Love That Wasn't Given Freely / The Round Mirror

They covered their mouths, watching the little brat cautiously walk ahead of them, glancing around every now and then. They thought they were speaking calmly and confidently, but their legs were trembling slightly. They had never encountered such an adorable little devil before.

"Miko doesn't seem like a family at all."

Yamazaki leaned closer to Morino and whispered,

"If it Miko, she wouldn't be scared at all. Even if she were pranked, she wouldn't be frightened, as if she knew it was a prank beforehand. However, compared to Miko's cold demeanor, this little brat is much cuter."

"Who can argue with that?"

Morino glanced at Yotsuya Kyosuke, who was walking shakily in front of her and Yamazaki. Because of their conversation, they had created quite a distance between themselves and Kyosuke. It seemed that this distance was too far for Yotsuya Kyosuke. He was only pretending to be unafraid; otherwise, he would have already walked back to them. Why would he be staring at them like this?

"Hey, hurry up! You're walking way too slowly!"

"Okay, we'll be right there."

He gave a perfunctory reply. Although he wanted to see the little brat scared, it wouldn't be good to traumatize such a young child. Before Yotsuya Kyosuke entered the haunted house, the two had already spoken with the students inside to slightly reduce the level of fright.

Otherwise, Yotsuya Kyosuke would probably have been restless on this stretch of road.

"So you're really not afraid of haunted houses?"

As they walked, he kept asking these questions, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the cover beside them, behind which were some students. Because of the prior arrangement, the props and performance effects prepared in advance were not used; he simply watched the three of them walk on the road in silence.

"Of course!"

The little kid happily raised his head, and his confident posture, along with his previous composure, made the students behind the bunker chuckle.

Then she realized that she seemed to have made a sound she shouldn't have.

"Who?! Who's there?!"

Sure enough, upon hearing the soft "pfft" sound, Yotsuya Kyosuke reacted like a cat with its fur standing on end. His initial confidence quickly turned into fear, and without saying a word, he ran behind Morino, grabbed her thigh, and shouted sharply towards the cover from which the sound came from.

This sudden change startled Morino slightly. He glanced at the cover, then at Yotsuya Kyosuke, who was clinging tightly to his leg, and quickly burst into hearty laughter.

"Haha... It's okay, it's okay, that's another older sister."

"Yes, that's right."

Yamazaki crouched down and moved closer to Yotsuya Kyosuke, a wicked thought suddenly forming in his mind.

"Hey, did you know that there are actually a lot of older women in this haunted house? They're all watching you. But these older women aren't like us; ordinary people can't see them. The place you're looking at is actually an older woman."

As she said this, she gave a wink to the Ghosts actor who had somehow appeared next to Morino while Kyosuke was listening to her story.

"These older girls really love scared little kids. If you look scared, they'll suddenly run up behind you and say—"

Say what?

Before Yamazaki could continue, Yotsuya Kyosuke felt a cold hand suddenly grab his shoulder. Just as he was about to turn around, a voice that didn't sound like Morino or Yamazaki came from behind him.

"You're so cute, little brother."

Yotsuya Kyosuke froze, stiffly turning his neck slightly, and caught a glimpse of the pale figure behind him out of the corner of his eye.

Then came screams.

Chapter 294 Love That Was Not Given as Pity

When Yurikawa Hana picked up Yotsuya Kyosuke, a group of high school girls had already surrounded the boy, including girls from her own class and girls from other classes.

"... What happened to him?"

Seeing Yotsuya Kyosuke huddled in the corner, seemingly withdrawn, Hua opened her mouth and asked her classmate next to her.

"They were terrified. Morino and Yamazaki had only intended to scare him casually, but they didn't expect him to be such a scaredy-cat."

The girl who was asked the question sighed, looking helpless.

"Because he was so frightened, Morino and Yamazaki went to comfort him, but he thought they were bad guys, so we found other girls to comfort him. As for Yamazaki and Morino... they got into trouble, so they're also trying to find someone. Look."

