Want to be human, but cube-like

"Ugh... my back is a little sore... Xiao Xiang and Ellie, are you always this tired?"

Muttering to herself, Ai Yin turned her head and, seeing that no one was around, pinched her slender lower back with her index finger and thumb, trying to relax the muscles that had been tense all day.

Today was really tiring.

It wasn't because of that small performance.

It was only the time it took to listen to a few songs, and the energy I used up was quickly restored after a short rest.

The main reason was that she used up all her energy for the day by helping out at the front desk.

If yesterday's fatigue was due to staying up all night, then today's fatigue is due to doing too much repetitive work for too long.

Ai Yin was used to it. When she came to the hamburger shop, she usually only saw Xiangzi standing behind the counter with a calm smile and her elegant demeanor that showed that etiquette was ingrained in her bones.

She never considered how tiring it would be if Xiangzi stood like that every day, from the moment he opened for business in the morning until he closed for business at night.

Moreover, Xiangzi had to maintain a smile on her face to serve customers. During this time, she also had to do the work of assembling the dishes onto plates all by herself.

Aine, who was pampered at home and always loved by her parents, was already exhausted after just a simple experience at the front desk today, helping with easy tasks such as pouring drinks and packing fries. She found it hard to imagine why Xiangzi could stay so tired without complaining.

And Alex was the same. She only knew that the other person was physically strong, but after the number of people increased this afternoon, she realized just how exaggerated Alex's work efficiency really was.

When she's working, she can almost match the speed of a whole team of chefs. Her cooking movements are fluid and efficient, and the dishes she produces are consistently of high quality. No matter how many orders pile up, she can maintain a steady pace of service. Ai Yin didn't see Alex make a single mistake all afternoon.

"so amazing……"

Whether it's Ellie or Xiao Xiang.

With a soft sigh, Ai Yin picked up her phone and glanced at the time.

The next tram won't arrive for another few minutes.

"My legs are starting to ache..."

She pouted in frustration, put down her phone, bent down, and reached out her small hand to gently rub the delicate skin on her ankle.

My calves are actually quite tired, and I really want to massage them to relax, but that would be too unseemly. Even though I don't see anyone else at the station right now, Aine is still a little concerned about her image.

After I get home tonight and take a shower, I probably won't want to do anything but lie in bed and rest.

Fortunately, tomorrow is a holiday, so she can sleep in and recharge.

Then, should we come to see Ellie and the others again tomorrow afternoon?

Thinking of Ai Yin here, my thoughts paused.

She lowered her eyes, her gaze falling on a paper bag beside her.

Inside were the three chocolate gift boxes that Alex had given her today. Aine, who didn't want to open and eat them on the spot like Renai did, grabbed a paper bag from the burger shop to put them in and planned to take them home.

"Ugh... How embarrassing..."

Recalling the scene when Alex gave her chocolates, Aine couldn't help but cover her pretty cheeks, which were flushed pink, with her hands and let out a soft moan.

Her face flushed red with embarrassment. Not only were Xiangzi and Lena witnessing the whole thing, but she was also surrounded by so many people. Even if Alex herself didn't actually have any romantic feelings for him, she still agreed in front of everyone...

You said yes to my confession!

During the subsequent performances and when helping with chores, I was too busy to suppress these conflicting emotions for the time being.

Now that I've calmed down, the shame I felt has finally resurfaced.

That scene almost became a dark chapter in Aine's life.

She couldn't help but wonder how Xiangzi would see her, how Alex would see her, and how Lena would see her.

The scene kept replaying in her mind, and Aine almost wanted to travel back in time and pretend that it had never happened.

But she eventually had to face the cold reality.

What has already happened cannot be changed no matter what.

And... Ellie, did she always treat everyone the same way?

Taking a deep breath to suppress the shame, Aine recalled the three chocolates that Alex had given her and that she had given to Ronna, which were almost the same size. Judging from Shoko's expression, based on Alex's personality, she probably had a share of those chocolates as well.

So, you're not actually special, right?

She gently bit her lower lip, her voice slightly downcast, confirming the matter in her heart.

But how do you explain everything that happened on her way home the day before yesterday, and what Alex said to her?

A hint of confusion flickered in her light gray eyes; Aine seemed somewhat at a loss regarding the feelings Alex had expressed to her.

Since everyone is treated the same, why did he say to her that night, "My feelings for you are not the same"?

Why did you hold her face in your hands and say you wanted to see her and touch her?

And why, then, embrace her and feel her heartbeat in near sync?

Doesn't Alex know how foul she is by doing this?

"Seriously, this is outrageous..."

She pursed her lips, and under the light, the girl's blushing face was beautiful and charming.

"How could I not like it..."

But now that things have come to this, how should she face Alex?

Aine felt lost.

She took a deep breath, raised her head, and looked at the bright yellow streetlights.

The blinding light made Aine involuntarily close her eyes tightly, and then she calmed her somewhat unsteady heartbeat.

"Aha……"

Then, she yawned slightly again.

I don't know why, but I feel increasingly sleepy...

Speaking of which, why hasn't the tram arrived at the station yet after so long?

Thinking of picking up her phone to check how much time had passed, Ai Yin, sitting on the bench with her eyes slightly closed and her little head swaying, felt increasingly drowsy.

How about... I take a nap first?

The thought had barely surfaced in her mind when, before she could even judge its rationality, her consciousness began to blur.

Her little hand, reaching into her pocket to pull out her phone, suddenly lost its strength.

The pink-haired girl lowered her head and completely lost consciousness.

All that could be seen was a glimmer of silver light slowly emerging from beneath her neckline and onto her small chest.

It looks like a syringe-shaped mark.

…………

Volume 1: Chapter 148 No One Answers

Beneath the bustling Tokyo skyline, the night is a kaleidoscope of colors illuminated by neon lights. In the heart of the vibrant city, a sleek silver figure flashes by between the buildings.

A stunningly beautiful girl wielded a slender katana, leaping through the shadows. Her silver-white hair fluttered, and a pair of long rabbit ears could be vaguely seen, swaying above her head with her graceful movements.

At this time of day in Tokyo, people are finishing their dinner and preparing to start their nightlife.

Especially today, since it's Valentine's Day, quite a few couples chose to go out together, and after dinner, most of them will go see a movie.

This resulted in Alex running for more than ten minutes without finding a deserted place nearby.

As for witches and familiars, you can't even find a trace of them.

Because of her "monsterized" appearance and her movement style of flying around with a katana, Alex, who dared not show her face, had to be careful to avoid the gazes of passersby all the way.

Seeing that her monster transformation was about to end, she landed on the roof of a building, slowed down, took out a monster meat sushi, and ate it in a few bites.

The [Yokai Transformation] effect does significantly improve action efficiency. In this state, Alex is essentially equipped with a permanent buff that increases strength, speed, jump height, and health.

Combined with the high mobility of her sword, she can move faster than a train in the high-rise buildings of Tokyo.

The consumption of hunger points can be a bit excessive.

Thinking that she probably wouldn't be able to find the witch so soon tonight, Alex ate four monster meat sushi in one go, instantly extending her almost depleted [Yokai Transformation] duration by twenty minutes, and also maxing out her hunger and saturation levels.

Looking at the three-minute "Nourish" status bar, Alex thought for a moment. She walked to the edge of the rooftop and looked down from that angle. The pedestrians on the ground looked as tiny as ants and were difficult to see.

Opening the mini-map, Alex saw a dense array of unfamiliar faces, not a single red dot in sight.

Based on her understanding of witches' habits, she feared that even if witches were normally present, they would be scared away by so many people.

To find traces of familiars and witches, one would probably have to travel much further; at the very least, they wouldn't be found in a bustling city like Ikebukuro.

Come to think of it, tonight, while I was out searching for the witch, it seemed much quieter than usual.

"correct……"

Alex raised her eyes and examined the portraits on the minimap again, but couldn't find anything.

"Chubi? Are you nearby?"

She had no choice but to tentatively ask in a low voice.

"strangeness……"

But I received no reply.

Alex was a little confused, since every time she came out to patrol the area around the burger shop, Kewpie would always suddenly appear and strike up a conversation with her.

But why haven't I seen it all day?

It can't be that he took a day off for Valentine's Day and went on a date, right?

It wasn't that Alex wanted to see Kyubey; on the contrary, she found him quite annoying most of the time.

But the current situation seems somewhat abnormal.

While feeling slightly uncomfortable, Alex also felt a vague sense of unease.

"……never mind."

A moment later, Alex, still puzzled, stretched and rubbed her long ears. After thinking for a moment, she decided to run a little further in the direction in front of her to take a look.

Perfect timing, this seems to be the direction of Aine's house, right?

She recalled the night before last, when she accompanied Aine home, and the location where the two of them had parted ways.

On the minimap, that area is also a protruding patch, already visible in the darkness.

This means she had been to that area before.

Taking this opportunity, Alex felt she could take a stroll around the vicinity of Aine's house.

Although it wasn't very effective, it did help to eliminate some potential threats to Aine in the vicinity.

Once she had chosen a direction, Alex's movement speed was much faster than before.

Although it still involves observing the creatures appearing on the minimap while jumping between tall buildings.

However, she only glanced at it briefly, and after confirming that no red dots appeared on the map, she quickly moved on and stopped running around aimlessly to expand the exploration range of the minimap in search of deserted places.

That would more or less affect her travel efficiency.

A few minutes later, Alex arrived at the residential area after speeding along.

Compared to the bustling city center, this place is indeed much quieter; even on Valentine's Day, there are still not many people on the streets.

After all, at this time of day, unless you've just finished eating out and are heading home, you probably wouldn't choose to eat at home before going out.

First, take a walk around the area.

Although it's quiet here, it's only because people usually don't make much noise at night in their homes compared to commercial areas. Looking at the small map, there are still several avatars in each building, so given the density of the buildings, the number of people is actually quite large.

It's definitely not a place a witch would want to stay.

Using the narrow alleys between the houses to conceal her figure, Alex quickly expanded the observation range of this area on the minimap.

Just as she expected, there were no red dots at all.

Since we've come up empty-handed, let's take advantage of the early hour and run a little further.

To others, wandering around aimlessly might seem very strange.