I want to just drift through life in Type-Moon.

Page 104

Yu-joo glanced at her, her face, which was usually expressionless, now clouded with gloom. "I don't even know what happened myself, how can you explain it?"

Seeing that Yuzhu didn't seem to be lying, Aoko could only shut her mouth. After living together for half a year, she had a general understanding of Yuzhu's personality. Yuzhu was the kind of person who meant what she said and wouldn't lie. If she said she didn't know, then she really didn't know.

"There were no clues in that thing?" Aoko knew her brain wasn't working well, so she had forgotten most of the things mentioned in Yue Zhengling's manuscript that were irrelevant to her, but her companion Youzhu should still remember them.

"No," Yuzhu replied simply. Although she didn't know, one of the cats present did, so she looked at the little black cat.

Noticing Ayumi's gaze, the black cat meowed and then quickly fled towards the door.

"Aoko, catch it!" Ayumi shouted to Aoko.

Aoko, whose body reacted faster than her brain, hadn't even understood what Yuzu was saying, but instinctively grabbed the black cat.

"Meow, meow! Meow~!" The black cat struggled incessantly in front of Aoko's developing chest, but Aoko, with her brute strength, held it firmly.

Yuzhu walked around the hospital bed, came to Aoko, lowered her head, and said in a sighing tone, "Isn't it time to tell us everything, Ren?"

The black cat, whose name was called, straightened its tail and then stopped all movement. However, when it realized what was happening, it pretended not to understand and meowed in a meaningless way, just like an ordinary cat.

"Ayumi, are you calling this little guy's name?" Holding the black cat in one arm and rubbing the paw pads on its paws with the other, Aoko asked, looking completely oblivious.

Chapter 234 The Black Cat's Identity

Yuzhu didn't actually mean to force the black cat, but the scenes she had just witnessed felt like a thorn in her side, making her very uncomfortable.

Yuzhu understood that this feeling was not because of something great like love, but simply because it felt as if her possessions had been defiled by someone else.

You know, women are troublesome creatures.

If you take a quick look at it every day, over time it will accumulate into a remarkable number.

Perhaps, without realizing it, his feelings underwent a subtle change, and he gradually came to regard the still-sleeping Yue Zhengling as his own.

This was a dangerous sign, and Yoo-joo was aware of it. However, even though she was aware of it, she did not deny this mindset, because she believed that she and Lok Jung-ling had a closer connection than anyone else in the world.

They are not relatives, but their relationship is closer than that of relatives. This relationship is not one-sided like that between Orange and Green, but a real connection.

For the past year and a half, Yuzhu had been investigating Yue Zhengling's identity, and a year ago, around the time Orange left Japan for London, she confirmed Yue Zhengling's identity.

However, she didn't make a fuss. After all, revealing this relationship wouldn't benefit either of them. Moreover, it was precisely because she knew about this relationship that she could calmly and superiorly look at Aoko, her future rival with whom she would have a love-hate relationship.

But today, Yuzhu discovers that things are not as good as she imagined. Both the white-haired woman and Hei Ji seem to have some unclear relationship with Yue Zhengling.

Even though this relationship wasn't with the current Yue Zhengling, Youzhu still felt uncomfortable. What was even more unusual was that Youzhu believed the appearance of those phantoms had a special meaning, and although she didn't know what had happened to Yue Zhengling in the phantoms, he seemed to be in a deep sleep.

The evidence is that the sleeping expressions of the two Yue Zhenglings are exactly the same. Generally speaking, the facial expressions of people who are in a deep sleep for a long time and those who are in normal sleep are different because of the difference in muscle movement over a long period of time.

Based on this, it is certain that the illusionary Yue Zhengling also woke up after a long period of slumber. And as long as the reason for the other party's awakening is figured out, Yue Zhengling here should also be able to be awakened in the same way.

Most importantly, the Mother of the Observational ...

The first event was probably what prompted Orange to change her plans and enter the Clock Tower six months earlier. Moreover, Ayumi also asked a friend to keep an eye on Orange's performance in the Clock Tower, and learned that Orange's actions in the Clock Tower could only be described as abnormal.

Yu-chu acknowledges that Orange is a genius, but that cannot explain this abnormality. Even though Orange has the hints from Yue Zhengling's manuscript and knows what is most suitable for her, so that she can avoid going astray, experience and skills must be accumulated over time. However, Orange completely skipped those processes and directly showed the final result.

This transformation is like the future orange infusing the present orange with the fruits of its years of work. After all, they are its own creations, which is why it can achieve such an extraordinary feat.

Yuzhu had also speculated that it might be due to the Fifth Law, but she quickly dismissed the idea because she knew that the Fifth Law was related to time, but Orange did not have the qualifications to use it; it was something reserved for Aoko.

Most importantly, on the night before leaving Japan, Orange discussed many things with her and even subtly mentioned Yue Zhengling's necklace. That's why Youzhu always carried the necklace with her and only took it out to return it to Yue Zhengling when she came to his hospital room.

However, nothing happened during the six months she was the custodian. It wasn't until today that the anomaly appeared before her eyes for the first time. But this period was already Qingzi's custody time, and the prophecy of the Mother of Guanbuzi did not come true for her.

