"Phew... I’m back again..."
Standing at the station, Fang Zheng, once again transford into Red Ponytail, stretched lazily. At this mont, a curious voice ca from behind her.
"Is Miss Red Ponytail also from Misaki Town?"
"No, it’s just that this place feels like ho to , so it’s nice to co back and visit occasionally."
Saying this, Fang Zheng turned her head helplessly.
"Also, don’t call Miss Red Ponytail, just call Little Hong."
"Then... um... Miss Little Hong..."
"Ha..."
Looking at the girl in front of her, Fang Zheng sighed helplessly. Standing before her was a girl with pitch-black hair reaching her waist, a fair face, and azure blue eyes, wearing Liyuan’s school uniform, holding a suitcase in her hand.
This girl was Fang Zheng’s travel companion along the way — Toyono Akiha.
Like Kurotou Shion, she was also a student of Fiore. According to Fiore, the Toyono Family used to be one of the prominent families in Misaki Town, but the previous Clan Leader Toyono Shinkyu died young, forcing his daughter Toyono Akiha to face the situation of being surrounded and divided up by Toyono Family relatives early on.
It was at that ti that Fiore found her and guaranteed her safety in the na of the World Tree of a Thousand Realms. After that, Toyono Akiha beca a boarding student at Liyuan. And now with it being sumr vacation, since Fang Zheng was heading to Misaki Town, they were conveniently on the sa path.
However, compared to the always confident Hana, Toyono Akiha seed quite obedient and even sowhat introverted, as she had been using honorifics with Fang Zheng throughout their journey, and even now, it hadn’t changed.
"Well, well, you want to go ho, right? Let’s go, let’s go, I’ll go with you."
"Eh? But..."
"No buts. It’s like extending a Buddhist mission, we’re already here, let see your ho too."
"Ah... okay..."
Faced with Fang Zheng’s insistence, Akiha seed sowhat at a loss, but she wasn’t repelled by it. So Fang Zheng took Akiha to find a taxi and headed to the address Akiha ntioned.
However, when they arrived, the scene made Fang Zheng quite disappointed.
"You live here?"
Looking at the mansion in front of her, Fang Zheng frowned. The mansion was quite large, but it looked completely lifeless in the dark. Not to ntion, the overgrown weeds in the yard indicated it had been deserted for quite so ti.
"Yes, after that... everyone else left, I’m alone..."
"Aren’t you afraid, living alone in such a big place?"
Facing Fang Zheng’s question, Akiha’s body trembled, and Fang Zheng could probably already guess that Akiha wanted to return to Liyuan. Although Liyuan’s internal environnt was relatively strict, at least there were friends who didn’t go ho during holidays, which was much better than being alone in this seemingly haunted place.
By the way, Hana went ho quickly, saying she needed to keep an eye on a cheating cat to prevent it from getting too close to her brother.
"I-I can handle it by myself..."
She said so, but her appearance said otherwise.
"That’s not going to work."
Seeing this, Fang Zheng grabbed Akiha’s hand.
"Eh?"
"How can you live alone in such a place? What if it’s haunted? Co on, co on, I’ll take you to a good place, where there’s at least so life."
"Um... uh..."
Facing this sudden invitation, Akiha seed a bit at a loss.
"Is it a hotel?"
"Hotels cost money, but that place is free, though als depend on takeout, but it’s better than here... co, co."
Saying this, Fang Zheng pulled Akiha to get back in the taxi and then gave the address.
Upon hearing the address, the driver showed a troubled expression.
"Miss, it’s almost dusk, and that place..."
"I’ll pay you double the fare!"
"Alright, we’ll leave now!"
It turns out money really makes the world go ’round.
When they arrived at their destination, it was late at night, yet Fang Zheng didn’t hesitate to step forward and push the door open.
"Solomon, I’m back!"
Accompanied by Fang Zheng’s shout, the originally pitch-black mansion suddenly brightened up, and a girl with shoulder-length black hair, dressed in black, appeared silently in the shadows of the foyer.
"Little Hong."
"Hey, Yuzhu."
Looking at Yuzhu standing in the shadows, Fang Zheng cheerfully waved at her, while Yuzhu glanced at her and then shifted her gaze to the uneasy and sowhat nervous girl standing behind Red Ponytail.
"Ah, I-I’m Toyono Akiha, nice to et you, pleased to make your acquaintance."
Sensing Yuzhu’s gaze, Akiha lowered her head nervously and respectfully bowed to her. However, Yuzhu rely glanced at her and then looked back at Fang Zheng.
"Speaking of which, why haven’t I seen Aoko?"
Fang Zheng looked around; she’d originally expected Aoko to appear and shout "shut up" the mont she entered, so she could play a love song for her. But... has that fool gotten smarter?
"She went to Tokyo for university. She called earlier saying she had to do so field research, so she’s not coming back."
