"You are the reason I live, and I am the support for your humanity."
On my birthday, I made a wish and confessed my true nature to him: "You are the reason I continue to live, and I am the support for your fragile humanity."
Although, he didn't understand the meaning of that sentence. I will never let him know the truth, ever.
Pardo teased that a wish spoken aloud won't come true, that God won't grant a wish that's been uttered. She told me to make another one.
But I refused.
I have never counted on some ethereal god, nor on some distant miracle. Li Mo and I are the same kind of people, stubbornly believing only in ourselves.
So I said to Pardo, "God? If it's something God can't achieve, then I'll make the wish come true myself."
That fool has cleared his death accumulation, but he's still incredibly slow when it comes to this.
No, perhaps he's not slow, but just afraid of making me sad after he dies. I can see that every time he enters a Bizarre cave, he does so with the determination to die.
But what he doesn't know is that as long as I am alive, he will not die.
The wish has to be read in reverse—"I continue to exist in this world because of you, and you maintain your last fragile humanity because of me."
"He will never be able to witness the day I die."
—Recorder: MEI.
---||---
The paper-cuts on the table were numerous, the strange faces lacking a pair of eyes to enlighten the mind.
In the dim room, the white light of the computer shone on a pale and haggard face. The pale purple pupils were fixed on the screen, and the only sound in the room was the crisp tapping of the keyboard.
"He's back," MEI said faintly.
MEI didn't even need to rely on Schicksal's intelligence, because she was still alive, so she could determine that Li Mo was not dead.
Her own consciousness was still clear, which was the reason Li Mo's self had not yet died.
But MEI did not show a happy expression, or perhaps she was trying to put this fact out of her mind.
MEI took out a small knife and made a small cut on her ring finger, letting the blood drip onto the torn paper-cut.
The returned Li Mo would surely be extremely calm. She could not show any emotion or flaw. Any clue would be noticed by the Li Mo who had died many times.
MEI recorded the date in the document on her computer and added relevant content.
「He has returned alive, his state on the verge of collapse.」
Then, MEI immediately shut down the offline computer, letting it cool down quickly.
It was already 7:32 AM. 7:00 AM was the best time to travel through the Bizarre cave, allowing one to reach the world they were thinking of with almost no cost.
Of course, the premise was not to get lost in the vast darkness in the middle.
For them, who were already contaminated, it was quite difficult to go astray, so the seemingly dangerous part was actually not worth paying attention to.
It was just...
"Contamination."
MEI lifted her sleeve and glanced at her gradually decaying arm. The filthy contamination was crawling on it, moving towards the storage point of her consciousness—her head.
Very slowly.
"Living things, dead things, organic and inorganic, environment, concepts... once contaminated, if one cannot die before the contamination takes shape, they will turn into Bizarre after death."
"But there's no need to worry. The lifespan of a normal person simply can't last until the contamination takes shape."
"As long as the contamination is not spread."
MEI muttered to herself, picked up a cup of coffee from the table and brought it to her lips, only to find that there was not a single drop left.
"Let's sleep."
MEI returned to bed. It wasn't that she didn't want to celebrate Li Mo's triumphant return.
Her state had been very poor these past few days. In order to maintain the integrity of her consciousness, coupled with helping Schicksal deal with the supernatural events in their own world and sorting out all the previous clues, her workload was quite large.
Otto was undoubtedly a wise man at the pinnacle of this era, so he knew very well that in order not to be disturbed by his plans, he must not be contaminated with anything related to Bizarre.
Even his cooperation with MEI had always been online. The images were all recordings, and more often than not, they chatted through communication software.
He had cut off all possibility of touching the contamination.
After her nerves relaxed, a wave of sleepiness instantly broke through the dam of her consciousness. In a daze, Mei fell asleep.
Only her pale lips moved, murmuring some unrealistic words in her sleep...
---||---
On the street, the flow of people gradually increased. Many people went downstairs to buy breakfast from the street vendors.
