21st Century Necromancer

This dinner was somewhat a torture for Minami; although the full crab cuisine was indeed delicious, facing Inomata Naoki, Minami simply had no appetite to enjoy the delicacies.

Finally, after enduring through the meal, Minami and Kohinata Kaori took the car driven by Qingdai and parted ways with Inomata Naoki and his group; only then did Minami's mood begin to relax.

Kohinata Kaori naturally noticed that Minami's mood was off, but having already known that there was something amiss between her and Inomata Naoki since the last time, Kohinata Kaori did not know how to advise her.

After all, Minami and she hadn't known each other for long, and although she knew Minami wasn't a bad girl, considering that Inomata Naoki and Tokairin Yuko were now happily together, Kohinata Kaori felt she could not find the words to encourage her in any way.

Yet, for Kohinata Kaori to persuade Minami to give up on Inomata Naoki was something she just couldn't bring herself to do.

In the end, Kohinata Kaori could only drop Minami off at her home, watching her slightly depressed mood with a sigh of frustration, saying nothing.

However, just because Kohinata Kaori said nothing didn't mean Minami wasn't thinking anything.

For Minami, the events that unfolded in her life hardly seemed fair.

Originally, it was her mother who was more severely injured in the car accident, so it was her mother whose injuries led to an untimely death, but the outcome turned out to be a body swap with her mother, with her being the one who died.

Barely resurrected, she thought she could lead a peaceful life with her father, but meeting a stranger at a wedding entangled her emotions in the taboo of life and death. Not only did Doctor Chen Yu and his wife come to warn her, but the Inari God also appeared in her family's shop.

This left Minami shocked, but at the same time, she also harbored an inexplicable sense of anticipation.

The focus on her own emotions, the fact that she had yet done nothing to already threaten the safety of the entire Human World, made Minami feel like the protagonist of a story, and it also created expectations towards Inomata Naoki.

What kind of love must it be to be considered taboo by the deities? Is he the one destined for me, and how will we fall in love? If I truly fall for him, will the world really end?

These questions bubbled up in Minami's mind, only to be pushed down again.

She didn't know the answers to these questions, but she understood that these weren't questions she should contemplate over.

Because only by not dwelling on them could she avoid developing feelings.

However, some things don't shift with her will, and love is certainly not something you can stop thinking about just by wanting to.

Besides, whether it was her or Inomata Naoki, they were already just pieces on a chessboard, their fates depended entirely on the player's moves, and they had no control over it themselves.

Minami was unaware that everything she experienced was orchestrated by Chen Yu, she simply thought it was all because she was a dead person who met the right person at the wrong time.

If I were still alive, perhaps there wouldn't be so many troubles, right?

Minami couldn't help telling herself this in her heart, thinking that maybe this would alleviate some of the gloom inside her.

But nothing could compare to the relief of finding a friend to confide in.

Minami had originally wanted to confide in Kohinata Kaori. Although she hadn't known Kohinata Kaori for very long, Minami had already come to regard her as a friend and was willing to open up about her secrets.

However, considering the relationship between Kohinata Kaori and Inomata Naoki, Minami eventually gave up on the idea, not wishing to put Kohinata Kaori in a difficult position.

Thus, it seemed Minami could no longer find anyone to share her worries with.

She didn't want to tell her father; her boss had only recently undergone surgery, and Minami couldn't bring herself to worry him at such a time.

As for Minami's other friends... Being someone who had been "dead" for over a decade, Minami had no other friends in Tokyo.

Back when she was still "alive," she indeed had classmates and friends, but due to that accident, she and her mother had switched bodies. Over the years, her old classmates and friends had become her mother's classmates and friends, and she herself had become unrecognizable to them.

Under such circumstances, Minami inexplicably thought of Jounouchi Hiromi.

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"Minami, what brought you to seek me out?" Jounouchi Hiromi, who had received Minami's request and had come to the small shop alone after work, looked toward Minami and asked her.

Because Jounouchi Hiromi had come straight from work, the small shop was still in preparation and hadn't opened.

After mentioning it to the busy boss in the kitchen, Minami took Jounouchi Hiromi to the shrine of the local guardian deity in the alley, then began to explain why she had sought her out.

Having listened patiently to Minami's outpouring, Jounouchi Hiromi, although already aware of the true situation from Doctor Chen Yu, couldn't help but feel sympathy for Minami.

Unfortunately, it was clear that Jounouchi Hiromi could not go against Doctor Chen Yu's wishes to help Minami.

But Minami's emotions still needed soothing and encouragement. After some thought, Jounouchi Hiromi asked her, "So what do you think about it yourself, Minami? Do you really like Inomata-kun?"

"I... don't like him," Minami pondered seriously before giving her answer. "Although you, Lord Inari, and Doctor Chen Yu have all said there's a matrimonial fate between him and me, up to this point, he has had a girlfriend, and nothing has happened between us. We're simply a little more familiar with each other than strangers, so how could I possibly have developed feelings for him?"

"Then why are you troubled? If you don't like him, surely there's no need to care so much, right?" Although Jounouchi Hiromi didn't want to contradict her husband's plans, she still hoped that Minami would not be deeply troubled.

However, Minami shook her head and replied, "My worry isn't whether I like him or not; it's because all of you say that we are fated, but this fate hasn't come to pass, so I'm questioning if perhaps you are all mistaken about us?"

Minami's words carried a considerable amount of resentment and for her, such matters were indeed distressing.

Hearing Minami's words, Jounouchi Hiromi was at a loss for how to respond for a moment. Though the answer to this question was not important—according to the schemes of Doctor Chen Yu and the Inari God, their goal could be achieved just by her and Inomata Naoki falling in love, regardless of whether they truly were fated – it didn't matter much.

Nevertheless, since Minami had asked, after some consideration, Jounouchi Hiromi said to her, "If that's the case, then I'll take you to someone who can confirm all of this for you."