Chapter 38
Another night passed, and Rokudo Mukuro, as usual, connected with Chrome's dream in the spiritual world.
Chrome is still a tiny little thing, with long purple hair and big purple eyes. When she smiles timidly at him, she looks just like an adorable, affectionate little kitten.
It's hard to imagine that more than ten years later, she would become a decisive and powerful woman who could take down a group of tall and strong men while wearing eight-centimeter high heels.
Of course, Chrome is always the cutest, no matter when or what.
At this point, Rokudo Mukuro and Mori Ougai should have a lot in common.
As Rokudo Mukuro pondered this, he further embellished his dream world to welcome Chrome's arrival. Blue skies, white clouds, green grass, and saplings—a fairytale-like pastoral landscape gradually unfolded before him.
"...Nagi,...Nagi..."
Chrome, the girl still called Nagi, happily opened her eyes. She recognized the voice and felt joy even before seeing him. "Lord Mukuro! Lord Mukuro, is that you?"
Nagi, dressed in a long white dress with her long purple hair cascading down her back, stood on the boundless lawn, looking around in search of the source of the voice.
When she turned around again, she finally saw the person she wanted to see.
A bright smile spread across her face as she strode towards Rokudo Mukuro, "Lord Mukuro!"
Wearing a white shirt and black trousers, Rokudo Mukuro had a gentle smile on his face. "Nagi, it's been a long time."
"Hmm, long time no see..." Nagi walked up to Rokudo Mukuro and lowered her head shyly upon seeing his smile.
After exchanging brief greetings, the two sat on the lawn and shared their recent lives.
"Nagi, have you been practicing your illusion magic diligently lately?"
Rokudo Mukuro found Chrome ahead of time; she was now healthy and possessed talent for illusion magic. Now that he had a second chance, he certainly wouldn't let Chrome suffer another car accident; nor would he let her continue to endure domestic emotional abuse.
“I practiced hard.” Nagi looked up, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Rokudo Mukuro.
After her mother remarried, she never felt warmth again. Her biological mother never cared about her, only about her own career; her stepfather was even less likely to care about her. This led to her developing a quiet and withdrawn personality.
She lived like a ghost in that cold, big house.
Until she met Rokudo Mukuro in her dream, Rokudo Mukuro was very gentle with her, took good care of her, taught her to use illusion magic, and would comfort her when she was sad and told her that he needed her.
She always thought she would be driven crazy by this oppressive family environment, especially when she saw the powerful yet gentle Master Mukuro appear in her dreams, she thought she had really gone mad.
And this person who was so gentle to her was someone she had imagined.
After repeated practice, she finally mastered the illusion techniques taught to her by Lord Rokudo Mukuro, and realized that Rokudo Mukuro was a real person, not just a figment of her imagination...
"Lord Mukuro, how do I look?" Chrome immediately demonstrated the results of her practice over the past few days to Rokudo Mukuro.
Rokudo Mukuro was quite satisfied; although it was a bit rough around the edges, it was already pretty good.
"As expected of Nagi, well done."
When faced with the miniature Chrome, Rokudo Mukuro's eyes were filled with tenderness, not to mention the contrast with Fran in France.
Compared to the sarcastic and annoying Fran, Chrome is practically an angel.
Chrome seemed to have read Rokudo Mukuro's thoughts and asked, "How is Fran's learning going?"
Chrome had previously learned from Rokudo Mukuro that there was a younger child who was learning illusion magic from Mukuro, making him her junior brother. Although she hadn't met him yet, Chrome already had a high level of affection for him based on Mukuro's relationship with him.
Therefore, it's inevitable that it will attract some attention.
It would have been better if Fran hadn't been mentioned; as soon as Fran was brought up, Rokudo Mukuro couldn't maintain the gentleness in his eyes anymore.
He yanked a handful of grass from the ground, "That brat Fran did a pretty good job too..."
Although Fran is still young, he is as infuriating as ever.
