Huohuo had prepared everything she possibly could to deal with ghosts and monsters.
Whether those preparations actually worked, however, was still up for debate.
Take her high-tech exorcism gadgets, for instance.
You couldn't say they were completely useless, but calling them effective would be a stretch.
In 'Huohuo's' eyes, they probably couldn't hold a candle to the paper talismans on her person or the spirit flag in her hand.
To make matters worse, Huohuo mentioned she'd dropped a fortune on them.
Even though every mission proved the gear was dead weight, Huohuo never had the guts to go back to the shop and ask for a refund. She was the textbook definition of "more money than sense."
As for Tail... well, the guy lived to see Huohuo suffer. Besides, the Ten-Lords Commission paid exceptionally well; Huohuo's spending habits weren't exactly going to land her on the streets.
So, Tail didn't bother interfering. Not only did he stay out of it, but he also stood by and mocked her relentlessly.
Listening to it all, 'Huohuo' could only press a hand to her forehead and sigh.
"This stuff isn't even as useful as your flag... You should return it all when we get back. That's a lot of credits."
"Uh..."
Huohuo hemmed and hawed, her head bobbing in a way that made it unclear if she was nodding or shaking it.
Beside her, Tail let out a sharp laugh.
"Hahaha! Return it? Her? If she actually dares to go back for a refund, I'll eat this junk whole."
"Ugh... Mr. Tail's right. I—I don't dare go back."
"It's fine. I'll go with you when the time comes."
This turn of events was, well, pretty much expected.
"Thank you, other me."
Huohuo's gratitude was genuinely heartfelt, though the way she said it made it sound like she was about to become a lingering spirit.
"Let's round up those Wubbaboos first."
"Right!"
Despite the idle chatter, Huohuo was still doing her job properly.
With the captured Wubbaboo leading the way, it took a bit of effort, but they eventually managed to track down and detain the few strays that had popped up out of nowhere.
Wubbaboos weren't aggressive, but they weren't exactly easy to talk to like the Heliobi, either. It was hard to tell what was going on in those little heads.
"Th-they're actually kind of cute."
Huohuo poked one of the captured Wubbaboos. She had no idea where the little things would end up.
Tail, meanwhile, was clicking his tongue in amazement—mostly shocked that anything could actually be this weak.
"Weak. Just pathetic. Not even enough for a snack."
Seeing Huohuo finish up the job, 'Huohuo' suddenly asked, "Are you heading to the Ten-Lords Commission first?"
"Yeah, I have to take them there to be sealed. A specialist will evaluate what to do with them. Though, it's my first time seeing Wubbaboos, so I'm not sure what Madam Hanya will decide."
After speaking, Huohuo looked at her other self and a realization suddenly hit her.
If she brought her other self to the Ten-Lords Commission... would she be arrested?
Actually, if the Commission found out about the existence of another 'her,' they'd definitely order an arrest, wouldn't they?
Definitely!
The thought immediately sent Huohuo into a spiral of anxiety. Even though they'd only just met, she felt like the other woman was a good person.
"U-Um—!"
Huohuo's voice trembled as she suddenly blurted it out, catching the other's attention.
"What is it?"
"Just, um, could you tell me... who exactly are you?"
Huohuo's eyes darted around, not daring to meet the other's gaze, but she forced the words out anyway.
As a person, she felt she could trust this other self. But as a Judge of the Ten-Lords Commission, she couldn't justify giving her complete trust to a total stranger based on a "feeling" alone.
If possible, she wanted to at least know who the woman was. Only then could she convince herself to keep today's events a secret from Madam Xueyi.
"So curious, are we~"
'Huohuo' suddenly leaned in close with a chuckle.
That unblinking stare made Huohuo's skin crawl, and the little fox began to shiver. After staring for a moment, 'Huohuo's' expression shifted into something slightly wicked.
"Aren't you afraid... I'll eat you up in one bite?~"
"Don't eat me! I'm too skinny, I won't taste good!"
Huohuo's ears and hair practically stood on end from the fright, and she immediately dropped into a defensive crouch, covering her head.
Then, Tail and 'Huohuo' both burst out laughing.
"Hahaha!"
"Bwahaha! This is killing me! Oh, man."
Crouched on the ground, Huohuo finally realized she'd been teased. She looked up pitifully at the two "villains," puffing out her cheeks and mumbling, unable to find the words.
Grinning, 'Huohuo' reached out to help the little fox up.
