84 Mazao reappears 2

I had imagined countless times the scene of my reunion with Mazao.

Maybe she would finally come around, deeming my strength sufficient to counter the disasters she brought with her, and feeling unable to cope with modern society, she would come to me famished for help; or perhaps I would trace her down from the clues I had already gathered, finding her wandering in the darkness of the outer world; or even more dramatically, I would find her just as she fell into peril and rescue her from the fire and water as if a god-sent soldier.

And, just like now, running into her who was also investigating the bizarre person on my way, naturally fell within the realm of my imagination.

But imagination is just imagination. When her figure actually burst into my field of vision, my heart still felt as if it had been unexpectedly struck by a bullet, and my brain plunged into a brief void under the impact of surprise.

Mazao appeared!