Choosing to Run Away

Yotsuya Miko looked at Yuria in front of her, unsure of what to say.

"You just abandoned a plan you wrote yourself?"

She sighed, albeit inexplicably. Miko was now certain the drawings and text on the paper weren't Hua's work. However, she didn't understand what Hua was trying to do, but then suddenly it became clear when she saw Yuria.

"Hmm, it's a bit of a shame. Perhaps... we should just go back?"

Yuria offered her advice, feeling neither anger nor any other emotion towards Hua's decision to stand her up. She merely glanced at the sighing girl Eye-Eye, and much of her courage before leaving vanished.

"Going back? That would be a waste of the tickets we agreed on. Besides, you rarely have free time, so let's go together."

After dealing with a minor matter concerning the Kawagen Family, Yotsuya Miko's mood has improved recently. She has managed to suppress the negative emotions about alienation and has been able to devote more energy to paying attention to another matter happening around her.

Her gaze drifted aimlessly to Yuria, and then, recalling the plan on the paper, she began to ponder it, though she remained uncertain.

That piece of paper, was it written by Yuria?

Thinking about this, Yotsuya Miko felt a little depressed. She really didn't know how to express it.

"Let's go to the aquarium first. To be honest, I'd really like to see the dolphins."

Flipping through the map on her phone, she suddenly walked ahead. Seeing this, Yuria, disregarding her conflicted emotions, followed behind Miko.

The two were very close, but there was no physical contact between them.

In romance manga, aquariums are probably one of the most frequently appearing locations. Yotsuya Miko doesn't know why, but there are indeed a considerable number of couples in the city's aquarium.

She and Yuria squeezed through the crowd and finally managed to get inside the aquarium, watching the fish frolicking through the transparent glass. These creatures exuded an elegant beauty, but the couples who came probably wouldn't bother to look at them closely.

Yotsuya Miko placed one hand on the glass, watching the octopus swimming inside, and inexplicably thought of a type of Heavenly Demon recorded in the knowledge of Heavenly Demons. Its form was similar to an octopus, and it was also famous in the Xuanhui Realm. However, apart from Heavenly Demons, there were other creatures in the Xuanhui Realm that resembled octopuses.

"Yuria, the monster you encountered in Kawamamori, it looked a lot like an octopus, didn't it?"

"Yes, that monster has many tentacles and a strong regenerative ability."

Miko was asking questions, Yuria answered. Otherwise, the two of them wouldn't have been able to think of anything to talk about in the aquarium.

"The jewelry I gave you also got ruined by that guy?"

"... Yes, because the situation was very bad at the time."

"I see--"

The girl raised her eyes and looked at her friend beside her, who was keeping her distance.

"Aren't you going to ask me for another one?"

"I have straw rope dolls and that's enough."

Yuria answered, her gaze passing over the Miko and turning to the octopus swimming inside. Memories of the past gradually surfaced in her mind.

Her jealousy and longing resurfaced again and again, never ceasing. But they would always dissipate at a certain point, as she tried to break free from them.

"Hmm, that's not bad either."

Yotsuya Miko withdrew her hand and continued walking forward.

Let's go see the dolphins.

She wasn't particularly interested in going to the aquarium, the cafe, or the movie theater. If possible, Yotsuya Miko would prefer to stay home and continue studying the knowledge of the Heavenly Demon and the magic techniques.

These things would make her feel much easier than what she has to do now.

However, there are always some things that need to be faced properly, rather than choosing to run away from them.

Golden eyes gazed at the pristine white ceiling; in the blink of an eye, the scene shifted several times.

The dolphins at the aquarium, the coffee and tea at the café, the carefully arranged movies at the cinema, until the sun sets and two long shadows are drawn together in front of a park bench.

Yotsuya Miko spoke very little; she just said whatever came to mind, while Yuria absentmindedly mumbled one sentence after another.

Rather than going out for fun, the two of them were doing a lot of boring and tedious things, torturing each other.

"While it wasn't exactly fun, at least we managed to finish the schedule that Hua had set."

Sitting on a bench watching the sunset, Miko leaned on the seat with both hands, her beautiful eyes glancing at Yuria, who looked just as listless as she did.

"Sit down, you're acting strangely today."

She used a tissue to wipe the dust off the other side of the bench.

"You have something to say, right?"

"..."

Yuria was somewhat taken aback, but only slightly. She sat down on the bench at the very edge, putting some distance between herself and Yotsuya Miko.

"You found out too?"

"I didn't know this until you came up with this idea in China."

Miko was speaking honestly, she silently speculated, finally connecting the various strange behaviors that Yuria had exhibited into a line, a line of her own complex emotions.

"This kind of thing takes a lot of courage for you. As for me, I'm actually quite uncomfortable with it too."

"Feeling disgusted? That's strange?"

Where?

The black-haired girl smiled and shook her head, then placed her left hand on her heart.

"I probably feel the same way about China. It's just that this kind of thing is too absurd."

