Chapter 147 "Are you going to try to escape?"...

"Actually, our strengths were not that different to begin with."

Aurora said considerately.

The doll still had the same red hair and red clothes, but the three people present all knew what the true soul hidden within its shell was... if the supernatural could be considered to have a soul.

Let's continue calling it Aurora... Even if it's not currently using the form of the doll that Tsukino and Chiya are familiar with, which calls itself Aurora, it is definitely that Aurora.

"..." Faced with such a sudden change, Tsukino and Chiya had many questions they wanted to ask, but in the end, he remained silent and said nothing.

Wang Ma Xiaoji also quieted down. His thoughts likely coincided with those of Tsukino and Chiya—they all intended to listen to what else the puppet, who clearly hadn't stopped talking, had to say. At this moment, any words uttered by the puppet could potentially be information that was advantageous to their side.

Miya Higashigo remained equally unmoved. She was the closest of the three to the sofa... but the good news was that she was also the most capable of protecting herself. Tsukino and Chiya had no doubt that if the doll tried to do anything, the seemingly harmless Black Goat would finally reveal her true colors.

"The atmosphere seems to have suddenly become a bit off." Aurora was still using the voice of that unknown doll.

It started by saying something obvious and meaningless, before slowly picking up where it left off with the topic it had brought up earlier.

“The difference in strength between me and my sisters isn’t that great. You should know that, Qianye,” Aurora said slowly. “Because you’re probably the player I chose who has had the most contact with my sisters, right? Although… it seems we haven’t had direct contact? But you know quite a bit about my sisters, don’t you?”

"Sisters..." likely refers to similar doll-like anomalies, like the one currently sealed in the Kujo Mansion. Of course, there's no real blood relation between doll-like anomalies; Aurora simply chose this seemingly human term.

It seems that Aurora won't speak again for the time being if I don't answer.

After reaching this conclusion, Tsukino and Chiya looked at the red-haired doll who had turned to look at them, their tone calm as if this were just a conversation between two strangers, rather than a conversation between a victim and perpetrator forced to participate in a death game: "Is that too much?"

He only heard about the doll-like anomalies from Kazuo Yashiki, and there were only two dolls involved. However, considering the actual probability of a person in this world encountering a Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons) caused by doll-like anomalies…

"I think it's barely acceptable."

Aurora's voice was equally calm, and the two of them actually started talking in a seemingly peaceful manner.

"While he certainly can't compare to that head of the Kujo family... Hehehe, I'm quite interested in him too, after all, he's someone who survived a direct confrontation with a senior who left a mark on a person. But I'm not the kind of child who's particularly greedy."

"Faced with all sorts of delicious food bought and kept at home, some people like to eat as much as possible in a day, even if it makes them feel bloated, while others prefer to choose one dish a day and enjoy it slowly," Aurora said. "I guess I'd say I'm the latter."

"Eh—then, does that mean I and Kozue are in the first batch?" After hearing this, Ohma Gila, who had been quietly listening to Aurora's speech for a while, spoke up, looking quite interested in waiting for an answer.

"Yes, that's right." Not feeling there was anything she couldn't tell, Aurora readily admitted it.

Oh...is that so?

Upon hearing this, Tsukino and Chiya also seemed to be deep in thought.

Indeed, more than a year ago, after being marked with those marks, Tsukino and Chiya had already investigated whether anyone else had experienced the same thing. But they found no one, just as it seemed that he and Ouma Kokichi were the first people to be marked with those animal-like scratch marks.

Perhaps Enoshima Junko could be considered one. However... whether that's true or not, Hyuga Hajime should be determining that now, but he won't get a real answer anytime soon.

Then, a year passed after the mark was placed on them, and they began to be truly involved in those supernatural and bizarre events around the beginning of the school year. During that time, nothing else seemed to happen that was caused by Aurora.

Will that doll behave itself for a whole year?

Tsukino and Chiya were not very convinced.

