Chapter 512

"Don't you think it's a waste just to work part-time?"

"Hmm - I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about taking shortcuts... But I won't feel so tired that I'll use my abilities to take shortcuts. This is the path I've decided on, and I don't want to give up halfway."

〖Even if you don't take shortcuts, there are many better and easier ways out, right? For example, joining the Snake Eight Families, working at Genji Heavy Industries, etc.?〗

"Ah, that aspect. To be honest, I did think about it at the beginning."

"Oh? What made you change your mind?"

"I can't say that I changed my mind. After all, it was just one of the alternative plans at the time. In fact, when I first met Zero, Pompey Gattuso and others, I was quite at a loss. How should I put it, it's the gap between reality and ideal..."

〖Can you tell me more about it?〗

"For example, things like having a flame in the left hand and a hurricane in the right hand, every boy has had fantasies about that. Just like I once longed to find a stick that would suit me, and then I would swing it and always imagine that an enemy would appear for me to fight... But the reality is not like that~ When I met Mr. Pompey, he didn't give me a bad impression, or rather, I felt flattered."

"You should know that he has intentions to get close to you, right?"

"That's right. I think it may have something to do with the fact that he has lived long enough. It may sound a bit arrogant, but this is what I think right now - there is no such thing as right or wrong in the world! That's it. It's really hard to dislike him when facing his gentle smile. This is probably his personal charm."

〖But you ran away~〗

"Uh--can't argue with that."

〖So back to the topic, what made you give up those alternatives and choose the current path?〗

"Emmmm...it's cowardice."

"Cowardly? We all thought you didn't want to implicate the people around you?"

"That's part of the reason. After Kanda was kidnapped because of me, my first thought was to escape. I thought that this kind of thing was not something a high school student should be involved in. If I got into trouble, it would be hard to solve. Even if I killed everyone, there would still be a lot of problems left. Although Sachiko and the others have a good income, it's still a rural area compared to Tokyo. If they were taken away by the police, they would definitely be very sad and feel like failures. They would blame themselves a lot."

〖So cowardice means this kind of worry and fear?〗

"No. Literally. I consider myself a wimp."

〖Can you explain it a little bit?〗

"Ah."

"...I don't think I have the courage to face the death of people around me, and I probably can't even accept the fact that I was hurt because of you. It was also the Kanda incident that made me realize that individual heroism can't save everyone, and I don't think I can accomplish anything great."

"Doesn't it count if I can marry your wife?"

"This is probably the greatest thing I can do in my life." (serious face)
〖hahaha——You can continue talking.〗

"Well. I'm going to say something that may disappoint you, but my original plan was to use Eri to cause chaos among the eight families of Snake, and then find a way to attract the attention of Uesugi Yue. Even if I can't get rid of Herzog, I can still make him not pay attention to me."

"But the plan has changed."

"Yes, it has changed."

〖Can you tell me why?〗

"Uh--"

〖Is it inconvenient to say?〗

"Also... well, a little bit."

〖That’s even more important to ask. You know this is an interview so I can’t refuse, right?〗

"How despicable."

〖Thank you for the compliment. Please continue.〗

"Well, how should I put it... Have you ever met a stray dog ​​on the street? The kind that is skinny and has a very flat belly, but walks on the road very skillfully. Even if there are a lot of pedestrians and cars, it doesn't care. If someone stops to look at it, it won't take it to heart, but will continue to lower its head and sniff, trying to find leftover food from some gap."

〖It’s very vivid.〗

"Right, that's the kind of numb look that doesn't mean it doesn't care, but actually means it no longer places hope on humans. I've seen it before, and even if you feed it food, it will be very careful and won't wag its tail anymore. It will take the food to a place it thinks is safe before eating."

〖Are you trying to say that Ms. Uesugi is pitiful?〗

"That's not what I meant - when I saw her that day, she looked like a dog standing in the rain with an umbrella. She didn't strike me as cute or pretty."

"I don't quite understand. Are you saying she is not pretty?"

