Chapter 61 Chapter 61 Rendezvous.
"This size... calling it a child's size is a bit of an exaggeration."
Wang Ma Xiaoji examined the skull head that had been pulled from the water.
"Hmm, no matter how you look at it, it's definitely an animal, and after all this build-up, wouldn't it be stupid to pretend I don't know now?"
"Um, what was his name again... Little Hideyoshi? Haha, I don't think that's his name."
"Oh no, this is terrible!"
After muttering that sentence to himself, Wang Ma Xiaoji belatedly realized what was happening and pretended to be annoyed.
"Spending too much time with that person seems to have infected me with the 'Eh-do' verbal tic. This won't do. If one person uses the same setting, it's a wonderful story; if two people use it, it's a clumsy imitation; and if a third person uses it, it's just commonplace! Nowadays, games and animations are so competitive that everyone is trying to come up with something novel. Otherwise, if even one character doesn't appear, it will feel like there's a sea of people."
"Of course, the same goes for 'The Ring'."
Wang Ma Xiaoji raised the cat skull he had pulled from the water high, pointing it toward the well opening, as if trying to see it more clearly in the moonlight.
"So, little Nobunaga, you don't need me to gently hold you in my arms and comfort you like a mother would, do you? You're a mature little kitten now, aren't you?"
"Moreover... even in 'The Ring,' the heroine gently embracing Sadako's remains in the well did bring some comfort to Sadako. But for something like that, that level of comfort is completely incapable of moving it. The so-called moving is just wishful thinking on the part of humankind."
"Well, that's probably where the horror of these kinds of works lies. Compared to that, the weirdness of this world is much more endearing."
Since he couldn't get out anyway, and if something suddenly appeared in this place, he wouldn't be able to escape either, Wang Ma Xiaoji simply started talking to himself in front of the cat skull to pass the time.
"In a sense, their logic of action is simple and easy to understand, and even their motives can be identified and judged in a short period of investigation and from their actions. Moreover, their malice is completely undisguised. Sometimes, compared with other situations, this can be considered an advantage."
However, just as the comfort humans offered Sadako was limited, so too did those "advantages" not prevent Ohma Kokichi from having much affection for the supernatural.
Of course, it's impossible not to feel some emotion because of some strange past. But it's equally impossible to show mercy to them out of sympathy for their tragic past.
Even someone as kind and compassionate as Yashiki Kazuo can distinguish between what is important and what is not when dealing with strange cases, and will not do anything irrational out of sympathy for the strange.
Moreover, as far as the solution is concerned, letting the strange creature let go of its obsession and successfully attain Buddhahood is probably the best of both worlds, right?
Of course, Aurora's case is a different story.
That doll...
When he thought of the white-haired, blue-dressed doll, Ouma Kokichi's eyes darkened.
Wang Ma Xiaoji is neither stupid nor has a bad memory.
He still remembered everything he felt when he vaguely regained consciousness after what happened at the Prisoner Academy.
At that moment, he saw the white hair and felt the cold, hard touch of fingers on his face.
The same sensation of pain came from the collarbone area.
What happened next was quite obvious: something strange appeared on his collarbone... which was the mark left by Aurora.
So the white hair I saw and the unusual touch of those fingers... that "person" must have been Aurora.
Even if we can't be 100% certain, it's highly likely to be true.
And so, an idea began to take shape in Wang Ma Xiaoji's mind. This was a thought that had been brewing in his heart ever since he had seen the full form of the white-haired doll—
Logically speaking, I should have had no chance of survival after dying that way, yet I am now able to survive in a completely new world... Could this also be related to Aurora?
Oh dear, if that's really the case, should I thank it?
Although I am not actually the kind of person who would give up on life easily, didn't I have that situation more than a year ago?
That kind of situation where someone is willing to risk their life to set up a plan.
There are always some things that are truly annoying. When that feeling of disgust reaches a certain level, in order to eliminate what you hate, perhaps some things that you originally didn't intend to give up can gradually become things that you can actually give up.
However, some things that happened after he arrived in this world made Ouma Kokichi feel unhappy.
