Chapter 40 Regarding the matter of willpower, he "poof" spat out a mouthful of flower petals...
Kenji Hagiwara stared at the paper car in his hand.
Chinatsuko Takanashi was also staring at the paper car in his hand.
The paper effigy remains a paper effigy; it hasn't turned into a steel plate. The toy car remains a toy car; it hasn't suddenly grown larger.
Kenji Hagiwara looked up sharply, his eyes brimming with tears as he gazed at Chika Kotori.
"Don't do this, I don't know why this happened!" Takanashi Chinatsu quickly explained, it had nothing to do with her!
Matsuda Jinpei couldn't see anything, but he still sensed something was wrong and asked, "What's wrong?"
"The car is still made of paper, and the size hasn't changed," Takanashi Chinatsu whispered.
Upon hearing this, Kenji Hagiwara's eyes welled up with even more tears.
His racing dream—
Cars—
Chika Takanashi immediately looked away, unable to bear it.
Matsuda Jinpei frowned and asked her, "What about the food? Will Hagi be able to eat it?"
"Yes, you can."
"The paper offerings are the only ones that haven't changed?"
"Um."
Matsuda Jinpei fell into deep thought, and after a while said, "Since everything before was correct, Gin has no reason to falsify this. It shouldn't be a problem with the data."
Chinatsu nods and says, "He said he copied it verbatim from the book."
"Can I ask again?"
"It's best not to!" Chinatsu Takanashi resolutely refused.
Ask again? Although Gin might give her some information from the book if she presses him too hard, Gin doesn't care about Kenji Hagiwara. If he asks again, he'll probably only get a response like "Let him die."
Gin already dislikes second-year graduate students, and if she keeps nagging about the same issue and annoys him, he'll probably just stop telling her everything next time.
"Who else can I ask? Please, Chinatsu-chan." Kenji Hagiwara clasped his hands together in a pleading gesture.
“There is indeed one other person who might know.” Takanashi Chika gritted her teeth. Although Gin had taken the book, its owner, Touzawa Eriol, should have seen it and would naturally know.
But she didn't want to ask Elio for help!
Although both sides have reached an agreement, they did not have a pleasant argument. Last time, Eriol gave the book readily, but now that Chuuya Nakahara has left, Eriol might not be so agreeable this time.
“It’s inconvenient, isn’t it?” Matsuda Jinpei noticed and said to her, “Give me a contact number, I’ll contact them myself.”
Chinatsuko: ...
This makes it even more inconvenient.
It's very inconvenient for both Gin in the organization and Eriol in the magic world!
"Forget it, I don't want it anymore. I'm already happy to be able to eat." Kenji Hagiwara suddenly waved his hand, showing an "it doesn't matter" expression, but he was the one who was just teary-eyed because he couldn't race.
Takanashi Chika sighed and resignedly said, "It's too late today. If you need something from me, let's contact you tomorrow." After all, Eriol wasn't Gin; he wouldn't indulge her without limits.
"I'll take the day off tomorrow. Wait for me to come over so we can go together." Matsuda Jinpei was a little worried because of her previous hesitation.
"No need, I can handle it."
“Hagi’s business is my business. In the end, it’s me and him who are causing you trouble. You don’t need to worry about me.”
"I can really handle this, Matsuda-nii, go back and rest!" Takanashi Chinatsu shoved him out the door, stood at the door and gave him a sweet smile, waving goodbye and saying, "Goodnight."
"China, if we encounter any trouble tomorrow..."
"I'm so sleepy, I'm going to sleep!" Takanashi Chinatsu yawned and closed the door before he could finish speaking, then breathed a sigh of relief.
Kenji Hagiwara floated over to her, puzzled, and asked, "Why don't you let Jinpei know? Who are you meeting tomorrow?"
"Tongze Eriol." Takanashi Chinatsu didn't hide it from Hagiwara Kenji.
"That mage you don't get along with?"
"Yes, Matsuda-nii is just an ordinary person after all, so it's best if he doesn't get involved with the magic world."
