harleyscars Page 66
Page 66
Because his throat was slit in his sleep, he can only close his eyes half-asleep every night.
"Why... even after all this... why won't you let me go?!"
Toyokawa Shoko suddenly became agitated, and her voice turned into a broken sob.
"I was just helping the teacher get a piece of chalk from the storeroom... and that woman pretending to be a school janitor cut open my stomach with scissors."
"Time and time again... no matter how many times I go back in time... no matter how many times I dodge... someone will always appear in different places in different identities... in different ways... repeating... killing me again and again!"
"No matter how many times I try... I can't win... I can't win!!" Tears streamed down her face like a burst dam, and the girl's shoulders trembled uncontrollably.
"It hurts...it really hurts...Koshimura-kun..."
“It hurts so much…”
"What exactly happened?" Yuecun Ze finally couldn't hold back any longer. He stepped forward, put his hand on her shoulder, and asked urgently, "Who wants to kill you? What's behind this?"
Toyokawa Shoko didn't answer. She just wiped away her tears and walked silently to a patch of bare earth in the corner of the wall. She picked up the shovel leaning against the wall and handed it to Koshimura Sawa.
“Dig,” she said, pointing to the exposed soil. “The answers you’re looking for are right here.”
Koshimura Sawa blankly took the cold shovel, only to see Toyokawa Shoko had already picked up another one and started digging in the ground.
He could only suppress his many questions and start digging with her.
The moment the shovel touched the soil, Yuecunze sensed something was wrong.
It's too soft.
The fresh soil was a darker color and smelled damp.
It doesn't look like it was formed naturally; rather, it looks like it was dug up not long ago.
The dense weeds formed a natural barrier, shutting out the hustle and bustle of the city. In the quiet courtyard, only the breathing of the two people and the sound of shovels digging into the soil could be heard.
Just as Koshimura was mechanically repeating the digging, the tip of the shovel suddenly hit some hard object and made a muffled sound.
“I’m going to die, Koshimura Sawa,” Toyokawa Shoko suddenly said.
The shovel in Koshimura's hand suddenly stopped.
"Haven't you always been curious? Why are there two of me? Why can I appear in two places at the same time?"
Toyokawa Shoko raised the shovel high, shoveled it into the soil with all her might, tamped it down with her foot, and then pried it open with a sudden jerk!
A large clump of damp soil was lifted up, revealing what was buried underneath.
Toyokawa Shoko.
The girl's face, though bloodless, still held a serene and peaceful expression, though it was now covered in rotting green spots.
“This is the answer.” Toyokawa Shoko looked down at the face in the pit that looked exactly like her.
"...What is this?" Koshimura Sawa felt his mind go blank.
“This is me,” Toyokawa Shoko said. “My future self.”
Before Koshimura could react, Toyokawa Shoko's voice rang out again.
"Actually, I am not a mage of the Time School, nor is this something that a mage of the Time School could do."
"Indeed, to you, I appeared in multiple locations at the same time."
"But for me, I simply experienced everything that was happening on the same day, and these timelines of 'me' were ultimately forcibly superimposed on that day."
"If the 'overlapping' version of me dies, or runs out of time, it will leave behind an unconscious corpse due to the rejection of time."
"But...time doesn't disappear out of thin air, nor does it appear out of thin air."
"No matter how far back in time, or how many timelines overlap... it's all just borrowing the corresponding time from 'my future self'."
"Going back one minute means losing one minute of life, going back one hour means losing one hour... If it is used a second time within a day, the time consumed will double... until the time consumed in a single use... exceeds one year."
"This is... the so-called blood of Toyokawa, this is an inescapable fate."
“Koshimura Sawa.” Toyokawa Shoko raised her head, trembling as she looked at Koshimura Sawa. “I only have two years left to live.”
It was like a thunderclap exploding in my mind.
Koshimura's pupils suddenly contracted.
It dawned on him.
Why did the women of the Toyokawa family always die young?
Why do women in the direct line of the Toyokawa family in each generation have to recruit sons-in-law at a young age?
It's not because of any X-linked genetic disease in the counterfeit drugs...
Rather, they borrowed time from their future selves.
Chapter Sixty-Eight: Forget Everything (4.7k)
"Mom, I have something I want to ask you—" Toyokawa Shoko stood in front of the door, raising her hand to knock.
The first exploration of the Void was successful, but lately the adventure team's coordination has been getting worse and worse...
The lamp could never cast its spell, Lixi was often out of sync with the team, Su Shi was too indecisive, and Xiao Mu rarely participated in teamwork...
but it does not matter.
As a seasoned professional, Mom certainly knows how to coordinate the members of an adventure team—
Just as his fingers were about to touch the door, a low murmur of conversation suddenly came from inside.
"How is work?"
"The current situation... is not optimistic."
Toyokawa Shoko's raised hand remained suspended in mid-air.
“I know you’re having a tough time and under a lot of pressure right now... but you can’t just keep ruining your health like this... Xiangzi and I will always support you. No matter what happens, we’re family.”
