owlsbooks Chapter 977 The Last Routine 156
Chapter 977 The Last Routine 156
Chapter 977 The Last Routine 156
Recalling everything that had just happened in the room, he felt a strange and unsettling feeling.
"Huihui, you don't look well. Are you alright?"
Aqua said this with some concern.
"Hey, hey...it's nothing."
Huihui said this, but still lowered her head.
“The people I know have all changed so much, especially my parents… The closer the relationship, the more this is true.” Darkness said with empathy, “It’s only natural to feel uncomfortable.”
"That's true, but it's still good for the family's finances, isn't it?" Kobayashi reminded them that things hadn't changed, and said quite happily, "Look, the whole family doesn't have to go hungry anymore... Speaking of which, where did Xiaomi go?"
"...Huh!?" Huihui seemed to suddenly realize something, "Xiaomi!?"
Upon learning that her younger sister was not at home, Huihui excitedly ran out and searched for Mimi in the Crimson Demon Village.
"Xiaomi! It's lunchtime, hurry up and come out!"
In the past, Xiaomi would always be the first to run out when she heard it was time to eat, but this time she was nowhere to be seen, which was really strange and worrying.
"This won't do." Aqua was equally worried. She covered her cheek and sighed, "We can't find Megumin's sister at all."
"Aha……"
Kobayashi, also panting heavily, complained with a hint of despair, "Since arriving here, it feels like I've been constantly searching for someone. If even Xiaomi becomes serious—"
Just thinking about that scene made Kobayashi shudder involuntarily.
"Don't say such unlucky things!" Huihui scolded Xiaolin angrily, retorting loudly, "Xiao Mi will definitely be fine, she'll be alright, and she'll never forget the pride of the Crimson Demon Clan!!"
Although he didn't know what the Crimson Demon Clan was proud of, Kobayashi couldn't say anything more since she was so agitated.
"That's true, I really can't imagine what a proper Xiaomi phone would look like..."
Xiaolin twitched the corner of her mouth.
Suddenly, they heard a monster's low growl coming from not far away. Kobayashi and the others exchanged glances and then ran quickly in that direction. Then, they saw a vicious wolf, entirely black, and…
"Xiaomi!?" X3
Xiaomi, not to be outdone, stared back and roared at it.
"Oh no! Xiaomi's been attacked by a monster..." Darkness was about to rush to her aid when she suddenly noticed something was wrong. "No, is she trying to scare the monster?"
Somewhat surprised, they looked at the small figure, never expecting that someone so weak would dare to confront a monster head-on.
Huihui screamed excitedly, shouting with concern, "Xiaolin, are you alright!"
"Waaaaahh ...
The wolf hissed softly.
Xiaomi looked at Xiaolin and the others, then waved with a big smile and shouted, "Ah, it's you sisters!"
"You rude monster! How dare you lay a hand on my sister! You'll regret this!" Megumin glared dangerously at the wolf, and then her other companions stepped forward to help.
The wolf realized that the other side outnumbered it and knew it could not continue the fight, so it decided to escape.
"Don't even think about running away!"
Darkness blocked the wolf's escape route.
"Beautiful! Darkness!" Kobayashi cheered, then raised his hand towards the wolf and said, "This guy has stopped moving. Now... Lightning strike!"
"Wow--"
The wolf, struck by lightning, stood frozen in place, its body stiff. Xiaolin, intending to pass this opportunity to show off to Xiaomei's older sister, shouted at her:
"Now, Megumin!"
"I'm going to show my sister what I'm capable of!! Explosion!"
The wolf didn't even have time to react, and before it could even scream, it was annihilated by the explosive magic that descended from the sky.
"Aha……"
Huihui, having exhausted all her magic, collapsed to the ground and asked her younger sister, "Xiaolin, how are you?"
"Um……"
Xiaomi did not respond.
Darkness asked, somewhat puzzled, "What's wrong?"
“Normally, she would immediately shout: ‘Sister is so cool!’ and then rush over to her.” Aqua also looked puzzled and confused.
"You're such a good imitator!"