Or perhaps something really did happen, but you don't know it?

Yuzhu no longer wanted to deal with these things, because someone in this ward knew what had happened, namely the black cat—Ren—that Aoko had caught.

The people gathered in Yue Zhengling's ward were all more or less related to [Dharma]. Youzhu didn't realize it at first, but over the past year and a half, seeing its undisguised presence in front of her finally made her certain of this fact.

That's how Yuzhu deduced the identity of the black cat.

The self that is related to the First Law.

The Aozaki sisters are related to the Fifth Law.

Tsbia, who is connected to the undetermined Sixth Law, and Lian, who will be involved with the Sixth Law in the future.

If this is a coincidence, it's simply impossible. The cause and effect involved are probably far greater than one can imagine.

At first, the black cat would deliberately avoid them, but as time went by, it started to swagger around there without any intention of hiding its presence.

Whether it deliberately led the three of them to Guanbuzi's mother back then, whether it freely entered and exited this ward over the past year and a half, or its terrified reaction when it stepped on that necklace just now, everything indicates that it knows something.

More importantly, in Yue Zhengling's manuscript, it is mentioned that the owner of this black cat is the last True Ancestor in this world, the familiar of Arcueid Brunestud, the White Princess. However, it is noted that there is no special contract between the two. It is also mentioned that this black cat named Ren was a familiar created by an unknown magician using human souls and cat corpses. However, they never had any contact with each other. The magician spoke to Ren for the first time before he died, and gave her a name before leaving this world.

Who is this unknown magician, and why is he doing this?

Yuzhu is also a witch who specializes in creating familiars. She understands how difficult it is to create a living being by combining a human soul with a cat's corpse. Even with her witch heritage, she has not yet achieved this. According to her estimate, it will take her at least another ten years to accomplish this.

Is it really possible for an unknown magician to so easily recreate a life using the corpse of a cat and the soul of a human?

From suspecting the black cat's identity to suspecting the magician's identity, Ariel's intuition repeatedly told her that the dead—or rather, the magician whose whereabouts were unknown—was a very important person.

Chapter 235 Lotus

That's why Yuzhu wanted to confront the black cat.

Even though Yuzhu had asked the question, the black cat fell silent and even covered her eyes with the hand that Aoko hadn't been playing with.

Seeing this, Youzhu could only frown and remain silent.

Aoko, who had been quiet for a long time, slowly realized the problem from Yuzhu's expression. However, compared to Yuzhu, who always thought and solved problems on her own, Aoko preferred to let things take their natural course.

She walked up to Yuzhu, held the black cat up to her face, and said, "Yuzhu, think about it. If this black cat doesn't talk, doesn't that mean it's not the right time yet? When the time comes, I think it will definitely tell us."

Aoko also knew that this black cat was extraordinary. After all, as her sleeping companion (the friend who slept next to Le Zhengling), she did not want any conflict to occur between her roommate and the black cat.

These words of persuasion gradually eased Youzhu's furrowed brows, revealing a relieved expression.

Aoko flipped the black cat over and looked at it with a bright smile: "It seems that Ayumi has forgiven you~ But after knowing you for so long, I only just found out that your name is Ren."

The black cat removed its paw from its eyes, revealing a speechless expression.

"But I still prefer you as you are to your human form. After all, it's nice to squeeze your fleshy ball, and it's warm to hug. Compared to you, who's even colder than Ayumi, this form is definitely more endearing." Aoko said with a smile, words that Ayumi couldn't ignore.

The room temperature inexplicably dropped several degrees. Because Ren blocked her view, Aoko didn't see Yuzhu's face, which had turned completely dark.

"Qingzi, what did you just say?"

Suddenly, Aoko heard a voice that seemed to come from hell. Although she realized that the voice belonged to her roommate, she was not sure of the guess, because she could not imagine that Yuzu would make such an angry voice.

"Eh, eh?!" Aoko trembled as she looked at Yuzu, finally noticing the indescribable look on Yuzu's face.

"W-Why are you so angry, Yuzhu? Did I do something wrong?" Aoko still didn't understand why Yuzhu was angry.

Hearing Aoko's words that she was completely unaware of what she had done, Ariju felt incredibly exhausted and realized how wasteful it was of her energy to argue with an idiot.

I'm so discouraged, so very discouraged!

This is how Yuju feels right now.

"Ugh, should I continue with my promise to Aoko? It seems like all my efforts are in vain." Ayumi closed her eyes wearily, no longer looking at Aoko.

"What's wrong now! What's wrong now! I feel like you're being really rude all of a sudden, Aoko!" Aoko was no longer afraid after seeing Aoko return to normal, and she felt very uncomfortable seeing Aoko's current state.

Yuzhu glared at her, then perked up and asked, "You said that cat has a human form, right? When did you see it—no, when did you find out about it?"

Aoko blinked, then looked up at the ceiling, seemingly trying to remember something. After about a minute, she gave an embarrassed look, stuck out her tongue, and said, "Eh~ I forgot~"

Yuzhu's face instantly turned bright red with anger. Looking at Qingzi's face, she couldn't help but want to slap her.

