Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

Page 223

Chengxi, Chenghe, Chenghu

Reaching towards the horizon, towards the farthest reaches.

Vast and mighty, yet sometimes winding its way forward, lapping against the cliffs, witnessing sunrise and sunset.

Overcoming the storm surge

Until the gentle sea welcomes them home.

△

Slowly sinking in the tranquil embrace.

A tide of love washes over you, enveloping you layer by layer.

If you see a soul rising towards the sea...

With your heart that has stopped beating, please wish him a safe journey.

△

From that distant, profound place, I have heard your voice and weighed every choice you make.

Now, together we will fulfill the meaning you have been searching for.

I will wipe away your tears, extinguish your fear with joy, and gently push you to the shore.

At that time, everything will be reborn along with hope.

△

Hush, darling, close your eyes and drift off to sleep.

Let that distant sunlight ripple and echo in the depths of my dreams.

Knowing that you will eventually awaken, riding the wind that blows once more.

The end of this journey is merely a new step towards the future.

====

End.

A Tale of Lost Paths: The Spirit of Youth - Epilogue

I've included the lyrics in the author's notes, so there's no charge for them. Don't worry.

Volume 3 is finally over. To be honest, it's been way too long, much longer than I planned.

The original plan was to continue the story of Su Shi after finishing the Sea Witch, and that kind of preview would be written at the end of the second volume, but well (shrug), Su Shi is now in the fourth volume.

This volume was originally intended to be a transitional volume, just a casual writing to transition to Su Shi, but without an outline, it was very difficult and disgusting to write. I couldn't stand it anymore in the middle, so I filled in the gaps. As a result, there is a lot of content in the later part, and it is very messy and bloated. I am not satisfied with it myself.

The plot related to Go in this volume is all written in a very messy and fragmented way. I myself have no clue what to make of it, and I apologize for any unpleasant reading experience it may have caused. (bows)

I won’t do it again.

I'll definitely focus on the chicken and dog story in the next volume, and no other original characters will steal the spotlight.

Then, as always, came the sharing session of creative ideas.

The two core pieces in this volume, "Cascade" and "Flow," represent Mio and Rin respectively. Their origins have been introduced before, so I won't go into detail again.

Many readers have noticed that the creative ideas in this volume are actually based on the Sea God arc of Berserk, as well as the Ring of Law, Final Fantasy, and a whole bunch of other miscellaneous things that I can't even count myself.

"Cascade" is the boss battle song for Leviathan in FF16. The lyrics are the same song sung by the souls rescued by Hatsuka in the story. So it's more accurate to say that it's Hatsuka's song rather than Mio's.

In fact, whether it's Mio or Rin, the starting point for creating these two characters is actually centered around Hatsuka. In other words, Hatsuka is actually the true protagonist of this volume, and everyone should have felt that to some extent.

The character Mio corresponds to Isma, the mermaid from the Poseidon arc, and the Poseidon herself. However, there are also many elements in this character that come from Roslian, the boss of the Lost Child arc. Her tragic past led her to become obsessed with the legend of "fairies" and become an apostle who devours human lives.

Mio is a very original character, perhaps not likable, but she's one of my favorite original characters, and I put a lot of thought into her. I also spent a long time deciding on the way she died. Every time I write a storyline involving her, I regret not having come up with the outline halfway through.

If she had known the outline earlier, her appearance wouldn't have been so abrupt.

Ugh.

There's no point in saying all this, since it's all finished anyway, let's just put it on Mom.

The name Lin was chosen randomly. The plot of The King of Promises was initially prepared for her, but later part of it was given to Xiangzi.

Flow wasn't initially placed on her; it was only when I was writing near the end, and I started thinking about Lynn's witch name, that I filled in the blank with Flow.

Unexpectedly, the effect was quite good, and it helped me push the core theme to a higher level, even replacing the "Deep Sea Girl" that was originally intended for Chu Hua.

I will always love Final Fantasy, but nobody plays 6.x.

Overall, she is the most difficult character for me to portray well, because I have never been a parent and have never experienced the emotions of being a father or mother. To understand her, I can only rely on guesswork.

It would be great if everyone liked it.

Is there anything else I want to say? I think there is, but I don't know what to say. It's always the same.

Then let's just stop writing and end it here.

I've been a bit too tired lately, often staying up until 3 a.m. to write. I've finally finished this volume, and I plan to take a day off tomorrow. Then, until the end of this month, I will only be updating once a month.

Not having drafts saved up has a significant impact on the quality of the articles, so I need to make sure to save up some drafts during this period.

If I save enough, I should open a bounty next month.

That's all.

good night.

The Lost Tale: The Spirit of Youth: Q&A

I wrote a short Q&A at the request of group members.

Q: Will Su Xiang appear in the next volume?

A: There's a breakup scene. In the next volume, Su Shi will be the Boss, and MyGO will ultimately solve the problem.

Q: Will Miss OB return for an encore?

A: Yes, in the future, but in the very distant future. (Looks into the distance)

Q: Is the Sea Witch a bit weak?