Hearing Aqua call out in Xiaomi's voice startled Kobayashi, who then said with some concern, "Speaking of which, could it be that even Xiaomi...?"
He worried that Megumin's sister, like everyone else in the Crimson Demon Village, would become a proper Crimson Demon.
"H-How could this be...!"
Huihui groaned in disbelief.
"……elder sister."
"Yes Yes!"
"Sister, you're so cool!"
That's what Xiaomi said.
"Ah... Xiaomi! Xiaomi!" Huihui was deeply moved. "Thank you!"
Besides the praise from her younger sister, there was also the comfort that Xiaomi hadn't become a proper person like the other Red Demons. If the whole family were so proper, she really wouldn't be able to bear it.
Instead, she was so moved that she burst into tears and hugged her younger sister, Xiaomi, tightly. Her embarrassing behavior made Xiaolin chuckle, teasing her, "Hey, hey, are you about to cry?"
"I guess seeing that my sister is as normal as ever put my mind at ease." Darkness smiled with relief and said, "Anyway, it's really great that Xiaomi is alright."
“Yeah.” Kobayashi agreed, adding, “Speaking of which, you’re still pretty energetic today, even though you’ve already used Explosion Magic.”
"Ah, yes..." Huihui seemed to suddenly remember this, and collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted, saying, "After knowing that Xiaomi was safe and sound, I... I felt deflated... Ah..."
"Megumi!? Are you alright!?"
Aqua rushed over to check on her, only to find that Megumin was already asleep. She probably relaxed after seeing that Mi was safe and sound, which is why she fell asleep so quickly.
"...She's asleep." Kobayashi sighed. Although there was a lot she wanted to say, at least Megumin was normal now. "Well, at least you're at ease now. I'll carry you home."
While carrying Huihui on his back, Kobayashi continuously channeled magic and energy into her, so that Huihui wouldn't get too tired and wouldn't sleep for several hours like before, and should be able to make it in time for dinner... That's what Kobayashi was thinking.
Meanwhile, Darkness looked at Xiaomi with some confusion and asked, "Xiaomi... you were speechless for a moment just now, what happened?"
"I'm so hungry I can't speak!"
Xiaomi quickly replied.
"It's really the same as usual!" Kobayashi complained somewhat helplessly, but then said with a sense of relief, "But that puts my mind at ease. I'll make sure you have a good meal when we get back."
"You brought some local specialties with you."
Aqua patted Xiaomi's head, and Xiaomi raised her hands and exclaimed happily, "Wow!"
Back at Huihui's house.
That evening, not long after Xiaolin and the others finished dinner, Youyou rushed over, her face full of worry. "Huihui! Xiaomi, are you alright? I heard she's missing...!"
"Don't worry, Xiaomi hasn't changed at all."
Aqua smiled and comforted Youyou.
"You just ate a ten-person serving of snacks that I bought as a local specialty all by yourself. Your appetite is as small as ever," Xiaolin complained, trying to comfort the anxious Youyou.
"Don't underestimate my sister, how could she possibly change!?"
Huihui, on the other hand, was full of confidence.
I really don't know who was the person who cried so emotionally when they discovered that Xiaomi hadn't become a decent person.
"Hehe..." Darkness chuckled and teased Megumin, "Where did that worried look go?"
"I'm so glad my sister is alright," Ruan Huhu said with relief, but then asked with some confusion, "But what about your parents? They're not doing well, are they?"
"Uh..." Huihui was speechless for a moment, then said somewhat unwillingly, "She's completely changed into a different person, and she's even made proper magical artifacts..."
She was very worried and scared.
Kobayashi shrugged and said, "No, it's not so bad. Being able to make proper magical items means you can earn money. Your little sister, Xiaomi, won't have to go hungry anymore. You should be happy."
"That's why I'm so conflicted..."
Huihui knows her parents have changed for the better, and she knows that Xiaomi has received kindness, but these are not the parents she wants! Can parents who are not like their parents at all really be called parents? And they are not like the Crimson Demon Clan at all!
The soft, fluffy creature also sighed deeply.
