Hao Asakura rested his chin on his hand and narrowed his eyes. He was arguably the most unusual person among them. Everyone from the other worlds had brought others along; he alone had come by himself.
Although Hao Asakura was aloof and had something of a taste for showing off, he was not the sort who absolutely had to draw attention. His presence had never been especially pronounced, except that he was simply too powerful. That confidence and arrogance, radiating from the inside out, could not be faked.
The earlier scenes, including Dazai's cycle, had moved Hao Asakura, but his expression had never been as grave and contemplative as it was now.
"Have you noticed something, Mr. Hao?" The person who addressed Hao Asakura was Fitzgerald. Though Fitzgerald usually acted arrogant and conceited, he had a merchant's keen eye for people. Hao Asakura was probably an Ability User-level figure, so naturally, his attitude changed accordingly.
And because Hao Asakura had a somewhat favorable impression of Fitzgerald, he was probably the only person who could strike up a conversation with him.
After all, to Hao Asakura, family... still held a special meaning. Although in Fitzgerald's case it was his daughter rather than his mother, his unreserved love for his wife and daughter had ultimately earned Hao Asakura's approval.
"I was wondering earlier where An Xinyi's consciousness-no, Zero's consciousness-actually was." Hao Asakura looked deeply interested. "He exists everywhere and knows everything. I even suspected he had obtained the Spirit King and become the master of the planet-"
Dazai and the others listened closely as well. Their strength was far from overwhelming, and abilities depended entirely on innate talent. They lacked Hao Asakura's solid theoretical foundation. After all, Hao Asakura was also a great onmyoji who had mastered Taizan Fukun no Sai; even