juvenile onmyoji

It's so cold...how can it be so cold?The temperature of the body is stripped away from the body bit by bit.This kind of unstoppable chill is really unusual.

The whole body was drenched with sweat.The icy cold sweat creates an unpleasant sensation.

Where's the quilt?I really want to add a layer of quilt.

Uh... what is it?The body seemed to be covered with something, and it felt even colder.

Seimei-sama, Seimei-sama...

Her forehead was touched by something cold, she snapped her eyes open, and a handsome young man's face was reflected in her pupils.

He looked sixteen or seventeen and was squatting on his knees beside the bonfire, grilling something while asking, "I covered you with a blanket, but you are still crying, who is Master Seimei?"

Lizi didn't answer, but sat up and looked at the other party vigilantly.

Seeing that there was no response, the boy turned his face to the side and smiled with his white teeth showing, "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. My family lives in Ping'an Jing, and I went hunting and saw you lying alone by the river. Beasts or bad guys, that's why we stay here."

"Heian-kyo?" Riko tore off the blanket covering her body, stood up and looked from a distance.

"It's ready," the young man held up the meat burned on a wooden stick. "Are you hungry? Eat something."

The pear glanced at the roasted golden, unknown poultry meat.Thinking of what Saio said, if you eat the food here, you will become a person here, she immediately turned her head away indifferently.

But...why is freshly baked food not steaming?

She jerked her head back again.

It doesn't even smell like meat at all.

"Do you want to eat again?" The boy handed it over.

"No." He turned back again.

"Actually, my craftsmanship is pretty good." The young man didn't force himself, and sat cross-legged on the ground to chew on himself.

Li Zi slowly turned around to look at him, carefully sizing up the boy.He has handsome facial features, a red mole at the corner of his eye, an orange hunting hakama, and a machete inlaid with animal teeth pinned to his waist.Appears to be a civilian.

Is it the man who lives in the mirror?It looks no different from normal humans.However, as long as it is in the mirror, it is a monster.

She shifted her gaze to the lit fire on the ground, and frowned again.It clearly has all the characteristics of fire, and it is so bright, shaking its fiery red body in the wind.But why can't you feel the temperature when you are so close?

Glancing at the boy gnawing on the meat, she reached out and touched the lump of poultry unexpectedly.The boy's eyes widened suddenly, he was choked all of a sudden, bent over and coughed violently.

Strange, the meat was cold.

Lizi looked at her oily fingers, thinking of the same cold temperature when she touched "Yuan Chuyue"'s face, her eyes moved to the fire again.Is it possible to think that although the fire can cook the food, everything in the mirror has no temperature.

"I'm going home. Do you have a place to stay at night?" The boy stood up and looked at the setting sun, "If not, come with me. When the sky is completely dark, there will be mirror devouring beasts. Although it is said that people in the other world look in the mirror, we will be born again. But the pain of being killed every time is real, and the birth will last for a long time. You definitely don’t want to try it.”

"Have you tried it?" Pear asked.

"Well, when I was young, I once went out and stayed in a mountain. Because the candle was out, I broke into a mirror beast. I was bitten and broke my neck."

Although she knew that the other party would not die, Li Zi still felt a little pain in her neck.

"The human counterpart to me seems to be a person who doesn't like to look in the mirror very much. It took me a long time to be reborn. Well, it hurts, and the pain lasted for several months."

"Every day I roll on the ground in pain, yelling. I really want to die completely. But you know, as a person in the country of mirrors, you can't even decide your own death. Only when people in that world die can we die. Then dissipate."

Lizi's face suddenly turned a little pale, and she lowered her eyelids to hide her inconceivable emotions.The person in the mirror can't be killed?

"Ah, no, damn it, he looked in the mirror. Wait for me." A flustered expression appeared on the boy's face.At the same time, a bronze mirror about the size of his face appeared in front of him.A face exactly like his was reflected in the bronze mirror.It's just that he looks like he just woke up, and his hair is loose.

The boy instantly changed into his appearance in the mirror, with loose hair and sleepy eyes.Both sides simultaneously picked up the comb and combed their hair.After a while, the bronze mirror disappeared from the air, and a hat was added to the boy's head.

"Really, this hat is ugly." He grabbed it off and threw it on the ground.

Lizi really wants to ask, if the other party suddenly wants to look in the mirror again, what should you do if you don't have a hat?As soon as this idea came to mind, the boy complained, "Why are you here again?"

