Chapter 222 Not Here 2

Asaho, having lived through a post-apocalyptic world rife with deadly dangers, seems to have a weaker awareness of this aspect. However, perhaps because she also worries about whether her jinxed nature might affect others, she realized more quickly than I did the possibility that the hostile Great Impermanence might start a war in the urban area and cause collateral damage.

Looking back, perhaps she had these concerns much earlier. Why didn't she say anything? The reason certainly wasn't because she couldn't accept a life of hiding far from people... Could it be because she was worried about me? Because I defied the Great Impermanence for her sake, did she have some reservations about me?

However, I'm not the kind of person who would be indifferent even if innocent people were harmed. If possible, it would naturally be better to move to a place far away from human habitation. Moreover, if I were to show such a cold-blooded attitude, I would definitely lose Asahi's trust. That's the last thing I can accept.

My daily life, which I've lived until now, seems to be drifting further and further away from me.

I might really not be in a crowd; perhaps I unconsciously avoided thinking about this in the past. Was it really because I was certain my flames wouldn't harm people that I didn't think of staying away from the city? Or is it that I still have a lingering attachment to my familiar daily life?

While I'm internally screaming for an "adventure beyond reality," am I also reluctant to leave this "cradle"?

After dinner, we went back to the hotel to tidy up our belongings in the room before checking out.

Looking at the room again now, although it's just an ordinary hotel room, thinking about how Mazao and I shared a bed here for two nights, I can't help but feel a little attached to it.

After that, we'll be living together in the wilderness for a while. If we think about it carefully, we won't really go hungry, thirsty, or have nowhere to sleep. At least regarding food and drink, Ma Zao and I can teleport to and from the city at any time to replenish our supplies. We can figure out the rest ourselves. I wonder if buying a bed at the furniture store and then making a big cave in the mountains is feasible. And, although it's not necessary, it seems like we could take this opportunity to try hunting in the jungle and gathering edible plants, etc.

As I pondered the plan, I discovered a lot of fun in it, and I also developed a secret anticipation for the upcoming camping trip—I wonder how many people have fantasized about surviving in the wilderness with a beautiful girl? Moreover, with my and Mazao's extraordinary strength, we can make up for our lack of camping knowledge.

It's incredible; even the melancholy that had been building up earlier seems to be fading away.

But how does Asahi view me?

During the previous two nights, I certainly couldn't cuddle with Asahi while sleeping, as that would make me seem like a pervert who likes little girls; and Asahi didn't hug me again either, which made me feel a little disappointed. Perhaps it was because she felt there was no need to continue strengthening the teleportation mark on me.

I often wonder if Asako sees me as a woman. It's not that I doubt her sexual awareness—we've known each other for a while now, and I can tell she's very aware of the differences between men and women, and would never have such a simplistic misconception as "men and women can have children just by holding hands or kissing." Having traveled to countless places during the apocalypse, she must have witnessed many dark things that even I, as an adult, can hardly imagine.

In other words, she should be well aware that I am a man and that I have those kinds of desires. It's just that she probably doesn't see herself as a woman—specifically, she has never seen herself as a woman who "might be looked at by men in that way," which is why she acts in a way that lacks any sense of distance.

Just as we were finishing packing our belongings, we suddenly sensed the presence of a living person approaching from outside the door. Because we were about to leave, we hadn't bothered to lock the door. Asa stopped and looked towards the doorway. The presence quickly disappeared, and we returned to normal. Then, Asa seemed to notice something, walked towards the door, and picked up a small object from the ground.

I went over to take a look, and it turned out to be a small card promoting "special services," featuring images of several mature women making provocative gestures. Common sense dictates that this was definitely not something a girl of Masa's age should be showing, but she didn't show any unusual expression on her face, and even handed it to me as if it were perfectly normal after glancing at it.

"Zhuang Cheng, are you interested in this?" Her tone was like pointing to a fried chicken shop on the street and asking, "Do you like to eat this?"

No, I'm not interested.

I answered without hesitation and threw the card into the trash can.