"But you said he's very powerful and not someone to mess with."
Chinatsu Takanashi poked Kenji Hagiwara with her finger, unsurprisingly hitting nothing, and nodded, saying, "Don't worry, the forces behind me are not to be trifled with either. We're currently getting along peacefully."
Although Chuuya Nakahara has left, who says he can't be called back?
Chinatsu Takanashi has made up her mind that Eriol must teach her by tomorrow no matter what, otherwise she will cause him more trouble.
There's nothing I can do, she's just an unreasonable person, and Elio has no choice but to put up with her!
Chika Takanashi was all high and mighty, ready to give Eriol a hard time, but when she contacted him the next day, she couldn't muster any more bravado.
It's not because Eriol is powerful or domineering, but because... he's just too easy to talk to!
Not only did he agree to help, he also came to Takanashi Chinatsu's house in person to take the initiative to solve the problem.
Even though it was still made of paper last night, the same paper car was folded and then burned, and it immediately turned into Kenji Hagiwara's favorite Mazda.
Not only that, because of Kenji Hagiwara's special profession, Eriol also helped burn all sorts of bomb disposal tools, handcuffs, and firearms, truly fulfilling every request.
Kenji Hagiwara cheered repeatedly in the house. The two, who were strangers before, had become good friends in a short period of time.
Only after fulfilling Kenji Hagiwara's request did Eriol have time to sit down and have a cup of tea with Chinatsu Takanashi.
When faced with the extra cup of tea, Elio tapped it lightly with his finger. Kenji Hagiwara instinctively reached for it, but ended up picking it up instead.
“There’s no rhinoceros horn.” Kenji Hagiwara subconsciously looked at the rhinoceros horn not far away.
The rhinoceros horn was casually displayed on the cabinet, untouched by anyone.
"How did you do that?" Chinatsu Takanashi asked immediately.
"It seems Gin didn't explain this part to you." Eriol smiled and stretched out his hand, a golden magic circle lighting up between his fingers.
"Wow!" Kenji Hagiwara exclaimed dramatically.
"In a sense, Kenji Hagiwara transformed from a corpse into a pure form of energy. Magic, superpowers, and spells are all just forms of energy existing in this world."
Takanashi Chinatsu suddenly realized: "When you touched the teacup, you were essentially applying energy to it, making the cup and Kenji's energy resonate?"
Elio nodded with great appreciation, "You are very talented, Takanashi Chinatsu."
"talent?"
“A talent for magic.” Elio waved the magic circle on his fingertip, gesturing for her to touch it.
Chika was skeptical, but carefully placed one finger on it.
The magic circle lit up, and a symbol that Chizuru Takanashi couldn't understand appeared in mid-air.
"This means you have a talent for dark magic, probably because of the curse on you. The curse has been with you for too long, permeating your body and soul, which has given you this talent."
"A curse?" Kenji Hagiwara looked at Chinatsu Takanashi nervously, seemingly worried that something might suddenly happen to her. The word "curse" sounded ominous.
Chizuru Takanashi withdrew her hand, her expression enigmatic.
“Dark magic is usually a troublesome curse. One type is the curse of misfortune that can draw on the luck of others and feed back to the curse of misfortune. Yours should be a variant of the curse of misfortune.” Elio admired the magician behind her. Being able to change the structure of a spell to make the curse produce a completely opposite effect was nothing short of genius.
Takanashi Chika, however, was more concerned with another meaning behind his words, and murmured, "Giving back to oneself?"
"That's right, that's how the curse works. The cursed person suffers misfortune, while the person who cast the curse is blessed with good fortune."
"And what about what's on my body?"
"On the contrary. The person who brings you luck will become the person who brings you misfortune."
Takanashi Chika blinked slowly; so this was the curse of luck.
If that's the case...
"The curse of luck is still there. Does that mean the person who cast this curse on me is still alive?" Takanashi Chinatsu's heart was pounding, as if she had discovered the biggest secret in the world.