When they first met in a dream, the kid had that expressionless face, staring with those dead fish eyes, and drawling out his words:
"Wow~ I dreamt about a pineapple monster, how scary~"
This was the first thing they said to each other when they met, and it was only a few words different from what they said in their previous life.
Of course, he smiled and presented Fran with a generous gift:
Fran was completely buried under a pineapple doll, allowing him to fully experience the allure of pineapples.
After that, the two of them lived a harmonious and happy life where you would use words to stab my heart, and I would gently greet your head with a trident.
Under his careful tutelage, Fran is now able to use illusion magic to create an apple hat that he can vent his frustrations on, and that can't be pierced by a trident no matter how hard he tries.
It was exactly the same as the one he used to wear.
Rokudo Mukuro was now inserting the needles with ease, and he was quite satisfied. Fran, looking at Rokudo Mukuro's face, which was almost distorted but still stubbornly maintained its composure, was also very satisfied.
Although Rokudo Mukuro felt an itch to see Fran, he had to admit that the kid's talent was truly unparalleled.
Watching Rokudo Mukuro's hands plucking grass, Chrome's eyes flashed with a smile. She had also learned about Fran from Mukuro-sama: a poker-faced, sharp-tongued brat—these were the words Mukuro-sama used to describe Fran.
But she also knew that Lord Mukuro liked Fran very much. After all, if he really hated someone, how could he possibly force himself to be with them?
"Lord Mukuro, if you keep pulling, this patch will be bald." Looking at Rokudo Mukuro's slender fingers, Chrome had a sudden impulse and reached out to grasp them.
The moment Chrome touched Mukuro's fingers, his face turned bright red, and he quickly withdrew his hand.
Rokudo Mukuro was also taken aback. He knew Chrome's personality well. She was indifferent to others, but cared a lot about her companions. However, she was also a quiet, shy, and introverted person who would never take the initiative to do anything intimate.
...unless it was at his request.
He suddenly remembered that a while ago, in order to tease Sawada Tsunayoshi, he had asked Chrome to flick his finger. Now that he thought about it, it was a mistake; Sawada Tsunayoshi got off easy, and Chrome actually benefited from Chrome's attack.
Seeing the shy Chrome, Rokudo Mukuro smiled gently, stood up, and extended his hand. "It's getting late, get up."
With a flushed face, Chrome looked at the hand extended in front of her, feeling a mix of emotions she couldn't quite describe, but she knew that it was mostly happiness and joy. She placed her hand in his, and with his help, she stood up from the grass.
But thinking that he wouldn't see Rokudo Mukuro for many more days, he couldn't help but feel disappointed. "Lord Mukuro, when will we be able to meet again?"
Even before they parted, she was already thinking about their next meeting, even if it was only in her dreams. She also hoped that they could reunite in reality.
"Soon, we'll be going to Japan, and then we'll meet again." Rokudo Mukuro comforted Chrome, who was feeling a little down because of the separation. "Remember to practice your genjutsu often. If you meet someone you don't like, just throw a couple of genjutsu at them."
Rokudo Mukuro had absolutely no sense that he was corrupting the children, and spoke with unusual seriousness.
Chrome nodded obediently, deeply believing that what Mukuro-sama said was all correct.
Time slowly passed, and the dream constructed by the illusion gradually dissipated. Just as Rokudo Mukuro was about to leave, Chrome suddenly said urgently, "Lord Mukuro, I really look forward to meeting you. And... I really like the name Chrome!"
Rokudo Mukuro was taken aback, then a smile appeared on his face.
He has been called "Chrome" for decades, and now that he has returned to the present, he inevitably makes mistakes when he faces Chrome who is still "Nagi".
When he first called out that name, seeing Chrome's somewhat bewildered look, he changed his mind.
But now, Chrome himself says that he really likes the name "Chrome," the name that exists because of him, and he is very happy.
He also looked forward to their reunion.
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