Chapter 148 The Child.

"So now."

"Are you going to try to escape?"

The doll asked very considerately.

That being said, Tsukino and Chiya felt that Aurora's words were just a simple announcement and that she didn't really intend to give them time to make a choice.

Because the moment it asked that question, its expression finally changed.

No... it wasn't just it; even the fake Sakuraba Kazuko beside it underwent some changes.

Kazuko Sakuraba melted at a speed visible to the naked eye... Her entire body on the sofa turned into a puddle of flesh-like paste at a speed that was neither fast nor slow. On this huge mass of flesh-like paste, her distorted facial features were still visible, making the whole thing look particularly bizarre.

In this contrast, Aurora, who had transformed back into her original form from the unknown red-haired doll, appeared even more exquisite and beautiful. Similarly, the doll sitting expressionlessly beside a pool of writhing flesh looked even more eerie.

Then, after "Sakuraba Kazuko" was finally reduced to a complete pulp...

The living room lights suddenly went out without warning.

Suddenly plunged from light into darkness, the human eye typically doesn't adapt quickly enough; one should be met with an impenetrable blackness. Yet, Tsukino and Chiya were still able to clearly see the current situation on the sofa.

From childhood to adulthood, Tsukino and Chiya had indeed not acquired any supernatural powers. Thinking about it that way, wasn't it a bit unfair to their birth as products of calamity? Tsukino and Chiya had always been quite satisfied with this... However, more important than these well-known facts was—

If there's anything about him that sets him apart from ordinary people, it's that he possesses extraordinary senses and strength.

This might be thanks to the blessing of some deity. As a god-slayer, Chieda Minoru is often unexpectedly drawn into strange and unusual events. And after these events are resolved, she always receives something extra... a gift.

Shortly after Tsukino and Chiya were born... when he was still an infant, the couple, who were traveling together but had decided to turn back due to the unexpected birth of their son, encountered some inexplicable events.

Although the child had just been born, the fact that the child was not born normally did not have any impact on the incredibly powerful Serizawa Chie Minoru, one of the two. Moreover, the two of them were already familiar with this kind of unexpected situation, so the matter was quickly resolved by Chie Minoru.

However, after that incident was resolved, Serizawa Chie was somewhat surprised to find that she didn't have any extra small gifts on her. So later, after Tsukino and Chiya revealed his slightly unusual senses and powers, she said something like, "Maybe the gift has already been given to Koki in this way."

Of course, this is just speculation. Just like that man who called himself Yangming, who repeatedly created incredible and miraculous situations, leading some to suspect that he might also be a calamity messenger... but in reality, he was just an ordinary person.

He is the kind of ordinary person that Tsukino and Chiya admire most...

This world is not lacking in people with exceptional physical talents. The students at Hope's Peak Undergraduate School, opposite the Preparatory Department, whose talents are related to sports and combat, are the best examples. Therefore, Tsukino and Chiya felt that their own talents were nothing special.

At this moment, his insignificant talent, in comparison, allowed him to see the true situation at the sofa in what should have been pitch black.

The fleshy mess that "Sakuraba Kazuko" had transformed into writhed onto Aurora's body and was being gradually absorbed by her. Horrifying marks, like the claw marks of wild beasts, appeared on the exposed "skin" of the white-haired doll.

It was the same mark that had appeared or appeared on Tsukino, Chiya, Ohma Kokichi, and Hinata Hajime, among others.

In the darkness, the doll's pale gray eyes became even less noticeable. But the way the two eyes moved rapidly and irregularly within their sockets was so unusual that Tsukino and Chiya couldn't possibly ignore them.

Clang, clang—

Accompanied by a faint but eerie sound, a portion of Aurora's "skin" suddenly cracked open, the broken part falling to the ground and instantly turning into a pool of dark, unidentified liquid. Meanwhile, flesh grew from the original part of her skin...

It was irregular bits of flesh squeezed out from the crack. These bits of flesh appeared all over its body, but the most obvious one was on the doll's left cheek.

Aurora's right cheek remained as exquisite and beautiful as ever, but her left cheek was covered in grotesque, still grotesquely writhing flesh. Her left eye bulged out of this mass of flesh without any cover, staring brightly ahead, and anyone who met that eye would feel a chill run down their spine.

"..." Yue Ye and Qianye were speechless for a moment.

He wasn't entirely unprepared for this change in the doll. He'd heard stories of strange occurrences involving dolls from Kazuo Yashiki, which had prepared him for the horrifying transformations his once beautiful and delicate doll would undergo after it stopped performing. However…

Having witnessed this change firsthand, he wasn't exactly terrified, but to say he wasn't shocked would be a lie. He was somewhat relieved that Ohma couldn't see this for the time being, but then wondered if suddenly seeing that face while preparing to escape might have some impact… So perhaps seeing it now was actually better?

Hmm... of course, it's about escaping for your life.

These ordinary puppet monsters are far more powerful than the monsters they've encountered before, those that have now attained Buddhahood. Aurora, in particular, has managed to devour another puppet monster… To fight such a creature head-on? Even Higashigo Miya isn't a Calamity Master known for her combat prowess, let alone Tsukino, Chiya, and Ohma Kokichi, who lack special abilities.

However, simply running away won't guarantee survival. And now...

Unlike in that false world, at this moment, Tsukino and Chiya actually carried arrows obtained from a shrine maiden who was a friend of Higashigo Miya.

If an opportunity can be found...

"you."

His thoughts raced through his mind, and in reality, the puppet's transformation happened just as quickly. The puppet asked, "Do you want to escape?" but in reality, it gave them absolutely no time to run away.

"They didn't run away, hmm... what clever kids."

At this moment, the drastically changed doll's movements appeared much more agile than before. After finally absorbing the lump of flesh beside it completely, it no longer remained seated on the sofa, but gracefully stood up.

"Because even if you escape... you'll have nowhere to go, won't you?"

There's no need to say anything about things that are understood between them—after this thought popped into their minds, the last thing Tsukino and Chiya heard before losing consciousness was Ohma Kokichi's voice saying, "Huh, so we can run now? I thought this was some kind of cutscene where no one could move," and Aurora's final declaration.

"How about we play one last game? I don't like games that end badly, so it's better to have a beginning and an end?"

*******

Here we go again?

This was Wangma Xiaoji's first reaction after regaining consciousness and seeing his surroundings clearly.

"Playing the same trick again isn't that interesting, is it?"

Isn't this the same tactic as before in the fake world?

Wangma Xiaoji thought to himself as he noticed that the scenery around him had changed again.

At this moment, he seems to be at a playground in a park. There are quite a few children playing there, some playing in the sandpit, some going down the slide, and some swinging.

The last time he was in a place like this was in Yokohama with Tsukino and Chiya.

If there's any difference between this time and his recent, fabricated school life, it's that this time, no new memories were forced into his mind. Wang Ma Xiaoji's memory of what happened before was still focused on Aurora's sudden appearance; he didn't yet know much about the world he was in now.

However, Wang Ma Xiaoji was not in a hurry to leave to search for clues. Instead, taking advantage of the fact that the children could not see him, he openly and honestly watched the children's games.

Wait a minute...

Suddenly, Wang Ma Xiaoji's eyes widened slightly as he looked at a newly joined child.

This appearance... although it looks very small, it should definitely be...?