nashuaworldcup Chapter 70 Five Years Ago: The Beginning of the Fire
Chapter 70 Five Years Ago: The Beginning of the Fire
【XNUM X Year X NUM X Month X NUM X Day】
"Hey"
"Hiroki, please tell the staff at the publishing house and my dear cartoonist that I'll be away today."
On a sunny afternoon in Tiangong City, a handsome 'young man' in a suit was sitting downstairs in a coffee shop, leisurely sipping his coffee with plenty of sugar.
"Time flies... August 3rd, good~ a crucial day, to find Shido and understand the future... to see what my 25 years of perseverance will amount to."
After finishing the last sip of coffee, Ming stood up and looked at the [Divine Eclipse Chapter] that had been under his feet. He opened it, and a fountain pen began to record automatically.
“2012年8月3日下午3点15分钟，正走在大街上准备去赴约的冈峰珠惠会与他的叔叔冈峰铭相遇。”
Hayami closed the pitch-black book, and a faint red light appeared in the fly's eye imprinted on the cover, indicating that the ability of [Future Record] had been successfully activated.
A dozen minutes later, Ming saw Okamine Tamae walking down the street, looking very nervous.
He walked towards her with a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth and an enigmatic expression.
For Ming now, compared to Itsuka Shido, who traveled from the future and whose fate is unknown, it is more likely that Akane, who can meet him, will be drawn to him by fate.
Even if Ming doesn't succumb to fate, this is still reality.
"Is this Xiaozhu? It's been a long time." Ming said softly as he stepped forward.
Hearing someone call her by her nickname, Okamine Tamae turned her head and stared blankly for a moment. Because Ming was still so young after all this time, Tamae didn't recognize him for a moment.
Okamine Tamae looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar person in front of her with a puzzled expression. "Hey! You're... Uncle Ming? What are you doing here?"
Ming forced a stiff smile, then spoke in as friendly a tone as possible:
"Xiaozhu, your uncle was just passing by. You look like you're in a hurry. Where are you going?"
After hearing this, Tamae Okamine blushed slightly and turned her head away, like a child whose secret had been discovered by an elder.
"Ming... Uncle, I... I'm going to see a friend... really!" Her words were so excited that Ming didn't seem to have anything to say.
"So nervous about finding a friend? You're not going to see your crush, are you?"
Tamae Okamine's face turned even redder, like a ripe peach steaming, and she muttered softly, "No...no, that's not true."
Seeing this, Ming adjusted his expression, put his hand on Xiaozhu's shoulder, and said seriously:
"Don't worry, I've been through this before. Even though I'm over 30 and still unmarried, I advocate for free love, so don't worry."
Tamae Okamine looked up, her eyes sparkling. "Thank you, Uncle." Ming gently patted her shoulder. "But you have to take me to see who's looking for you."
"Okay, Uncle Ming!"
The two of them then headed toward their destination.
Along the way, Okamine Tamae would steal glances at Uncle Ming from time to time, her heart filled with curiosity. She could vaguely sense a trace of sadness in this uncle who she hadn't seen for many years but still looked young.
Ming, meanwhile, gazed thoughtfully at the surrounding scenery.
Soon after, they arrived at the park entrance near the agreed location.
Tamae Okamine stopped, her eyes darting around, searching for someone. Mei also stopped and stood quietly to the side.
"Uncle Ming, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing. I've just not feeling well lately and can't walk too far, so I thought I'd rest here for a while."
As soon as Ming finished speaking, his sharp eyes seemingly casually swept around, and just then...
Several subtle fluctuations of spiritual energy suddenly came from not far away. These fluctuations were fleeting and would have been difficult to detect if one were not as perceptive as Ming.
“Except for the one closest to me, the others are deliberately hiding their spiritual power.”
Immediately afterwards, as if in response to this mysterious fluctuation of spiritual energy, a figure appeared in everyone's sight.
The figure slowly approached, revealing itself to be a handsome, blue-haired youth. A hint of confusion lingered on his face, as if he were bewildered as to why he had come to this place.
Ming clenched his hands tightly, his gaze fixed on the approaching boy.
He thought to himself, "This person must be Itsuka Shido without a doubt! His unique blue hair, and the various spiritual energies that are faintly visible and intertwined around his body..."
"Sorry, Xiaozhu, I suddenly need to go to the restroom. You can go by yourself. I'm thinking that if I go there with my face, people will misunderstand, right?"
Ming first turned his head and said this to Xiaozhu, and Xiaozhu thought about it and agreed.
Then Ming pretended to walk into the park, and in the next second, before Xiaozhu noticed, he disappeared from the area in a flash.
Not long after Mingcai disappeared, Shidao, who was extremely anxious, rushed to the scene.
He spotted the figure standing at the park entrance and hurriedly ran forward, shouting loudly:
"Teacher Xiaozhu!"
Tamae Okamine, who was standing quietly at the park entrance, eagerly awaiting her confession,
Startled by the sudden call, she paused briefly before slowly turning her head, a look of surprise on her face, and replied:
"Hey! How did you know my nickname?"
