Wake Up 02

You hold your chin and look out the window.

There is a kind of white flower outside the window that does not contain any impurities and is extremely pure white.

The pigeons that Riko and I saw in the park this spring were also pure white.

Although both are pure white, their fates are very different.

Pigeons can flap their wings and fly away, but flowers can only stay where they are and be picked. You open the window and touch a flower near the corner with your index finger.

"I've told you the whole truth. You've always been a smart kid. You must understand the principle of sacrificing the minority for the majority."

"We cannot allow a possible accident to disrupt the existing order. The lives of six billion people in the world depend on you. You know what to do."

…

The moon hung high in the sky, and the park was deserted on that cold winter night. If it weren't for the dim light from the street lamps, you'd almost think you were in a cemetery.

"Miss? You didn't go back to the Zenin family with the head of the family?" The person who was kneeling on one knee in front of you and talking to you was named Matsushita Kiyoko, an assistant supervisor.

"Ah, Kiyoko, how did you find this place?" You didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment, but Matsushita Kiyoko had watched you grow up, so she knew exactly what you were thinking. She stood up and sat next to you, holding you in her arms, her chin gently resting on your head, and whispered, "There are only a few places you go to in Tokyo."

You can clearly hear her regular heartbeat.

"Miss, your hands are so cold." She held your hand, trying to warm you, but it was in vain. Matsushita Kiyoko's hands also gradually became cold.

"Miss, I think we need to go somewhere warm, what do you think?" Matsushita Kiyoko did not let go of your hand.

"Qingzi, go alone. I'll stay here." You said sullenly. You felt really bad for letting her stay here and blow the cold wind with you.

"Miss, you know very well that doing this won't change anything. You'll be the only one suffering."

"I need pain." You said indifferently.

"Miss answered 'yes'. You made a promise, and you must keep it. Don't dwell on anything else." Matsushita Kiyoko hugged him tighter. "I know you're quite reluctant. In fact, whether you do it or not, Miss Tiantian will be taken away to assimilate with Master Tianyuan."

"Assimilation cannot fail. The astral plasma must be in a highly voluntary state during assimilation." You paused. You felt like crying, but you hadn't cried in years, and your tear glands seemed to have atrophied. So you could only calmly ask Matsushita Kiyoko, "Even if it's falsely voluntary?"

"I don't know that either, Miss. You don't need to blame yourself or feel pressured. Miss Tiantian's fate has already been determined. You just knew this fact in advance. Please cherish every moment you spend with Miss Tiantian in the future."

"That's not something you would say, Kiyoko. Your uncle taught you that."

"Yes." Matsushita Kiyoko did not deny it.

"I can't cherish it. I will only feel tortured." You buried your head in Matsushita Kiyoko's chest like an ostrich. "Tampering with memories is enough once."

"I've finished what the family wanted me to say." Matsushita Kiyoko released one hand to stroke your back, "Now, here's what I, as Matsushita Kiyoko, have to say."

"Before assimilation truly began, Miss had countless opportunities to change her choices. I only hope that Miss will not regret it and will be able to bear the consequences of her choices."

You looked up, carefully examining Matsushita Kiyoko's face. In your memory, Kiyoko had always been a pedantic and rigid person. She never disobeyed orders from her superiors, nor would she do anything beyond what they had been told.

"I don't know, Qingzi. I don't know what I can do." You lowered your head again, taking deep breaths to adjust your emotions.

"It's okay, there's no rush." ​​They folded their hands together. "If you stay outside all the time, something bad will happen to you. Since you don't want to go back to Chanyuan's house for the time being... I'm afraid you don't want to go to Miss Tiantian's either... Would you like to go to my grandmother's house?"

With a ticking sound, the hour and minute hands both point to the number "10", and it's time for you to go out.

Qingzi's grandmother was sitting at the door knitting a sweater.

"Grandma, I'm going out."

"Hey! Are you coming back for dinner tonight?"

"Thank you for your care."

"Be careful on the roads; things are getting rough lately," Grandma warned. The street where Grandma lived was a hive of unemployed people who were constantly causing trouble. When I arrived here last night, I was too sleepy to deal with them.

I'll take care of it on the way later.

“Today is Christmas, remember to eat strawberry cake with your friends!”

Kiyoko's grandmother is so energetic.

Friends... more than just friends.

The weather today is not much better than yesterday's.

Even if the sky is blue, you feel irritated.

Your fate with Tenten and Riko... When your parents were still alive, your family and Tenten's were neighbors. One day, you and your parents were in an accident, and it was Tenten and his wife who brought you home safely.

