Chapter 117

Saniwa (Master)?

Even though the entire creature was shrouded in black, one could still make out its features: short black hair and green eyes.

The journey of Fuyuki to reunite was disrupted by a series of unexpected events.

When the unfamiliar girl suddenly asked a question, Nae Kusaka turned around and was equally stunned.

"Uh... this..." Her mind raced as she looked at the expectant gaze the girl was giving her.

She didn't know either.

Kusaka Nae tried hard to maintain her contrasting image of vulnerability and strength, her fingers twirling together, looking extremely shy: "I think... it must have been something done by someone with special abilities."

This explanation seemed to make sense to her.

Kusaka Nae looked up shyly, her tone gentle yet indignant: "This can only be done by someone with superpowers. It's just too much."

“Sister Kusaka, it seems… that’s not how it is.” Fuyuki shook her head hesitantly as she observed carefully.

Edogawa Ranpo squinted at the guy with curiosity.

"Is this me?"

After saying that, he puffed out his cheeks and shook his head in denial, his tone of disgust: "It's really horribly ugly, to use such a trick on a famous detective."

He understood, but didn't seem to explain what was in the words.

Dongshu slowly exhaled, clenching her fists, her dry spiritual energy quietly flowing through her fingertips.

The more she looked at that guy covered in bone spurs, the more familiar he seemed with her aura.

It's not some kind of superpower, but rather a distortion and alteration by the Time Retrograde Army.

As historical revisionists, the Time Travelers launch attacks at every historical juncture they reach, altering history to make it appear as they believe it to be.

But the current state is not the Time Travel Army.

It's more like those data fluids somehow obtained the data from the Time Travel Army.

Fuyuki's eyes darkened; she was no longer as afraid of this existence as she used to be.

She stated definitively, "It's the Time Travel Army."

"The kind of creature that appeared in Yokohama before?" Edogawa Ranpo was very clever; even without using his "supernatural ability," he could instantly connect the relevant information.

“Yes.” Fuyuki said, troubled, “Although I don’t know why I’m here, and in this state…”

She glanced at the other person's empty waist.

"Not formal at all."

There is no knife.

There are no other weapons of any kind.

It was merely a half-finished product, covered in bone spurs and black mist.

"The Time Travel Army?" Kusaka Nae, her guess shattered, didn't feel embarrassed. A hint of suspicion flickered in her pale pink eyes. "Why would there be something like the Time Travel Army here?"

“Yes, there definitely are.” Fuyuki blinked. “And it seems they’re quite interested in their existence in this world.”

Those who are truly interested are the systems that are the real masterminds.

As the Saniwa (master), Fuyuki did not sense a large number of Time Retrograde Army auras.

This is completely different from the large-scale invasions by time-traveling armies of the past.

Kusaka Nae didn't ask any more questions, only muttering in a weak voice, "Why does this even include crossover anime elements..."

Dongshu's eyes flickered as he glanced at her thoughtfully.

Crossover anime? She knew what that term meant.

Is this guy from a world that can also project these two people into anime?

That's interesting. I wonder if the future she sees matches the world line she sees.

Edogawa Ranpo, in a black bone-spur version, slowly walked towards them as they talked.

When it was less than two meters away, its stiff body suddenly became agile. It yanked off the protruding bone spikes on its body and, with a clear target in mind, thrust the sharp weapon at Edogawa Ranpo.

Kusaka Nae's expression changed drastically; her gentle eyes instantly sharpened, and she moved much faster than the exhausted Fuyuki.

She stepped forward to block him, her arm firmly bracing against the sharp tip of the bone spur, which cut her skin, and blood oozed from beneath her flesh.

A delicate and beautiful girl shielded her brother from an attack with her own body, yet her face showed no sign of pain.

"She's a trained fighter." The little stray dog ​​landed on top of the winter tree. "She's even skilled with a knife."

With a knife?

"Sister Kusaka." Fuyuki withdrew her defensive stance. "Use this! Don't force it."

Spiritual energy was squeezed out and flowed in the palm of his hand. Then, a katana suddenly appeared in his tender hand. The blade, whose identity was unknown, drew a bright white arc in the air.

With his spiritual energy focused, Fuyuki simultaneously pushed aside the enemy who was pinning down Kusaka Nae, giving her a chance to touch his katana.

"How could you—" Kusaka Nae's questioning voice trailed off as she saw what was flying toward her.

A blue current coursed through her body, forcing her to shut up.

The next moment, the girl gently stroked the blade with tenderness, a flash of excitement crossing her eyes.

Although no distinctive markings can be seen, this katana, which has not yet been sculpted, is still extremely beautiful.

Cherry blossom petals fell from her ears, followed by a flurry of delicate pink flowers carrying swords and blades. The enemy let out a piercing scream as his severed arm spun in the air before dissipating into black mist.

The next moment, it began to grow again at a speed visible to the naked eye.

“This thing…” Fuyuki stopped his trembling wrist.

Finally, all the spiritual energy that could move freely was released, and the sword curtain that was invisible to others around him began to tremble.

The Saniwa is in a very bad state.

She needs the help of swords.

"The Time Travel Army?" Kusaka Nae suddenly looked terrified, covering her teary eyes with one hand. "These things... how can they be so scary..."

Crying, the sword in his hand never stopped, and the enemy, who was almost chopped into mincemeat, struggled to regain his whole form.

Nae Kusaka's every move was extremely swift and ruthless, without a single instance of hesitation.

Dongshu gave her a look that was hard to describe.

Despite appearing terrified in his words and expression, he didn't hesitate for a second, chopping the guy to pieces as easily as chopping vegetables.