"So you’re alone now? Just as well, this little poor girl is alone too. She’s ho for sumr vacation, but in that huge house, there’s not even a ghost. I couldn’t stand it, so I brought her here."
"I see."
Facing Fang Zheng’s words, Yuzhu rely nodded, but she didn’t even look at Akiha, keeping her gaze fixed on Fang Zheng.
"And you?"
"? Due to so matters, I’ll be staying in Misaki Town for a while, so I’ll be living here with you."
"Is that so."
The sa answer, but for so reason, Akiha always felt that the final sentence seed much calr in tone compared to before.
However, after saying this sentence, Yuzhu directly turned and left, while Akiha stood at the entrance, feeling bewildered and uneasy, not knowing what to do. After all, generally speaking, at least the host should arrange accommodations for the guest, right? It’s not about being self-important, it just seems more appropriate this way. What if there are so taboos, or if it’s disturbing the host’s secrets...
"Alright, let’s go."
Fang Zheng grabbed Akiha’s hand.
"There’s just one more bed in my room, so you can share the room with ."
So that’s how it is.
When she woke up, it was already the next morning.
"Alright, let’s head out."
Just after finishing breakfast, Fang Zheng suddenly slamd the table and stood up. Yuzhu remained unmoved, while Akiha was startled.
"W-Where are we going?"
"To take a stroll around Misaki Town. It’s better than staying here, right? Besides, I ntioned, I still have so matters to attend to in Misaki Town... Yuzhu, do you want to co along?"
"......"
Yuzhu shook her head while sipping her tea.
"What about you, Akiha?"
"I..."
To be honest, Akiha wasn’t the type to regularly go out, but she could sense that she sowhat didn’t fit in with this girl. The other wasn’t hostile to her, just simply ignored her, which gave Akiha the feeling that even if she were to die here, this girl might pretend not to notice.
"Well... I’ll go too."
"Alright, let’s go together."
Fang Zheng didn’t mind. Although Toyono Akiha was just a girl, she was also a spellcaster like Hana. However, unlike Hana, Akiha’s spellcasting level wasn’t as high. Hana had already reached Rank Four in the Shaping Type spells, yet Akiha had just reached the Third Rings—and that too in the School of Illusions.
Fiore’s decision to accompany her back this ti was partly to take care of her student. After all, being a mage required traveling far and wide. This world wasn’t like the Main World where one could casually find a village to fight goblins and the like to gain experience, nor could they explore secrets and the undead in graves and ruins.
That was understandable, as every world has its own way of operating.
Since there are no small monsters in this world...
Let’s take her to deal with so vampires then.
Misaki Town was relatively bustling. At least walking down the streets, one could feel the warmth and liveliness.
"Um... Miss Little Red? Where are we going?"
"To deal with so vampires. Hana has already seen a monster before, but you haven’t, right? That’s not very fair, is it? This ti, I’ll let you see so vampires, so when you return, you’ll have so bragging material, won’t you?"
"Eh? Eh eh?!"
Akiha exclaid in surprise.
"? Vampires, are you referring to the Dead Apostles..."
"Who knows, let’s see how things go."
After arriving at Misaki Town, Fang Zheng faintly sensed the lurking darkness and restless death energy under the bustling, vibrant streets.
Monsters infiltrated this city, and there was more than one.
Whether Aertulky’s sister is among them, Fang Zheng wasn’t too sure, but if they followed the trail, they might find so clues...
"This way."
At this mont, Fang Zheng waved to Akiha, leading them into a dimly lit alley.
"This is..."
"Shh."
But before Akiha could finish her sentence, Fang Zheng interrupted her. She tilted her head, looked ahead, and then remarked.
"Wow, this really is sothing."
"Eh?"
Faced with Fang Zheng’s remark, Akiha was slightly puzzled, but before her eyes could adjust to the dim light, a stronger stench jolted her spirit awake.
It wasn’t the stench of garbage, it was sothing even more nauseating...
The scent of blood.
"Ugh..."
Along with it ca a low, beast-like growl.
Soon after, a man appeared in front of the two of them.
He was a salaryman, judging by his suit, but he now looked like a zombie straight out of a horror movie—disheveled and covered in blood. He was making low growls as he slowly walked toward Fang Zheng and Akiha.
"The lowest of the zombies... I’m not interested... do you want to give it a try?"
Fang Zheng turned to look at Akiha beside him. At that mont, the girl seed to be frightened out of her wits. This was understandable, as rely a stone’s throw away from the bustling, lively, passerby-filled shopping street, a line drawn to separate them from unexpected darkness, blood, and death.
No, perhaps it wasn’t entirely unexpected. After all, she grew up in the Toyono Family, and such blood runs in her veins.
But this was the first ti facing it for real.
The darkness belonging to the Toyono Family, and a part of this world.
"I..."
Just as Akiha resolved to say sothing, a voice suddenly ca.
"Watch out!!"
With that voice, a white figure suddenly descended from the sky.
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