The people of the Far East and the people of Shenzhou had a similar point: they liked to watch a lively scene. It was just that one was more reserved and the other more bold.
When the people who were about to buy breakfast saw a large group of people surrounding a place, they also wanted to squeeze in and have a look.
To see what kind of breakfast could be so delicious that so many people would surround the vendor, making it impossible for water to pass through. It was almost as if on this street, on a weekend morning, all the people were concentrated in this place.
But when they finally squeezed to the front, they found that it was not a vendor and delicious food at all, but a beautiful girl sitting on the ground, her eyes vacant.
Her hair was terrifyingly long, estimated to be two or three meters. Under the bright daylight, her flawless white hair faintly glowed, with a crystal-like luster, lying on the ground in a messy state.
Even whiter than her hair was her skin. No, it couldn't be described as fair, only pale. Not a single trace of blood could be seen.
Her eyes were as if they were congested with blood, with crimson stars and a full moon reflected in them.
Is she wearing cosmetic contact lenses?
Everyone couldn't help but wonder. In this world, there was no normal person with eyes like that.
Soon, the girl's eyes gradually focused, and her face slowly returned to the healthy color that a normal person should have.
Under her snow-white skin, there were faint pink threads, making her look playful and cute.
The JK (High School) uniform of a student, a huge contrast to her previous cold and aloof appearance. Now she had barely returned to normal, becoming a middle school girl that everyone could accept.
"Ngh..."
Kiana held her forehead. Her head was a little swollen and painful, and her consciousness was still blurry.
"What happened?"
"Why am I here?"
Kiana muttered to herself in confusion. She clearly remembered that yesterday was Saturday. She stayed up all night playing games. She was hungry in the middle of the night, and the refrigerator was empty, so she wanted to go out and buy some late-night snacks to fill her stomach.
So she walked on the slightly bright street for a long time, looking for the nearest 24-hour convenience store.
How strange...
Kiana remembered that the street lights were broken, but in her memory, she was walking on the road and could clearly see the road ahead and the surrounding green environment.
Was the moonlight that night too bright?
This had never happened before.
The simple Kiana did not continue to think about it, only thinking that she was not clear-headed and had walked here in her sleep—
A strange place she had never been to. Even if she lost consciousness and did something similar to sleepwalking, why would she come to such a strange place?
Shouldn't she have gone to the arcade and the convenience store?
Kiana pouted, expressing her confusion. She touched her belly. She was so hungry, she wanted to eat Mei's cooking...
"I'd better leave here quickly..."
Kiana noticed that more and more people were gathering around her. She got up and just took a step when she was tripped by her long hair wrapped around her ankle.
Just as she was about to fall, a figure quickly rushed out and caught Kiana, who was about to fall on the back of her head.
So cold!
Kiana felt as if her waist was leaning against a block of ice, bone-chillingly cold, and endless.
But her body seemed to be enjoying it? And even to press closer?
How, how could it be! I, Kiana, am not that kind of person!
And... where did this person come from? I didn't notice him at all.
Kiana was stunned.
Li Mo was also stunned.
He had no intention of investigating what the people near his building were surrounding. The most important thing now was to quickly take Hua home, tell Mei the good news, and then enter Elysia's room to eliminate the accumulated death on him.
Now his state was quite poor. Even if he did nothing, in at most two days, the pollution would enter his consciousness. At that time, even Elysia would be powerless to help.
Before Li Mo could react, his body uncontrollably crossed the crowd and caught a girl who was about to fall to the ground.
This behavior was not a rule, because it was his inner desire. His silent heart suddenly throbbed, making him subjectively do this.
When he came to his senses and the two saw each other's faces clearly, they shouted in unison, "It's you?!"
Kiana remembered this face very clearly! A proper potential criminal! He wanted her contact information the first time they met, how sinister!
The key was that Mei's life was saved by him, and she seemed to have a good relationship with him. She couldn't offend him too much, otherwise Mei would get angry and ignore her...