"You remember what Mr. Cave Bear said back then, right? He said that my previous actions towards Hua didn't seem like those of a friend at all, but rather like those of a lover. Mr. Cave Bear was absolutely right; he saw right through me even at that time."

"... That's truly something to be envious of, Miko."

Upon hearing these words, most of the complex emotions in Yuria's heart dissipated. Although she didn't say it aloud, her feelings had finally been conveyed.

In that case, there's nothing to regret.

"However, I should thank Hua for doing this."

Futamido Yuria stood up, her gaze finally no longer daring to look away.

Yotsuya Miko stood up and met the gaze of her admirer; both of them knew exactly what was about to happen.

"Perhaps saying this now is annoying, but I really don't have anything about me that you should admire. Sometimes I'm indecisive, sometimes I'm fragile, and sometimes I'm foolish."

"But you said you were my god."

How could that child, who had suffered so much in the past, not deeply love the god who redeemed her?

Futamido Yuria was overjoyed, even though tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

Because she was finally able to say it.

Chapter 240 Choosing to Escape

"Hello, Miss Yotsuya. I am One Iu, the head of the Wagen Family."

An elderly person's voice came through the phone's communication.

"Things are almost settled, so the meeting place is..."

Yotsuya Miko hung up the phone and looked at the two people in front of her with a calm gaze.

"I understand. Thank you very much for the notification, Minister Okita and Vice Minister One. I will arrive on time."

"Thank you so much."

The two bowed deeply, especially Okita Qishen bowed ninety degrees. He understood the significance of this phone call better than anyone else.

This means that his matter can finally come to an end.

From now on, Yotsuya Miko will no longer need him to handle the liaison work. The Wagen Family will send someone to receive him. As for him, according to the normal procedure, he will soon receive a promotion notice from above, and then he will become the head of the Divine Gate branch in this city.

This matter has been successfully resolved!

Despite some minor mishaps along the way, those things are all behind him now. If it weren't for Yotsuya Miko still being there, Okita Qishen would have loved to grab Oune Tatsu's neck and just quit his job to run to an izakaya and have a few, no, a dozen drinks!

His high spirits were so intense that even Yotsuya Miko couldn't help but smile wryly.

"Then I won't bother you with Minister Okita's matter."

Miko had never imagined that she would have such a big impact on Okita Qishen's heart, but there was no need to dwell on it now.

She shook her head and walked straight out of the Investigation Department's office.

She had been here several times, so she was familiar with the buildings and no longer needed anyone to guide her.

While taking the elevator downstairs, I ran into someone I knew.

"Minister, regarding the handling of these matters—"

The young deputy director of the Special Affairs Department merely glanced at her, gave a greeting, and then continued with his work report.

"Good afternoon, Miko." "Regarding how these matters are handled, I think it can be done like this..."

She remained calm, as if nothing had happened. However, Yotsuya Miko was acutely aware of the distance between them.

That kind of conscious alienation.

"... Yes, good afternoon, Yuria. Hope your work goes well."

But what could she do? She couldn't do anything, not even about her own emotional problems.

That day, she avoided everything.

A girl named Futamido Yuria bravely took action, but a girl named Yotsuya Miko chose to run away completely.

And so, things turned out this way.

Dry words. Yotsuya Miko felt that she was probably in the wrong. She had almost forgotten about the agreement with the Wagen Family. She was only focused on studying the knowledge of the Heavenly Demon and the magic techniques, reading day and night.

It was as if doing so would allow her to completely and gradually erase the impact of this incident.

"Yeah, you too, just focus on your own things."

Just do your own thing?

Yotsuya Miko forced a smile, but a thought inexplicably arose in her mind: what if...

Knowing something is one thing, but how you deal with it is another.

Even though she was mentally prepared, she was still at a loss when she heard those sincere words, unsure how to face these feelings.

To accept or to reject?

In a daze, she finally gave a vague answer.

"Um."

That marked the end of that day.

Things changed, and things became complicated.

Alienation, the Divine Gate, and romance—these things were swirling in her mind, making her feel irritable.

What difference does it make whether I accept or refuse?

Frustrated, she unleashed the Heavenly Devil False Body True Understanding, gazing at the mutations on her body. The scales that should have climbed onto her neck remained in their original positions, and it was unclear when they would grow upwards.

She stroked the scales on her neck with her mutated claws, finally calming down with a soft sigh.

"Take it slow," she thought.

As for Yuria, and as for...

Yotsuya Miko stopped in her tracks and looked at the person who had stopped in front of her.

"Magnificent?"

The orange-haired girl glanced at her silently and shook her head.

"Are you feeling really down?"

I feel really bad.

Then a wrapped strawberry daifuku was handed to her.

"Have something to eat."

Yurikawa Hana wanted to say something, but seeing the two people who were growing distant at school, she already knew how it would end.

She wanted to comfort Yuria, but the latter was avoiding her. Perhaps the jealousy and resentment in her heart had finally subsided, and Yuria was in great distress, even though she had known from the beginning that this would be the outcome.