Chapter 46: Farewell (2/2)

Everything was over.

As Liu Mengchao stepped off the rooftop, Bia’s greeting reached his ears.

"Agent, you have worked hard." Bia’s voice was as weary as his own. "When you first stepped into the opposing agent's Fantasy Realm, I was truly worried whether you would survive."

Before Bia could finish, Liu Mengchao began to laugh.

"The gambling mode, simply put, is just a way to use a world to test an opponent's strength, isn't it?" As he spoke, he walked toward the distance. Misaki Mei and Liu Ling had already been left behind. Even Akazawa Izumi, with her crestfallen expression, could no longer see his back.

The man seemed to vanish into thin air; as soon as he stepped out of the school building, he was gone.

"Yes, you are absolutely right. That is, at the very least, the only benefit that the gambling mode offers to the opponent." A hint of joy suddenly appeared in Bia's voice. "I just learned that the opposing agent spent a total of two million points from the prize pool as a stake for this gamble."

"In other words..." Liu Mengchao smiled, "those two million points are now mine."

"Yes, Agent! And that doesn't include the points consumed by the opponent when they activated the Fantasy Realm."

"Points for the Fantasy Realm... Bia, what was the duration you recorded?"

"Twenty-three minutes and eighteen seconds. Based on the minimum consumption rate per minute, that comes to... one million three hundred and ninety-eight thousand points from the pool."

"A total loss of nearly three and a half million, plus the one million points I earned in this world—we have narrowed the gap by at least five million points." As he spoke, Liu Mengchao could not help but stop in his tracks.

He suddenly realized he had wandered into an unexpected place.

A graveyard—or rather, a public cemetery.

A name caught his eye, causing him to sigh. He walked slowly toward the fresh tombstone, knelt down, and looked at the name engraved before him:

Fujioka Misaki.

Liu Mengchao closed his eyes, recalling the girl he had only seen once. Fujioka Misaki.

She had the same short hair as Misaki Mei, though dyed a soft chestnut brown, giving her a more approachable air. Her face always seemed to hold a faint smile, unlike the impression Misaki Mei gave.

Misaki Mei was like the cold moonlight of the night; unless light was cast upon her, she would not reflect it back, remaining like a black hole, quietly guarding a lonely corner.

But Fujioka Misaki was different. Liu Mengchao felt her smile was like the sun—a morning sun, not blinding, shining through thin clouds, spilling warmth onto those it touched. Even if it wasn't intense, it still made one feel a sense of warmth.

"May you be at peace."

Liu Mengchao stood before the tombstone, pressing his palms together. He had little experience with visiting graves; even with his own parents, he would simply sit quietly, talking to them as if they were still alive.

Perhaps he should do the same now?

With that thought, he no longer hesitated and sat cross-legged before the tombstone. A photo of Fujioka Misaki was affixed to it, the girl in the picture still wearing that gentle smile.

"Hey..."

Liu Mengchao scratched his head. This was his first time talking to a dead person he had never truly known.

"I am an agent of the Joana Main God Space, my name is Liu Mengchao. This is my first time in your world—the world of 'Another'."

There was no answer, only the wind blowing past, causing the flowers on the grave to tremble gently.

"I don't know why, maybe I'm just nervous, so I wanted someone to talk to. Though it might sound bad to say it, I've always felt that the dead are better at keeping secrets."

Liu Mengchao shifted his position to sit shoulder-to-shoulder with the tombstone, like two friends sitting on the grass, watching the distant sunlight and talking.

"Your sister, I imagine you've seen her? Yes, I noticed something was wrong in that library that night. When I saw the ghosts emerging one after another, I thought perhaps you would appear. Though I never asked Mei, I know that she didn't get to see you one last time, did she?"

Did she? There was no answer. Liu Mengchao took it as Fujioka Misaki's silent agreement.

"Then I'll take that as a yes."

As he spoke, he drew the pistols from his waist. The black Ebony and white Ivory overlapped, forming a cross, which he placed before the tombstone.

"Your sister is truly a good person. At least, many of her views align with mine. We both dislike mobile phones. As for the reason, I think Misaki Mei feels the same as I do: if there isn't anyone important to contact, what use is the shackle of a phone?"

With a click, Liu Mengchao opened his phone. The blue casing flipped open, revealing the smiling face of Katsura Kotonoha.

