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

Page 6

He looked troubled, unsure whether to answer truthfully or change the subject. If he answered truthfully, he could leave a good impression on Chengzi now, which might help her in the future. Thinking of this, his gaze unconsciously turned to Chengzi.

Before anyone knew it, Orange had put down her book and was listening to their conversation. Noticing his gaze, she thought he was in a difficult position, so she stroked Aoko's head and said softly, "Aoko, this is someone else's private matter."

Aoko then realized that the person opposite her was someone she had just met, not one of her childhood friends.

Thinking of this, she blushed. She thought to herself that she was already in middle school, but she was still completely powerless against her older sister's actions. She felt a faint envy for this maturity in her heart.

Chapter Fourteen: Guanbuzi City General Hospital

Time passed quickly, and unexpectedly, all three of them ended up in Kanbuko City, Meguro Ward, Tokyo.

The three of them got off at Guanbuzi Station. Le Zhengling opened the map in his hand and checked the route again.

"Wow, Rin-chan, you've prepared so thoroughly." Aoko exclaimed in amazement as she looked at the map in his hand.

Le Zhengling was too exhausted to respond to her. He felt more tired than ever before, not physically, but mentally.

"Do you want us to come with you?" Orange put away the second volume of "No Longer Human" and asked shyly.

The first volume that Aoko stuffed into her pocket looks like it won't be coming back anytime soon.

Le Zhengling rubbed his face, softening the stiff lines of his features, and said with a smile that showed no sign of displeasure, "No need to trouble you. You all have your own things to do, so don't waste your time on someone like me."

Hearing his answer, the two sisters exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of unease on each other's faces, wondering: Did we just bully him terribly?

But since they had made it so obvious, the two of them had no choice but to give up.

Aoko angrily slapped Le Zhengling's back, her irritable and easily angered nature gradually showing. "You're so stingy! Give me your address! I'll return that book to you personally after I finish reading it! Hmm, I'll bring a thank-you gift!"

Qingzi didn't mean any harm, but her behavior was just her personality. Knowing this, Yue Zhengling felt much better.

He was very interested in her suggestion. It was an opportunity to get closer to them. With that in mind, he took out a pen and paper and wrote down the store name and address.

Orange stepped over Aoko and took the paper, then looked at her unhappy sister and said, "If I give it to you, I'm afraid you'll lose it before the day is over."

Qingzi, who was somewhat self-aware, gave an embarrassed smile and did not try to snatch the note again.

After glancing at the address, Orange exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this the next town? We live so close!"

Hearing Orange's words, Aoko also stood on tiptoe to look at the address on the paper. After seeing it clearly, she said with a hint of arrogance, "Ah, I know that shopping street."

Then she saw the name of the Chinese restaurant. "Ling-chan, your family owns a restaurant!" Qingzi exclaimed in surprise and patted him twice, making Le Zhengling wonder if he had offended her.

Gentleness is clearly not for you, and besides, it's just a restaurant. Why are you so surprised?

"Yes, my family owns a restaurant. You can try it sometime, and I can give you a 20% discount." He extended the invitation as a matter of social custom, while silently grumbling to himself.

"Okay! Don't worry! My sister and I will definitely come next week! But we can't charge you if it's not delicious!" Qingzi agreed before Chengzi could even speak.

Since Qingzi had already said so, Chengzi acquiesced. She also thought that a week would be enough time for her to finish reading the second book, and then she would go to Yue Zhengling's house to borrow the sequel.

Orange brushed aside her long, loose hair, reached out and patted Yue Zhengling's head, revealing a gentle smile: "Thank you for your book. See you next week, Lingjun."

Without waiting for Qingzi to dawdle any longer, he pulled her around and left.

"See you next time, Rin-chan!" After being pulled a few steps, Aoko finally realized what was happening, raised her hand, waved a few times, and said goodbye loudly.

Le Zhengling stood there, waving goodbye to the two sisters with a wry smile. After watching them go, he looked at the large clock at the station and realized it was getting late. He ran out of the station to catch a bus to the hospital.