[This happened about six months ago.]

Just as Yu-joo was about to take action, an unfamiliar voice rang in her mind.

"Oh dear, who spoke?" Aoko seemed to have heard the voice as well, but this time she quickly focused her attention on the black cat in her hands.

Yuzhu also suppressed her anger and looked at the black cat with a serious expression. "So you're finally willing to speak?"

[...the timing wasn't ideal, but it wasn't too bad either.]

The voice of the black cat, or rather, Ren, appeared directly in their minds.

"Ah, right, it was indeed about half a year ago. I came here to sleep that day, and then this little guy suddenly appeared, nestled between me and Ling, and in my dream, I saw a very cute little sister!"

After being prompted by Ren, Qingzi finally remembered what had happened.

"Can I ask some questions?" Yuzhu ignored Aoko's answer; at this point, Aoko's statement was meaningless.

I will answer your question if conditions permit.

"What do you mean by 'conditions'?" A glint of wisdom flashed in Youzhu's eyes.

[This refers to what you currently know and what you will ask about.]

“…Alright, please introduce yourself first.” Yuzhu casually activated the barrier that had been set up in the room beforehand.

My name is Len, and I am a wandering nightmare.

"You guessed right." Youzhu thought to herself. She never expected that they would actually encounter the only special black cat on Yue Zhengling's manuscript.

"A wandering nightmare? Isn't your master Rin?" Yuzhu and the black cat stared at each other, trying to read something from each other's eyes.

No, he was just a kind person who fed me dried squid.

Unexpectedly, this was the answer. Yuzhu felt that things were not quite what she had imagined, and she couldn't help but ask again, "Just a kind person? No other relationship?"

[...] This time, Ren didn't answer, but not answering was also an answer. Yuzhu, realizing that she hadn't guessed wrong, breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"How can I wake Ling up?" Youzhu continued to ask, but was met with silence. So she immediately changed her question, "What was that phantom just now?"

【I have no idea. 】

"Then why were you so flustered before?" Yuzhu recalled the scene when Lian stepped on the necklace, and felt that the action triggered something.

"Because I accidentally activated that thing," Lian answered truthfully.

"Have you seen that thing activate?" Although it was clear from Lian's answer that she had seen the necklace activate, Youzhu asked another question to confirm.

【Yes. 】

"What is the purpose of that thing?" Yuzhu asked after receiving an affirmative answer.

[Opening a door to another world, what follows cannot be spoken.]

Ren's answer was completely beyond Yuzhu's expectations. Although she already knew what the necklace was, the function she knew was completely different from what Ren said.

“How could it be a door? It shouldn’t be—” However, Aoko’s words were cut short. Aoko, who had been listening attentively to their conversation, suddenly frowned, handed the black cat to Aoko, and reached for the necklace.

[Stop! That thing is still working!] Ren shouted loudly in Aoko and Yuzu's minds, but the warning came too late.

Following her intuition, Aoko touched the ring, and then—

Chapter 236 The Heart (Part 1)

Following her intuition, Aoko touched the ring, and then a beautiful blue color began to bloom from the empty gap of the necklace ring.

Ren stared in alarm at the blue light, her cat-like eyes filled with disbelief. Although she knew that Aoko was from the Aozaki family, she never expected that Aoko would have the ability to activate the [Boundary Ring]. Moreover, looking at the shimmering color, it was exactly the effect of activating the [Boundary Ring] under the Fifth Law.

Everyone's vision began to distort as the blue light appeared, and a tremendous gust of wind began to rage through the ward.

The vase tipped over, the blankets were blown away, the curtains were pulled back, and then a red light, the opposite of the blue, began to appear, emanating from something that was "squeezed" out from the center of the boundary ring.

The colors of blue and red intertwined, and a faint fragrance filled the entire ward. Qingzi, who caused all this, looked at the unknown object that had suddenly appeared in her hand with distress.

Once the object was fully revealed, Aoko instinctively released her grip on the necklace and held up the unidentified object to her roommate, asking, "Yuju, what is this?"

From the moment the unusual situation began, Youzhu remained remarkably calm. After learning about Yue Zhengling's identity, she had already made a general guess about the necklace, and the events of that day just happened to confirm her suspicions.

However, putting those matters aside for now, Yuzhu is currently thinking about how to deal with what Aoko has.

If an ordinary person saw this, they would probably just think it's an unparalleled crystal artifact.

Bathed in sunlight, the object in Aoko's hands refracted a jewel-like brilliance, and an intoxicating fragrance emanated from within. Despite being an inanimate object, looking at it gave one the feeling that "this thing is alive."

"Aoko, find a place to hide it first." After finding out what Aoko had, Yuzhu released the strongest fairy tale monster—the Rose Hound—without thinking.

Because she had practically transformed this ward into her own workshop, the process was quite rapid.

The thick white fog completely enveloped the ward in less than ten seconds, blocking out all the scent emanating from the object in Qingzi's hand.

"Wait! Yuzhu, what are you doing? I can't see!" In the dense fog with visibility of less than three meters, Aoko kept waving her hands, trying to clear the fog.