After confirming that Kurumi's presence had retreated to the rooftop, and that Shido was sneaking by the window, whispering to his "sister."
Chinatsu, who was lying on the ground acting as the unconscious girl, finally and cautiously opened her eyes just a barely noticeable slit.
Her icy blue eyes, concealed by long lashes, quickly scanned the surroundings like the most precise detector.
(Safe! Kurumi went upstairs to contemplate life, and Shido is ratting me out. Excellent opportunity!)
She let out a long, silent sigh of relief in her heart, feeling more exhausted than if she had directly taken a hit from a Creator Reverser.
(I fooled them! I finally fooled them! Heaven knows how many brain cells I wasted concocting this set of "unofficial history" that was full of holes yet sounded plausible!)
Just thinking about her quick-witted improvisation, using Welt's substitute to mash up the history of Anti-Entropy's founder and modify it into "One of the Spirit Origins" of this world, Chinatsu couldn't help but want to give herself a thumbs-up.
(Mr. Joyce, Mr. Yang, I apologize, but I borrowed your names! You aren't even on this set anyway! You can't possibly drive the Astral Express here to run me over, can you?)
(This is great. "Welt Yang" is the tragic hero who inherited the will of the previous Herrscher of Reason, and I, 'Phoenix-in Chinatsu,' am the 'lucky one' chosen by the hero, possibly becoming the next successor! The two identities are completely separated! Perfect!)
She felt the fissure in her core slowly repairing itself and the weak but re-established connection to her own Herrscher Authority, making her mood even more pleasant.
(Although the core is damaged and needs time to repair, at least I pulled off a deception and kept my identity safe!)
Glancing at Shido, who was standing by the window with a solemn expression, reporting the situation to Kotori, the little devil in Chinatsu's heart began to stir.
(Look how stunned this kid is. His CPU must be overheating, right? That bewildered look of "Who am I, where am I, what did I just hear" is truly... hilarious!)
(And Kurumi, she's probably doubting her life on the rooftop right now, isn't she? "Living for a tomorrow that can't be reached"? That must be an advanced topic for her, huh? Hehe.)
However, just confusing Shido wasn't enough. Chinatsu knew that to leave an indelible mark on a harem protagonist's heart—a mark deep enough to cause pain whenever he thought of her—the "chosen girl" setting wasn't compelling enough.
(Compared to a dead, memory-only White Moonlight, wouldn't a White Moonlight who was once pure and kind, but might 'darken' or 'fall' due to bearing overly heavy power and memories, be far more captivating and unforgettable?)
A brilliant (and mischievous) idea formed in her mind, making her nearly burst out laughing. She quickly bit the soft tissue inside her mouth hard to maintain her "unconscious" expression.
(Yes, this is the way! I'll give him a memorable 'first awakening'! I can't laugh yet; I have to wait until the performance is over!)
She adjusted her breathing, making it weaker and more erratic, as if she were immersed in some terrifying nightmare.
At the same time, she began carefully mobilizing the tiny bit of Jurisprudence Authority she had just recovered, not for construction, but for... fine-tuning her own physiological manifestations.
A few seconds later, just as Shido ended his communication with Kotori and turned his gaze back to the "unconscious" Chinatsu with a complicated and worried expression—
He saw the girl lying on the ground suddenly begin to tremble slightly.
Her delicate brows were tightly furrowed, as if she were enduring immense pain. Her previously serene (feigned) face became somewhat distorted, and fine cold sweat even beaded on her forehead.
"...No... don't..." An extremely faint, tearful, and fearful murmur escaped her pale lips.
Shido's heart instantly clenched, and he subconsciously wanted to rush over. "Chinatsu-san?!"
However, the next second, Chinatsu abruptly opened her eyes!
But they were no longer the icy blue eyes Shido was familiar with—eyes that held coolness or occasional amusement. They were now filled with confusion, fear, and... a depth Shido had never seen before, as if countless years and suffering had settled within them!
A conflicting sense of calm and chaos that was almost... "inhuman"!
Her pupils seemed unfocused, staring straight up at the factory roof covered in cobwebs and dust, as if she were seeing something else through it.
"...Burning... everything is burning..." Her voice was hoarse and broken, carrying heart-wrenching despair. "Mr. Joyce... everyone..."
Tears, without warning, slipped down the corners of her eyes, soaking the hair at her temples and the dust on the floor.
Then, as if she finally noticed Shido beside her, she slowly, and very stiffly, turned her head. Those eyes, filled with tears yet carrying an unusual calmness (which was acted), looked at him, filled with unfamiliar scrutiny and a kind of... heaviness and exhaustion, as if she had borne the weight of the entire world.
She looked at Shido for several seconds, as if confirming who he was.
Finally, she forced out a strained smile, one uglier than crying, and said softly in a voice that was barely a whisper, yet seemed to carry a strange echo:
"Itsuka... Classmate...?"
"I think... I had a... very long... very terrible dream..."
"In the dream... there was fire... there were meteors... and there was a... sad... soul... named Welt..."
After speaking, she seemed to have exhausted all her strength. Her eyes slowly closed, and she "fainted" again.
Only this time, her brows remained tightly furrowed, the glistening tear stain still visible at the corner of her eye. She was curled up, looking incredibly frail and yet... full of ominous mystery.
Shido: "!!!"
He froze completely, his mind blank.
(A dream? Fire? Meteors? Welt's... soul?!)
(Could it be... that the inheritance Mr. Walter mentioned... wasn't just power... but memories and... emotions... too...?)
Looking at Chinatsu's sleeping face, exhausted as if she had endured endless trauma, and that glaring tear stain, Shido felt his heart being fiercely squeezed by an unseen hand!
A wave of pity, protectiveness, helplessness, and panic in the face of unknown changes overwhelmed him like a tsunami.
(Chinatsu-san... Is she... still the person I knew?)
Chinatsu (Internal): (Perfect! Now let's see you try not to worry about me for the rest of your life! Little virgin, struggle obediently in the ocean of guilt and curiosity! Ahahaha!)
(Surface): Maintaining the image of the frail, sorrowful, unconscious girl burdened with heavy destiny, remaining perfectly still.
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Rexlent
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"