As he spoke, he pointed to Morino and Yamazaki, who were standing on the outside with their hands clasped together, asking a pretty girl to comfort Kyosuke, who was crouching in the Kyosuke.

"... They really brought it on themselves."

Hua sighed and quickly walked through the crowd to stand in front of Yotsuya Kyosuke.

"Kyosuke, it's me."

As soon as she finished speaking, the previously withdrawn child immediately stood up and hugged her leg as if he had seen his parents.

"Sister Hua..."

Her little face was full of grievance.

"They bullied me."

"Okay, I know, it's alright, it's alright, I'll stay with you."

Hua knelt down, patted Kyosuke's back, and gently comforted him.

"It's all in the past now. Your older sister has taken care of all the bad guys who bullied you."

As he spoke, he glared fiercely at Yamazaki and Morino, who were walking out of the crowd, and gestured for them to come forward.

"Those two bullied you, right?"

Yotsuya Kyosuke looked up, nodded, and then shrank back into Hua's embrace.

"Um... Hua, please, you must put in a good word for us. We really didn't expect him..."

Realizing they were in the wrong, the two women adopted a very humble attitude. And to be honest, they hadn't really done anything too outrageous; they were just so caught up in their prank that they hadn't remembered the target was a young child.

"... What did you two do to scare him like that?"

Hua sighed, glanced at the crowd around him, and picked up Yotsuya Kyosuke from his arms.

"Let's find somewhere else to talk. Having too many people isn't a good thing. It could easily escalate."

After saying that, seeing that Yotsuya Kyosuke was still deeply uneasy, he gently comforted him again.

"It's okay, you're safe. Boys shouldn't be so scared."

"... Sister, I miss you, and Mom too."

"Okay, I understand. You'll see your sister and mom soon."

That's what he said, but Hua wasn't really sure. He didn't know when Miko and the other side.

But right now, there's not much she can do.

"Um..."

Yotsuya Kyosuke suddenly looked up and took out a small amulet from inside his clothes.

"I'm alright... my sister will definitely protect me."

His little hands gripped the amulet tightly. After seeing Hua, his emotions finally calmed down, and he finally remembered that he still had a treasure that Miko had given him.

"Those ghosts can't catch me because my sister is very powerful. I shouldn't be so afraid!"

Did Miko gave you?

Hua glanced at him briefly before turning her attention to Kyosuke, who had returned to normal, and said with a smile.

"Yes, your older sister will definitely protect you, so there's nothing to be afraid of, Kyosuke."

Seeing that Kyosuke had returned to normal, Morino and Yamazaki, who were standing nearby, quickly came over, wanting to take this opportunity to apologize.

"That..."

As soon as the two women approached, the child pointed the amulet at them.

"Stay away from me, you bad guy!"

"Magnificent..."

"Don't look at me, isn't this all your fault?"

Hua said irritably, putting Yotsuya Kyosuke she was holding, on the ground.

"You two should wait until Miko comes back before Kyosuke. I can't persuade him otherwise."

"So, what is Miko now?"

"Her,"

Hearing this question, Hua sighed again.

"Her matter isn't finished yet."

In fact, it's no different from having it dealt with completely.

Let's have a proper talk.

Yotsuya Miko's gaze fell upon Yuria before her, her expression leaving no room for argument.

"I'll go with you, and we'll meet your parents together."

Shortly after Hua left, this dialogue came to an end.

Yotsuya Miko didn't intend to preach any grand principles, nor did she compare her life's tragedies with Yuria's, because Yuria was already well aware of these things. What she needed was simply communication, an opportunity to have a proper conversation with her parents.

"Whatever the reason, only through communication can a final conclusion be reached. There is no estrangement without a reason, nor is there affection without a reason. Just like you and me, Yuria."

She placed her right hand on her chest, where her heart was.

"I like you, but this isn't without reason. It's because you touched me, because of everything you've done for me, and because of your love for me."

"If I can't even give a reason like this, how can I tell myself that I love you, Yuria?"

