Give children a little self-destruction shock to their worldview.

Page 211

Upon opening her eyes, she immediately noticed the differences between the city center and her neighborhood.

"...This is..." Hitomi Tono sat up.

The colors in the city center are indeed much more vibrant than in other areas, but there are fewer people walking on the streets. The yellow neon lights at night are so excessive that they are somewhat nauseating and very glaring. Even when sitting indoors, you can feel disturbed by this light pollution.

It's as if all the vibrant colors and cold light sources have been crammed into this place at Bashu University. My eyes are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information they're receiving all at once.

After taking over the colors from other places, Ain decorated his own territory in a way that was downright nouveau riche.

"woke up?

Kagura Yu, who was next to her, looked up from her phone and saw that Tono Hitomi was in much better condition after waking up, so she breathed a sigh of relief.

She is investigating the anomalies in the city center using her mobile phone and has already found the route used to infiltrate the World Library last time.

She suspected that people from Ain had tricked her out of the data crystals, and that the important data might have already returned to the World Library, or even be destroyed.

If they don't act quickly, Hitomi Tono and the other magical girls might never be able to transform again.

So, after arriving in the city center, Kagura Yu began her plan: as soon as Tono Hitomi woke up, the two of them could start their operation.

With her head still a little dizzy, Tono Hitomi asked, "What about Juri?" "She's in the practice room right now. I found her a teacher to give her lessons. She probably won't be back until midnight tonight."

"Kagura Yu said."

Arisu Akari was unaware of their plans, so Kagura Yu did not intend to reveal these secrets to them until she obtained the data crystal.

Because she didn't want the Takajo family to know that she had also come to the central city, Kagura Yu is now living in the players' dormitory. If the two of them want to go out alone, they have to do so before Arisu Juri, who lives in the same dormitory, returns.

We need to hurry.

Knowing that time was of the essence, Hitomi Tono immediately rolled out of bed and set off.

Actually, if it's just a simple investigation, Kagura Yu could go alone.

However, Kagura Yu clearly didn't just want to investigate this time; she also planned to steal the data crystal and try it out on Tohno Hitomi to see if it could be used.

That's why she brought Hitomi Tono along, not because she was worried about seeing her vomiting to the point of near death.

However, Tono Hitomi's vitality is also frightening. When she first got off the airship, she was as listless as a dried raisin, but now she has completely recovered her energetic and silly appearance... She said she was going to investigate, but she just asked Tono Hitomi to keep watch while she transformed and went in to quickly steal the data crystal.

After all, compared to herself who can transform, Tohno Hitomi, who doesn't have the ability to transform yet, would be no different from being sent to her death if she went in.

While explaining the precautions, the two walked forward following the route indicated by the phone's navigation.

Although there aren't as many people in the central urban area as in the outer areas, there are still pedestrians on the streets.

Humans walked hurriedly with their heads down, afraid of getting into trouble, while the strange people, especially those wearing the black and gray uniforms of Ein, swaggered around, practically walking sideways on the streets.

Hitomi Tono and Yuu Kagura walked with their heads down, trying to minimize their presence so as not to be noticed as outsiders.

The two even made a clumsy attempt at disguise by wearing sunglasses. Although wearing sunglasses late at night was silly, they didn't have any other disguise materials on hand.

The two focused intently on the navigation, but as they got closer to their destination, they couldn't help but relax.

For a moment I didn’t even notice that there were fewer pedestrians around me, and it was much quieter, with only the sound of their footsteps.

Kagura Yu looked down at her phone's navigation and said to Tono Hitomi beside her, "Five hundred meters to go..." Suddenly, she noticed several shadows cast in front of her.

Hitomi Tono, who was standing next to her, also stopped walking.

Behind her sunglasses, Kagura Yu raised her eyes, and her pupils contracted when she saw the person in front of her clearly.

What is this...? How did 8MA's cousin Takajo get here!

The person who appeared before her was none other than Takajo Yuri, who was accompanied by bodyguards, arms crossed, and had an unpleasant expression.

The blonde, curly-haired girl looked displeased and didn't notice the pedestrians who had mistakenly wandered into the area.

Her displeasure wasn't directed at Kagura Yu, who had appeared there, but rather at the strange people from Ein's side.

