Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

Page 594

Ai Yin said that it was true that there was a secret passage in the experimental area that led directly to the surface. That elevator could go all the way up to the underground railway network of Reed Plains, and then take the trams that stopped at the platform to go anywhere in Reed Plains.

Xiangzi couldn't sleep at night and decided to give it a try.

Delete granted his ID card considerable privileges, allowing him to freely enter and exit the third basement level. Following Ai Yin's directions, he searched around and eventually found the elevator that led directly to the surface.

Taking this elevator up, you'll eventually arrive at an underground station, which is very close to the surface.

A tram was parked at the station, and it appeared to be still running.

Xiangzi recalled for a moment that Aiyin seemed to have mentioned some information about the underground railway network in Luweiyuan.

It appears to have been renovated after the shelter was built. It allows users to move freely between several fixed stations using an ID card. These stations connect to several other survivor shelters, all of the same specifications as the one they live in, and were originally the property of the String Family.

The administrators are also magical girls, one of whom is supervised by the magical girls from Mitakihara.

Xiangzi waited on the platform for a while, and then saw an unmanned trolley slow down and pull into the platform.

The tram tracks are fixed, and the stop time at each station is also fixed. When Xiangzi got off the tram, there were also traveling merchants wearing trench coats, carrying large bags, and dragging large and small suitcases.

The man saw Xiangzi, nodded politely, and then dragged his suitcase toward the entrance to the shelter. There were other entrances to the shelter from the station; the direct elevator Xiangzi took was probably added for convenience. Xiangzi brushed past him and boarded the tram.

She is now the only passenger on the bus.

It would take a little time to get to the next stop, so she took a short nap in the car.

The rhythmic swaying of the train actually helped to relax my sleepless nerves a little, making my mind drowsy as I swayed back and forth with the vibrations.

It wasn't until the train stopped and the inertia caused her to bump into a handrail that she realized she had actually fallen asleep.

Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Xiangzi got off the tram.

This should be a shelter under the jurisdiction of the magical girl Mitakihara.

However, Xiangzi did not go down.

To enter, she had to exchange a password with the security guard and also needed an ID card. Not only did she not know the password, but she also didn't know if her ID card could be used in other shelters. She had come all the way here just to go up to the surface and see different places.

So she walked along the tracks for about one more stop, from a completely abandoned, deserted platform to the ground.

When we arrived, it was already daytime. The ground was covered in a uniform earthy yellow, and everything looked dilapidated.

It was no different from what I had imagined.

In broad daylight, even monsters would probably hide; you wouldn't see a single living creature on the street.

The roads and cars were dilapidated, as were the shopping plaza, billboards, vending machines, and public pianos.

Surprisingly, there was even a public piano.

The piano stands in the very center of an abandoned commercial center, surrounded by a dusty fence, with light streaming in from a broken skylight just enough to illuminate it.

It was almost as if she was deliberately trying to get her attention.

Xiangzi stepped over the fence, walked forward, and casually pressed a piano key.

It's not a standard A4, but at least it still makes a sound.

Xiangzi gently bit his lip, looked up at the dome of the commercial plaza, and through the broken skylight, saw the dim yellow sky. He then looked around and confirmed that there were indeed no signs of life nearby.

Itchy hands.

I haven't touched this thing for a while.

She hesitated for a moment in front of the piano, then finally dragged a chair over and sat down.

He placed his hands on the piano keys and took a deep breath.

========================

As the last note faded, applause erupted behind Xiangzi.

"I don't think I've ever seen a senior musician play the piano before," said the person applauding. "It's absolutely amazing."

"You flatter me," Xiangzi said. "Long time no see, Yan."

She had actually noticed Yan's arrival quite early on; about two minutes after she started playing, she heard someone breathing behind her.

But since the other party didn't bother her, she ignored them and played until the end, releasing all the emotions that had been building up recently through music.

I have to say, it feels much more comfortable.

Xiangzi unconsciously smiled.

"Can I ask what piece it was?" Flame asked. "The one you just played... I think it was one."

For ten minutes, it was the same song.

"Chopin's Ballade No. 1 in G minor." Xiangzi closed the piano lid, turned around, and said, "It's been a long time since I played it."

The magical girls' appearances remained largely unchanged. Homura still wore those red-rimmed glasses, her long hair casually draped over her back, exuding a quiet yet authoritative aura.

She has matured a lot.

“There’s absolutely no sign of rustiness; you’re undoubtedly a genius in this area,” Yan said.

"Let's skip the pleasantries." Xiangzi shook his head. "If the future turns out the way you described it, I have an inescapable responsibility. You can say whatever you want, curse whatever you want."

"I've already said everything I could to curse." Yan tilted her head. "Besides, Senior has already made up his mind, right?"

"Ah."

“Then I have even less to say.” Yan shrugged. “Your disappearance for thirty years was an unavoidable accident, and I have no reason to blame the victim for the accident… However.”

She paused.

"You've come to see me, right? Is there anything you want to say?"

"About underwater cities..."

"Things beyond causality, right? I'm waiting for news too."

"Want to come together?" Xiangzi asked.

She came here specifically to ask about this matter.

"No, thank you." Yan walked over and leaned against the piano. "Now that you're back, it's better to leave this matter to you."

"why?"

"I... also have something I want to protect." Flame turned her head and said softly, "I've become a little unable to leave."

(Part 4) She said she wouldn't open it anymore. What she meant was that she felt the present was more important to her than thinking about changing the future.

