Dragon Raja 4; Chapter 63: The Funeral of a Fifteen Year Old Boy (5)

Dragon Raja 4

Toyama could probably help erase the illusions in Lu Mingfei’s mind, aligning him with everyone else’s understanding of reality. But the problem was, Lu Mingfei didn’t want to align with everyone else. What he hoped for most was that someone would suddenly jump out and back him up, telling everyone that Chu Zihang was real, a living, breathing person. He wanted someone to slap all those who had forgotten Chu Zihang right in the face.

But as fate would have it, when Lu Mingfei passed the fountain, he bumped into Masashi Toyama, who was practicing his trumpet there. Toyama pulled out a flashlight and checked Lu Mingfei’s pupils. “Are you still taking your medication? How’s your sleep been lately?”

“I’m fine! Why would I still be taking meds if I’m all better?” Lu Mingfei quickly defended himself. “I’ve been eating well, sleeping well—nothing could wake me up, not even a bomb!”

The events in Tokyo had left him depressed for a while, and he often had to go to Toyama for counseling, though not as severely as some people had gossiped.

Time, after all, is the best healer, especially for someone like Lu Mingfei, who, as Lu Mingze used to say, was very good at deceiving himself.

“But you look like you’re having a PTSD relapse. We’re old friends now, so just be honest,” Toyama said, patting Lu Mingfei on the shoulder. “We met on your first day at the college. Back then, you were a kid with fear hidden in your eyes, always instinctively hiding your true thoughts. It’s okay; you’re the old patient, and I’m the old doctor. Let’s have a conversation without any masks.”

“Come on! Mr. Toyama, you may be an old doctor, but I’m still young. Can’t you see me from a progressive perspective? When I first enrolled, I was nothing, tricked into coming to the U.S. to attend a college full of lunatics. You all talked to me about dragon-slaying, and even threatened me with brainwashing if I dropped out. But now, I’m the Student Union president. I walk around the college like a boss, armed with blades and guns, running missions all over the world. Some people call me the Dragon of the Execution Bureau, and others the Crown Prince of Cassell. Even if I wanted to act weak, there’s nowhere for me to hide. Don’t make me out to be so complicated.”

“Do you still dream about that girl? Uesugi Erii—you always avoid saying her name, but sooner or later, you’ll have to face this.”

Lu Mingfei was silent for a few seconds. “Less and less. Even when I dream about her, they’re no longer nightmares. Sometimes, I even wake up feeling happy.”

Toyama nodded. “PTSD doesn’t always manifest as pain. Sometimes, people can become trapped in illusions they create for themselves. Let me tell you about a famous case. In 1967, a Black woman in South Africa developed a high fever and suddenly began speaking fluent French. She claimed to remember her past life, saying that she had been a painter living in an apartment by the Seine in Paris. She described the view of Paris from the apartment’s balcony and even painted it. People followed her painting and found the apartment, and the view from the balcony matched her painting exactly. They invited her to undergo hypnosis and a lie detector test, and not only did she pass, but she also recalled even more details from her supposed past life.”

“That impressive?” Chairman Lu mused.

“Years later, they finally discovered the truth. Although she had lived in South Africa all her life, her mother had worked for a wealthy French family, so she grew up in an environment where everyone spoke French. When the family left South Africa, she gradually lost her ability to speak French, but the fever reactivated her language skills.”

“And how do you explain the apartment?”

“The apartment had belonged to that French family. The lady of the house had painted a picture of the view from her window in Paris. As for why she passed the lie detector test—it’s because she wasn’t lying. She genuinely believed, deep in her heart, that her past life was as a painter living by the Seine. That identity fulfilled her inner desires.”

“So, are you saying that I invented a man to fulfill my inner desires?” Lu Mingfei interrupted.

Toyama was silent for a moment. “I guess I should see you from a more progressive perspective. You’re dressing more and more like Caesar, but you’re starting to talk more like Finger… I have to admit, you seem quite normal. Your logic is sound, your responses are quick, and your thoughts jump around like a rabbit—I can barely keep up with you. How about trying hypnosis? It’ll help you relax completely, and we can have an honest conversation without masks.”

“Not this again! You’re trying to brainwash me, aren’t you? You’re definitely trying to brainwash me!” Lu Mingfei glared at him suspiciously.

“You’re a valuable asset to the college now. I wouldn’t dare mess with what’s in your head. Even if I wanted to brainwash you, I’d need approval from the Execution Bureau.”

“Let’s skip it. I don’t want you turning me into an idiot.” Lu Mingfei made a move to stand up. “Maybe I’ll feel better after a good night’s sleep.”

