"Give me back my things..." Elliot Yuan growled under his breath.
[You cannot carry items from a previous life.]
"Karmic filth, resentment—those negative things can be carried over, yet I can't bring a simple tea set?"
[Those are impressions engraved on the soul. They differ from tangible items in the real world.]
The reply left Elliot Yuan seething with nowhere to vent his frustration.
Eventually, he let out a long sigh, his eyes growing increasingly dull.
"So there's... really no way?"
[There is. I can reclaim all the items you've obtained thus far in exchange.]
"All of them?"
[You may keep one. No more.]
He exhaled in relief.
"Then keep the Calming Mantra, and return the tea set."
[Host, please consider this carefully. This action is irreversible.]
"Give it back," he said firmly.
[Understood.]
As the familiar square box materialized in his hands, a gentle smile formed on Elliot Yuan's face.
He softly stroked the delicate case, as if caressing Ningguang's silken hair.
[Ding! Congratulations on successfully completing your sixth reincarnation.]
[This time, you are not granted the right to choose inheritance.]
[Your next cycle will now begin.]
[Initialization complete.]
[Mission: Destroy the Vision Hunt Decree with Kaedehara Kazuha.]
[Transferring you...]
A white light engulfed Elliot Yuan.
When he opened his eyes again, what greeted him was a brilliant blue sky.
As he slowly sat up, a pair of large crimson eyes locked onto his.
Elliot Yuan blinked, caught off guard for a moment.
"Woke up just in time... Mm, any later and you'd have been soaked."
The cheerful boy greeted him as Elliot rose.
"Kazuha... Kaedehara Kazuha...?" Elliot Yuan murmured as he looked at the familiar face.
"Oh? You know me?" Kazuha raised his brows in surprise.
"Something like that." Elliot Yuan had already figured out what role he'd taken this time.
"Well, that's an honor. But before we chat more, let's get moving. If it rains, there's nowhere to take cover around here."
Elliot Yuan knew that Kazuha had a special bond with nature—he could hear its voice. If Kazuha said it was going to rain, it absolutely would.
"Alright."
Kazuha was slightly taken aback by how readily Elliot agreed.
He'd been prepared to explain—but hadn't expected him to just go along with it.
"You're not even curious how I knew it would rain?"
There were no clouds, no wind—no signs of rain at all. Without his gift, no one would suspect a thing.
"Because you said it would."
"Huh?" Kazuha stared at him, puzzled, then shot him a look as if trying to figure him out.
He'd met gullible people before, but never someone this easy to fool. Just because he said so?
Even kids aren't that trusting.
"Come on, let's go. Wouldn't want to get drenched," Elliot said, taking the lead.
"You really just believed me that easily?" Kazuha asked, curious.
"I don't believe in good things falling from the sky—but I do believe in bad things like rain."
"So you only believe bad news, not good news?"
"Not entirely. Depends on the person. If it's a stranger I just met, then yeah."
Kazuha nodded slightly. That... actually made some sense.
His impression of Elliot shifted a little.
This guy looked simple on the outside, but clearly had some depth to him.
If a stranger tells you where to find free money, you'd never believe it.
But if they tell you where you might lose money—well, it might be worth checking.
Hmm...
Twisted logic, but surprisingly sound.
Kazuha led them to an abandoned wooden shack. Not long after they got inside, rain came pouring down.
The roof leaked a little, but it was still better than getting soaked outside.
"By the way, how did you know it would rain?" Elliot finally circled back.
"My ears are really sharp. I can hear sounds in nature that most people can't."
"That's amazing! Mind if I borrow them for a bit?"
"...What?"
"I mean... let's travel together."
"...?"
"No, not that kind of 'go on the road'—I mean, like—"
"You mean, go on a journey together?" Kazuha corrected.
"Since you've invited me so sincerely, I suppose I can reluctantly accept."
"???"
Kazuha was dumbfounded.
Wait—
Wasn't he the one who was supposed to do the inviting?
How did this turn into him being the one extending the offer?
As he stood there confused, Elliot Yuan's eyes drifted to Kazuha's Vision.
"You've already got a Vision at your age?"
"Yeah. One time, I was sleeping in a run-down hut like this, and there was a heavy rain outside."
Elliot Yuan smiled at that.
"So it was in a place like this that you received your Vision..."
"Mm."
"Then I guess I'll take one too."
"...What?"
Right after he said that, Elliot Yuan recalled all the experiences from his past lives. A powerful desire surged within him.
And just like that, a purple Vision appeared in his hand.
"Look, got it." He held it up and grinned.
Kazuha: "?????????"
He dove toward Elliot Yuan, snatched the Vision out of his hand, and inspected it thoroughly.
Then he pulled out his own and began comparing the two like a madman.
His eyes darted back and forth in disbelief, searching for the slightest imperfection.
To his shock, he couldn't find a single flaw. Aside from the color, they were practically identical.
"Y-you... How did you do this!?" Even a well-traveled soul like Kazuha was completely stunned.
Since he'd started roaming the world as a kid, he'd never seen anything so absurd.
"It's not that hard," Elliot replied, casually taking the Vision back.
"This isn't about difficulty! It's that... it shouldn't be something you can just get!"
"Isn't it?"
Faced with Elliot's sincere confusion, Kazuha fell into deep self-doubt.
He didn't know whether something was wrong with himself—or if the guy in front of him was just... abnormal.
He was leaning toward the latter.
"Forget it. Maybe it's just me being naïve. At least I've learned something new today."
"That's true."
Kazuha fell silent. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
This guy...
The way he talks is just bizarre. It makes you want to bash his head in—but you're not quite sure how to go about it.
"Come to think of it, I still don't know your name," Kazuha said.
"Elliot Yuan. 'Elliot' as in courage and justice. 'Yuan' as in distance."