Although Kazuo Yashiki and others had previously resolved some strange incidents caused by dolls quite satisfactorily, Ouma Kokichi felt that the incident caused by Aurora might be able to end smoothly like the Death Mark and Sipitari incidents of the past, without having to resort to extreme measures as he had done at the Prisoner Academy.
but……
The thought that "his 'resurrection' and 'time travel' might be related to Aurora" made Wang Ma Xiaoji feel that things might not be resolved so smoothly.
After all, if it truly possesses the power to "revive" people, then it might also have a way to reclaim that power.
Of course, these are all just reasonable guesses.
However, he wasn't the type to gamble and ignore the possibility of something bad happening. Since such a possibility couldn't be ruled out, some preparations needed to be made for such a development. But while that was the principle, each time…
...Hmm? It's gotten darker?
When he noticed that the already faint light had become even weaker, Wangma Xiaoji blinked, tilted his head back, and then smiled at the person who had just appeared outside the well.
"Good evening, Kazuo Kozuki. You're a little later than I expected."
*******
Tsukino and Chiya's bags had drawstrings.
Ropes are so useful! You can tie up and pack things, sometimes you can tie people up depending on the situation, and they can even be used as whips. And then there's more...
Is this the current situation?
Tsukino and Chiya threw the other end of the rope into the well. Ohma Kokichi, who had successfully grabbed the rope, tied it around himself and, with Chiya's help, was finally pulled up.
After being pulled out of the well, Wang Ma Xiaoji placed the skulls on the grass, one in each hand.
Immediately afterwards, a hand appeared in front of him, offering him a towel in a timely and considerate manner.
Wang Ma Xiaoji: "..."
Although he had previously made comments like, "Is Kozuki Kazumi's backpack connected to some kind of otherworldly pocket?", it turns out he actually even has a towel.
He had to admit that this made him a little curious about what the person in front of him was thinking when making choices about what to bring into his bag each time.
Wang Ma Xiaoji, who was soaking wet from falling into the well, unceremoniously accepted the towel.
His once unruly, sticking-up purple hair hung down after being wet, with a few drops of water dripping from it from time to time, making Wang Ma Xiaoji look somewhat pitiful for once.
Tsukino and Chiya, who are blind, cannot see this scene for the time being.
However, Chiya had previously seen Ohma Kokichi's disheveled state in the well through the perspective of something, so she had some guesses about Ohma Kokichi's current situation: "Have some hot drinks when you get back, be careful not to catch a cold."
"Seriously! Don't talk to me like that! Kazuha Kozuki isn't my mother!"
“After all, the probability is quite high.” Tsukino and Chiya tilted their heads, as if they had thought about it seriously. “There’s a saying that ‘idiots don’t catch colds.’ Ohma isn’t an idiot, so I think it’s better to be careful.”
"Eh—that's a cunning way of speaking. But compared to what's going on with me, it's clear that the problems between you and Kozuki are bigger, aren't they?"
Wang Ma Xiaoji dried his hair with a towel, his gaze falling on the eyes of the black-haired boy opposite him.
"—So, what happened to Kozuki and your eyes?"
When they arrived at the well and found Ohma Kokichi, Tsukino and Chiya had their eyes open the whole time: "Hmm, is it obvious? Will it scare people?"
"No, not really. It looks no different from what a normal person would see, but it still can't fool me, you know. So, what's going on? Can't you see it?"
“No, not really. I’m…” Tsukino and Chiya said, turning around to “look” at a certain place.
His perspective was now strange; he could see weeds and small insects on them, all viewed from a very low angle.
That location is...
Tsukino and Chiya took two steps forward, then bent down and precisely caught one of the two skulls that Ohma Kokichi had brought down from the well.
As the skull was lifted, the scene before Chiya's eyes was also raised.
Just as I expected.
Tsukino and Chiya held the skull in one arm and gently tapped it with their fingers with the other: "Don't worry, it's not a big problem. My field of vision is now synchronized with Nobunaga's eyes. In other words, I can see what's in front of this skull."
As for why the skull can still have a perspective... everyone is within the spiritual barrier, so it's normal for anything to happen.
Wang Ma Xiaoji let out an "Oh," and then thoughtfully asked, "Just the eyes?"
Tsukino and Chiya nodded: "Yes, it's just the eyes, it won't have much of an impact."
So don't worry, I didn't hear what you said at the bottom of the well.
Tsukino and Chiya thought to themselves.
However, I do have some skill in lip reading. Although I can't identify them perfectly, I can get a general idea.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com