The bronze mirror reappeared, and the hat that had been thrown on the ground instantly rested on the boy's head.Both sides scratched their heads and posed simultaneously, and the bronze mirror disappeared again.

"Don't come again." The boy muttered and threw away his hat. "By the way, I haven't told you my name yet. My name is Tachibana Shunta. What about you, what's your name?"

Lizi hesitated for a moment and said, "Pear." You can't tell the other party your real name, it's what you learned in class.

"Well, let me call you Xiaoli." Junta Tachibana said, "How about it, do you want to go home with me?" He held out his hand.

Lizi hesitated for a moment, and the roar of a wild beast came from afar.

"Well, it's not very good." Ju Junta's expression changed, he picked up the basket on the ground and carried it on his back, grabbed the hand of Lizi and started running.Under the night, Lizi felt as if she was flying, and everything in front of her turned into a line and ran towards her back.

When Shunta Tachibana stopped, they were standing in a huge and weird city.All buildings are constantly changing.

The orange-painted pillars will turn vermilion at a certain position in the next second.The surrounding pavilions are more like being forcibly put together by the buildings of the two worlds.Countless paper lanterns are hung all over the city, lighting up the whole city high and low.

Pedestrians on the road stopped every now and then.Mirrors of various shapes and sizes floated in the air.With the image displayed in the mirror, the people in the mirror country and the surrounding scenery will change.This change depends on the size of the mirror.

Some braided their hair one second, and changed their hairstyle the next second.At the same time, what is reflected in the mirror will also change.Some even appear out of thin air.

For example, a passerby is wearing white clothes.Because the person in the bronze mirror is wearing a red jacket, the part of his jacket that is illuminated by the bronze mirror will instantly turn red.The areas not illuminated are white.The background in the bronze mirror is a screen.There will also be a screen in the air behind him.It's just that as much as the bronze mirror shows, as much as it appears in the air.

Along the way, the whole city seems to be jumping in color.There are also many weird things in the air.Half a window, half a low cabinet, a piece of wall.

These things will "snap" and fall to the ground as the mirror disappears.Pedestrians frowned and avoided, cursing softly.At this time, there will also be some people pushing the cart to pick up the things.

Lizi understands a little bit that everything in the real world, reflected in the mirror, will bring changes to the country of mirrors.Many of these changes are piecemeal.That's why it looks so weird here.

"Let's go quickly." Ju Juntai muttered in a low voice, "If you get hit by these leftovers, you may die. This kind of death is very useless and will be laughed at."

Lizi followed him quickly through the street, and many complaints poured into her ears.

"Why do you have to look in the mirror in the shower, or a full-length mirror. How much trouble does it cause me when I'm walking on the road."

"I don't want to eat at this moment."

"You don't need to look in the mirror to make out with your husband. I don't have a husband in this world."

"Ah, it was hit by scraps again."

Although it is dangerous for her to be trapped in the mirror country, she still laughs when she hears these complaints.Come to think of it, she also seems to look in the mirror at odd moments.

After twists and turns, Lizi followed Shunta Ju to a small courtyard.Here, as elsewhere, the architecture is eccentric.A house grows on top of many houses.The colors also vary greatly.It may have been reflected in a mirror.

"Is it alright if I go home with you like this? Will the family not ask?" Lizi asked when Lin entered the door.

Tachibana Junta smiled and said, "What are you thinking? I am the only one in the family. People like us who can be born with only a mirror, how can we have any parents. But there are also lucky children who will be adopted. But big Part of it is like me, and I can only survive with my own strength."

He opened the door and walked in while asking, "Are you a child with parents?"

Lizi shook her head, but found that he couldn't see, and repeated, "I don't have parents."

"Well, it looks like we are the same." Shunta Tachibana took out a flint and steel from his pocket, and lit the candle placed at the door.Immediately afterwards, he used candles to light up all the lamp oil in the stone lamps in the courtyard.

Each of these half-person-high stone lamps is carved into the shape of a small pavilion with hollow decorations.Both windproof and rainproof.There are a total of eight stone lanterns along a path.

The stone lamp illuminated the courtyard, and the orange light suddenly brightened the surroundings.

Lizi suddenly remembered the street she passed just now, where countless lanterns were hung, illuminating the entire Heian-kyo.Combined with what Shunta Tachibana said, there will be mirror devourers in the dark.No wonder you have to light so many candles.

