Chapter 21
After saying goodbye to Uncle Tonan, Amamiya Ruisei drove slowly out of the town.
Tsushima Shuji sat in the passenger seat, leaning against the window to observe the situation around him: "...It seems that no one is chasing us. Did they let us out on purpose?"
Amamiya Ruishou: "Maybe. We might be stopped as soon as we leave the town."
Tsushima Shuji thought for a moment and said, "Then we can't go back the same way. Let's stop at the edge of town."
There was just one small problem - the boy looked at the car speeding backwards outside the window and asked, "Sir, why are you driving so slowly?" Aren't they running for their lives?
“Ah, this…” Amamiya Ruisei was sweating, “Actually, I don’t have a driver’s license…”
All his knowledge about driving was acquired from books. With his previous physical condition, it was impossible for him to drive by himself. This was his first time driving a car. Being able to drive so steadily instead of swerving left and right was already a natural talent for him!
Tsushima Shuji: "..."
He was speechless for a moment, then grumbled: "I think the chances of me dying in a car accident are probably higher."
Amemiya Reiji pouted several times: "What are you talking about! I drove slowly, but nothing went wrong. Don't say that." Although luck is something illusory, what if it's a crow's mouth? Amemiya Reiji felt that he was still not lucky enough.
This little joke eased the atmosphere in the car a little. The originally tense feeling was relaxed a little, and I became more optimistic about my situation.
The car drove slowly on the road and soon arrived at the junction of two towns. Amamiya Ruisei identified the direction and changed the road. When they approached the town where Tsushima Shuji lived, they got off the car.
"In the end, I'm back..." Tsushima Shuji got off the car and looked at the scene not far away in a daze.
This was what they had discussed at the beginning. Rather than going somewhere else and being attacked from all sides, it would be better to return home. At least the head of the Tsushima family would definitely not allow other forces to fight openly on his territory. The reason they were able to come all the way safely was probably because the head of the Tsushima family was protecting them, or in other words, protecting the things they had obtained.
How sad, because he is too weak, because he has no ability.
Tsushima Shuji laughed at himself.
"Shuji-kun, come this way." Amamiya Raisei put his arm around Tsushima Shuji's shoulder. "No matter what, being well is the most important thing."
Tsushima Shuji murmured: "But I don't just want to be well..."
Amamiya Leisei didn’t hear clearly: “What?”
"Nothing." Tsushima Shuji shook his head, "Let's go."
However, before they had taken two steps, their bodies suddenly became unable to move. Amamiya was startled and felt a familiar heaviness in his body. He suddenly raised his head and looked not far away.
A familiar woman walked out from behind the tree and stood in front of them.
"Kukiko..." Tsushima Shuji looked at the woman standing in front of him and clenched his teeth, "Why are you here?"
"Can't I be here?"
Kukiko changed out of her kimono and put on a neat outfit, with her hair up, revealing her face.
She said calmly, "Didn't Liangzi tell you to bring the things to me? I'm just here to pick up my friend's belongings."
Tsushima Shuji clenched his hands: "Do you... know that she is dead?"
Jiukiko lowered her eyes and said, "So what if she knows? I think this is a relief for her, isn't it?"
"But wasn't it your selfish desires that caused her death?" Tsushima Shuji said, his childish voice filled with confusion and anger. "If it weren't for this thing, her husband wouldn't have died, her child wouldn't have died, and she wouldn't have died either."
"Kukiko, she said you and she were friends, and she helped you even before she died. Don't you feel sad?"
"...Master Shuji," Jiukiko sighed, "many things are not what you see."
"Ryoko's husband was once a subordinate of my current boss and participated in some of his experimental projects. The thing in your hand originally belonged to us, but that man took it away because of greed, which led to the current situation."
"At first, Yoshiko might have been innocent, but when her husband died and she chose to hide everything, she became an accomplice in the eyes of those above."
Tsushima Shuji: "So you also think she deserves to die? Her innocent child deserves to die too?"
"No, how could that be...but," Hisako's tone became harsh, "but we are in the whirlpool, and everyone is helpless. Even if I want to save her, how can I save her? I don't have strong power, nor do I have unparalleled authority. I am just a pawn who follows orders."
"As for her child, I can assure you that it was just an accident."
Hisako said, "There are many real accidents in the world. Her child just fell into the water while playing in the lake one day."
Tsushima Shuji sneered: "Then you took advantage of this and sent someone to Yoshiko, right? What's more, you said yourself that you changed your employer two years ago. How can you be sure that the accident you mentioned was really just an accident?"
