Chapter 126: I am Your Shadow

Wearing a cold mask, Kirigaya Nuo transformed herself into a shadow behind the teenager.

Sometimes she stopped in front of convenience store windows, pretending to look at goods, but her peripheral vision firmly locked onto that figure.

Sometimes she turned sideways to let pedestrians pass, keeping her pace and rhythm consistent with the teenager, like some kind of silent co-dance...

These were all skills branded into her instincts by the Crescent Group's rigorous training, instinctively simulating the cover movements of an intelligence agent.

At this moment, however, they were used by her to complete a gentle "escort."

She watched him walk into a convenience store and buy the cheapest tuna onigiri and a bottle of mineral water.

Watched him walk to a small pocket park not far away, sit on a bench, and while eating the onigiri in small bites, dig out a travel guidebook from his backpack, frowning and carefully comparing it with the mobile map.

Xu Yunzhou supported his forehead, his tone carrying a bit of reminiscing about the past, not knowing whether to laugh or cry:

"I remember now... the 'me' at this time, went to the wrong branch of a chain hotel with the same name... truly, stupid enough."

His voice suddenly stopped abruptly.

Because he instantly understood, that hotel mix-up incident that troubled him for more than half the night back then, and was finally "luckily" resolved, turned out to not be accidental.

It was this girl silently following behind the teenager at this moment who quietly extended a helping hand.

He actually passed by this girl—who would be tightly entangled with his destiny ten years later—on the streets of Edo during his ignorant and unknowing seventeen-year-old days.

Yet remained completely oblivious.

Close at hand, yet worlds apart.

As expected.

After the teenager finished his simple dinner, dragging his suitcase, his footsteps walked somewhat hesitantly toward another direction.

Walking for nearly twenty minutes, he arrived in front of a business hotel that looked quite aged.

Front desk.

The teenager took a deep breath and stepped forward.

The general fluency of English in Nihon was not as high as he had imagined, and a communication barrier quickly arose.

He had to take out his phone, bring up the translation software, and simultaneously use anxious gestures, trying to explain his situation.

The lady at the front desk with exquisite makeup maintained a standard professional smile, but a bit of unhideable impatience clearly showed in her eyes.

She just shook her head firmly, repeating in clear, slowed-down Japanese:

"Very sorry, sir, we cannot find your reservation record."

The confusion on the teenager's face completely turned into anxiety, and even a trace of undetectable panic flashed by.

He subconsciously touched the shriveled wallet in his pants pocket...

The cash inside, after paying for the round-trip flight tickets and preparing for the miscellaneous expenses of the next few days, was obviously not abundant.

Ultimately, the teenager could only drag his heavy suitcase, turn around and walk out the automatic glass doors, and stand back by the roadside.

The evening lights were just coming on, the night of Edo bustling and cold.

He stood on the completely unfamiliar street of a foreign country, language barrier, booked accommodation turned into bubbles, phone on the verge of shutting down, night gradually sinking...

That blank helplessness, as well as the unique forcing oneself to be strong of a teenager unwilling to completely show weakness in front of others, clearly fell into the eyes of Kirigaya Nuo in the shadows not far away.

Her heart seemed to be gently pricked by fine needles.

Then, she walked out from the shadows and went straight to that hotel.

She didn't take off her mask, but her eyes and posture were already different.

She walked to the front desk and said to the staff:

"Sorry to disturb you. I am the local reception staff from JBC Travel Agency. Regarding this Mr. Xu's reservation, an information synchronization delay error occurred in our internal system, causing trouble for your esteemed hotel and the guest.

We are very sorry. It has now been urgently processed and the reservation information should have been updated. Could you please confirm again."

The front desk staff blanked for a moment, and found that the reservation information actually really refreshed on the computer.

"Ah! This... truly very sorry!"

The attitude of the front desk lady underwent a 180-degree turn. She hurriedly stood up, bowed slightly toward Kirigaya Nuo, and then quickly trotted out the hotel door.

Outside, the teenager was still standing by the roadside, watching his phone screen go completely black, the last trace of calmness on his face about to fall off.

"Mr. Xu! Mr. Xu!"

