Chapter 576

"Sakurakoji-kun ~ Let's go upstairs and take a look!" Kitagawa Marin's voice came from the far end of the stairs.

"Understood."

He stepped inside the building, and the chill inside was indeed astonishing, making him wonder if the air conditioning was on. As soon as he entered, it felt as if the temperature had dropped several degrees.

Even with bright sunlight outside, the interior remains dark. Or rather, it's precisely because the outside light is so strong that the shadows feel even deeper upon entering.

Firstly, it's because of visual unfamiliarity; secondly, strong light makes the light and shadow appear more three-dimensional.

She looked back at Kansai Shizuha, who was standing at the entrance, hesitant to step inside. From her current backlit perspective, it must have been incredibly dark and desolate inside.

Although your eyes will get used to it after just one minute inside.

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing..."

"Heh~ Heh~" He approached her with amusement, bending down to meet her gaze, and teased, "Could it be that you're afraid of places like this? Then I suggest we go somewhere more exciting next time, like a haunted house or a mental hospital..."

"N-no, that's not true!" As if to prove she wasn't afraid at all, she strode straight inside, calling out as she went, "Hurry up, we're leaving!"

Staring at her petite figure from behind, he couldn't help but secretly think about playing a prank on her...

Because the main theme is a dark atmosphere, there is absolutely no lighting inside. In the slightly darker areas or the corridors in the middle of the room, it is so dark that you can barely see the outlines of objects.

Scattered needles, bloody bandages, and rubble on the ground added to the eerie atmosphere of the place.

However, since it's not entirely horror-themed, there aren't many like that, but it still makes people with a weaker constitution even more anxious.

Realizing there was no movement or response behind her, Kansai Shizuha, who had walked quite a distance, couldn't help but turn around and complain, "What are you doing? Hurry up..."

As soon as she turned around, a grotesque face—distorted features, dilated pupils, and a tongue sticking out—met hers less than 20cm away, just enough for her to see its entirety.

"Aaaaaah!!! No!!!!"

A piercing scream, loud enough to shatter the entire building, laced with sobs, and she scrambled backward as she ran upstairs.

Sakurakoji Talent rubbed his cheek, regaining his composure, and watched her fleeing figure with a faint smile.

It feels so good to successfully trick someone!

"What's wrong? What's wrong?!" Hearing her shouts, Kitagawa Marin upstairs rushed over to check on her, only to find her running up the stairs.

"A ghost! There's a ghost!!" Kansai Shizuha tried to explain, her teeth chattering.

"A ghost?" Kitagawa Marin and Inui Shinju exchanged a glance, puzzled.

Kitagawa Marin was skeptical. "Um, Chuchu ~ are you sure you're not mistaken? It's true that this place is a bit eerie, but it shouldn't be ghostly, right?"

"That's the weirdo! A former patient from the hospital is still here! Sakurakoji... he might have already met with some kind of horrific attack!"

"..."

Silence enveloped the three of them.

"Um, Lady Chuchu ... Sakurakoji-kun is standing right behind you." Kitagawa Marin pointed behind her.

"Huh?" Kansai Shizuha turned around abruptly, meeting Sakurakoji Talent's nonchalant gaze.

"Sakurakoji-kun, did you see anyone suspicious?"

"No, I only came over because I heard my classmate's voice. What happened?" he replied, feigning innocence.

Unfortunately, Kansai Shizuha wasn't stupid. Although she was petite, she wasn't as easily fooled as those naive little girls.

She stood on tiptoe, grabbed his collar, and glared at him fiercely. "It was you, wasn't it! You were the one who scared me just now, weren't you?!"

"... We've been exposed?"

"You bastard!!" She pouted cutely and used her little fists to hit him repeatedly—though it didn't hurt at all.

Having understood Kitagawa Marin's expression and tone were helpless. "Mo~ Sakurakoji-kun, how could you scare Lady Chuchu?"

