Toyokawa Shoko doesn't want to become a witch

Page 160

“We specialize in filming travel programs.” The director walked up and walked alongside Hatsuka Mana. He gave a thumbs up to the crew members behind him. “It’s no exaggeration to say that all the guys behind me have carried these heavy equipment through fire and water.”

"Is this so?"

“Of course, it’s afternoon now, and we have to get to our destination before prime time.” The director nodded. “So just get going as fast as you can, don’t worry about our stamina.”

"Then I won't stand on ceremony..."

......

Chu Hua and the director's voices faded into the distance, eventually disappearing into the fishing village.

The fishing village returned to its original deserted state.

squeak-

The window that had been slightly ajar was closed from the inside by a tentacle.

===========

Meanwhile, Xiangzi embarked on a completely different path from the one leading to the fishing village.

"Hey, I see the village is just ahead, why are we turning onto the fork in the road leading up the mountain?"

Miao Meng stretched her neck, shielded her eyes from the sunlight with her hands, and looked towards the direction of the small fishing village.

The road into the fishing village has a small hill that isn't very high. After crossing the hill, you can see the entire fishing village. So, from here, Miaomeng can also see the film crew heading towards the other side of the island.

"Look, I can still see Hatsuko and her group from here!" Meow Dream excitedly pointed in that direction.

“Chuhua’s home isn’t in the village, it’s on a small hill next to the village,” Xiangzi turned around and explained. “The resort where I stayed wasn’t far away, which is why we played together when we were kids.”

She pointed to the steps behind her.

A long, winding staircase leads up the mountain and disappears into the distance.

"Why? Aren't they fishermen too? Why are they so... independent?"

As she climbed the mountain steps, Miaomeng's mouth never stopped.

"Are you a walking encyclopedia of questions? I always feel like you have a lot of questions." Xiangzi glanced at her sideways. "What does it matter to you where Chuhua lives?"

"Well, there always needs to be someone in a story who doesn't know anything and keeps asking why and what to do, so that some behind-the-scenes stories can be revealed to the audience." Miao Meng shrugged. "Since none of you like asking questions, then I guess I'll have to play this role."

"Do you remember that Chuhua's mother was a foreigner?"

"Of course, this is a topic related to the sea witch, the kind of important information that needs to be marked with the main storyline tag."

“Auntie is actually an astronomer; she came here specifically to stargaze,” Xiangzi said. “Do you know what’s on this mountain?”

"Why are you asking me questions now? Keep going," Miaomeng urged. "This is just the beginning."

As Xiangzi stood at the top of the stairs and turned around, he saw three pairs of big, expectant eyes.

She sighed helplessly, rubbed her temples, and turned around to continue walking uphill.

"In addition to the resort, there is also an astronomical telescope here."

"An astronomical telescope? You mean one of those large, hemispherical telescopes?"

"Hmm." Xiangzi nodded and continued, "It's not a very big one. It's much, much smaller than the one that's displayed in the suburbs of Luweiyuan. I even went to see it when I was a child."

Xiangzi turned around and silenced Miaomeng's question with a look.

"I know you want to ask why there would be such a thing in the middle of nowhere, but don't rush to conclusions."

"Why would there be something like this in the middle of nowhere?" Miao Meng asked again with a mischievous grin.

"...Just think of it as something that happened while we were building the resort." Xiangzi sighed again and turned his head away.

At the very top of the steps, there appeared a hemispherical shape with a cigar inserted in it.

"Ah, we arrived before we knew it."

Xiangzi said.

The Tale of the Lost: The Spirit of Youth: Chapter 196 The Moment of Encounter with Demons (Part 2)

Keep going up and you'll reach the end of the stairs.

A golden figure could be vaguely seen standing at the entrance of the planetarium, waiting for them. As Xiangzi and the others got closer, the golden figure's appearance gradually became clearer.

Her golden hair cascaded down like a waterfall, almost touching the ground, with slightly curled strands that shimmered with a faint golden glow in the sunlight.

A simple white dress, clean skin, and a quiet, intellectual demeanor—every aspect of her outfit accentuates her cascading golden hair.

The woman stood in front of the planetarium, which was covered with ivy, like a fairy from a legend living in the forest.

"Wow, she's Hatsuko's mother." Miaomeng exclaimed in Xiangzi's ear, "What a beauty, like an elf."

"Shh, it would be impolite if someone heard that." Xiangzi rolled his eyes at her and turned to face Chu Hua's mother, who was getting closer and closer.

"Hello~" the woman waved to them, "You must be tired from your journey."

The woman sized up Xiangzi, her gaze lingering on him for a moment before sweeping over the other three, finally returning to Xiangzi before she said with certainty:

"You must be Xiao Xiang. It's been so many years, you've grown into such a beautiful young man."

"Hello, Auntie." Xiangzi bowed slightly and gave a greeting.

“Hello, Auntie.” The other three also bowed slightly along with Xiangzi.

Xiangzi raised his eyes and sized up the woman in front of him.

I only met Chuhua's mother once when I was a child, but it left a deep impression on me. Now, when I see her again, the person in front of me looks exactly the same as I remember, as if time has left no trace on her.

Standing face-to-face with the woman, a rich floral fragrance emanated from her.

If someone were to say that she is an immortal witch who lives deep in the forest...

Xiangzi would definitely believe it.

"Come in and have a seat. It must have been quite a climb up from the foot of the mountain." The woman turned around and pushed open the wooden door behind her.

