Chapter 22: Within the Mirror of Deep Love (3)

The entity known as the "Mirror Maiden" was wandering through the world behind the mirror.
She felt utterly bewildered by the man she had just encountered. She had never seen such a reaction before. Previous men either smiled upon seeing her, or offered sacrifices accompanied by a mix of threats and entreaties before leaving. Never had anyone communicated with her in a consultative tone like today.
Listening to that man’s words actually made her feel somewhat ashamed. He was right; they had no grievance between them, so why resort to haunting and harming people merely for selfish gain... How disgraceful that thought was! It was just like a thief from a storybook, and as a maiden, how could she think like that...
"Ah..." How bizarre. She, it, wasn't even human. How could she harbor such notions? Was it because she had slept too long? That must be it, she had slept for far too long. "Ah." She made up her mind. Even if that man failed to find a sacrifice, she would just tease him a little and then leave. Afterward, she would go back to sleep for a while. A short slumber would set everything right.
"Ah!"
She stopped. She saw another man—the very same man who had smiled at her this morning. But that was impossible; this was the world behind the mirror, and humans could not enter.
"Fou-nd-you-!" A girl she had never seen before peeked out from behind the man. "It really is the Mirror Maiden, what good luck!" The girl waved with a smile, and suddenly, her body refused to obey her. She walked forward involuntarily, standing right behind the girl. "Such a good girl, such a good girl, it should be like this." The girl lifted her skirt and spun around in place. "The world in the mirror belongs to Seventeen, and everything in the mirror must obey Seventeen's command! Come, follow me to find Big Sister-大人!"
An emotion akin to terror chilled her to the bone. This girl also possessed the power of a deity... She was a living god!
·
Gongsun Ce sprayed a puff of inhibitor into his mouth and asked, "By the way, Miss Rina, what exactly does a living god refer to?"
"Deities earn people's respect because they possess abilities beyond human comprehension. So, what if a human appears who wields extraordinary power?"
After finishing their meal, the trio strolled down the town streets. Rina mentioned she needed to purchase materials required for subduing the Mirror Maiden, and was picking through items at a roadside stall while answering the esper's questions.
"So they become gods manifest in human form... I see." Gongsun Ce looked thoughtful. "In Reito, 'living god' is just another term for a Changfa-master."
Espers had only emerged a decade ago, and the term "living god" clearly did not originate in the modern era. It could only refer to the long-standing Changfa-masters.
"Tch, calling someone a god just because they're powerful." Shigure Rei once again wore a dismissive expression. She believed strength wasn't the sole reason; there might be some deeper underlying cause for the title of living god.
It wasn't that Gongsun Ce placed blind trust in foreign religions, but a certain middle-aged painter had told him to have an "overseas expert" tutor him. He figured that no matter how outrageous Yan Qi was, he wouldn't send him to study under the Martial Alliance, the Vanguard, or Shigure Gendoya; studying under someone from the Seven Luminaries Shinto seemed the most logical path.
Rina's tone of voice was familiarly casual, much like Yan Qi's, so perhaps he should find time to learn from her later. He looked toward the young miko, who was holding two wooden combs, looking quite troubled.
"Mr. Gongsun, which one do you think is suitable?"
"Personally, I don't think either suits you, Miss Rina. You'd look better with a more fashionable style."
The hooded miko stared at him in speechlessness.
"I meant as a sacrifice for the Mirror Maiden."
...Oh no, he had instinctively assumed she was buying something for herself. He hoped she wouldn't mistake him for one of those flirty guys who hit on women at every opportunity!
·
Rina ultimately chose an old-fashioned comb and a hair tie. They then hurried to a cosmetic store to purchase perfume, foundation, eyebrow pencils, lipstick, and other makeup supplies, along with a small mirror.
"Would a faceless female ghost with black teeth want these things?"
"She would~ The best way to calm the Mirror Maiden is to offer items used by women for grooming and dressing up."
The three of them sought out an empty alley. Rina flicked her wrist, conjuring a palm-sized piece of white paper out of thin air.
"Let me set up the area briefly." She fished a pen from her pocket, drew a square on the paper, and then drew a circle inside the square. She stuck this diagram—which resembled an introductory middle school geometry lesson—against the wall. "This way, nosy onlookers won't come near." Then she conjured another piece of paper, drawing a pear-shaped geometric figure resembling a diamond. "And then use this to summon the Mirror Maiden... Ah, do I need to explain?"
The baffled esper looked toward his reliable partner, and Shigure Rei explained, "The first one is the Brahma-phase rune, used to disperse or attract casual bystanders within a certain spatial range. The diamond-shaped one is the Void-phase rune, and its function is to provide attraction and a sense of fulfillment."
