The Strange Adventures of Hearn the Believer

"Ok?"

"Don't look at me like that, Shi. Actually, I'm the kind of person who really hates saying goodbye. Besides, that was right when I owed that comedian a huge debt, and things weren't peaceful around me either. My dog ​​was chasing me around all day."

“Nobunaga isn’t good at saying goodbye either, Aozaki, you know that. He didn’t say goodbye to me back then either.”

Shi, still slowly peeling the apple, spoke in a resentful tone once again.

"I understand. You're now extending your affection to everything related to your husband, and you're planning to pin all the blame on me, your incompetent teacher."

Aoko seemed to have completely given up and stopped trying to find excuses, choosing to face reality, hence the joke.

"That makes sense, but let's put that aside for now. You haven't finished answering yet. What happened on the seventh day?"

"On the seventh day, the child searched the entire beach for me, his cheap teacher who had left without saying goodbye. I don't know if it was because I blew on the fire, but he even went so far as to look for places like crevices in rocks and inside seashells. Ha... he actually thought I was hiding in such places. I never learned any of those magic tricks from beginning to end. In his eyes, am I some kind of omnipotent fairy tale witch like Yuzhu? I'm completely useless except for destruction."

"Didn't you see it quite clearly?"

"Of course, I couldn't just let a kid with a family search for someone who doesn't exist on the beach and eventually lose contact with them. Anyway, I spent some time making a special invisibility barrier for one person and stayed there until the sun went down. I only left after he wiped away his tears and turned back into the snarling little hedgehog."

"Aozaki, maybe he'll come to you on the seventh day to confess what happened to his family. If that happens, wouldn't you naturally gain a rare fantasy familiar?"

“Shi, I hate ‘if’ as much as you two do. If someone does something wrong, they have to pay the price. That’s the way it is. So, in September 2004, 12 years later, I was prepared to be killed by him or kill him when I met him again.”

“Aozaki, you know that I thought the same way as him back then. The only thing I can assure you is that when he saw you, he felt surprise, anger, and disbelief, but he did not feel hatred. And all of these emotions eventually turned into guilt.”

“I know, Pandora told me this in secret, so I still feel really bad about it.”

"Sigh, neither of you are the type to easily tell the truth, don't you get tired of it?"

Shi sighed softly, then took out a celadon fruit plate from the subspace rift and easily cut the peeled apple in her hand and put it in.

"You talk as if you were very honest before."

Aoko counted the apples listlessly and found there were exactly seventeen. She reached out to pick one to quench her thirst, but Shiki slapped her hand lightly on the back of her hand, so she had to reluctantly withdraw her hand.

Shiki also took out a blue pocket watch, the same one that Shinju had previously held. After stopping the oxidation process of the stack of apple slices in front of Aoko, he calmly responded to Aoko, and while speaking, he picked up a pear and continued to peel it.

This time, her movements were much more skillful.

"I am being very honest now. I've died three times already, what else is there to be upset about? Of course, the matter of the believer is an exception."

"Yes, except for matters concerning my husband."

Aoko saw her little actions and, coupled with the slap she had just received, she knew perfectly well that she wouldn't get a chance to eat the thirst-quenching fruit platter.

"Aozaki, do you have a problem with this nickname? Admittedly, you two have known each other longer than I have, but I was the one who ultimately made him back down. Now you're trying to steal my man, which makes me feel very uncomfortable."

"Hey, I was too lazy to ask during the day because there were too many people around. What do you mean I'm stealing your girlfriend? We were just master and disciple reuniting after many years, and we were just playfully teasing each other to mend our relationship."

"We also need to relearn [magic], step by step, section one, two, three, four, five, right?"

"Ahem... Shiki, I'm a witch, so teaching my students magic is perfectly normal, right?"

"What kind of magic requires learning to start with talking about ambiguous rendezvous?"

"Ah, this involves the mysteries of incantation. You are not one of us in the demonic path, so it's normal that you don't understand it."

