Volume Four: Withering in the Mortal World - Chapter 319: Womanly Charm

"... Um..."

After an unknown amount of time, her consciousness finally emerged from the darkness.

She murmured softly, her mind still hazy, when she felt the touch of the blankets beneath her.

What happened?

All I remember seeing was a sea of crimson fire before I lost consciousness.

The blue-haired girl who took him away?

Where is that perverted doctor with six glasses?

What about Monet, who was tormented?

Where's that silly Little Butterfly?

Where's Sister Sakura Dance?

What exactly happened?

"Where... am I... wait!"

Muscles that haven't been used for a long time ache when they tense up, and my body, which was halfway up, slumped back down. In my hazy vision, I could see blurry colors; it seemed to be a room with monotonous colors.

You'd better not move.

A soft, girlish voice came from beside her. There seemed to be someone sitting by the bed, but the soreness in her muscles prevented her from turning her head to look.

"Where... am I? Who are you...?"

"Don't say anything... wait for me."

The girl's voice disappeared, replaced by a rolling sound, like wheels rolling on the ground. The sound gradually faded away, then came the sound of water, and then the sound of water and wheels approached at the same time.

A soft thud and the slight sound of splashing water reached her ears. Someone placed a basin of water beside her pillow, followed by a splashing sound, and then something wet was placed on her forehead.

Are you feeling better?

Contact with the water brought a sliver of clarity to her mind, but the hazy feeling hadn't completely disappeared; she wished the water were a little cooler.

"Hmm... I want... something cooler..."

"Would you like ice water...?"

The damp towel on her forehead was taken away, and Evelynths's heart sank. Had she angered her by asking for too much, to the point that she wouldn't even give her a regular damp towel?

However--

"... Temperature adjusted, reduced to 3℃."

There was the soft sound of water again, and a new towel was placed on top, this time it was icy cold.

What did she do?

Is it a supernatural ability to cool down?

But why say "temperature value adjustment"? Can't you just say "cooling down"?

"Where am I?" Feeling that she had cleared her head, Evelynths asked, mustering her courage.

"Organization headquarters, side room."

Organize?

Evelynths's vision finally cleared, revealing a white ceiling with an ordinary chandelier hanging from it. The room seemed unremarkable, with no fancy furnishings. She wanted to see what the girl who was taking care of her looked like, but turning her head was still difficult.

"... Can you tell me who you are?"

"Mune Turing Neumann"

Turing

Neumann.

"Eh... Eh eh?"

"Just call me Neumann."

"Neumann ..."

What a strange surname.

"Um, can I call you Mengyin?"

"No."

"Uh... I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for, it's just... being called by my name makes me shy."

"Eh?!"

Shy?

But your tone didn't show any shyness at all; it was completely flat.

"Please don't move. I'll help you with your rehabilitation. You've been asleep for a long time."

"I slept for a long time... Oh, right!"

A thought flashed through Evelynths's mind. What nonsense was she spouting? She needed to find out how Sister Sakura Dance and the others were doing right away!

"What happened after I lost consciousness? What happened to the flames? What about the others? What about the Central United Academy?"

"Have no idea."

"Have no idea..."

"I'm sorry, I wasn't involved in the operations at the Central United Academy, so I don't know the specifics."

"Oh..."

His mood gradually darkened. This meant that in this godforsaken place, he couldn't even know if his sister and the others were safe.

"Don't move now, or you might make a mistake."

Cool fingertips brushed across her arm, and the girl who called herself Neumann seemed to be writing or drawing on it...? Judging from the movement of her fingertips, it looked like she was drawing numbers.

Neumann's movements were quiet yet swift; in a moment, her fingertips were away from Evelynths's body—in that instant—

"Huh?"

All the muscle soreness in her body disappeared without any relief process; it vanished abruptly, as if it had never existed in the first place. However, Evelynths didn't feel very comfortable; the sudden change made it difficult for her to adapt.

"Does it feel a little awkward? I'm sorry... Blood Sister or Aunt Winsani would definitely have done a better job, but I can only quantify and forcibly modify the values, and I can't even heal my own foot."

The flat-top's voice seemed slightly low, although Evelynths thought it was already quite remarkable that she had recovered so easily... Evelynths turned her head and finally saw the girl's face.

She finally understood why there was that rolling wheel sound.

Mengyin Turing Neumann is Wheelchair Maiden.

She looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, with long, fluffy beige hair casually draped down her back. Through her slightly long bangs, one could see somewhat dim amber eyes. Her porcelain-like skin and features that were more "well-proportioned" than "exquisite" gave her an inorganic beauty. Her old-fashioned pale yellow knitted sweater reached her knees, and underneath was an equally old-fashioned blue-gray dress with a hem that was so long that only her toes were visible. She sat in a simply designed wheelchair, the wide back of which made her already slender body appear even smaller. Her thin legs, beneath the dress, rested limply on the chair frame, clearly indicating that she had been paralyzed for a long time.

Seeing the girl's posture, Evelynths felt a pang of heartache.

Without a doubt, she was a beautiful girl of exceptional quality, but fate played a cruel joke on her.

"Wow, Sleeping Beauty has finally woken up?"

A new voice has emerged.

