Chapter 84: Belonging
What would Bloodline do if she ever found out that the person she was looking for might actually be a Restricted-level Esper—and that he’d already died last century?
Ji Minghuan stared into Bloodline’s eyes, wondering curiously.
"Thanks," Bloodline said. "I feel like I’ll find him too… just a gut feeling."
She paused, then suddenly turned her head toward the entrance of the Amusement Park: “Look, they’re here. Keep what we just talked about a secret, or those d*mn guys will start calling me a ‘long-lived love-chasing old hag’ again.”
Alright then, long-lived love-chasing old hag.
Ji Minghuan grumbled inwardly and turned his head alongside her toward the entrance of the Amusement Park. He saw a black-haired girl in a russet kimono walking slowly toward them. Her hair fluttered in the wind, and her face was as expressionless and delicate as a Japanese doll, her pupils so hollow it was chilling.
“Them?”
Ji Minghuan repeated the word. He only saw Origami Ayase, but Bloodline had said “they.” Where was the missing person?
Bloodline gave a faint smile and pointed her chin behind him.
Just then, a deep and heavy voice came from behind Ji Minghuan: “So this is the newbie?”
He froze for a second, then turned around to see a black figure slowly rising from his shadow. This person was about two meters tall, clad in a full black ninja outfit, revealing only a pair of sharp, icy eyes.
The towering man in ninja garb stood behind Ji Minghuan, his shadow blocking the sunlight and completely casting Ji into darkness.
“That’s No. 4, Oda Takekage,” came Origami Ayase’s cold voice.
She stopped in front of the Carousel and introduced him: “Takekage used to be my butler. After I left the family, he came with me.”
Oda Takekage looked down at Ji Minghuan’s head from behind and spoke slowly, enunciating each word:
“Nice to meet you.”
Ji Minghuan looked up at the tall ninja, then turned to the girl in the russet kimono.
“What do you want from me?”
Origami Ayase replied, “Nothing major. Just some advice.”
She paused. “Don’t move around on your own from now on. Arlens made too much noise at the Underground Bar last time. It’s dangerous out there.”
“What should I do?” Ji Minghuan asked directly.
Origami Ayase silently looked at him. Two emotionless faces stared at each other, speaking in flat tones like robots interacting. If anyone saw them, they might panic thinking the AI uprising had started early.
She said, “Until you’re strong enough, pick any team member and stick with them. Arlens, White Greedy Wolf, Jack the Ripper, Robert… choose whoever. They probably won’t say no. Worst case, tag along with that long-lived love-chasing old hag over there. Just be careful—she likes to suck blood. She might crawl into your bed at night.”
“What about sticking with you?” Ji Minghuan thought for a moment and then asked.
Origami Ayase paused slightly, stared at him for two seconds, then turned her head and said coolly, “I don’t mind… just don’t annoy me.”
Bloodline stared at the two of them, then burst into laughter. Her light golden hair rippled like waves. “Oh my… already got sponsored by the kimono-wearing loli princess. Our newbie has good taste.”
Ji Minghuan said, “One of you’s a long-lived love-chasing old hag, the other’s a kimono-wearing loli princess—why do I feel like you two should be together?”
“Shut up.” “Quiet.”
They said in unison.
A moment later, Origami Ayase said calmly, “Then the newbie will follow me from now on.”
“Hurry up and take your little kitty with you. Don’t let him cling to me anymore.”
Bloodline sat on the stopped Carousel, hands resting behind her on the horse’s body, smiling carelessly.
“I’m not a cat,” Ji Minghuan tried to reclaim his dignity.
“Little kitty, hush.”
Origami Ayase replied expressionlessly. An old, tattered newspaper suddenly rose from the ground, split apart, and formed two cat ears that perched atop Ji Minghuan’s head—but didn’t touch his hair, as if trying not to mess up his hairstyle.
“I’m not a cat,” Ji Minghuan repeated, reaching up to pull off the paper cat ears on his head, but couldn’t touch them no matter what.
“Little kitty, hush.”
Origami Ayase said indifferently again. The cat ears formed from newspaper fragments twitched on Xia Pingzhou’s head, making him look like he was acting all cutesy.
Although Ji Minghuan’s face remained emotionless, he’d clearly been handled by Origami Ayase.
Bloodline was doubled over in laughter on the Carousel; Oda Takekage looked away silently.
Crap, I’m turning into the team’s pet… is this how survival of the fittest works here? They know I’m the weakest, so they’re bullying me hard…
Ji Minghuan was speechless inside.
Oda Takekage spoke slowly: “Enough playing around. Let’s go.” His voice was hoarse and deep, and combined with his two-meter height, it was extremely intimidating.
“I’ll check if the gang’s got any eyes nearby.”
With that, Oda Takekage turned into a pool of black ink and splashed down into the shadow beneath his feet.
“Then I’ll go find something to eat. Newbie, see you next time…”
Bloodline waved at them with a mischievous smile as she spoke. The top of the Carousel began turning again, rotating the wooden horse beneath her. By the time it came full circle, the tall and elegant vampire woman had vanished—along with her annoying grin.
Ji Minghuan felt like the pressure in the air lifted just a little.
He stared blankly at the Carousel, silently filling in the blanks in the White Crow Brigade roster in his head.
………
No. 1: Unknown (Captain)
No. 2: Jack the Ripper (Exorcist, Tianqu Power is a dark red dagger)
No. 3: Origami Ayase (Esper, ability to control paper-based objects)
No. 4: Oda Takekage (Esper, ability to merge into and manipulate shadows)
No. 5: Unknown
No. 6: Unknown
No. 7: Robert (Esper, can open a door on walls leading to different places)
No. 9: Bloodline (Suspected Esper, manipulates her own blood)
No. 10: White Greedy Wolf (Demon, ability unknown, probably turns into a big dog)
No. 11: Arlens (Esper, summons a slot machine; getting three “bazooka” icons causes a huge explosion)
No. 12: Xia Pingzhou (Team pet, responsible for meowing and witty retorts—without him there wouldn’t be a full team of 12)
………
According to the mental chart, the only ones he hadn’t met were the Captain, No. 5, No. 6, and No. 8—strangely, it felt like collecting stamps, except they were the world’s most dangerous, most vicious killers.
Just then, the newspaper fragments forming the cat ears on Ji Minghuan’s head suddenly dropped, rearranging into a line of text in front of his eyes:
“What’s the little kitty daydreaming about?”
He glanced at the paper words, then turned around silently and followed behind Origami Ayase.