Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

Page 243

"Ok?"

"Upon closer reflection, I realize I'm actually seeking a master to learn from. You are my benefactor and my teacher." Aine displayed her extraordinary wisdom. "How about calling me Master?"

"It doesn't matter."

"But you're not that much older than me, calling me that makes me sound old..."

"Yeah." Xiangzi nodded.

"Then let's call her Little Master (Master-chan), it sounds much cuter!"

"Pfft—!" Xiangzi choked as he swallowed. "Cough cough—what did you say?"

"Little Master!" Ai Yin grinned, revealing her adorable little tiger teeth. "Little Master, Little Master, isn't it beautiful?"

"No." Xiangzi wiped his mouth.

She sounds like she's very young, no way.

"Then the benefactor?" Ai Yin blinked innocently.

"Don't either."

"Ugh, I don't want this, I don't want that, what should I do..." Aine spread her hands.

"Can't you address me like everyone else does, in a normal way?"

"No, that won't do. In order to express my respect and admiration for you, and since honorifics and respectful terms are one of the core elements of this language, I must take it seriously."

"Feudal dregs." Xiangzi showed a look of disgust.

"Little master, just give in to me." Aiyin walked affectionately beside Xiangzi, took his arm, and pressed her plain (emphasis repeated) chest against his arm.

Xiangzi couldn't shake her off, so he could only drag her onto the elevator and walk towards their door.

"Little Master, Little Master~"

"Whatever, whatever." Xiangzi shook his hand in exasperation. "You have to let me have a key, don't you?"

“That’s true…” Aine was about to let go.

bang——

A gust of wind blew as the heavy wooden door opened, causing pink and blue hair to flutter in the breeze.

Chu Hua stood before them with a kind expression, her lips curled into a wide smile, arms crossed, toes tapping impatiently on the ground. In front of her, Ai Yin remained in the same position, linking arms with Xiang Zi.

Chu Hua looked at Xiangzi with a forced smile, then glanced at Ai Yin before returning her gaze to Xiangzi.

Xiangzi stood frozen in place, his face ashen, and fine beads of sweat on his forehead.

“Chu Hua… um… I…” She forced a smile, “…I’m back.”

"What do you mean, little master? Aren't you going to explain?" Chu Hua asked with a smile.

The Lost Tale: The Lost Child - Chapter 296 Urban Legend Summary

"What is a junior master? Aren't you going to explain?"

Chu Hua smiled, her half-closed eyes turning into dangerous vertical pupils. At home, she didn't wear colored contact lenses, and her purple and gold irises made her look like a cat that had smelled an outsider.

“That’s right, Chu Hua.” Xiangzi pried Aine’s arms off.

She was just about to explain when a shrill scream came from beside her.

"Wow!"

Ai Yin's eyes sparkled as she flung Xiangzi's hand away and moved closer to Chu Hua.

If she had a tail, she would be rocking like a helicopter by now.

"Aren't you...aren't you Sumimi's Mitsuka Hatsuka?! Can I get your autograph?!"

what?

Chu Hua's pupils instantly returned to their normal round shape, and the deliberately low-pressure atmosphere was completely dispelled by Aine's innate vitality.

"It's after get off work hours now, so we don't provide fan services," Chu Hua said with difficulty.

"Ugh... whatever, it doesn't matter if there's no autograph." Ai scratched her head and looked Chu Hua up and down again.

She felt like she recognized him, like she'd seen him somewhere before, but not like someone on TV...

"I remember now, I saw you on the String Ship. You're a magical girl too." Aine suddenly realized.

“We met on the Stringed Horn.” Chu Hua remembered that they had met once when they were having a meeting. “So you and Xiao Xiang are quite familiar with each other.”

"It's alright, hehe..." Ai Yin scratched her head. "I was introduced to the sect by my junior master, and now she has accepted me as her disciple."

“I never said that!” Xiangzi shouted from behind.

"Hey, but didn't we all agree just now?"

"I only agree to give you some pointers for now."

"Doesn't that mean he'll take me as his apprentice?"

"Different Desuwa!"

"What's different?"

"Hey......"

Chu Hua sighed helplessly, stepped aside, and made way for him.

"It's noisy in the hallway, everyone around can hear it. You'd better come in first."

Xiangzi shoved Aiyin in the back, shoving her into the door like he was stuffing her into a van, then went in himself. After making sure no one around objected to their noisy chatter, he slammed the door shut.

Ai Yin kicked off her shoes in a few quick steps, put on the slippers that Chu Hua had laid out, and followed in Chu Hua's footsteps.

"Miss Triangle, Miss Triangle?" Aine asked tentatively.

"Just call me Chu Hua." Chu Hua turned her head. "What is it?"

“Yeah, I’ve often seen some… well… gossip news before. I never thought you were actually with someone—cough cough.” Ai Yin cleared her throat, deliberately lowering her voice so that Xiangzi couldn’t hear her, and leaned close to Chu Hua’s ear, “So… should I call her ‘Teacher’s Wife’?”

