"Alive?"
"Yes."
"All the way until now?"
"Yes."
Lin Qing fell silent for a moment.
In fact, when he had found the inscribed stone tablet in Hamura Otsutsuki's cemetery on the moon, Lin Qing had wondered whether the servants who had arrived with Kaguya might still be alive.
After all, the Ōtsutsuki clan itself possessed incredibly strong vitality. Kaguya, in particular, could not be killed—only sealed.
"No, the reason isn't important."
Lin Qing reined in his wandering thoughts. Rather than blindly speculate, he preferred taking action. He took a notebook from the Ghost Room and asked, "What's his name?"
"Isshiki."
"Ōtsutsuki Isshiki."
Lin Qing scribbled down the name, then held it up in front of Eighteen for her to inspect. "Is this how it's written?"
Eighteen glanced at it and nodded.
"Good."
Lin Qing put away the notebook, rose to his feet, and headed for the door.
It took Eighteen half a second to realize what he intended to do. She leaped up in panic and bit down on his sleeve. "Wait a second! Even if you're going to kill someone, at least let me finish!"
"I'm not going to kill him," Lin Qing corrected. "I'm just going to have a chat with him."
Eighteen refused to let go of his sleeve. "Don't fool me. When have you ever said you were going to 'have a chat' and not come back carrying the other person's head?"
Lin Qing awkwardly turned his head away.
He knew that after a thousand years, another ten-odd minutes would make no difference. But the thought of an alien lurking among humanity, perhaps plotting something again, made it impossible for Lin Qing to sit still.
Lin Qing placed Eighteen back into the nutrient solution and returned to his chair. "Please continue."
Eighteen recounted Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's life