Chapter 138 The Illusory Realm 4
It's the number two small bowl!
When I saw that it really was her, my heart, which had been hanging in suspense for so long, finally settled down. Number One also immediately relaxed and said, "You're the last one to arrive this time."
"I'm sorry, I'm late," said Little Bowl Number Two timidly. Actually, no one had agreed on a time; there was no such thing as being late.
As she spoke, she seemed to be observing the several figures present.
Her gaze swept over Number One, paused on the newcomer Number Five, then quickly avoided Number Four, Xuanming, before finally settling on me, and she tentatively asked, "Mr. Number Three?"
“It’s me,” I said. “How have you been lately? I was asking about your progress in becoming a karmic demon.”
As I spoke, I glanced at Number One, who seemed lost in thought: "Karmic Demonization..."
"My condition is terrible." Number Two Little Bowl lowered his head and said bitterly, "Last time I said I could last ten days, but now only a little over half has passed, and I already feel like I can't hold on any longer. If I can't get my name back this time, I'm afraid I'll immediately become a karmic demon when I get back. So..."
Based on what she said, the flow of time in her world seems to be roughly the same as in mine. Although comparing the flow of time between different eras doesn't seem very reasonable.
As she finished speaking, she looked up at me with a hint of expectation.
I then delivered the line I had prepared long ago: "I have fulfilled my mission."
It seemed like it took her two or three seconds to understand what I meant, and then she exclaimed with delight, "Really?"
“Really. I’ve already found out your name,” I said. “But it’s not convenient to talk here, and you wouldn’t want other people to hear your name, would you? Let’s talk somewhere else.”
"Okay, okay!" she nodded repeatedly.
Under the watchful eyes of others, we temporarily left the seating area and ventured deeper into the mist. After walking to a distance where no one could probably hear us, we each walked a little further before stopping.
She turned to look at me eagerly, and I felt the same eagerness in my heart. Once I told her my name, I could finally complete my task with Asaho. The feeling of being expected by someone you value is both sweet and heavy, while the taste of disappointing them is so bitter and cold. I don't want to taste that again.
“Mr. Number Three, may I ask what my name is?” she asked.
“—Little Bowl.” I said as if casting a magic spell, “Your name is Little Bowl. Little as in size, and Bowl as in chopsticks.”
Upon hearing this, Little Bowl No. 2 seemed to be under the spell's control, immersing itself in a state of complete absorption.
"That's my name..."
She muttered to herself, then fell into a long silence. I waited a long time, but she didn't respond; she just lowered her head, lost in thought, standing there.
I didn't interrupt her, letting her continue lost in thought. But as time went on, I couldn't help but start overthinking.
Was there something wrong with the name I gave, or did I remember it wrong? That can't be, right? It's "small" in "small bowl," and "bowl" in "bowl and chopsticks." I remember it very clearly. Or is the number two in front of me not actually "small bowl"? That's impossible too; Ma Zao only has this one friend. Although I know I can't be wrong, worry makes me confused, and that's my current state.
After a long while, she took a deep breath as if surfacing, and then said very solemnly, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Thank you, Mr. Number Three. You helped me get my name back; this is a life-saving favor, and I will never forget it."
It was really strange to hear such a young child say "unforgettable" to me, but compared to her returning to normal, those were minor details.
You're welcome. What happened to you just now?
“Because I forgot my name and parts of myself, I also forgot a lot of things. Just now, I suddenly regained a lot of memories, so I need time to digest and sort them out.” She patiently explained in her childish voice, then sighed, “When I first met Asahi-neechan, I almost became a karmic demon in the wild. She used her blessing power to help me pull back from the brink, and then she kept me by her side, giving me the name ‘Little Bowl.’ I never thought I would forget even something like that…”
"Speaking of which, I've always been curious about... Was the name 'Xiao Wan' given to you by Asaho?"
Seeing that she seemed to really like the name "Little Bowl," I didn't complain that the name sounded strange.
“I chose it myself at first,” she said.
I asked, puzzled, "What do you mean by 'at the beginning'?"
“When I chose this name for myself, it was initially the ‘small’ of ‘big’ and the ‘late’ of ‘late’. Because, you see, the ‘late’ in Mazao’s name is the same as the ‘early’ in ‘morning’, so I wanted to match her name.” She seemed to be recalling a funny incident from the past, explaining with a smile, “I thought Mazao would definitely understand my intention, so I didn’t explain much. It was only after a long time that I realized she mistook the ‘late’ in my name for the ‘bowl’ in ‘bowl and chopsticks’. Later, I just went with the flow and continued to use this misunderstanding.”