"Haha, couldn't help it?"

"Well, if there's nothing else, let's keep watching~ Shinju- chan, let's go check that out over there~ Doesn't that rusty iron gate have a really great atmosphere!"

"Oh, okay!"

"But it's so dark in here, how are we going to film?"

"You can use lighting equipment and reflectors! Backlighting is also possible outdoors, I highly recommend it..."

"..."

After the two had walked about twenty or thirty meters away, he looked down and saw Kansai Shizuha, her expression gloomy and resentful, her eyes devoid of light, staring intently at him—a terrifying expression.

"... Shall we continue watching?"

"If you cause any more trouble, I'll kill you first, then we'll die together!"

"No, no, it won't happen again..."

He actually wanted to complain, wondering if this counted as a suicide pact, but he swallowed it back down.

The subsequent location scouting was much more formal, involving checking out scenes suitable for taking photos, taking pictures with a mobile phone for later confirmation, and going into rooms to observe them one by one.

Since this is just a preliminary survey, cameras and cosplay costumes are not allowed; only mobile phones are permitted for taking photos.

Because there's no need to repeatedly adjust poses or shoot in diverse lighting and locations as in formal photography, the speed is naturally very fast.

"Since you're not good at handling these kinds of situations, why did you come in here yourself? Couldn't you just look at the photos Shinju -chan took with her phone later?" Sakurakoji Talent pondered.

If someone were to wear the Inverted Astral Dress here... that would indeed be quite frightening.

However, he felt it was a bit ugly rather than scary.

Kansai Shizuha glanced at him sideways, still brooding over what had just happened. "It's a rare opportunity to cosplay Black Lily, so if we don't properly check the situation, we won't be able to take any good photos, right?"

Her calves were trembling slightly, whether from anticipation of the upcoming cosplay or from lingering shock, it was hard to tell.

Holding two strands of her own hair in her hands, she probably felt more secure that way.

"Would you force yourself to do this? What's the reason?"

After a moment of silence, Kansai Shizuha stopped trembling and asked, "Do you... have any dreams?"

Huh? Not again?

"I don't have my own dreams! But I can help others achieve theirs!"

"Huh?" Kansai Shizuha silently kept a distance from him, her gaze distant.

"Just kidding, how can anyone not have dreams?" He straightened his expression, his eyes filled with reminiscence. "However, my dream is about to come true."

If there was anything he dreamed of before that, it was to live a normal life and die peacefully in his old age.

After all, he had nothing lacking in his life except for his life itself.

But now, even that has been corrected. Although he is not completely cured, he can basically be considered fully recovered.

Although the Elf's immortality is an absurdity, it also puts a lot of pressure on him... It seems unlikely that he'll be able to die of old age peacefully.

Does that mean that when Mirai tired of living, I'll kill myself?

Hmm... isn't this just another Mio-chan?

He did not believe that the spirit of a normal person could withstand the erosion and test of a long period of time.

In particular, some stories feature protagonists who have lived for a very long time, yet their intelligence, emotions, and ways of dealing with the world remain at the level of a teenager or a twenty-year-old... This makes him almost want to pry open their heads to see if their brains have also been frozen, just like their age.

Immortality sounds appealing, but is it possible that it's simply a matter of not having lived enough?

If humans could live for two or three hundred years, would they still have such a strong desire for longevity?

He didn't know how long his mind and state of mind could withstand the test of time without being worn down, but it probably wouldn't be short.

He doesn't know about others, but taking himself as an example, he feels that his thoughts will definitely not be the same hundreds of years from now.

Well, never mind, that's something for the distant Mirai, it has nothing to do with him right now.

"Will you become Fashion Designer? Or a photographer?" Kansai Shizuha guessed.

Well, that's about it.

As long as you live to die, what does it matter what profession you have? Does a person stop living just because they are engaged in a job that is not suitable for them?

Learning to find meaning in seemingly insignificant things is one of the ways that wise and insightful people approach life.