Li Mo did not have such complicated psychological changes as Kiana. His perpetually stoic face miraculously showed a trace of nostalgia and joy.
The feeling the other person gave him was very strong. She was the Kiana he was looking for.
Or, as long as he cut open her delicate body and dug out that equally hot and throbbing heart, he could feel that warmth...
Saying those words of love to her, his Kiana would be able to come back...
"Kiana, I..."
Before Li Mo could speak, Kiana pushed him away with both hands.
"I have something to do, I'm leaving, you big idiot!"
Kiana coiled up the wildly growing hair on the ground, held it in her arms, and fled in a panic.
The reunion of the two ended in a rather embarrassing and unpalatable result.
The arriving Hua was also stunned.
The corners of her mouth twitched. Another consciousness in her mind gradually became restless, urging Hua to be bold.
However, Hua was a relatively traditional and reserved Shenzhou girl. She didn't have so many thoughts, nor did she have time to pay attention to the urging of the other consciousness in her mind.
"What's wrong? Li... Mo."
Hua stepped forward and asked with concern.
Li Mo was silent for a long time, then shook his head, "Nothing, just a little disappointed, or rather... sad, regretful, upset? Joyful, excited, thrilled?"
Hua asked in some shock, "Can you still feel emotions in your current state?"
Li Mo's emotions would become more and more indifferent after rebooting. This was no secret among them.
"She is special," Li Mo mentioned casually.
"Let's go, it's time to go home. I promised you."
Li Mo held Hua's hand and quickly left the noisy crowd.
At 8:51 AM, the experienced Li Mo and Hua opened the door of their home.
It took so much time because they had to wrap up the human-head ghost that could revive at any time.
After returning, Li Mo first took custody of the human-head ghost and had Hua buy a black backpack nearby.
The human-head ghost's activity time was from 7 PM to 7 AM the next day, so it wasn't too much trouble.
The house was silent. Mei's room and Elysia's room were both tightly closed.
"By the way, I told you when I came back that there's a new companion at home: Raiden Mei. You can just call her Mei."
"She's one of the source Bizarre. I've already told you about her situation. She's not a threat for now."
Li Mo emphasized again.
Hua nodded seriously, "I know. I'll get in touch with her when I have time."
"A source Bizarre who fabricated a fake body because of low self-esteem and hid in it, unwilling to show her face. This is... the first time I've seen it."
"..."
Before she could finish, Hua suddenly paused before "first time," and then slowly spoke.
Pardofelis was able to maintain a human state because her pollution was forcibly suppressed.
Li Mo first opened Elysia's room. Sure enough, Pardo was holding Mei, and Pardo was curled up in the cat's nest in the corner. The two of them and the cat were sleeping peacefully, their expressions serene.
Li Mo gently closed the door, not making too much noise to wake them up.
After checking on Mei and Pardo, Li Mo went to Mei's door again, but this time he didn't open the door directly as he did just now. Instead, he raised his head and prepared to knock to wake Mei up, or maybe Mei had already woken up and was just busy.
"Mmm~~!"
Suddenly, a light and sweet sound, like a clear spring flowing in a mountain stream, danced and splashed onto the leaves on the treetops.
It came from his room, which he had not closed the door to.
The girlish "Moan" sound was like an alluring muse, plucking at one's heartstrings, stirring every greedy plot of Li Mo as a human being.
Li Mo turned and walked towards his room, only to see a pink, fat, flower-hearted stupid old woman wearing a thin and transparent nightgown, wrapped in his bed sheet, tossing and turning.
"Huh? Little Mo, you're back?"
Elysia sat up straight, her eyes slightly narrowed, casting a joyful gaze, smiling like a brilliant flower blooming in a paradise, bright and romantic.
"Should I say it like this?"
"Hi~ Long time no see. Do you miss me more than yesterday?"
"Hmm... or is it a little less than tomorrow?"
