72: The big liar is back online.

Sato Shinsui jolted awake from a nightmare, his chest heaving violently, his heavy gasps sounding jarringly loud in the silent room.

He felt as if he had just struggled out of an abyss, with the lingering, faint pain of being crushed by the Toad Monster still on his body; the sensation of bones shattering remained so vivid that it made his skin crawl.

He looked around in confusion, the familiar wooden ceiling coming into view, and the faint scent of tatami mats permeated the air. This was indeed his room.

Before he could fully collect his thoughts, a cry full of surprise rang in his ears: "Brother! You're finally awake!" Immediately after, a soft body crashed into his arms, carrying the unique fragrance of a young girl.

Sato Shinsui subconsciously hugged her tight, feeling the girl's body trembling slightly in his arms.

He gradually focused his gaze and saw the face of the girl in his arms; it was his youngest sister, Sato Sakurako.

Tears shimmered in her clear eyes, sliding down like broken pearls, wetting his lapel.

"Sakurako, I'm okay now." Sato Shinsui comforted her softly, raising his rough palm to gently pat Sakurako's back to soothe her emotions.

Only then did he realize that, although his whole body was aching faintly, there were no wounds other than exhaustion.

He looked around in confusion; could everything really have been just a dream?

No!

Looking at Sakurako crying in his arms, Sato Shinsui could not possibly believe it was just a dream.

The commotion in the room seemed a bit loud, startling the people outside.

The wooden door was pushed open with a creak, and Sato Yoko and Sato Reiko quickly walked in.

When they saw Sato Shinsui sitting on the bed safe and sound, expressions of surprise appeared on their faces, and without a second thought, they rushed forward and hugged him tightly.

"Shinsui, you scared us to death!" Sato Yoko's voice carried a hint of a sob, and she hugged Sato Shinsui tightly, as if she wanted to embed him into her own flesh and blood.

"When you were brought back by Mr. Xiang covered in blood, we thought you... we thought you would never wake up again." Sato Reiko also said while sobbing, her tears soaking Sato Shinsui's clothes. The sisters' fervor left him feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Sato Shinsui keenly caught the information in Sato Reiko's words. Just then, a low but slightly gentle male voice came from outside the door: "Has Little Brother Shinsui woken up? Young Miss Yoko, Young Miss Reiko, Young Miss Sakurako, sorry, could I ask you to step out for a moment? I have something I would like to discuss with Little Brother Shinsui."

Sato Shinsui looked toward the sound and saw a plainly dressed man leaning against the doorway of the room, a faint smile hanging on the corner of his mouth, his gaze looking at him gently.

Sato Shinsui looked at the man before him, and fragments of memory flooded in like a tide, eventually freezing at the moment before he lost consciousness.

He truly confirmed that everything before was not a dream, but had actually happened.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but was interrupted by an action from the man.

The man held his index finger to his lips, the reassuring smile still lingering at the corners of his mouth, and said softly: "I know what you want to ask, but are you sure you want to discuss it in this situation?" His gaze swept over the three girls tightly hugging Sato Shinsui, then looked at Sato Shinsui again.

Sato Shinsui followed the man's gaze toward his sisters; their worried eyes and trembling shoulders were all telling of their concern for him.

His heart softened, and he gently patted their shoulders, saying softly: "Big sister, Reiko, Sakurako, please step out for a moment; I have some things to discuss with this gentleman."

The three sisters were obviously unwilling to leave; they held onto Sato Shinsui's hands tightly, their eyes full of anxiety.

Sato Yoko even asked directly: "Shinsui, what exactly happened? Do you know him? Will he hurt you?"

Sato Shinsui gave them a reassuring look and said in a firm tone: "Don't worry, I'm fine. There are some things I need to figure out, please go out and wait for me, okay?" Under Sato Shinsui's insistence, the three sisters finally left the room, looking back every few steps.

Only Sato Shinsui and the man remained in the room.

The man walked to the bedside, pulled up a chair, and sat down before slowly speaking: "Long time no see, Little Brother Shinsui. My name is Xiang Yan."

Sato Shinsui was stunned for a moment by the unusual name, but he quickly composed himself, looked straight into Xiang Yan's eyes, and asked in a deep voice: "What exactly happened to me? Am I... still human now?"

Xiang Yan did not answer his question directly but instead asked: "How much do you remember about what happened before?"