Shido looked anxious, with fine beads of sweat on his forehead. He explained urgently:
"Teacher Kotama, you must be joking! I am Itsuka Shido!"
Upon hearing this, a blush instantly spread across Okamine Tamae's fair cheeks, as red as a ripe apple.
However, despite a slight panic, she tried to remain calm and decisively refused:
"You...you're trying to hit on me, aren't you? Sorry, I already have plans with other people today, so I'll have to excuse myself. Goodbye."
After saying that, she turned around gently and walked away with light steps, leaving Shido behind with only a slightly bewildered back view.
Upon seeing Teacher Xiaozhu, whose temperament had drastically changed, he stood there with a suspicious look on his face, his mouth slightly open, muttering to himself:
"That...that should be Teacher Xiaozhu, right...how could it have turned out like this?" He frowned, his heart filled with doubt and confusion.
While Shido was still standing there dumbfounded like a wooden statue, suddenly,
A strange laugh suddenly echoed from the depths of his mind.
"Heh, heh heh..." The laughter was rather sharp and chilling.
Startled by the sudden laughter, Itsuka Shido jerked his head up and cried out in disbelief:
"Kurumi! Is that you?"
His gaze wandered around, trying to catch a glimpse of Kurumi, but there was no one there.
"Hehehe~ Of course you can't find me, because we're in a completely different timeline now."
Kurumi's voice rang out again, this time sounding more mocking.
"Wh...what do you mean?" Shido took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and then asked in a low voice.
At that moment, he felt as if he had fallen into a huge mystery.
"Oh dear, what a slowpoke."
Kurumi chuckled lightly.
"As I just mentioned, I used the last bullet of [Zafkiel]—the [Twelfth Bullet]—to send you back to Tengu City five years ago. Isn't that an unexpected surprise for Shido-san?"
Five...five years ago?
Shido repeated the number in disbelief. After a brief moment of astonishment, Shido, filled with anger, pointed to the sky above his head and shouted urgently:
"Take me back right now! I don't have time to waste on your nonsense!"
However, Kurumi remained remarkably calm in the face of Shido's rage.
She said calmly, "Don't be in such a hurry, dear Shido-kun~"
"If you want to change the hopeless ending in the original timeline, then the only way to find a turning point is to make contact with Origami-san here."
"Making contact with origami?"
Shido looked bewildered. He could understand each word individually, but when they were put together, he still couldn't quite make sense of them.
"That's right~ That's exactly it! Hahaha, oh dear, right, right! Hehehe... Don't forget, there's an important person here that you absolutely can't miss!"
"Who? I don't have time, I have to go save Origami!"
"Ara ara~"
“Shido-san, wasn’t he the one who kept pressing his fingers against your clothes from behind? What do you think? Mr. Okamine Mei, that’s how you should call him, right?”
"What? Ming is here too!"
Upon hearing the name Ming, Shido felt almost every cell in his body tremble; everything that 'that man' had brought him was far too profound.
"oops?"
"Was it my future self who told you this, Kurumi? Or... could you sense my presence the moment I touched Shido?" A chilling voice came from behind Shido.
When Ming saw Kurumi call out his name, the optical camouflage on his body gradually faded away.
Shido turned to look at the man, his eyes showing both wariness and a plea for help, while unconsciously taking a few steps back.
"You...you knew me at this time!"
"Oh dear~ So Ming had his eye on Shido-san at this time? How terrifying."
Ming slowly walked towards Shido, his eyes as cold as polar ice.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment, Itsuka Shido.”
Kurumi giggled in their minds, "This scene is really interesting."
Shido clenched his fist, watching Ming warily, then a resolute glint appeared in his eyes as he angrily questioned:
"Why did you do that back then! You were talking about 'dreams' and 'redemption' and all that, but you still did it. What were you thinking back then?!"
Shido seemed strange, grabbing his collar right away, which was somewhat different from the kind of boy that Ming knew.
But upon closer reflection, if my goal at the time was to see Sawa again, then even the craziest thing could be explained.
"Shido-san, now is not the time for you to ask him~ Like you just said, your main goal right now is to get close to Origami-san~"
Kurumi used the "Ninth Bullet" to transmit her consciousness over, and seeing this scene, she still kindly reminded him.
"Yes, ask whatever you want as you walk. It shouldn't be long before your sister is transformed into an elf."
After saying that, Ming placed his right hand on Shido's hand that was gripping his collar. Although he was wearing gloves, the hand made of flames was consciously releasing heat.
For Ming, gentlemanly etiquette was merely a means to build rapport and achieve his goals.
Compared to Shido, who already knows him in the future, he prefers to prepare for their first meeting, so this move is undoubtedly meant to intimidate.
Shido was startled and quickly withdrew his hand.
"Ming...you actually know that Kotori will turn into an elf at this time!" he thought to himself.
"Let's go. I'll tell you what you want to know on the way. As for what I want to know... please make sure you tell me on the way too. Understand?"
Mei bypassed Shido and slowly walked in one direction. Seeing this, Itsuka Shido could only silently follow behind...