Chapter 146: Those Gathered in the Cell

With a crisp clang, the iron-barred door slammed shut, leaving Zhuang Xiaoyuan locked inside. Outside, the white cat officer gave her one last look. “Think it over carefully.” With that, he turned and walked away.

“Oh dear, what am I supposed to do now? I haven’t the slightest clue.” At least being arrested meant she had food and shelter, but she was in the middle of a Guardian Spirit trial. If she remained in prison, she would probably never be able to complete it.

“Little girl, how did you end up here? You’re so young.” Somewhat glumly, Zhuang Xiaoyuan sat down on the iron bed found in every cell. From the neighboring room came a voice that sounded remarkably upright and righteous—hardly the voice one would expect from an arrested criminal. Of course, judging someone to be good solely by their voice was an error, but this voice truly carried an air of justice.

“My name is Zhuang Xiaoyuan. I was arrested after being falsely accused of being a witch while selling matches. And you are?”

As she answered the strange question from next door, Zhuang Xiaoyuan looked over. What she saw was a man dressed in traditional Japanese samurai attire, with a red heart tied around his forehead like a headband.

“I am Momotaro. I was on my way to Demon Island to defeat the evil Demon King when these strange people arrested me for allegedly abducting animals, simply because I fed dumplings to the creatures by the roadside.” The samurai spread his hands in exasperation as he gave his name and explained why he had been imprisoned.

“Momotaro? You mean the Momotaro who was born from a peach that floated down the river?”

Zhuang Xiaoyuan was startled once again when Momotaro revealed his identity. After he confirmed it, she found the situation even stranger.

Becoming the Little Match Girl had already been bizarre enough. Then she had encountered the Black Cat Police Chief, and now she was face-to-face with Momotaro from Japanese folklore. What on earth was this Guardian Spirit trial about? There had been no clues at all, and everything about it was strange.

“Zhuang Xiaoyuan… I knew you couldn’t possibly be in trouble. It’s been a long time.”

While Zhuang Xiaoyuan was wondering about all the bizarre figures appearing in this world, a cool voice came from the other side of the cell block. From the words alone, it was obvious that the speaker knew her.

“You’re… Little Miao?”

Hearing the voice behind her, Zhuang Xiaoyuan turned her gaze away from Momotaro. A familiar girl wearing a red hood came into view.

“Where is this?”

The girl’s expression had initially been calm, but when Zhuang Xiaoyuan recognized her, a faint smile appeared on her face. The rare change in expression made Chu Miaomiao look especially captivating, though the smile vanished almost at once, leaving her with her usual composure. Chu Miaomiao was not the sort to exchange pleasantries. As soon as Zhuang Xiaoyuan recognized her, she immediately asked her childhood friend the question on her mind.

“I’m not entirely sure. If I’m not mistaken, this should be part of my Guardian Spirit trial.”

Seeing Chu Miaomiao appear, Zhuang Xiaoyuan was faintly excited. But this was her Guardian Spirit trial—how could Chu Miaomiao possibly be here? Was this an illusion, or someone in disguise? Though she answered, a trace of suspicion remained in her eyes.

“I’m afraid I was brought here by this.”

Noticing the doubt in Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s eyes, Chu Miaomiao took out the red-heart crystal hanging around her neck and held it up before her.

“Is that the one from the lucky clover?”

At the sight of the red-heart crystal, Zhuang Xiaoyuan paused. She, too, took out the black-spade crystal hanging around her neck and walked over to Chu Miaomiao. As they drew near each other, the black-spade crystal and the red-heart crystal began to emit a faint glow.

Could the strange circumstances of this Guardian Spirit trial be caused by these crystals? Two of them were here, which meant…

“You really do know about this. Can you tell me exactly what happened?”

Seeing the change in the red heart held in her hand, Chu Miaomiao now understood that the strange object which had suddenly appeared before her must be connected to Zhuang Xiaoyuan.

“Well, that’s a rather long story.”

“Clack. Get inside.”

Just as Zhuang Xiaoyuan had confirmed that Chu Miaomiao was genuine and was beginning to gather her thoughts so she could explain everything, the sound of a cell door opening came from outside. At the white cat officer’s command, a girl with unmistakable rabbit features was shoved inside.

“Stop pushing me around! I can walk by myself.” Stumbling forward after being shoved by the white cat officer behind her, the rabbit girl complained irritably.

“Xiaohui?!”

The moment she saw the girl being pushed inside, Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s suspicions were confirmed. She had wondered whether Wen Hui, who possessed the green crystal, would also be dragged into this place, but she had not expected it to happen so quickly.

“Xiaoyuan?! So you’re here!”

At the sound of Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s voice, Wen Hui’s eyes lit up. She hurried toward Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s cell, but after taking only one step, she was seized by the white cat officer behind her.

“Stop running around. Get in there.”

Ignoring Wen Hui’s protests, the white cat officer shoved her into the cell opposite Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s.

“Stay put.”

With that, he turned and left.

“Xiaoyuan, what is going on here? Why did I suddenly become like this?”

Wen Hui was very unhappy that she could not be locked up with Zhuang Xiaoyuan, but complaining would not change anything. She immediately voiced the question troubling her most. She had been in that jungle just moments earlier, yet in the blink of an eye she had appeared beneath a huge tree—and had even been transformed into this strange form.

“Hmph. Foolish Hui, you still haven’t learned to use your brain.”

The one who answered was not Zhuang Xiaoyuan, but Chu Miaomiao. Her expression remained calm, though her eyes revealed a hint of delight and teasing at seeing an old acquaintance.

“Oh, you expressionless cat! Why are you here?”

Only then did Wen Hui notice Chu Miaomiao nearby. Hearing Chu Miaomiao address her that way, memories from their childhood came flooding back, and she immediately bristled with anger.

When they were children, Chu Miaomiao and Zhuang Xiaoyuan had been extremely close. Wen Hui had repeatedly provoked Zhuang Xiaoyuan, which greatly displeased Chu Miaomiao. As a result, Chu Miaomiao had deliberately targeted Wen Hui and made her cry more than once.

Even so, the relationship between the three girls had been strangely close amid all the chaos, and together they had formed a small circle. That continued until several years ago, when Chu Miaomiao moved away with her parents.

“This should be my trial space. And this thing must be what dragged you both into it.”

Zhuang Xiaoyuan raised the black-spade crystal in her hand and began explaining her experiences and suspicions to Wen Hui and Chu Miaomiao. She also made a point of telling Chu Miaomiao how they had discovered the four-leaf clover.

Afterward, Chu Miaomiao described how she had become Little Red Riding Hood, while Wen Hui explained what had happened after she was transformed into the rabbit from The Tortoise and the Hare. As the three of them exchanged information, several people in the nearby cells also began joining the conversation.

To be continued…