Chapter 426

Her smile, which had previously been filled with hypocrisy and indifference, now radiated a genuine liveliness and joy; it was hard to imagine that such an emotion could come from Monster.

"Because of the accidental birth of the Chameleon Monster."

"That's what attracted me, and that's how I met her."

"Perhaps you don't know, but at that moment, I thought to myself, this must be fate..."

Since their first meeting, Kazama Kiriori has noticed that this woman, who is only beautiful on the outside, keeps spouting incomprehensible nonsense.

Kazama Kiriori instinctively reached out her hand to Tachibana.

Tachibana, still lost in her own world, continued:

"Therefore, I hope you can entrust Miss Haihara to me..."

She was only halfway through her sentence.

Suddenly, she paused, puzzled.

"----Creak."

A very crisp sound.

It was a voice that Tachibana recognized very well.

In fact, without needing to recognize the voice, Tachibana lowered her head indifferently and looked at Kazama Kiriori's hand, that slender and elegant hand that had just grasped her arm.

Now, she can't feel her arm; it's completely numb.

"Ah..."

She chuckled softly, as if sighing.

Just now, her arm was broken by Kazama Kiriori.

Kazama Kiriori gazed at Tachibana with the same indifferent expression.

Should I continue listening to you?

The girl's voice was as cold as ice.

Tachibana tilted her head slightly, seemingly oblivious to the pain, and replied gently and casually.

"Yes, please do so."

Chapter 184 Yes, that was a lie

Tachibana looked at her broken arm with considerable confusion.

Generally speaking, are humans really that strong?

That's really strange.

However, she didn't dwell on the issue for long.

She maintained the maturity and composure of an adult, facing Kazama Kiriori with a gentle expression, while the seemingly strong but inwardly anxious child was hiding her fear and glaring at her.

At that moment, she couldn't help but start thinking about it.

What does this look like?

Oh, right.

It's like a small dog that's clearly weak and pitiful, but still barks and tries to protect its owner.

A loyal, foolish dog.

A hint of pity and a strange smile flickered in Tachibana's eyes.

"I'm the same as you."

Her statement came out of nowhere.

Kazama Kiriori's face showed discomfort and confusion.

"What?"

In this stagnant world, Tachibana and Kazama Kiriori seem to have nothing in common.

The unsettling fragrance of flowers, though alluring, contains a poison that numbs the soul.

Such a woman, shrouded in mystery and danger, cheerfully said:

"That woman, Miss Haihara, doesn't she really like bringing puppies home?"

This is even more baffling.

In Kazama Kiriori's mind, her mother was completely unrelated to the idea of "liking pets".

Every time they buy a new pet together and try to raise it together, Mom quickly forgets to feed it, change its water, and take care of it.

Although I heard they recently got a new pet, I wouldn't say I "like" it to that extent...

"Mom doesn't really like keeping pets. In fact, she's absolutely terrible at taking care of them... What nonsense are you talking about?"

Kazama Kiriori refuted her bluntly.

At that moment, Tachibana stared intently at Kazama Kiriori, making Kazama Kiriori feel uncomfortable.

The woman gently raised her hand, the one that hadn't been broken, and calmly tucked her long hair into it.

"Even if it dies many times, she wouldn't mind getting a new one, would she?"

This time, Kazama Kiriori, who was about to retort, paused and stared blankly for a moment.

The woman's slender, pale fingers casually brushed against her hair and pressed against her shoulder.

"Because it's just a stray puppy we picked up, it's okay if it dies. I might be sad for a while on the day it dies, but I'll get over it quickly."

"If I meet another puppy, I'll quickly get tired of it and start loving the new one."

Naturally, in Kazama Kiriori's memory, Haihara did not have that many puppies.

I don't particularly love puppies.

Kazama Kiriori was already used to riddles.

She quickly realized that the "puppy" this Monster was referring to might be her.

"My mother is not the cold-hearted person you describe."

Because it was just the ramblings of Monster, her reaction wasn't particularly intense; she simply responded coldly.

Upon hearing this, Tachibana slightly opened her squinted eyes.

There was a faint, mocking smile in her eyes:

"She's just that cold-blooded."

"Because I've seen many 'puppies' she had heartlessly abandoned and left to freeze to death on the roadside."

"I'm one of them."

Many... in the past...

No matter what she did, Kazama Kiriori couldn't connect these words with her mother.

Her mother was just an ordinary person.

I've been with myself since I was under twenty.

How could he possibly have any dealings with the woman in front of him who is the Demon King?

This can only be described as absurd.

She could only conclude that it was the Demon King's ravings.

"... You're insane! At least be mentally sound! My mother has nothing to do with you, so don't even think about hitting on her."

Perhaps because Tachibana appeared mentally unstable enough, she didn't connect the dots and believe that what Tachibana said was true.

Tachibana didn't mind if the other party denied her statement.

She said with a smile:

"Hmm, your mother?"

"How dare you call her your mother when there's no blood relation between you?"

For the first time, cold and sharp words came from this woman's mouth.

She slowly tilted her head back, carefully examining Kazama Kiriori's face.

Although it was a very beautiful and aloof face.

But I couldn't see any resemblance between him and that woman.

To Tachibana, it was a truly boring face.

"What?"

Kazama Kiriori looked confused.

"What does this have to do with blood ties? Even so, she is still my mother..."

Before she could finish her explanation, Tachibana interrupted her in a lighthearted tone.

"That would be no different from a puppy you just picked up."

Tachibana naturally conflated Kazama Kiriori with a puppy.

Just like Kazama Kiriori in front of me, she's a dirty, abandoned pet dog that could be abandoned at any moment.

A stray puppy.

An adopted daughter.

For Tachibana, that's equivalent.

"No matter how much you try to twist the facts, I am her daughter, not some master and pet."

"And you suddenly appeared here just to say all this?"

Kazama Kiriori was starting to get tired of this topic.

She would never stand still and talk for so long with a Monster, especially about this kind of topic.

If it weren't for the possibility that rash action might affect those around her and make it impossible to fully guarantee everyone's safety, she would have already punched Tachibana in the face.

Tachibana also realized that her listeners were starting to get impatient.

Now, let's get down to business.

"All right."

In the dim light, although it was daytime, it felt as cold and dark as dusk.

Tachibana's pupils flickered faintly like dim lamplight.

As if wanting to provide a reassuring ending, she clasped her hands together and let them fall naturally in front of her, gently resting against her waist.

Do you remember what I said to you the last time we met?

She brought up the topic.

The two of them didn't talk much during their last meeting.

There's only one scene that left a deep impression on Kazama Kiriori.

That was the last conversation.

"Of course... you've rambled on and on."

Those words were truly incomprehensible.

What do you mean, that I lied to my mother?

What's with the fear that Haihara is no longer her mother... but her own parents' child...?

At that moment, Tachibana raised one finger:

"That's exactly what it means."

"Miss Haihara has her own parents, parents with whom she shares a deep blood relationship."

"And she is not your mother; you are a child she adopted... whom no one else wanted."