"Yes." A resolute voice replied.
Everything has settled down.
My wildly beating heart returned to its original position, but each beat was stronger than the last.
He's not dead, he really isn't dead!
The person who can cast the lucky curse on her is Takanashi Yuuki!
That was Takanashi Yuki's first business trip, and the first time she was fostered by the Kinomoto family. That person, always so carefree, tapped her shoulder lightly with a black magic wand the size of a dogma and said to her, "Chinataka, may Lady Luck be with you."
That day, she saw black butterflies fluttering.
Countless butterflies fluttered around her, the largest of which was the size of her palm, trailing a long jade ribbon, and gently kissed her heart.
So beautiful, it's like a dream.
She did indeed treat it as a dream, because she quickly fell asleep and woke up in the Kinomoto family's bed.
When Eriol mentioned the "curse" in her dream last time, Takanashi Chinatsu thought of her adoptive father, but at the time she was not sure and could not ask Eriol in front of Gin.
Now, upon hearing news of his adoptive father again, he is indeed still alive.
Does Gin know? Did he help his adoptive father fake his death to escape?
At that time, Gin was clearly surprised to see her and had no reason to help her adoptive father. That's why Takanashi Chika didn't dare to think things in a positive direction, fearing that the more she hoped, the more disappointed she would be.
finally……
She could finally be sure...
Warm fingers gently stroked Takanashi Chinatsu's cheek, gradually becoming slightly damp.
"Don't cry, this is a good thing, isn't it?" Elio's voice was as if covered with a layer of organza, seemingly near yet far, dreamlike yet ethereal, incredibly gentle.
Is she crying?
Takanashi Chika snapped out of her daze, hurriedly turned her back to grab a tissue to wipe away her tears, and couldn't help sniffling.
"Chinatsu-chan." Kenji Hagiwara stopped wandering around and squatted down beside her, looking up at her with concern.
"I'm fine." Takanashi Chinatsu smiled at Hagiwara Kenji, then turned back to Eriol and said, "Sorry, I lost my composure."
“It’s okay. That person must be very important to you. I understand.” Elio’s tone was very soft.
Takanashi Chinatsu didn't mention her adoptive father, but continued the previous topic: "Because you are a magician, the paper cars you burn can turn into real cars?"
“No, that’s willpower.” Elio tapped his head and said slowly, “There aren’t that many magicians in this world, but humans are great. They possess powerful willpower. Where the willpower can reach, anything can be done.”
Chinatsu and Kenji Takanashi had tiny, beady eyes and couldn't understand a word.
Elio couldn't help but laugh out loud, explaining in more colloquial terms: "To be precise, paper offerings are a way to mourn the dead. As long as you think about the convenience that paper offerings bring to the deceased and imagine what the paper offerings look like in the hands of the deceased during the process of making or burning them, everything can be achieved."
"But we also wanted to burn a car for him," Takanashi Chinatsu said, confused.
“More is needed, much more intention. It can’t be too shallow. You have to use a huge amount of intention to change the appearance of the paper offering. In the past, many paper offering craftsmen could do this, but now there are very few people who can infuse paper offerings with such a powerful intention. At least I haven’t found any yet.”
Chizuru Takanashi was a little dazed, completely clueless.
“Here’s what we’ll do: you learn from me.” Elio took out a piece of white paper.
Chika Takanashi followed his example and gradually folded a rose.
“This is a rose.” Elio stared at the paper offering, then lit it with a lighter.
The paper rose disappeared, and in its place appeared a red rose in Ken Hagiwara's secondhand collection.
Wow, it's real!
"Oh, oh, oh, I got it!" Takanashi Chinatsu exclaimed excitedly, saying to her paper rose, "You are a rose."
Ignite, burn out.
It's still a paper rose.
"It seems like we failed." Kenji Hagiwara said with a smile, waving the paper rose in his hand.
Elio reminded her, "You have to believe for yourself that it is a rose."