“Why rush? Let’s talk some more.” Toyama pulled out an old-fashioned pocket watch and held it up in front of Lu Mingfei. “What time do you think it is now?”

Lu Mingfei glanced at the watch and froze. “Mr. Toyama, isn’t your watch broken?”

The intricately designed enamel face had silver-blue hands moving backward. Tick, tick, tick. Time was rewinding, second by second.

In the next moment, the carved patterns on the watch face began to move, like flowers blooming, or like the gears of a vast machine turning.

Toyama gently supported Lu Mingfei’s neck, laying him down softly on the edge of the fountain, while quietly chanting, “Yanling: Hypnos.”

Hypnos, named after the Greek god of sleep, was a Yanling that could guide its target into a deep slumber. Its effects were enhanced with the use of special tools. Toyama’s pocket watch, with its backward movement, naturally drew the target’s attention. Once their focus sharpened, the effect of Hypnos became stronger, even on an S-rank hybrid like Lu Mingfei.

“Tell me about Chu Zihang, okay?” Toyama’s voice was soft. “How long have you known him?”

“Since seventh grade, I guess. That’s when I first heard about him.” In his sleep, Lu Mingfei temporarily shed his fear, his voice light. “One day during lunch, someone rushed in and said, ‘Chu Zihang, Chu Zihang, he’s practicing slam dunks on the court!’ Before the words were even finished, all the girls had already run out, and more than half of the boys followed. I was so jealous and envious. Every time I saw him play basketball, I hoped he’d mess up, that he’d slam into the hoop while dunking or something…”

“The next time I saw him was the day we both came to report to the college. I thought he was terrifying—he had already become a leader in a place full of lunatics, like this college. Isn’t that like being the craziest of the crazy? Imagine how scary he’d be if he lost control? Of course, now I’m also a leader in a society. And he always has his golden eyes shining—never needs a flashlight at night. What kind of monster is that? Even Caesar seems more human than him!”

“It wasn’t until the summer after freshman year that we became friends. That’s when I realized he was actually pretty cool—a lone wolf driving a Porsche Panamera with one hand. Look at that persona! In anime, he’d definitely be like Shiryu or Rukawa Kaede, the kind of character who overshadows the dumb main character. But when you get to know him better, you realize he’s actually kind of gossipy and loves to ramble…”

The more Toyama listened, the more shocked he became. This imaginary figure had so many intricate details—Lu Mingfei must have spent a lot of time and effort crafting this person in his mind. It wasn’t something that could be done overnight. Perhaps, as far back as middle school, Lu Mingfei had started imagining an older brother-like figure to cope with his loneliness.

“My senior is just like me, deep down—just a big kid. Even though he’s amazing, he’s like a block of wood around girls, completely wasting all the ones who have a thing for him.” Lu Mingfei continued to muse in his dream. “I thought he and the Little Dragon Girl made a good match, but fate is cruel, and both of them are so stubborn. ‘I am Jörmungandr, the Dragon Queen Jörmungandr.’ Even at the end, she didn’t leave him any hope.”

“My senior used to say that the human brain is an unreliable hard drive, slowly demagnetizing over time. He also said that people who are forgetful are actually happier—forgetting is a self-defense mechanism. But he’s the kind of person who remembers everything. And now, it’s him who’s been forgotten by everyone. Turns out that without Chu Zihang, the world keeps spinning, and everyone goes on just fine.” Lu Mingfei fell silent for a moment. “I hate this kind of world.”

Toyama thought to himself, This situation is serious. This ghost of Chu Zihang has deeply taken root in Lu Mingfei’s heart. If it’s not completely erased, even if he distinguishes reality from illusion right now, that ghost will eventually return. And now is the best time to delete that ghost. 

As for not messing with Lu Mingfei’s mind—well, that was a well-meaning lie from Toyama. His presence at the fountain, playing the trumpet, was orchestrated by the Execution Bureau. They didn’t care about Lu Mingfei’s teenage shadows—what they cared about was his combat power.

“Our minds often deceive us, trapping us in confusion and pain, leaving us lost in the labyrinth of shadows,” Toyama’s voice was soft as the wind. “But Lu Mingfei, think of the vast world out there. You have many friends and an infinite future. Only when you step out of the shadows in your heart and embrace the world will you feel the warmth of the sunlight. Leave your friend behind and come with me, okay?”

He was seeking Lu Mingfei’s consent. If Lu Mingfei agreed, Toyama would immediately brainwash him, erasing the imaginary figure of Chu Zihang from his memory.

Lu Mingfei remained silent for a long time, his eyes tightly shut, his face twitching slightly—his mind was at war with itself.

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