Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

Page 417

The song, which I had listened to many times, gradually finished playing, and then...

As if the same scene had been replicated once again, two more people wearing gas masks walked out from behind the revolving door.

Just like before, Muhe made way for her, allowing that other side of herself to walk backwards.

Then, he turned his gaze to himself, who had returned to this shore.

She was exactly the same as the Mutsu who had just appeared, and as herself now. The only difference was that the arms of this Mutsu, who was on the other side of the river, were unharmed. Her hands were intact, without any wounds or scars left after healing.

"You've come too." Mu breathed a sigh of relief. "The journey to the other side must have been tough."

The newly appeared Mu removed her mask, revealing a bewildered look in her eyes.

The newly emerged Mu looked at himself leaving backwards and murmured:

"It really is like going back to the past..."

"Yes."

“I’ve done everything you said. I put the instruction manual inside the barrier, waited at the port until you disappeared, then went through the door, and then came back here.” The newly appeared Mu turned around and looked at the passage to the other side behind him. “After that… is there anything else I need to do?”

"Close the passage to the other side," Mu said.

She turned her head and looked at the revolving door in front of her.

After the Kamahama Magic Alliance was attacked by the Ode to the Other Shore, it lost this passage, and everyone naturally assumed that the Ode to the Other Shore had taken it back.

But it's not.

The passage had already disappeared before the Ode to Praise attacks.

It was taken by Mu.

"Can it be stored away?" The newcomer Mutsuya frowned as he looked at the passage on the other side.

This thing looks huge; the storage space for the Soul Gem is definitely not enough.

"There's a switch on the back that lets you adjust the size. The smallest size is about the same as a record player, which is big enough to carry around," Mu said.

"......"

According to Mu, the newly emerged Mu found the switch.

The passage on the other side suddenly folded inward like a box, and after folding several times, it shrank to a size about the same as a regular record player.

Two record players were placed side by side in front of him. The newly appeared Mu put them into the Soul Gem and regained his relaxed state.

"And then what?" she asked, looking at Mu.

"We'll find a suitable time to put it in the cave behind the mountain," Mu said.

"It's closer. What do you need me to do for you?" the newcomer asked.

"A major battle will take place tonight in the factory ruins between Kamihama and Mitakihara. Sho and I will go there to fight, and the defenses here will be very weak."

"You need me to guard this place?"

"No, I need you to join the main force tonight to fight in the factory ruins, and then..."

Mu lowered his voice, leaned close to his newly appeared self's ear, and whispered a few words.

The boy who had just appeared, who looked particularly bewildered, suddenly had his pupils shrink to their smallest size after hearing those words, and a look of shock appeared on his expressionless face.

"...Do you understand?" Mu finished speaking and took two steps back.

If both of them are this side, annihilation should not be triggered (theoretically, annihilation only occurs when a particle collides with an anti-entropy particle), but it is hard to say whether there will be other unexpected events, such as the grandfather paradox, so Mu was quite careful not to encounter the other self.

"Are you really going to do this?" It took the other Mutsu a long time for her eyes to return to normal. She looked at Mutsu and asked in a trembling voice, "Will things really turn out like that?"

“What has happened has already happened,” Mu said softly. “I’ve already witnessed it once… Now it’s your turn.”

“I understand.” The other Mu nodded and took a step back. “Is there anything else?”

"Find a place to hide first." Mu shook his head. "It's all over now."

"Well... take care." The other Mu swallowed hard and glanced back at Mu one last time.

Mu watched as his other self disappeared before his eyes, and his gaze fell silent again.

Transforming the ring on her finger into a Soul Gem, Mu held it in her palm, lowering her eyes to look at the Soul Gem.

"That way... everything is arranged."

===========

Later in the night.

click-

Xiangzi lay in bed, unable to fall asleep. She was still very anxious, and when she was anxious, it was difficult for her to fall into a deep sleep; even light sleep was difficult to maintain.

She felt like she was dreaming, but it also felt like she wasn't. Her body was asleep, but her consciousness was still active.

Xiangzi couldn't help but think about the battle that was about to happen, and then his thoughts exploded, running towards a more distant future, and then becoming more and more divergent, to the point of being completely out of control.

This uncomfortable and confused state lasted for a long time until she vaguely heard the sound of the door opening.

who is it?

Has Mu returned?

Xiangzi kept her eyes tightly shut, trying to open them, but found she couldn't. Her body was actually asleep; she could only lie on the bed like a mummy, motionless.

After a while, a warm and soft body, carrying the familiar scent of cucumber, lay down beside him. He lifted the blanket, crawled in, and snuggled into his arms, then took Xiangzi's hand and placed it on his waist.

Xiangzi was now lying on his side, his back against his own, nestled in his arms.

For some reason, when Mu's body pressed tightly against his, Xiangzi's anxious and active thoughts miraculously calmed down.

She was finally able to open her eyes.

A clump of green hair brushed against his cheek.

"Goodnight, Xiang." Mu closed his eyes and murmured to himself in an almost inaudible voice.

She didn't know that Xiangzi had actually woken up and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Xiangzi hugged Mu's body a little tighter and took a deep breath.

A comforting, faint scent of cucumber filled his body, and Xiangzi felt drowsiness wash over him again, his eyelids becoming very heavy.

"Goodnight, Mu." She stroked Mu's hair and whispered in her ear.

Xiangzi slept exceptionally well that night.

