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Because of the recent interlude, Yui Yuigahama always regarded Ayase Aragaki with a senior-like demeanor. While not condescending, it was somewhat akin to how one would view a junior, with a subtle hint of indulgence or superiority.
That is, until she saw Ayase Aragaki effortlessly lift a concrete slab the size of a private car, complete with rebar and weighing at least two tons, and pull out the child inside. Her smile then froze on her face.
"This child…" Yui Yuigahama asked Asakura, full of surprise and uncertainty, "Is she naturally strong?"
"Strictly speaking, her life level has been optimized—" Asakura said.
"Is it the kind of optimization where she suddenly turns into a 2.5-meter, 1000-pound green giant when she gets emotional?"
"No, it's the kind of optimization where she can fight anyone to a draw, like having been injected with a strange serum."
Originally, Asakura's plan was to use Great Blessing to teleport all the missing people here back to the Round Table Hall first, and deal with the rest later.
However, now that Yui Yuigahama and Chihaya Anon had arrived, this plan could be slightly adjusted.
Unlike the long-haired black-haired girl who had gained a super evolution from a misfortune, the other missing people were likely unconscious during the time they were used as consumables, fed into the Human-Faced Sore' fleshy mass to catalyze the Slender Men.
In other words, there was no need to process their memories.
As long as Chihaya Anon used the Curse [Mirror] to create mirrors, Yui Yuigahama could drag all of them to the Chiba Port Tower in the real world, faking the illusion that they had been at the Chiba Port Tower all along—anyway, the Chiba Port Tower had been closed for 'equipment maintenance' during this period, and no one had gone up there.
At that time, even if they were rescued by the police, at most, these children would only be able to say that they were abducted by something called 'Slender Man.'
Furthermore, there was no need to worry about the police not finding them, as the Chiba Port Tower in the outside world was currently just a Mirror texture, and the remains of the Chiba Port Tower that were blasted in this Mirror Space would eventually be replaced.
As for how the Neon police would handle this case, that was no longer Asakura's concern.
However, this left one more part that needed to be dealt with.
"You've worked hard. With this, all the missing people should have been found." Asakura took out his phone and compared the official list of missing persons from the spirited-away incident, then said to the long-haired black-haired girl who was still helping with the search.
"That's good…" The girl showed a faint smile, looking as if a weight had been lifted from her mind.
"I'll take care of the rest. Also, although I saw your name on the list, we haven't introduced ourselves yet. If you don't mind…" Asakura said, looking at the girl.
"Ayase, my name is Ayase Aragaki. You can just call me Ayase—" the girl said happily.
She's really strong. Has she adjusted her mindset so quickly?
Asakura thought to himself as he looked at the girl who seemed much brighter.
"Ayase, right? I'll always remember you."
Asakura said to her with a slight smile, and Ayase's pretty face flushed, as she shyly lowered her head.
Chihaya Anon, standing nearby, puffed out her cheeks, wearing a disgruntled expression that said, 'This guy is flirting with other girls again' and 'I wish he'd say that to me too', while Yui Yuigahama frowned slightly, seeming to realize something, but remained silent.
Suddenly, Asakura unexpectedly reached out, his index and middle fingers together, pointing towards Ayase Aragaki's brow: "Goodbye—"
However, she instinctively dodged it.
Asakura: "…"
Ayase: "…"
Asakura: Poke, poke, poke.
Ayase: Dodge, dodge, dodge.
Asakura looked shocked: "Why can't I hit her?! My reaction time is seven times that of a normal human!"
He knew that even the Iron Fist Sacred Judgment of Soubu High School's older female teacher couldn't hit him!
"Because it's a fifty-fifty chance, I guess."
Yui Yuigahama calmly retorted.
"Huh, what's going on?"
Chihaya Anon was completely out of the loop, still asking in confusion: "Is this some strange ritual?"
"Um… I felt a subtle… should I call it malice, or just a bad thought… Anyway, my body just instinctively did that…"
Ayase Aragaki stammered, embarrassed.
"Hmm…"
Asakura was a bit troubled.
Although the Curse [Candle] was sure to hit as long as it was within range, he had said before that using [Candle] to delete someone's memory was a delicate operation; if he was too careless and accidentally deleted important memories or even cognitive abilities, causing the other person to have mental problems, that would be bad.
Should he have Yui Yuigahama and Chihaya Anon grab her?
But from a strength perspective, Ayase Aragaki could totally swing the two of them around like hand ornaments, right? Even with Napoleon, she might tear him in half…
"Actually, it doesn't necessarily have to be done that way, does it?"
Yui Yuigahama couldn't help but suggest: "Ayase-chan has already transformed into that kind of body, it would be too pitiful to abandon her now…"
"While I understand what you mean, Yuigahama, sometimes it's better to choose a more appropriate way of speaking."
Asakura retorted.
"What's going on? I feel so bad being the only one left out!"
Chihaya Anon shouted noisily.
"It's okay, as the person involved, I seem to be excluded too."
Ayase Aragaki comforted her with a smile, though that smile was subtly chilling.
Asakura looked at them, hesitated for a long while, then scratched his head and sighed: "Alright, alright, I get it, let's leave it at that for now. Pink-haired girl over there, don't look at me like that, I'll explain to you later. For now, let's get these missing children back to reality, and then we'll go straight to the Great Blessing. Although there doesn't seem to be any surveillance around here, it's still better to avoid exposing our whereabouts in the real world as much as possible."
Then Asakura looked at Ayase Aragaki again: "As for you, Ayase… Hmm, how about you stay with these missing children and act as if you don't know anything when they find you?"
"Can't I go with you?"
Ayase Aragaki asked reluctantly.
"If you're with them now, it can be vaguely explained when you're found. But if you appear alone later, it'll be easier for you to be seen as the breakthrough point for this incident and be repeatedly investigated, right?"
Asakura explained: "And appearing alone also makes it more likely for you to be pulled in for a medical examination… Honestly, I'm not entirely sure what the results of a medical examination on your current body would be…"
"But…"
The black-haired girl still seemed hesitant.
"Let's exchange contact information."
At this moment, Yui Yuigahama took out her phone, relieving the girl's last worry: "This way, we'll be true friends~"
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