"No... The most important thing now is your and Xiangzi's safety. The boat tickets have been booked... for tomorrow. You and Xiangzi should go out and lay low for a while."
"Huh? I'm a really skilled professional, you know?"
"I'm not kidding, this is dangerous—"
"Don't worry, nothing will happen. They wouldn't dare to completely break ties with us. Besides... if I leave, who will protect you?"
"...Mizuho III 40 Go 2 Si Ba IV."
"Ok?"
"I wish I were a professional too."
"...What kind of talk is that?"
"It's nothing, I'm going to work now."
Hearing footsteps approaching from behind the door, Toyokawa Shoko quickly turned around and silently walked away from the door.
------
"Xiangzi...Xiangzi, wake up!"
In a hazy state, Toyokawa Shoko opened her eyes from her sleep.
I saw my mother standing in front of the bed, shaking her shoulders, half of her face burned and ulcerated.
The girl's face turned deathly pale instantly. She pulled up the blanket, her body jerking backward as she slammed against the headboard.
The temperature in the room was rising rapidly, and flames licked at the wooden furniture, making crackling sounds.
A gentle smile appeared on the half of Toyokawa Mizuho's face that was still intact. Despite the excruciating pain, she said, "Shoko, don't be afraid... Mommy will help you escape..."
Before she could finish speaking, a gleaming silver blade pierced through her chest, and scalding blood splattered onto Toyokawa Shoko's face.
Mizuho Toyokawa's body stiffened abruptly, then she slumped to the side and crashed heavily onto the floor.
The man in the black trench coat drew his blood-stained longsword and looked at Toyokawa Shoko, who was curled up on the bed and trembling.
He reached out his hand to her.
Just as his fingers were about to touch Xiangzi, a melodious flute sound suddenly rang out from behind him.
The icy blue chill swept through the entire room like a tide.
Thick layers of ice rapidly formed on the surfaces of the walls, floors, and furniture, freezing the man's lower body to the ground.
Strangely, the flames in the room did not go out; the flames continued to leap and spread on the ice, burning quietly.
Mizuho Toyokawa walked in through the door, but the flute she was playing did not stop.
Streams of light danced and rose from all around her, converging and swirling wildly, brewing a surging wave.
[Elemental Frenzy]!
at the same time--
Boom——!
The wall behind Xiangzi collapsed with a crash.
Another "Toyokawa Mizuho" reached out from behind the wall, grabbed Shoko's cold hand, and quickly ran outside.
The corridor was a scene of purgatory, with raging fire igniting the expensive carpets and paintings on the walls.
The broken support column swayed and fell, but was blocked by a suddenly erected shield spell, making a deafening sound.
"Xiangzi, your mother will definitely help you escape—" Toyokawa Mizuho suddenly let go of Xiangzi's hand.
As the dust and smoke from the collapse slowly dissipated, a figure in a black trench coat stood quietly in the corridor behind.
He raised his sword, twirled it, and a sacred light emanated from the blade as he pointed it diagonally at the ground.
"So...run, Xiangzi."
Mizuho Toyokawa turned around, raised her silver flute, and brought it to her lips.
“Mom…” Xiangzi stared blankly at her back.
"Run!!"
Shoko Toyokawa gritted her teeth, squeezed out the tears from her eyes, and turned to continue running forward.
The faint sobs were quickly drowned out by the lingering echoes of the battle.
Just then, a warm and familiar hand grasped her trembling hand once again.
Mizuho Toyokawa rushed out from around the corner ahead, grabbed Shoko tightly, and continued running forward without stopping.
"Go this way!"
The fire grew stronger and stronger, following closely behind them, never leaving their side.
Mizuho Toyokawa released Shoko's hand again and raised her flute.
Water appeared out of thin air from the surrounding walls, pouring down like a waterfall onto the rapidly spreading flames.
However, the flames only flickered slightly before continuing to burn with even greater intensity.
It seems to never stop, never go out.
"As expected, it still didn't work..." Toyokawa Mizuho sighed, her hand holding the silver flute falling limply to her side.
The scorching heat swept over her skin, and her deep blue hair began to curl and turn yellow.
"Mom, you—" Toyokawa Shoko watched in horror as her clothes were ignited by sparks, and the flames quickly spread outwards, instantly covering her entire back.
"Hurry! Don't stop!" Toyokawa Mizuho gritted her teeth, grabbed Shoko, and rushed forward with her last bit of strength.
Turning past the burning corner, the staircase leading to the mansion's main hall comes into view.
Shoko Toyokawa's gaze followed the steps downwards, and what appeared before her was a mountain of frozen corpses belonging to Mizuho Toyokawa.
Each corpse was dressed in the same clothes but in a different pose.
Some were running forward, some were spreading their arms to block them, and some were curled up in pain...
Countless "Toyokawa Mizuho" were sealed beneath the frigid ice, creating a long, winding path through the sea of fire.
"Let's go, Xiangzi." Toyokawa Mizuho took Xiangzi's hand. "Mom doesn't have much time left."