Chapter 88 Mutual Exchange 2

Unfortunately, I couldn't see Number Two's true face in the misty dream world; I could only describe her words and actions, as well as her general height and build. Even so, Asaho could only increasingly believe what I said.

Because Maya had never told me any characteristics of Number Two before, only that she was a ten-year-old girl. Whether Number Two was introverted or extroverted, whether her way of speaking was polite and reserved or casual, and whether her relationship with Maya was cold or warm, these were all unknowns to outsiders. If you said one wrong thing, you would be out on the spot.

Besides, even if I knew it was ten years old, the height, weight, and build of a child that age are all uncertain, yet I was able to describe it vividly with gestures, which can be considered a form of evidence.

However, there are some parts I can't answer, namely, why I can't describe the true appearance of Number Two despite having interacted with him. Explaining it would involve the Misty Dream, which is related to the fragments of the Divine Seal. I can't think of a good excuse to explain this to Ma Zao with Zhu Shi overhearing.

Although I apologized to Number Two, in order to further strengthen my persuasiveness, I still added a piece of evidence in a rather tactful way: "Ma Zao, there's one more thing... Sometimes you might think your friend is asleep, but actually she's still awake."

Number Two once said that Asahi would sometimes secretly cry when she thought Asahi was asleep.

This is a secret that I, as an outsider, should not know.

Zhu Shi was completely confused, while Ma Zao initially seemed not to understand what I meant either, but quickly realized what I meant and stood there as if struck by lightning.

After a moment, Ma Zao finally managed to say with difficulty, "You...you really saw her?"

“Absolutely true,” I said.

"Where is she?" she grabbed my shoulder excitedly. "Did she also travel to this era like me, and you took her in? Is she alright? Is she hurt? I... I thought she was definitely dead, that I would never see her again..."

"Calm down," I reassured her. "I'll tell you everything about meeting her later, but I can't say it now."

"Why can't we do it now..."

She was halfway through her sentence when she suddenly realized that there were other people standing next to her.

I think she must have understood what I meant, knowing that what I was about to say was something that couldn't be shared with others. She could only force herself to keep quiet, but she still couldn't help looking at me expectantly.

Number Two said that Asaho treated her very well, and it seems that those words were not said in vain; Asaho truly values ​​her friends very much.

Having reached this point, I finally became certain that Asahi would not be leaving my side so easily from now on.

My biggest worry wasn't that I couldn't find a reason to keep her by my side, but that before I could even finish explaining, she would lose patience and suddenly teleport away. That would be like a skilled cook without ingredients—no matter how eloquent I was, I wouldn't have a chance to use my words.

However, words alone are insufficient. No matter how much I said, unless I can provide concrete evidence, Ma Zao will inevitably harbor some doubt about me. For now, this is enough. I don't expect her to completely believe I'm telling the truth at this stage; I just need her to think I might be telling the truth.

Zhu Shi suddenly said, "Zhuang Cheng, can we talk alone now?"

"Should I leave first?" Mazao asked.

“No, we’ll talk right here.” Zhu Shi shook his head.

She pulled me about ten meters away and then gestured with her finger in the air a few times. It must have been some kind of witcher's magic; an invisible barrier seemed to have been erected around us. All sounds outside disappeared, and our conversation likely couldn't be heard either. I had a feeling she was going to talk to me about something, and I felt a lot of pressure.

"Senior Brother Zhuang..." she looked at me with a dangerous gaze, "Aren't you going to explain yourself to me?"

Although I had prepared a prepared statement in my mind, when the moment came, I still felt a heaviness in my stomach. I wouldn't feel this much pressure in other situations, but in this case, I was clearly in the wrong. Not only were my lies exposed, but even my GPS bracelet was revealed. And I wasn't just deceiving an enemy or a stranger, but my own people.

Don't let my recent string of lies fool you; I've never told nearly as many lies in the past. I even considered myself a straightforward person. Everyone around me dismissed my obsession with investigating urban legends as a childish hobby, and I never bothered with pretense, always focusing on my own work. Being confronted by a friend for telling lies and engaging in despicable acts is something I've never experienced before.

"There are reasons for all of these things..."

"What reason?" she pressed.

