Name: Yuzuki Tooru (Hanezuki Tooru)
Age: 12
Status: 【Wanted——Vague】【Wanted——Mission】【Normal】
Social Status: The wanted
——————
【Viewing in progress】
Attack: ??
Defense: EX
Agility: ??
Magic: ∞
Physical Strength: EX
Growth Potential: ∞
Precision: A
Mental Strength: A+
Airheadedness: C / Wisdom: A
——————
Switches/Toggles: 【Sanction】【Injury Evasion】【Scholar’s Brain】【Elemental Fury】【Accelerated Growth·Random】【Blood Boiling】【Spatial-Temporal Ability·Mode】【Sage’s Blessing】
Mode Enhancement Attributes: 【Permanent·Transcendence·Level One——Serious Mode】【Spatial Will·Level One——Serious Mode】【Mystic Arts Secret·Impression Crack·Level One——Serious Mode】
Innate Abilities: 【Lock On·Vigorous Energy】【Time·Forced Rewind】【KRYY’s Blood·Versatile】【Healing & Recovery·Superpower】【Tea Farmer Devourer】【Balance·Free Domain】
Weaknesses: 【This attribute is inactive in serious mode】, 【This attribute is inactive in serious mode】; 【Mental Resistance LV.0】
——————
[Serious Mode in progress]
【Scholar’s Brain】——Locked Skill——All incoming magic damage is reduced by 50%
…
…..
Amidst the bursting sparks, I, being too careless, was blasted away in some bizarre posture, then came crashing down into the quietly spreading smoke and dust.
I never expected that it wasn’t my fireball at all, just a similar but enhanced version of the spell. And since he could manipulate space, that also meant he could probably “borrow” some projectiles from other places or dimensions.
Still, recklessly touching something unreliable from someone else—I really was taking things way too for granted.
The man’s soul-glow came into my eyes through the thick, hazy smoke and dust. After realizing I wasn’t seriously hurt, I dusted off my palms that had gathered gunpowder residue, propped myself up off the ground, and stood.
Running into an opponent like this actually gets my blood boiling. But really, it’s just my blood getting all excited on its own.
Even though I don’t really want to go overboard, I can’t hold myself back too much either.
So, it’s time to end this.
Out of habit, I ignored the man’s flattering, sarcastic words and stepped out of the smoke and dust, one step at a time.
With a cold look on my face, I instantly launched myself toward him—within a moment, I was right next to him, tensed up my leg, and kicked him hard in the face.
Then, just as I expected, his figure vanished in an instant—
After my attack missed, using this moment of hang time in the air, I forcibly stopped time again.
My eyes moved around like a radar, then suddenly focused on one spot. That was where the strange fluctuations had been from the very beginning. If I wasn’t mistaken, it was essentially a crack connecting one space to another—pretty much a wormhole, I’d say.
I did the same kind of thing as the man, using 【Impression Teleport】 to flash over to the edge of that abnormal space, then letting time flow once more.
In that instant, the fluctuations turned into a vortex that spun from small to large. I quietly waited for the man to show himself, ready to strike the moment I saw him.
But after waiting for a while, until that spatial vortex disappeared, I still didn’t see any sign of the man.
“Maybe we’ll meet again if fate allows it, little girl————”
And by the time I realized it, I had already left the barrier and returned to the real-world Enforcement Office.
I was still leaning against the wall, in the same posture and appearance from tens of minutes ago. But the burnt smell on my body told me that wasn’t a dream….
Besides, I wasn’t going to be able to fall asleep anyway.
The originally noisy surroundings were now completely empty and silent. Only the magic lamps illuminating the quiet, long hallway and the ticking sound of the clock kept me company.
The main door was still wide open, and it was still raining outside. But it felt like quite some time had passed, because Kaylan and Mia were no longer there…..
They probably realized I’d been gone for a while, so they must have decided to stop me before I caused even more trouble—
Because I’m currently in a wanted period, and also because I’m not exactly close with them to begin with….. Maybe they’re just patrolling outside casually—if they run into me, they run into me; if not, then oh well.
After all, in their eyes, I’m not some important person. As for that thing this morning with Kaylan bringing me back, maybe she just acted out of sympathy.
But compared to the duties of the Enforcement Team, choosing between looking out for the greater good or dealing with a nuisance like me is a pretty obvious choice.
If I put myself in Kaylan’s shoes, I would definitely do the same thing just to go through the motions and ease that sense of guilt and emptiness inside, so I wouldn’t have to dwell on it later.
——20:32
I tried using my 【View】 skill. I wasn’t really hoping it would work properly, but the result gave me a little joy in the midst of that hazy stillness.
It’s already this late? No wonder the Enforcement Office is so quiet. Besides a few officers on standby, everyone else is probably either out on patrol or resting by now.
