigahama, wasn't that the same persona he wanted to use to fool her?

Good grief, this has really hit me right now...

He couldn't help but cover his face.

Saeko Busujima looked at him with a smile, her eyes curving into beautiful crescents: "What's wrong, Kitarō?"

This is just teasing him!

The name made Yuki Osamu momentarily dazed. He composed himself and said with a smile, "It just feels like time has flown by."

Even though it had only been less than three months since he tricked Yui Yuigahama that night, he felt like it was a lifetime ago.

"If time seems to fly by, you must be busy with something important!" Saeko Busujima wasn't in a hurry to fight Shinobu Kocho anymore. She sat down opposite him on the ground and said with a smile, "That means you're using your time on the right path and living a fulfilling life."

Was it fulfilling?

"Maybe so, I do have my own goals too."

Perhaps due to childhood nostalgia, Yuuki Risa wasn't wary of Busujima Saeko and even felt a strange sense of closeness to her, much like how he felt about Aizen—like an old friend.

"A goal..." A hint of melancholy appeared on Saeko Busujima's face: "It's good to have a goal..."

She has no goals. Although she is hailed as the number one genius kendo girl in Japan and has excellent academic performance, she has no goals.

Her mother died when she was very young, and her father was an extremely traditional person. As a result, she was instilled with traditional knowledge from a young age, and even though she kept trying to prove herself with kendo, she could not break her father's inherent prejudices.

Growing up in this environment, she naturally lost her original dreams, and without dreams, she naturally had no goals.

"Doesn't Senior Busujima have any goals?"

Saeko Busujima's emotional shift was naturally noticed by Ritsuki Yuuki, who asked curiously, "I thought you'd set a goal like becoming the world's greatest swordsman or something. I've already imagined the rest: first, defeat all the swordsmen in Japan, then you'll encounter the world's number one, challenge him, and get defeated by him with a pendant..."

"..."

Saeko Busujima looked at Osamu Yuuki, who was talking excitedly, speechless. Where did you get this hot-blooded manga plot from? And even if you are the world's number one, you can't possibly defeat me with a pendant. There really isn't that much of a difference between ordinary people!

However, seeing Yuuki Risa still excitedly talking about the subsequent training, domineering aura, and other nonsense that she couldn't understand, for some reason, a feeling of sadness welled up in her heart.

"Yuki-kun..."

"What's wrong, Busujima-senpai? Are you unhappy with the later plot developments? Actually, I'm quite unhappy with it too..."

"You... must be very lonely."

Yuuki Risa paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "What are you talking about, Senpai? Aren't you here with me?"

“It’s not this…” Saeko Busujima suddenly pressed her face close to Osamu Yuuki’s, cupped his face in her hands, looked directly into his calm eyes, and said in a somewhat sorrowful tone, “You who come from another world… no one can understand your words, no one can understand your thoughts, and no one can even understand your hidden… hesitation.”

"A wandering soul breeds sorrow, and sorrow will sooner or later turn into a flood that sweeps everything away. Yuuki... no, Ri, have you really seen them clearly?"

"..."

He didn't speak, just quietly looked into Saeko Busujima's eyes, which were so close to his own, and saw his own expressionless face reflected in her indigo pupils.

"...I'm sorry, I was presumptuous."

A few seconds later, Saeko Busujima let go of his hand in disappointment, thus widening the distance between herself and Risa Yuki.

She picked up her sword again, ready to challenge Shinobu Kocho.

"Bullshima... let's make a promise!"

A slightly sorrowful voice sounded behind her, and Saeko Busujima stopped in her tracks, but did not turn around.

A hand reached out and covered the knife in her hand, a soft light instantly enveloping the blade.

“I have set a secret in this knife, a secret that will only be revealed when the knife is broken. When that time comes… promise me you will act according to the secret.”

His voice was very gentle, completely devoid of the previous irritability and impatience, as if... this was his true self.

Saeko Busujima trembled slightly, then nodded vigorously.

Emotional value is mutual. Yuki felt that Saeko Busujima gave him the feeling of an old friend, and Saeko Busujima felt the same way.

Aizen felt the same way, and so did she. This feeling would inexplicably arise whenever she came into contact with Yuuki, whenever Yuuki started talking to them.