When he passed by Yaohan Department Store, he thought he would just buy something to eat, but then he thought he might have to have his blood drawn later, so he gave up. It was only then that he realized that he hadn't eaten anything all day except for the cup of warm water he drank before leaving home.

"Forget it, I'll just hurry up and finish the checkup, then go home and treat myself to a nice meal." With that thought to himself, giving himself something to look forward to, he walked towards the subway entrance.

After taking a bus, it took ten minutes to reach Guanbuzi City General Hospital. The reason he came here was because his new guardian was the benefactor of the hospital. Although he didn't know anything about the guardian, such as his name, appearance, or occupation, he only knew that he was a calm and composed man.

After his grandfather passed away, the new guardian called him and told him to come to the hospital if he needed anything. He also called the guardian before leaving home today to say he wanted to come to the hospital for a check-up.

Unfortunately, the guardian said he wasn't at the hospital right now, but he had already notified the front desk that he could just go for the check-up as soon as he arrived, and all the fees would be waived.

It was precisely because of the crucial fact that all fees were waived that Yue Zhengling chose to come here, rather than the University of Tokyo Medical School Hospital in the neighboring Bunkyo Ward.

After successfully communicating with the front desk, his guardian, who had never shown up, had indeed arranged everything. A nurse in the lobby helped him complete the formalities and accompanied him throughout a very detailed examination, covering almost the entire hospital except for the inpatient department.

But the whole process was faster than he expected. He thought it would take about three hours, but he didn't expect to complete all the checks in two and a half hours.

Finally, as the nurse carried the thick stack of medical reports into the dean's office, Le Zhengling clearly realized that his guardian seemed to be quite extraordinary.

Here's an interesting situation: there were many small private clinics in Japan during this era, but they might not even be able to cure minor illnesses.

National large general hospitals specialize in major surgeries and charge extremely high fees, while charging very low fees for minor illnesses and pains. They will not recommend hospitalization for ordinary illnesses, no matter how serious they are. Therefore, many ordinary people prefer to seek medical treatment here, and medical insurance covers their expenses.

The large, private general hospital where Le Zhengling was staying was specifically designed for the wealthy, welcoming all kinds of long-term inpatients and charging very high fees. It was backed by various groups and associations with shares, all for the purpose of facilitating money laundering.

Just as he was standing idly by the corridor window looking at the scenery, a man in a black coat walked around the corner. When Yue Zhengling caught a glimpse of that figure out of the corner of his eye, his breath hitched, and he almost thought it was Nero Chaos.

But after looking closely, he realized he had mistaken the man for someone else. Although they were quite far apart, he could see that the man had black hair.

The person walked slowly over with a heavy expression, and Yue Zhengling gradually saw his appearance clearly.

This person had a serious and distressed expression, filled with darkness and heaviness, like a philosopher burdened with an unsolvable problem.

—The appearance of a melancholy philosopher.

Chapter Fifteen: Araya Sōren

—The appearance of a melancholy philosopher.

This was Yue Zhengling's heartfelt feeling upon seeing this person.

He looked at the man, who was about the same height as Nero Chaos and dressed similarly, with a sense of familiarity returning to him.

This time, Yue Zhengling finally faced this feeling squarely. He had felt this way the first time he saw Nero Chaos, and the second time he saw the Aozaki sisters. So the fact that it had appeared again this time meant that he should know this person.

This man exerted an even greater sense of oppression on him than Nero Chaos. This oppression wasn't like the feeling of being killed at any moment that Nero Chaos had, but rather, upon seeing this man, it felt as if some immense pressure was weighing on his heart—a heaviness that came from the depths of his being.

Le Zhengling raised his head with difficulty, his lips moving: "Araya—Zonglian."

The sound was so faint that even he himself could barely hear it.

For him, encountering this person was the worst-case scenario, because encountering other dangerous individuals would at worst result in death, but encountering this person might turn him into someone who was not himself.

Araya Sōren was not born into a family of magicians, but rather into a family that practiced the Tendai sect during the war-torn period of Japan. He has lived for approximately two centuries.