The Tale of Reincarnation: The Forgotten Shore: Chapter 546 Pre-Battle Briefing

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

Xiangzi hadn't seen a normal sunset in a long time, and after so long, he never expected it to be in a place like this.

It was 6:30 p.m., and the sun was about to set below the horizon.

The location was the outer edge of a large factory ruin at the border of Kamihama and Mitakihara. Shoko stood on a high place, watching the sun gradually sink below the factory buildings and be gradually obscured.

Golden sunlight streamed between the towering chimneys and massive storage tanks of the ruined factory, casting long shadows. The interplay of light and shadow made the entire factory area appear exceptionally three-dimensional, like a forest of upright monuments or a forest of pure metal.

This area was once a combination of several factories, forming a huge industrial park. However, due to the industrial upgrading of Mitakihara, these factories have been moved overseas, and this area has been abandoned. It is currently in the process of being dealt with and awaiting the next transformation and renovation.

Xiangzi sat on the water tower at the outermost edge of the factory building, watched the entire sunset process, and then jumped off the water tower.

She walked to the nearest makeshift tent, lifted the outermost curtain, and stepped into the sweltering interior.

At this time, the tent was packed with people.

Besides the six girls, there were also more than twenty magical girls from the Kamahama Magical Alliance participating in the battle. Including Yachiyo, all of those who came with Shoko were elites.

Yachiyo, who is the apparent commander-in-chief of this operation, is standing in front of a whiteboard giving a mission briefing.

"The factory ruins between Kamahama and Mitakihara, the territory recently occupied by the Ode to Praise."

Yachiyo gestured to the factory map on the whiteboard and tapped the whiteboard.

“This is a map of the factory. Normally, I would have everyone memorize the map as much as possible, but…” She shook her head, flipped the whiteboard over to reveal the large display screen behind it, “…this is what we are going to face today.”

"The Witch's 'Brutal Justice' Barrier, White Blood Sanctuary."

The newly appeared map on the whiteboard was like a maze, complex and three-dimensional.

Yachiyo used the stylus to flip the entire structural diagram of the barrier, showing everyone the top and bottom of the barrier.

"During the mission, there will be a time pincer attack by the PasPale of the Reed Plains. They will be responsible for clearing the scene, clarifying the details of the entire battle process, and then handing it over to us, the main force on the front. This map, as well as the briefing you are hearing now, were provided by them."

"According to intelligence, the Ode to the Other Shore has placed a passage to the other shore within the barrier, so we are very likely—almost certain—to be attacked by both the Ode to the Other Shore and the Ode to the Other Shore at the same time."

"Will there be any strange attacks?"

“There will be those from this side, those from the other side, those that are normal, and those that are reversed.” Yachiyo nodded. “Everyone, please watch your step. The remaining rubble on the ground may be from an attack launched by enemies from the other side. For us, this is something that has not yet happened.”

--"Understood."

Yachiyo nodded and continued to use the stylus to draw a clear route on the complex, maze-like map.

"This is where we first entered. Once we enter the barrier, we will be attacked by the Ode to Praise."

"Withstand the first wave of fire and advance along this route. You will soon arrive at a relatively open area, which will be the main battlefield."

—"What do we need to do?"

“Fight the Ode to Praise, just like we’ve always done before.” Yachiyo evaded the question and continued, “Fight until exactly 10 p.m., then the barrier will disappear, and at the same time, a massive explosion will occur in the ruined factory.”

—Why did the explosion happen? Should we try to stop it?

"No, our only mission is to hold out until the explosion occurs."

"So what exactly are we going there for? Just to join the fun?"

"Why weren't we informed of the purpose of this operation? Shouldn't we have the right to know what we're being asked to do?"

--"yes."

"Even if you're going to your death, at least know why you're going to die."

The tent suddenly became noisy. If Yachiyo hadn't had more say among the magical girls, it probably wouldn't have quieted down for a while.

"Quiet, quiet—!"

Like a middle school teacher, Yachiyo banged on the whiteboard to quiet the noisy kids down, cleared her throat, and then continued.

"The information about this mission all comes from PasPale, and I don't know much myself. But what I can tell you is that this operation may be the most intense and important one in our conflict with the Ode Faction."

"Our mission is to assist the assault team, hold off the magical girls of the Ode to Praise faction, and open a path for the assault team."

—What is the task force supposed to do?

“There’s no need to ask such a stupid question again.” Yachiyo gestured for the little guy to sit down. “Any other questions?”

--"""there is none left."""

"Then the meeting is adjourned. Everyone, get ready. We'll begin when the time comes."

Yachiyo carefully scanned the magical girls in front of her.

These people are all her juniors, people that Yachiyo has watched grow from novices to their current level. They are her most trustworthy companions.

Because PasPale told her that the only solution was to get everyone involved in the battle and persevere until the end, she chose these magical girls who were most likely to survive to join her in this seemingly pointless and even nonsensical battle.

I hope I won't regret it.

she thought.

Yachiyo looked up and watched as Shoko walked through the crowd and came to stand in front of her.

Xiangzi handed over a glass of water.

"You must have worked hard talking so much."

Yachiyo took the water and drank it all in one gulp. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and said:

"We have done everything we could to help you."

"Thank you."

“You Reed Plains people always like this, leaving no room for argument.” Yachiyo curled her lip. “Assault team… Ha, I don’t even know what you’re up to.”

Xiangzi awkwardly looked away.