Toshizou clapped, confirming his earlier hypothesis. As long as Misaki didn't possess the collar, it was useless.
He had discovered how the collar worked, but its connection to Misaki remained a mystery. However, there was nothing science couldn't explain. Now that he was in control, he just needed to bring back those two runaway lab rats and reap the rewards.
"I need both of them, bring them to me!"
"That won't be necessary~"
*Clink...*
Suddenly, as Toshizou gave his order, a voice whispered in his ear, like the murmur of the devil. Darkness began to take on a humanoid form, rising from the shadows...
"Huh?!"
Toshizou felt something cold against his head; it was a spark gun...
"You won't do it. You've done enough, and it's time for you to rest. You won't bother her again~"
*Bang...*
A gunshot rang out, and blood flowed...
Slowly emerging from the shadows, Yuki observed the images displayed on the screens, showing the despair of Misaki and Dolly.
Yuki sighed. He had just received the signal from Misaki's collar and learned about all the events his future self would trigger, such as traveling to the past and getting involved with those girls...
Honestly, he didn't know what to say, but he knew this was something already written by the past and couldn't be changed. So, he adhered to his future self's plan.
"Hm?!"
*Tick, tack*
However, just as he was about to enter the shadows, a formless but powerful light appeared, raising his guard to the maximum. His pupils changed, and Zafkiel appeared behind him.
"So, you're the source of this 'Crown'... Interesting..."
The strange voice was quite mysterious, as if it had no defined gender, giving the sensation that it didn't belong to this world. For Yuki, this wasn't good news, as one of the two great bosses of this city had located him.
"It was very difficult to find you. It took me a long time..."
"Aiwass..."
Yuki knew there was no perfect camouflage in this world and that it was only a matter of time before one of these bosses found him. But he never thought it would be so soon...
"You know me? Well, that's obvious. For the one who controls Destiny, it's very easy..."
Aiwass wasn't surprised by this. The crown rotating outside Academy City was very mysterious, and destiny was changing. Knowing its name should be easy...
"Your appearance now means Aleister already knows about my existence, right? Did you come to kill me?"
"Kill you? Oh, of course not. If I did, 'Destiny' would certainly cause me problems, and we might both end up dead. Besides, I'm not entirely sure I can eliminate all your 'selves' from the timeline..."
Killing Yuki was very complicated. The laws of time around him were very strong, and to do so, Aiwass would have to destroy all the timelines where Yuki had been, requiring a great deal of effort. Aiwass wasn't purely of Order and Chaos, so he couldn't erase living beings on a scale in Time.
Moreover, Aiwass didn't want to...
"Oh yes, Aleister knows about you, but I'm not here on Aleister's orders. In fact, he doesn't even know what you are. I've come out of my own curiosity..."
"Curiosity?"
Yuki pondered; this was unexpected. Aleister and Aiwass were usually together, making it very difficult for them to move separately, like now...
"You're a very singular existence. I had to violate some world laws just to find a trace of your existence. It took a lot of effort, and I almost got lost in the timelines. If it weren't for you, I might have been trapped in Time. You're special; I've never seen anyone like you..."
For someone like Aiwass, the mere existence of Yuki was something even in the higher dimensions he had seen. The strange crown that changes Destiny and the ability to control time...
Yuki also understood something. The Aiwass he was seeing wasn't the same 'Aiwass' of this timeline but from a future timeline. This made him relax a bit, as it meant this 'Aiwass' was in contact with his future self...
"Then... why have you come?"
"I'm very interested in you. Your other self has proposed a very generous deal, and I wanted to see you in this timeline before deciding... And now, after seeing you better, I've made my decision..."
"Oh? And what is that decision?"
"You'll find out in the future. Don't worry, I bear no malice towards you. You're even more interesting than Aleister, so I look forward to our future relationship..."
After saying this, Aiwass's voice faded away...
Yuki frowned slightly. He didn't know what his future self had done for Aiwass to decide to come and see him. The fact that Aiwass had decided to collaborate with him and betray Aleister meant his plans had succeeded. This made the frown disappear, replaced by a smile...
However, he didn't dwell on it too much. This was something that would happen in the future. His main priority now was to save those two young ladies...
---
"Huh?"
The leader of Deadlock frowned as the connection in his earpiece was lost. However, he still heard the last orders. Although he was quite annoyed by the fact that he had to capture Mental Out instead of killing her, it was gratifying to know that at least she would suffer at the hands of those scientists...
Without hesitation, he ordered his subordinates...
"Joker..."
Tears ran down Misaki's beautiful face, blood flowed from her palm, and the collar moved further away from her. She no longer cared that Deadlock was getting closer...
The Joker had always been with her, and now she had lost her only spiritual pillar...
She was weak, needing someone to be with her in her saddest moments, in her moments of weakness, to help her with this burden...
To make her smile, to sing songs to her, to fight with her over cookies, to comfort her when she was scared, and to give her strength...
"Joker..."
*Fummm*
And perhaps as if her wish had been heard, the collar in Deadlock's leader's hand began to glow. In panic, he dropped it, and something emerged from the light...
"Misaki-chan~ Did you call for me?"
"!!"
Then Misaki saw him again, that figure in a clown mask and that nostalgic top hat, the person who had left her alone...
"Idiot...."
The tears fell faster. Misaki didn't know how to feel. She was angry at the clown for leaving her for so long, but she was also happy to know he hadn't gone away. She was happy he was with her again...
"Haa~ I'm so sorry... Did I arrive late?"
Ignoring Deadlock, who was in shock, Yuki approached Misaki and knelt down, starting to heal Misaki's hand, which had a hole in it. It was quite painful just to look at, especially for a loli like her, a girl raised like an Ojou-sama...
However, before Yuki could finish healing her, Misaki had already thrown herself into his arms, hugging and holding him tightly...
"Late! Very late! You left me for so long! Do you know how hard it was?!"
Yuki sighed, not knowing what to say. To be honest, it wasn't exactly him who left. Not long ago, he had learned what his future self had done. Likewise, he hadn't been in this world for long since being summoned by Mikoto, so he hadn't paid attention to this loli and didn't think his future self had affected her so much. All he wanted to do was send Dolly to the world of the Gods, which was why he was here...
But feeling her trembling and hearing her complaints, Yuki closed his eyes slightly...
"I thought I had lost you... I thought I would never see you again... You're so cruel to me. You appear out of nowhere, then leave and take my heart with you. You're a damn bastard... don't play with my feelings like this..."
---
TN: Ok