Volume 3: High School Arc - Mirror Game
The human soul is so delicious… better than anything in the world.
However, endlessly eating it is impossible.
But these three people deserved to die, so at least I was quite satisfied with eating this way.
I quickly stripped away the unnecessary memories from these three thugs, then controlled their bodies to type their criminal confessions into text messages on their phones.
After that, I placed the phones by the river, and their bodies ‘threw themselves’ into a tributary of the moat, perfectly erasing the evidence, then turned and left through the other end of the alley.
“I am an anomaly… but determining who a person is isn’t simply based on the soul, you also have to look at the memories and the body. That being the case, I am now a ‘three-nots’.”
I am not Zhang Yiwei, because I only have Zhang Yiwei’s memories and dominant consciousness.
I am not Liu Yunyan either, because I only have her body—neither the soul nor the dominant consciousness is hers.
And I’m not purely an anomaly, because I have Zhang Yiwei’s dominant consciousness and Liu Yunyan’s body.
The body, soul, and memories are all different.
But if you ask me how to determine who someone is, it’s not mainly about the body or the soul—it’s about the consciousness.
Whoever holds the dominant consciousness of a body, that’s who they are.
The soul or whatever… what does it matter what it is?
The body or whatever… what does it matter whose it is?
Right now, I am Zhang Yiwei!!
Because the dominant consciousness is Zhang Yiwei’s, and I… am Zhang Yiwei!!
Yeah… such a simple question—why did I need to feast to finally understand it?
Could it be… the instincts of a foodie have soaked into my soul and consciousness?
Emmmmm.
Looks like I overthought it.
I am Zhang Yiwei, who cares if I’m an Evil Spirit Form, who cares if I’m Liu Yunyan!
I… am Zhang Yiwei! Right now, living in place of Liu Yunyan!
“Hss~ Hoo…”
I exhaled deeply, feeling my mind relax instantly.
Thinking too much… really doesn’t help.
I am Zhang Yiwei. Yes! I… am Zhang Yiwei…
I glanced back at the direction where the three vegetative bodies had been thrown into the river, then turned and stepped toward home.
At least to me, that villa is home now.
That night, I didn’t sleep.
Even though I kept telling myself in my heart “I am Zhang Yiwei,” I still completely lost sleep that night.
I could only hold the soft, fluffy Sha Ha in my arms, staring blankly at the ceiling.
I didn’t know if Sha Ha sensed my mood, but it never slept either, half-squinting its eyes and keeping me company.
And Jiaoza on the bird stand hanging from the bed canopy also widened its big Kazilan eyes and kept me company like that.
By the next day, I didn't even know what I was thinking.
My mind was a chaotic mess, but after a whole night, my emotions had calmed.
In the end, because the dominant consciousness was Zhang Yiwei’s, no matter how shocked I was, I couldn’t escape Zhang Yiwei’s thinking patterns.
And Zhang Yiwei… which is me now, is naturally a rather optimistic person.
Although I tend to think of the worst, every time something bad actually happens, I face it with a smile.
“Ohayou, milady, time to get up.”
Reina, being a traditional Japanese woman, was quite disciplined.
And since she didn’t need to do anything else, she always got up early.
Maybe because of the time we spent together, she gradually relaxed, realizing this home wasn’t some kind of dragon’s den or tiger’s lair.
So she no longer felt afraid.
‘Swish~ Swish~’
The automatic curtains slowly opened halfway.
The morning sunlight brightened the dim room.
“Mm…”
“Hmm? Milady… something feels different about you today?”
Normally, I’d lie in bed for a bit, but today I didn’t.
That may have tipped Reina off to something, though she could never possibly know what I was truly struggling with.
“Nothing’s different… I think, therefore I am.”
“Milady…”
Maybe she noticed my mood wasn’t great, so Reina looked at me with concern.
At least at this stage, I was someone she could rely on.
In this unfamiliar country, she woke up every day without seeing familiar faces or feeling familiar surroundings.
The only thing that gave her a bit of security was probably my fluent Japanese.
“I’m fine. Is breakfast ready?”
After a night of thinking, I had figured out many things.
Who am I… this question, actually isn’t that important.
Back then, I used to joke that I was an anomaly, but it was just a joke.
Now I realize, I never really believed that.
But when the truth stared me in the face, I was dumbfounded.
Still, I figured it out.
Just like the sentence I just said—I think… therefore I am.
Who the soul is, does it matter?
Whose body it is, does it matter?
What matters is the mind.
At least in this moment, I clearly know where my core lies.
I… am both Zhang Yiwei and Liu Yunyan.
So why not just keep living like this?
As for the future, let time decide.
But no matter what, I now have a final goal—
To find a way so that after death, my soul can return to that of a normal person, and not completely degenerate into an anomaly that devours other people’s souls.
“Ah~”
I stretched and yawned, and seeing the worry in Reina’s eyes, I smiled.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
Although I said that, I knew just how heavy my heart felt at the moment.
But life must go on.
At the very least, I was still alive right now.
I… was me.
Reflected in Reina’s pupils was my face, and that smile was the same expression I always wore.
“Yes, milady, breakfast is ready. This morning it’s milk oatmeal porridge and toast, plus a piece of snowflake beef steak.”
“Mm… let’s eat. By the way, the steak is medium-well, right?”
“Yes.”
Reina looked at me with an obviously nervous face, then showed a hint of a relaxed smile.
“The last time you made it well-done, it was terrible.”
“……”
Reina had a helpless look on her face.
“Xiao AI, dial landline number 1.”
I said to the room, then turned to glance at Reina.
“Bring me a set of casual clothes. I’m taking the day off today.”
“Yes, milady.”
Reina didn’t question it at all.
To her, I was now the master of this home, and correspondingly, her master as well.
She might worry about my condition, but she wouldn’t doubt any rational decision I made.
The call connected quickly, and a man’s slightly groggy voice came through.
“Yanyan, why are you calling so early today?”
“Dad, I want to take a day off.”
“Hm? Why?”
The voice on the other end became much clearer.
Obviously, Liu Wanqian had been woken up by what I said.
“I want to rest a bit.”
“Is the coursework too difficult?”
“No… I just feel a bit tired. I want to take a break.”
“…Alright then. I’ll let the school know. Get some rest, and remember to contact me immediately if anything happens, got it?”
“Yes, yes, yes…”
“…Hanging up.”
After reporting to Liu Wanqian, I picked up my phone and sent a message to Bai Juanjuan, telling her I was taking a rest today.
That girl replied immediately, telling me to rest well, and even asked if she should come by in the evening to check in.
I appreciated her kindness, but I had things to do tonight, so I naturally turned her down.
Just as I finished handling everything, Reina brought over the casual clothes.
My casual clothes were all the same style, so there was nothing to choose from—plain white underwear, a plain white long-sleeve T-shirt, and blue jeans. Simple.
I took off my pajamas and showered.
When I came out, Sha Ha was squatting at the bathroom door, with Jiaoza sprawled out on her head.
Reina was gone, along with the dirty laundry basket.
I changed into clean clothes, opened the door, and Jiaoza was standing on Sha Ha’s head as we made our way to the living room.
Seeing how well the big one and the little one matched, I was quite at ease.
But I was a bit worried that Jiaoza might poop on Sha Ha’s head.
“Yunyan, not going to school today?”
“Mm… I want to rest a bit. Did Reina tell you? Is her Chinese improving?”
Shao He, who was already sitting at the dining table, saw me come down from the second floor and immediately asked about what just happened.
To her, my actions probably weren’t surprising, just a bit curious maybe.
“She’s doing okay. She can say a few simple phrases now.”
Shao He answered, then glanced at Sha Ha.
At first, she wasn’t very interested in Sha Ha, but after spending time together recently, she had grown quite fond of her.
“Good morning, Sha Ha. Good morning, Jiaoza. Your food is over there.”
Watching Sha Ha enthusiastically join in, I smiled slightly and walked to the table.
Looking at the neatly arranged tableware and breakfast, I didn’t hold back and started eating right away.
Naturally, Shao He didn’t delay either.
Sha Ha stared eagerly from the side, and finally, under Shao He’s helpless smile, got a small piece of Wagyu steak.
Jiaoza also got a piece.
Jiaoza was still small, so it didn’t eat much.
“Morning, Yunyan~ Morning, Yunyan~”
While I was eating, a slightly stiff voice suddenly rang out from afar.
I turned my head and saw that the fully grown Little Grey was on the bird stand, being carried over by Reina.
Coming along was also Hai-chan, the gray-white Haidongqing.
“Take off Little Grey’s leash and Hai-chan’s blindfold and leash too. They won’t fly far when I’m home. Oh right, be careful when taking off Hai-chan’s blindfold. Hai-chan doesn’t do well with strangers.”
Usually, Reina took care of the pets at home.
She was okay with the others, but not Little Grey and Hai-chan.
Little Grey and Hai-chan only recognized me.
It’s just that they hadn’t come to rest in my room recently.
As for the two big cats, Lizi and Fat Orange, they were closer to Reina.
Wangcai was also wary of strangers, but over the past couple of days, he’d gotten more familiar with Reina.
Oh~ Wangcai was the Czech Wolfdog.