Long-term salvation

"...Okay, okay, enough of these boring lies," Li Xi quickly ended the topic after instantly thinking of countless disgusting scenes - she almost believed it! Now, the black-haired girl coughed a few times with a blush on her face, forcing the conversation back on track, "Why are you here?"

“This is a prohibited matter (禁则事項です).”

"What happened to you before?"

“This is prohibited.”

"Hey!"

Facing Li Xi's obviously dissatisfied look, Xiangzi sighed and walked to the table to start brewing black tea - a familiar taste, but she had rarely tasted it due to her difficult life - after brewing tea for everyone and watching the girls sit on the sofa, Xiangzi slowly said:

"I've seen your live show, it's great...especially the lights."

Xiangzi's face softened, and she looked into Gao Songdeng's eyes, which were already filled with tears, and said softly:

"You sing really well, better than before."

The penguin girl burst into tears. She tried hard to wipe away her tears, but she couldn't stop them from flowing. She could only sob and say:

"I thought... I always thought it was my fault the band broke up."

"No, it's not Deng's fault," Xiangzi said softly, her eyes falling on her former friends. "It's not your fault, it's my fault—please allow me not to explain the specific reasons to you, because even I have things that are difficult to talk about, just like I can't explain to you why I am here."

Is this considered growth? Xiangzi lowered his eyes. If I had explained this to others before, what path would my life have taken?

But it’s meaningless to say these things.

"So, we're not on the same path," Xiangzi continued, raising her hand to stop Lixi from speaking. "And we can't go back to the past. You have your own broad and smooth road to advance, and I have my own rugged mountain road to tread. In the near future, let's say goodbye."

The near future... isn't it now?

Deng raised his head and looked at Xiangzi with a little hope, but the latter had already looked away, scratching Kaname's chin and putting pressure on his pink hair.

"Lixi, give me some more tea."

"Hey, who's the maid!!!"

+ + + + + + + + + +

"We have lost too many [Fragments]."

"We must snatch back the [Fragmented Page]... If we fail, we will have no choice but to forcibly hunt for sufficient sacrifices. Otherwise, when the final ritual begins, the Master will be unable to ascend the stairs... and the rebirth after destruction will not come."

Armed Priestess Toyokawa Shoko (Thirteen): Lao Deng, it’s time for the gold coins to explode!

Time is still passing by little by little. Tokyo has become a little quieter recently, but there are more and more missing person notices posted on street lamp poles, and police cars are patrolling more and more frequently at night.

Xiangzi was harassed more and more often:

Pushing away the young widow who was rubbing against him, Xiangzi ignored the angry stare of the super-male black-haired girl, and at the same time perfunctorily responded to the penguin girl's curiosity about her red and white shrine maiden costume, scratched the chin of the cat with heterochromia, and then the pink hair that was tangling under the pressure... It was another ordinary day, and the armed shrine maiden Miss Toyokawa Xiangzi was still working hard to pay off her debts.

But in less than half an hour, when Xiangzi was asked for the thirteenth time if he wanted to eat or drink something, her eyes twitched and anger suddenly rose in her heart. The girl took a few deep breaths. Although she wanted to throw the pen in her hand on the table and shout "I'm so mad!", she really couldn't bear to break the pen.

After a few seconds of silence, Xiangzi stood up, picked up the cello case and walked out. Facing the gazes of the GO group, she moved her lips slightly and said only one sentence:

"I'm going home to send some living expenses."

After thinking for a moment, Xiangzi, who had just walked out of the room, turned sideways and looked at Su Shi, and said calmly:

"I'll be back tonight, or tomorrow morning if I'm not back yet."

"..." Hearing this, Su Shi subconsciously clasped his hands together, with a look of worry on his face, "Please come back safely."

Everyone in the GO group: “?”

Xiangzi, who understood the meaning behind these words, smiled, closed the door and left. As soon as she closed the door, helplessness and exhaustion appeared on her face:

"Why do these guys come here all the time? Aren't they rehearsing for the live performance? I don't know how Mu is doing... Should I tell her that I'm staying at Sushi's house? It's really troublesome."

Thinking about things related to his friends, Xiangzi ran quickly into the subway station. As soon as he entered, he saw a huge poster being installed in the display window in the corridor by workers:

Idol group "Sumimi".

Idols and the like are very far away from Xiangzi, it was so in the past and even more so now, but the big golden retriever that appears on the poster is a different story - Sanjiao Chuhua - Xiangzi's good friend since childhood, they are together less often but their feelings are as pure as ever.

"If I extend an invitation, Chuhua will surely come with joy, right? Become a superhero like Spider-Man and save the world... Although I am saving the world right now."

Xiangzi looked at the girl with a bright smile in the poster, and felt a little bitter in her heart, but she still shook her hair, ran quickly to the other end of the corridor, and boarded the tram back home.

