Chapter 452: with translation of chapter title

NO. 35: Those who rise from the mud need not look back.

"Little snake~!"

"How?"

"You're not excited? HyperAgent, eh! This world really does have!"

"Do you need to be excited about this?"

"Eh, isn't this enough?"

"Whereabouts? Specific information?"

"Mmm—Witch-chan!"

"Uh... ah?"

I never imagined this topic would involve my own witch beast; I was still concentrating on destroying Aomo's pudding, and when I was called I turned my head, the fork still in my mouth not yet taken out.

The appeal of sweets is largely unrelated to gender, or perhaps digimon without gender awareness will indeed exhibit corresponding preferences based on the data traits of their digicore.

From her unconscious gesture of clutching the pudding box before her, it seems she's afraid someone will steal her snack—even though the snack originally belonged to Aomo, and only after Chazuo covered for her did she manage to pull it from the fridge.

But actually, just as she had discussed this topic with Chazuo not long ago, Aomo truly doesn't care.

First, he isn't very interested in sweets.

Second...

Although the kitchen and fridge have been expanded, it's indeed just an expansion, not adding a new fridge.

And this leads to some items that similarly need preservation or even freezing possibly being mixed together.

After Aomo's repeated reprimands, a certain Miss Chazuo who wishes to remain unnamed promised not to stuff in there the monster organ materials from her lab's freezer that no longer fit, which are rather strong-smelling or rather off-putting.

But she'll still slip in some fish that look appetite‑killing.

Because of these slip‑through fish, Aomo is already considering initiating a second round of office meeting votes.

As for why it's merely under consideration rather than immediate...

That's because, aside from him, the other office members are eerily unanimous in having no opinion.

Suzi doesn't care; she'll also stuff weird things into the fridge.

Bourbon doesn't care; she just needs to make sure those things don't affect the quality of other food.

Chazuo... she reluctantly doesn't mind!

Sis, you can't force this; gentleness is useless—be bold and say no!

As the office's sole designated chef, Aomo feels utterly heartbroken about this phenomenon!

The frozen and fresh layers are extensions of the chef's hands!

Even if isolated and helpless, he is determined to defend his territory!

But before that, let's make use of frost source energy to preserve the fruits.

And then that... the pudding in the fresh layer, they can eat it if they like, anyway he thinks it's no longer wanted.

But when seeing the witch beast furtively pull out pudding from the fridge, then without hesitation dig in and savor it with relish, Aomo still understood Suzi's 'loneliness'.

It seems that in this house only I think the blood and meat chunks sealed in glass dishes look bizarre and awful, and placed alongside other food they ruin the appetite.

Even the digimon don't find it strange!

Well… it doesn't seem very strange either...

After all, digimon indeed have many things they don't care about...

Just thinking that the witch beast even a few days ago wanted to categorize his temporary resource library, and deliberately came to ask me about the classification criteria for those erotic pictures and 3D videos, I feel that digimon beings are like this...

Even if they are humanoid, even if their appearance has gender distinctions, they are definitely missing a screw in the brain.

But this is ultimately a good thing.

Although we're all adults and can openly indulge in risqué matters, revealing detailed XP configurations while living with four opposite‑sex housemates is still overly daring—an act so explosively progressive that even today's notion‑forward society would find it shocking.

So thanks to the witch beast lacking that awareness, he was able to stay alert and dispel the other's thoughts, and up to now...

"Whereabouts? I don't know," the witch beast said, still biting the spoon, her expression with makeup like an innocent cat, lately seeming more and more simple‑minded, "I haven't seen a trace along the way; the other side seems not to travel the Digital World nor the secondary network."

"As a super agent, that's not strange," Aomo said lightly, his gaze not on Chazuo slumped before the desk but slightly lifted to watch the screen before him.

That was information Morrison found for him.

That is, the official bulletin content of a series of forum‑style reports concerning 【Chaldea's destruction of criminal hideouts】, 【dangerous Kem people…】 and so on.

It denied the claim that Chaldea destroyed the hideout, but confirmed that Kem people indeed exist who kidnap mages and replace their existence, and at the same time posted many wanted notices with 'victims' clearly listed.

It appears Lady Morgan's crimes haven't been cleared, because the Clock Tower's official announcement made no mention of Kem people stealing Alte's structural organization.

Although one can also find an announcement from a few days ago praising Kai for saving the Clock Tower's Hongying district branch, there is not a word about the Dark Circle and the Kem people.

Still no evidence? Lord El-Melloi.

Unlike Chaldea's side, which is relaxed and indifferent, Aomo, who has always lived in a law‑abiding society and is also a mercenary of the office, instinctively rejects a state of guilt.

Although it's clear that Lady Morgan and even Chaldea herself are not afraid of the Legal Affairs Department's targeting.

But he still cares about the 'clearing of suspicion' stage.

And Chazuo obviously only notices his distraction; the sedimented fruit pressed on the desk is being ground just now, and that plump arm has already reached out, its palm passing through the light screen to block about half of his view.

"Don't be so nonchalant! This is a great clue, eh! A clue! Aren't you interested in Ultraman?"

