Chapter 61 Asahi's Friend 4

Number Two is really Ma Zao's friend!

Am I dreaming? Although this is definitely a dream...

Asahi probably couldn't imagine that I could actually contact her friends whom she had lost touch with in the future. She probably never even considered doing so. It's not that she didn't care about her friends, but rather that the idea itself was a dead end.

Just like the protagonists in online novels about rebirth, they often don't consider whether or how the original future world would continue to develop after they are reborn into the past. If you ask them if they would like to talk to the people living in their original future, they might be interested; if you don't ask, even having that thought is difficult. Even if they do think about it, they are unlikely to treat it as a real-world problem and deal with it seriously.

I deliberately read it aloud: "You're the little girl Ma Zao mentioned, the one who was paired with her?"

Upon hearing this, Number Two was stunned for a moment, then seemed to have even forgotten his sadness, and said with surprise and delight, "Mr. Number Three, have you met and spoken with Sister Asahi?"

“Yes, I have seen her.” I said, organizing my thoughts as I spoke. “Also, you’ve misunderstood something.”

"What is it?" she asked quickly.

“I am not a person living in the apocalypse,” I said. “Like Number One and Number Four, I am a person living in the era before the apocalypse.”

She said incredulously, "How is that possible? If we weren't from the same era, how could I have met Asaha-neechan..."

"You might not believe it, but Asaha has traveled to our era..."

I recounted what had happened between me and Asahi.

Needless to say, all of these things were embellished. I couldn't openly admit that I was a villain who wanted to use Asaha to satisfy my own desires, but instead portrayed myself as a kind-hearted person who couldn't stand idly by while Asaha, "a girl who dragged her weak and inexperienced body into the darkness alone."

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but lately it seems like I've been lying to everyone around me. I lied to Chang'an, I lied to Mazao, and now I'm even lying to a ten-year-old girl.

Looking back, the only person I've been truly communicating with recently is actually Zhu Shi, with whom I don't have a particularly deep friendship.

However, I'm not lying out of malice right now. I genuinely intend to help Asahi. Especially after confirming the concepts of "divine seal" and "doomsday" with others, I've truly developed a desire to investigate the apocalypse.

More importantly, if Ma Zao knew that I possessed fragments of the Divine Seal, or even that I could communicate with Number Two through those fragments, perhaps she wouldn't have left me this time, and I wouldn't have needed to continue trying to imprison her.

During my narration, Number Two intermittently asked questions.

Her voice was innocent and childlike, and her way of speaking was typical of a child her age, but her questions were actually quite calm. Some of her questions seemed to be probing, trying to see if I was lying to her, especially about my relationship with Asahi.

Yes, I guess in her eyes, even if I had communicated with Asaho, it didn't necessarily mean we were friends. Perhaps I'm Asaho's enemy, and she needs to test my stance first.

Her earlier excitement and joy at believing I was from the apocalypse was undoubtedly an act.

For a child of this age, it's truly remarkable; perhaps it's precocious talent brought about by the apocalyptic environment. If this acting skill were combined with her childlike appearance, I might not even have noticed. It's a pity she's just a blurry figure now, allowing me to consider her statements more objectively.

After I finished speaking, she fell silent for a while. I patiently gave her time to process the information.

Perhaps she's feeling terrible right now. She's lost her name and faces the despair of soon becoming a demon; while her protector, Asahi, has unexpectedly arrived in a peaceful world before the apocalypse.

There is no madness or demonic influence here; you can even enjoy delicious food and all the conveniences of modern society.

Often, the last straw that breaks a person's back is not poverty, but inequality.

A moment later, Number Two let out a sigh of relief, his voice filled with a sense of reassurance: "...I see, so Asahina-neechan really did go to the past..."

There was no resentment in her voice. Sometimes there are kind-hearted people like that, or perhaps it's because children don't have such cunning minds. Seeing the person Masaya had personally protected react this way after learning of Masaya's whereabouts, I felt inexplicably happy.

That makes sense. Number Two has even forgotten his own name, yet he still thinks of Asahi's name, which shows his sincerity.

At the same time, the details in the second person's words also surprised me.

"You said 'as expected'?" I didn't let those two words go. "You knew she would travel to the modern era?"

"It's less about knowing and more about having this feeling..." She seemed to be trying to recall something. "...I'm sorry, I've forgotten a lot of things. I can't even remember my own name now...I only remember that Asahi-neechan's return to the past was related to me, but...I really can't remember why I had this thought."