A: Yes, the Sea Witch is the weakest among the Flower Witches. Having super causality allows one to possess flowers, but the difference in super causality itself can be significant; there are cases where A causality + super causality < B causality. The Sea Witch belongs to the worst tier among them.

Q: What is the source of supracausality?

A: There's no need to be so clear about things beyond causality.jpg. Saying too much will spoil the plot. I can only tell you that it's related to parallel worlds.

Q: Will all the members of Chicken Ball turn into familiars?

A: Actually, I didn't plan to design it this way, but I haven't figured out the specifics of how to handle it yet.

Q: Will the five colors appear in the future, or will they just make a cameo appearance?

A: I will have a lot of screen time in the future, but I don't know how far into the future that is.

Q: Muxiang?

A: Yes, yes, I will try my best to write whatever you want to see. I also want to write about Muxiang, but it's so hard to write, sob sob.

Q: Will you write about Mujica starting its broadcast?

A: Before I started writing the book, I prepared a long outline and a short outline. I'm using the long outline now, and I don't think I'll finish writing it even after the "Mother Hen" broadcast ends. This is also my first time trying a long novel, which is a challenge for my abilities. I will try my best to write it well. Readers who have read my previous works should know that I don't change my account, so if I write something bad, there's nowhere to hide it.

Q: Will there be a special episode for Qixi Festival?

A: Yes, it's the shameless life of OB, a string of letters, and Illusion Lamp.

The Lost Tale: A Young Man's Spirit - A Tanabata Extra Chapter: An Ordinary Day

Jingle Bell--

A day always begins with the alarm clock ringing.

Oblivionis's consciousness was still hazy and confused, and he subconsciously hugged the pillow next to him.

"Woo..."

A soft, weak whimper came from her arms.

“Time to get up…” Oblivionis patted the person in his arms with his eyes closed.

“I don’t have to go to school…” Deng mumbled sleepily, nestled in Oblivionis’s arms.

"Even if you don't have to go to school, you can't sleep in late, or you'll become more and more lazy."

Oblivionis yawned, struggled to get out of bed, turned over and sat on the edge of the bed, a bunch of silly hairs sticking up from his head.

She put on a thicker coat, walked to the closed curtains, and pulled them shut with both hands.

"Especially in places like this."

Sunlight streamed in, filling the entire space.

"Hey, seriously, you can't sleep anymore—"

Oblivionis turned around and was blinded by the dazzling white skin. The woman, wearing a sundress, sat on the bed, rubbing her eyes. The white straps slipped off her shoulders, revealing smooth skin. The bright midday sun shone on her fair skin, making it glow brilliantly.

"I'm up, Xiao Xiang." Deng looked at Oblivionis with eyes that were hazy, as if covered with a layer of mist.

"!"

Oblivionis turned his head in a panic, leaned against the windowsill, and focused his gaze on the city outside.

"Get up, that's good."

There was a rustling sound behind him. Oblivionis touched his burning face, his eyes darting around as if he wanted to turn around, but his neck seemed to be welded shut, and he remained motionless, staring out the window.

To avoid appearing too awkward, Oblivionis casually picked a topic to talk about.

"Where are you planning to go today?" she asked.

"I don't know, Xiao Xiang can go wherever he wants." Deng's voice drifted over lightly.

"Then just wander around."

Oblivionis looked out the window at the empty streets and said listlessly.

Since sending Xiangzi away, she and Deng have been staying in the deepest part of Xiangzi's heart, in a barrier that is exactly the same as the Nirvana Barrier. The only difference is that the familiars are all gone—except for Oblivionis, the other four leader familiars and their subordinate soldiers have all disappeared.

Oh, and those lifeless ghosts disappeared along with them.

In the empty city, there was only her and the lights.

They wandered around the city every day, going to school one day, an amusement park the next, and an aquarium the day after... Every night, they would just find a room to fall asleep as soon as they were tired from playing.

There wasn't a single person in the city anyway.

"What are you thinking about?" A floral fragrance brushed past Oblivionis's ear, and the lamp wrapped its arms around Oblivionis's neck from behind, whispering in her ear.

“I’m spacing out,” Oblivionis said honestly, his face burning hot.

The back felt warm and soft to the touch, unlike the feel of clothing. In other words... this is too daring! Why would a lamp be made like this?!

"You're sleeping together, why is Xiao Xiang still shy?" Deng whispered in Oblivionis's ear, puzzled.

I don't know if she genuinely can't understand or is just pretending not to.

"You, you, you don't understand, that's a foul!" Oblivionis shouted helplessly with his eyes closed. "Go put your clothes on first!"

"Waaah..." The lamp whimpered softly and released its grip.

The soft, jade-like body that had been pressed against him behind him left, and Oblivionis felt a sudden emptiness in his heart.

She clutched her wildly beating heart and waited until the rustling sounds of dressing behind her disappeared before turning around.

The lamp was dressed in its everyday clothes and stood at the door waiting for it.

"Let's go, Xiaoxiang."

The lamp said with a smile.

"Let's continue today, getting lost together."

=========