He had unilaterally mobilized his own guards to strengthen security in the area, but he didn't intend to tell her anything, which made her both angry and amused.

"I must reiterate that the relationship between the Takajo family and Lord Ein is one of cooperation, not superior-subordinate."

"Takajo Yuri looks gentle, but she's actually a deadbeat. She was practically furious. "You have to give an explanation for arbitrarily mobilizing our people."

"They just think the Gao family is nothing more than a cash cow with no power to resist, which is why they can manipulate them so recklessly."

As the group was arguing, Yuri Takajo suddenly noticed two passersby over there.

spoiled brat

The moment Kagura Yu realized that Takajo Yuri's gaze was on her, she immediately turned her head away, trying to cover her ears.

Don't see me! Don't see me! Don't see me! Don't see me! Don't see me! Don't see me! Don't see me! Don't see me! Don't see me! She didn't tell her cousin where she was, so it's suspicious that she suddenly appeared here!

As if heaven had heard her prayers, Yuri Takajo's gaze lingered on her for only a moment before falling on Hitomi Tono beside her.

Immediately afterward, she stopped arguing with the other side and suddenly raised her voice: "Those two people over there!"

Kagura Yu's body stiffened, and before Tono Hitomi could react, Takajo Yuri was already in front of her.

The blonde young lady walked over, but instead of stopping in front of her cousin, she spoke to Tono Hitomi: "You are... Tono-kun? What are you doing here? Don't you live in the outlying area?"

"?" Tono Hitomi was taken aback, trying hard to recall when Takajo Yuri met her in this timeline. Could it be... in the first year of junior high?

Hitomi Tono's memories are correct; she and Yuri Takajo did indeed know each other in middle school, and their timelines are roughly the same.

However, Yuri Takajo only studied there for a year before transferring back to the city center, and Hitomi Tono didn't expect that she would still remember her.

Hitomi Tono is someone who is not good at hiding her feelings; her panic was almost written all over her face. However, Yuri Takajo only blinked.

"I... I came with a friend to participate in the World's Number One Idol Contest selection. We came out for a stroll tonight, and I never expected to run into you here, Gao Tiao... We haven't seen each other since you transferred schools."

"Tono tried to cover up his mistake, but as he talked, it turned into nostalgia."

She hadn't seen Yuri Takajo in a long time in this timeline, so meeting her here was truly fate.

Although Kagura Yu had warned her before that acquaintances in this timeline might have become strangers, and she couldn't just trust them casually.

But Hitomi Tono still felt that Yuri Takajo could be trusted, which was both her intuition and the conclusion she had drawn after observing her just now.

Yuri Takajo is protecting the interests of her family. She and Ein are not entirely on the same page, and there are even some conflicts between them.

The freaks on Ein's side are used to running rampant and domineering, so naturally they don't care about the lives of ordinary humans.

Under such circumstances, it would not be fair for the Gao family to cooperate.

Hitomi Tono felt she could observe a little longer... but Yu Kagura, feeling guilty, immediately pulled her away.

Kagura Yu lowered her voice, keeping it just loud enough for Takajo Yuri to hear: "We've had enough of wandering around, let's go back. The players should be finishing practice and heading back to their dorms."

"That's right."

Hitomi Tono nodded, then smiled and said goodbye to Yuri Takajo.

"Bye-bye, Gao Tiao, let's hang out together next time!"

To Kagura Yu's surprise, Takajo Yui did not immediately refuse, but instead showed an expression as if she was considering it.

...No way, is it true that my cousin Takajo is really going to go out with Tono?

Kagura Yu was greatly surprised.

After the two left, Yuri Takajo withdrew her gaze.

She turned her head, and after her argument, the strange man and her family's security guards were now quite a distance apart.

The strange men, not wanting to be scolded by her any longer, wisely walked away.

Her family's security personnel also maintained an appropriate distance.

At this moment, the real partner, who had been hiding not far away, finally revealed himself from the shadows.

"He's a very easy person to understand."

"Takajo Yuri said to the black-haired girl in the shadows, but she also had some concerns, "But are you sure she will help me after she regains her transformation ability?"

“She will.”

