novelonline Chapter 978 The Last Routine 157
Chapter 978 The Last Routine 157
Chapter 978 The Last Routine 157
The Crimson Demon Clan Chief and some of the teachers, among others, became serious. In order to restore them to their original state, Kobayashi and the others stayed in the Crimson Demon Village to try to change their personalities.
However, the personalities of the Crimson Demon Clan members changed far beyond their expectations; for example—
"Hey everyone, are you going for a walk today? The weather's so nice, perfect for a picnic!"
"Oh, right. There seemed to be a huge explosion in the forest earlier. It's very dangerous, so please don't go near there."
"Also, monsters have been rampant around the village recently, so don't leave the village unnecessarily."
Several Crimson Demons gave them this advice. They had previously declared that only by going to slay these monsters could they be considered true Crimson Demons, but now they were telling them to be careful and not take any risks. The change was so drastic that Kobayashi couldn't process it at all. He could only nod silently and say, "Oh, thank you for telling me this."
Then the Crimson Demon Clan members left with smiles on their faces, as if they had done something good and were very happy.
Darkness watched the Crimson Demons gradually disappear into the distance, shrugged somewhat uncomfortably, and said, "I'm still not quite used to it. This feeling is hard to get used to."
“Chekra’s shop also displays ordinary dresses and shoes, and the clothes are all very ordinary…” Huihui sighed deeply, her voice filled with helplessness and pain, as she covered her head. “What has happened to this village…”
"Everyone must have suddenly become this strange after waking up this morning, right?" Aqua said, somewhat puzzled, while shrugging her hands. "Even if we continue investigating like this, we probably still won't know the reason."
What she said makes a lot of sense.
The reason why the Crimson Demons became like this is currently unknown. It could be a curse or something else. Of course, it's unlikely that they deliberately designed this method to play a prank, since the Crimson Demons are not the kind of people who can maintain their composure and hide their true nature.
"But the number of Crimson Demons becoming serious is increasing every day," Kobayashi said, equally puzzled and helpless. "I think there must be a reason—"
"Oh my god, I really can't believe it!!"
"Calm down, Miss Softie!"
the other side.
Yoyo was talking to Ruanhu, and seeing the two of them like this made Kobayashi and the others feel strange. Darkness quickly asked, "What's wrong, Ruanhu?"
"Everyone..." Youyou saw the group and, after composing herself, said, "Actually, we just went to the school."
"That Dongdonggu guy seems to spend a lot of time in the school library, probably because they recently changed the books." Ruanhu said with a sneer, sounding a bit angry and annoyed. "He reads all sorts of difficult books like economics and law, we can't talk to each other at all! He used to say he had a headache after reading just a couple of lines!"
"Hmm... I feel a slight resonance."
Kobayashi nodded in empathy.
Huihui was equally surprised and incredulous, whispering, "Two people who were once so in sync, have they really become like this...?"
"I didn't do it because I liked it!" she snorted softly, as if she were being arrogant and making excuses. "But, seeing Dongdonggu studying so diligently makes me feel really uncomfortable!"
"I actually think studying is pretty good."
Aqua said that.
"No!" she said softly but firmly, hands on her hips, "Because...because Dongdonggu—"
She recalled what happened back then.
That was when the two of them were eating at a small restaurant.
In her haste, Dongdonggu nearly burned her hand while holding the oden label, and she grimaced as she touched her ear.
"It hurts so much, it hurts so much—"
"Really, let it cool down before eating. You shouldn't eat oden so hastily."
"You're right. But I'm hungry... One, two, three, it's already cold, isn't it?" After shouting the slogan, Dongdonggu impatiently stretched out her hand again, screaming in pain from being burned once more, "It hurts! It hurts so much, it hurts so much—"
"Hehehe, Dongdonggu is really something..."
She covered her mouth and chuckled softly.
If it were just this once, then one could only say that Dongdonggu is a bit naive, but there have been many other times, and it's not just like that.
"Look at Huihui, a quill pen. If you're not happy about it, try taking it back." Dongdonggu proudly held up the quill pen in her hand to Huihui and said, "Without this, the next exam will be very difficult, right?"