"It's as if the believer has learned several magic tricks. If you think about it carefully, he only knows one magic bullet shooter. He only used it for a short time in his early years. All the magic cannons after that were derivatives of the magic bullet shooter. Besides, he had already been slaying demons with me before that."

"If you understand one method, you understand all methods. I don't think there's anything shameful about only knowing magic bullets. Why use calculus to solve a problem that can be solved with addition?"

"Then what about that move you just made?"

Shiki was too lazy to pay attention to Aoko's attempts to confuse the issue. She already knew that this woman, like Shinonome, was an expert at talking in circles. She immediately changed the subject and brought up the incident that happened when Shinonome was asleep earlier.

Then Aoko deftly defused the situation.

"I was testing my student's lung capacity in an unconscious state, and incidentally, he had tested mine before."

"Do you two heartless devils even need this kind of life support organ to supply oxygen?"

"Yes, we hold simple human values, respect innocent lives, and love a peaceful life, so we still live in a way that is similar to that of humans."

"Aozaki, you really do sound more like him when you speak in this nonchalant tone. That timid tone you used before was really unlike you."

"Shi, I think you still have misunderstandings and prejudices against me."

"Oh, how come you see it?"

"Put my business aside for now and think about yourself. What do you want to do most right now? Think about it carefully."

"...Right now, there's nothing in particular I want to do. The believer's life is back on track. Although his time in Gomorrah helped him understand many things, those days were far from the true meaning of 'life.' I don't want him to continue living such a decadent life. This is just right now. If I had to say there's anything I particularly want to do, then..."

"So?"

"As I just said, I want to correct his bad habit of bearing everything alone."

"Aha."

Aoko smiled upon hearing this.

Shi did not understand this, so he asked further questions.

"What are you laughing at all of a sudden, Aozaki?"

"I just realized that there was no need for us to be at odds at all."

Aoko replied with unclear meaning.

"Oh, what do you mean?"

“Shi, you see, you’re worried about whether your husband is facing life positively and hope to correct the most prominent of the few remaining character flaws in him.”

"Well, that's right."

Shi nodded in affirmation.

“Shi, you see, I’m also worried about whether my student is facing life positively, and I hope to correct the most prominent of the few remaining character flaws in him.”

"Yes, that's exactly right."

Shi nodded, confirming again.

Aoko silently slid to Shiki's side, placed her hands on Shiki's shoulders, and spoke with sincerity and intense gaze.

"That's more like it! You're worried about your husband, and I'm worried about my student. Aren't we on the same side?"

"..."

"..."

"It sounds logically consistent, but why do I always feel like there's something hidden in what you're saying, Aozaki?"

After a moment of contemplation, Shi suddenly smiled.

"That must be your imagination, Shi."

After witnessing that smile, Aoko returned the same smile.

“I see. Aozaki, your insight is still as sharp as ever. I do lack an assistant here. Although Nobunaga often travels around with Hagoromo, Hagoromo has become very protective of his cubs. He lets him do whatever he wants and does whatever he wants. I need someone who can keep him in check and put the brakes on him from time to time. And you seem to be the only suitable candidate.”

“It’s no big deal. If he dares to disobey me, I’ll teach him a lesson.”

"Didn't you just say you were terrified of him?"

Do you think he'll dare to fight back?

"I don't think he would dare."

"That's right, that's the thing."

“Aozaki, you just said my grammar was wrong, look at yourself.”

"Ha, let nature take its course. I've long since stopped worrying about these things."

"So, Aozaki, let's decide our division of labor here. From now on, you will be responsible for dealing with the living, and I will be responsible for dealing with the dead. Of course, we don't need to interfere with normal friendships. Nobunaga does need to rediscover some of the scenery he gave up in the past for revenge and return to a peaceful life."

"That suits me perfectly. So, is it a deal?"

"It's a word."

……

"Speaking of which, Shiki, what have you been doing since the very beginning?"

After finalizing a series of details, Qingzi sat on the sofa with her arms crossed, looking at the fruit plate on the table piled with various fruit fragments and even with time seemingly frozen, and asked in confusion.

