Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo

"Changan, what's wrong?"

As I proactively asked, I stepped out of the foyer ahead of him, briefly closing the front door behind me to prevent Mazao, who was hidden in the bedroom, from overhearing the specifics of our conversation.

Seeing that I had intentionally chosen the corridor of the apartment building as our conversing spot, my friend was a bit puzzled, but didn't question it. Instead, he started with some small talk, "I saw your text about taking a leave of absence from school. Are you feeling unwell, or is there some emergency? If it's a bad time, I can come back another day."

"It's fine, I just wasn't in the mood for class today," I brushed off the matter of the leave, steering the conversation back to his issues, "Let's talk about your problem first. You don't look well, and you specifically came to see me. Do you need my help with something?"

"Yes, there is something..." His attention was more easily drawn than usual, and he clearly had a lot on his mind, "This matter... I can only discuss it with you."

"Oh?" I perked up immediately, "Could it be..."

Before I could probe further, he straightforwardly admitted, "It's exactly what you're thinking."

I nodded, unsurprised.

I know all too well how I am viewed by friends and others. If there's a topic that specifically requires my consultation, it would only concern events of a ghostly nature.

However, while I often actively visited individuals involved in supernatural events, it was rare for someone to seek me out for consultation.

Moreover, the person seeking consultation this time was a friend. He wasn't someone lacking basic scientific knowledge or the type who would make up stories for fun. The clues coming from him were something I had to take seriously.

Thinking this, the words Mazao had just spoken suddenly echoed in my mind.

—I... am not like you; I am a Broom Star.

—People associated with me, those who get involved with me, always seem to get mixed up in bizarre events that can't be explained by common sense.

Wait a second, she had just mentioned all this, and now suddenly a ghostly matter presents itself at my doorstep. Could it really be her disaster-attracting power at work?

Could it possibly be this effective? That's almost like curing the disease... I mean, trouble never comes alone.

Or, could it simply be a coincidence?

To me, Mazao is an incredibly mysterious girl. If this situation indeed has some cause-and-effect connection with her, then I must elevate the seriousness of the situation to the highest level.

But, to be honest, without concrete evidence, even I can't fully take Mazao's "Broom Star Physique" claim seriously.

"Since you're free, why don't we head over to where I'm staying now?" my friend suggested.

Mazao was still in my house, and I didn't want to travel far.

"Can't we just talk about it here?"

"We can, but..." he hesitated, "this matter, unless you see it with your own eyes, you might not even believe me."

"Really..."

"Are you truly tied up with something urgent? If so, I can wait until you're free."

While saying this, he looked at me with eyes full of eager anticipation. If I rejected him here, he would surely be utterly disheartened.

I made a pausing gesture, "Give me a minute to think."

My friend had no choice but to wait patiently, while I pondered—

The original reason I wanted to get involved with Mazao was to uncover her hidden secrets, which she had already completely disclosed. So, one could say that half of my task was already resolved.

The other half was to verify the truth of what she had told me.

That is, to keep her around for a few days until she recovers enough to use her superpowers. Everything hinges on whether she can actually exhibit her superpowers. In other words, Mazao's matter had gone from being "urgent" to "not urgent."

I would have liked to monitor Mazao closely, but I couldn't possibly stay behind closed doors until her recovery—not, actually, why not? Dining could be solved with deliveries, and keeping the door firmly shut was wholly feasible, especially since I had the will to do so.

After much contemplation, though, I painfully made another decision.

"Let's go, we'll leave now."

"Great!" My friend was overjoyed.

"Just wait here for me, I'll go home and pack up quickly."

I asked my friend to wait outside while I went back inside, closed the door, and then went to the bedroom to inform Mazao that I had to step out briefly. Mazao didn't seem to connect her self-proclaimed "Broom Star Physique" with the rapidity of the situation and merely cautioned me to be careful. To prevent her from retrieving the handgun, I took a backpack with me, stashing the handgun deep inside it.

Mazao couldn't move freely at the moment, so I had no reason to worry she might leave while I was gone. However, care breeds chaos, and I still harbored irrational fears that she might run off. My outing with my friend also served another purpose.

Being alone reveals a person's most genuine and natural state. I wanted to see what kind of state Mazao would show in my house when I wasn't there.

For that, I needed to set up "surveillance cameras" in my own home.

Naturally, that kind of setup couldn't be arranged properly in such a short time without avoiding Mazao's detection, and besides, I'm not the type to keep hidden surveillance cameras around my house all the time.

So I had to use my superpower here.

Returning to the entrance, I turned and stretched out my finger towards the air.

As for what my superpower specifically is, let me keep you in suspense for now.

The power I possess isn't something so complex that it needs to be heavily concealed; on the contrary, this power might be very simple and common in the world of supernatural power users.

But next, my friend might take me to witness events related to supernatural phenomena, where this special power could come into play. In many fantasy stories, supernatural power users display their abilities while explaining their power settings to their targets—I kind of admire that scenario and would like to try it out when the time comes.

Here, I'll reveal just the "tip of the iceberg" of my power.

An orange light appeared at my fingertip, fluttering up into the air like a firefly. Then came the second, the third, the fourth...

A dozen "fireflies" fluttered one after another to every corner of the room.

These little things had a spiritual connection with me; they were my "eyes" when I wasn't around.

After making these arrangements, I turned, opened the door, and said to my friend waiting outside, "Sorry for the wait, let's go."

He was eager to start and descended the stairs with me, leaving the complex, moving towards his place of residence.

Silently, I sensed the scenes and sounds in my house through the "fireflies."

Strictly speaking, the information shared by the "fireflies" was not actual visual and auditory data, but more like uncontrolled imaginations depicting images and sounds in my consciousness.

Many people have experienced the climax scenes of a movie reappearing in their minds after watching it or a catchy song playing over in their heads after listening to it—it was kind of like that.

When I had just left, Mazao had shown no reaction, simply sitting silently on the bed to rest. As time passed, she seemed to become quite sure that I wouldn't return soon, and her placid expression quickly faded, replaced by a cold, numb look.

She immediately got out of bed, put on slippers, and slowly moved to the entrance, then opened the door and stepped out into the hallway to look around.

Was she planning to escape?

I was surprised when I thought about it and wanted to return immediately.

But before I could even turn around, she went back inside and casually closed the door behind her.

My friend noticed my troubled expression.

"Ah Cheng, what happened?"

"It's nothing, just suddenly felt like sneezing..."

I temporarily calmed my racing heart and continued to spy on the mysterious and beautiful girl, trying to interpret her every move.

Mazao was tense like a small stray dog recently adopted by strangers, looking around the room and occasionally turning suddenly to check the entrance, probably wary of my possible return.

She occasionally shuffled through nearby items, picking them up and then carefully placing them back, but it didn't seem like she was searching for something specific, just investigating my background.

Perhaps, not only to me was she a mystery, but in her eyes, I was also an enigmatic character.

Realizing this, I felt a bit of joy—had I also become a "mysterious character"?

Initially, her attitude towards me was very thorny, showing a clear resistance and aggressive stance. However, after I dealt with the police, she suddenly mellowed. I had wondered if it was my act of playing the good guy that had fooled her, but now I also came to understand.

The reason she became agreeable so suddenly was probably based on a very practical reason—I had a gun.

Yet, even from such a disadvantaged position, she never tried to ingratiate herself with me. Was it because of her extraordinary integrity or did she think such a drastic attitude change would make me dislike her?

At last, why had the police identified her as a serial killer?

Why, when I first found her, was she dressed in a patient's uniform, had she been staying in some hospital? Maybe she had escaped from a mental institution, and everything she told me was mere delusions?

I was no longer in a hurry to get the answers; there was plenty of time ahead, and I wanted to savor this unusual cohabitation experience.

-

My friend, with a heavy heart, led me to a nearby tea restaurant and we took a seat. I then turned my attention to him.

"To avoid potential misunderstandings that could arise later, I need to explain the whole story to you before showing you that thing," he said gravely.

"Go ahead," I gestured.

He started with a question, "You still remember where I live, right?"

"Yes, that house where someone died," I answered.