--However, this is his current thought.

In the past, he would have had to admit that a pillar that supports one's spirit has an immeasurable positive effect on one's progress.

He chuckled softly, " In the Mirai, I'll probably inherit part of the family's clothing business, because I've always loved beautiful things, like those sparkly and exceptionally beautiful clothes."

"When I was at my lowest point, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they saved a part of me."

Although the love and care from his family played the vast majority of the role in his recovery, a good hobby can shift one's focus away from pain.

"Beautiful clothes... I see." Kansai Shizuha lowered her eyelids, a faint smile appearing on her delicate face. "It's a wonderful dream, it absolutely must come true!"

"Of course, and I'm not bragging, but in this respect, there are few people in the world better than me!" He proudly held his head high, displaying utter smugness.

This is the result of his years of hard work and talent, enough to give him the right to look down on the world.

Although, in reality, he didn't devote himself entirely to it...

Kansai Shizuha nodded slightly, saying nothing more. Perhaps having heard his answer, she closed her eyes and opened her heart, saying, "I once... wanted to become a magical girl."

"Yes, I know..." Sakurakoji Talent wanting to say something but stopping himself.

Even though I knew it, hearing her say it still felt strange. In a way, isn't she a "magical girl" now?

Kansai Shizuha continued, "Powerful, dazzling, and incredibly handsome! Wearing adorable, light-colored clothes!"

"I've always dreamed of magical girls, I'm absolutely fascinated by them! I even genuinely wanted to become a magical girl when I grew up..."

"However, I realized after starting elementary school that it was all a fictional world."

"Even if I try as hard as a magical girl and pray as much as she does, my dream will never come true..."

A hint of sadness flickered in her eyes, but it quickly returned to its usual brightness.

"But in junior high... I found out that cosplay outfits could be bought."

"I didn't know anything back then. I didn't even know that wigs needed trimming, I wasn't wearing makeup, and my clothes were the wrong size, all loose and baggy..."

"Although my first cosplay was a complete disaster, I'm still genuinely happy."

"Even if it's forced upon me, even if it's all fiction, I still want to realize my dream!"

After saying that, she stared blankly at the leaves outside the window. Her eyes held not childlike innocence, but something deeper.

He was very familiar with that look in his eyes; it always brought him joy, moved him, and excited him.

That is something that can sustain humanity's struggle forward, something that can shatter all dissatisfaction with reality, something that can make people forget the pain of the past and present, something that can be considered the essence of a person's life...

Oh, really? A dream that can never be realized?

Do you believe it? I certainly don't!

Chapter 520 Fainting and Dinner

Sakurakoji Talent smiled faintly, resting his chin on his hand, and listened silently to her monologue, feeling that life was truly as easy as turning one's hand.

Things that others desperately wanted but he didn't care much about, he actually had in his hands from the very beginning.

Fortunately, he wasn't a selfish person.

Now, it's time for the dream architect to take the stage!

Since you've already told me that, what else is there to say, sister! The Spirit Crystal is yours!

--Of course it's not that simple.

Excessive power comes with immense responsibility and pressure; it's not something that can be easily given to ordinary people.

Even he wouldn't allow himself to become too dependent on or addicted to this power. If she wanted to use this power to fight the strong and help the weak and save the world, then forget it; the world isn't that simple.

Destroying the world is easy; changing the world is difficult.

Besides, if the whole world is full of Esper, how can one continue with their daily life?

Today they block traffic, tomorrow they vandalize public facilities, and the day after tomorrow, you'll be walking down the street and get killed by flying shards of stone from a building they crashed into, right?

Even if he could be resurrected, he wouldn't want to play this game with others, let alone other people.

Imagine you bought a house with decades of mortgage payments, only to have it Kokoro smashed by some heroes passing by while fighting monsters. But you still have to keep paying the mortgage. Would you hate the monsters more or the heroes?