**Chapter 24.42: Keling and the Parade**
“Eh? Ugh!”
Suddenly, I felt my body floating before hitting the ground.
My bottom hurts.
… It really hurts.
I cursed under my breath, rubbing my backside and then my eyes before looking around.
“Where is this…?”
It’s very dark… I can’t see anything clearly.
It’s so dark. What kind of place is this?
What on earth happened… Why did I suddenly appear in a place like this?
As my eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, I could see the outlines around me a bit better, but it was still unclear due to the lack of light.
In my field of vision, there was a faint glow in the distance—a… tower?
It was too far away to make out clearly, but I could see the clock on top of the bell tower, which showed the time as midnight, standing still.
I just need some way to illuminate the area.
Oh, my phone!
I had formed the habit of holding my phone while sleeping. Although I had gone to bed with Xinran this time, I vaguely remembered still holding onto it.
When I suddenly fell, I must have dropped it nearby.
After fumbling around, I finally found my phone.
With my phone, I felt a bit more at ease. At least I didn’t feel as helpless anymore.
But when I checked the battery, it was already below five percent. If I turned on the flashlight, it probably wouldn’t last more than three minutes. But right now, it was necessary!
I at least needed to figure out where I was!
Flashlight on! Illuminate the surroundings!
I never expected I would be standing in the middle of an intersection…
What the heck!
I clearly remember sleeping with Xinran; how did I suddenly end up here?
By the scale and size, this should be an intersection located in the most bustling center of the city, but I don’t have any memory of this place.
At least there isn’t an intersection like this in the city I live in.
That means this is not my city.
And there are many strange things here.
For instance, there isn’t a single car; it’s impossible for a place like this to be deserted. There’s not even a sound, it’s as quiet as a ghost town.
At the very least, the traffic lights should be on, right?
Is there really no one in this city?
How could that be!
Ah, this isn’t the time to ponder that; my phone is dying. Time is precious—I need to confirm the location of a store…
Thirty seconds later, my phone drained its last bit of battery, and I lost my only source of light. But I have an idea of what the surroundings are like.
In any case, I should head to the nearest clothing store; I need to find something to wear.
After all, I’m only wearing a sheer lace nightgown with no underwear, and this nightgown belongs to Xinran, who insisted that I wear it to avoid catching a cold, even pulling me out of bed when I was too tired to keep my eyes open.
Thinking back, I’m glad I wore it; otherwise, I’d be completely naked right now.
With no shoes, my bare feet are stepping on the hard asphalt…
“Brother, where did you go…”
A gust of wind swept through, causing me to curl up, hugging my body.
Ugh, it’s so cold.
I want to go back, no matter where this is.
I want to return to their side.
That place is the warmest.
When I reached the clothing store, I tried to open the door, and surprisingly, it actually opened.
I was mentally prepared to smash a window, but the door wasn’t even locked.
This place is really strange; the storekeeper didn’t lock the door.
If I were dreaming right now, this sensation is too real, and my brain is too active. I can think about things and even recall past events; this state shouldn’t be a dream.
In any case, I need to find some clothes.
I fumbled around in the dark and found the light switch. The lights turned on.
A moment ago, I couldn’t see what kind of clothing store this was from a distance, but now I can finally see clearly.
School uniforms, teacher outfits, nurse costumes, kimonos, school swimsuits, sports shorts, magical girl transformation dresses… Looking at the bizarre clothing around me, I pouted and couldn’t help but complain.
“Why is this a cosplay costume store? Why would it be in the center of the district?!”
So strange!
Forget it, it’s better than having no clothes at all.
And I don’t dislike cosplay that much. I’ve tried on many outfits, thinking that my brother might like them.
No man in the world dislikes cosplay; even gay men love seeing their favorite ‘him’ play different characters.
My brother is the same; his favorite is the maid outfit, right?
In any case, after searching around, I found a maid outfit that fit me well.
After putting on the garter stockings, I stood up and twirled in front of the mirror; the lace hem of the skirt fluttered gently.
Hmm! I’m so cute!
No matter how you look at it, I’m the cutest in the world! My brother, that dead pervert, doesn’t understand that a girl like me, who is between loli and the elegant style, has the purest and sweetest appearance!
I must make him understand!
I, An Keling, am the cutest!
The most ~~ cute ~~!
A bit too excited, I turned my head, and the skirt lifted entirely.
It’s not that I don’t want to wear it; it’s just that this store doesn’t have normal underwear, only those baggy pants… As a beautiful girl, I refuse to wear such tacky pants!
So I decided not to wear anything, since there’s no one around—wearing or not wearing doesn’t matter… But I better put on the baggy pants; at least they can act as protection. Otherwise, walking around like this would be a bit inconvenient… I should find a pharmacy and get a band-aid…
After getting a band-aid from the pharmacy, I went to the hardware store I noted earlier and picked up a large flashlight. This light had a good range.
Alright, next, let’s find a way to get out of here!
Standing in the middle of the intersection where I fell, I placed my hands on my hips and set my goal. Suddenly, a strong wind swept through.
The strangest part was that this wind was blowing upward!
“… What the heck!”
The wind was powerful enough to keep my skirt from weighing down! It felt like a turned-over umbrella—my whole body was lifted into the air.
What’s going on? This wind is way too much!
“Ahhh~~~!”
Thankfully, this strange updraft only lasted a moment…
But it was still terrifying.
I sat on the ground, trembling uncontrollably, until it took me a while to calm down…
……….
I’m going to die…
In every sense, I’m going to die…
I didn’t wet my pants!
I need to get out of here!
I hurriedly left the scene, running far away. I didn’t stop until I couldn’t see the store behind me.
Then, suddenly, my shoelace came undone…
What’s going on? I used the same method the athletes use to tie their shoelaces, which shouldn’t come undone even during intense running. How come it just came undone after a few steps?
Did I tie it wrong?
How annoying.
I squatted down to retie my shoelaces.
At that moment, a gust of wind blew over my head.
No, it doesn’t feel like wind…
It felt more like something swooping overhead, creating a pressure wave.
A few strands of my hair were cut off.
It seemed like whatever had flown past was a sharp blade, maybe a knife or something.
… How dangerous! Luckily, I crouched down; otherwise, I would’ve definitely been hit.
Thinking this, I heard a crashing sound as streetlights suddenly toppled, along with other things… They looked like they had been sliced in half.
What the heck?
Is this some kind of prank?
While I was bewildered, I saw something flying from afar.
It seemed to be headed… toward me?
Zooming in, zooming in, until I could see clearly… it was!
“Ahhhhhh!”
It’s a truck! And many of them!
Why is it raining trucks from the sky?!
About a dozen trucks came smashing down from the air, and I didn’t have time to dodge. I could only cover my head and squat down for protection!
Another round of crashing and banging…
When it finally ended, I found that…
I was completely unharmed.
Fortunately, I was relatively lucky; although the trucks landed around me, not a single one hit me, only damaging the ground, with some shattered truck debris flying around but thankfully not hitting me.
One of the trucks was covered in a lot of blood, and I could see a hand…
… That wouldn’t be a human hand, right?
…
This place is truly strange!
I can’t stay here any longer.
I must leave quickly…
Brother! Xinran! Where on earth are you?
