Chapter 172 "I won!"...
The three of them were still in the old school building.
While Tsukino and Chiya were confronting the puppets... or rather, being chased and beaten by the puppets, Tougo Miya left with Ohma Kokichi.
No… well, not really. She only symbolically tugged at Ouma Kokichi's clothes at the beginning, but quickly realized that Ouma Kokichi didn't need her protection at all. Well, actually, you can't say that. It's just that if it were simply about escaping, Ouma Kokichi could do it on her own, and was even more agile and nimble than Higashigomo Miya, who wasn't particularly skilled in physical combat.
And judging from his appearance...
It seems to be unaffected, or at least not yet affected by Aurora.
Ouma Kokichi and Aurora ran away from the battlefield where Tsukino, Chiya, and the doll monsters were. Looking at Ouma Kokichi, who was running even faster than herself, and seeing that he was about to cross the line, Higashigo Mimi couldn't help but remind him, "I made an appointment with that kid to meet later..." The location was the original infirmary in the old school building.
Before she could finish speaking, Wang Ma Xiaoji suddenly stopped at the door of the infirmary and skillfully took out a small wire to pick the lock.
Miya Higashigo: "..." Ah, he's really skilled at it.
Miya swallowed back the words she hadn't finished saying, silently listening to the sheep's muttering, "Do you think they've already planned this or are just telepathically connected?" Then, after the door opened, she followed the sheep inside.
There was a lot of dust... but that's to be expected. Thankfully, they're only staying here temporarily.
The battle between Tsukino and Chiya and the puppet monster shouldn't last too long. Given such a vast difference in strength, whether the puppet monster kills Tsukino and Chiya with a single slap or Tsukino and Chiya choose to finish the fight quickly before the puppet gets impatient and reveals its true power... in any case, whichever happens, it won't be a battle that lasts too long.
In other words, everything will be settled soon... right?
Higashigo Mimi couldn't help but look at Ohma Kokichi.
The boy with hair similar to his own sat directly on the bed in the infirmary, showing no fear of facing death again, nor any concern for his companion who was fighting the monster alone.
However, if you were to ask how composed or even as cheerful as usual he appeared, then Mimi Togo wouldn't actually be able to tell.
Wang Ma Xiaoji has been quite quiet all day. Especially compared to his usual behavior, this appearance is even more noticeable and unusual.
However, Higashigoro Mimi could understand Wangma Xiaoji's unusual behavior, after all, he...
"How are you feeling now?" Although they weren't very familiar with each other, Miya Togo still decided to show some camaraderie and show concern for this boy who was probably doomed to die no matter what.
If Tsukino and Chiya win, he absolutely will not allow that puppet monster to continue existing in this world. He will kill it, and then, without the support of the puppet's power, Ohma Kodakatsu will naturally face...
If Tsukino and Chiya lose, they will be the first to die. And what the doll will do to Ohma Kokichi in its rage remains to be seen. Only Higashigo Miya, who has no marks and possesses self-defense mechanisms, need not worry too much about her safety.
However, at least for now, Wang Ma Xiaoji doesn't seem to have any problems on the surface.
"Huh? What? Ah, I see, sorry... I'm not feeling too well right now. I'm so upset that I can't help but keep thinking about all sorts of things, and I was a little distracted just now."
Is it true or false?
This was Higashigomi Mimi's first reaction. Although she hadn't known Ohma Kokichi for very long, this purple-haired boy always seemed to have a knack for leaving a bad impression—a habitual liar and a troublemaker, to say the least. Higashigomi Mimi didn't mind; she'd grown up alone in a calamity-ridden society and had seen all sorts of strange people. She just felt that her question had been pointless, because she couldn't immediately tell how credible Ohma Kokichi's words were.
That said, what exactly is the situation with those two people?
Miya Higashigo took out a tissue and wiped the chair in the infirmary before sitting down. Now that things had come to this, what should they talk about? She wasn't a talkative person, nor did she dislike a quiet environment, but she also didn't want the atmosphere to become too heavy… When it came to matters of life and death, the atmosphere was never pleasant.
Moreover, Higashigo Mimi was genuinely curious about the situation between those two. After all, she had known him since Tsukino and Chiya were operating under different names, and it was impossible for her not to be curious when she suddenly realized that he seemed to be genuinely experiencing relationship problems.