The girl swept by the purifying light also largely awakens a part of her admiration for heroes, or just as an internet rumor once held, the one who could once be possessed by Ultraman, Hibiki Yuta with a unique positioning, is the manifestation of her longing for heroes.

Perhaps...

Aomo thinks Chazuo's obsession with Ultraman is more like awaiting some possibility.

A possibility of seeing an old friend again.

The original farewell was probably too hasty, right?

Aomo lifted his eyes to the girl almost half‑lying on the desk, the red turbo‑like child covered by lenses pressed close before him.

His eyes held no coercion, only a serious inquiry, awaiting his response.

And in that silence of one, two, three seconds of mutual gaze, he raised his hand, took off the other's glasses, and placed them on his own nose bridge.

【Eh?】 Xintiao Qian blinked, while the witch beast far away holding pudding muttered that her words were completely unbelievable.

At such a close distance, the partner showed not the slightest wavering.

He even raised a forefinger to press against her head, pushing her back into her seat and slowly standing up, adjusting his glasses: 'First, let us confirm a premise.'

The world of data itself has a complex multilayer structure; just the innermost digital world already has multiple layers, and beyond the digital world, above the tertiary network, the secondary and primary levels are sharply divided, with many channels, also connecting to countless worlds formed by game software, often causing digital beasts to lose their way.

Right? Witch beast.

【Huh?】 The witch beast, not expecting to be called upon again, replied repeatedly, 'Yes yes yes!'

When first seen, she still had a bit of a witch's arrogant flair, and as an ultimate-form female hooligan, she was imposing and spry, but now she looks increasingly foolish.

This combination of answers, seeming like a half‑assed reply, also caused Aomo's gaze behind the lenses to lag slightly, the red light beginning to gather in his eyes almost being scattered, but Aomo's speed to recompose himself was always fast, completing the transition in just half a second:

The computer world where super agents are active, adjacent to the world formed by game software, indicates that it is an outer vast space, built upon the layer where the digital world resides, enormous in scope, encompassing both secondary and tertiary networks, and so large as to be indistinguishable, like ……

The silent demonization, enhancing fine control of magic, turned the silver specks on Aomo's claws into the outline of a somewhat blurred giant whale beast.

The city you stand in is itself a monster.

Even if it is moving, you find it hard to perceive its trajectory.

You feel no change around you, and not knowing when it has already moved away, other data will fill the gap you occupy; the swift flow of information in the network world is exactly like that.

Then when it moves away, couldn't the witch beast notice him!" Xintiao Qian asked immediately.

That's right, so the witch beast needs to monitor the large‑scale data anomalies over that period of time—this requires a macroscopic view and timely observation, unless you have the ability to trace large‑scale data changes……" Having returned to human form, Aomo turned his head to look at the witch beast, then turned back.

She is here eating pudding.

The witch beast fell silent for a moment, then, holding pudding, darted from Xintiao Qian's gaze into the nearby screen: '……I'm going now!'

【Secondly, ah, I just said a long passage, but that was actually all 'firstly',' he reread the phrase, 'the content under this section, I am now saying secondly.'

Aomo raised both hands in a lifting gesture; at some point, Bofang and Suzi had already run into the hall.

Secondly, Gulite is a super agent, but being a super agent does not mean Gulite; I think you also know that those so‑called new‑century middle schoolers around Xiang Yuta can all be called super agents.

This group maintains the order of the electronic world; without Gulite there could still be Xige ma, even that ……" Aomo paused, noting Xintiao Qian's reaction, "the Gulite Knights."

「」

As expected, Xintiao Qian's pupils twitched minutely, yet it did not escape Aomo's observation.

From this reaction, it seems Xintiao Qian truly hadn't considered this possibility…… An Qijun, you've been momentarily forgotten, right?

Aomo could give him a little wax on his horns using his demonized form (x).

【There is a lot of equipment, and there can also be many users of equipment。】

【That's why investigation is all the more necessary.】 Xintiao Qian suddenly said, smiling like a roly‑poly, swaying her body left and right.

In Aomo's view, this was merely a clumsy cover‑up; in fact, she hadn't truly prepared herself mentally before thinking of pursuing the investigation.

She also said, 【Let's ask around following the vine to the melon…】

【Then let's go.】

【Eh?】 Xintiao Qian's eyes widened suddenly.

Looking at the glasses that had been taken off and folded, he also deliberately glanced at the right side of the pale yellow lens.

There, a crack should have been.

At the level of work creation, it is the same‑model windshield crack of the prototype Optimus Prime based on Xintiao Qian; setting aside creation, and interpreting from a realistic meaning, and further from an idealized examination of the digital world……

That crack can also be considered a crack in the heart.

Of course, these glasses are obviously not the one from the digital world's Dujuan Tai; they are not the same model, and having no crack is perfectly natural.

Then let there be none…… Aomo handed the folded glasses to Xintiao Qian.

【The witch beast went rather late; it's unlikely to have gained anything.】

【But since we've confirmed the existence of super agents, directly gathering information from various network communication platforms and social media would actually be more efficient.】