"I'm planning to try making fruit salad. It's low in fat and calories, but rich in vitamins and pectin, so it's very nutritious. Plus, the recipe I read in the book seems pretty simple."

After washing his hands clean, Shi pulled out a jar of shimmering honey from the subspace rift, opened the bottle, and pretended to pour it onto the pile of fruit.

"I see. No wonder they deliberately stopped the oxidation process of the ingredients to ensure a fresh taste when we eat them tomorrow morning... Wait a minute! Shi, the honey you poured seems way too much, doesn't it?"

Just as she reached a conclusion, Qingzi suddenly realized something was wrong and hurriedly called for a stop.

"Any questions?"

Shiki's face still held that calm smile, and she asked Aoko without changing her expression.

Aoko once thought that this girl had been living a life of leisure for too long and had a serious lack of common sense about the amount of seasonings to use.

"Hey, hey, hey... Shiki, although Nobunaga has recently started to change her tastes, from an incurable savory lover to someone who can eat a little sweet stuff, if you keep doing this, he'll definitely be dead by tomorrow morning..."

When Aoko was halfway through trying to dissuade her, she saw Shiki close the honey jar with a smile on her face, and then take out a series of terrifyingly sweet condiments such as salad dressing, mayonnaise, and hot cocoa from the subspace. Aoko read a different meaning in Shiki's smile, and understood it in an instant. Then, the corners of her mouth also turned up slightly, revealing a mischievous smile.

"...I understand. Give me a few too, and I'll make sure I kill this bastard who flirts with women everywhere and dares to have 573 girlfriends at the same time."

The next day, early in the morning.

Shortly after Mr. Hearn woke up, he sat on the sofa, his thumb resting on his chin, silently staring at the bizarre, colorful creation on the table.

The air was filled with a sweet, deadly fragrance.

Mr. Hearn had no doubt about the lethality of the dish, and it's worth mentioning that the dish itself was deliberately frozen in time to preserve its freshest and sweetest appearance.

"It's probably someone's prank."

After a long silence, Mr. Hearn came to a conclusion that made him feel completely relaxed and happy, and then got up to leave.

"Mr. Hearn."

"Hmm? Pandora, is something the matter?"

The believer was stopped by Cinderella, who was walking by.

“Miss Aozaki said that this breakfast was specially prepared for Mr. Hearn, and she also specifically instructed Pandora to make sure that Mr. Hearn ate every last bite.”

"Is she crazy? Who would eat this kind of monstrosity? There's a limit to pranks!"

The believer walked out of the house with a look of disgust, seemingly intending to confront the culprit.

But before that, Pandora tugged at his sleeve, drawing the believer's gaze back.

"Is there anything else, Pandora?"

Pandora was holding a folded piece of paper in her hand. When the believer turned around, she handed the paper to him.

The believer impatiently unfolded the note, and what he saw was a line of elegant handwriting that he knew all too well.

[Eat one less bite, and we'll meet again a year later. Please do as you see fit.]

"This was given to me by Miss Aozaki before she went back to her room. She said that Mr. Hearn would understand once he saw this."

Pandora then explained.

"..."

The next moment, the believer carefully put away the note, then strode back to the coffee table, resolutely picked up the indescribable breakfast dish, and with one hand lifted the time restriction on the fruit plate, the roaring sweet aroma suddenly increased more than tenfold.

"Mr. Hearn?"

The believer's unusual behavior naturally caught Pandora's attention. In Cinderella's view, Mr. Hearn took a deep breath and instantly revealed a confident smile, as if declaring to himself.

"A hero cannot desert his post!"

……

Chapter 128 Entering Dreams with the Wind

here it is?

Open your eyes and look around.

Crimson red spider lilies, blood-red sunset, a winding river as still as water, reflecting the crimson sunlight, coming from afar and going away again.

A mournful melody drifted faintly from among the fragrant grasses; the zither music was long and drawn out, as if lamenting and weeping.