"No, it's the feeling, the feeling - instead of being a beauty that makes people feel proud to be together, she gives me the feeling of being limp on the ground. I wonder if you can understand?"

"Please continue."

"I felt like she was paralyzed there, but the moment she saw me, the light in her eyes suddenly brightened. She struggled to stand up and approach me, but she suddenly stopped halfway. Although she was looking at me, the light in her eyes was gradually fading."

〖Why?〗

"do not know."

"Is that why you changed your plans? It still sounds like pity."

"Also... I was a little angry about Zero. He abandoned me without a word, twice!!! I really thought about giving up, but I thought that if I did that, I would definitely regret it for the rest of my life. Fortunately, I didn't."

〖I said no, but in fact it was your wife who took the initiative to approach you, and she was the one who even confessed her love to you.〗

"Well - I think this interview should end now."

"Sorry, sorry. So your original intention of changing was out of pity and anger, right?"

"The word 'pitiful' is not quite right. I think the more appropriate word is 'cowardly'. Because I can't bear to abandon her like this... In fact, I don't want to get involved in the world of the dragon clan. Although the world over there is magnificent, it is too sad."

〖Are you sad?〗

"Yes, personally, the world of dragons is made up of regrets and tragedies. Even if I exchange all my "nothingness" for power, I can't save those tragedies. Besides, that kind of self-righteous "salvation" may not be what others need at all. At least I think it's just self-satisfaction."

So you chose this path.

"That's right. Don't look at me like this, I actually know some truths. 'People with soft hearts are destined to achieve nothing', that's what it means for people like me."

〖Is it said that you look a lot like Lu Mingfei?〗

"Ha, haha... I'll tell you something. When I first read Dragon Tribe, I felt that I had a lot in common with him~"

〖But you still faced it, didn’t you?〗

"Rather than facing, it's more like Zero grabbed me."

〖That’s great! That’s right! If your wife hadn’t appeared, what path would you have chosen?〗

"Uh-huh-I don't know."

[Don't know?] "Yes. To be honest, I've always felt like I didn't fit in with the world around me. I just felt it was troublesome when Sachiko dragged me around to meet girls. After entering Tokyo, I didn't feel like anything had changed for the better or worse. It had nothing to do with me anyway. After Ren and Yurina showed up, I felt a little bit like I was really in school, instead of just an NPC watching and making up the numbers."

〖When you see other people’s love affairs, don’t you expect to have your youth again? Isn’t that what all the classic novels are like, with a harem after rebirth.〗

"No. Because I think it's childish and it's hard to like someone. To be frank, everyone says 'men always like 18-year-old girls', but the truth is that they just like their young and beautiful bodies and don't try to understand their hearts at all."

〖From what I hear, you seem to have liked Miss Yamamoto Yurina's body.〗

"I didn't say that."

〖Has it ever happened?〗

"I've fantasized about it, and nurtured it since childhood. After all, her true self is very similar to Sa Chiko. I heard people say on the Internet that every boy is more or less mother-loving. I think it's similar, because the best woman in the world is the mother, so boys will like girls who are somewhat similar to their mothers when they are very young."

〖Does Mr. Shuichi know?〗

"I told you they were just kids!!! Actually when they grow up they start looking in the opposite direction, I don't know why."

〖Well, let's go back to the present. Can you tell me about Miss Amano Haruna?〗

"Ms. Amano? Sure... I guess I was forced to do so. It rained every day in Neon during that time, the street drainage system was completely paralyzed, the subway was out of service, there were no customers all day, and the rent still needed to be paid, which was really annoying."

〖So you chose to blow up the dark clouds with the ion cannon?〗

"It's not an ion cannon, huh? Or rather, the ion cannon is an unavoidable byproduct, because when too much wind is compressed together, ionization will occur. There's nothing we can do about it."

[It flew away.]

“It was blown away.”

〖Where is Miss Amano Haruna?〗

"I guess I was under observation. I almost became a deadpool because of my frequent use of Word Spirits."

〖Hehe, in the movie, she ascended into the sky and entered the kingdom of God, and was finally called back by the male protagonist.〗

"That's why I say it's a movie. The truth is that the golden eyes can no longer be extinguished."