He was well-versed in various classics of the Tiantai school from a young age and was known as a child prodigy. At the same time, he had already shown talent in "barriers".

After becoming a monk, he went to the main temple of the Tiantai sect to study, during which time he began to embrace a strong ideal of "saving all living beings." Therefore, he began to travel to various places to help people, and traveled all over the country to save lives.

However, after witnessing the massacres and destruction brought about by war, and realizing that it is impossible to save everyone, he began to question whether humanity has any value in being saved because of the various atrocities he witnessed.

Feeling his own insignificance and powerlessness, he began to doubt the firm beliefs he had previously held. After the despairing thought that "no one can be saved for me," he decided that if he couldn't save people, he should at least clearly record their deaths.

Ultimately, due to the excessive number of deaths recorded, it became a representation of hell.

Although his abilities as a magician are full of flaws and quite ordinary, he surpasses others through his own strength and possesses one of the world's most outstanding skills in creating barriers.

A barrier is something that separates the inside from the outside; in order to create a world that is complete in itself, it must first complete itself.

Araya, who possessed no special talents, perfected himself through years of accumulated experience and unwavering faith, becoming a first-rate barrier master. The names of his barriers were "Fuku, Vajra, Serpent, Taiten, Top Sutra, and King's Manifestation." These barriers unfolded in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional structures, and their name was "Six Paths Realm."

However, this is not the most terrifying thing. The reason why Yue Zhengling is afraid of him is that he has the ability to awaken the origins of others.

After abandoning his original Tendai faith, he joined the Magic Association and began to study with the goal of pursuing the "archetype of the soul." He collected deaths, deciphered the origin of mankind, and traced the vortex of the root, hoping to clarify the value of mankind or end the ugly and suffering human beings.

This is why he learned the art of awakening origins by pursuing the "archetype of the soul" and awakened his own origin.

The so-called origin refers to the directionality of things that arise from the initial cause. It is the absolute command that instructs α to become α, serving as the core.

It was already born in the vortex of the source of everything.

For example, anything with a "taboo" origin, whether born as a human, an animal, or a plant, will become a moral entity that deviates from the group.

Regardless of whether there is reincarnation, the idea is that humans obtain physical bodies and wisdom according to the direction at the time of their birth, forming a personality that is only slightly different from their previous one.

Those who awaken to the origin will be devoured by the origin.

Because a "personality" that has only existed for a century can only be covered by the directionality that originated from the primordial beginning. Conversely, humans (physical bodies) covered by the origin will gain immense power.

However, even without awakening, once one becomes aware of the origin, one will be trapped by common sense and rejected by society.

Common sense still exists, but it's difficult to maintain a mindset or way of thinking that's only been around for a few decades.

At that time, people will become involuntary, and they will no longer be "themselves".

Not only was Yue Zhengling afraid of this, but he was even more afraid of being seen through as having a soul that was not born from the "root" of this world.

Only then did he realize that he had been too arrogant.

His encounter with Nero Chaos made him realize that this was no ordinary world, but after meeting the Aozaki sisters, he recklessly approached them, which was simply courting death.

He didn't know if the Counter had discovered him as an "outsider." If the previous thirteen years he had lived as an ordinary person in this world, without anything special or unusual, and therefore hadn't attracted the Counter's attention, then meeting Nero Chaos was an accident.

Therefore, associating with the Aozaki sisters would be suicidal. These sisters are undoubtedly protagonist-level beings, the darlings of the world. Contacting them would definitely attract the attention of the Counterforce.

Ideally, the inhibitory mechanism wouldn't detect his abnormality, or if it did but didn't care, that would be good. But if the answer is no—

Thinking of this, Le Zhengling's face turned pale, and she looked terrified.

There's a saying that you always overthink things and scare yourself. Right now, Yue Zhengling doesn't know that his backing is actually quite strong. Unless absolutely necessary, his self-control won't touch him.

“You’re strange.” Araya Sōren stopped in front of him, her entire body enveloping him, giving off a powerful sense of oppression.

Le Zhengling took a deep breath, wanting to leave immediately, but she couldn't move an inch.

Araya Sōren's ability—Stillness.