……horrible.

What criteria does this biological system use to find people?

The sunny, cheerful boy who never gave up no matter what they did, now has a seemingly delicate but incredibly fierce girl...

Fuyuki's lips twitched, and she slowly retreated to Edogawa Ranpo's side, asking in a low voice, "Is she really your cousin? You two really complement each other perfectly, one scholarly and one martial..."

Edogawa Ranpo pulled out a lollipop from somewhere and watched the scene before him with great interest.

Hearing the question, he lowered his head and whispered, "Isn't this good? He's a guy who needs to be gentle."

It seemed to confirm his words.

"Mr. Ranpo, don't be afraid, I will do everything in my power to protect you."

Kusaka Nae's voice was choked with sobs, but the way she held the knife in her hand exuded a murderous aura.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Edogawa Ranpo looking at her, and immediately bit her lower lip, looking like she was giving it her all.

The precise killing move in his hand became clumsy, and the sharp blade accurately landed on the enemy's newly grown limbs.

"So strong." Fuyuki rested to recover from being almost completely drained.

Do they really have to maintain this persona? Even I can see their clumsy acting; they look even sillier than the previous guy.

Dongshu didn't understand.

[It must be a system requirement? Character design or something.] The little wild dog was quite experienced.

[If it were completely opposite to one's own personality, it must be very painful.]

That's right.

Having received an affirmative answer, Dongshu scratched his head, feeling a tightness in his chest, yet helpless.

After all, she couldn't destroy the system.

[Warning! Warning! Out-of-character (OOC) behavior will decrease favorability. Please strictly follow the task requirements.]

A sharp voice rang in Nae Kusaka's mind.

Fuyuki keenly noticed her strange behavior.

She immediately asked, "Sister Rixia? Are you alright? Do you need help?"

"I'm fine!" Kusaka Nae staggered back two steps, her gaze suddenly freezing in mid-air.

Immediately afterwards, the girl suddenly began to pant, her movements became sluggish, and she deliberately let the enemy's attacks graz her clothes.

The sound of tearing fabric was clear, and her body went limp, collapsing perfectly in front of Edogawa Ranpo.

The katana fell crisply to the ground beside him.

Then, her movements trembled as she raised her head, her lips deathly pale, her voice still tinged with lingering fear: "Mr. Ranpo... those aren't just ordinary time-travel troops, please be careful..."

Edogawa Ranpo patted her head and smiled, "Thank you for your hard work. Really, is it that easy for you to land so precisely in front of me?"

Kusaka Nae smiled shyly: "Of course it's because even if I fail, I still want to stand in front of Ranpo-san."

"...That's disgusting. Can we say something different?"

"No." The cold, mechanical voice rejected her disdain.

Dongshu seemed to hear something in a daze, and she began to try to grasp the sound in a daze.

Suddenly, the enemy's black body completely reorganized, its skin began to swell and twist, and countless emerald-like eyes opened on its surface, making it impossible to recognize the famous detective.

The sword tent trembled, and a sense of unease emanated from Yokohama beneath their feet.

Without hesitation, Fuyuki grabbed Edogawa Ranpo and Kusaka Nae to shorten the distance between the three of them, and the transparent spiritual energy barrier deflected all the bomb-like attacks.

After its attack, the enemy seemed to tire and revert to human form, with countless bone spikes moving and wandering across its body.

Its attack power has decreased.

In an instant, Nae Kusaka's expression changed.

With a swift, agile movement, she caught the falling katana in her palm and precisely pierced the enemy's chest with the tip of the blade.

The killing move was powered by spiritual energy; an invisible blade of energy was unleashed, making him completely different from before.

The black humanoid made a sound like its bones were slowly cracking; it bared its teeth and, once its vital organs were hit, it would not reassemble.

Before it completely vanished, the eyes that had lost their sockets suddenly looked at Fuyuki, and its voice was a familiar boyish voice: "I've finally found you... Saniwa..."

Fuyuki: "?"

She froze.

How did this guy know her identity?

【Don't be afraid, Little Winter Tree, I'll go check right away!】 The little stray dog ​​ran very fast, and had already dashed out the moment it heard that name.

Winter Tree was filled with questions, but no one could answer them.

“I see!” Edogawa Ranpo had somehow put on glasses, and his beautiful green eyes opened, reflecting a strange light through the lenses. “It’s like this. It’s me from another world…” He leaned closer to Kusaka Nae, whose face was flushed with shyness, “Completely captivated by the transmigrator with a ‘system’.”

Winter Tree was helpless.

That's so straightforward, but that's just the kind of personality a famous detective has.

[Warning! Warning! Warning! ...]

The sword in Kusaka Nae's hand fell to the ground, and Fuyuki reached out and retrieved it, the spiritual creation instantly disappearing.

A blue light flashed in the girl's pink eyes, and 0 and 1 began to flow along a familiar path. The next second, she fell straight down as if her machine had shut down.

“Interesting.” Edogawa Ranpo stroked his chin, then a childlike smile appeared on his lips. “But everything in the world is exposed before the most powerful supernatural abilities!”

As Fuyuki approached Kusaka Nae, his keen eyes spotted a familiar mark.

She reached out her fingers, parted her collar, and a faint cherry blossom petal imprint, just like her whole being, fell onto the side of her neck.

Immediately afterwards, the shallow, suppressed energy sensed its kind stirring and began to boil.

Dongshu closed his eyes.

Strands of spiritual energy began to leak from Kusaka Nae's skin.

[Author's Note]

Winter Tree [question mark]: Do I have to reveal my identity too?