The convenient dispersion rune was one thing, but what did the fulfillment of the Void-phase mean...?
"It makes your mood improve slightly after looking at it." Shigure Rei added, "In other words, it makes people happy."
The runes of the other phases were practical functions like energy detection, lowering presence, or dispersing bystanders, and at worst, a silent zone capable of suppressing dust explosions. Why on earth did the Void-phase produce something so completely out of style?
It was like finding a pink, fluffy little rabbit standing on a wooden stump in the middle of a group of ferocious, hardened espers, holding a small sign that read, "Pet me to bring a good day's mood."
*I find it hard to associate this rune with Master Wildfire's Void-phase arts.*
"The Serenity-phase rune is just a silence barrier, and it has nothing to do with those bizarre Serenity-phase arts," Shigure Rei waved a hand. "If you want to learn Changfa, don't overthink it; as long as it works, it works. If you waste time researching its underlying principles, you might as well join the harmonious and loving Mad Dragon Corps."
While they spoke, Rina had finished setting up the simple altar. She laid a layer of white paper on the stone steps, placed the mirror on top of it, arranged the newly bought cosmetics and combs in front of the mirror, and then conjured yet another piece of paper. The young miko made a sweeping gesture, and the white paper automatically rolled into the shape of a rope, from which several diamond-shaped paper streamers hung down.
"I am a Void-phase master. Lacking a formal shimenawa, I'll just make do with Changfa for now."
Rina tied the paper shimenawa across the entrance of the alley, explaining that this was a ritual to establish a boundary. After finishing, she pointed to the mirror. "Please go ahead, Mr. Gongsun. Look into the mirror and say, 'I've found what you're looking for,' and Lady Mirror Maiden will respond shortly."
It felt like some bizarre ritual popular among middle and high school students. Gongsun Ce muttered inwardly as he squatted in front of the mirror, pressed his palms together, and said, "Domo, unknown lady. I'm the one you met in the restroom, and I've found what you were looking for."
He waited quietly for a moment. In a blur of motion, the disheveled woman appeared in the mirror once more, uttering "Ah, ah" sounds. The esper held up the comb and cosmetics: "Look, these are what you wanted, right?"
"Ah..." The Mirror Maiden reached forward, pressing her hands against the mirror's surface. "This...!" She let out an unintelligible sigh. The woman in the mirror picked up the comb from within the reflection, swept it through her hair, and once again revealed her true visage.
This time, the Mirror Maiden's facial features had changed. Features appeared on her flat face—first a nose, then black eyes, and even her teeth turned white. Yet the longer Gongsun Ce looked, the more wrong it felt, because those facial features looked somewhat familiar.
They looked every bit like... his own eyes!
"—!"
Gongsun Ce's heart sank. His first instinct was to issue a warning, but his mouth snapped shut. "The Mirror Maiden is gone, this should be fine now." His body spoke without his control, acting entirely as if he were being manipulated by someone else!
Neither psychokinesis nor white matter could be summoned, and even control over his own physical body was lost. His body stood up from in front of the mirror, while the Mirror Maiden retreated to the edge of the glass. At the very last second before she turned back, Gongsun Ce glanced at the ground within the reflection.
The sunlight spilling into the alley cast shadows beside the Mirror Maiden. A tall, slender figure, a bulky figure, and yet another short figure...
Gongsun Ce realized it instantly. There were three shadows. Hidden behind the Mirror Maiden were two more people!
·
"The Mirror Maiden is gone, this should be fine now."
The grey-haired young man held the mirror in his hand, turning it around to show his companions. The reflection showed no trace of the lurking woman.
"That was fast," Rina muttered. "Could it be that she was scared of you? Hey, what did Lady Mirror Maiden take?"
"She took the comb and foundation, tidied herself up in a hurry, and left." The grey-haired young man said with a smile, "The introverted deity became even prettier after dressing up, truly amazing."
"Uhm..." Rina stepped back in silence, chilled by this perverted remark. The man actually praised a faceless, black-toothed woman as pretty; truly, people from the big city had extraordinary tastes.
The grey-haired young man stretched lazily, "Since the deity of concealment is dealt with, we still have some time before the train departs. What should we do?" He looked toward the blue-haired female hunter, who pointed out toward the street and said, "How about we split up? Rina and I will go shopping, and as for you, you can take this opportunity to go to the bookstore and buy weird books."
