The Strange Adventures of Hearn the Believer

Compared to those fantastical bonus features, what Aoko cared about most was still that one thing.

From the very beginning, a faint sadness lingered in Qingzi's heart. She loved this understanding little creature so much—its smiling face, its sleeping face—and didn't want to be separated from it. She had been trying to appear calm, even preparing herself to have a good cry before going home, leaving her timid and immature self, along with these beautiful memories, in this sea of ​​flowers.

Only in that way can she regain the flawless self that others see in her.

However, this awareness seems to be unimportant now.

"That's right, because Qingzi-neechan is my first friend. Friends shouldn't be separated by distance, and leaving without saying goodbye is unacceptable. So no matter how difficult it is, I will come back! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! I twisted my arm! I twisted my arm when I was throwing the sun!"

"Little Xin Nu, you are absolutely amazing!!!"

The girl's emotions triumphed over her reason twice on the same day.

Aoko hugged her sweet little girl tightly once again and cheered from the bottom of her heart.

"This time, I'm really leaving."

After a brief period of chaos, the boy, who had barely escaped the clutches of evil, took a few steps back and looked back amidst the pale sea of ​​flowers.

"Okay, be careful on the road."

Having composed herself, Aoko regained the composure befitting an older sister.

"The next time we meet, I will have grown to the point where I can shut this star up. Then I can crush the old hag as I please, and stay here to keep Aoko company."

"While hard work is commendable, there's no need to push yourself to that extreme in one go... In short, I have absolutely no idea what Little Nobunaga's standards are."

Rather than trying to shut the stars up, what's more important is to come back as soon as possible.

Human life is very short.

Aoko ultimately couldn't bring herself to say those pathetic words.

"Well then, Aoko-neechan, until we meet again."

"Yes, little believer, until we meet again."

As the final farewell was carried away by the evening breeze, the boy's silhouette gradually faded in the moonlight.

He stood quietly for a moment with his eyes closed, as if waiting for something.

Until a streak of blue lightning rose from the sea of ​​flowers.

When the girl came to her senses, all that remained in the center of the sea of ​​flowers was the white waves gently caressed by the evening breeze.

Aoko raised her head and looked up at the starless night sky, trying to trace the distant blue star until it completely disappeared into nothingness.

Then, as if an invisible switch had been flipped, the entire starless night sky was lit up at the same instant.

A girl standing alone in a sea of ​​flowers, in that instant, encountered the starry sky.

Even on the clearest nights in the Far East, no one has ever seen such a brilliant Milky Way. Billions of stars projected billions of rays of light with an unprecedented density. The vast, radiant wings of the Milky Way stretched out in the void, scattering dazzling starlight.

A feeling she had never experienced before rose in Aoko's heart; it was similar to being moved, to being satisfied, and even more so to being enlightened.

It turns out that such wonderful encounters still exist in the mysterious world beyond the ordinary.

It turns out that magic brought her more than just bitterness and confusion.

Aoko felt a sense of separation and pain from Aozaki's legacy.

She was forced to bear a burden she shouldn't have had to, and said goodbye to the happiness of ordinary people.

Since the day she received the mark, Aoko has been using her life to measure and strive for things she doesn't love, running with all her might, yet she doesn't know where the future should lead.

However, at this moment, Aoko felt as if she was doing something very romantic. Having encountered the starry sky in the spirit world, she felt as happy as if she had completed a fairy tale.

If practicing magic was something that had previously been entirely detrimental to Aoko, then...

So after this encounter, let's just say it's downgraded to a situation where ninety-nine parts are harmful and one part is beneficial.

Time to go home.

The evening curfew has passed.

Yuzhu should already be resting.

With a faint sense of satisfaction, Aoko held the silver key with a thoughtful expression, tracing the outline of the ancient temple gate in the air above the sea of ​​flowers.

As she finished drawing the last stroke, a pale silver gate opened in mid-air above the sea of ​​flowers, and on the other side of the gate was the courtyard scenery that Aoko was familiar with.

"I've been taken care of by you until the very end, little Xinnv. When we meet next time, I'll definitely prepare a suitable return gift for you."

Under the starry sky, amidst a sea of ​​flowers, Aoko gazed at the silver key in her hand and murmured unconsciously.

She kept this promise firmly in her heart, and then happily embarked on her journey home...

Then, I felt my legs go weak.

"what"

An indescribable, piercing scream echoed from the sea of ​​flowers.

Aoko lowered her gaze suspiciously, and what came into view was a sleepy-eyed face that seemed vaguely familiar.

It was a handsome face that resembled the innocent boy in Aoko's memory, only now it appeared before her in a slightly more mature form.

"You clumsy woman, Qingzi, don't you even watch where you're going?!"

Mr. Hearn, who was dozing among the flowers, leaped up from the sea of ​​flowers, clutching his left hand that had been stepped on, and gave the culprit a friendly greeting right in front of him.

"..."

Aoko rubbed her eyes in silence, and when she opened them again, she felt as if some kind of misty realm had dissipated.

After confirming that everything before her was not an illusion, the girl turned and threw a right hook at him, then pounced on him viciously.

"Give me back my sweet little girl! You heartless, clueless bastard!!!"

In an instant, chaos erupted in the sea of ​​flowers.

……

Merry Christmas!

Chapter 142 Princess, Hero, and Dragon (Beginning)

"Give me back my sweet little girl! You heartless, clueless bastard!"

"What's wrong with you, woman, all of a sudden in the middle of the night?"

"I don't care! You transform, transform now, transform right now!"

"What nonsense are you talking about? No, first tell me clearly what you want me to become?"

"Of course it will change."

Under the moonlit sea of ​​flowers, the hustle and bustle abruptly ceased.

