Chapter 158 Why don't you go and kill Qianye?

Wang Ma Xiaoji was genuinely puzzled.

Or... at least appear to be genuinely puzzled?

Judging solely by appearance, Aurora couldn't make a proper judgment. Was it that the doll's understanding of humans was limited, or was the human's performance simply too masterful?

Or perhaps... the humans in front of us are simply confused?

Aurora wasn't quite sure.

Although Aurora, confident in its own abilities, disregarded some of humanity's petty tricks, this didn't mean it was unaware. Like those currently participating in its game, aside from those who had unintentionally stumbled into the realm of the bizarre and been marked, everyone else was actively chosen by Aurora herself, and each and every one of these handpicked individuals was quite interesting.

Aurora enjoys playing games with humans, especially interesting ones. And she has her own set of standards for judging what constitutes an interesting person.

Therefore, it is well aware of the lying nature of Ouma Kokichi, whom it defines as one of the "interesting people." Or perhaps, the very existence of this person seems to be a lie.

But... it doesn't matter.

I am very strong.

Aurora thought to herself, "I'm strong, so it's okay."

When a person or non-human becomes powerful enough, everything else becomes less important. All plans and schemes will be shattered by truly powerful forces. Aurora has always believed this, and she has indeed witnessed many such cases. The red-haired sisters who were devoured by it were simply not strong enough, and those strange beings who let go of their obsessions and attained enlightenment were also not strong enough... They all have their own weaknesses and obsessions.

But Aurora's lack of attachment became a weakness; her obsession... was merely the obsession with becoming stronger and with the game.

It wasn't strong enough originally, but it had made up for that by devouring other strange beings. Now it was powerful enough and had no weaknesses. But perhaps that still wasn't enough; Aurora knew very well that there were also humans with great power in this world.

However, the possessors of this so-called powerful force do not include the people who have been carefully selected by it to participate in the game.

In the future it saw, Junko Enoshima had done something similar... Yes, something related to the strange experiences she had before that haunted the old school building. That infighting among the student council members was an infighting before the rules were fully perfected, just like the game now, which wasn't the perfect game Aurora most desired.

Of those personally chosen by it so far, none possess unique abilities. Here, "ability" refers to supernatural power. Whether it's Kamukura Izuru, Ohma Kokichi, or Tsukino and Chiya as preparatory students… they are indeed excellent, but human strength has its limits, and some things are ultimately beyond the capabilities of those without supernatural powers.

Therefore, they were all weaklings who posed no threat. Aurora thought this with certainty, because their weaknesses were so obvious.

This game was a pastime before it fully mastered its power, but it could also be the beginning of a new game that is about to begin now that it has become more powerful.

Those chosen by it… Aurora felt it would be a shame to send them to their deaths. After all, even without special powers, they were interesting people.

It already had a new idea.

However, this new idea seems to have encountered a small mishap just as it was about to be put into practice.

Isn't that so?

Aurora knew that King Ma Ji liked to lie, but she didn't know whether the purple-haired boy's doubts were true or false... In any case, the doll knew that its current doubts were real.

"You've been through so much together, most of it life-or-death situations. If I remember correctly, wouldn't humans develop stronger bonds more easily under such circumstances?"

Its predecessor, who brought about the Death Mark incident, didn't he use this kind of psychology to design a great show back then?

That senior erased the memories of the Ini people and successfully infiltrated their ranks as an ally, easily gaining their trust. However, he ultimately made a fatal mistake and was sealed away by the current head of the Kujo family... Even so, Aurora knew that that senior still held an important place in the heart of the Kujo family head.

It wasn't a very long period of time spent together.

Therefore, relatively speaking, as human beings and clearly defined companions, and having spent more time together... couldn't Tsukino and Chiya become Ohma Shokichi's weaknesses?

Similarly, for someone who has already died once, can't this precious second life also be considered a weakness?

After all, people only learn to cherish things after they've lost them. Is it really possible for someone in this world to have the courage to experience the fear of death a second time after having experienced it once?

Aurora couldn't quite understand it; she thought it was unlikely. But the story of the red-haired doll was something she also couldn't quite understand, yet it had indeed happened, so Aurora thought that perhaps such a possibility existed.

Does he... Wangma Xiaoji really not care?

"Ah...it seems you have a deep misunderstanding about me." Wangma Xiaoji sighed, seemingly helpless. But the next second, that helplessness turned into smugness.

"That proves my skills haven't deteriorated at all!" Wangma Xiaoji said smugly.

"What do you mean?" Aurora asked decisively.

"Because... what I just said was actually a disguise."

After the question was asked, a few tears welled up in Wang Ma Xiaoji's eyes.

"How could I not care! Although I've never said it outright, I really like him! And if I could, who would want to be inexplicably resurrected only to suddenly die again!"

"You just finished playing a game you didn't like, and then suddenly you're back to life and immediately jump into another game. Who would like that?!"

Is this the truth?

Aurora couldn't tell. But the voice just now sounded very sincere... No sooner had that thought crossed her mind than Ohma Koki burst into tears.

"My life is so miserable! Waaaaaaahh ...

Aurora: "..."

Okay, it must have been an act.

The puppet's face couldn't make different expressions, otherwise Aurora's face might have shown a bit more speechlessness. Aurora didn't find Wangma Xiaoji noisy, but just felt that such a performance was meaningless: "Enough, this kind of performance can't bring you anything."

"Really? I'm tired from crying too, and my throat is a little... ah, not dry at all. Well, after all, I'm not hungry or sleepy after coming here to see the memories, so it's normal that my throat isn't affected."

Wang Ma Xiaoji wiped back his tears in a second and said with a smile.

"That's right, I was just kidding you!"

"Hehe, you don't really think this can threaten the 'Ultimate Leader', do you? Since you act like you know something about my past, you should also know that I volunteered to die back then, right?"

Wang Ma Xiaoji said in a relaxed tone.

"Oh dear—to be honest, dying isn't such a big deal. As for Kozuki and... and those new friends I met. Ahahaha, so you really care about our relationship? I'm so touched~!"

"Whatever you want," Aurora said. "But I'll still give you that chance."

"If you can kill Qianye, I will let you go, and you can continue to live in this world from now on, how about it?"

Faced with such words, Wang Ma Xiaoji's reaction was calm: "Ah... really? You don't mean to say that this is the result of your careful consideration, do you? Even if Kozuki isn't that important to me, who are you to me? Why should I listen to you? Don't you think it's embarrassing for me, as the leader of an evil force, to be threatened like this?"

Aurora remained silent. Her question seemed casual, as if she hadn't even considered repeating it for confirmation. Perhaps Wangma Xiaoji sensed this, which explained her decisive answer.

The air suddenly fell silent. Aurora gazed quietly at the purple-haired boy's face, as if deep in thought.

"In that case..."

Then, before Wang Ma Xiaoji could break the increasingly unsettling atmosphere, Aurora suddenly spoke again.

"Then, how about giving Qianye the choice?"

"I'll take you to see him."

"Let's see... what choice he will make this time."

-----------------------

Author's Note: My darlings, I'll probably have to take another day off the day after tomorrow... My period cramps are so bad (collapses)