Chapter 14 Broom Star 2
As expected, Masako's expression changed immediately upon hearing the question.
"Why are you suddenly asking this?" She observed my expression. "Could it be that you...?"
"It's not what you think," I replied calmly. "It's just that, as a precaution, I need to confirm beforehand."
"How can we prevent this from happening in the first place?" she frowned. "And didn't you completely disbelieve what I said before? Now you're suddenly asking such probing questions..."
"What I find hard to believe is only your talk about the apocalypse, not your description of yourself attracting misfortune. Seeing how concerned you are about the potential bad luck you might bring, I can't completely take it as a joke. And..."
She asked skeptically, "...and what?"
"I can't trust you, but I want to trust you." I looked sincerely into her eyes. "Mazao, can I trust you?"
This is absolutely true. Whether it's the apocalypse or her jinxed nature, these are things I find hard to fully believe, yet I want to believe in their existence.
But let me be honest, I truly never imagined that such a cheesy line would actually come out of my own mouth. I don't know who said it, but when people play roles they're unfamiliar with, they unconsciously project their preconceived notions about that type of character. Maybe I read too many comics, but when I try to play the good guy, I always end up with these over-the-top lines.
Whether disgusted or not, Mazao involuntarily backed away again. This time, she backed up against the wall, staring in disbelief, and said, "You're really... really inexplicable... How can there be someone like you?"
"So, will your constitution that attracts misfortune affect the people around you?" I couldn't help but return to the question I had asked at the beginning.
She composed herself, thought for a moment, and then replied, "I'm not really sure either."
"You don't even know yourself?" I asked, puzzled. "Shouldn't you be the one who knows best about this?"
“You’ll understand if you just imagine it. In the post-apocalyptic world I live in, strange things are everywhere. Survivors try their best to avoid monsters, but anyone could be discovered by one at any moment and find themselves in danger,” she explained. “In this situation, I can’t really tell which strange things I’m attracted to because of my jinxed nature, and which ones I’ve just encountered because of bad luck.”
"Since everyone is at considerable risk of being attacked by strange creatures, how can you be sure that some of them are the strange creatures that attacked because of your mistake?" I didn't miss this question.
“…It’s statistics.” Her tone turned somber. “Combined with information from conversations with other survivors, I’ve discovered that the frequency with which I encounter strange things is significantly abnormal, and this abnormality is gradually affecting those I work with…some of them, who could have lived much longer. I should be the one who should be dying…”
In the end, she could no longer hide her negativity and frustration.
It seems this incident has caused her serious trauma; she exudes an aura of fragility and world-weariness.
Seeing this, I tried to divert her attention: "I understand. It's like how black paint is most visible on white paper, but blurry on black paper. Your constitution, which attracts misfortune, can only be observed in a hazy, dreamlike environment. Is that the logic?"
That being said, perhaps even under such circumstances, with enough experiments, more accurate conclusions could still be obtained. However, that would mean sacrificing more lives, which is clearly not something Asahi would do.
“Yes…” Asa took a deep breath, seemingly a little tired.
Suddenly, her legs went weak, and she swayed precariously, almost falling to the ground again.
I quickly went over and helped her up. She had fainted before, and now it seemed like she was about to experience those symptoms again.
Fortunately, she didn't faint this time. Instead, she grabbed my arm and supported herself.
I helped her to the sofa and sat her down.
"Are you alright?" I recalled the hospital gown she was wearing at the beginning. "Are you sick? Do you need any medication..."
“No, this isn’t a physical illness,” she said seriously. “Didn’t I say before that my soul was severely damaged by the Great Demon of Doomsday, and I can’t even use the power of blessing? The reason I often faint is also because of my soul…”
Before she could finish speaking, her stomach suddenly started growling.
She fell silent.
"Are you hungry?" I suddenly realized what I had forgotten before going home.
I forgot to feed Ma Zao!
Since I found her last night, I haven't seen her eat anything, and she has remained in a weak state.
This was the first time I'd ever left someone at home for so long, so I hadn't thought about their food and water at all. It was like when I was raising a cat or dog for the first time and had no experience, so I forgot to prepare food for them and just left them at home, letting them swagger off with Chang'an.
No wonder Ma was unhappy when she saw me come back. She probably thought I would be back soon, but she didn't expect me to leave her at home hungry for so long.
