novelraw Page 177
Page 177
"What he was choosing was not a 'past filled with suffering' and a 'future of comfort and wealth'."
"But rather 'his own happiness' and 'the lives of all his friends'."
"If he chooses, he will stay on that old timeline, which is full of adventure and conflict."
"Then he himself will remain poor and destitute his whole life, just like before, and accomplish nothing."
"But his important friends were able to escape danger and remain safe and sound time and time again because of his presence."
"And if he chooses to come to this new, peaceful, prosperous, and conflict-free timeline."
"Then he himself could live the wealthy and comfortable life he had always dreamed of."
"But his friends, whom he left alone on the old timeline."
"But they will lose him, their only 'backbone' and 'savior'."
"And ultimately it leads to irreversible and utter destruction."
"What a cruel, malicious, hellish choice it was."
Pineapple Snowflakes waved his fan, and his usually wise and dashing face revealed an unprecedented, deep sense of powerlessness in the face of this desperate fate, where no matter what choice was made, someone would inevitably suffer immense harm.
"Stop right there!"
[Bald Qiang roared angrily.]
"I would never let my 363 friends die, absolutely not."
He used his immense strength to forcefully break free from the chair.
Then, he lunged at the strange old man.
[And they began to fight.]
The world of Grand Blue
"Oh oh oh."
"The fight started."
"This Bald Qiang is pretty good."
"That's fucking a friend."
"After learning that his friends, with whom he had fought to the death every day, would die because of his departure."
"He actually started fighting that strange old man who looked really powerful, like a god, who could manipulate time, without any hesitation."
Kitahara Iori's face was filled with the utmost admiration for Bald Qiang's "heroic" and purest manly behavior—a behavior that dared to throw a punch at the gods for the sake of his friends.
"Yes...yes."
“This is what a true ‘partner’ is.”
"No matter how fiercely they argued or fought before."
"But at the most critical moment, I would still risk my life for the other person."
"This friendship..."
"It's...too dazzling."
Kohei Imamura's face was also filled with emotion.
【at the same time.】
[Julie, Bald Qiang's boss, also happened to arrive at this mysterious basement.]
As soon as she entered, she saw Bald Qiang frantically beating the strange old man.
She immediately flew into a rage and charged towards Bald Qiang.
Upon seeing her, Bald Qiang, also frightened, rushed towards the ripple-like projection of time and space playing images nearby.
[And Julie, too, pursued him relentlessly.]
[Xiao Zhang, the strange old man's assistant who had been following behind them, was completely dumbfounded after seeing the two of them enter that dangerous time-space image.]
He quickly grabbed his equipment and jumped in after him.
Together, they arrived in an abandoned timeline belonging to a primitive era.
At this moment, Xiong Da and Xiong Er were surrounded by a pack of ferocious wolves.
Bald Qiang immediately stepped forward to help.
Finally, following Xiao Zhang's suggestion...
[Bald Qiang has successfully completed a key event in this timeline—cutting down a giant dead tree.]
[Thus, he successfully obtained a portal that allowed him to leave this place.]
Then, the bears, Xiong Da and Xiong Er, who were standing before him, vanished like phantoms.
[Guang Tou Qiang anxiously pressed Xiao Zhang for details, asking what had happened.]
Xiao Zhang then explained that these were merely unstable remnants left behind from that old timeline.
[Just now, that strange old man was actually lying to him.]
In fact, all his friends were doing well in that completely new timeline.
The invention of the eccentric old man in Chapter 135 allows Bald Qiang to travel freely to any parallel timeline!
The world of "Big Head Son and Little Head Dad"
"dad."
"Mother."
"Look."
"That strange-looking old man... he was actually lying."
"Uncle Bear and Uncle Bear II, they will not die."
"Great."
Big-Headed Son revealed an expression filled with the purest joy of surviving a disaster.
"yes……"
"It really scared me to death."
"I thought they would really suffer all sorts of misfortunes because of Mr. Baldy's departure."
"So it turns out that it was all just a terrible lie that the strange old man deliberately made up to deceive Mr. Baldy."
"That's wonderful, that's really wonderful."
The apron-wearing mother also showed a relieved expression, and she kept patting her chest with her hands.
"Ah."
"Although it was wrong of that old man to use this method to deceive people."
"But in the end, everyone was able to stay safe and sound."
"This is probably the best possible ending."
Little Head's father's face was also filled with satisfaction.
...
The world of Kaguya-sama: Love Is War
"unacceptable."
"That strange old man went too far."
"How can you use the most important thing in the world, like a friend's life, to make such an unfunny joke?"
"Does he even know how heartbroken and desperate Mr. Bald Qiang was just now?"
"He is simply an absolute devil."
Fujiwara Chika revealed an expression filled with extreme anger at this despicable act of wantonly toying with other people's feelings.
"……I see."
"Is this his real purpose?"
"He first used the absolute lie, filled with despair, that 'your friends will all die because of your departure,' to completely destroy Bald Qiang's rationality."
"Then let him see with his own eyes the tragic scene of the 'old timeline' without his own, a timeline filled with conflict and danger."
"This will cause him to have the deepest and most unshakable regret for his decision to 'choose comfort'."
"Truly... what a brilliant, vicious, and perfect psychological manipulation technique."
Shirogane Miyuki revealed an expression filled with deep apprehension towards this high-dimensional game of scheming and malice.
Xiao Zhang plans to take Bald Qiang back to the very place where the choice began.
In other words, Bald Qiang's choice was between tearing up the lumberjack job posting or boarding the bus.
[If only Bald Qiang could choose to board that bus again.]
That would allow us to completely eliminate this unstable old timeline.
Only then can they safely return home.
However, their intrusion led to an accident.
A powerful force, representing the very rules of time, has arrived.
[Xiao Zhang quickly placed a protective layer of time around them.]
[And Bald Qiang, terrified, immediately jumped into Julie's arms.]
The World of Boonie Bears - Security Department
"……That……"
"That woman in business attire..."
"it's me?"
"Future me?"
Julie looked at the sky and saw her future self, who was experiencing a fantastical adventure with Bald Qiang that she could never have imagined. Her face was filled with extreme shock and confusion.
"I... I actually ended up running into that 'old timeline' that sounds dangerous and is full of forks in the road, with that lumberjack Bald Qiang who's shrouded in countless mysteries?"
"You were...you were attacked by that...that 'time rule' power that sounds really powerful?"
"What...what exactly is going on?"
"And...and finally..."
"That Bald Qiang, he... he actually jumped into my arms like a frightened child!"
...
The World of Boonie Bears
"……Wow……"
"Mr. Bald Qiang, he... he actually jumped into his boss's arms..."
"Although it looks a little funny..."
"but……"
"But I also really want to have such close contact with Mr. Bald Qiang."
“I also want to be held tightly by him like that, like a real hero.”
"That woman named Julie is just too... too lucky."
Looking at the sky, Xiao Ke revealed an expression full of pure, girlish envy for her idol. She felt her face turn slightly red with jealousy.
Ultimately, all three of them escaped detection by the rules of time.
Xiao Zhang plans to use the portal he obtains after completing that crucial event, led by Bald Qiang, to leave this place.