Seiji and the others did as the restaurant owner said.
The handsome middle-aged man then raised his hands, placed his palms together, and created a white ball of light out of thin air. He then sent it into the ball of the device.
The runes on the ball lit up and started swirling with light.
"Now, put your hands near this. You don't need to touch it. Just get close to it. "
Seiji was the first to reach out his hand upon hearing this.
When his hand neared the ball, a dark-red mist appeared and was absorbed into the ball.
It didn't feel strange at all … Seiji indicated with his eyes to everyone else.
Miyabi was the second to reach out her hand, followed by Nomura and the others.
After the ball absorbed some of the mist, it started buzzing. Many mysterious runes started glowing red on the bottom half of what seemed like a three-legged cauldron.
The restaurant owner looked at the runes for a while.
"You have three other companions in different locations," he told them. "Currently, we can locate two of them. As for the last one, you'll need to find those two and cast another spell together in order to locate him."
"Why?" Seiji inquired.
"Because that person is located at a deeper level … this thing's abilities are limited. We'll need more samples in order to find him."
"… Although I don't understand, I get the gist of it."
The two people that he could locate were probably Shousei Maishi and Imai Yoshida. The one that he couldn't locate was probably Linpu Kotaro. Seiji guessed.
"I'll need you to choose one person to be the 'Guide.' He'll be the one to lead you to your companions," the restaurant owner continued.
Miyabi and the others all looked at Seiji Mukai upon hearing this.
"Allow me." Seiji accepted the responsibility.
The restaurant owner then instructed everyone to place their hands on his body.
After Miyabi and the others did as they were told, the restaurant owner then had Seiji place his hand on the ball.
"You'll need to do so for a short while. You'll feel a little dizzy during the process. Please bear with it."
Seiji nodded.
Although he didn't believe that the restaurant owner was plotting against them, he still prepared to load just in case.
His hand slowly approached the ball and touched its surface.
His hand was instantly covered in a white light. Many fragmented scenes flashed before his eyes!
Two children were playing in the countryside … A waitress was greeting customers in a restaurant … A young maintenance soldier was running around in the base …
These images flashed across his mind, but they left a deep impression on him.
Was this imagination? Or memories?
With this question in his mind, he couldn't tell the boundary between illusion and reality for a moment.
He felt a little dizzy.
His consciousness became blurry, and so did his surroundings. Everything seemed to be in an ambiguous realm.
In this state, Seiji vaguely comprehended something … Then, he felt an indescribable power enter his body and condense in his right hand.
The dizziness faded away.
He regained consciousness and his vision returned to normal.
He saw the shop owner, who had his hand on the other side of the sphere.
"It really is you … right?" Seiji couldn't help but ask.
The handsome uncle looked at him and didn't answer, but the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
This trace of a smile was fleeting, as if it had never appeared.
"Location complete. With the mark on your hand, you can find your companions. "
Seiji looked at his right hand and saw a white miniature formation on the back of his hand.
"The location effect only lasts for a time. You should hurry up and go." The shop owner paused for a moment. "The location will only be effective if you all move together. That's why it won't work if some of you go and some of you wait in the shop."
…
After leaving the basement, Seiji watched as the shop owner returned to the kitchen.
He was almost certain that this mysterious existence was the one who possessed the angelic outfit Seiji when he saved Little Ling Yang!
But, it was only 'almost'.
Seiji asked, but received no response. He expressed that he wanted to talk, but received no response.
This mysterious existence didn't seem to want to talk, and only offered help, just like back then.
Was it impossible to talk? Didn't want to talk? Or shouldn't talk?
Seiji didn't know, and felt that he shouldn't think about it anymore.
What he needed to do now was to find his lost companions and return to reality!
"Before we go, let me tell you my thoughts," he said to Miyabi and the others after he retracted his gaze.
"My guess is that the two people we're going to look for are Shousei Maishi and Imai Yoshida-san, and they're currently in the environments of their award-winning art.
Let's not talk about the environments of their art for now. What I'm most concerned about are those skeletons …
I suspect that those skeletons are the result of Linpu Kotaro's artwork.
This Gold Award winner is the main creator of this field. His artwork is presented in a powerful form that corrodes the environments of other people's artworks.
Before Ishihara-senpai's environment was corroded, Matsutani-senpai and I found her. Hashimoto-san has been staying here the entire time, and she's fine thanks to the shop owner's protection. Nomura-san managed to escape when his environment was being corroded.
As for Maishi and Yoshida-san's environments, I suspect that they've already been corroded, or even completely corroded. We'll meet with danger when we go looking for them.
There will be some dangerous situations that Matsutani-senpai and I won't be able to deal with by ourselves. That's why everyone needs to do their best. "Seiji looked at everyone.
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
"If what you said is true … how should we do our best?" The cat ears on Miyabi's head twitched. "I don't know how to fight."
"Although I have a weapon, I've already used up all of its energy." Nomura showed them his magical weapon.
His weapon was a small magical crossbow that was similar to a handgun. He had used up all of the magical energy stored in the crossbow when he was shooting at the skeletons. However, he didn't throw it away. Instead, he kept it on him.
"Like I said before, this is a dreamlike domain that isn't a dream. And, you're all part of this domain." Seiji looked directly at them. "In other words, you're all the 'creators' of this domain! You actually have the power of creation here. You can create, or rather, summon, things from your own artworks. "
Miyabi and Nomura were rendered speechless.
"I know that this sounds a little chuunibyou, but I'm being serious," Seiji told them in a serious tone. "As long as you concentrate and do your best to imagine, you'll be able to do it."
The female high school student and male university student both had subtle expressions on their faces.
They were already so old, yet they were still acting like chuunibyou?
If even they were acting like this, then Yuuko Hashimoto, who was already a (relatively) older woman in society, was even more … speechless.
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
"Although I find it hard to accept, since Harano -san says so, I might as well give it a try," Nomura sighed as he lifted the magical crossbow in his hand. Nomura sighed as he raised the magical crossbow in his hand. "Let me imagine charging this weapon with energy."
After saying this, he stared at the magical crossbow and concentrated.
"Come on … come on … come on …" he muttered to himself.
Nothing happened.
"You need to be more focused. Why don't you act a little more exaggerated," Seiji suggested. "For example, say cool lines or make cool poses."
'You're really not joking with me?'
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