I feel very ashamed about this.
"I'm sorry, it was my oversight. You must be very hungry right now."
"It's nothing, I'm used to it." Her expression was nonchalant, but she couldn't help touching her stomach.
After hearing that, I felt even more guilty towards her.
"I never imagined you'd faint from hunger..."
"It's not because I'm hungry!" she argued, frowning, then couldn't help touching her stomach. "I already said it, it's a soul trauma. I ate yesterday, I was just hungry for a day, not to the point of fainting. I fainted because of the soul trauma... Wait, what kind of look is that?"
"Yes, I understand. Soul trauma, right? I understand."
"No, that expression of yours shows you don't believe me at all... Don't look at me with that pitying look! Didn't you just say you 'wanted to believe me'?"
It seemed that she was more bothered by my pitying look than by being hungry and embarrassed, and she was so angry that she looked like she wanted to bite me.
I immediately changed the subject: "But there's still food in the fridge, right? And some snacks in the bedroom, haven't you touched them?"
“You mean the stir-fried meat and rice in the fridge? That’s your food, isn’t it?” she said matter-of-factly. “I still have to hide here with you for the next three days, how could I possibly take it upon myself to touch your food and water? Anyone who does that would deserve to be killed.”
“This isn’t the apocalypse. Nobody deserves to be killed for such a small mistake.” I wanted her to feel relaxed here. “It was my fault this time. I didn’t think things through beforehand. From now on, you can use anything in my house as you please. Treat it like your own home. My things are your things. You can eat and drink whatever you want. If you need more, just let me know.”
Instead of being pleased with this lenient treatment, she looked at him with suspicion: "How can this be?"
"Anyway, you're only staying for three days, right?" I used this to dispel her doubts, then walked towards the refrigerator. "Wait a minute, I'll cook for you right away. Just in case, I want to confirm first, you really didn't faint because of hunger, right? Are you sure there's nothing wrong with your body?"
“No problem.” She didn’t seem to be lying.
"Then I'll make you some fried rice, but remember to chew it slowly." I took out some food from the refrigerator.
This is leftovers from when I ordered too much takeout last time. Because there are big discounts for ordering more on takeout apps, I often order a lot of takeout meals and store the leftovers in the fridge. When I get hungry, I just take them out and stir-fry them in a pan. Now I have stir-fried green peppers and pork, rice, stir-fried shredded potatoes, and a few eggs left. I plan to mix them all together and make fried rice for Ma Zao.
Actually, I have another question I want to ask her, but let's fill her stomach first.
However, she seemed to have sensed something from my attitude.
“You probably have other questions for me,” she said, stopping me as she scrutinized the plastic container of food in my hand. “I couldn’t answer your last question properly, so that can’t be exchanged for food. You can ask me another question.”
"If I ask, will you answer?" I countered.
“I can’t guarantee that; it depends on your specific situation,” she said, her attitude remaining unchanged.
I placed the plastic container containing the food on the table next to me.
"Okay... So, first of all, you traveled from the apocalypse to the present day, which was yesterday, right?"
"That's what I said last time too."
"The police who knocked on my door this morning said you are a serial killer who has killed five people in the last two or three months. What do you think about that?"
“I didn’t do it,” she said emphatically. “Before yesterday, I didn’t even live in this era.”
Yes, that is the alibi she can claim.
Between Asaho and Detective Kong, someone is definitely lying. Asaho is more likely to be lying because there are records of Asaho's headshot from this era.
However, I know of a possibility that could make both testimonies valid.
Asaho is a time traveler, and "time travel" is originally a fictional concept in literature, referring to the phenomenon of a person moving to another time and space for some reason. This phenomenon can be roughly divided into two forms: one is that the person's soul and body move to another time and space; the other is that only the soul moves to another time and space. In many literary works, time travelers who only have their souls move to other time and space often possess other people's bodies.
Asaho once said that she arrived in this era after a failed spatial transfer. Therefore, I subconsciously assumed that she moved to this era with her soul.
However, assuming that Asaho is not currently using her original body, but that the original owner of that body was the real serial killer, then most of the mysteries can be easily solved.
"Ma Zao, is this body of yours really your own?"
(End of this chapter)
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