The courtyard is not big, only two connected wooden houses.Like all traditional houses, a ten-centimeter wooden platform is made to connect to the courtyard.You can sit on it to enjoy the rain and drink, or you can sit and change your shoes.

Riko imitated Shunta Tachibana and put the clogs under the platform, and walked into the house barefoot.Tachibana Shunta quickly lit all the lamps, large and small, in the house with candles.Brighten up the house before it gets dark.

He sat on the tatami with a sigh of relief, "Live another day."

Lizi stood at the door and looked at the layout of the house.The colors on the walls are patchy.It can be seen that they are all influenced by the opposite world.There are many sundries in the house, most of which are incomplete furnishings.It can be seen that it is also reflected in the opposite world.

Ju Junta took out all the prey in the basket, "Tomorrow, I will change candles and lamp oil."

Lizi has countless questions at this time, but she dare not ask.She felt that the questions she wanted to ask should all be common sense in the mirror country.Any one of them will make people cast a suspicious look.

"Come in." Juntai Ju saw that she was still standing at the door and said.

Lizi hesitated for a moment, went in and sat down at a distance from him.

Junta Ju stood up again and hung the prey on the porch, "You sleep in the inner room at night, and I sleep in the outer room. Don't turn off the lights."

Lizi glanced inside, and saw that apart from the tatami mats, there was only a low cabinet with several lamps on it.

"Don't sleep too hard, firefighters. They like to knock down lamps. They set a few houses down the street."

Eh?Is this the fire-fighting woman in the country of mirrors?Pear was a little surprised.It's really the opposite.The fire lady in the real world is afraid that human homes will catch fire, so she will always touch and blow out the candles.The fire extinguisher of the country of mirrors is the opposite.

She was suddenly a little curious.Since the two countries are opposite, and this is Heian-kyo again, I wonder what kind of Lord Seimei is like in the country of mirrors?Probably a big bad guy.Is Nanako a little angel?

After talking, Shunta Tachibana stretched and lay down on the tatami.

Hey, are you just sleeping like this?Pear was a little surprised.Although it is said that the tatami mats are made of straw mats, if you lie on it and sleep for a night, your body will die.

"There is a water tank in the yard, if you wash your face, just scoop water. But don't go to darker places. There are also very small mirror-eating beasts, which are very fierce when biting people. Hey——" He sat up with a sigh, and the Suddenly a mirror appeared.

Riko knows that the human beings who correspond to Tachibana Shunta have started to look in the mirror.

Her eyes widened suddenly, thinking of a very important thing.She has never appeared in the mirror, will she be suspected?

Walking into the courtyard, one can see the large water tank next to the stone lamp at a glance.She walked over to pick up a gourd-made ladle to scoop up a spoonful of water, poured it into her hands and washed her face and feet.

Suddenly a little thirsty, but dare not drink the water here.She suddenly realized that she had to start thinking of a way tomorrow.Otherwise, she will die here soon because of thirst.

In the courtyard where the light cannot reach, there is a black mist slowly surging.Riko thinks that should be what Shunta Tachibana said formed the mirror beast.Throwing the ladle into the tank, he ran back to the house.

The pure blue hunting gown worn by Shunta Tachibana has now become a strange half-green and half-blue outfit.He lay powerlessly on the ground and complained, "That guy's aesthetics are terrible. If I have a chance to meet him, I must help him correct it."

Lizi didn't hear any malice towards humans from his words, so she couldn't help asking, "Don't you hate him?"

"Hate it? Why do you hate it? For me, he is the one who really gave birth to me. Although I will complain that this kind of life is unprepared, and I am often forced to look in the mirror when I walk on the road. But I still hope he lives well , because I was born relying on him."

"In fact, many people think the same way." Shunta Tachibana looked at the ceiling with his arm on his pillow, "Everyone will be curious about the people in that world. But there are also many extreme people, who keep cursing every day. But the two worlds It's closed, and we'll never meet each other. Well, you go to sleep. I'm going to die of sleep after a day of hunting."

Lizi nodded, and said softly when she turned and walked into the side room, "Thank you for taking me in."

"Small things, don't worry about them." Shunta Ju, who was lying on the ground, waved his hands casually.After the other party turned around and entered the room, he immediately suppressed the smile on his face, looked at his hands over and over again, and murmured softly, "So that's how it feels."

……

Lizi couldn't sleep well all night, and she would wake up every short sleep.Check to see if the lights are off and to see if you are safe.