"I believe it, I believe it!" Takanashi Chika folded another paper rose and burned it.
Kenji Hagiwara wanted to laugh again, but when he saw a glare from Chinatsu Takanashi, he quickly covered his mouth with his hand and stifled the laugh.
"Is there some technique you haven't told me yet? Eriol, did you secretly use magic?" Takanashi Chinatsu stared intently at Eriol.
Elio shook his head; he hadn't done anything wrong.
"It's very difficult to change a person's mind; you simply don't believe that burning it will turn it into a real rose."
"I believe it! I really believe it!"
Elio shrugged, "Words are no proof."
Chika gritted her teeth, folded another paper rose, and stared intently at it for a long time, as if trying to pour all her thoughts into it, before finally lighting it with a lighter.
Unsurprisingly, it was another paper rose.
"Hahahaha!" Kenji Hagiwara finally couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Elio also looked up at the sky, pretending that he hadn't seen anything.
"Stop laughing! You're still laughing! You're still laughing at me!" Takanashi Chinatsu had already started chasing after Hagiwara Kenji and fighting with him.
After Kenji Hagiwara completely suppressed his laughter, Chinatsu Takanashi rolled up her sleeves, turned around, and said fiercely to Eriol, "Try it again, I don't believe I can't learn it!"
“Okay.” Elio wasn’t angry and quickly folded another rose.
Red roses.
Paper roses.
Red roses.
Paper roses.
Red roses.
Paper roses...
Repeatedly.
Elio succeeds every time. As a powerful magician, his will is strong. At his peak, he can even change the world with a single thought. So, he naturally won't make any mistakes when making such a small gadget.
But after folding one rose after another, until she had over a hundred, she finally seemed to have found the trick and burned a wilted rose.
"We finally succeeded." Eriol and Kenji Hagiwara said in unison, both of them letting out a huge sigh of relief.
Takanashi Chinatsu breathed a heavy sigh of relief, but was still puzzled: "Why were the roses I burned wilted?"
"It's already very good, this is my favorite!" Worried that Takanashi Chinatsu might continue, Hagiwara Kenji pinched the wilted rose tightly, took a deep sniff, and showed an expression of intoxication: "It smells so good, this is the best!"
Elio quickly reached out to stop her, looking exhausted, and said, "Because you are very tired. Your fatigue is affecting what you burned. After all, it was originally a creation of your will. It will be fine once you have rested."
"Aren't you tired? Why are you cooking all fresh food?" Takanashi Chika wanted to ask, but she was worried about humiliating herself, since Eriol was much more powerful than her.
Elio stretched and stood up from the sofa. This was the first time he had felt so exhausted since his rebirth.
Indeed, no matter the field, teaching students is the most tiring job.
"If there's nothing else, I'll head back now." Elio was already making his escape.
"There's one more thing!" Chinatsu Takanashi immediately called out to him.
The magic circle had already appeared beneath his feet. Elio stiffened and reluctantly turned around to ask, "What is it?" Even his tone was weary.
"He's a bound spirit. Is there any way to free him from this place?"
"He can't gain freedom, but leaving this place is easy."
Takanashi Chinatsu and Hagiwara Kenji both looked at Eriol with sparkling eyes.
Elio chuckled and said, "Gin didn't give you the book because he was worried you'd learn this method. A magician's magic can help him temporarily break free of his shackles. By establishing a connection with him through magic, he can go from being confined here to being confined by your side. However, this method will continuously consume your magic. The farther away he is from you, the more magic will be consumed. It's up to you whether you want to or not."
Both Chika Takanashi and Kenji Hagiwara were taken aback.
Elio didn't ask for an immediate answer, but waved his hand and said, "I'm tired today. If you're really interested, we can talk another day."
The magic circle disappeared, and Elio's figure vanished with it.
Takanashi Chinatsu and Hagiwara Kenji both breathed a sigh of relief. This method was too unusual, and they did need time to consider it.
And then...
