Tail was losing his mind.
Who was he? He was a Heliobus, a lonely spark of a blazing prairie fire!
You could defeat him, but you couldn't insult him by suggesting he'd ever bow to a spineless little slip of a girl!
The problem was, Tail's rage was useless.
The seal was rock-solid, and Huohuo's body was being pinned down by this strange person, preventing him from possessing her.
Aside from making a few extra tufts of flame sprout from that tail of hers, there wasn't a damn thing he could do.
"Who the hell are you? What's your angle? Why do you look exactly like her, right down to the flaming tail?"
The situation was firmly out of his hands.
After several attempts, Tail realized he was truly stuck. He couldn't even manage to off himself; he was completely out of options.
"Hmm... let's just say I'm doing this for kicks. I didn't expect Huohuo to pass out immediately, though."
'Huohuo' scratched her head awkwardly.
Looking at the girl still sprawled in her arms, she reached out and hoisted her up in a bridal carry, then found a clean spot by the roadside to sit down.
Tail watched this person's expression and listened to her tone. A bizarre thought began to take root in his mind, and he asked in a strange voice:
"...You didn't come here just to scare her, did you?"
"Pretty much."
'Huohuo' gave a bashful smile as she answered. Hearing such a sincere, heartfelt confession, Tail nearly fainted from pure irritation.
"I give up! How can someone in this world be so incredibly bored?!"
"You're one to talk."
"I'm doing this because I have to! I'm sealed—sealed, do you get it?! You think I enjoy tagging along with this girl?!"
Tail flatly refused to admit he was the same breed of person as the freak in front of him.
He liked scaring Huohuo because he couldn't do anything else.
If he could go out and snack on a couple of kids or swallow a few fellow Heliobi whole, he'd be doing that instead of wasting time on harmless pranks.
But the person in front of him was different.
Based on her reaction just now, this eerie individual clearly possessed immense power, yet she'd come all this way just to mess with someone for a laugh.
This person was the one who was truly, pathologically bored.
"If you like it so much, why don't you peel off the seal? We can swap places. You can be her tail, and I'll help stick the seal onto you."
"Nice try."
'Huohuo' rolled her eyes at Tail. The guy had some nerve, asking her to break the seal the moment she opened her mouth.
"Quit your yapping. I'm going to wake her up, or who knows how long she'll stay under."
With that, she let Huohuo's head rest on her lap and gently pressed her fingers against the girl's temples, massaging them.
The power of Remembrance flowed from her fingertips into Huohuo.
Normally, unlike those Memokeepers, 'Huohuo' rarely pried into the memories of others.
This time, she was using the power primarily to wake her up, but she still caught glimpses of Huohuo's past—and stumbled into one of her dreams.
In the dream, it seemed Huohuo had finally summoned the courage to hand her resignation to Hanya. It had been approved, and her departure was official.
Finally free from the monsters and ghosts she feared so much, Huohuo had returned to her little house with Tail. She'd made a clean sweep of every horror movie and anything remotely related to the supernatural.
Yet, Tail remained. It seemed Huohuo had never even considered throwing him out.
'Huohuo' smiled at the sight.
Even though Huohuo complained constantly, she had long since grown used to Tail's presence. If he were actually gone one day, she probably wouldn't know what to do with herself.
Watching the dreaming Huohuo imagine her beautiful future and wonder where she should apply for work next, 'Huohuo' appeared before her with a grin.
"Hi, Huohuo~"
"?"
Perhaps because it was a dream, Huohuo wasn't startled to see another version of herself. Instead, she studied the newcomer with curiosity.
"Another me? Those dark circles under your eyes are so heavy... Quitting was definitely the right choice."
Dream-Huohuo seemed much bolder. She took a couple of steps toward 'Huohuo' to get a better look, then sighed and rubbed her own eyes.
"I get it. You must be a reminder of how much the work at the Ten-Lords Commission has wrecked me. Don't worry, other me, I am absolutely, positively never going back!"
Huohuo grabbed her double's hands and squeezed them tight.
"When the time comes, I'll take you to Central Starskiff Haven to watch the skiffs all day long. We can do nothing at all, or... or we can play Celestial Jade! I heard it's really popular lately!"
"..."
Listening to this "matcha cake" girl's simple wishes and seeing that genuine smile, 'Huohuo' wore a very complicated expression.
She suddenly felt a strong urge to kidnap her.
"Do you really hate the work at the Ten-Lords Commission that much?"
Hearing her double ask this, Huohuo pursed her lips and shook her head.
"It's... it's not that I hate it... The pay is good, and Madam Hanya and Madam Xueyi are very kind to me..."
For Huohuo, the only downside of the job was that she—someone who was deathly afraid of Heliobi—was forced to handle Heliobi problems.
If only they'd give her any other position.
Unfortunately, because she had a powerful Heliobus like Tail sealed inside her, they had developed a miraculous, albeit strange, symbiotic relationship. In the entire Ten-Lords Commission, Huohuo was the most qualified to deal with such malevolent entities.
After all, not just anyone could coexist with a Heliobus, let alone have one willing to fight for them.
It wasn't so much the Commission exploiting an employee as it was a series of accidents revealing a trait that made Huohuo indispensable.
Huohuo knew this herself. That's why she often lamented that her "cursed fate" was all Tail's fault.
And she wasn't exactly wrong.
"It's just... making me deal with Heliobi is so mean! How is someone as scared as me supposed to handle them?!"
Since she figured this other self was just a manifestation of her subconscious, Huohuo took the rare opportunity to vent her grievances fluently.
'Huohuo' nodded along. The logic was sound.
But honestly, the Ten-Lords Commission wasn't necessarily holding her hostage. If Huohuo were truly dead-set on quitting or transferring, they probably wouldn't be that heartless.
As gifted as she was, the Commission wouldn't collapse without her.
The real reason she'd been in this position for over twenty years was, strictly speaking, because Huohuo was too terrified to actually ask for a transfer.
She never dared to hand in her resignation. When everyone sees a talented young Judge with a bright future, nobody is going to go out of their way to move her to the logistics department.
Thinking this, 'Huohuo' suddenly asked, "Have you ever actually asked Hanya or Xueyi for a transfer?"
Huohuo's face fell, and she shook her head vigorously.
"I... I wouldn't dare..."
Seeing this, 'Huohuo' smiled and reached out to pat the girl's head.
She didn't offer any advice; these things aren't fixed with a few words of encouragement. If it were that easy, the world wouldn't be full of people miserable at their jobs.
As her head was being patted, Huohuo seemed to realize something.
"Wait, that's not right? I remember I was on an investigation mission, and then I got scared..."
Memories started flooding back.
"Mr. Tail said it was a powerful enemy even he couldn't handle... I... I think I just fainted. Ah—that means I'm dreaming right now! I haven't quit at all! Waaaah, no way..."
As she remembered the truth, the dream began to dissolve.
Huohuo's lip trembled, and she burst into tears as her consciousness drifted away from the dreamscape.
"Other me, you go to work for me! It's too scary out there, waaaah..."
She instinctively reached out to her double for help, but she could only watch as the other girl gave a gentle smile and saw her off.
Then, the dream shattered.
Huohuo jolted awake, her eyes snapping open.
What met her gaze was a scene almost identical to her dream. A girl who looked exactly like her was looking down at her with that same gentle smile.
"..."
The overlap between reality and the dream left Huohuo completely dazed. She couldn't tell if she was awake or still dreaming.
In her confusion, she reached up and touched 'Huohuo's' cheek, giving it a little squeeze.
"Am... am I still dreaming? A dream within a dream?"
"Are you stupid? You're awake!"
Tail's voice rang out from behind her, but Huohuo didn't seem to register it.
"That's Mr. Tail's voice, but I must be dreaming. Otherwise, why would there be another me here?"
She kept poking and prodding, and it definitely felt like her own face. It was just that the smile was something she herself would never make. It was a perfect match for the girl in the dream.
That's what convinced Huohuo she was still asleep.
Eventually, Tail couldn't take it anymore. He released a small spark that floated onto the tip of Huohuo's nose and gave her a sharp singe.
"Ow, hot! Tail!!"
The sting brought Huohuo fully back to her senses. She tried to scramble up, but lost her balance and went rolling off 'Huohuo's' lap.
"Ow... that hurts. I really am awake?"
Rubbing her nose and her backside, Huohuo sat up on the ground. Then, she saw the other version of herself still sitting there, smiling.
"Gasp—"
Wasn't she awake?!
She felt the sting on her nose and the ache from rolling on the ground. It felt so real; she was definitely awake.
So why was there another her?!
It's a ghost!!
"Calm down! I'm not a ghost, don't you dare faint again!"
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL