Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

Page 377

Xiangzi leaned on the table.

"Muto and Madoka, find a spot where you can see the revolving restaurant directly. Kyoko and Sayaka, stand by near the elevator entrance at the bottom of the tower. If anything happens, we can react immediately."

Xiangzi held the broken pieces of seal clay in his palm.

A standoff on the table.

I won't lose.

=================

The next evening.

The sun baked the entire sky a fiery red, and the edges of the clouds reflected a blinding light as if they were on fire. The crimson light shone through the openwork of the TV tower and into Xiangzi's eyes.

Kamihama TV Tower

Xiangzi raised his head and looked at the huge object in front of him.

Mami was waiting for them up there, surrounded by countless magical girls. As for whether any otherworldly beings existed...

Xiangzi is gambling.

Bet on only one thing.

Are there any traces of the other side?

If this happens, it means the negotiations have failed and the other party will return from the future to interrupt them. If not, then it's highly likely that their negotiations went smoothly from beginning to end.

As Xiangzi led Yan into the elevator, his gaze wandered around, trying to find any trace of the other side that might exist nearby.

There isn't one so far.

They didn't see any trace of the other side until they stepped out of the elevator and arrived at the revolving restaurant.

Mami's letter didn't tell her which table to wait for them at, nor did it mention whose name she was giving, because she had booked the entire revolving restaurant for herself.

Xiangzi stepped onto the slowly rotating floor, which resembled a stage, and walked towards the only table in the restaurant where someone was sitting.

Asami, dressed in her everyday clothes, sat quietly on the table with a cup of coffee and a half-eaten dinner on the table, her gaze drifting over the city beyond the glass curtain wall.

Crimson sunlight streamed in from outside the glass curtain wall, covering the ground.

Everything was red, and it hurt my eyes to look at it.

As the restaurant rotated, the angle of the light shifted, gradually burying Mami's face in shadow. She didn't even notice that Shoko and Homura had already sat down opposite her, taking a sip of their coffee.

Or rather, she noticed it, but ignored it.

After Xiangzi sat down, Mami turned around, her unfocused bright yellow pupils sweeping over Xiangzi and Yan.

When Yan saw those eyes, he froze for a moment and involuntarily shivered.

"I'll start eating first, don't mind," she said with a smile.

"It's alright," Xiangzi replied politely.

She picked up the menu on the table and glanced at it casually.

"A serving of foie gras in red wine..."

As Xiangzi finished ordering his main dish and was about to hand the menu to the waiter, he saw Yan sitting next to him looking uneasy, her head down, her knuckles white as she gripped the hem of her skirt tightly.

This was Yan's first time in such a high-end place, and she felt very uncomfortable.

Especially since the venue was booked out, the rows of waiters standing by her side, Mami sitting opposite her, and Xiangzi who remained calm and composed in this environment—everything she could see put a lot of psychological pressure on her.

Xiangzi keenly sensed her discomfort and changed his words:

"No, let's change it to filet mignon, two portions, one medium-rare and one medium-well."

"Ok."

The waiter was clearly a little surprised that Xiangzi would change his mind, but after seeing Yan's uneasy expression beside Xiangzi, he immediately understood. Adhering to professional ethics, he maintained a professional smile, took the menu away, and carried it off the menu.

Xiangzi held Yan's slightly trembling hand under the table, telling her not to be afraid.

This seemed to actually work; the flame's trembling noticeably lessened until it calmed down completely.

"Mami Tomoe".

Xiangzi finally took the initiative to speak and started the conversation.

"what is your purpose."

"..." Mami finally looked at Xiangzi properly.

At that moment, the revolving restaurant had just rotated to a position completely away from the sunlight, making Mami's bright yellow, slightly glowing eyes stand out conspicuously in the darkness.

She still had an impeccable smile as she put down her coffee cup.

“Cooperation,” Mami said.

"Cooperation?" Xiangzi seemed to have heard something very funny. He pointed at her, then at himself, "Us?"

She scoffed and slammed her Soul Gem onto the table.

The Soul Gem, entirely azure blue with about a quarter of it murky and bearing a distinct crack, stood out even more in the darkness.

She placed her cards—the flowers and the "nuclear deterrence" card—on the table beforehand.

Everyone knows this, and she doesn't hide it.

“I can forgive and forget about the art museum incident.” Asami interlaced her fingers and rested her chin on her hand.

"It's not impossible," Xiangzi said, rubbing his index finger and thumb together. "But you have to give enough."

Xiangzi sensed Yan's sudden tension under the table and tightened his grip on her hand.

She was just testing the waters.

Moreover, the results of the trial were satisfactory.

Xiangzi has not found any trace left on the other side so far, which means that the negotiations have proceeded smoothly.

Snapped.

Mami snapped her fingers.

A magical girl dressed in a hymn-like robe walked up carrying a suitcase and placed it on the dining table. The faint clattering sounds of the contents of the suitcase could be heard.

If it's not paper money, it should be gold bars; that's what most people would think.

"We're not short of money—" Yan began, sounding slightly anxious, "Senior Ba, what have you been up to lately—"

"Shh—" Mami raised her index finger, making a shushing gesture.

She gestured for the magical girl to open the briefcase.

Click.

The suitcase was opened, revealing its neatly arranged contents to Xiangzi and Yan. Yan gasped the moment she saw what was inside.

Seeds of lamentation.

They were all seeds of lamentation; black seeds filled the entire suitcase.

"so much......"

This is more than Yan has seen in his three reincarnations.

Xiangzi had seen this number of Lament Seeds before, inside the barrier of a certain dead breeding witch.

But that's all.

Since her magical power expanded to pseudo-infinite, she hadn't really paid much attention to the number of Lamentation Seeds.

“This is a gift for you,” Mami said. “Whether you agree or not, the Seed of Lamentation in this suitcase is yours. If you agree to cooperate, I will give you another deposit.”

"What are you planning to do with such a large sum of money?" Xiangzi squinted.

"Help me steal something." Mami tilted her head slightly, smiled at Xiangzi, and said softly, "From... the Protagonists of Reed Plains."

The Tale of Reincarnation: The Shore of Oblivion: Chapter 486 Can it be packaged together?

"..."

A deathly silence fell over the restaurant.

At that moment, the restaurant had just rotated to the side where it could see the sunset again. The sunlight outside was much weaker than when it had been on the previous rotation, and the colors had become much more vibrant. As it shone in through the glass curtain wall, it was as if paint had been splashed on the ground without restraint, and everything was stained with the blood red of the sunset.

Mami's request lingered in Xiangzi's mind for a long time.

“The Protagonists of Reed Plains…” Xiangzi swallowed hard. “Which ones?”

“Pastel*palettes”.

What grudge do you have against them?

“They stole my things, and I’m taking them back.”

"what?"

"you do not need to know."

"You have to tell me the size, weight, and how it's stored, otherwise how can I steal it?"

"Do you agree?"

"I need to find out more before I can consider it."

Hey.

A bright yellow soul gem was placed on the table, diagonally opposite Xiangzi's soul gem.

It was also a flower, but compared to Xiangzi's flower, which was only a quarter murky, Mami's flower appeared much dimmer.

The moment Homura saw Mami's flowers placed on the table, she could barely contain herself and slammed her hand on the table as she stood up.

All eyes were on her, including on Mami.

However, Flame found herself at a loss for words.

say what?

Why have you become like this? What do you want to do? You weren't like this before. Please, can you come back...?

She had so much to say to Mami, but when it came time to actually say it, she couldn't utter a single word.

Xiangzi tugged at Yan's sleeve and whispered in her ear.

"Please sit down..."

Yan slumped back into her chair.

At this moment, their main dishes arrived.

A sizzling steak sat before her, but Flame had no appetite whatsoever. Sitting opposite her was a completely different Mami Tomoe; how could she possibly have any appetite?

He clearly specified that she should come along, but he kept talking to Xiangzi about other things.

Yan lowered her head, took off her glasses, and wiped her sore eyes with the back of her hand.

Xiangzi touched Yan's hair and sighed.

She didn't say anything, but turned to look at Mami, signaling her to continue.

“They stole a ‘flower’,” Mami continued. “A ‘flower’ just like yours and mine, and I’m going to take it back.”

"Whose flowers are these? Is their owner still alive?"

"I've told you everything I need to tell you. Now all you need to do is answer me: yes or no."

Without saying a word, Mami closed the lid of the suitcase and had the magical girl waiting nearby take it to Xiangzi's side.

"Why do I have to do this? Can't you do it yourself? Shouldn't the Ode to the World, who possess the power to travel between this shore and the other shore, be omniscient?" Xiangzi narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Mami's lifeless eyes. "Do you know that what I'm doing is tantamount to betraying the entire Reed Plain?"

Those eyes had a chilling quality.

It felt like being watched by a dead person.

“That’s my purpose,” Mami said without any hesitation.

Her goal was to make Xiangzi betray Luweiyuan.

She wanted Xiangzi to be on her side.