Elysia's characteristic voice was like a sparrow, pecking again and again with its small and exquisite beak, teasing the cold and silent big tree.
The big tree was already rotten and rotten, with countless pests writhing in its trunk, and disgusting turbid white bugs crawling on its branches and leaves.
It had long lost its former glory.
Gradually, when the pests were pecked away, winter passed and spring came, and it seemed to have a new look.
As for whether it was still as complete as it was before, no one could know just by looking at it.
"Why are you in my room?" Li Mo asked calmly.
Elysia giggled. Her beautiful face was still bright and radiant, and she was not ashamed of what she had done at all.
The dimples at the corners of her mouth were like sweet spring water, so sweet that it made one's heart flutter.
"I know you're the best to me. You will definitely forgive my willfulness, right~?"
"...As you wish."
Li Mo replied expressionlessly.
Elysia had always been traveling around the world. It was very rare for her to come back today.
"..."
Li Mo seemed to have remembered something. He immediately opened his phone and understood the reason for her return when he saw the date.
Elysia gave Li Mo a meaningful smile, "Little Mo, just for today, you can shift your gaze from me for a while and put it on someone who needs it more."
"I understand," Li Mo replied, and turned to Hua behind him, "Hua, call Pardo and Mei, and get ready to go out and relax for a day."
"Can Pardo go?"
"With Elysia here, it's no problem."
"Okay."
Li Mo walked up to Elysia. Elysia, as before, reached out and held his hand, their fingers intertwined.
The pollution quickly dissipated, as if it had completely disappeared, or perhaps it had been transferred to another place.
"Little Mo, your hand is so cold. Do you want to hug me? No matter when or where, Elysia will respond to your expectations and won't refuse~"
"No need. Just eliminate some of the accumulated death. I need to maintain this state to communicate with Mei for a while."
Elysia sighed helplessly, with an expression of "this child is really disappointing."
Soon, Li Mo let go of Elysia's hand and turned around resolutely.
"Little Mo, you must cherish the people around you."
"I know."
With that, Li Mo left his room and went to Mei's room again. But this time the door was already open, and Mei was inside.
When she saw Li Mo, a touch of joy appeared on her serene face.
"Welcome home, Li Mo."
"Mhm, this is what happened in this supernatural event..."
Without much conversation, Li Mo spent the next few hours briefly explaining what had happened.
From the experiences of Mo and the Bizarre Hua, to the human skin forest incident, to the most complete Bizarre: Irene Adler, Li Mo told Mei everything without reservation. Compared to him, letting Mei synthesize all the information could get a more accurate answer.
Such a bizarre experience did not cause Mei's expression to change at all.
She always remained calm, recording the Bizarre files and her own analysis and judgment with the highest efficiency.
"Mei, where's your hair tie?"
Li Mo suddenly noticed this. For convenience and efficiency, MEI had always used a hair tie to tie her hair into a high ponytail. But today, she strangely didn't have a hair tie, just like Bizarre Kiana, her waterfall-like long hair was scattered, hanging at her waist.
Mei was stunned for a moment, her lips slightly parted. She subconsciously reached out and adjusted her glasses, and said righteously:
"I lost it. Go out and buy one for me now."
"By the way, leave your phone. I'll modify the previous message."
Li Mo looked at Mei for a long time. He sensed the smell of a lie.
But this lie was not malicious. At least Li Mo believed so.
Therefore, Li Mo immediately took cash and went downstairs to the supermarket to buy MEI a few hair ties.
When he came back, he found that the Bizarre files on the computer had been roughly sorted out.
---||---
「Taixu Dreamland」
Bizarre Appearances: Ghost, Rule, Bizarre Item, Bizarre Phenomenon
Ghost: Ghost Stomach, Stove, Portrait, Rotten Blood, Cat-Faced Old Woman, Human Skin Ghost (Flesh-and-Blood Ghost), Drowned Ghost, Calling Ghost, Bizarre Hua, Irene Adler.
Rule: Ghost Banquet.