"He was a little slow to speak about cooperation, but his answers were resolute."

"A magical girl... to reclaim that power and overthrow Ein, that sounds incredible."

"Takajo Yuri sighed, "But this is the only thing we can do now."

"That guy is going too far..." The business partner didn't respond.

The data crystal that Kagura Yu received before was not genuine; genuine items wouldn't be placed casually in the very center of the World Library.

That thing actually contains a locator, so if you take it home directly, it will expose Kagura Yu's identity.

Yuri Takajo almost messed up, but fortunately, her mysterious partner stepped in and helped her retrieve the locator from Yu Kagura. Otherwise, with the strength of Yuri Takajo's side, it would have been quite difficult for her to fight against Magical Girl Pansy.

After putting the fake crystal back, Yuri Takajo and her partner began planning to get their hands on the real crystal.

During this process, Hitomi Tono came into her view.

Yuri Takajo had a vague impression of the other party, but for some reason, her partner was certain that the other party possessed the power to defeat Ein.

After meeting you today, I'm somewhat more inclined to believe it.

It wasn't due to meticulous reasoning, but simply an intuitive belief that welled up from the bottom of my heart.

The note in Yuri Takajo's hand fell to the ground and rolled into the shadows. In the blink of an eye, her business partner also disappeared from sight.

Takajo Yuri withdrew her gaze, her expression unchanged, and walked back home with her bodyguards.

Adopting the air of a spoiled young lady, she loudly reprimanded the strange people staring in their direction: "What are you looking at!"

If you ever order my family around again, I'll gouge your eyes out!

Back in the dormitory, Kagura Yutaka breathed a sigh of relief.

She really didn't want to be recognized by her cousin Gao Tiao, and only now that she was back in a relatively safe place could she relax a little.

Hitomi Tono seemed thoughtful: "Yuri seems very different from the person I know..." She had never seen Yuri display such a spoiled princess temperament.

"I can't really say. She doesn't seem to like me very much. She always wanted to kick me out of Central City, but I just went along with it..." Kagura Yu seemed to have a lot of trauma about Takajo Yuri, and her face always showed an expression of unwillingness to recall it.

She recalled her life at Gao Tiao's house, which, being a dependent, didn't seem to be very pleasant.

However, although Yuri Takajo looks down on her on the surface and doesn't associate with her much, she still gives her what she needs. She's not really bad-tempered, but her spoiled princess attitude is a bit hard to handle.

Hitomi Tono listened thoughtfully to the completely unfamiliar Yuri Takajo.

Who is this?

The format of the World's Number One Idol Contest is similar to that of most talent shows.

汰。

Finally, they will have their final individual stage performances.

Today is the first stage evaluation, and Hitomi Tono and Yu Kagura are both a little worried about Akari Arisu, who has only had a few days of temporary training.

Although the two of them had successfully made it here and achieved their initial goal, it didn't matter how Arisu Akari performed in the match. However, when the match actually started, they were still nervous for each other.

As close friends of Arisu Akari, the two were able to watch each other's initial stage performance from the audience.

They're chattering away in the audience right now.

"This is my first time at a TV show recording studio like this..."

Hitomi Tono looked around curiously.

"By the way, who are the mentors?" She only just remembered to check the program information.

Kagura Yu knew more about it. She counted: "This show has five mentors. Apart from Ein himself, who is a mentor, the other four are human celebrities."

“I know that guy, he’s a very famous director.”

"I never expected that the star in the new world line would have the exact same face as the one in my memory," Hitomi Tono exclaimed excitedly.

"Is this Ms. Kita Kirihara?"

"A director becomes a mentor on a talent show?"

"Kagura Yuduga," Ah, those are Uesugi Yuki and Kitagaki Yuko over there, right?

"Who's the other one? The one who looks so unlucky..." It's Heaven, the legendary pigeon, who seems to have been captured to do work.

"The two whispered to each other, and the initial stage evaluation on stage began to be recorded as scheduled."

Akari Arisu was backstage getting ready for her performance. It wasn't time for the Quirky City contestants to go on stage yet, so she played on her phone after finishing her makeup.

Although she is a little nervous now, there is no place for her to continue practicing backstage, so she can only do something to distract herself.