No wonder when I asked Ma Zao if she had named Xiao Wan, she gave a vague answer saying, "I did play a part in it!" So when she first introduced herself to me, she also said that her name was "Ma as in sesame and Zao as in breakfast." Does that mean all she thinks about is food?
"Moreover, Mr. Number Three, since you've found out my name in the real world, that means you've already found Sister Asaho... is that right?" Little Bowl Number Two asked with concern.
"Yes." I nodded.
She said in a soft voice, "Could you tell me a little about Asahi-neechan? I've been separated from her for a long time and I miss her very much."
I readily agreed and recounted the entire story of how I reunited with Asao, as well as how I managed to keep her by my side. Of course, I would never reveal the GPS bracelet and thermal imaging details, and I also omitted certain parts that revealed my ulterior motives. The rest of the content was mostly the truth, enough to handle the occasional curious questions from Number Two.
After a long silence, Little Bowl Number Two exclaimed, "I see. Sister Mazao has finally made a trustworthy new friend and has a partner willing to fight alongside her..."
Seeing that she had no doubt about these hearsay tales, just like a naive child who believed in the world of storybooks without question, I couldn't help but wonder: "Don't you suspect that I'm making this up? Maybe my relationship with your sister Mazao isn't that good, or maybe I'm even her enemy. I only found out your name by tricking her. She probably thought I couldn't influence you in the future, so she just casually told me."
“So, Mr. Number Three, will you lie to me?” she asked.
"Of course not," I lied through my teeth. "But let's just say it's a hypothetical scenario—if I were deceiving you, how would you protect yourself?"
“I don’t need to take any special precautions,” she said.
Why do you say that?
“Well, since Sister Asaho trusts Mr. Number Three so much, and Mr. Number Three even saved my life, I’ll only tell you…” she said leisurely, “Actually, I’ve had a special ability since I was little. Thanks to this, I’m very good at seeing through other people’s lies.”
"Skilled at seeing through...lies?"
I immediately felt that familiar sensation of being drenched in sweat.
I don't doubt whether this ability exists in this world, after all, Zhu Shi has the same ability, but does Number Two Little Bowl really have it too? She doesn't seem to have any need to bluff at me. As long as I return to the real world and ask Ma Zao, I can confirm whether this is true or not. And that would explain why she accepted my words so easily.
The question is, have I lied to her in the past?
I immediately searched my memory. It seemed I really had said it, quite a few times! Although I wasn't lying this time, when I explained to her last time how I met Asaho, I portrayed myself as an overly kind person. Did she see through that too?
Wait, before that...
"Shouldn't supernatural powers be unusable in this misty dream world? Can your abilities still be used here?" I asked.
"Is that so? My ability to see through lies seems to work here too. Although it doesn't feel as flexible as in the real world, it's not like I can't use it at all." She wondered.
Could it be that I've misunderstood, and I'm the only one who can't use superpowers in the Misty Dream? No, judging from Number One's words and Number Five's seemingly fearless attitude towards Number Four, it should be the norm here that we can't use supernatural powers... Could it be that Number Two, Little Bowl, is special?
Since she can use it, does that mean she really saw through all my past lies? She didn't seem inclined to bring it up, but simply faced me with a normal attitude and said in a soft and obedient voice, "Mr. Number Three, what's wrong?"
"No, it's nothing..."
I habitually changed the subject. She probably already saw through my lie.
"Compared to this, how much time did you spend on your way here?"
"On the way here?" she asked, puzzled.
“It took me a long time to get to where those seats were after I entered the misty dream,” I said.
“Ah, you mean that…” She seemed to realize at first, then shook her head. “No, I’ll be there soon, probably in less than a minute.”
Even she said that.
This is indeed strange. It always takes me a long time to get to the seating area through the fog, while Number Two and Number Five both said it wouldn't take that long. Last time, I was also lost for a long time before meeting Number Four, Xuanming, but I found the place quickly after meeting him. I haven't asked Number One about his situation yet, but I guess it's similar to the others. This fog seems to be subtly showing its unwelcoming nature towards me.
Moreover, apart from me, none of the people here seem to have experienced entering the Misty Dreamland from a "ghost's perspective." In addition, they all seem to have experienced the "power of the Divine Seal Fragments," while I know nothing about it.
This made me feel like an outsider, a character who shouldn't have been in the misty dream world.
The number two small bowl quietly observed me.
"Mr. Number Three, I have a question. I wonder if it would be convenient for you to answer it?"
"Go ahead and ask," I nodded.
She said slowly, "I think... Mr. Number Three, this shouldn't be your second time entering the Misty Dreamland, right?"
(End of this chapter)
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