Xiangzi blinked.

Time can really change a person a lot.

"It's nothing," Xiangzi said. "It was my business to begin with."

"Feel sorry."

"Want to take a walk around?" Xiangzi stood up, climbed over the railing, and said, "Let's chat and talk about what has happened in the decades I've been gone."

“I thought Del had already explained it to you.”

"I want to hear you tell me."

Don't you trust her?

"What do you think?"

"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked such a stupid question." Flame shrugged and turned to ask, "So, is there anything you want to know?"

"What was that bombing?" Xiangzi asked. "Most of the damage that Reed Plain is suffering now was caused by it, wasn't it?"

“Good question.” Flame nodded, resting her right hand on her left and her left hand on her chin. “To explain its origin, we need to start with the Agents. You know about the Agents, right?”

"The one who used black holes back then..."

“That was one of the agents. In fact, there are far more agents for the incubators than you think,” Flame said. “Only a small fraction, like that black hole back then, are from outer space; the vast majority are Earthlings.”

"An Earthling? So, she's a magical girl?"

“Humans who are still willing to sign contracts with the Incubators after the war has begun can no longer be called magical girls. They are undoubtedly traitors, the most hateful group among the Agents, and the group that has caused the most damage to the Earth.” Flame frowned. “They know that they will become Kyubey’s dogs after making a wish, but still… In short, there are many of these people, and they are annoying, like flies.”

"What does that have to do with the bombing of Reed Plains?"

Have you seen those things? With the naked eye.

"No."

“That’s true, after all, they’re located at such a high altitude.” Flame sighed. “Currently, there are no weapons on the ground that can reach them.”

"Is it an armed bomber?"

“No, it’s a kind of ‘creature’ that can survive without landing as long as it keeps photosynthesizing. They belong to a traitor I killed. The periodic bombing was just mechanically carrying out the last order of that proxy before his death—to periodically bomb the ground,” Flame said. “They are like migratory birds, circling all over the world, resupplying, and then carrying out missions. The reed plains are where they ‘lay their eggs’.”

"It sounds like there are many stories behind it."

“Yeah, it would take a long time to explain.” Yan breathed a sigh of relief, her shoulders slumping. “Even if you’re interested in listening, I’m not interested in talking about it.”

“Then let’s talk about the agents, or the world situation, or something like that,” Xiangzi said. “I want to know what obstacles I might encounter.”

"There's really no situation to speak of now. Kyubey is the kind of boss who doesn't really manage his subordinates. Once the agents realized this, they started to each establish their own territory."

"Then, what about humans? Isn't this a battle between humans and the incubators?"

“That was only true at the very beginning,” Flame sighed. “Later on, everyone forgot why they were fighting. After all, 99.999% of the people involved in this war had never seen the so-called super-causality.”

"For something whose very purpose is unknown, Earth has become a battlefield, unrecognizable..."

"Pretty much, just like you described."

"How could a new world, created by Deng's sacrifice, have become worse than before?" Xiangzi clenched his fists. "It shouldn't be like this. This world deserves a better ending."

"You haven't changed at all, just like before." Yan's somewhat weary gaze looked at Xiangzi through her glasses. "Unfortunately, I've already..."

“After all, it’s only been a blink of an eye for me that thirty years have passed. Things don’t change that easily.” Xiangzi sighed. “But you have truly struggled for thirty years.”

"Not entirely." Yan turned her head and blinked. "You've changed quite a bit too, senior."

"You were the one who just said I hadn't changed," Xiangzi said, rolling his eyes at her.

“I’m talking about here.” Flame pointed to her heart. “Determination.”

determination?

Xiangzi lowered his head and pressed his hand to his heart.

"...If only I hadn't used that method." Xiangzi looked at his palm and clenched his fist. "I still need to find a way to go back."

"Your eyes are exactly the same as when you left." Yan looked into her eyes and slightly curled the corners of her mouth. "Even if no one is willing to stay with you, you will still persevere."

"Yes." Xiangzi nodded. "At the very least... we have to save Chuhua."

“In that case… here, you can borrow this.” Yan took the small round shield off her arm and handed it to Xiangzi. “Don’t break it.”

"This is?!"

Xiangzi held the small round lamp and stared wide-eyed at the flame.

Isn't this the mechanism she used to stop time? This should be a weapon bound to her Soul Gem.

Can you just give this kind of thing away like that?!

“Nobody’s ever done that before, so you’re probably surprised, right?” Flame smiled. “Actually, it’s possible, as long as I don’t actively take it back.”

With that, Yan raised her hand.

whoosh-

The small round shield flew back onto her forearm. She took it off again in front of Xiangzi and handed it to him.

"So...it can be done like this?" Xiangzi swallowed hard. "But how do I open this thing?"

"There is a mechanism on the back of the shield that can be opened manually."

Following Yan's instructions, Xiangzi flipped over behind the shield and saw a very inconspicuous wind-up clockwork.

click-

After winding it up, the mechanism of the small round shield opened, and the world instantly turned black and white. She was completely unaffected by it.

As the weapon's owner, Yan was not affected by the time stop either. She stood with her hands behind her back, smiling as she looked at Xiangzi.

"Let it take my place and accompany you on your journey," Yan said.

Xiangzi stared into her eyes, looking at her face, which was exactly the same as before, yet had become mature and weathered, and suddenly didn't know what to say.