She also looked outside more than once.The boy was sleeping soundly with his back to her.

Dimly asleep until dawn, she was awakened by thirst.His throat felt like it was on fire, and his throat was dry.She had never been so eager to drink water.Even if it's just a sip.

Looking outside, Shunta Tachibana was no longer there, she was startled and got up quickly.

He walked outside, even went around the courtyard, but there was still no sign of the boy.Looking up at the porch, Ju Junta's prey hanging there yesterday is gone.

"Did you go out to change lamp oil and candles?" she muttered softly.Although she felt that it should be such a reason, she was still full of uneasiness.

Back in the house, she found a food box on the low table in the middle of the room.Open the lid, inside is a bowl of miso soup and two rice balls.Next to it was a small piece of paper with messy words written on it.Her eyes moved slightly, she turned the paper upside down to the sunlight, and saw that it said "I'm going to change the lamp oil, don't run around and wait for me at home after dinner."

It's time to change the oil.

She put the note back in place.Looking at the miso soup in the food box, my mouth feels even drier.Feeling in the pocket, the beans I picked up when I came in are still there, and the bag is full.But beans don't quench your thirst.I knew she should get a water bladder.

Lizi understands very well that if she waits to die, she will really die.She decided to leave here, looking for a way to leave the country of mirrors.

Walking out of Shunta Tachibana's house, she identified the direction.If it was changed to Heianjing in reality, she should be on the small road near Erjo Avenue.

Plaques with reversed characters hang on the surrounding mansions.Pedestrians encountered on the road also use the left hand to make the main movements.The bronze mirrors that appear from time to time let her understand what kind of world she is in now.

Must get out quickly.

Lizi identified the road all the way and walked towards the outside of the city.She felt that since it came in from the Yata mirror of Ise Shrine.Then you should go back to Ise Shrine again.What if the Yata mirror in the country of mirrors is the passage?

Although the real world is midsummer in July.The country of mirrors is also scorching hot.But it didn't feel hot at all, on the contrary it was a little cold.Probably because the mirror is cold.

As she thought this, she rubbed her arms with her hands to keep warm.

When she walked to Tuyumon Avenue, she paused for a moment, subconsciously looking at Abe's residence.Unlike other places, Tuyumon Avenue is actually a place where nobles live.The same is probably true of the country of mirrors.Because there are few people passing by here, the surrounding houses do not appear too weird because of the mirror reflection.

She pursed her lips and decided not to go over to check.Because the people in the country of mirrors were not born to their parents, there would be no Abe Masaki there.Although there is Master Seimei, according to the law that reality is opposite to mirrors, that person must be an evil person.

But Seimei-sama is super smart, could Mirror Country be an idiot?

Just when she was thinking wildly, the familiar door suddenly opened, and her heartbeat stopped abruptly.

It was still the familiar face, but the boy in pitch black.Seimei likes to wear white, light blue and other pastel colors the most.I like to embroider patterns of flowing clouds, sea waves, and crane wings.But this person was dressed in jet-black hunting clothes, and there were only some strange dark colors on the clothes.color blocks.It seems that the expressions are not so friendly.

Lizi quickly turned her face away, leaning her back against the wall and pretending to count ants with her eyes down.There is nowhere to hide in the empty streets, and one can only hope that Seimei from the Mirror Country will never know her.

But there was still a look of no kindness attached to him.

"Strange, why are you still here, didn't you replace that person?"

A heavy shadow fell over her, and the casual voice revealed that he knew her.And he knew that Jing Lizi was going to exchange for her affairs in reality.

I began to regret why I had to take another look here.

Her cheek was touched unexpectedly, and the cold temperature made her raise her eyes suddenly.The boy's expression of surprise was reflected in his pupils.

"It's already been changed," Qingming sneered, with pity and gloating in his eyes, "What a poor little girl."

"You know?" Pear asked.

"Of course I know, I'm still waiting for her to pollute that guy."

Lizi's eyes were burning, "Master Qingming will see it at a glance, you should stay here obediently."

"Whether I will stay here or not, I don't know, you must stay here." Qingming said with a half smile, "You can see how chapped your lips are, you must be dying of thirst."

"It won't take long before you can't help eating the food and water here. As long as you eat two or three meals, you will be assimilated into the person in the mirror. When you become a real resident of the mirror country, the fake one outside will get You lose the temperature and become a real human being."

"I'm not going to eat here."