"Aha……"
Huihui glanced at it dismissively and said, "If you want it, I'll give it to you. It's a cursed quill pen that will drain your life force in exchange for good grades in the exam. I wish you a smooth exam finish, Dongdonggu."
"Eh...?" Dongdonggu looked at the quill pen in her hand with a complicated expression, then handed it to Huihui with great hesitation, saying, "I don't need it anymore, here you go."
"Thank you." Huihui took the quill pen, then said casually, "However, what I said just now was just a lie."
"Eh? Eh? Eh—!" Dongdonggu cried out in surprise, shouting, "I... I've been tricked!?"
Some people said this with a sense of wanting to cry but having no tears.
That's right.
Dongdonggu is naturally naive, an idiot, and someone who doesn't actively seek knowledge—even though she's a highly intelligent Crimson Demon, she should still be considered an idiot!
"Haa." The soft, wistful sigh, tinged with melancholy and helplessness, ended the recollection. "Dongdonggu is really something. She's such a good kid... why does she have to study?!"
"A good kid?" Kobayashi twitched the corner of his mouth, then rolled his eyes and retorted after hearing the soft recollection, "He looks like a stupid kid no matter how you look at it...?"
He tried to put it as tactfully as possible.
"In short! Dongdonggu isn't stupid, that's just her nature! Studying economics and law is not Dongdonggu's thing!" The soft-spoken girl said this in a very offensive way. Also, didn't this girl just use the word "nature"? These Crimson Demons know perfectly well that they're being childish and annoying, yet they still refuse to repent.
Darkness was also somewhat puzzled, but still said, "Although I don't know what the situation is, it does sound very urgent."
“Because Miss Soft and Miss Winter Mushroom have always been good friends,” Youyou added.
This is true.
Among the Crimson Demon Clan, Huihui and Youyou are inseparable, while Ruanhuhu and Dongdonggu are similar to them. As for Yougouhui, she loves writing novels and is practically a shut-in.
"anyway."
Looking at the soft, cuddly thing, Huihui said with some sympathy, "Will you have to argue every time you meet from now on? If that's the case, why don't you consider a way to restore her to her original state?"
"I know!" Softie, of course, also wanted her good friend to return to normal, then looked at Kobayashi and asked, "Hey, Megumin, you guys have investigated, right? Do you already know why the Crimson Demon Clan is acting strangely?"
Hearing her question, Kobayashi shrugged, indicating she knew nothing about it, and said, "It suddenly turned out like this when I woke up this morning. I have absolutely no idea why it happened, and naturally, I have no idea what the reason is..."
Besides, he's not a member of the Crimson Demon Clan, and he wasn't in the Crimson Demon Village at the time, so it would be strange if he knew.
At this moment, Youyou timidly raised her hand and whispered, "According to what I've heard... it seems that some people have also said that they 'heard a mysterious and terrifying sound'... and then the next day, it seems that this is how it turned out."
Darkness raised an eyebrow and said, "Is it someone who harbors resentment towards the Crimson Demon Clan? Who cast the curse?"
After she finished speaking, she looked at Aqua.
As the team's most powerful priestess and goddess, if it were a curse, it should have been easily lifted by the opponent...
“But this isn’t a curse.” Aqua also shrugged, indicating her helplessness, and said, “Because it was the goddess who said it, it can’t be wrong. The Crimson Demon Clan became like this not because of a curse.”
"Ultimately, what exactly is this curse that makes people serious?"
Xiaolin twitched the corner of her mouth.
What kind of curse is this? It just sounds like nonsense from someone who's been tormented by the Crimson Demons and is hoping someone will punish them and make the Crimson Demons behave properly.
Softie was also a little confused and said, "Besides, holding a grudge against us? How could that be!"
“That’s right!” Huihui echoed, shouting, “We’re the proud Crimson Demon Clan, you know! Are you saying we offended someone, when, where, or who?”
"Uh..." X3
Darkness, Kobayashi, and Aqua stared at Megumin with speechless expressions, and even the soft-spoken girl was affected by their stares.
Huihui involuntarily took a step back, and said in a slightly frightened voice, "What's going on? Why are people looking at us like that!"
"Huihui, you didn't do something bad, did you?"
"What are you talking about, all soft and cuddly! I always adhere to the standards of the Crimson Demon Clan and am the most outstanding Crimson Demon Clan member!"
"That's good."
No, no, no, it's precisely because you're too much of a Crimson Demon, even the Crimson Demon among Crimson Demons, that we're so helpless.
“…Ah, right!” Aqua suddenly clapped her hands, as if she had thought of a good idea, and said with a smile, “If a person changes, how about trying to knock them on the head?”
"What do you mean?"
"You see, when Alice lost her memory, a falling shard hit her on the head, and then she regained her memory, right?"
I remember now. Alice lost her memory for some reason, but regained it after a piece of debris hit her head.
"That's true..."
"This time is different from that time, isn't it?"
“This time it’s not just simple memory loss, but their personalities have changed too. Or rather, they still remember what happened before. Otherwise, the Guild wouldn’t have burned their previous drafts, Chekra wouldn’t have destroyed the clothes they made before, and Megumin’s father wouldn’t have changed the way magical items are made.”
Kobayashi said this.
"really……"
Everyone nodded slightly, agreeing with Kobayashi's explanation. It seemed more like a personality change than amnesia; otherwise, she wouldn't have her previous memories.
however--
"Since we don't have any clues, maybe we can try it on Dongdonggu."
Soft and fluffy suddenly said that.
Huihui chimed in, "If all goes well, it might become a clue to healing the other Crimson Demons."
“Okay! Dongdong has been reading thick books that look like picture books lately... Perfect, let’s tap it with the corner of that book!” Ruanhu made up her mind, as if she absolutely had to do it.
Youyou immediately let out a soft scream of excitement.
"Th-that kind of knocking!? Seriously!?"
"While we're talking like this, that child's head is crammed with unnecessary knowledge!" The soft-spoken girl, seemingly obsessed with Dongdonggu becoming smarter, said, "Good things shouldn't be delayed, I'm going now...!"
Just how much does she not want Dongdonggu to become smart? Seriously, does that stupid attribute have to be retained, or does she hope the other person is stupid so that she can highlight her own intelligence?
"Wait, wait a minute! Miss Softie!" Youyou shouted hurriedly towards Softie as she walked away, "If you break it, someone will die!" and then chased after her.
"This is bad." Darkness watched the two leave one after the other and said to Kobayashi and the others, "It's better to stop it before it happens. Let's hurry and catch up with them."
Then Kobayashi and his group followed.
However, the scenario she had envisioned—a soft, reckless girl hitting her best friend on the head with the corner of a book—did not happen. She was stopped by Youyou halfway there.
"Let go of me!" The soft, squirrel-like creature tried to break free from Youyou's embrace, shouting, "I'm going to hit her! Hit Dongdonggu's head! I need to kick all the knowledge crammed into her out!"
"Calm down!" Youyou clung to her tightly, shouting, "What if you forget important memories because you hit so hard?!"
"For Dongdong mushrooms right now, this level is just right...!"
"The objective has changed!? This is a complete mess..."
Youyou tried to dissuade her.
Huihui, equally concerned, spoke up, advising, "Yes! Do you really want your friendship to crack? Think about what your friends think."
"Those Crimson Demons are really..." Kobayashi sighed, pressing his fingers against her soft neck, "Freeze!"
"Wow ah ah ah!!!"
The soft-spoken girl immediately started shouting and yelling. She glared angrily at Kobayashi and demanded loudly, "Hey, what are you doing to a girl's neck?!"
"Calm down!" Kobayashi pressed her head down and said, "Isn't there a safer way than hitting someone?"
"A safe approach...?"
"Look. Things that hold memories—food, clothes… and so on. Everyone has those, right?" Kobayashi shrugged and said, "I've seen several people revert to their original state under this kind of stimulation."
Although it's only in movies and animations, it should be quite practical in real life, right?
“I see…” Darkness pondered, “So, all we need to do is show her things that contain memories?”
"This is it!" Youyou shouted excitedly, "Miss Softie, is there anything that will remind Miss Dongdonggu of the past as soon as she sees it?!"
(End of this chapter)