Crossover PS 194 (Patreon)

Takopi's tentacles froze in mid-air. "A-affair?"

Minoru asked, "You don't know what that word means?"

Takopi shook his head.

Minoru thought for a moment and said, "Simply put, Marina's father did something wrong, hurt Marina, and destroyed the family."

"Marina is in a lot of pain, but she doesn't know who to blame, so she ends up taking her pain out on Shizuka."

Takopi fell silent.

After a long while, he finally spoke, "Then... is Marina also pitiful?"

"Yes."

Takopi lowered his head, his tentacles twisting together unconsciously.

This person...

How could this person know so much?

"W-who on earth are you?"

Minoru thought for a moment and said, "Just someone passing by... well, someone who specializes in solving these kinds of problems."

Takopi said, "You... you said earlier that you wanted to help me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Minoru looked at Takopi, whose eyes held wariness and a trace of expectation. "Because you can't help her."

Takopi was stunned. "I-I can! I have the Happy Camera, I can rewind time, And the with Flappy Wings, I can fly anywhere. And the Reconcilation Ribbon can make people who are arguing make up."

Minoru shook his head. "Those things can't solve the problem."

He recalled a hellish scene. After Takopi died, Shizuka committed suicide using the Reconcilation Ribbon.

"How can that be! They clearly can..."

"Can what?" Minoru interrupted him.

"Rewind time? And then what? Marina will still bully Shizuka, her mother will still ignore her, and the bullying at school will continue. You can save her once, but can you save her for a lifetime?"

Takopi opened his mouth but couldn't say a word.

"Furthermore, you think you're helping her, but you have no idea where her pain comes from."

Takopi lowered his head. "I... I just wanted to make her happy..."

Minoru's voice softened slightly. "I know but that's not how you give happiness."

He reached out and pointed outside the window. "See those houses?"

Takopi nodded.

"Behind every door, there's a story. Some happy, some unhappy. Shizuka's unhappiness isn't because she lacks happy gadgets, it's because she doesn't have a reliable adult by her side."

Takopi was stunned. "B-but I..."

"You aren't human, but I can teach you to understand more. You don't understand how complex human sorrow can be. Even if you use gadgets to change certain tragedies, Marina's mother will still transfer her hatred for life onto her, Marina will still hate Shizuka, and Shizuka will still be isolated. You saved one outcome, but the root cause remains."

"Then... what should I do..."

Minoru said, "You didn't do anything wrong, you just didn't know."

Takopi looked up. "Then do you know?"

Minoru smiled. "I suppose I know a little. Besides, I also have special abilities."

He walked to the window. "The trauma of one's family of origin, the shadows of school bullying, the obsession with wanting to be recognized... these things cannot be solved with gadgets."

"They need time, companionship, and someone who truly understands to slowly heal."

Minoru turned back and looked at Takopi. "And that person..."

Takopi stared blankly at Minoru. "Is it you? You... what are you going to do?"

Minoru smiled. "This 'person' can be me and it can also be you. Let's go see them first—Marina, and Shizuka. See just how deep their wounds are."

Minoru reached out his hand. "Do you want to come along?"

Takopi looked at that hand and after hesitating for a while, he extended a tentacle.

"Yes."

—

Takopi lay on his shoulder, his tentacles tightly gripping his clothes.

"Don't shake." Minoru said.

"I-I'm not shaking..."

"You are shaking."

"That's because... because it's a bit cold."

Minoru chuckled. "Aliens are afraid of the cold too?"

"Aliens can be afraid of the cold too!"

As the human and the alien bickered, Minoru walked through the streets of Hakodate.

Law Vision!

Compendium of Shared Affliction!

Within a few seconds, he found Marina's house. At this moment, the house was empty.

But within the perception of [Compendium of Shared Affliction], those whose fates were linked to Marina...

Her father, her mother, and her future trajectory were all clearly visible.

Minoru walked, his consciousness flipping through those invisible pages.

First was Marinā's mother. In that book of life, it was full of brokenness and resentment.

The pain of being betrayed by her husband and the despair toward life had all been transferred onto her daughter. Every insult she hurled and every beating she gave was carved into Marina's soul.

Minoru's thoughts shifted slightly.

[She began to realize where her anger originated from.]

[She understood that her daughter was not a substitute for her husband and should not bear this hatred.]

[She was willing to try to love this child she had hurt so deeply once again.]

Next was Marina's father—that unfaithful man who disregarded his wife and daughter.

His pages were filled with escapism and indifference.

[He began to reflect on his choices and realized his debt to Marina.]

[He was willing to take on the responsibility of a father and try to repair his relationship with his daughter.]

[He understood that true happiness is not about escaping, but facing things.]

Then there was Shizuka's mother. That woman struggling in the sex industry, who ignored Shizuka and only asked her not to cause trouble.

Her pages were filled with the exhaustion of life and the escape from the past.

[She began to realize that her daughter needed her, and not just materially.]

[She was willing to try to understand Shizuka's inner world, even if it just meant saying a few more words every day.]

[She understood that she was Shizuka's only support and could not continue to be absent.]

And then, there was Classmate Dong's mother.

That biased, strict woman who always compared Azuma Naoki to his outstanding older brother and never gave him true recognition.

Although Takopi did not know Azuma Naoki yet and didn't understand his situation, fate would eventually bring them together.

[She began to notice the sensitivity and longing in her younger son's heart.]

[She was willing to let go of the comparisons and give him some genuine affirmation and hugs.]

[She understood that every child needs to be seen, not compared.]

Minoru's consciousness continued to spread, covering the elementary school where Marina was located.

Those children—the two lackeys by Marina's side, those classmates who watched and jeered, and those peers who stood by with indifference.

Every book of life was flipped open before his eyes.

Marina's two "friends" followed her in bullying Shizuka not because of hate, but simply because "following Marina means not being bullied." Their pages were filled with the cowardice of conformity and the desire for safety.

[They began to realize that bullying others would not make them safer.]

[They learned to distinguish right from wrong and stopped following blindly.]

[They were willing to say "this is wrong" when Marina did something bad.]

Those children who watched Shizuka be bullied, yet never lifted a finger. Their pages were filled with the indifference of "it's none of my business."

[They began to understand that silence is also a part of the harm.]

[They were willing to, at the very least, not laugh when someone was being bullied.]

Even those teachers who turned a blind eye weren't ignored by Minoru.

[They learned to truly see the children's pain.]

[They were willing to reach out before bullying occurred.]