“Alright, so what should I do now?”
This question has been bothering me ever since I reincarnated. I used to think that with this cheat-like system, I could be like the main characters in those anime, comics, and light novels—ruling over heaven and earth, or maybe having a little harem, or at least having a stable career and living a peaceful life.
But after going through endless cycles as an adventurer, I realized—those wishes are impossible. Even if I set my sights on so-called peace and try my hardest to grasp it, it would never truly belong to me.
A few days ago…
I got on that carriage, then saved that girl; I left that little town, then entered that city; I left that girl, then met those companions.
Ups and downs, bumps and grooves, constant twists and turns.
This is just my lot in life. This is just how my fate is.
I glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then started moving toward the exit.
The officer by the window was completely blind to me, thanks to my concealment skill. So I was able to walk out the front door, naturally and at ease, only to get thoroughly pounded by this cold, pouring rain.
The streets were pitch-black beneath the cover of night. Even the magic lamps on the corners seemed to shrink back in fear, their lights flickering on and off. Yesterday’s bustling crowd was nowhere to be seen under this heavy rain, finally leaving the roads in peace.
A somewhat familiar scene, but a completely unfamiliar storyline.
Unexpectedly, unlike usual, I didn’t get cold easily even though I was soaked. Normally, I’d be sneezing and shivering all over.
I really didn’t want to keep being bothered by the rain anymore, so I pulled up my hood and hurried into an alley…..
The stench inside was even worse than the air outside. But on the flip side, staying in this darker corner made me feel a lot more at ease.
Activating 【Yellow·Justice】, a bright yellow glow slowly swirled around my wrist, eventually gathering into a ring-shaped bracelet.
I used it to light up the path ahead. But using it couldn’t help me figure out which direction to go.
Where should I go? What should I do?
I desperately wanted answers, but I had no way of finding them.
With this rainy weather coming down like this, no matter how desperate adventurers are for money, or how much reward they want, they wouldn’t take the risk of hunting down a dangerous wanted target in such awful conditions.
I let out a sigh and walked deeper into the alley. The feeling beneath my shoes was just like walking through the alley next to Alek’s Alchemy Shop in 【Malettes】—seems like the alleys here aren’t any better either.
Maybe the one I walked through this morning was actually decent by comparison? Or is it all just because of this terrible weather?
“Ugh… uu…”
Hearing a beggar stirring, I felt a flicker of curiosity. But when I turned to look, all I could see was their trembling, terrified body.
“Don’t come any closer…”
The usual pleas for mercy had already taken on a fearful tone. Their faces twisted uncontrollably as they tried their best to cover their disheveled bodies with whatever rags they had.
This is what beggars are really like—only when you see them up close do you truly see them.
I ignored them. I didn’t want to cause myself more trouble or get tangled up in anything else.
But if that’s the case… what else can I even do?
Should I go back to 【Clough】? How is Mrs. Cleroll doing now? Come to think of it, how are Elf and the others? And why did I suddenly attack Huihui for no reason this morning?
It’s because the future is so hard to predict that life is supposed to be so colorful and full of variety… but this is hardly even a life.
Alleys in towns are famously confusing and winding, and that goes double for big cities—the complexity is so extreme it’s even nicknamed “the second most maze-like place after actual labyrinths.”
This morning, I was trapped in an alley. Now, I’ve lost my way completely.
The surroundings were silent, only the sound of dripping rain breaking the quiet. If it weren’t for the occasional strange noise not too far away, I might have thought I was in some otherworldly dimension.
Probably around three o’clock direction… I’ll just head the other way, so I don’t run into any more weirdos.
“…So stuffy.”
I found some shelter and hid underneath to get a break from the heavy rain. Even though a few raindrops still made it through, it was still much more comfortable than being fully exposed out there.
After checking my surroundings and confirming there were no other people or adventurers around, I pulled my legs up, rested my hands on my knees, and buried my head deep.
I don’t care if I might look pitiful to others. All I know is that this makes me feel a little better—or maybe worse—I can’t really tell.
What exactly is my attitude toward people? Is this just how I’m going to live my whole life? After knowing all these things, how will Mrs. Cleroll see me?
I know that I can’t lie to most people. There’s no benefit to it for me. It just makes me feel a bit self-righteous or just plain fake and untrustworthy.
Mrs. Cleroll is very sharp. No matter how hard I work on disguising my lies, I can never fool her eyes.
My eyes feel really bad, but I can’t cry. There’s no way to release the bitterness in my chest.
“It’s so complicated… I can’t even interpret my own feelings.”
《Ugh… Finally got out of those soaking wet clothes. It took forever just to wiggle my way out. Just how long was I out in the rain, anyway?》
