Chapter Eighty-Four: The Approaching Plot

“The Lynxmon—though I have to complain about this translation. The official version often skips the original lines and just guesses from appearance. For example, this Lynxmon, or Mountain Catmon, which is the Courage Armor Digivolution of Gatomon, was translated as Flame Lionmon. But Flame Lionmon is the Champion form of Apollomon, which looks nothing like Mountain Catmon at all! This armor digimon may look fierce, but it actually abandons the strongest trait of armor digimon—defense. In battle, it’s even weaker than the old-fashioned Champions, nowhere near the level of the Stegomon I faced at the start!” Feng Xue didn’t even bother swapping cards; with just three loaded Blood Armor Fist Strikes, Lynxmon was shattered into fragments. Yet, just as he was lamenting the lack of challenge, a sudden sense of being watched made Feng Xue’s hair stand on end.

“Who’s there?” He spun around abruptly, but in the thick, drizzling mist, he couldn’t spot the source of the gaze. “Am I just being paranoid? Or is this the legendary Network Operations Room?”

The face of that guy who never smoked but was always clicking his fancy lighter flashed through his mind. Feng Xue thought it was quite possible. Still, something about this drizzling scene felt eerily familiar, as if he’d seen it somewhere before...

Don’t blame Feng Xue for his poor memory. After all, he had been in this world for nearly a thousand years. No matter how good one’s memory is, some unimportant things are bound to be forgotten. But Feng Xue wasn’t worried about forgetting memories of those two-dimensional worlds, because this time only his soul had crossed over—his physical body remained in reality. Up to now, only a day at most had passed for his body. Even if he lost memories here, they were just backups in his soul; the memories formed by neurons in his brain still existed. Once he returned to his body and underwent something like a technique fusion phase, he’d recover his memories.

“Let’s go!” Ruki seemed to have gradually adapted to this life of hunting Digimon. At least on the surface, she appeared far calmer than before. Now, even when a wild Digimon darted past, she no longer panicked.

“Got it, got it. Since we’re out at night for once, don’t you want to experience a bit of nightlife?” Looking at the brightly lit Tokyo, Feng Xue was suddenly tempted to stroll around Akihabara. But for nightlife, perhaps Ginza or Shibuya would be better?

Ruki didn’t reply; she simply shot him a glare brimming with murderous intent. Feng Xue immediately surrendered. He wasn’t sure when it started, but his partner had grown so assertive!

Despite all this, Feng Xue’s days were quite fulfilling. By day he cooked, accompanied the girl to school, and dealt with small fry Digimon when bored. Life was relaxed and idyllic. In just over ten days, he’d accumulated as much data as would take hundreds of years to gather in the Digital World—mainly because he only absorbed Digimon factors there. In truth, all Feng Xue needed now was a catalyst—a “bond” or the “radiance of AncientBeetlemon”—to evolve to Champion. The price, however, would be reverting after using just two special attacks.

Feng Xue had no desire to evolve and instantly regress like in the original story. If the original did this to highlight the importance of the partner, then in this rationalized half-plane, it simply meant the Digimon’s foundation wasn’t sufficient. After all, Gatomon could remain at Champion indefinitely, right? And in the late third season, Guilmon could also sustain Growlmon for long periods.

“I get the feeling you’re thinking something inappropriate,” Ruki interrupted his musings with a blank expression. Her tone held no trace of a question, yet Feng Xue clearly detected her curiosity.

“I was just wondering what to eat tomorrow,” he replied with a slight smile, and the matter was dropped.

...

“You know, your grandmother is really something! I cook every day and she’s never once tried to figure out why?” Another day passed, and as always, Feng Xue prepared breakfast. Lately, the taste preferences of Ruki’s family had been raised to new heights, thanks to him. Besides still nitpicking about his bento presentation, Ruki had grown increasingly comfortable enjoying his cooking.

“She’s an old lady—of course she believes in spirits and such. When I was little, she used to tell me stories about foxes repaying kindness!” A mysterious, ineffable smile appeared on Ruki’s face, making her look especially adorable.

“Three years for a blood profit, death—cough, cough!” Feng Xue forcefully shook away the thought that had flashed through his mind. “You’re only eleven—should you really be using such a world-weary tone?”

“Mind your own business!” With a flourish, Ruki tossed her head and popped a tiny sausage into her mouth. As for how this octopus-shaped sausage was made, there’s no need to elaborate—otherwise, if I write another thousand words, someone’s bound to accuse the author of padding the word count. Wait, did I just reveal something about the creator deity?

...

The early days in the world of Digimon are always rather uneventful—just the routine of fighting and leveling up. That’s how it seems to viewers, at least; for the protagonist, every battle, regardless of the enemy’s strength, is a wager of life and death. Even with the assurance of victory, the thrill never diminishes.

Even Ruki, whose temperament seemed indifferent, had grown quite fond of this hunting-like pursuit.

“Lately, Digimon always appear at dusk, don’t they?” Feng Xue remarked, watching Ruki return her dishes to the kitchen after dinner.

“Just treat it as post-meal exercise!” Ruki shoved some potentially useful cards into her belt pouch, grabbed her D-Arc, and tiptoed toward the door.

This had become their nightly escape routine. After all, in any normal family, a girl of around ten wouldn’t be allowed to sneak out at night.

However, tonight did not go as smoothly as usual. Ruki’s grandmother, for reasons unknown, had become interested and was sipping tea in the backyard. Honestly, old lady, aren’t you worried you won’t sleep after drinking tea so late?

Ruki hesitated, quickly recalling her house’s layout, but in the end, she realized theirs was a typical Japanese home—nothing like the hidden passages of a Western manor. As she watched a plume of mist rise not far away, her anxiety grew.

“Actually, we could just climb over the wall!” Feng Xue was tempted to watch Ruki flustered a bit longer, but he knew Digimon maintained only an unstable existence in this world—if they were late, who knew where it might drift off to?

“Why didn’t you say so earlier!” With a darkened expression, Ruki was swept up in a princess carry by Feng Xue, and together they leapt over the courtyard wall...