When did it begin, this fondness for solitude atop towering heights, listening to the distant wind, forgetting all else, and passing each day in such a manner?
As always, Luo Tianchen sought refuge on the rooftop, a sanctuary meant solely for him, where he could bask in a tranquility that was his alone. Or so it should have been.
Today, however, the rooftop held an unexpected presence.
After a quick glance around, Luo Tianchen spotted a girl leaning against the railing, lost in thought. Dressed in her school uniform, she was as petite and adorable as a doll, yet her face remained as expressionless as one.
From the moment Luo Tianchen saw her, he knew instantly that she was the kind of trouble one should steer clear of, the type to avoid at all costs.
Though a touch annoyed, Luo Tianchen conceded that the rooftop wasn’t exclusively his. He deliberately ignored her presence, settling down in his usual spot to lie back.
Ah, yes, a perfect place to catch some shade. Sleepiness washed over him instantly; he’d likely drift off any moment now.
“So, if you’re planning to commit suicide, could you perhaps wait a little longer? That way, I can pretend I was asleep and unaware, and won’t have to be questioned by the police,” Luo Tianchen said flatly.
The girl abruptly turned, her cute face etched with surprise. “How… how did you know what I was thinking?”
“It’s far too obvious. Your indecisive face already revealed everything, and the hand gripping the railing is trembling, too.”
“So, you intend to just watch?”
“No, no, no, I have no intention of watching you commit suicide. I’m just here to sleep. I don’t want to leave simply because I’m too lazy,” Luo Tianchen corrected her.
“Do even you believe I’m someone who shouldn’t exist?” she asked softly, a faint sorrow in her eyes.
“Huh? That has absolutely nothing to do with it,” Luo Tianchen said, stifling a yawn. “I only spoke up to let you know I’m here. Otherwise, you definitely wouldn’t have noticed me.”
“Why would you want me to notice you?”
“That way, you’d know that, at the very least, you weren’t alone in the end, right?”
“…A normal person wouldn’t be trying to talk me out of suicide right now?”
“If you’re determined to end your life, then no amount of persuasion from me would help. Conversely, if you’re merely hesitating, you’ll give up even if I say nothing. Besides, suicide isn’t so bad. In a world as rotten as this, living is just suffering. The sooner you die, the sooner you can be reborn.”
“You truly are a strange person,” the girl murmured.
“The feeling is mutual. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be chatting with me for so long, would you? So, what’s your final decision?”
“…Could I chat with you for a little while longer?”
“Eh? Whatever you want. Though I can’t promise I’ll say much.”
After that, she spoke to Luo Tianchen at length, mostly about her family background. At first, he managed a few responses, but eventually, he grew too sleepy. He simply let her ramble on.
“Thank you. I’ve decided to give up on suicide,” the girl finally said, a slight upturn to her lips.
“Mmm…” Luo Tianchen was already somewhat disoriented.
“Then, as a token of my gratitude…”
A moist sensation seemed to brush against his face.
When Luo Tianchen opened his eyes, the girl was gone, without even leaving her name.
That was likely Luo Tianchen’s first encounter with Yao Xinchang. Their next meeting was when she had already become a campus star. Since she bore no resemblance to her former doll-like awkwardness, he hadn’t recognized her. She, too, had never mentioned it.
Looking back now, he did feel her gaze lingering on him more than usual then. It turned out that wasn’t just one of ‘life’s three great illusions’—that she liked him.
****
“You really do love lying around in places like this, don’t you? You look so accustomed to it. Why don’t you just live your whole life as a girl?” Xia Luohua said with a laugh, settling down beside Luo Tianchen with easy familiarity.
“Why is it always you…? So, any new developments?” Luo Tianchen sighed, rolling over to face her.
“Well, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is I’ve confirmed the existence of Black Witches in this city. The bad news is I can’t pinpoint their exact location.”
“So, you still haven’t figured out why they turned Yao Xinchang into that? The only certainty is that one of the participants is a Black Witch, or at the very least, someone with a significant connection to them.”