Bizarre Item: Bizarre Treasure Chest.
Bizarre Phenomenon: Mirror Lake.
「Ghost Stomach - Room」
Activity Time: 9 PM to 9 AM the next day.
Rule: Digests anyone injured in the ghost stomach.
Killing Method: Dissolves living people with rotten blood.
Characteristic: Has a certain deterrent function. The number of ghosts in the ghost stomach is greater than the outside. The ghosts outside cannot interfere with the ghost stomach, and only living people and suspected more complete Bizarre can enter and exit.
Rating: C+
「Stove」
Activity Time: 9 PM to 9 AM the next day.
Rule: With blood as a guide, the firelight shines. Satisfying this can present the person or Bizarre illuminated by the flame in a way within the cognition of both parties, and can cause the killing rules of other ghosts to trigger immediately.
Killing Method: Unknown.
Characteristic: Can ignore space-time and Bizarre abilities to illuminate the surrounding Bizarre.
Rating: A
「Portrait」
Activity Time: 9 PM to 9 AM the next day.
Rule: Body touches the wall, consciousness is asleep, at night, within sight. Satisfying all four points can seize the target's body.
Killing Method: Assimilation.
Characteristic: The appearance of the seized target will change to a certain extent, approaching the portrait. After replacing one person, it can use the air as a wall medium.
Rating: D+
「Rotten Blood」
Activity Time: 9 PM to 9 AM the next day.
Rule: The ghost stomach automatically secretes black blood when eating.
Killing Method: Unstoppable rotting flesh and blood.
Characteristic: Black blood can suppress Bizarre. The effectiveness of the suppression is determined by the amount of bleeding.
Rating: C-
「Cat-Faced Old Woman」
Activity Time: All day.
Rule: Actively seeks out the person most deeply etched in its memory and tries every means to make eye contact with them. After three cat meows, it descends upon the target.
Killing Method: Assimilation. After making eye contact with the cat-faced old woman, one cannot move their gaze away, and their body quickly transforms into the appearance of the cat-faced old woman.
Characteristic: Assimilation can also affect Bizarre.
Rating: A-
「Drowned Ghost」
Activity Time: All day.
Rule: Kills the person or ghost who first fell into the Mirror Lake on time after three days.
Killing Method: In the Mirror Lake, it is dragging. The dragging is unstoppable. Outside the Mirror Lake, for the first two days, the chosen person will feel extreme cold. On the third day, the chosen person's body will undergo a grotesque transformation, with flesh disappearing and being filled with lake water.
Characteristic: Can reverse the identities of ghosts and humans.
Rating: A+
「Calling Ghost」
Activity Time: 9 PM to 9 AM the next day.
Rule: During its active time, it will call out the target's name. If the target turns back, they will enter a death countdown.
Killing Method: Removes the head.
Characteristic: The head removal cannot be resisted.
Rating: D-
「Flesh-and-Blood Ghost (Human Skin Ghost)」
Activity Time: 9 PM to 9 AM the next day.
Rule: Kills people who get close (make eye contact).
Killing Method: Unknown (consciousness plunder, instantaneous).
Characteristic: During the day, flesh-and-blood ghosts can maintain a normal human state, with the same memory, consciousness, and behavior as when they were alive.
Rating: B
「Beyond Memory, Bizarre Hua」
Activity Time: All day.
Rule: Can tamper with memory if unknown conditions are met.
Killing Method: Tampers with memory, tampers with the world's memory, tampers with the memory of any timeline in the past, present, and future.
Characteristic: If the erased reality is completely forgotten, it will completely disappear. In addition, it can create a timeline that should not exist at all, and leave traces in reality, forcibly distorting the facts.
Rating: S+?
「Irene Adler」
Activity Time: Unknown.
Rule: Unknown, suspected to be able to ignore all Bizarre rules.
Killing Method: Unknown, suspected to have a highly complete Netherfire, with the highest level of silencing effect.