Aoko paused, then fell silent, staring blankly at the guy lying half-reclined in the sea of ​​flowers beneath her.

The two men's left hands were still clasped together as they had been during the conflict moments before, but the attacker had now concealed his strength for some reason.

Yes, even if that unhatched dragon could guide the energy of the Emerald Dream, it wouldn't be able to put this guy into a deep sleep.

Even if Thranheim reduced all living beings to the realm of matter due to the Blood Sea Pact, and even if he deliberately followed this rule for his own amusement, a large endangered animal could not possibly have driven this invincible man to such a predicament.

Aoko was well aware of the significance of that memory to the devilish woman Hern; no one would have the chance to touch her without his permission.

So from beginning to end, the only one who got caught up in it was herself, who was severely unbalanced in her studies. Fortunately, she has now broken free from those constraints.

After figuring this out, Aoko fell silent and came to her senses to examine the current situation.

A moment of impulsiveness led to an extremely awkward situation.

No matter how often we used to hang out and joke around, this current state of affairs cannot be easily dismissed with a joking excuse.

Let's find some nonsensical topic to evade this.

Aoko considered this habitually.

Miss Hern was right. Like him, she was used to using long-winded speeches to cover up her embarrassment, cover up her awkwardness, and even cover up her feelings.

Correspondingly, there's no need to worry about the necessary teamwork, after all, she's the one who trained him.

"What's wrong? Why are you suddenly looking so lonely? Did something sad happen to you?"

"No, not at all. On the contrary, I had a rare good dream, and I felt a little lost when I woke up."

This guy's insight into people's hearts is as sharp as ever.

Before she even spoke, she proactively offered a way out of the predicament.

That's good, it saves her the trouble of finding an excuse.

It's like being trapped in a secret room with only one door during an adventure. Aoko is standing in front of the door, deep in thought, trying to figure out how to pick the lock or just blast the door open, while her impeccable partner has already pulled out the key with perfect understanding. It's the trophy he got from successfully deciphering the key when he was on his own earlier.

"By the way, there's something I need to report to you that's been delayed for a long time, but I haven't had the chance until now."

The key was smoothly inserted into the lock, the teeth perfectly matched, and the sound of the lock cylinder turning was already in my ears. It seemed that I could easily escape the secret room and let go of that embarrassing episode earlier.

"Hmm? Then tell me about it."

As the situation gradually became clearer, Qingzi relaxed and casually brushed her hair aside before following the steps her companion had offered.

"The great monster never transformed into three little birds from beginning to end, but faced hardship alone with dignity. Because he couldn't wait for the hero, he picked up the bronze sword himself, led another imprisoned princess through the Demon King's castle, and successfully eliminated the evil in the forest. Although he almost messed things up in the end, fortunately he managed to save many people. Now he can stand in front of the hero with a clear conscience and summarize his childhood."

click!

The impeccable partner had already silently severed the mental link, snapped the key into the lock, and then playfully stuck out her tongue at Qingzi, revealing a slightly apologetic yet self-righteous bright smile.

Aoko was stunned for a moment, remaining silent for a while in the face of this unexpected interlude, before feigning anger slightly.

"What? It really was you!"

"Yes, it's me," the believer readily admitted. "However, at first I also thought it wasn't you, but I only confirmed it later."

"Since it's you, that makes things easier—[Messiah] wouldn't be so foolish as to not be able to distinguish between dreams and reality, would he? If word gets out, all the demons in Hell will laugh at us. Anyway, if you don't let go, I'm going to get angry."

Aoko recovered from the brief chaos, and the rational light symbolizing order regained its dominance. She cleared her throat and quipped, then tried to pull her left hand, which was interlocked with the other person's, but found it to be futile.

There was no sense of coercion whatsoever, yet there was an inexplicable sense of determination, a do-or-die mentality, that neither side in the fight would back down.

Just like when she was attacking his spiritual land, she had always used the tactic of striking and disengaging, and had won one after another without ever failing. Until today, she was caught off guard and took a risk, running to his magic workshop to find out the truth.

As soon as she entered the workshop, she discovered that he had already set up his protective barrier and was waiting patiently for a long time, giving her no chance to escape.

While the girl was in a state of confusion, her impeccable companion, while breaking the key, hummed a foreign nursery rhyme and happily welded the door shut.

Since there is no way to retreat, we can only fight with all our might.

The girl, who is naturally competitive, has also come to her senses.

“The material for the dream was drawn from reality. Even without that Black Forest, you said something similar on the beach in Higashi-Izu in 92.”

The believer denied it calmly.

"That was just a joke I made during my recovery from a high school sophomore year illness, why do you remember it so clearly?"

Aoko blushed.

It's a very shameful experience to have your "High School Sophomore Manifesto" remembered, especially when the other person actually believes it and takes it to heart.

"You're my first friend, so I'll remember every word you say."

Even if I disappear without a trace after a week? Even if I'm actually from another world?

"It doesn't matter. For me, the only difference is that they've become friends hidden in time and space. Anyway, I didn't have a single friend in the mortal world back then."

"Your answer is certainly in your style. So, what's your conclusion?"

"Hmm, how should I put it?"

"Three seconds. I won't give you time to make up something on the spot. If you can't speak within three seconds, I'll leave immediately."

"That's too strict, can't you give us any more leeway?"

"This kind of thing is absolutely unacceptable! Three."

"zero."

"Hello, go ahead and say it, I'm listening, but don't expect to get away with this so easily."

I was amazed by his decisiveness and relieved by his composure.

When Aoko noticed the woman's calm and composed expression, she realized that this girl had really prepared her speech in advance and was just waiting to tell it in detail. Therefore, drawing a red line to determine whether she passed or failed was her last act of restraint.