In any case, there's nothing else they can do right now. Ouma Kokichi doesn't possess supernatural powers, and Higashigo Mimi… while she's a powerful Calamity User, her presence there would likely only increase Aurora's suspicion. Besides, she has more important matters to attend to.
So she followed her heart and asked, "By the way, Ohma, I haven't had a chance to ask before, but you and Tsukino are...?"
Wang Ma Xiaoji: "Oh dear, I suddenly feel even worse, what should I do? Suddenly I have no strength left in my entire body..."
This is obviously acting, otherwise what's with this stiff, monotone delivery? Did you learn it from Tsukino Kazuya?
With her arms crossed, Higashigo Mimi was about to give off a "let's see how long you keep up this act" look when Ohma Kokichi continued speaking in his fast, calm but increasingly weak voice.
"Ah, this is for real, I wasn't lying. Also, teacher, I feel like I'm dying right now..."
The purple-haired boy's voice grew weaker and weaker. After saying those words, he suddenly closed his eyes and collapsed onto the bed. His skin was already paler than most people's, and his current appearance made everyone tremble with fear for his safety.
Miya Higashigoro, caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, was speechless.
Wait, are you serious? I think you can still be saved, Wang Ma!
Realizing that this was not a deliberate lie, Higashigo Miya suddenly stood up and went to the bedside to check on Ohma Kokichi's condition.
*******
When Tsukino and Chiya arrived at the infirmary as promised, this was the scene they saw.
Wangma Xiaoji lay on the bed with his hands folded in front of him, looking surprisingly peaceful. Donghou Mimi sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes vacant, lost in thought. It wasn't until Tsukino and Chiya entered that her gaze returned to focus, and she looked up towards the doorway.
Tsukino and Chiya: "How was it?"
Miya Higashigo: "At first it was normal. Aurora probably didn't immediately withdraw the power on Ohma Kokichi after you were exposed. But then he suddenly became weak. Judging from the time you arrived, it should be that Aurora's death caused the power supporting Ohma Kokichi's existence to gradually disappear. He fell into a coma, and soon... well, that's it."
Miya Higashi didn't ask Tsukino and Chiya, who still had some obvious wounds, what they had just experienced. His mere presence here was the best explanation for the question.
Miya Higashigo didn't go into detail about Ohma Shokichi's true state at that moment, because calamity... is the power of belief and consensus. To use that power to achieve their goal, those present needed to reach a consensus.
"Wangma Xiaoji was only affected by that power and is temporarily unconscious. There's an unclear, strange connection between the puppet and him. This connection caused some of the power that was originally in the puppet to flow to him after the puppet's death, which just happened to sustain his life." Tsukino and Chiya stated the "consensus" they had previously discussed with Higashigo Miya. "That should be correct, right?"
“That’s right.” Higashigo Mimi nodded, looking at the person still asleep on the bed. “Logically, there shouldn’t be any problem. But I’ve only tried this twice before, including this time. Although I’m fairly confident, I’ll try a little longer.”
Tsukino and Chiya knew very well that even with a high probability of success, there was still a possibility of unexpected events.
This is why even Wang Ma Xiaoji was surprised when he said, "I won't let you die." After all, they both knew that no one could truly guarantee that.
Yes, I clearly understand that rationally.
But why...?
Why does he still feel so sad?
He reached out to the person lying on the bed, his eyes unconsciously dimming. Even so, he kept telling himself that this person was still alive. Wang Ma Xiaoji must be alive; only then, perhaps... perhaps... But was there really any hope?
"Really, it still doesn't work?" Tsukino and Chiya's voices were no longer as calm as before. He lowered his head, and although he wasn't quite at the point of choking up, there was no doubt... his usually steady voice trembled slightly.
Even so, he still rationally considered: "No, your use of calamity is without any problems. So the problem really lies with the anomaly? Is it that the existence of the anomaly has brought about some unknown variable? If so..."
Tsukino and Chiya suddenly stopped.
Tsukino and Chiya stared wide-eyed, looking unusually stunned. Their voices were muffled by the forceful pinching of their cheeks: "Ohma...?"
The purple-haired boy, who had just opened his eyes, revealed a mischievous smile.
"Hehe, I fooled you, didn't I?"
Wang Ma Xiaoji, who had successfully launched a sneak attack, did not immediately withdraw his hand. Instead, he went even further and reached out with his other hand to pull up the other cheek, pinching the pretty face into strange shapes, and playing with it with great satisfaction.
"Also, I finally saw a different expression on Kozuki Kazuha's face. So..."
"I won!"
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