"If I remember correctly, you got separated while escaping the Great Demon, right?" I asked. "Mazao pulled you through one last spatial transfer, but an 'accident' occurred during this transfer, resulting in Mazao's soul being transferred to the modern world, and specifically to a soul-destroying patient who looks and has the same name as her... Do you mean that you caused this 'accident'?"

"I can't remember... I'm not lying, I really can't remember." She shook her head.

“It seems I need to help you recover your memories first… at least help you remember your name.” I thought, “If I find Mazao, I should be able to find out your old name from her and then tell you it… Is this method feasible?”

“It’s feasible.” She seemed to have a renewed will to survive, and then made a request, “If conditions permit, Mr. Number Three… I hope you can do it as soon as possible. I can only hold on for another ten days at most.”

"Ten days... I understand." I nodded. "But if I may be so bold, judging from your current mental state, you don't seem like someone who will turn into a monster in ten days at most?"

“Yes, just like you imagined, I was originally unable to communicate normally... I don’t know if it’s thanks to this dream, but now I can communicate with people in a normal mental state.” She seemed puzzled by this as well, but could only accept the status quo. “But once I return to the real world, it is very difficult for me to maintain a clear mind.”

"I see..." I could only accept this explanation for now, and then asked, "Speaking of which, isn't the name 'Number Two' okay? I heard Asaho say that as long as you have a name, it's fine, even if it's just a temporary code name. When you were with Asaho, you weren't using your real name, were you?"

“Yes, I used to use the name that Asahi gave me. And it's because I still have the code name ‘Number Two’ that I can hold on for another ten days,” she said dejectedly. “But this name has nothing to do with my past memories. I can't enter the Misty Dreamland every day, and if no one calls to me, I'll eventually turn into a monster again…”

This is a truly thorny issue. Even if I can find Ma Zao within ten days, how can I guarantee I can re-enter the Misty Dream within ten days? Judging from the tone of Number One's mention of this matter, it seems to be a random event.

My actual time limit isn't even ten days, but five days. This is the time I spent with Asahi, and also the duration of the jinx effect that Asahi's jinx constitution will have on me after she left. After it ends, I will return to a state where I have no connection with strange things.

Number Two seemed to sense my stress, and she said gently in a childlike voice, "Mr. Number Three, don't be so nervous. I'm all alone now, and even if I get my name back, I won't be able to survive for long in the apocalypse. Maybe I'll be able to live a little longer after I become a monster."

"...It's too early to give up now. I will definitely find Mazao and do everything I can to save you," I said.

She just smiled and said, "By the way, Mr. Number Three, what do you think of Asahi-neechan?"

"How do you view it?" I asked in return.

“Sister Asaho brings misfortune to those around her, which is why she is resented and hated by countless people, even her former companions kicked her out of the group. She always appears very strong in front of me, but in reality, she's always secretly crying, or when she thinks I'm asleep. I know that,” she said softly. “She was so good to me, but no one has ever been so good to her. And then, Mr. Number Three, you appeared before her…”

"Perhaps one day, you too will feel that you can't be with her. Maybe it's for your own safety, or maybe it's for the safety of those around you. When that time comes, I hope..."

I interrupted her: "That day will never come."

She blinked.

“Next time, I won’t let her run away from me again,” I said very seriously. “If she refuses to stay by my side no matter what, then even if I have to imprison her… I mean, even if I have to use some dirty tricks, I will make her stay obediently.”

"No matter how much others curse her or treat her as a jinx, I will never see her that way. I swear."

So, you can rest assured.

"Really? That's good..."

She seemed to laugh silently.

Unbeknownst to them, the fog had grown even thicker.

I could no longer see Number Two clearly, and I gradually lost all feeling for my own body. Layers upon layers of gray mist dissolved into darkness in my vision…

Then, I woke up in my own home.

I returned to the real world.

-

Upon waking, I immediately set about verifying whether the misty dream was real or not.

The dreamscape shrouded in mist is undoubtedly a phenomenon created by strange forces, but even if it is strange, it doesn't mean that what happens within it is real. As the fundamental premise for everything, I must first understand this point.

The simplest method is to put the information gleaned from the dream into practice. I tried placing the black jade I always carried at a distance, then creating some distance between myself and the object. And just as Number One had said, there truly was a bond between the black jade and its owner. After creating a certain distance, the black jade automatically returned to my pocket.

The dreamscape of the mist is real, Number Two is real, and I really did talk to people from the apocalypse... Although my previous experience may not be enough to prove my point, I have already emotionally believed in these things.

Two days later, a clue to Asahi's whereabouts finally appeared before me.

(End of this chapter)