"Help, Chinatsu-chan—" Hagiwara Kenji cried out pitifully, completely trapped among paper flowers and fresh flowers, unable to move an inch, his violet eyes blinking helplessly at her.
Takanashi Chinatsu looked up at the sky guiltily, "That Kenji-chan, you clean up the mess yourself..."
"Waaaah..." Kenji Hagiwara wiped away his tears and pretended to cry.
Chinatsuko: ...
Fine, let her make the sacrifice.
She resignedly lit the rhinoceros horn, and as the smoke from the incense swirled, even the usually agile Takanashi Chika found herself unable to move.
The two looked at each other, then each picked up a broom and a suitcase, and began cleaning inside the suitcase.
Although Chinatsu Takanashi said it wasn't necessary, it was ultimately Kenji Hagiwara's business, and Jinpei Matsuda couldn't just stand by and watch her work alone. He took leave early in the morning, but before he had driven 500 meters, he was called back by an emergency call.
It was a bombing caused by infidelity. Matsuda Jinpei rushed to the scene to defuse the bomb. After the bomb was defused, the perpetrator took a young girl hostage. He had to stop to rescue her. After finally rescuing her, he was about to take the perpetrator back to the police station when the perpetrator's cheating girlfriend tried to jump off the building.
Okay, she didn't cheat on him, it was all a misunderstanding. The person she cheated with was actually her own brother. The woman was so badly slandered that she didn't want to live anymore.
Very good, excellent, extremely excellent...
But could you please stop torturing him?!
After a whole morning, Matsuda Jinpei was exhausted and felt like he wanted to beat the man up eight hundred times, but he managed to stop himself thanks to his decent professionalism.
It's all his fault. He caused this mess, leaving everyone exhausted, and in the end, he even had the nerve to kneel down and beg for a woman's forgiveness.
Don't forgive him, that bastard is going to jail, don't wait for this scumbag!
In the very end... the woman forgave the man.
Matsuda Jinpei has the following six points to make regarding this: ...
No, miss, you...
So what is the purpose of these police officers' existence? Are they just part of a love play?
Back at the police station, Matsuda Jinpei slumped over his workstation, utterly dejected.
"Matsuda." The superior's voice came softly from behind.
Matsuda Jinpei lay still, not moving. He wasn't deliberately slacking off; he was really tired after just being on field duty. He wouldn't be in the mood to beat up even the Superintendent General of Police if he came over right now, let alone his superior.
His superior, however, was like a devil, whispering in Matsuda Jinpei's ear, "Can't take it this once? Want to transfer departments? The First Investigation Division deals with cases like this every day."
Dealing with it every day... every day... every day...
Matsuda Jinpei's eyes conjured up real mosquito coil circles. Help! Help!
After shoveling down a few bites of lunch, an exhausted Matsuda Jinpei finally managed to get another day off and listlessly drove to Takanashi Chinatsu's house.
As Matsuda Jinpei approached the door, just as he was about to knock, he heard soft calls from inside, coming from a human and a ghost.
"No, it won't fit!"
"No, we have to stuff them all in!"
"Kenji Hagiwara, you bastard—"
"China, this has nothing to do with me, it's all your fault."
"Aaaaaaah, I'm going to burst!"
"I'm coming!"
hagi——
Despite trusting his childhood friend wholeheartedly, the commotion inside still sent chills down Matsuda Jinpei's spine. Without knocking, he grabbed a wire, poked the door open, and pulled out handcuffs.
"Don't move, hands up..."
"Aaaaaaah, it exploded!"
With a soft "bang," a huge force followed, and a mountain of roses surged towards Matsuda Jinpei, slamming him down beneath the roses.
"Ki...Kijinpei, are you alright?" Kenji Hagiwara asked cautiously from outside the mountain.
Matsuda Jinpei squeezed his head out from a pile of fresh and paper flowers, spat out a mouthful of petals, and looked at the two who were trying not to laugh, almost gritting his teeth: "You two, one of you, give me an explanation!"
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