Just as Shido secretly breathed a sigh of relief for initially breaking the awkward silence, the gaze of the puppet Yoshino
or rather, the look Yoshino cast through the puppet
seemed intentional as it focused once again on Shido's face.
"Oh dear~ But still,"
Yoshinon continued in its distinctive voice, leaning slightly forward, appearing enthusiastic.
"I never thought I'd run into the 'Lucky Pervert' big brother again in a place like this, ahaha! To be honest, Yoshinon really welcomes interesting people like big brother to come and play with us~"
Its tone sounded light and cheerful, but the words that followed carried a hint of subtle loneliness and helplessness:
"But, you see... everyone outside seems to really dislike Yoshinon~ If I were dragged out of here, I'd immediately suffer continuous 'bang, bang, bang' attacks~ It's such a hassle~"
After speaking, the puppet burst into exaggerated laughter again, as if using a joke to conceal the weight of its words.
"My, what a... cheerful and lively looking Spirit," Shido couldn't help but comment internally.
Kotori's voice, expressing agreement, immediately came through the earphone in his right ear:
"Ah, indeed. She seems like the type to mask her true feelings with cheerfulness." Sure enough, even Kotori had reached a similar conclusion.
Next, Shido noticed a word in the speech of The Hermit
or rather, Yoshinon
that caught his attention. He spoke softly, asking:
"Hey... what is that 'Yoshinon' you just mentioned? Is that your name?"
Hearing Shido's question, the puppet made an extremely exaggerated expression of surprise, like a performance, its mouth wide open.
"Oh, dear! What a huge mistake!"
Yoshinon slapped its "forehead" with its claw (the puppet hand).
"Yoshinon forgot to do the most important self-introduction! My apologies, my apologies! 'Yoshinon' is Yoshinon's na-me! What do you think, isn't it cute? Isn't it cute?"
It shook its body excitedly, asking a rapid string of questions, its tone full of anticipation and a little self-satisfaction.
"Ah, yes..."
Infected and overwhelmed by the puppet's heightened emotion, Shido unconsciously went along with its words.
"That's a really nice name."
"Right, right~!" Yoshinon seemed even happier.
At that moment, Kotori's slightly surprised analysis came through his right ear: "
Yoshinon, huh? Hmm, this Spirit is different from Tohka; she already possesses her own name."
"Ah..." Shido only realized this when Kotori pointed it out. Indeed, Tohka didn't have a name when she first manifested.
The name "Tohka" was given to her by him.
However, Yoshinon suddenly moved its "face" closer, interrupting Shido's thoughts.
"So? What is big brother's name? Tell Yoshinon~"
Faced with the direct question, Shido answered honestly:
"Ah... me. My name is Shido. Itsuka Shido."
"Shi-do~"
Yoshinon repeated the name, drawing out the syllables, then commented in a cheerful tone.
"That's a nice name! Oh, but it still doesn't beat Yoshinon's name, though~"
"Oh... oh, thank you."
Shido gave an embarrassed smile, attempting to use her name naturally to bridge the distance between them.
"Um... Yoshinon?"
"Here~! What is it?"
The puppet immediately responded cheerfully, praising Shido for being able to use its name so quickly.
"Shido can insert a name he just learned into the conversation so easily! Yoshinon is truly impressed by that pioneering spirit!"
Seeing the puppet Yoshinon open its arms in an exaggerated gesture, looking lively as if ready to embrace the whole world, Shido gave a helpless wry smile but decided to clarify the doubts in his heart. He continued:
"No, it's nothing important. That... the name 'Yoshinon'
it sounds cute, but it shouldn't be the name of the puppet, but yours, right?"
After speaking, his gaze went past the comical rabbit puppet, attempting to look directly at the silent blue-haired girl behind it.
Those sapphire-like eyes, which now held exhaustion and timidity... In an instant, the air seemed to solidify.
The puppet Yoshinon, which had been speaking cheerfully since the beginning, as if it would never let the conversation falter, suddenly fell into a deathly silence.
The plush rabbit froze in mid-air, maintaining the posture of open arms, but without any further movement or sound.
Immediately following this, the frantic "Beep! Beep! Beep!" of an alarm sounded in Shido's right earphone, accompanied by Kotori's anxious voice:
"
Shido! Her emotional value suddenly plummeted! It's approaching the danger threshold! What did you say? Did you hit a nerve?"
"Huh...? No, I..." Shido was also flustered by the sudden change.
"I just didn't understand why she kept speaking through ventriloquism instead of herself... I just voiced my confusion, that's all..."
Just as Shido was explaining into the mic, the silent puppet suddenly moved.
It slowly, almost soundlessly, moved next to Shido's face, so close it was practically touching him.
Then, it spoke in a tone that was still steady, but devoid of all previous humor, even carrying a hint of emptiness:
"
I don't understand what Shido is talking about... What is 'ventriloquism'?"
Its tone was terrifyingly flat.
As a side note, because it was a puppet, the stitched smiling expression on its face naturally hadn't changed at all, still maintaining its comical appearance.
However, it was this extreme disconnect between the voice and the expression, combined with a certain ineffable coldness hidden beneath the steady tone.
That made Shido feel a heavy, almost tangible pressure wash over him. He involuntarily took a small step back, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.
"No, that's not... Um... I..." He tried to explain but was momentarily speechless; the atmosphere in the area was so heavy it was almost suffocating.
Just amidst this suffocating silence and deadlock
"Tap... tap... tap..."
A series of crisp footsteps, made by high heels clicking on the rubble-strewn floor, came from the stairwell not far away, growing louder and sharper in the quiet space.
A voice laced with amusement, and even a hint of malicious laughter, broke the solidified air, answering Shido's question that had triggered the storm:
"Yoshinon is the name of this rabbit lady."
Everyone looked toward the sound, only to see a figure slowly descending from the shadows upstairs. Silver hair, golden eyes, and a black and white Astral Dress that carried a sense of rebellion and splendor
it was the Spirit codenamed Heavenly Judgment.
She wore a smile on her face, as if watching an entertaining play, her eyes shifting between Shido, the frozen puppet, and the trembling blue-haired girl behind it.
She tilted her head slightly and, in a mocking tone, clearly declared: "And the other one is Yoshino. Did you hear that clearly, Shido~
"
Aqua's sudden appearance, and her direct revelation of the core issue, instantly pushed the already complicated situation into an even more unpredictable direction.
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Rexlent
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"