"I am Chuhua's mother, Lin." The woman introduced herself with a smile. "You can call me whatever you like, but of course, I would be very happy if you called me 'sister'."

"My sister's name is like an elf's, it sounds so beautiful."

Miaomeng was the first to rush out and try to get closer to her with sweet words.

"And that beautiful long hair! I've never seen such beautiful hair in my life. How do you take such good care of it, sister?"

"(Hey... don't go too far.)"

Xiangzi spoke to Miaomeng in a voice, clearly dissatisfied.

"(No way~ Being overly friendly is my trademark.)"

Miaomeng turned around and stuck her tongue out at Xiangzi.

"(Her perfume smells really good, but it's a little too strong.)"

"(Is it too strong?)"

"(Hmm, it seems like they're trying to cover up some kind of smell.)"

While chatting casually with Chu Hua's mother, Miao Meng secretly glanced at Xiang Zi.

What are you trying to cover up...?

Xiangzi took a closer sniff. It smelled of grass, flowers, and earth, with a hint of sea breeze, mixed with Lin's perfume. If anything was being masked, it might be that fishy smell of unknown origin.

Xiangzi raised his head and looked at the lush green dome of the planetarium.

The glass of the dome is pieced together, and various green plants grow from the gaps in the glass, forming a green curtain on the dome.

Occasionally, sunlight can filter through the gaps in the curtain wall, forming thin beams of light that fall onto the ground, giving the planetarium an even more secluded and isolated feel.

She came in once when she was a child, which was the only time she met Chu Hua's mother. The place was clean and tidy then.

Although it's not chaotic now, the lush vegetation gives it a beautiful feel, a blend of civilization and nature.

It looks nice, but this is not what a normal planetarium should look like. With the vegetation growing so wildly, it's uncertain whether the telescopes can still be used properly.

It looks more like it's many years after the apocalypse, with a sense of desolation.

Seemingly sensing Xiangzi's doubts, Lin turned around and explained.

"The telescope originally had glass, but a typhoon came and blew the roof off. Fortunately, the telescope was not damaged, so we just made do with it."

"At first I was motivated to clean the house, but now that I'm old and don't have the strength, I just let them grow," Lin said with a wry smile. "I can only clean them occasionally to make sure they don't affect the use of the equipment."

She pushed open a wooden door and led Xiangzi and his group into a clean and tidy reception room.

"Please have a seat, I'll go cut some fruit."

Lin was saying something similar to what any ordinary mother would say when welcoming her child's friends over, and was about to close the door.

"By the way, where did Uncle go?" Xiangzi asked. "Why haven't I seen him?"

"…My husband has gone out to sea to fish, I probably won't see him this time," Lin said with a smile, grasping the doorknob. "If there's nothing else, I'll go get some fruit."

"Ah."

"The house hasn't been cleaned properly in a while, and there's a lot of clutter. It's best not to wander around, or you might get lost."

Before closing the door, Lin left behind her last words.

Click.

Once the door closed, all the sounds of the outside world were cut off, and the surroundings became unusually quiet. You could even hear the breathing of the person next to you.

Xiangzi looked at his companions.

"What do you guys think?" She swallowed hard and said with some difficulty, "Does something feel off?"

“Even though it’s been a long time since any fishing boats have gone out to sea, she says the head of the household has gone out fishing,” Mu nodded and said briefly.

Miao Meng's lips twitched. "Instead of saying what's wrong, why don't you ask..."

“…and there’s something else that’s not right.” Hailing chimed in.

Even before entering, the eerie atmosphere was palpable: a dilapidated planetarium overgrown with weeds, a woman alone at home, a man accused of fishing even though he hadn't gone out to sea, and perfume seemingly applied to mask some unpleasant smell...

Where exactly is the normal area?

Xiangzi wiped his face and pulled up a chair to sit down.

Currently, all clues point to the worst-case scenario, and everything is developing towards an outcome that no one wants to see.

If Chu Hua were here...

"Thank goodness I didn't bring Chu Hua back." Whether it was relief or sadness, Xiangzi's shoulders slumped. "But how am I going to explain this to her?"

“She’ll have to face it eventually,” Hailing said calmly, “if that’s true.”

"Ugh......"

Xiangzi sighed and rubbed his temples.

Even if the situation gets worse, they cannot just sit and wait to die.

The situation is different now compared to when Nirvana took place. There's no time for them to figure things out little by little. All the troubles come one after another, and they have no choice but to endure them.

Speaking of things we have to endure, there might be more encounters to come.

Xiangzi took out his Soul Gem and checked its fullness.

Less than a third is still within the acceptable range, but I wonder if there will be a war of attrition later on. If so, that would be troublesome...

Eh?

What is this, the seed of lamentation?

Xiangzi squinted, staring intently at his soul gem.

She hadn't examined her soul gem closely for quite some time, and a casual glance seemed to reveal something different from before.

The surface of the azure gemstone was partially cloudy, indicating its fullness, which is normal. However, what Xiangzi had just seen was not something as ordinary as turbidity; rather, it was something hidden behind the turbidity, floating inside the gemstone...

thing?

What else is inside the Soul Gem besides the Seed of Lamentation?

Xiangzi's eyes widened as he peered into the crack in the Soul Gem. The Seed of Nirvana's Lament floated in a deep blue space, surrounded by black magic.

It looked terrifying and bizarre, but to Xiangzi everything was normal, and there was nothing wrong with it.