"Oh, is that so?" Qingming looked at her lazily, "That's because you're not thirsty or hungry enough, and you haven't been tempted enough. Then, let me make it all happen."

"What?" The girl watched in astonishment as he took out a long black belt, which wrapped around their wrists like snakes and disappeared in an instant.

"Let's go." Qingming sneered, turning around and walking on the avenue.

Li Zi frowned, turned her wrist, and touched it again, but there was nothing on it.Before her thought could disappear, she rushed forward as if being pulled by a rope.She quickly walked a few steps without falling.

After that, as long as the distance between Seimei's body was more than two meters, that force would reappear.Like being pulled by a rope, forced to follow.

This is... what kind of confinement technique?

In the following time, Qingming turned left and right, walked and walked and kept walking.

An hour passed, and Lizi felt dizzy looking at the black figure in front of her.I was already hungry and thirsty, but at this time I felt that my chest was pressed against my back.The mouth is also dry as hell.She still had the strength to call the person in front before, but now she doesn't even want to say "ah".

Another hour passed before Qingming slowly turned into a station that sells food.

At this time, Lizi already understood what he was thinking.Make her thirsty, hungry, and tired, and tempt her with delicious food when she is hit both mentally and physically.

what--

How can there be such a poisonous and bad person!

Seeing Lizi standing at the door and refusing to come in, Qingming smiled and walked towards the second floor.The distance was more than two meters, and Lizi was forced to follow.

"You are really poisonous and bad." The girl with a hoarse voice accused angrily.

"Thank you." Qingming raised his hand to greet the owner of the most delicious dishes.

Red bean rice, fried fish, vegetables, miso soup, Bingliang balls and a pot of sweet wine.

Qingming specially gave Li Zi a glass of rum and put it in front of her.

Although there is no taste, the bright liquid is real.After watching it, she felt that her throat was like cracked soil, and even a drop of water could bring her back to life.

The poisonous and bad sentence just now has exhausted her moisture and strength.Now she doesn't even want to say a word of rejection.She could only barely turn her head away, not looking at the water and the disgusting face in front of her.

No, she doesn't hate this face, she only hates the soul in the face.

Qingming didn't look too hungry. He drank a little sweet wine and said suddenly, "Actually, I already knew you. It wasn't because I knew you from the mirror, but I heard you. He often called your name, Xiaoli , Xiaoli. A long time ago, this guy had no friends at all and only talked to me."

Riko turned to look at him warily and suspiciously.

"Although occasionally I hear such voices, but more often I am asleep. When I wake up, I will find myself trapped in the mirror country. I have visited him in the mirror, unfortunately Well, there is a law that reality is opposite to the mirror. Here he is so stupid that he can be fooled by just a word."

"Seimei from the country of mirrors is so stupid, why should he be a real human being? Only I am qualified to replace him."

Only then did Li Zi suddenly realize that she thought the other party's clothes were dark in color at first.The color blocks are actually blood stains.In the early morning, he came over and killed Qingming in the mirror, just waiting for the moment to exchange with the real Master Qingming.

"You are not Lord Seimei from the Kingdom of Mirrors, but you are the inner voice who once spoke to him?" She suddenly remembered, "But why are you here?"

"I don't know either," the boy rested his chin on one hand, "Perhaps the Kingdom of Mirrors has something in common with me who walks in the dark. Only here can I walk freely."

"Then you ate the food here, have you become a person from the country of mirrors?" Lizi asked.

"The things here have no effect on me. I probably don't belong to a normal human being. I won't be hungry or thirsty." Qingming raised her dark eyes and rubbed her fingers gently against the wine glass, "I really want to, okay Want to be a real human being."

"Lord Qingming won't be fooled, give up."

Qingming smiled, and said slowly and lazily, "It seems that you have had enough rest, let's go on."

"What?" Lizi stared at him dumbfounded as he paid, and asked the shopkeeper to buy a pot of red bean soup in a water bag.

Ten seconds later, they started a tug-of-war again, circling around the city.

Seimei specifically chooses to walk on streets where food is sold and where there is water.When walking across an arched bridge, Lizi couldn't bear it any longer, and said, hungry, thirsty and angrily, "You are dark and wicked, so you are not Master Qingming. You are Hei Qingming."

"Well," the young man showed a nonchalant expression, "it's not bad, it's the color I like." He took the water bag from his waist, swung it left and right, and swayed out attractive water. the sound of.

"Would you like to drink it now? Delicious red bean soup."