A young man dressed in business casual clothes strolled in leisurely. He looked to be only in his early twenties, but the faint smile on his lips was both mature and a little cunning.

"Yu He..."

"You have to call me 'brother,' Little Nuonuo, even though I'm already over two hundred."

Two hundred and something?

"Thanks to Leader Sang's blessing! Ah, now that you're awake, let me give a welcome speech on behalf of the organization's higher-ups—Little sister, the vessel of karmic fire, welcome to our organization's headquarters located in a non-existent space. I am Yu He, a high-ranking member just like Little Nuonuo ~"

"... oh."

Are all the people in this organization idiots? The disabled girl seems strong-willed despite her physical limitations, but she doesn't seem like someone you can really rely on, and this young man is a bit of a chatterbox.

"How indifferent! Let me tell you, you should actually thank me." Yu He winked slyly.

"Why?"

"You're only able to lie here peacefully receiving care from Little Nuonuo thanks to me. My colleagues originally wanted to erase your spirit and turn you into a living specimen for cryopreservation. After all, a living body is enough to contain the karmic fire. If I hadn't pleaded for you, you wouldn't be in Little Nuonuo's room right now, but in a freezer."

"Um, this feels really weird..."

"Please rest assured, esteemed guest, leave everything to us!"

Why is her hair tied up in those weird little curls?

"Please don't touch it! Your hairstyle is being styled!"

"Well..."

Seven or eight stylists were swarming around Sin Annihilation, some doing her hair, some trimming her nails, and some taking her measurements. Having just been dragged into the bathroom and scrubbed clean from head to toe, she was now completely numb, like an obedient rag doll being manipulated.

What style do you prefer? Postmodern? Gothic? Casual wear?

"I don't understand..."

"Then we'll choose. Do you have any color preferences? Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, or violet?"

"... Darkness?" Hiding in darkness can indeed increase the success rate of a mission.

"Okay! So, do you prefer a fitted or loose fit?"

"Babble..."

What kind of shoes do you like? Are you worried about them rubbing your feet? High heels or low heels?

"Eeeeeee..."

"What patterns, shapes, or floral designs are you interested in? Please let me know as soon as possible!"

"Eeeeeeeeeeeee..."

The Fourth Goddess's Sin Annihilation.

He's braved mountains of knives and seas of fire to kill Heretics; what kind of enemy hasn't he seen, what kind of wounds hasn't he suffered?

Yet, for the first time today, she felt certain of defeat.

In this trial, a person's combat effectiveness does not depend on strength, speed, or defense, but on female strength.

The Sin Annihilation is destined for defeat the moment she steps into the territory.

Xiao Wu, who had been watching from the sidelines, was also still shaken.

As the de facto male lead (a huge mistake!), Xiao Wu had never visited any clothing store in her life except for small clearance sales, especially not a large chain flagship store like this. Everywhere she looked, there were styles she had never heard of and structures she had never seen before. She couldn't tell the difference between suits, elegant prints, fashion, casual wear, and sportswear. If she were the one being besieged by stylists, she probably would have already turned into a demon.

"Distinguished guest! Is there anything you need?" Seeing her staring blankly at the dazzling array of clothes, a group of shop assistants immediately gathered around.

"Uh, never mind, I'm just here to buy it for her."

"That's such a pity! To be honest, this is the first time in our decades-long business that we've welcomed a beauty of your caliber!"

This wasn't flattery; it was the staff's heartfelt opinion. Xiao Wu, in terms of looks, figure, and temperament, completely outshone those seemingly noble but actually vulgar ladies, truly igniting the staff's professional spirit.

... Fine, I'll just pretend to be picky and give them a runaround.

Xiao Wu took a deep breath, adopting the composed demeanor of a seasoned veteran, and slowly strolled to a row of clothes. The shop assistants also watched Xiao Wu's every move with wide eyes. Although Xiao Wu herself was unaware of it, her years of martial arts training gave every movement an air of unwavering composure, which, combined with her aloof and cold temperament, made her practically perfect. As women themselves, the shop assistants naturally wanted to observe and learn from such a beauty.

Xiao Wu casually reached for the clothes rack, and the shop assistants made "oh, oh" sounds. What choice will this stunning beauty make? Quickly grab a piece of paper and jot it down!

Then, without even looking, Xiao Wu tore off a piece of clothing.

"""..."""

The shop assistants looked at each other, wondering what was going on.

Xiao Wu didn't notice their surprised looks, and simply unfolded the small bundle of cloth in front of her.

It was a pair of purplish-black panties adorned with lace.

Xiao Wu was also speechless. Why did she have to pick something like this? She always wore cheap cotton underwear, but this pair of panties was exquisitely made. Was it really necessary to go to such lengths when it was meant to be worn underneath? And—

"What's going on? There's still an opening."

There was a slit in the crotch area of the panties.

Xiao Wu gestured, indicating that the slit was large enough to expose [beep--], even the cleft of her buttocks.

"Doesn't that make it completely pointless? Or was it accidentally cut badly...?"

Thump—all the shop assistants collapsed.

Xiao Wu, who had no idea that sexy lingerie existed, threw down the "rag" and walked away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Little Nuonuo is so cute~~~ Is it just my weird sense of humor? I always feel that girls in anime are cuter than able-bodied girls like wheelchair girls and eyepatch girls~