"What are you?" the man asked, though he didn't expect an answer.

The door to the director's office opened, and the nurse who had been there earlier looked around. She noticed that Araya Sōren hesitated for a moment, then walked over and asked, "Director Araya, have you seen a child?"

Upon hearing the nurse's words, Araya Sōren stepped aside, revealing Yū Jō-ling, who had been hidden from view.

At the same time, Yue Zhengling regained control of her body and staggered, almost falling over.

"Oh dear, little Yue Zhengling, we've found you!" The nurse looked at him with a smile and reached out to pull him over.

“Le Zhengling…Le Zheng?” Araya Sōren, who was standing next to him, frowned when he heard the name Le Zhengling, as if he was recalling something.

Le Zhengling didn't dare look at him, and instead asked the nurse, "Nurse, is there anything I can help you with?"

The nurse glanced at Araya Sōren with a hint of fear, then pulled Yue Zhengling a little further away before squatting down, patting his head, and saying, "The director asked me to tell you that your medical examination results will be delivered to your home in a few days. You can go home now."

Upon hearing this, Yue Zheng glanced at the tightly closed door to the dean's office and asked the nurse, puzzled, "Is something wrong?"

Chapter Sixteen: The Black Cat

"Oh, no, it's because the dean said he'd ask the most professional doctor for his opinion when he gets back." The nurse glanced at Araya Sōren again, then hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but didn't.

Yue Zhengling looked at Araya Sōren thoughtfully. He knew that Araya Sōren was also a magician who had done a lot of research on the physical body. He had made several substitute bodies for himself. As long as the current body died, he could be reborn in another body after a period of time. It was just that he was not as powerful as Aozaki Touko in the future.

Afterwards, Yue Zhengling nodded obediently to the nurse, "I understand, nurse. I'll go back now."

"Okay, wait a moment, I'll talk to Director Araya for a bit and then I'll take you downstairs."

As she spoke, the nurse walked up to Araya Sōren and said somewhat fearfully, "Director Araya, the director said that if he sees you, he will notify you to go see him."

"I understand," Araya Sōren replied expressionlessly, then turned his gaze to Yue Zhengling not far away. "What's the matter with that child?"

The nurse looked very conflicted, but finally said, "He's here for a physical exam; he's someone connected to the hospital."

After saying that, she turned around and ran back to Le Zhengling's side, took his little hand, and walked towards the elevator.

Throughout the entire process, Araya Sōren did not speak to stop them, but focused intently on Yue Zhengling's back. When Yue Zhengling reached the corner and saw his gaze, he had an ominous premonition.

The nurse whispered to Yue Zhengling in the elevator, "Director Huangye didn't do anything to you just now, did he?"

Le Zhengling shook her head to indicate no, but in her heart she thought, "If he wanted to do something to me, what could I, as an ordinary person, do?" Even his employees doubted him; just how much of a failure was Araya Sōren...?

The nurse breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Yue Zhengling shake his head. "That Director Huangye rarely appears at the hospital. Although he is a director, we all feel very unfamiliar with him, and he seems like a bad... wait, why am I telling you this?"

In the end, the nurse didn't say the part about him sounding like a bad guy, and quietly took him out of the hospital.

The sun is setting.

After leaving the hospital, Yue Zhengling went straight to the station. It was already dusk, and he was so hungry after a long day that he couldn't wait to go home and cook a good meal.

Walking alone on the street, more and more people were leaving get off work, and all the pedestrians seemed to be in a hurry. Mixed in with the flow of people leaving get off work, Le Zhengling suddenly felt a little lonely, probably because of the aftereffects of the unexpected encounter at noon.

In fact, he hadn't chatted with someone his age for a long time, and both Qingzi and Chengzi gave him a special feeling.

This feeling was different for Nero Chaos. The characters he knew from his memories were now vividly appearing in front of him. The former's one-sided oppression made him feel unreal, while the latter two's small interactions with him made him feel that they were real and alive.

"Will I be able to get those two books back?" He pondered this question as he walked, unaware that he had unknowingly wandered into a side alley.