Chapter 192: Chapter Three – A Thousand Faces
With a crisp sound, the hotel bathroom window shattered, and the scattered glass fragments shimmered under the moonlight.
A figure leaped down from the sky, caught by a giant owl that swept past, flying towards the clouds under the cover of an undetected night.
“AAAAAH—Extract group: Eight; Seven Flow. Thoughts)—!!!”
After regaining control of her body, Yukinoshita Yono immediately opened her mouth to let out a scream, but the wind swiftly filled her mouth with a cold chill.
The howling wind in her ears, she quickly buried her head into the thick bird-back of the Nue, tightly gripping the feathers, “Slow down, slow down, slow down!”
Hearing the call of its nominal owner, the owl-like familiar immediately slowed its ascent and glided smoothly through the high altitude.
When the wind sounds ceased, Yono dared to raise her head slowly and glanced at the misty clouds within reach, a radiant smile forming on her face, “Hahaha! Indeed, more interesting than I imagined!”
So much for the addiction now.
As for why Yukinoshita Yono, who had initially refused, agreed…
…
Rewinding time back ten minutes earlier.
“After all this, you should understand.” Yono sighed, “Get off my face quickly; Mom will look for me after waiting so long in the bathroom.”
The moment she finished speaking, her phone rang, and a message from their mother popped up on the screen, inquiring about her whereabouts.
“I knew it,” muttered Lin Qi.
“Fine, do as you wish,” Lin Qi said indifferently.
Yono put away her phone, preparing to return to the party.
However, just as she took a step, her form flickered, and her steps halted, a stunned expression crossing her face.
“Eh?”
Two completely synchronized sounds of astonishment echoed in the bathroom.
Yukinoshita Yono stared at the short-haired girl before her, identical to herself, and instinctively spoke,
“Who are you?”
The two identical Yukinoshita Yunos synchronized their voices,
“I’m Yuno Yukinoshita!”
In unison, they looked at each other, pointing at themselves,
“You’re Yuno, then who am I?”
Lin Qi, watching these two perfectly synchronized movements, could not help but marvel at them,
“If only they were opening EVAs, what a shame.”
Both girls frowned simultaneously, turning to the mirror and speaking in unison once more, “Mr. Lin Qi, what’s going on here?”
It was now evident where the issue lied upon a glance.
In the mirror, one Yuno had an extra pair of crimson eyes, while the other’s face remained clean and untouched.
“It’s your awakened technique,” Lin Qi, having noticed the abnormality earlier, explained, “Feel yourself.”
While everyone’s awakening experience varied slightly, most understood their technique naturally. Only those less savvy couldn’t fathom their own techniques.
“Techniques?”
Yuno’s brows furrowed. After a thoughtful silence with closed eyes, she turned towards the mirror, a puzzled look on her own face, touching her cheeks and wondering why there were no additional eyes.
“I understand now.”
The genuine Yuno suddenly opened her eyes, a knowing smile spreading across her face.
As she focused, the cloned Yuno flickered and became hazy before dissolving back into her real form.
“What’s the effect of your technique?” Lin Qi inquired curiously.
Not long since he woke up inside her, Yuno had already mastered her technique, indicating a significant aptitude, much higher than her younger sister, whose spirit was yet to awaken. Lin Qi’s inscription was the only imprint on her.
“I can’t explain exactly, but this is what I can do,” Yuno continued, activating her technique instinctively.
Her body flickered, with a residual shadow detaching from her body, creating another Yuno emerging in the bathroom.
Beyond that,
More and more Yukinoshita Yunos appeared in the bathroom as multiple white shadows flickered into existence, filling the space.
Casually counting, twenty new Yunos appeared alongside the original one, making it twenty-one in total.
“Clones? Any other effects?”
Lin Qi raised his eyebrow. If just clones, the technique didn’t seem exceptional, perhaps just an elaborate Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
“It has more effects. But I haven’t figured it all out yet,” they answered in unison, with their voices overlapping, echoing in the bathroom.
If they recited a sutra, Rinn might feel enlightened.
White shadows flickered constantly as the clones remerged into the main body, leaving behind a single clone.
Yuno smiled with excitement, “This power is intriguing. Now, I can use clones to deal with Mom’s tedious tasks.”
“Moreover, with clones, maybe I can escape and have some fun!”
At that, the clone frowned, “Why do I have to work like labor, while you get to enjoy?”
“You are my clone! You have no right to disobey me!” Yuno waved her hand, dismissing the clone.
Though reluctant, the clone obeyed, leaving the bathroom gloomily.
“All right, let’s follow what you said—Escaping to the night sky!”
On this night, the first genuine smile lit up the young girl’s face.
…
The gentle night wind caressed Yuno’s black hair, tendrils floating in the air with a scent of rose petal hair shampoo, unreachable by any else.
Gossamer pale fingertips slipped deep into the mist, catching moisture.
“I never thought I’d be able to touch the clouds myself,” Yuno remarked, leaning backward. Her hands supported her on the owl familiar’s back, looking up to see the brilliant Milky Way hanging above.
“The view seems so familiar, almost like I’ve seen it before,” she whispered, curiosity prompting a question, “Mr. Lin Qi, you mentioned coming from a world line where Yuno exists, does your Yuno have seen such sights?”
Within the soul realm, Lin Qi, somewhat surprised, raised his eyebrow, “Yes, she seemed to like it, so I wanted to bring you along.”
“This makes sense, we are one,” Yuno chuckled softly, “Indeed, I would appreciate the… freedom…”
“Right, freedom feels almost like a drug,” completing her thoughts, Yuno’s eyes glittered brightly, reflecting the starry sky, “If only I could fly endlessly, devoid of dealing with big shots or handling domestic chores.”
Seemingly lost in reverie of her future envisioned, the girl’s face shone radiantly.
“But it’s not possible; I chose to bear these responsibilities,” Yuno would not succumb to fleeting beauty, recognizing reality.
“Time to go back, I feel like I’m exceeding the limits of the technique,” Yuno said, regretfully,
“Alright… Wait, monsters nearby, worth checking,” Lin Qi sensed a hint of a curse aura.
“I want to experiment with your technique too,”