"Hey! What are you saying in front of a high school girl, you jerk!" The grey-haired young man was the first to retort, while Shigure Rei approached with a wicked grin, "So what? You guys coming to Reito all surely want to visit brothels and adult bookstores anyway...!"
Before he could finish, Shigure Rei grabbed the grey-haired young man by the throat and slammed her teammate straight into the wall!
Gongsun Ce's body let out a muffled thud upon impact. Shigure Rei stared at that familiar face and said coldly, "Izumo Rina, go check the mirror."
"What's g—Ah!" Rina caught on. Gongsun Ce had no reason to praise that monstrous woman as pretty; there were unbreakable limitations between him and Alice, yet Gongsun Ce hadn't argued against "splitting up." Something must have gone wrong with him!
"The Mirror Maiden doesn't have the ability to manipulate humans." "Then it's—Dodge!" Rina rolled away from the spot just as an invisible force smashed a massive crater into the ground where she had stood—it was Gongsun Ce's psychokinesis!
"Hehehehe..." The restrained grey-haired young man suddenly let out an eerie laugh. "How impressive, Big Sister-大人. In less than half a minute, the disguise was seen through. I understand, I understand." Despite being a grown man, he spoke with the shrill, high-pitched voice of a little girl! "Big Sister-大人, you must be very close to this man... It must, must, must be because of him that you left our side!"
Goosebumps broke out all over Shigure Rei's neck. That tone of voice reminded her of a certain Shigure whose wires were permanently crossed in her brain. "Please look at me, Big Sister-大人!" The controlled Gongsun Ce was still speaking, and without missing a beat, Shigure Rei drew a demon-slaying arrow and fired it directly at the fallen mirror on the ground.
"Stop, Hunter." But the short arrow was snatched out of midair by Rina. "Look at the mirror."
The mirror lying on the ground reflected the faces of three people: Gongsun Ce being pinned against the wall by the throat, the Mirror Maiden hanging her head deep within the alley, and an unfamiliar man dressed as a laborer, whose face was being pressed ruthlessly against the mirror's surface by a single hand.
It was the unprincipled hostage-tactics method, dragging innocent civilians into the battles of Changfa-masters and even using them as human shields—what a despicable enemy! Yet readers with the discerning eye of an esper had surely figured out that this despicable wretch was none other than an experimental subject emerging from a ruthless, immoral, and inhumane research facility. Having never even received a proper education, she treated such methods simply as logical tools to achieve victory!
"That's right, it's a hostage. Be careful, oh miko of the Seven Luminaries Shinto. If you dare make another rash move, this uncle named Zhongtie will die right inside the mirror!"
This time, Gongsun Ce didn't speak; the voice came straight from within the mirror. Behind the controlled and pitiful Zhongtie, a fifth person emerged from the mirror. A little girl clad in a gothic-style dress—she was the Changfa-master who controlled Zhongtie!
Shigure Rei's expression immediately turned grim. "Tch, Shigure Seventeen..."
"Big Sister-大人, you still remember Seventeen's name!" The little girl in the mirror cried out in pleasant surprise. "I'm so happy! Indeed, indeed, you've been thinking of Seventeen. Because Seventeen has always been thinking of you, Big Sister-大人!"
It was completely illogical speech. It didn't even qualify as a conversation; it was purely one-sided rambling!
"She calls you sister?" Rina asked with a look of utter shock, "Could it be that you're also—?"
"We'll talk later, watch out behind you!"
The miko hurriedly spun around. A sturdy man dressed as a laborer had torn through the shimenawa and was walking forward step by step like a zombie—it was Zhongtie, who had been controlled within the mirror. "Go to hell!" Zhongtie roared as he threw a punch, which Rina parried with karate. At the same time, the controlled Gongsun Ce channeled his psychokinesis to launch an attack!
"Hunter, give me her intel!" "Get out of the alley and let me handle this alone!" The two Changfa-masters each reached a different conclusion, instantly realizing how poorly matched they were. Amidst the chaos, only the little girl in the mirror continued talking to herself.
"Please praise me, Seventeen has finally, finally achieved her own divine communication. Seventeen is going to take Big Sister-大人 with her, forever and ever, turning Big Sister-大人 into Seventeen's exclusive treasure."
That tone made Shigure Rei's goosebumps flare up again, and her next sentence drove the hunter into a cold sweat.
She dragged the pitiful Mirror Maiden in front of the mirror and shrieked with high-pitched laughter, "Brahma-phase Divine Communication: Magic Mirror of Beloved!"
Izumo Rina looked back and forth between the two Shigures and drew a sharp intake of breath: "No way... incestuous depravity, or is it a lesbian relationship?!"