After your parents died in an accident, you were taken in by the Zenin family and moved to Kyoto. Zenin was a traditional, conservative family, and you kept in touch with the Tenten family through letters. The enthusiastic Tenten couple would answer every one of your letters. Until one day, they didn't. The first unanswered letter led to a second, and a third.

This time, an unexpected event befell Riko Tenchi. Six months later, you learned that, like you, she had lost both her parents. She was only four years old at the time, and you were deeply worried about her. Zenin Naobi couldn't persuade you. You had always believed that Riko's connection to the world of sorcery was because of you.

Turns out not.

It was a joke from beginning to end.

You exhale, but those ugly faces still loom in your mind.

We don't want any signs of rebellion from Tenriko.

The original star plasma named Jiujiu Yuki broke into the general director meeting. More than a dozen first-level sorcerers refused to keep her. She happily received the title of "Special Grade" and left in a heroic manner, scaring the group of old men half to death. They were afraid that the next star plasma would have the intention to rebel and beat them up.

Yesterday's directors' meeting was a complete mess; it's a wonder they were even able to organize it. The first item on the agenda was the astral plasma incident. Only matters of life and death could get these rusty old men moving again.

Kiyoko called you early this morning and they arranged a meeting time and place for you and Riko. The task must be completed today.

Damn it!

You placed the cake on the bench and took off your pocket watch, tossing it into your bag. Given Riko's personality, it would probably take a while for her to arrive, and Kuroi might delay as well.

You pulled a comic book out of your bag.

I can't even see it.

You look up at the blue sky.

Even...

"Please take me away from here." You murmured. Can you say that to Shi Er? Will he agree?

Ha ha……

No sound came out of your mouth at all. Now you don't even know where Zenyuan Shier is. You can only wait passively, waiting for him to come to you. Your relationship with him has always been like this, hasn't it?

Even so, Riko, Kiyoko, and Shinji are your most important family members.

Why did you take me to the Zenyuan family? Why did you make me the eldest daughter of the Zenyuan family? Why why? Why didn’t you send me to an orphanage?

Why me?

Yes, raise your hand.

I am a sorcerer.

If only he had been executed.

Why was I sentenced to death by those people?

I don't remember.

"Miss, Miss?" Someone waved in front of you.

"Sir, what can I do for you?" You put on a dignified smile.

"Oh, I'm fine. It's just that you look... sad, miss. You look like you're going to disappear."

"Thank you for your concern, I'm fine."

"Really?"

"real."

Let’s go, let’s go.

There is no sound.

Gone?

You glanced around, caught sight of your scarf, and finally laughed out loud. Just this scarf cost hundreds of thousands of yen! You had no idea how much Zenin Naobi had spent on you. Even if you paid him back, the favor wouldn't be easily repaid. You'd rather live in the Zenin household, suffering the same hardships as Shinji, so you could leave at a moment's notice, leaving no regrets.

[Do you even want to leave here?]

[The sorcerer should stay here.]

You were lost in your memories, but were awakened by a sudden noise.

Normally, the bustle of the place wouldn't concern you; you wouldn't want to disturb the crowd. Normally, your ears are bustling enough. But now, you have to go. There's a cursed spirit there. As a sorcerer, you must exorcise it.

You are a third-level sorcerer. Your level isn't important; the issue now is that the cursed spirit floating in the air is at least a quasi-first-level one. You swear on the Zen temple's collection of books you've read that your judgment will never be wrong.

You don't have the ability to exorcise it.

Why... You stay calm, trying not to overthink it. In short, contact the Directors' Meeting first. Show some temper to get them to come faster. Even if they're whispering behind your back about you, the eldest daughter of the Zenyuan family, being too weak, you don't care—saving people is the most important thing.

Anyone who wants this crappy identity can take it. Before entering your number, you scan the surroundings to tell the supporting sorcerer your exact location, but you notice a boy in the crowd looking up at the sky.

The cursed spirit was too quiet.

This distance...

"mirror"

[So scary, so scary, so scary, so scary…]

[Grace…Grace…]

【money……】

【Object...】

The cursed spirit is afraid.

That boy is very strong.

You didn't think about what the crowd was making. You were distracted by something more important.

You can see it.

It wasn't a rhetorical question, but an affirmation. He subconsciously looked towards the source of the voice. He immediately recognized the girl who had spoken to him in the crowd.

Did she open her mouth to speak? The scarf covered almost half her face. Was she particularly cold-sensitive? Her winter gear was incredibly complete. And quite expensive, with many accessories being designer brands that her mother had wanted but hadn't yet bought.

A bit too dazzling.

He suppressed this impolite thought and coughed a few times.

The pungent smell of kerosene filled the air, and screams rang out one after another.