"I'm done teasing. My name is Bai Ming. I'm on pretty good terms with your General."
"Ugh... and you lied and said you were 'another me.'"
"Well, in a way, I am. Can you even tell the difference?"
'Huohuo' smiled and patted her head, smoothing down her ruffled hair and ears.
"Alright, go report in with the Wubbaboos. As for me, say something if you want, or don't. It's up to you. If you need to find me later, just message me on your phone."
As she spoke, 'Huohuo' caught a glimpse of a dark shadow flickering around the corner, causing the corners of her mouth to turn up slightly.
"Oh, okay..."
Huohuo's face flushed slightly as she looked at the new contact on her phone. She felt like she'd heard the name "Bai Ming" somewhere before, but for the life of her, she couldn't remember where.
"Hey, what are you going to do now?"
"I've got some business to handle. Don't worry, I won't go running around causing trouble with your face."
Having her secret worry called out made Huohuo's face turn even redder.
It wasn't that she was worried about her doing something "evil"—she was mostly terrified of her doing something flashy that would end up as a headline. For someone with social anxiety, the latter was a hundred times scarier than the former.
Flustered, Huohuo nodded. After a few tiny mumbles of agreement, she turned and left with the Wubbaboos.
'Huohuo' watched the little matcha cake disappear at the end of the road before turning toward the corner where the shadow had been.
When she rounded the corner, a pitch-black cat was sitting there, staring intently at 'Huohuo' without a word.
Its eyes were filled with resentment and accusation, its face the literal embodiment of a corporate slave's despair toward an endless working life.
Even knowing it was Elio, the sheer density of the aura of grievance made 'Huohuo' pull a rather complicated face.
"What? Look, for the record, I didn't steal your team members. Isn't Silver Wolf still on Punklorde? As for Firefly, if it comes down to it, I can always introduce you to Reveria."
"..."
Mentioning that only made Elio angrier.
Firefly was one thing—after all, the Iron Cavalry of Glamoth was doing alright now, and it wasn't like he was wishing for their total annihilation.
But as for Silver Wolf, Elio felt the woman was doing this on purpose!
"You have the nerve to say that? Originally, it would have taken Silver Wolf years before she wanted to leave Punklorde. By then, she'd be grown up and ready for the world. But now? I doubt she'll even last until she's ten on Punklorde at this rate! Do you expect me to recruit a ten-year-old into the Stellaron Hunters?!"
"..."
'Huohuo' gave him an awkward but polite smile. "If it really doesn't work out, I can just take her in."
"Then she really would be snatched away!!"
Elio immediately arched his back and hissed at 'Huohuo'.
Fortunately, since there were other matters at hand, Elio stopped hissing after a moment and regained his composure.
"Forget it. I didn't come here for that. I came to see you about something far more important—something regarding the very survival of the universe's future."
"What's so serious that you had to come in person? Couldn't you have just had Jingliu contact me?"
Elio shook his head. If he didn't handle this personally, he wouldn't be able to rest.
"Just a short while ago—specifically, at this exact moment—"
Elio displayed a very precise timestamp.
'Huohuo's' heart skipped a beat. Looking at that time... although she hadn't checked a clock, the most significant thing that happened that day was her complete fusion with the Light.
"At that moment, the future of the universe changed completely. I observed a world-line where Terminus either disappeared or withered away. I cannot see the future of that timeline. Do you know what that means?!"
Seeing Elio's excitement, 'Huohuo' raised an eyebrow. "What does it mean?"
"It means the Aeon of Finality no longer exists in that future! It might even mean the entire Path has been closed! It means that in that world-line, the crisis of the universe's end has been completely resolved!"
"..."
To be honest, while she knew the threat of Finality always loomed over the world, 'Huohuo'—being as young as she was—didn't really feel the weight of it.
She wasn't like Elio, who had traveled back against the flow of time and witnessed countless tragic endings.
For 'Huohuo,' it was good news, but she couldn't empathize with Elio's level of hyper-fixated hype.
"Isn't that a good thing? It's better than your previous options of picking the least-terrible ending from a pile of total annihilation."
"Yes! And that's exactly why I find it so strange! That world-line is clearly so wonderful, so perfect... so why won't it stabilize?!"
Elio's voice turned bewildered, tinged with a bit of teeth-gritting frustration.
"I can see that the divergence in that world-line happened because of something you did at that moment. But why did you stop? Because you stopped, that world-line can never stabilize. We can't even enter it!"
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL