Chapter 24 – Nostalgic Mansion
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"Um… Who are you?" I asked the petite girl in front of me, surrounded by robot kittens around her. 

She laughed as her sharp white teeth were showing adorably, "What are you talking about? I'm Emily, your child."

I let my finger touch my temple as I felt bewilderment rise within me. I looked at Emily with a simple expression as she stared at me with the adorable eyes of a shark. 

"Don't say it like that! Anyway, so you can turn into a human?" I asked. 

"What's wrong with that? You two adopted me, so technically I'm your child. Also yes, I can turn into a human." Emily nodded with a smile as she stood up. There were no traces of wounds anywhere on her body. The tiny army of Chloe seemed to heal Emily pretty well. She stared at the knife I was holding. 

"You still have that?" asked Emily. 

I sighed and ignored her while I walked back towards the mansion. Emily saw me with a deep sense of regret as she followed me. 

"I'm… sorry," said Emily. 

Without any delay, my hand touched Emily's head as I gave it a little rub, "you didn't do anything wrong."

We walked in silence as we reached the entrance of the mansion. Tiny robot kittens of Chloe followed us. Emily took a deep breath as she entered the mansion. 

"I'm home," Emily said. 

I smiled, "Welcome home."

Emily's eyes were shimmering with light as she looked around the mansion with teary eyes. I led Emily towards Hinako's room with a rush. Hinako's room and door was fortified by a futuristic wall that could handle even a nuclear explosion. I ordered Chloe to remove the wall that separated us from Hinako. 

Within a minute, the wall disappeared from existence as the door in Hinako's room opened. I could see Hinako standing in front of a mirror inside the room with a nervous and pale expression. 

I rushed towards the "Hinako! Are you okay?!" 

Hinako's complexity wasn't great, however she seemed better than before. Emily ran towards Hinako as she gave her a hug.

"Emily! You're okay!" Hinako exclaimed. 

With a smug expression, Emily smiled, "of course, mom!"

My jaw dropped as I heard Emily's words. I was too stunned to say anything. Even then, I wouldn't want to interrupt their reunion, so I simply stood in silence as I saw them hugging. 

"You two are close as always, huh," A voice from the mirror Hinako was standing close by appeared. 

I could see a tiny red haired elementary girl inside the mirror gazing at Hinako and Emily. Her eyes were filled with sweetness and jealousy as she pretended to clear her throat in an adorable manner. 

"Anyway, Princess. You need to make a decision quickly, whether you want to stay in this world, or come back to your former world," said the little girl with a conflicted expression. 

Emily's eyes were shining with fear as she stared at Hinako, "M-mom…"

Hinako's eyes were filled with uncertainty and doubt. She looked at the girl inside the mirror with nothing more but uneasiness, "Goddess Cheresilia, can I take Sayoko and Emily with me?"

"I'm afraid that's impossible, Princess. My task was to return a stray mana that flew over into that world, I can't take back something that isn't from this world. Even that sharkgirl's soul belongs to the world you're currently in, so I can't take her," the little girl simply shook her head with a heavy conclusion. 

"Hinako…" I felt confused about what was happening. However, I was able to understand the gist of it based on their conversation. The little girl Hinako was speaking to might have the ability to send Hinako back towards her original world. 

"Mom…" said Emily with a somewhat uneasy gaze. 

Hinako clenched her teeth in frustration, "Then how? How was our world connected? How did I end up here?"

The little girl sighed with a lonely expression. She thought long and hard before she could continue. The mirror she was in started to crack slowly as time went on. 

"Just a few decades ago, a crack between the two worlds appeared after the Goddess of Death, Yuzu, left our world to meet the laws of the universe in that world. Their meeting clashed greatly as a tiny amount of mana leaked from my world into there, aiming towards the mansion you're all currently in. After that, Yuzu and the universe sought its way to fix the leak between the two worlds."

Emily listened to the whole explanation with a slight embarrassed expression as the little girl in the mirror pointed her finger into Emily. 

"That is, until a soul from that world managed to fit between those cracks and reincarnated into this world, which is that shark girl over there. And from there on, she tried to fit random creatures onto those cracks to go back to her original world, and managed to actually go there herself," The girl explained with a sigh. 

Emily blushed a little as she said, "ehehe, you don't need to compliment me that much."

"That's not a compliment!" Shouted the little girl. 

Hinako thought for a moment before she joined the conversation, "that means the crack between the two worlds would heal, and I wouldn't be able to go back to my original world, correct?"

The little girl weaved a sigh before she answered, "that's right."

"Then I'd like to stay in this world, Goddess Cheresilia."

"Fine, if that's what you'd wish for," The little girl answered. 

A sudden crack appeared as it shattered the mirror. The little girl was no longer seen inside the mirror. Hinako sighed with relief as she stared at me. 

"Are you okay with that, Hinako?" I asked. 

"Didn't I mention it before? I don't have anyone else in my original world anymore. There's no point for me to go back," Hinako smiled bitterly. 

Emily moved suddenly as she patted Hinako with tremendous affection, "there, there. I would take care of you just how you used to take care of me when I was a baby shark."

I reflexively smiled at the interaction between Hinako and Emily. Suddenly, I remembered Hinako's pale complexion, "Hinako, are you okay?"

Suddenly, Hinako stared at me with a full of compassion. Her eyes were filled with questions and sorrow, "The moment I entered this mansion, my mind was attacked with memories that I couldn't remember. Someone that used to live here. Someone that was close to you. Hey, Sayoko. Who am I, exactly?"

Hinako's bright radiant eyes were staring at me with a glimmer. I stared at her eyes with slightly trembling hands, "I wished upon a shooting star that someone, a childhood friend, someone I really cared about would appear. I didn't think much of it, but as I carried my daily routine as usual, you appeared."

Without warning, Hinako suddenly threw herself into me. The distance between us was closed within seconds as Hinako's lips touched mine in a flash. Her lips tasted just like a bright radiant sun as her eyes were locked onto me, "Then please, fill my incomplete memories, memories of Akemi."

Tomorrow will be the last chapter

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