She then said in a more tactful tone, "But you must also be under that kind of pressure. You might not have the chance again, so wouldn't it be better to release it sooner rather than later?"

Please don't say it as "excretion".

I reiterated that I had no interest.

"Really? You're not interested in this kind of thing..."

She seemed to be pondering something, and then finally made up her mind to bring up an old question that she hadn't asked in a while: "...Zhuang Cheng, why would you go to such lengths for me?"

"Why... do you mean?" I quickly realized why she was repeating the same old tune.

"I know you're kind, and I know you want to help me stop the apocalypse, but... is it really just because of those things?"

She stared straight at me with her pure eyes, as if trying to see into my inner world. But towards the end, she became hesitant, revealing her nervousness, and asked, "Or, um, you mean...you mean me..."

It seems that the false image I created in front of her in the past is no longer enough.

In the past, to explain why I was so unwavering in helping Asaho, I fabricated two false motives. One was "I'm very kind," so I couldn't ignore Asaho, this little girl fighting alone; the other was "I want to stop the apocalypse," a reason that became very solid after I presented my evidence of the apocalypse—the fragments of the Divine Seal. Furthermore, Asaho needed my help regarding the No. 2 bowl incident, which finally united us.

However, so far, all my activities have been observed by Asahi—perhaps that's an exaggeration, but at least she didn't directly witness my activities in the independent reality space, and she was in a sleepwalking state when dealing with Lu Youxun and his group. Regardless of whether she perceived my ruthless killing of those demon hunters while sleepwalking, just summarizing my consistent behavior is enough to make her doubt the "kind" image I had previously cultivated.

In the matter of "preventing the apocalypse," I'm far ahead of her. She hasn't even obtained any clues related to the apocalypse, while I've already obtained fragments of the Divine Seal, made contact with humans in the apocalypse era, and even made contact with the Divine Seal Master who is suspected of causing the apocalypse—it seems that even without Mazao, I could investigate the apocalypse on my own, and she can't help me in terms of combat power.

She had no idea that without her, I wouldn't even be able to come into contact with the supernatural world.

Therefore, from her perspective, my motivation for defying the Great Impermanence for her sake was far too weak. In the past, I might have said this merely out of spontaneity, but now I've truly done it, no wonder she's suspicious.

She wanted to reaffirm my sincerity.

I must be extremely careful with this question. But how should I answer it? Should I tell the truth? I thought of Silver Moon's "illusion" again, and mentally crossed it out.

Seeing that she seemed hesitant to speak, I took the initiative and tentatively asked, "If I really like you... what's the problem with that?"

“…I don’t think that’s the reason,” she said.

"Why?" I asked back.

She touched her body and said, "You see, my body isn't like the woman in that card, so voluptuous..."

"It has nothing to do with that kind of thing."

I deliberately emphasized my tone, trying to create the image of a "devoted man who would do anything for the girl he loves".

"Is it alright?" she exclaimed in surprise. "Then... then you... are you really serious about me?"

I believe my efforts are on the right track. While Asaho should know about matters between men and women, she probably doesn't understand what love is or how far it can take people. Besides, I've already presented a loyal and devoted image to her. If I can convince her that I genuinely like her, she should be convinced of my stated motives.

Furthermore, I genuinely have romantic feelings for her, so it wouldn't be difficult to fake that. In fact, even if I removed her jinxed nature, it wouldn't be hard to imagine going against the Great Impermanence just for her sake.

Everything was perfect; I was almost in awe of my own talent for lying on the spot. The only exception was when it came to swindling and cheating people out of their money; I always seemed to have an unparalleled talent for it, always leaving myself amazed.

On the other hand, I'm also nearing my limit.

He uttered insincere words, even calculating his own true feelings, all to manipulate the innocent and kind-hearted girl, Asahi. How outrageous!

I should face the world and myself with sincerity, and have a clear conscience until the very last moment. That is the style I should have.

Seeing Ma Zao at a loss, I felt more and more that I shouldn't continue like this.

At this moment, Mr. Zhu delivered new information, making the future of Ma Zao and me even more unpredictable.

(End of this chapter)