There seems to be a strange connection between some things in the universe.

Aizen and she accompanied Yuuki Osamu through her youth without her even knowing it; one was inside the painting, and the other was outside of it.

But when they broke through the dimensional barrier and met, the lines that originally connected the illusory world inside and outside the painting seemed to gradually begin to solidify.

P.S.: This chapter slightly reveals what will happen next...

The Bizarre and Wonderful City: Chapter Thirty-Six - Mr. Spider is very happy!

Time continues to flow as always.

Saeko Busujima ultimately couldn't defeat Shinobu Kocho. Although she managed to fight Shinobu to a draw after switching to a real sword, it was just random slashing when Shinobu wasn't using any sword techniques. Once Shinobu started using her sword techniques, Saeko was defeated in less than three moves.

When sword skills earned through life-or-death struggles clash with moves devoid of any killing intent, the outcome is already predetermined.

So Saeko Busujima has been going to the base almost every day lately. If it weren't for school, she would have been living in the Tower of Despair by now.

The same thing happened that day; as soon as school ended, she dashed out of the school gate.

"Senior Busujima is really diligent!"

Watching Saeko Busujima's slender figure disappear into the distance, Yui Yuigahama sighed, "If I worked as hard as my senior, I should already be pursuing my second card by now!"

"You're quite self-aware." Yuuki rolled her eyes at her. "I think you'll be outdone by your senior sooner or later."

This guy is always running around happily, showing no signs of training whatsoever. His card fusion level has already surpassed everyone else's, except for Saeko Busujima, who doesn't have any cards yet.

"Hehe, isn't that a good thing? Senior has improved. If something really happens in the future, there will be one more person ahead of me!"

Yuuki Osamu: "..."

Good grief, what kind of "lying down" monster is this...?

"By the way, could you come with me somewhere today?"

Yui Yuigahama suddenly grabbed his sleeve and looked at him pitifully: "I'm really too embarrassed to go alone."

"Where?"

Without making a sound, Yuuki Risa moved the other person's hand away and said irritably, "If it's going to be some kind of mixer like last time, I'm not going!"

He didn't know what had gotten into Yui Yuigahama, but she dragged him to a matchmaking event last time. As you can imagine, the result was that he didn't want to stay for even a second if it weren't for Yui Yuigahama's feelings.

"No, no, I'm going to see someone!"

Meet someone?

Yuki's interest was piqued slightly. Yui Yuigahama had quite a few friends, but the person she wanted to meet was probably a bit special.

"Who is that person? Could it be your mother?"

He said half jokingly.

"Of course not! Honestly, if you make that kind of joke again, even I'll get angry!"

The pink-haired girl playfully punched him, but instead of being angry, she seemed quite shy.

Yuuki Osamu: "..."

I'm scared, I guess I'd better be careful what I say.

The two walked out of the campus and then boarded a tram.

Along the way, Yuki tried to get some information out of her, but for some reason, Yui Yuigahama just wouldn't budge.

Left with no other choice, he followed Yui Yuigahama on the tram all the way to an amusement park.

Perhaps because it wasn't a weekend, there weren't many people in front of the amusement park entrance, just a few children curiously looking inside, seemingly wanting to go in and take a look. The arrival of the two people caught the eye of the ticket seller at the entrance, who probably mistook them for a young couple who wanted to play.

"Hey, hey, hey, let me make this clear first, I'm not going in." Yuuki Risa raised an eyebrow, somewhat impatiently saying, "By the way, weren't you here to meet someone? Or is that person at the amusement park?"

"Hehe...maybe it really is inside!" Yui Yuigahama smiled mysteriously, her eyes constantly looking left and right, as if searching for something.

When she saw a father and daughter walking towards her hand in hand, Yuki noticed that her eyes lit up.

"Ok?"

Upon seeing the father and daughter, Yuuki Risa paused, then exclaimed, "Hey, could it be that they are...?"

Yui Yuigahama nodded vigorously, and excitedly grabbed Yuki Risa and ran towards the father and daughter.

"Um, may I ask who you are...?"

As the two people ran towards them, the father quickly pulled the girl behind him, his expression clearly showing some wariness.

The little girl also secretly peeked out from behind her father.

"Hehehe, Xiao Xiang, hello there!"