"…I'm not sure."
The woman closed her eyes in pain: "But what can I do? At that time, I had just arrived at the Tsushima family. When I settled down, I had already received the news."
"The Tsushima family wouldn't do anything for me, not to mention that Yoshiko is just my friend. All I can do is watch her suffer day by day, but there is no way to save her. Only in the end, she will free herself."
Tsushima Shuji: "And now, you still choose to work for the person who killed Yoshiko?"
"Those people destroyed Masada Yoshiko's family, but your child was rescued and will have a happy family soon. Don't you feel embarrassed?"
This contrast is so ironic that it is almost heart-wrenching.
Jiukiko did not continue to respond to these words, but returned to the original topic: "No matter what you say, what happened has already happened. Master Shuzhi, give me the things, so that you can go home safely, and you can continue to be your carefree young master."
Tsushima Shuji sneered: "Are you really carefree?"
Maybe when he returns, he will face his father's abandonment. Maybe he will not suffer any substantial harm, but he can't go back to the past. Before he dies, his father will probably choose to make the best use of him.
Kukiko remained silent.
Amamiya Raisei suddenly asked, "What on earth is that thing?"
The box in their hands has not been opened yet. Although Amamiya Keisei knows from the system that this is the pillar of the world, he is not clear about the more specific details.
"I'm not sure either," Kukiko glanced at Amamiya Tadashi and answered, "It's said to be a supernatural item that can make wishes come true."
"And... it's a universal wish-granting machine that comes at no cost."
Amamiya Leisheng's breath was choked.
No wonder, no wonder this conspiracy lasted for more than twenty years, or even longer, for this thing.
A wishing machine without a price, this is something many people dream of. If you can get it, what can't you have?
Tsushima Shuji was also surprised: "Is there really such a thing in the world?"
"Who knows? After all, I have never actually seen it."
Jiukiko shook his head: "Since you also know this, then you should know that this is not something you can hold in your hands. I think you can imagine what kind of turmoil it will cause, right?"
But if the thing falls into the hands of the forces behind Kukiko...
Amamiya Reizo's fingers trembled as he thought of something.
The "wishing machine" belonged to this power more than 20 years ago, but since they had such a powerful thing, why didn't they make a lot of money for themselves? They even left it out for 20 years and only recently came to recycle it.
He felt the coolness coming from the box in his arms and thought of a possibility.
Maybe, maybe they can't do anything with this box either?
The shell that can protect the pillars of the world is definitely not ordinary metal. Perhaps it is attached with some supernatural powers, and human tools cannot cut it at all. Perhaps it requires extremely powerful supernatural powers to destroy it.
And now, this force has found such a person and has the ability to destroy it, so they want to take it back?
Amemiya Leisei was lost in thought.
"Where is the thing?" Hisako's eyes passed over the parked car behind them, passed over Tsushima Shuji, and stopped at Amamiya Tadashi. "Is it here with Mr. Amamiya?"
She raised her feet and walked towards Amemiya Ruisei.
Amamiya Reizo began to sweat. He clenched his fingers nervously and shouted at the system frantically in his head: [Quick, quick, quick!]
[It will be done soon! ! ] The system is also in a hurry.
When Hisako appeared and froze them, Amamiya Keisei shouted in his head that the system was running low on energy and the speed of analyzing supernatural powers was very slow. Fortunately, Hisako still had some feelings for Tsushima Shuji and explained a lot of things to him, which delayed some time.
Thank you Xiuzhi for your thorough inquiry.
When Kukiko stood in front of Amamiya Raiu, he felt the heaviness on his body dissipate, and the system hurriedly shouted: [Alright!]
[It’s just in time.] Amamiya Ruisei immediately picked up Tsushima Shuji and rushed back to the car while Kukiko was stunned. He drove out at full speed without even closing the door.
Luckily I forgot to lock the car and turn off the engine. Amamiya Reizo thought, being an experienced driver without a driver's license has its advantages.
The sudden change even stunned Tsushima Shuji. He was thrown into the passenger seat by Amamiya Ruisei, and he maintained a strange posture with a dull expression.
"I'm not a very good driver," Amamiya Reiichi stepped on the accelerator with a serious look on his face, "So, Shuji-kun, please fasten your seat belt."
Tsushima Shuji: "..."
He finally reacted, with a look on his face that said “I won’t die in a car accident, will I?”