Yuria didn't speak. She looked at Yotsuya Miko, who had become serious, and made up her mind.

"I understand, I'll go and have a good talk with them."

That would be best.

Miko nodded, he took her little hand.

"Let's go, let's go together."

There were some things she felt were ready to discuss openly.

The four people in the coffee shop were also almost done with their business.

Yotsuya Touko put down her cup; she had finished her coffee. According to the rules of the coffee shop, it was time to leave after finishing her coffee.

"I've finished speaking, and Mrs. Yurikawa and I should be leaving now. Please, make yourselves at home."

After saying those words, she picked up her bag and prepared to leave. Mrs. Yurikawa, who was standing to the side, wanted to salvage the situation, but looking at the two silent people and Mrs. Yotsuya, who had already stood up, she really didn't know what to do.

Just when she was at her wit's end, Mrs. Nibutang, who had been silent, suddenly raised her head.

"If we talk to that child... will we be able to get her to forgive us?"

"... No, that was just the beginning of forgiveness."

Yotsuya Touko turned around and looked at the mother sitting in the chair.

Forgiveness is about making amends for what was lost in the past, not about glossing over it with a few words. That's not forgiveness.

"If you still love your child, then communication is the beginning of making amends for the past. A child's love for their parents stems from the parents' love for their child."

"In this world, there is never love that is given as charity."

In the original work, Yuria's character wasn't as tragic as I portrayed her; rather, she was a comedic relief. Hua's character was also different, always full of energy and spirit. And Miko, as always, was terrified of ghosts and terrified by the new transfer student. The more I wrote, the more somber it became. After all, the main theme of this book is demonic cultivation. By the end of the fourth volume, its overall tone had become even colder.

Chapter 295 Round Mirror

Finding people was an easy task for Yotsuya Miko; the entire school would be within her Spiritual Sense in an instant, and she knew everything about it. This power was further enhanced after she reached the realm of Nascent Soul Stage, which was equivalent to the Golden Core stage.

For cultivators on the Golden Core Path, the Golden Core is the starting point of Spiritual Sense. Only upon entering the Golden Core realm can Spiritual Sense be projected outwards, reaching thousands of miles without any trace. This is also a point of difference between Golden Core cultivators and those in previous realms, because once the Golden Core is formed, there is no need to internalize it and cultivate the external divine sense.

As for strange soul cultivators like Yotsuya Miko, since there is no concept of the Golden Core, the Nascent Soul Stage is equivalent to the Golden Core realm. The Nascent Soul Stage, as the name suggests, means that the soul can leave the body, similar to the primordial spirit astral projection of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

At this level, Yotsuya Miko possesses what is called her own domain. In essence, it's the materialization of her Spiritual Sense. Within a certain radius centered on her, she has a certain degree of control over that area. For example, the nationwide torrential rains earlier—if the domain of her Spiritual Sense were large enough, she could manipulate the heavens and earth to create rainfall without taking any Spiritual Sense. Such power could probably be considered supernatural.

However, the scope of this domain is much smaller than that of Spiritual Sense, so we can leave it aside for now.

The realm is an adjunct to the materialized spirit of Yin, while Yin itself is the focus of this realm. Yin then becomes Yang God, Yang God then leads to spiritual enlightenment, a state equivalent to the Enlightenment Realm. Whether Yin or Yang God, they are merely stages in this process, with little change between them. If not for further subdivision, Zhang Qiudao could call the period before Yin "Dark Spirit" and the period after Yin "awakened Awakened Spirit."

This Path of the Divine Soul was not as rigorous as the Golden Core Path, and Zhang Qiudao had not explored it for a long time. He only began to use it after confirming that there were no obvious flaws in the path. Naturally, it was still very rough and not as mature and reliable as the Path of the Golden Core Path, which was paved by predecessors and repaired by successors over countless years. After all, no matter how talented Zhang Qiudao, his efforts alone were still different from the accumulation of thousands of years by the many cultivators in the Xuanhui Realm.