“First of all, the reason I kept Asaho’s matter from you was not because I didn’t trust you, but because I didn’t trust Luoshan.” I racked my brains to organize my thoughts. “At first, I didn’t know that there were different factions within Luoshan. I only knew that Luoshan was an organization that was looking for Asaho by underhanded means, and you were a member of this organization, so I couldn’t tell you the truth directly.”

Because Zhu Shi has the ability to see through lies, I try my best to tell the truth.

Strictly speaking, it's not just this one reason. While stating my reasons, I was also examining my own heart.

Admittedly, Asahi is openly a criminal who infiltrated the police department to steal firearms and ammunition, and in the eyes of certain forces in Luoshan, she is someone they will stop at nothing to obtain, thus giving me a reason to keep it a secret. However, from a personal perspective, I also have a desire to possess Asahi exclusively. Driven by this possessiveness, even without a reason to keep it a secret, I would not proactively reveal Asahi's existence to anyone.

“I understand that kind of thing, and I’ve already figured it out myself. Now I want to ask about something else.” Zhu Shi said in a subtle tone, “I’m in a profession that sometimes requires me to fight against humans, so I have a basic understanding of some items. Not just magical items, but also technological items.”

"So there are some things that others might not be familiar with and might not recognize at first glance, but I can recognize them at a glance... You know what I'm talking about, right?"

"I guess so..." I said.

"So, what's the deal with that GPS bracelet?" she asked. "The girl said you gave her the GPS bracelet as a gift, and she didn't seem to know its actual function; she even seemed quite happy about it..."

She thought for a moment, seemingly hesitant, but continued, "Besides, although she's still quite young and her body is still developing, she's very cute. I often see so-called 'lolicon' types online, who like that type and make extremely perverted comments about girls that age, saying things like they want to peep on them, stalk them, or imprison them..."

"Let me confirm first, Senior Brother Zhuang, you don't happen to have romantic interests in her, which is why you gave her the GPS bracelet, do you?"

“Absolutely not!” I straightened my back and asserted. “How could I possibly think of spying, stalking, or imprisoning members of the opposite sex for such a despicable purpose? I can understand if you have those thoughts, but I swear, I gave away that GPS bracelet for absolutely not the things you’re imagining.”

"Really?" she asked doubtfully.

“I know you have the ability to see through lies, so why would you knowingly lie to me again?” I said, taking out the black rope heart-locking ring. “If you still don’t believe me, you can wear this ring, grab my heart, and then let me swear again…”

"Okay, okay, I know, I know! I believe you!" She quickly stopped me, then couldn't help but complain, "And what's with pulling out the ring out of nowhere and saying 'grab my heart' and 'make a vow'? Is that something you should say in this situation?!"

"I'm glad you believe me." I took the ring back.

"Don't think you can change the subject like that! If it wasn't for that reason, then why did you give her the GPS bracelet?" she persisted. "In the end, why did you choose to take her in in the first place? Although she said you took her in because you were worried about her wandering around alone, but..."

"You don't think I'm the kind of person who would do something like that?" I asked.

“…No.” She thought for a moment and then said, “You’re the kind of person who does good deeds. When your brother was in danger, you would always step in to help him; and after you discovered that he had done something wrong, you corrected his character…Besides that, you’ve done many other things to help others. So…if a girl covered in blood collapsed in front of you in the night, I can’t imagine you choosing to stand by and do nothing. Yes, that’s absolutely impossible.”

"So you think so highly of me," I said.

“But you must actually be a very awkward person, right?” she continued. “At the very least, if you were really doing a good deed, you certainly wouldn’t seriously tell people that you did it because you have a good conscience or something. I feel like you probably prefer villain characters in movies, so even if you save someone, you’d make excuses like it was just a spur-of-the-moment thing, and you don’t want people to misunderstand or anything…”

I disagreed and said, "Do you have some strange bias towards me?"

“That was just a metaphor,” she said. “Anyway, when you claim to be acting out of conscience, you're definitely hiding something else. That’s what I want to ask you now. What exactly are your motives towards that girl with the disordered soul?”

Upon hearing this, I weighed the matter repeatedly in my mind and finally made a crucial decision.

I decided to tell her the truth and reveal my true motives.

“Asahina has a constitution that attracts strange people,” I said.

(End of this chapter)