Characteristic: Extremely high completeness, and unreasonably retains complete humanity.
Rating: S+?
「Rule, Ghost Banquet」: Anyone who eats the food of the Ghost Banquet will become the food of the next Ghost Banquet.
「Bizarre Phenomenon, Mirror Lake」
Trigger Rule: Sinking into the lake.
Supplement: A mirror that reflects reality, preserves a silent and unique soul, and reverses the reality of identity.
If the person outside is real, a fake self will appear inside; conversely, if the person outside is fake, a real self will appear inside.
Whether fake or real, it will trigger the survival instinct, temporarily turning into a drowned ghost, and dragging the other self to the bottom of the lake in exchange for its own rebirth.
「Bizarre Item, Bizarre Treasure Chest」
Trigger Rule: The level of misfortune curse to be borne is determined by the desired item.
Supplement: A treasure chest of unknown origin, with nothing inside, but containing everything one desires.
A piece of the past, some memories, parts of rules, a twisted fate...
The person who opens it will get what they need most at the moment, and at the same time, will be cursed with bad luck and will not have a good end.
As expected, both Bizarre Hua and Irene received the same S+ rating as Bizarre Kiana. Although their completeness was far from the same, Mei still gave them an S+ rating.
Li Mo didn't know, but since it was Mei's judgment, she must have her own judgment logic.
"You made the right choice not to bring back the Bizarre treasure chest. We are not yet qualified to control such a Bizarre item."
"The Mirror Lake originates from its pollution. From an ordinary lake, it transformed into a Bizarre phenomenon with the ability to reverse identity, and also created the Bizarre Hua. This means that it can create thousands of Bizarre of the same magnitude."
"It can even summon the Bizarre Kiana who has been polluted for millions of years..."
"It should not be the original thing of that world. From your description, at least at the beginning, there was no Bizarre in that world. Perhaps the you of the parallel world, Mo, was the first ghost. But it was obviously not enough to twist the world into such a state."
"Answering every request, it reminds me of Mei's wishing ability. No, in a sense, all Bizarre... abilities tend towards an impossible 'ultimate', and can even be said to be a paradox."
MEI's expression was solemn as she boldly proposed an incredible view.
Li Mo also had a feeling. The abilities of Bizarre were not the same, but they were similar, and most of this similarity had common points.
It was just that when he was dealing with supernatural events, he didn't have the extra thought to think about these problems. How to break the deadlock was what he had to do. As for the connection between Bizarre and Bizarre, it had always been analyzed by MEI.
"What is 'ultimate'?" Li Mo asked.
"Omniscient and omnipotent."
"..."
"..."
"That's impossible." The calm Li Mo immediately gave a negative answer.
Even if it was MEI's point of view, Li Mo would not follow it blindly. This was also a tacit understanding and habit between the two of them. The truth could stand up to scrutiny, and a truth that was questioned and even pointed out to be completely unreasonable was just a false lie.
MEI did not immediately deny or approve of Li Mo's judgment, but explained her own explanation unhurriedly:
"Indeed, from the current human level of understanding, omniscience and omnipotence absolutely cannot appear in the world."
"Just like an old question: can God create a stone that he cannot lift?"
"If he can, why can't the omniscient and omnipotent he lift a stone; if he can't, why can't the omniscient and omnipotent he create such a stone?"
"But Li Mo, the so-called paradox itself is based on our own human logical reasoning to reach a dead end with no way forward."
"In other words, we humans are limited by the narrowness of our own existence and cannot think about this problem from a higher dimension. If the definition of omniscience and omnipotence is not related to human cognition at all, then for such an existence, what is known is what is possible, and subjective cognition is objective logic, objective fact?"
"Just like Bizarre, even if they have some of the habits and behaviors of living people, they are essentially Bizarre. They have no concept of time, let alone the rational judgment that only humans have."
"They don't understand how to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages, nor will they choose the optimal solution in human cognition."