"Wh-what?" Chu Hua's pupils shrank.

Putting aside what gossip is, who is the teacher's wife?

"I just became her disciple, which is why I call her 'Little Master.' Following the same logic, I should call you 'Master's Wife.'" Aine flashed a mischievous smile and called out sweetly, "How about it, Master's Wife~"

"This, this is not good."

Chu Hua's cheeks flushed slightly, and she glanced away shyly.

"I...we're not in that kind of relationship."

"I know what you're worried about. Then I'll still call you Miss Chuhua. In private, um... when Little Master can't hear me, I'll... what do you think?"

Hey, they're even using the formal "you" now.

But surprisingly, Chu Hua fell for it and nodded, blushing.

Although Xiangzi couldn't hear what they were saying, she could clearly see the changes in Chuhua's expression.

Seriously? She got bribed so quickly? What did that pink-haired girl say?!

Chu Hua finally managed to get rid of Ai Yin, went into the kitchen, and put a plate that had been sitting aside for a while into the microwave.

Ding.

An orange light shone from the microwave, and the curry egg inside began to spin.

"We did a few more takes this afternoon, and by the time I got back, we couldn't buy any more groceries. We'll have to make do for dinner." Chu Hua bent down and took out another cardboard box from the refrigerator. It was labeled "[Instant Curry, Ready in 1:30 seconds!]".

It turns out that the curry rice dish was also a quick-heating food that could be eaten in the microwave with just a ding.

"There's nothing we can do about working overtime," Xiangzi said helplessly as he led Aiyin to the dining table.

"Yeah, who knew you'd be back even later than me when I was working overtime." Chu Hua pouted and complained, "Does the shift handover take that long?"

"I stayed in the archives a little longer, hoping to find some clues."

Ding.

"What clue?" Chu Hua brought up three plates and placed them in front of them.

"It smells so good." Aine sniffed the aroma wafting from the curry. "Even though it's instant curry, it still smells so good."

When you're hungry, everything tastes good.

“Rumors, cases, and other things,” Xiangzi said. “Miss Linlinzi seemed to have something she wanted to tell me before I left, but then she said she would tell me more in detail later in a private chat.”

"Let's eat first," Chu Hua said.

"Mmm!" Ai Yin's saliva was practically dripping down her cheeks.

Xiangzi heard his stomach rumble, looked at the fragrant curry in front of him, sighed, and picked up a spoon.

"Then let's eat first."

========

The sound of dishes being washed came from the kitchen.

Xiangzi slammed the "Urban Legends Compilation (Issue 150)" onto the table and turned to the first page.

Table of Contents: Rumors circulating on social media, click, which page?

Rumors circulating among the neighbors, dot dot dot, which page?

Rumors circulating on late-night radio stations, dot dot dot, which page?

dot dot dot.

dot dot dot.

"What's on this?" Ai Yin asked curiously as she leaned closer.

“Perhaps we’ll find the clues we need.” Xiangzi paused, then continued, “They’re related to Su Shi.”

“…Hmm.” As soon as Aine heard Su Shi’s name, her playful spirit vanished instantly.

To avoid becoming weak, she had to force herself to be cheerful. But when she heard that name, she couldn't help but show a forlorn expression.

Ain, who had been as cheerful as a puppy just moments before, suddenly became depressed again.

“Benefactor…Little Master.” Ai Yin’s voice softened. “Can we save Su Shi?”

"I will try to save them," Xiangzi said, "if conditions permit."

"That would be enough for I to make my father (seven) four witches and lands."

Xiangzi quickly flipped through the articles published in the magazine and found that they were all quite interesting. As stories, the magazine was of high quality—although the name was a bit rudimentary.

Ultimately, however, it is still an entertainment magazine, and the urban legends published in it are not very credible. Xiangzi has not yet found any information that can be connected with Su Shi.

but.

Xiangzi gently bit his lip.

Is it that she can't find it, or does she simply not understand Su Shi at all...?

The Lost Tale: The Lost Child: Chapter 297 The Rumors Circulating on the Late-Night Radio Station

Once a magical girl becomes a witch, her nature, the construction of her barrier, and its location will all be strongly related to her past life experiences.

After all, it's a dream; one can't possibly dream about things that don't exist in one's memory.

Starting from this point, if we follow Su Shi's experiences to dig into the rumors, we might be able to locate the barrier. However, after careful recollection, Xiangzi realized that his understanding of Su Shi was actually... almost non-existent.

What she likes, her daily routine, her family environment, her entertainment when she has nothing to do, what wish she made when she became a magical girl... I think I know a little about this, it's related to Su Shi's mother.

And then? She wouldn't go into details.

Aside from that, Xiangzi knew nothing else. The less she knew, the fewer directions she had, and looking at the dazzling array of catalogs, she felt completely lost.

Just as Xiangzi was struggling with the magazine spread out on the coffee table, Rinrinko's promised contact finally arrived.

ding ding-

The screen on the coffee table lit up, and the first notification was a message from Rinrinko.