I glared at the fox, who was in a white robe. He was sitting on top of the tree while observing a leaf from the roots, he turned to her and asked,
"You guys seem to have similar intentions, Is she your sister?"
My eyes softened at that comment and looked towards her sleepy face, before answering,
"She just sees me as her brother"
"Oh~?"
He teased, staring at her before getting down. As he reached out to caress her hair, his hand slowly flowed through her hair.
"Don't"
He looked at me after I demanded, his smirk widened. Moving his hand away from her hair and watching them.
I held on to her tightly as her cheek was pressed on my shoulder, my eyes narrowed at him. The fox then blows the fog away from them. Before it had gone away fully, Qiu Jing took his sword to nail at his neck.
The fox backed away, leaning to the tree as he was trapped with his sword nailing at his neck, he slowly reached out his hands.
"Hold on there, I do not wanna be the villain in your story."
[ ! The survivor, Qiu Jing, has threatened someone in a Scenario. He may be put in a punishment ! ]
"I'll definitely kill you."
With that, he was chained. his grip on the sword becoming tight before getting put away by the system.
We were speechless by the sudden scent.
"There were rules this whole time?!"
Shouted by Zhu Yi Hua from a distance, Akiyama Suzu was feeling uneasy, again. She held on to her hand tightly for protection.
Zhu Yi Hua turned to her in worried and spoked,
"I... I can't let you die from this"
We watched them interact moreover to the current situation, as there was another panel that had appeared in front of us,
[ You may continue on your journey ! ]
Guess Qiu Jing isn't going with us throughout the scenarios here. The fox had his hand covered on his mouth, looking at me with that "tenderness" expression on his face.
It felt unsettling.
What does a white fox want from us?
"I'll protect you guys, so let's go~"
Although he doesn't seem like a person to trust easily, with no other choices, we followed him paddle along the pathway.
It was quiet, only the sound of the snow flowing from the sky, touching with the trees were the only hum. Soothing and peaceful...
He paddled down the pathway so smoothly, perhaps he had been here for decades?
On the way, Yi Mei Lu flinched at the cold wind passing us and tightened her grip on me, a tear had come out of her closed eye as she slowly flattered her eyes open to see me carrying her as her arms grip around my neck.
"Brother..."
"Hm?"
I looked at her, her eyes were saddened, she seemed to have cried in her sleep. Clinging to me tightly as she sobs, burying her face to the crook of my neck.
Akiyama Suzu from the back with Zhu Yi Hua noticed her flinching and went up to comfort her. She spoke,
"Yi Mei Lu, it is okay..."
She was caressing her back before giving away her towel to warm her, turning to me in concern for her.
A hand was suddenly intertwined with hers, seeing it was Zhu Yi Hua. The hint of jealousy in her face as she turned to me.
"Do not get close to him."
She hated men. Every man. I could tell of it, her grip was tight and seemingly that she could let out her anger at me at any point.
I didn't understand why she was so annoyed with our bond. Akiyama Suzu reached out her hand to her shoulder.
"Zhu Yi Hua... He doesn't mean any harm to me."
She's calming down.
Answering,
"Don't, he might hurt you like how they did to you!"
"He really doesn't..."
Tsk.
The sound came out of her, out of annoyance. Turning to me again, glaring.
"I swear. If you hurt her, I'll make sure you don't have any mercy at all."
Threatening me now? I didn't even do anything but get close to her. Pointing at me isn't worth the time, I don't have any bad intentions anyways.
Although, I had nodded to her word before we had continued on walking down the pathway with the fox.
Akiyama Suzu was visibly uncomfortable with our talk earlier.
After we have arrived at a place where we have to go up the long stairs before passing the shrine at the center. The fox was silent with his mask covering his face.
A fox mask.
[ Fox Mask are known to hide their intelligence from others in the ancient times. ]
He slowly gazed at the big doors, giving a low bow before turning to us. The fox spoke with kindness,
"You may go in after your friend has come back from his punishment."
We nodded in agreement with his words. As we waited, I could tell something was off with their relationship. Although it seems healthy, it is a toxic relationship.
Seemingly, Zhu Yi Hua might have a disorder. But I do not know what it is called, because her actions were really off. As if she's afraid of losing her because of me,
As time passes, Qiu Jing still hasn't gotten sent back from the punishment. Yi Mei Lu was staring as Zhu Yi Hua had her arms crossed in jealousy, she was leaning to Akiyama Suzu's side.
She went up to me, tugging my sleeve and asked,
"Why is she angry?"
She was whispering, in curiosity. Her expression saddened as she turned back at her and looked back at me.
Silence filled between us, before I broke it and answered her,
"Something happened"
Knowing she was going to be more curious about it, I just had to. She asked, again,
"What do you mean?"
As I expected from a kid. Of course she would be so curious to know, she's learning right now. I answered,
"Nothing important, you should worry about yourself more."
"Oh, okay..."
She was too innocent to know about our talk.
She looked over to the big door, she was amazed by its appearance. Tugging my sleeve, again. Out of excitement, she tried dragging me inside the big doors.
And thanks to that fox for stopping her, she paused.
Another time passed on from that and she was now bored of doing anything and fell asleep on my shoulder. While Akiyama Suzu was rubbing Zhu Yi Hua's hair with her hand.
It was really starting to get boring, waiting for him to come back.
"Ugh... When will he come back??"
Yi Mei Lu lay on the ground as we waited, she was going insane from waiting for him. I held her up to stand, and spoke.
"He will soon get sent back here"
"It is been 2 days-"
Out of nowhere, Qiu Jing fell from the sky and landed on foot. Hearing someone had talked about him, turning to see Yi Mei Lu running towards him.
In happiness, she went straight to hug him. With his hands on her neck, a sincere smile appeared on his face as he stared down at her.
She was sure, too, surprised to see him coming back from the sky.
Then finally, the big doors had opened upon us. It was unsettling to hear the door creak when it opened.
I still walked in out of curiosity, placing my hand over to the wall. The comparison between my hand with the wall. Mine seemed to be tiny.
Looking towards the distance from the hallway, it was gloomy with no light other than the torches put on step by step from the wall.
And even the torches were much bigger than us.
Yi Mei Lu finally slipped her grasp from him and went up to me with him walking behind.
"Brother Xiao...!"
She shouted as she reached out to my hand, I gazed at her. The curiosity in her face as she tugged at my sleeve.
As she took a glance to the distance, she froze beside me. The sounds of a little girl humming down the hallway, her other hand tried reaching out to Qiu Jing to come closer.
Looking at him in fear as he approached us calmly.
"Wait... What about...?"
"Leave them be"
They didn't come in with us and when I looked back at them, Zhu Yi Hua would glare at me while having her hand on her. She was suspicious of my actions. Curious of my next move.
She didn't want her to come with me, either.
It is also a good thing for Akiyama Suzu to not come as this scenario could give hard time as a pregnant woman.
Although...
It is scarier for the fact that the big doors had to shut behind us, leaving us with the gloomy, dark with the light where only the torches were put on the wall. Although it seemed that the wall had dropped mold, it still seemed fresh from afar.
Yi Mei Lu kept herself close to us as we walked through the hallway quietly, observing the darkness without any flashlight on our hands.
My hand was still wet yet combined with a solid wall. Tracing through every pattern from the wall as we walk in the shadow, while I grip on her hand tightly.
It is a shame to know that I can't use any of my abilities yet, because of my low mana. Until Yi Mei Lu had muttered,
"I feel like there's something watching us..."
As I realized, her breath was becoming heavier the more we walked through. I turned to Qiu Jing and he was gone. Wasn't he there?
Was he really not here with us earlier?
I looked around at the darkness surrounding us. Until out of the shadow, a light had flickered with a white door shown under the light.
A door? It is as big as the place we're in.
It seemed to be a door that could fit an average human in.
"What's that...?"
Yi Mei Lu had her hand on her ribcage as she stared at the door with me, she was visibly scared for her life in this situation...