"For example, when you used the Bizarre phenomenon of the Mirror Lake to bury the flesh-and-blood ghosts, have you ever thought about why the flesh-and-blood ghosts couldn't avoid the Mirror Lake like humans, but were foolishly attracted by the Bizarre coin and fell into the Mirror Lake to fall into silence. Is it just because they are restricted by rules?"
"Then we humans, are we not also restricted by the two rules called 'sensibility' and 'rationality'? In the eyes of Bizarre, how are we different from them who follow Bizarre rules?"
Li Mo paused. What MEI was discussing with him now had already crossed the bottom line of humanity and was moving towards another dimension that he and she could never reach.
As MEI said, for a creature like humans, thinking itself is limited by its own existence. It seems that one can think from other angles and imagine things that do not exist and are unreasonable.
But those so-called non-existent and unreasonable things are actually within human cognition. If they can be created, they can naturally be understood, and do not belong to outside of cognition.
"It seems we've talked a bit far. These are just my simple guesses for now. There is no evidence to prove them. Perhaps... when one day in the future, when we have cleared all the Bizarre, the truth will naturally be revealed to us, as long as you are not dead."
"Of course, the premise is to be alive, Li Mo, you must be alive."
"Even if I die, you can train other people to deal with Bizarre," Li Mo said expressionlessly.
"You're thinking too much. After you die, I will immediately run away with the others. What does the survival of the world have to do with me? You are not allowed to die, understand?"
"I know that you escape from death every time, so you have never been completely sure whether you can come back alive next time. But I have also said many times that I am willing to take on this heavy burden, just because there is an agreement between you and me. If you die, the agreement is void, and I will never handle anything related to Bizarre again."
"So, you absolutely cannot die."
MEI was angry and annoyed. Her brows were tightly furrowed, and she pursed her lips. The usually calm and composed Mei rarely held Li Mo's ice-cold and bone-chilling right hand.
She didn't let go, but held it very tightly.
Although this bit of strength, in Li Mo's view, was not even enough to be considered a tickle.
MEI: "Remember what I said."
Li Mo: "...Which sentence."
MEI: "Any sentence will do."
Li Mo thought about the words Mei had said to him a minute ago.
It's fine as long as you're not dead...
You must live...
You are not allowed to die...
You absolutely cannot die...
No wonder she said any sentence would do, because the meaning was the same.
He didn't want to die either.
Li Mo was very clear that after countless attempts, there would always be one mistake, one accident.
And as long as there was one accident, he would never return to this home, to her.
"There is no absolute thing, MEI, I am not an exception."
Li Mo said coldly, took back his phone, and sent Mei an address.
"Last time, because of that ghost from St. Freya High School, there was no time. This afternoon at 3 o'clock, I'll be waiting for you here."
With that, Li Mo turned and left the bedroom, not forgetting to close the door.
Leaving the empty room, MEI sat alone in front of the computer, her thoughts racing. Finally, in a long silence, she slowly closed her eyes.
Her efforts must be useful.
Must be...
MEI picked up the paper-cut on the table, kneaded it thoughtfully, and a slight smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, but it was not a frivolous smile, but a bitter smile of helplessness.
"I said, you won't die."
With that, MEI put away all the blood-stained paper-cuts, put them all in a locked cabinet, and pressed them down with the scarf worn by Elysia.
She opened her phone and glanced at the address Li Mo had sent her—
The largest amusement park in Nagazora City.
Going to an amusement park on a weekend was not an efficient thing to do.
No matter what kind of facility, it was already overcrowded, and queuing would waste a lot of time.
If it were anyone else, MEI would have refused decisively, but since it was Li Mo who invited her, it would be good to go and have a look, even if she did nothing.
The chirping of cicadas outside the window was noisy, more noisy than any other year. A cool breeze blew through the green leaves, rustling with a faint sandy sound.
The new tender branches grew wildly, carrying dreamlike memories.