Upon returning home last night, Luo Tianchen had emailed Xia Luohua all the information he’d gathered from Yao Chengho. She had replied, promising to investigate thoroughly, but it seemed the chances of further breakthroughs remained slim.
“Hm, although you’re caught up in this deadly game, you seem quite relaxed. Are you truly so confident you’ll win?” Xia Luohua wrapped her arms around her knees, tilting her head to look at Luo Tianchen. It was one of the most classic poses of an anime girl; he could even faintly discern white panties beneath her skirt, a sight utterly wasted on him in his current state.
“What can I do? The clues aren’t sufficient yet. It’s like playing a game without a guide; you have to meticulously search every single scene, leaving no stone unturned, then piece together the clues to gradually unravel the entire mystery.”
“But I’ve entered this game by loading a save file, completely ignorant of the initial events. I not only have to find future clues but also past ones. The difficulty has more than doubled.”
“Hehe, it certainly seems so. But for you, that’s no challenge, is it? Our great detective.”
Luo Tianchen sat up, looking at her seriously. “We’re allies, aren’t we?”
“That’s correct,” she nodded.
“The foundation of cooperation is honesty. You agree with that, don’t you?”
“Cannot deny it.”
“In that case, could you tell me how much you already know about me?”
“Everything. No, almost everything,” she corrected herself. “Your birth name is Luo Tianling. Pfft, a boy named with a girl’s name—”
She burst into laughter. Luo Tianchen glared back, “Mind your own business!”
“…Your birthday is June 17, 1998. You have a twin sister and possess exceptional computer skills. From a young age, you displayed extraordinary talent, yet this also made you feared by others.”
“By chance, you became fascinated with solving cases, a path you pursued relentlessly. For four years, you operated as your uncle’s shadow, helping him achieve numerous accolades.”
“However, at the age of twelve, you were embroiled in a major case that remains unresolved to this day. Though the case was cracked, you suffered severe injuries during the incident, losing all memory of it, and the truth was subsequently concealed.”
“You were forced to seek treatment abroad, where you changed your name to Luo Tianchen. There, you met a Chinese-American girl who would change your life. Together, you adopted the shared moniker ‘Chenyue,’ debuting as official detectives.”
“But when you were fifteen, after taking on that world-shattering serial killer case—”
“Enough! Stop talking!” Luo Tianchen sharply interrupted her.
Xia Luohua wasn’t startled. She merely shrugged. “When I first got your file, I was quite surprised. I never imagined that ‘Chenyue,’ who used to act so unrestrainedly, would end up hiding in this high school, aiming for an ordinary life.”
“Did that incident really affect you so profoundly? Enough to change a person’s entire character?”
“Who knows? ‘Chenyue’ is dead. The one living here now is just an ordinary high school student named ‘Luo Tianchen,'” he said flatly.
“No, no, no. I think your current self would be better off with the name ‘Luo Tianling,’ don’t you agree? It seems your parents truly had foresight,” Xia Luohua said with a mischievous grin.
“…You’d die if you didn’t insult me, wouldn’t you?” Luo Tianchen muttered. “Since you know so much about me, but I know nothing about you, isn’t that incredibly unfair?”
“Alright, ask whatever you want directly. For instance, my measurements are 77/54/80,” she said cheerfully.
“You being so straightforward caught me off guard; I can’t think of anything to ask… Just tell me your story, like about your parents or something.”
“I have no parents, only a younger sister,” she said softly.
“Uh, I’m sorry. Where is your sister then? Is she also a Witch Hunter like you?”
“I don’t know. She’s probably dead too.”
“…” The atmosphere suddenly grew heavy. There were too many landmines in this conversation.
Luo Tianchen quickly changed the subject. “So, you said you’re part of the Witch Hunters. There must be an organization behind you, right? Could you tell me the name of that organization and how to contact them? That way, if I encounter anything else, I can reach out…” While he said this, what he truly thought was to learn the information and then quickly distance himself, never approaching them.
“Eh? I think the Chinese name is Lutias Academy, isn’t it?” Xia Luohua pondered before answering.