It took nearly an hour for Xiangzi to return to his previous residence, or the place he called "home". Xiangzi's father, Fengchuan Qingkou, who was defrauded of 168 billion and expelled, lived here:

The street is lined with typical Showa-style long houses, and this one is no exception - the dark tiles are like an old man's broken teeth, reflecting a weak and diffuse light in the evening light, and the dark brown wooden wall panels have long become a shell eaten away by time.

Moss grew between the boards, climbing up the rainwater pipes and weaving fuzzy green edges around the second-floor windows. Just from the dingy exterior, it was clear that the people living here didn't have the energy or the money to maintain an old house.

Reaching out to tidy up the cello case, Xiangzi walked into the house.

When she opened the door, Xiangzi smelled alcohol. She frowned and looked around the room, then saw her father leaning against the wall of the living room, holding a half-drunk beer in his hand.

After noticing Xiangzi's return, Fengchuan Qingjiao turned his head in a daze, looked at his daughter with empty eyes, and asked softly:

"Xiangzi, what are you doing recently?"

"I work in a band and work part-time as a shrine maiden at a shrine."

Xiangzi replied calmly. She put down the cello case, took out ten Fukuzawa Yukichi notes from her octopus-shaped wallet and placed them on the table.

"This is your living allowance. If you want to drink more, you can only starve or wait for me to bring you food."

"……Really?"

"True or false, it doesn't matter to you now, does it?" Xiangzi lowered his eyes slightly, bent down, crushed all the beer cans, gathered them up, and put them into the same garbage bag - these things had to be thrown out on a specific day, which was a chore. "Enjoying the support of others with a clear conscience is also a way of life. Even I can't resist such temptation... Besides, wasn't I enjoying the support of you and mother with a clear conscience before?"

Hearing the words he hated most from Xiangzi's mouth, Fengchuan Qingjiao covered his head in pain, knelt in front of his daughter, and said sobbingly:

"...It's all my fault, Xiangzi. It's my incompetence that has made you what you are now."

"No, it's not a question of ability, but of attitude. My father died the same moment my mother passed away, and I'm just taking care of his body now," Xiangzi responded calmly. She put on an apron and diligently cleared the dishes in the sink. "Also, I've paid off 1 million yen of debt, leaving me with 167 billion yen. If all goes well, I'll pay it off within the next ten years. After all, 'luck' isn't something that happens all the time. If it did, it would be quite 'unfortunate'."

Hearing Xiangzi's reply, Fengchuan Qinggao's eyes narrowed slightly. He raised his head suddenly, his eyes full of despair:

"Why... why are you able to pay off the debt? Are you going to let an incompetent like me die, Xiangzi?! This is fine. I've already caused you too much trouble... If I die, you can return to the Toyokawa family..."

"If you want to commit suicide, please let me pay off this 168 billion yen debt for you first."

Xiangzi still replied in a calm tone, but she had already repeated and pondered these words in her mind thousands of times. Similarly, the girl also knew why the man in front of her was so devastated:

"Grandpa, you've been here, right? To find me."

"..."

"...If you try to chase me away by throwing beer cans or something like that, I'll just break your legs and put you in a nursing home."

After washing the dishes, Xiangzi wiped his hands on his apron, then took it off, which had already darkened, and threw it with the clothes that needed washing. He drew aside the half-closed curtains and opened the window. The girl was enveloped in the dusk light, which made her decadent father dare not look directly at her.

After quietly gazing at the nearby city, now bathed in neon lights, Xiangzi sighed softly and turned to look at his father—but the latter looked away and whispered:

"Xiangzi, I will try my best. At least... I will try my best to earn money for food."

"I hope so. Remember to eat more vegetables."

Without saying anything more, Xiangzi picked up her cello case and walked out. She left the house without hesitation, leaving only a faint sadness in the air. At this moment, the girl desperately wished her mother was still alive - even if she didn't have the wealth of the Toyokawa family, even if it was her parents who were driven out - she was sure, convinced, and deeply convinced that as long as the whole family was there, no matter what difficulties they had, they could overcome them.

Mother... The face that suddenly flashed through the girl's heart made her stop slowly. She leaned helplessly on the wooden board of the old townhouse, letting the moss rub against her shoulders.

After standing there and waiting for a few seconds, Xiangzi didn't receive the expected call and concern. He could only stand up straight with some disappointment and prepare to walk towards the subway station:

A slightly harsh ringtone sounded at this moment.

It's a GOC communicator.

Xiangzi took out the communicator and saw a few lines of words on the screen:

High-intensity otherworldly energy readings detected around Research Facility No. 8, but the current situation is unclear. Immediately gather with the other armed priestesses and stand by, ready to provide support at any time.

"...Got it, Toyokawa Shoko," the girl exhaled, reaching out and patting her cheeks vigorously, letting her resolve and tenacity return to her body. "Where should I meet up? Should I return to the Future Gadget Research Institute first?"

[No, go to the designated location to meet up with the team - you can take a taxi, keep the receipt, it will be reimbursed.]

Xiangzi didn't say anything, but an irrepressible smile broke out on his face.

However, that smile vanished as Xiangzi rounded the corner and saw the Maybach with the Toyokawa family logo. After a few seconds of silence, the girl took out her communicator and quickly sent a message:

"I have a problem here... My grandfather blocked me, and it looks like he's planning to..."

"Dare to block our GOC's armed miko? Send him here! Ahem—have him take you to your rendezvous point. We'll erase the memories of all those not involved. And we really need to resolve the Toyokawa family issue. Otherwise, tracking you every day won't be a good idea."

"Xiangzi got it."

Xiangzi sighed, thanked his unremarkable seniors in his heart, then walked towards the Maybach and got into the car door opened by the bodyguard.

Toyokawa Sadaharu, her grandfather and the head of Toyokawa Group, had been waiting for a long time.

"..."

"...Say something," Toyokawa Sadaharu's voice was a little tired. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have gone to find that man. He has completely fallen and turned into a living corpse."

"Go to this place."

Xiangzi did not reply immediately, but signaled the driver to go to the scheduled meeting place. After looking back at Fengchuan Qinggao's expression, the latter nodded slightly, and the limousine started moving forward.

The neon lights of Tokyo faded away outside the car window, but time inside seemed frozen in time. After a few minutes of silence, the old man with gray hair slowly spoke:

"What have you been doing lately?"

"Being a shrine maiden, and I've been staying at a friend's house lately," Xiangzi sat on the soft and comfortable car seat, her fingers running across the car door, wondering if this car could withstand a direct hit from a 5.56mm bullet. Suddenly, she felt a little funny:

The price of these so-called luxury cars is only a fraction or even a few tens of percent of that of tanks, armored vehicles, and fighter jets, and the former are just bigger targets for the latter. So what if they are bulletproof?

Can it withstand a direct hit from a 120mm tank gun, or an AGM-65 Maverick missile?

In the face of real violence, these things are nothing more than toys, not to mention having to face the strange, weird, and abominable creatures in the other world.

"...Give up all that, Xiangzi, and come back to the Toyokawa family with me."

"No, you are the one who should give up," Xiangzi shook her head slightly. She saw that the car had already driven into a remote river on the outskirts of Tokyo. "You will know why."

Armed Miko Toyokawa Shoko (XIV): Are all GOC's AS monsters?!

As night fell, the Toyokawa family's special car stopped by the river on the outskirts of the city.

The dim lights of the street twisted on the flowing river, turning into thousands of tiny golden afterimages - the old man stood in the light, the girl stood in the shadow, they stood on the bridge at the same time, quietly looking at the river below.

"Xiangzi..."

"I have to get ready for work. My friends will come to pick me up," Xiangzi interrupted the old man rudely. She held the communicator tightly, and the text on it kept refreshing. "Let's go now."

"Walk?!"

A hint of genuine anger finally appeared in the old man's words. He turned and looked at the girl who shared the same blood as his daughter. The exhaustion and sadness that rushed into his heart, coupled with the anguish of not being understood, made the head of the Toyokawa family shout angrily:

"Don't be so willful! You're just a young lady from a secluded place, and you've gone off to do jobs I don't know about, and now you're acting like a..."

Xiangzi raised a finger and placed it on his lips.

The wind is rising.

Metal Roar!

An 8.4-meter-high metal giant dropped from the sky, but landed as lightly as a falling feather. All the lights on the fuselage were turned on, sweeping away the darkness in front of the eyes - Shoko Toyokawa turned her back to the dazzling light, letting her blue hair swing wildly in the hot wind from the engine - two armored Hummers equipped with heavy machine guns and grenade launchers blocked the retreat of the Maybach, and the Toyokawa family's bodyguard was knocked to the ground by a gun butt before he could react!

Several armed shrine maidens wearing exoskeletons and holding assault rifles quietly appeared from all directions. The expressions on their faces were bland, almost indifferent. The red dots of tactical lasers froze on Toyokawa Sadaharu's forehead and on the backs of the heads of the bodyguards who were pinned to the ground.

"Go back, Grandpa. And I'm sorry that my willfulness has caused you so much trouble."

Xiangzi said calmly, turning around, stepping onto AS's outstretched hand, and speaking condescendingly to Toyokawa Sadaharu—the head of the Toyokawa family:

"This is my job. Please don't cause trouble for me. After all, I have an entire country to protect. Perhaps you can afford my life, but can you afford the lives of 100 million citizens?"

"You, you are, you are from the government... No, no, no, it's impossible..."

Toyokawa Sadaharu's face was completely filled with astonishment. His mouth opened slightly, wanting to say something but swallowing it back. Ultimately, it turned into a look of bewilderment and helplessness:

"Xiangzi, don't do this kind of dangerous work anymore—I've already lost Ruisui and your mother—do you want me to hear the news of your death someday?!"

"I will survive... No, I will definitely survive."

Xiangzi said calmly, then she lowered her eyes slightly and stood beside Saikawa Ayane who had already come out of the open cockpit and asked:

"Senior Saichuan, how should we deal with this now? Should we erase their memories?"