However, if it were secretly plotting some conspiracy... Tsukino and Chiya didn't think so. They were more inclined to believe that Aurora was unable to operate extensively for a year for some reason. And this reason might be the same as why it disappeared for a period of time after the incident at the old school building.

As for the commonalities between the two...

Tsukino and Chiya glanced out of the corner of their eyes at Ohma Kokichi, who was still sitting in his chair, pretending to be well-behaved.

Is it because of... using "that kind of power related to space and time"?

The origins of Ohma, Hinata's memories, and power that clearly exceeds the scope of a doll's supernatural abilities... Is this why Aurora has to "rest" for a period of time after using a certain power?

“I like to take my time and enjoy it slowly. If all the fun toys are played with at once, it won’t be so easy to find another toy that suits my taste.” Aurora, who had been nestled beside the girl, finally moved. She clasped her hands together, looking docile and harmless. “I’m going to leave the head of the Kujo House family for last.”

Mr. Hachishiki...aren't you attracting a lot of weirdos?

“‘The Strange Doctor’ family must have a tough time,” Wang Ma Xiaoji remarked. “This is the third time Uncle has been targeted by such a boss-level monster, isn’t it? Speaking of which, so Kozuki and I were just appetizers? This is quite a rare experience for me, the evil mastermind… Hehe, it seems I’ve been underestimated.”

"How could that be? I'm quite picky about who participates in the game... well, of course, those who accidentally stumble into the game don't count." Aurora said, as if trying to comfort her. "However, even those who actively stumble into the game seem to be of pretty good quality, and there are even a few that I originally wanted to have participate later. Thinking about it, I guess I'm pretty lucky?"

Indeed... those two police officers at the beginning, followed by Hyuga Hajime and Komaeda Nagito...

“Well then,” Aurora’s tone shifted, and she sat up straight, no longer snuggling against the frozen projection of the girl beside her, “do you have any other questions?”

Miya Higashigo said with a wry smile, "That sounds really ominous now."

Wang Ma Xiaoji nodded heavily, indicating his agreement: "Based on my many years of experience as the head of an evil secret society, generally speaking, villains only say such things when they are confident. It's the legendary 'Now that things have come to this, let me make you understand why you died.' But, Professor Dong Hu, do you think the puppet doesn't know there's also a saying, 'Villains die from talking too much'?"

Miya Higashigoto still grumbled, "Whether it knew it before or not, it should know now that you've said it outright."

Tsukino and Chiya didn't participate in their conversation. The black-haired boy stared at the doll sitting on the sofa for a few seconds before finally speaking: "Your revival speed is much faster than I expected."

He did miscalculate in this respect.

Tsukino and Chiya knew that Aurora, who had absorbed the power of another doll, should be resurrected faster than the doll from Kujou House, who had also "died" in the past, but they didn't expect it to be this fast... How long has it been? Not even half a day.

Tsukino and Chiya's words weren't a question. However, Aurora understood what he meant, so she explained, "Did it surprise you? I must say, compared to other human monsters, the power my sister can provide is indeed much greater. So when I first tried to eat it, I was quite startled because I discovered something incredible under the impact of the power."

Tsukino and Chiya: "But you haven't fully mastered that power."

Aurora: "That's right. Digesting that power was more troublesome than I imagined, and my sister is indeed my sister; it wasn't so easy for her to completely devour it... Didn't you see a part of its remaining power not long ago? Thinking about it, you should really thank it. I haven't had time to play with you for a while because I was trying to completely devour it."

It sighed softly.

The next second, Tsukino and Chiya felt a chilling wind, so cold it seemed to penetrate to the bone and even the soul, blow inexplicably towards them. Their physiological instincts were beyond their control, and he couldn't help but shiver.

He heard Aurora say, "But just now, I finally found it all and ate it all."

"So now."

The exquisite and beautiful doll asked with consideration.

"Are you going to try to escape?"