"People are like nodes; countless individuals intertwine to weave a web that keeps us from sinking into hell. Unfortunately, like Mei, I have too few people who can truly be my own nodes. So, before I know it, I often find myself sliding toward the abyss."

Liu Mengchao laughed at his own words.

"I originally intended to destroy this world entirely. But... the scenery here is so beautiful, I suddenly felt reluctant. I’ve heard that the longer one remains a reincarnator, the harder their heart becomes, but it seems I am only becoming softer."

The expression on his face turned serious.

"Don't laugh. The 'me' from before—no, just two worlds ago—was much more terrifying than I am now. I was truly just like the Demon King in a novel."

Before he could continue, he shook his head.

"I don't know what you and Misaki Mei talked about that night. I feel that eavesdropping on a girl's conversation is a rather uncouth thing to do."

Still no answer, but Liu Mengchao could faintly hear Fujioka Misaki laughing.

"I think you agree. Ever since that night, Misaki Mei seems to have changed. How should I put it? I feel she wants to join us now; at least, when Liu Ling and I asked for her help, she agreed." He sighed. "By the way, you know Liu Ling, right?"

Still no response—how could a tombstone answer the living? Yet, Liu Mengchao continued, as if the person beside him were not a stone, but Fujioka Misaki herself.

"She joined the reincarnation world in this very world. Generally speaking, she is the kind of 'wise man' I dislike. However, she doesn't seem like the ones in my memory—those devoid of emotion. Or perhaps it's not that she lacks emotion, but that she holds utter, complete disdain."

Liu Mengchao leaned against the tombstone and reached out a hand. Sunlight filtered through his fingers, casting a silhouette across his face.

"Because she can calculate human emotions, fully account for various scenarios, and then create backup plans. For instance, if there are a thousand possible outcomes, she will lay them all out, think them through, and steer events toward her desired result."

He closed his eyes, a look of disdain tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Isn't that ridiculous? We are human, after all, not emotionless machines. And emotions are not trivial things."

His gaze sharpened, though he quickly regained his gentle composure.

"Apologies, I hope that didn't scare you." He chuckled. "Actually, none of this matters. People are inherently contradictory. Perhaps we are all like me—half human, with the blood of a demon flowing in our veins. But..."

His expression became incredibly earnest.

"Are you truly willing to let your sister leave with me? I cannot guarantee I can keep her alive in the next world. After all, I have never experienced a team battle in the Main God Space; everything is still an unknown."

Still, there was no answer, only a gentle breeze blowing past.

He looked up and realized the sunlight was blocked. A girl with short hair stood before him, her locks swaying in the breeze. Misaki Mei stood there, clutching a doll in her arms—a twin doll, two girls sharing a single body.

"It is quite a surprise to see you here," Misaki Mei said with a smile. She knelt down and placed the doll before her sister’s tombstone.

Was this an offering?

"Misaki always wanted this doll because she thought it was beautiful," Misaki Mei said softly. "By the way, Liu Mengchao, did you know? If you write 'Misaki' in Chinese, the pronunciation is exactly the same as another word."

"A word?"

"Yes," Misaki Mei nodded. "It means 'smile'."

Only then did Liu Mengchao notice the change in her. The eyepatch she used to cover her heterochromatic eyes was gone. One eye was red, the other green. Though the colors were different, the smile held within them was identical.

"I asked Liu Ling. In this world where anything is possible, perhaps there is a world where dead loved ones can be resurrected. Is that really true, Liu Mengchao?"

The girl's eyes were as pure as water.

Liu Mengchao smiled involuntarily.

"Yes," he said, looking up at her. "Do you not need your eyepatch anymore?"

"No."

Misaki Mei reached out and pointed to her right eye.

"The red eye is Misaki's. I want to see this world on her behalf." She moved her finger to her left eye. "The green eye is mine. I want to see this world together with Misaki."

Liu Mengchao picked up the Ebony and Ivory from the grave and holstered them at his waist.

"Then you must think it through carefully," he said, his figure slowly receding. "In three days, I will be here, waiting for your answer."

"And what about now?"

"Now?" Liu Mengchao stopped and looked back at Misaki Mei, who stood before the grave. He smiled and said, "First, say goodbye."