“Academy?” Luo Tianchen asked, surprised.
“Yes, an academy. Although the outside world misunderstands us quite a bit, we are actually an educational institution headquartered on a private island in America. We gather children worldwide who possess Witch Hunter qualifications, educate and guide them, training them to become first-class Witch Hunters.”
“Wait a minute, I think I misheard something,” Luo Tianchen said, rubbing his forehead. “So, you’re actually a student?”
Xia Luohua nodded. “Well, yes, that’s right. This is actually my first solo promotion mission, so it’s very important to me. If possible, I hope you’ll give it your all too.”
“…This is outrageous! I always thought you were an experienced, veteran demon hunter, just young-looking! It turns out you’re really just a student?” Luo Tianchen felt a pang of despair.
“Hey, hey, even if you say that, my ranking in the school is quite high. Some teachers might not even be able to compare to me!” Xia Luohua said, a little annoyed.
“By the way, what exactly are ‘qualifications’? How are they identified?” Luo Tianchen asked.
“For that, we have specialized methods. However, we generally only recruit children with ‘Witch Hunter’ lineage. It’s rare for us to recruit ordinary people with special talents.”
“Lineage?”
“In fact, many demon hunter families and organizations are hidden in this world, such as the ‘Magic Council’ in Britain, the ‘Onmyoji’ in Japan, and the ‘Taoists,’ ‘Yin-Yang School,’ and ‘Witchcraft Sect’ in China. Their ancestors were all users and pioneers of extraordinary powers.”
“As their descendants, with that gene and memory flowing in their blood, they naturally find it easier to master power. In fact, we’ve even noticed your existence before,” Xia Luohua suddenly dropped a bombshell.
“Me? Don’t scare me. In my eighteen years of life, no demons or monsters have ever appeared!” Luo Tianchen gasped.
“Well, at first, we only regarded you as a prodigy. Although far beyond ordinary humans, you hadn’t reached a level that required serious attention. However, ever since you experienced *that* incident, the Academy began thorough observation and documentation of you.”
“What…” Luo Tianchen swallowed the rest of his words, realizing what she was about to say.
“You must know what I’m talking about, don’t you? As the sole survivor of the ‘Crimson Snow Incident’.”
“…”
“Doesn’t it strike you as odd? Thousands died, yet the incident was ultimately buried in the sands of history, vanishing from everyone’s memory, and the sole survivor also forgot everything. Yes, you were that survivor.”
“…Even so, I truly have nothing to say.”
“Now, now, I’m not telling you all this to extract information. On the contrary, I want to tell you what *I* know. Behind that incident, there might have been the presence of Witches. Various pieces of intelligence suggest that six years ago, in this very city, the Witch’s Game began. And you, unaware, merely participated out of curiosity.”
Luo Tianchen instinctively clenched his fist.
“While I’m curious about what you learned and how you managed to survive, it seems you can’t recall it. However, a perfect opportunity now stands before you, doesn’t it?”
“You mean…”
“Six years later, the same city, the Witch’s Game unfolding once more—do you truly believe this is mere coincidence?”
“…” If everything she said was true, then Luo Tianchen would have no choice but to fight with all his might.
To reclaim what he had lost.
“Your gaze has suddenly sharpened, hasn’t it…? So, have you thought about what to do next?” Xia Luohua asked with interest.
“I wasn’t being lazy, you know… I was just waiting for someone to come looking for me.”
“Looking for you?” Xia Luohua paused.
Just then, Luo Tianchen’s phone rang. He gestured for her to be quiet, then pressed the speaker button. The hoarse voice of an old man entered their ears simultaneously: “Hello? Is that you?”
“Yes, it’s me. I was just wondering if you’d call,” Luo Tianchen replied.
“Why does your voice sound a bit strange…? Never mind. I’ve made up my mind. I’ll tell you everything I know. I’ll send you the address shortly.”
The call ended. Luo Tianchen shot Xia Luohua a triumphant look. “See? The fish has taken the bait.”