"Don't you feel sad? Being watched or something like that."

"It's not bad. Everyone is responsible for their own actions. Although the bloodline concentration is a bit out of control, Miss Amano is actually super weak. Even the Word Spirit is useless. 'Is it really necessary to monitor it? It feels like a waste of manpower.' That's what the Snake Eight Clan said. Anyway, even if it's out of control, because the genes are too useless, it will probably be the type that can be killed by a pistol, so it was released quickly. As long as you don't use the Word Spirit anymore, you can probably live to death~"

〖How lucky! I heard that you had some trouble when you opened your store. Is it completely resolved now?〗

"..."

〖Is there something you cannot tell?〗

"…Alas, this is probably something I will never be able to forgive myself for in my lifetime."

〖Is it because of self-blame? The news said that almost half of the members of the "Noda Group" were killed.〗

"That's right."

〖Can you explain it in detail?〗

"It was my mistake anyway, and I'm not going to shirk responsibility."

〖You are totally avoiding the question. Well, what about Ms. Makoto Aso? You said you couldn't bear to see tragedy, but why did you involve her?〗

"Ah, this matter. After the Noda Group was killed, no one dared to come to our store. But fortunately, the rent has been reduced to one-tenth of the past. It is a case of killing everyone!"

"You didn't answer yet."

"I'm just saying that. In the world of dragons, the paths of those people are the result of their own choices. They don't need or want what others call salvation."

〖Yes.〗

"But Asou is really different. At least that's what I think. For example, Shude Aki and Ye Sheng, they were prepared when they went into the water, or entered Kassel Academy; Chu Zihang and Xia Mi's affairs were also their own choices; even Yabuki Sakura, although I like her very much, but that was the result of her choice... Everyone is pursuing the brightest gem in their hearts, so they don't need others' 'saving', but Asou is really different... It's impossible for her."

"I remember this sentence - Honorable Caesar, the girl who put her hard-earned money into your pocket, the girl who hid you in the locker but was taken away by the bikers, the girl who had broken bones all over her body but still said to you 'thank you for coming back'. Do you still remember her?"

"Even Lu Mingfei has a chance to win Nuonuo's love. Masuo is just burying his own heart. I haven't met Caesar, but I know it's not Caesar's fault. There's nothing wrong with liking someone or being liked by someone. No one is wrong."

"It's all this world's fault - isn't that what we should say?"

"Sorry, I've already passed the second year stage."

〖I think Ms. Aso Shin does not regret meeting Mr. Caesar.〗

"I think so. But I don't intend to stop you. Just like I brought the little mute with me, if Lu Mingfei really wants to pursue her, I won't stop him. But if he has a half-hearted mentality of 'by the way' and 'I can't help it', then he can forget about taking the little mute away with him."

"The same thing happened to Masao."

〖There is no way to escape from what you see in front of you——You are really soft-hearted. But I think Miss Aso's matter is more troublesome. After all, Mr. Caesar was attracted by his personal charm. Or do you think your charm is enough to fight with him?〗

"Haha, laugh if you want. I know I'm terrible."

〖I didn't say that. Then the last question, can you tell me about Ms. Erii?〗

"Of course. This was actually Zero's idea."

〖oh?〗

"After all, I've told her most of the things, including what I know about the future. So she suggested to me, 'Let's hire Uesugi Eriya to work part-time,'" she said calmly.

[Not just something said in anger?]

"It's hard to tell because there's no expression."

〖Don't you think this will make Ms. Uesugi more dependent on you?〗

"I thought about this, so I went to ask the little mute's father for advice before doing it."

Is it really okay to ask a scumbag for his opinion?

"Uh...what you said makes sense."

〖Just kidding, what did he say?〗

"It's probably just some life advice, like being responsible for a girl's life. If you don't have the awareness to bear the consequences, don't make choices for others without authorization."

〖He is obviously a scumbag old man who flirts with women everywhere.〗

"you are right."

(End of this chapter)