Someone had set himself on fire in the park, and that person was right next to her. The human-shaped flame tower was so close to her, so close that the flames threatened to catch fire on her coat. She was completely unaware, her beautiful eyes fixed on him, as if he were the most unique person in the crowd.

Be careful - he's too far away to catch anything.

She was pushed away by a girl and staggered a few steps before she came to her senses and realized that she had just brushed past death.

There was no expression on her face.

The girl and a person in a maid outfit took her away.

She wanted to say something to him, he was so convinced that he desperately wanted to chase her. But, but—people came to their senses, carrying buckets of water and fire extinguishers and rushing towards the burning man.

Water splashes and foam were flying everywhere, and he got a lot of them on his body.

The raging flames were extinguished, and the self-immolating person collapsed to the ground, curled up, as peaceful as a baby returning to its mother's womb.

He confessed that he was deceiving himself, and that expression had nothing to do with "tranquility" in any way.

People, weak people.

When a person dies, the noisy world becomes quiet, with only the crackling sound of broken skin, as if life is trying to linger on for a moment.

Firefighters arrived, but were of no use. Paramedics quickly pronounced the man dead, a blue tarp was pulled up, and the body was dragged into an ambulance.

There's a fine line between the living and the dead. For the weak, life and death are a matter of a split second. A terrifying monster can easily destroy a person. Just like now, at this moment, above everyone's heads, beneath the azure sky, a monster entangled in pitch-black chains writhes.

He is a strong man who can defeat such a monster.

He calmly rolled the monster into a black ball.

Well, nothing could stand in his way now.

"Thank you for saving me, Riko." You tried your best to give her a smile. The link was broken, the cursed spirit exorcised. This was too fast, and there was still a lot of information I didn't see. I didn't know how much information was left at the scene.

Riko held you intimately, "I saved you, sister, do you want to marry me?"

"After going through that, it's a good thing you can still laugh." Misato Kuroi frowned.

"Kuroi, this is my tutor." You still kept smiling. Kuroi Misato pulled the corner of her mouth, she obviously didn't like you.

There is nothing we can do about this.

Seeing how intimate Riko-san and Zenin-san were, Kuroi Misato felt… She didn't know what to feel. Anxiously, she tried to change the subject, "Ms. Zenin-san, we need to contact the sorcerer as soon as possible to deal with the cursed spirit. Leaving it unchecked will pose a huge threat to the lives of the people…"

"Don't worry. It's been exorcised."

Misato Kuroi stole a few glances at you, as if wondering how your frail body could have such powerful explosive power.

You coughed, "How could it be me?"

"I wasn't the only sorcerer present at the time. He's very strong."

"Your friend?"

"I don't know him."

Kuroi Misato looked like she wanted to get to the bottom of the matter, but Tennen Riko grabbed her arm and said, "It's the weekend, and my sister is here too. Now that the problem is solved, let's not dwell on it." Tennen Riko said coquettishly to you and Kuroi, "I brought a racket, let's play together!"

No one can resist a cute girl like Riko - it's just that you feel you should stay away from Riko for a little while now.

"The strawberry cake I bought is left on the bench over there. I'll go get it."

"I'll go with my sister!" Tenriko let go of you and raised her hands happily.

"Ms. Riko, we'll wait here for Miss Zenin."

"Why?"

"Because Miss Zenin has other things to do besides just getting the cake."

"Heijing, I don't understand." The little girl asked in confusion.

"There are some things that children don't need to understand."

"I'll be in junior high school next April!" Tennenori put her hands on her hips and pointed at you. "Besides, I'm obviously a minor too!"

"How can you compare a minor with another minor?" You pinched her still chubby cheeks. "Be good, this is something important."

Tenriko's face wrinkled up. "Okay, I understand. Come back soon!"

“My time is precious!”

"You are truly a woman of great righteousness." Your praise only made the child hum proudly.

Seeing you walk away, Tennen Riko took Kuroi Misato's hand, "What is Kuroi thinking about?"

"Ms. Riko, Miss Zenin is very busy..." Kuroi Misato said incoherently: "Miss Zenin... so..." Did Miss Zenin complete her mission? Miss Zenin's technique was extremely concealed when it was activated, and the residue left behind was very little. With her ability, she couldn't see anything.

The person in charge of surveillance left.

So mission accomplished.

Ms. Riko...

Today, when they were leaving, Kuroi had been dragging his feet. In the past, it was Kuroi who had always pushed her. Tenriko didn't know what was going on between her sister and Kuroi. She didn't agree with Kuroi, but she didn't want him to be upset either.

Tenriko could only wait silently for her sister to come back.

[Riko, this is the older sister next door. Come meet her.]

[elder sister? ]

Tiantianlizi suddenly shook her head.

[Riko, you can rely on me. I'm Riko's older sister.]