The golden sunlight shone down, illuminating the clean and tidy pit that had been washed by the rain a few days ago. On it, there were still drops of crystal-clear dew, emitting a comfortable and fresh fragrance.
MEI sat in the coffee shop, looking down at the dark reflection in her cup.
Once dependence becomes a habit, leaving is like quitting an addiction.
The coffee reflected the window. Sadness dissolved in the brown color. Outside was the noisy sound of people, but inside there was nothing.
At least in Mei's eyes, she couldn't see any people or things worth paying attention to.
The room was filled with dead silence.
At some point, the coffee shop clerk walked to the window and pulled all the curtains, and the coffee shop fell into a dimness. Only the dim light above barely illuminated the room.
"...That's not right."
MEI realized that something was wrong. With the weekend and the largest amusement park in Nagazora City, even if the coffee shop had few customers, it couldn't be like this, with only a few people.
The clerk even took the initiative to close the curtains, as if telling the tourists outside: today is a day off, not open for business.
Usually, it didn't make much money anyway. Now, to voluntarily give up the busiest time period was obviously unreasonable.
MEI immediately stood up. There was no one around. Not only had the previous customers disappeared, but even the clerk was gone.
Suddenly, the only remaining glimmer of light above went out in the next second.
The coffee shop fell into a vast darkness, and an endless dead silence.
A supernatural event? Has my own world been invaded to this extent?
Oh no... I didn't prepare anything today. It seems a bit troublesome to deal with.
MEI took a deep breath, remained calm, and did not turn on her phone for light. Instead, she followed her memory of the way she came, slowly fumbling to get to the door, trying to see if she could leave the coffee shop through the door.
Dealing with supernatural events required adequate preparation.
Fortunately, the space had not changed. Mei quickly found the door of the coffee shop, but she did not open it immediately.
Instead, she pushed it open a little, revealing a small crack.
Outside was warm and bright sunlight. After confirming, Mei took a step back, turned, and kicked open the door of the coffee shop without hesitation.
In front of her were the most familiar five people.
Li Mo, Pardofelis, Elysia, Raiden Mei, Hua.
Pardo was holding Elysia's hand to avoid losing control.
Li Mo: "Hey!"
Mei: "What's wrong?"
"Happy birthday to you."
"Is it my birthday today?"
"I'm kidding. Just consider it an early happy birthday."
"Mhm."
"Wait, actually the last sentence was also a joke. Today is your birthday. I'm back to normal. You know, in that state, I'm very stupid and can't speak well. I can't give you a surprise and will only make you angry. This was prepared for you at the last minute, it may be a bit simple."
Li Mo foolishly scratched the back of his head. He also felt very sorry for such a cliché surprise.
Although he had thought of this day half a month ago, he only remembered to plan it today.
Li Mo led everyone into the coffee shop and took out a larger ordinary cake from the front desk.
Because there was no time to customize it, he just simply bought an ordinary cake from a cake shop, without any special features.
"Happy birthday."
"You've already said it once."
"It's okay, just remember this sentence."
"Which sentence?"
MEI turned back and teased him.
Li Mo couldn't give the same answer, because he didn't have a very targeted narrative like himself.
Faced with MEI's teasing, Li Mo was not flustered, but said very naturally, "The next sentence."
"Hmm?"
"I remember every word you said."
"I won't die, absolutely not. I will survive and come back to see you in glory. Whether it's this time or the next."
"You have to remember too, whether it's this sentence or the last sentence."
"..." MEI was stunned for a moment. After coming to her senses, she immediately shifted her attention to the others' faces.
Elysia's eyes seemed to have stars in them, twinkling. She showed a mischievous smile, not minding the lively scene.
Pardofelis was holding a can, sitting on the side and sighing that the can also had a piece of cake.
Hua did not show much expression. There was an impulse in her mind to take the initiative to confess, but such a beautiful atmosphere should not be broken by her.
"That's three sentences," Mei said.
"Any sentence will do," Li Mo smiled lightly.
---「Birthday - End」