The front desk lady ran up to him, her tone enthusiastic and apologetic,

"Very, very sorry! A delay occurred in our hotel system's reception! Your reservation is valid, and the room has been prepared for you. Sorry to keep you waiting! This is your room card, please keep it safe!"

The teenager took that room card that suddenly appeared. His face still carried the ignorance and disbelief of "What happened? The problem is just... solved like this?"

Then he glanced at the masked girl brushing past him.

He didn't know that it was the other party who helped him re-place the order and book the room.

He just... habitually took an extra glance at the girl wearing a mask.

This habit started many years ago, in a certain blurry summer carrying the scent of gardenias.

Deep in his mind, that tall and gentle shadow who handed him a silver ornament in the old days flashed by.

This one before his eyes...

The teenager silently compared heights in his heart.

Mhm, not her.

Not that tall, and the temperament is completely different.

That shadow in memory was more gentle and graceful, while this one before his eyes, even just looking at the back, revealed a cold, unapproachable edge.

But for some unknown reason, he still took an extra glance at that back profile.

The girl's figure quickly merged into the light and shadow woven by the streetlamps and disappeared.

...

Late at night, all sounds were silent.

The hotel corridor was paved with thick carpets, absorbing all footsteps.

A shadow silently slid past the blind spot of the surveillance camera and stopped in front of a certain guest room door.

The door lock was a common electronic combination lock.

The shadow raised a hand. A non-standard data probe smaller than a fingernail was attached.

No alarm, no abnormal sound.

The room door silently slid open.

The shadow went in, and the room door immediately closed, fitting tightly, as if it had never been opened.

Inside the room.

The curtains were drawn tight, the air filled with the unique smell of hotel cleaning agents.

Xu Nuo stood in the shadows of the entryway, quietly looking at the person sleeping soundly on the bed.

The teenager was lying sideways, his breathing even. His face looked exceptionally soft under the faint light, completely unguarded.

She just stood like thas, quietly, looking for a long, long time.

Time seemed to lose its meaning; only the teenager's steady breathing sound undulated regularly in the silence.

Finally.

She extremely slowly, almost piously, moved her footsteps.

Walked to the bedside, and then, gently sat to the side.

Making her line of sight level with the sleeping teenager on the bed.

The distance was close enough to see his slender eyelashes clearly, to feel the slight airflow brought by his breathing.

"Teacher, I like him."

Xu Nuo said softly in her mind.

Xu Yunzhou fell silent for a moment, his voice gentle:

"He will also like you."

Receiving a response, Xu Nuo leaned forward slightly, gently resting her masked side profile against the teenager's chest.

Thump... thump... thump...

The steady and powerful beating sound of the young heart transmitted clearly through the chest cavity to her ears, her cheeks, her nerve endings.

That was a vibrant, warm rhythm of life belonging to the "present."

She closed her eyes, immersing herself in this reassuring sound for a moment.

Then, she raised her head, looked at Xu Yunzhou's projection in the void again, and asked cautiously:

"Teacher..."

"Mhm?"

"When... exactly... did you have your accident?"

Xu Yunzhou blanked, not understanding for a moment where this abrupt question came from.

Xu Nuo continued asking:

"Teacher, you found me, helped me, nurtured me. Is it because... at some time in the future, you will encounter danger? Do you need me at that time... to protect you?"

Xu Yunzhou understood.

As expected, Xu Nuo still treated him as a ghost—a ghost who transmigrated back from the future, whose goal is exactly to nurture an assassin to save his future self who is about to have an accident?

After all, his future self and current self appearing at the same time, plus Xu Nuo's consistent belief that there are no unprovoked gifts in the world, coming to this conclusion is indeed very reasonable.

So reasonable that it made him feel both heartache and somewhat not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

But he didn't explain either, instead softly asking back:

"If it really is like that... Ah Nuo, are you really willing, to protect me, and the important people by my side?"

Almost without any hesitation.

In the darkness, Xu Nuo forcefully, heavily nodded her head.

"I am willing."

Her voice was clear and low, every word resounding loudly,

"I am willing to use my life to exchange for your safety. And... the safety of those people you care about."