Sato Shinsui was silent for a moment, organized his thoughts, and said slowly: "I only remember being in a pure white space and meeting a figure shrouded in black mist... I sought power from him, and then... I turned into a Skeleton Monster and killed the Toad Monster... I don't remember anything after that."

After hearing his description, Xiang Yan nodded noncommittally, then took a crystal-clear crystal out of his pocket and tossed it to Sato Shinsui.

"This contains what happened after the Toad Monster died. Place it on your forehead, and you will be able to see it."

Sato Shinsui took the crystal; it was ice-cold to the touch, as if holding a piece of ice. He hesitated for a moment but still used it.

The cold sensation came from his forehead. Sato Shinsui closed his eyes, and the stream of information pouring from the crystal made his head ache as if it were splitting.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, removed the crystal from his forehead, and looked straight at Xiang Yan, his eyes extremely complex.

Without waiting for him to ask, Xiang Yan took the initiative: "Do you find it strange? The figure shrouded in black mist that you met in the pure white space is almost exactly the same as the one I turned into?"

Sato Shinsui was stunned; he didn't expect the other party to voluntarily mention this, but he still nodded slowly.

"Then, do you believe that Magical Girls really exist?" Xiang Yan suddenly changed the subject and asked a seemingly unrelated question.

The abrupt turn caught Sato Shinsui off guard, but he still answered truthfully: "I don't believe it. If there really were Magical Girls, so many people wouldn't die because of Monsters every year."

"No, you are wrong." Xiang Yan's tone was surprisingly firm, forming a sharp contrast with his gentle appearance. "Magical Girls do exist, and this is closely related to what you want to know."

Sato Shinsui frowned, even more confused.

Xiang Yan smiled slightly: "I am going to tell you a story. After you listen to it, most of your questions should be resolved."

Sato Shinsui nodded, signaling him to continue.

Xiang Yan cleared his throat and began his narration: "Hundreds of years ago, Magical Girls were still active on this land, fighting Monsters and protecting the people. But one day, a terrifying existence was suddenly born among the Monsters — the 'Monster Emperor'. This so-called Monster Emperor claimed to be the supreme ruler of all Monsters and possessed extremely terrifying power..."

Xiang Yan's voice was low and magnetic, drawing Sato Shinsui into a bizarre world.

He narrated the war between Magical Girls and Monsters, the rise of the Monster Emperor, and the eventual disappearance of the Magical Girls.

"...The Magical Girls feared that if they left, humans would no longer be able to resist the Monsters. So, before they disappeared, they captured and sealed the strongest and most potential-filled Monsters under the Monster Emperor, turning them into holy relics and hiding them in various corners of the land. People who obtain these holy relics, soak them with their blood, and possess a strong desire to protect can use these holy relics to turn into Monsters and fight against other Monsters. Such people are also known as Jinchuriki."

Xiang Yan paused and continued: "But under normal circumstances, Jinchuriki don't need to worry about turning into Monsters themselves, because after turning into a Monster, it is actually equivalent to wearing a layer of armor on one's body..."

"Wait," Sato Shinsui interrupted Xiang Yan's narration, "you mean..."

A mysterious smile curled at the corners of Xiang Yan's mouth: "That's right, you are the Jinchuriki I have chosen."

After hearing this, Sato Shinsui was silent for a long time. The room was so quiet that one could only hear the "tick-tock" sound of the old wall clock.

He gripped the crystal in his hand tightly, his knuckles turning white, as if he wanted to crush it.

Finally, he looked up, staring intensely at Xiang Yan, and asked in a low voice: "So, you... knowing full well that this pendant was a holy relic, you still gave it to me?"

Xiang Yan nodded calmly, without any intention of dodging, "Yes."

"Why?"

"Because you deserve to possess this power. I won't say it's because of your kindness, your courage, your sense of responsibility, or any bullshit like that. Choosing you is simply because you were the only person who helped me at that time, and that is all."

After a moment of silence, "Then the reason the Monsters were clearly targeting me is also because of this holy relic, right?"

Xiang Yan continued to nod in affirmation.

After hearing the answer, Sato Shinsui suddenly lost control of his emotions and demanded sternly: "So... you knew that the holy relic would attract Monsters, yet you still gave it to me? If... if my family had been by my side at that time... wouldn't they... wouldn't they have died too?! Wouldn't I have been... murdering the lives of my own family?!"