Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

"Ah."

"Do your best until the very last moment."

"Ah."

"But if that still doesn't work..."

Xiangzi didn't want to say what he was going to say next.

In particular, she was the culprit behind the transformation of Su Shi into a witch. That red pill, and her own unstable mental state, were the root cause of all this.

Her lips parted slightly, then closed again, pressing into a thin line. Her eyes darted to the side, using blinks to conceal her true feelings.

Xiangzi remained calm in front of Aiyin, calmly firing shot after shot, calmly driving away Su Shi, calmly comforting Aiyin, and calmly cleaning up the scene.

She was so calm, as if that person wasn't Nagasaki Motoyo at all, but some unknown person turned into a witch.

If Aine knew what she had said to Suze that night, she would surely berate herself for being so cold-hearted. Even Xiangzi herself felt that she had been too calm.

But in reality, every shot he fired at Su Shi felt like a bullet hitting himself.

She controlled herself very well, showing no sign of weakness, which was a significant improvement over the past.

When Yukina held a scythe to her own neck, she understood Yukina's predicament. Now that she was in the same situation, Xiangzi's rationality told her that she should be as decisive as Yukina—kill Suze, and not even give her a chance to hatch.

But emotions, the most important feelings for magical girls, such as guilt, regret, and shame, mixed together, left claw marks on Xiangzi's rational mind.

No matter how many times he experienced it, Xiangzi could never adapt to this contradiction. It was like an old scar being burned by flames again, causing him to feel the burning pain again and again, as if he were in hell.

She probably deserves to go to hell.

Because she's a witch.

No matter how much Toyokawa Shoko didn't want to become a witch, she was still a witch, and even with the false shell of the Soul Gem, she couldn't change the established fact.

As long as she remains Toyokawa Shoko and possesses human emotions, her vulnerability will likely never die.

"Mumu, if it really comes to that, I won't hesitate—"

As Xiangzi managed to utter a sentence, Mu stepped forward and took Xiangzi's hand.

"I know," Mu said. "I was prepared."

"Xiang doesn't need to say anything."

pat.

The mop fell on the floor.

Xiangzi felt something warm and cozy slip into his arms. Mu wrapped her arms around Xiangzi's waist, slightly raised her heels, and rested her chin on Xiangzi's shoulder.

Xiangzi stood frozen in place, held tightly by Mu. The two pressed close together, as if they were meant to be one. The fabric of their clothes couldn't block Mu's warm body temperature, and the friction from their slight movements made Xiangzi feel Mu's body even more clearly.

"Mu..."

Xiangzi lowered his eyes and put his arm around Mu's waist.

"It's all my fault, I'm sorry."

Mu gently patted Xiangzi's back.

"...This is our sin, our shared sin, a sin that nothing can wash away."

Mu said softly.

"Xiang, we'll spend our whole lives together..."

"...atone for my sins."

The Lost Story: The Lost Child - Chapter 280 I'm Back

After cleaning up the scene, it was time for everyone to go home.

Xiangzi accompanied Mu to the tram stop outside the villa area and watched her get on the shuttle bus before turning back and taking the tram home alone.

The afternoon seemed unusually long. Xiangzi sat on the tram on his way home, leaning back in his seat, staring at the LED light strip on the ceiling, his shoulders slumping limply.

"Is the Flower Witch something you buy wholesale at the market? I'm the third one already, and it hasn't even been that long..." Xiangzi sighed and muttered to himself, staring at the ceiling. "Or is it all because of what Delete said about 'flowers attracting each other'?"

"If that's really the case, how will we live from now on...?"

Xiangzi closed his eyes wearily.

"Is your mental illness caused by your habit of talking to yourself?"

Xiangzi glanced at Delete, who was silently squatting beside him, and rolled his eyes. He was used to this guy always appearing silently everywhere.

"What do you think?" Xiangzi asked.

"What are you looking at?" Delete asked rhetorically.

"Su Shi, where is she hiding? Could she have a 'mechanism' to prevent herself from being killed, just like Nirvana?"

"We're already thinking about how to kill her. Didn't you say we should try our best to save her?"

"I'm used to considering the worst possible consequences."

"It seems that you and Minato Yuki really do have a lot in common."

"...I don't deny that."

"Don't you deny that you might become increasingly cold-hearted?"

"I don't think Yuki-senpai is cold-hearted."

"That's because she's not mature enough, and neither are you."

Does maturity mean becoming cold and ruthless?

"Based on my understanding of human history, this is a necessary and sufficient condition for becoming a successful leader: only by abandoning weakness and kindness can one make the most rational, decisive and correct decisions."

"Your understanding of humanity is truly profound; I am ashamed of my own inferiority."

"Is it possible that we humans are not as well understood as other races? Perhaps this is one of the characteristics of humanity."

"Don't pretend to be like your emotionless kin at this time. I know you can tell I'm being sarcastic."

Xiangzi raised his hand and flicked the Delete key aside.

"I've already changed the subject."

"Ouch!" Delete rolled around on the ground twice, rubbed his bottom, and said, "You mean Nagasaki Motoyo? Where do you think she'd be hiding?"

"Don't answer me with the questions I asked you." Xiangzi looked at it with dissatisfaction. "I want to know more about her."

“Emmm…did I say that my database and the population are disconnected?” Delete squatted down in front of Xiangzi with a troubled expression and wagged his tail.

"Have."

"The database has not been updated yet, and the next handover will take place every Tuesday."

"today?"

"Ah."

"Then what do you know?"

"To be precise, it's 2:45 PM every Tuesday. It's currently 7:41:36 PM."

"You're so useless."

"Can't you even wait a little while?"

"Hehe." Xiangzi glanced at it.

"Don't look at me like I'm short and weak. I've done my best." Delete jumped onto the bench and slumped down softly. "The Flower Witch is very special to our entire clan, and we've never seen a Flower Magical Girl before. I reckon even if the database is updated, it won't include information about the Flower Witch."

It raised its head and looked at Xiangzi.

“You’re the only sample that can cooperate with us in our research on ‘flowers’ right now.” It curled the corners of its mouth. “We—I’m very curious about where those incalculable supercausal relationships come from.”

"I'm not curious, I'm only curious about how much useful information you can provide."

"How do you define useful?" Delete tilted his head curiously.

"Tsk, here we go again."

Xiangzi pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on.

This guy was probably just watching the show; he definitely knew something, but he just wasn't willing to say it.

Squeeze toothpaste.

"Alright, I won't tease you anymore." Delete looked at Xiangzi's annoyed expression and swept her tail with satisfaction. "I voluntarily moved up the data handover time today. There's new information."

"explain."

“A barrier that is not located in the reed plain has appeared, and its area is very large.”

"What do you mean?" Xiangzi frowned.

“It’s a mystery. Figure it out yourself.” Delete’s grin stretched like the Cheshire Cat’s. “I think I’ve said enough.”

"You..." Xiangzi's forehead bulged out with a '#' sign, and his fist clenched tightly.

Seeing that things were going badly, Cupid immediately distanced himself.

"That's it. I've told you everything I can. I have something to do, so I'm leaving now." It chuckled twice, sweating profusely, and leaped into Xiangzi's blind spot before Xiangzi could grab it.

By the time Xiangzi reached out, it had already disappeared.

"What's the principle behind their elusive abilities?" Xiangzi muttered angrily as he withdrew his hand.

Ding dong.

The tram stops at the station.

Xiangzi looked up and glanced at the arrival indicator light.

"Oops......"

She grinned, a bead of sweat sliding down her forehead.

"I missed my stop..."

=====

After a whole afternoon of running around, getting off at the wrong stop once, missing his stop once, and experiencing a whole host of unexpected things, Xiangzi finally got home around 8 or 9 p.m.

Like an office worker who had just finished his shift, Xiangzi dragged his tired body and equally tired mind out of work and took out his keys.

She looked at the key in her palm and suddenly her mind wandered.

If you were a typical office worker who works overtime every day and only gets half a day off a week, what would you most want to see when you get home?

Perhaps it was a warm embrace, or the sizzling sound of cooking oil, letting her know that the house wasn't empty and she wasn't alone.

The feeling of opening the door to an empty room and saying "I'm home" is so painful.

Xiangzi lowered his head, focusing his attention back on the keys.

Click.

Before she could even insert the key into the lock, the door opened by itself, and a refreshing scent of shower gel wafted into Xiangzi's nostrils. Along with the fragrance, a warm "thing" enveloped her.

The person inside the door embraced Xiangzi.

Xiangzi slightly curled the corners of his mouth and closed his eyes in relief.

She had experienced countless lonely nights in the cramped living room of an internet cafe, but thankfully...

What she hoped to see was not a delusion for her now.

"I'm back," Xiangzi said softly.

“Welcome back,” Chu Hua replied.

The Tale of the Lost: The Lost Child - Chapter 281 Want a Drink?

"Welcome back."

Chu Hua said softly.

Xiangzi's return home was clearly unusual, later than hers, but she didn't ask any questions, only offering a simple greeting.