“Huihui is my parents, Youyou is the clan chief’s father, and I am a friend…” She carefully listed the people who had changed in the Crimson Demon Village, and sighed, “This is not good. It’s a major crisis for the Crimson Demon Clan!”
"It's alright, there are only the three of us..."
Huihui glanced at Ruanhuhu and Youyou. Excluding her younger sister Xiaomi, who had no combat power and was just an accessory, there were only the three of them left as standard, proper Crimson Demons.
"However, the crisis is the biggest highlight for our Crimson Demon Clan! Let us correct all of this and restore this distorted world!"
"Yes...!" the soft voice shouted loudly, "We must find out why things turned out this way and restore the strange school and friends to normal!"
“Me too…” Youyou rarely expressed her attitude and said with determination, “Father… I feel uneasy about the Red Demon Clan Chief becoming like that.”
It seems she still cares about her father.
Huihui took a deep breath and opened her eyes seriously as well, saying, "Although I am happy to be able to get rid of the life of extreme poverty, I can't bear to see my father lose his perseverance!"
She then looked at her companions.
"Alright, Kobayashi, let's go!"
"Well, be careful on the road."
Kobayashi said this with a smile.
"...Huh!?" Megumin asked excitedly, "Aren't you going to help!? We have to find out why the Crimson Demon Clan has lost its glory!!"
"No, no, no, it hasn't lost its brilliance, it's just become more serious." Kobayashi shrugged helplessly, while saying meaningfully, "Isn't this a good thing? You know, the reputation of the Crimson Demon Clan will turn around."
"But if this continues, the Crimson Demon Clan will just be ordinary Archmages. With their personalities gone, they'll just focus on studying, working, and living their lives..."
"The more I listen, the more I feel that it's all good news."
Aqua echoed this sentiment.
"Even Aqua said that!?" Megumin was thrilled.
"Besides, the Crimson Demon Clan really lacks common sense." Kobayashi put his hands on his hips and scolded Megumin, "It would be better if there were more decent people around the world."
"I know what you want to say, Kobayashi, but your friend is in trouble, can't you think of a solution?"
Darkness still wanted to help Megumin.
"Then I'll tell you..." Seeing their persistence, Kobayashi had no choice but to reply, "If you want to solve strange phenomena with unknown causes, there will definitely be more troublesome developments than troubles to come! I'm not the kind of person who would willingly step on a landmine. As long as Megumin and the others are alright, isn't that enough!?"
To deliberately step into a trap is the act of a fool.
“…I understand.” Seeing Kobayashi’s seriousness, Megumin could only nod and say, “In that case, I have no choice but to resort to any means necessary. Kobayashi, please help me save the Crimson Demon Clan from this crisis! If you help… as a token of my gratitude, I will do anything I can!”
"...What is it?"
"Anything!"
"I'll help."
Oh no! Kobayashi, so tempted by Huihui, couldn't resist at all and agreed immediately. Their words immediately excited Youyou and the others.
"I said, Huihui!?"
"As expected of Kobayashi, he's really turning into a scumbag."
"I really misjudged you, Kobayashi! Let me do this kind of thing!"
Yu-Yu, Aqua, and Darkness quickly replied.
"It's a misunderstanding!" Kobayashi waved his hand in denial, saying, "I'm an adventurer!? There's no such thing as working for free without any compensation!"
"I understand, Kobayashi."
Huihui covered her mouth and chuckled, her unusually charming smile making Xiaolin feel extremely uncomfortable.
"Stop laughing!" Kobayashi shouted angrily. "Besides, I'll only help within my capabilities, I won't do anything reckless!"
"Thank you, Mr. Kobayashi!"
Youyou was extremely grateful.
"I say, isn't it enough that we can continue our conversation now?" Softie couldn't take it anymore and felt that their way of getting along was too chaotic, so she quickly changed the subject and asked, "Why did some of the Crimson Demons change their personalities? We need to find out the reason first."
"Yes, that's the most crucial part. Only by finding the cause can we solve this problem."
Kobayashi chimed in.
Then, in order to resolve this crisis in the Crimson Devil Village—a crisis that could hardly be called a crisis—Kobayashi and his friends joined forces.
(End of this chapter)