Looking at the Shizuka in front of him, Edward felt a little dazed. The image of this Shizuka seemed to overlap perfectly with his memories of the childhood friend he once knew. His eyes glazed slightly—he had truly never expected the story to develop in this direction.
Although Edward had long harbored suspicions about Zoroark's true identity, nothing had ever confirmed it. So he couldn't be sure if Zoroark really was Shizuka. But now, looking at the girl before him, Edward was almost certain—this was the same Shizuka who had sacrificed herself to protect him during the explosion yesterday.
"Shizuka… have you recovered your memories?"
Edward asked, a little excited, staring at her hopefully. If Shizuka truly remembered her past, it would be a great relief to him.
But as he recalled everything she had done for him, his heart stirred uneasily. He didn't know what kind of feelings Shizuka had for him, but considering she had been willing to die to save him, that feeling was probably…
"Hehe, just kidding, boss~"
Zoroark smiled sweetly, and Edward froze, staring at her in disbelief.
What did she mean by that? Just teasing him?
Zoroark didn't look at him. Instead, she turned her gaze toward the dim room. The last rays of the evening sun had faded, and darkness gradually took over. But in that twilight, her eyes gleamed brightly—so brightly that Edward could hardly look away.
"I don't have memories of the past... or rather, I've long forgotten them.
I only remember that I killed an entire human village out of revenge.
But why I did that, or what happened afterward… I can't remember anymore…"
Zoroark spoke calmly, but Edward noticed the tremble in her voice.
It reminded him of the strange diary they had found in the ruins.
The writer had said the same—that she had begun to forget, bit by bit: her memories, her name, her past…
She could only remember who she was because of seeing the name "Shizuka" written in the diary.
Zoroark was clearly the same.
She had forgotten most of her past.
That only made Edward more certain—this Zoroark was his childhood friend Shizuka.
The same Shizuka who had once shielded him from the explosion without hesitation.
"Once upon a time, there was a girl who didn't live a very happy life.
She grew up in a cruel and toxic household…"
Edward didn't press her with questions.
Instead, he began to tell the story of Cinderella.
While he spoke, he carefully observed Zoroark's expression.
She didn't react much at first, but Edward noticed something in her eyes—a flicker of hesitation, and she didn't dare meet his gaze.
And toward the end of the story, her expression shifted again.
That was when Edward realized—Zoroark had remembered something.
But for some reason, she was unwilling to admit it.
Maybe because this version of Cinderella was different—in Edward's version, Cinderella forgave her stepmother and stepsisters.
Edward moved to sit beside her.
Shizuka turned her back on him shyly, not daring to look him in the eye.
"Shizuka… thank you."
Edward said gently.
That single sentence seemed to unlock something deep inside her.
Shizuka's eyes instantly turned red.
She turned her head to look at Edward—and in the next second, she transformed back into Zoroark.
"But I'm just a Pokémon now!"
She cried out, her voice raw.
She trembled as she looked down at her hands—gray claws, red fur, and that unfamiliar, monstrous form.
Even though she could use Illusion to return to her original appearance, in her heart…
she no longer believed she was human.
She had survived.
She had met Edward again.
That made her happy.
But deep down, she was breaking.
"But you're still Shizuka…"
Edward said warmly.
Shizuka trembled even more.
She cried uncontrollably, tears falling one after another, splashing quietly onto the floor.
In that moment, Shizuka broke down completely in front of Edward.
…
Later…
"Boss… is this really okay?"
On the plane, Shizuka sat next to Edward, her voice soft and uncertain.
Edward chuckled.
"What's not okay? You were my secretary anyway.
Though I really didn't expect things to turn out like this."
He looked at her and couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
He never would've guessed that the secretary he had once randomly hired at the Pokémon talent market…
would turn out to be his childhood sweetheart.
Honestly, if this kind of plot appeared in a web novel, readers would tear the author to pieces for being too melodramatic.
Though Shizuka felt awkward about it all, Edward had managed to convince her to continue living normally.
What surprised him more was that Shizuka actually wanted to remain his secretary for a while longer.
Edward didn't know whether to laugh or cry at that.
But after thinking about it, he felt maybe it wasn't such a bad idea.
At least this way, things wouldn't be so awkward between them.
Still, whenever he saw Shizuka beside him, he couldn't help but feel a stirring in his chest.
Edward wasn't clueless—he knew what Shizuka's act of shielding him from the explosion had meant.
And because he knew… he felt even more flustered about it.
"Ahem… Shizuka, back when we were confronting that guy Cyrus…
You said something to me. What was it?"
Edward finally couldn't help but ask.
Shizuka turned her head to look at him.
Her eyes shimmered like they were about to pull in all the light in the world.
"You didn't hear it?"
She looked at him with mock surprise.
Edward's mouth twitched.
Even though she had her memories back, she still sounded like that mischievous Zoroark he knew.
"So… do you want me to say it again?"
Shizuka asked softly, head lowered, ears turning red.
Edward subconsciously held his breath.
"...I'm not telling you~"
(End of Chapter)
(dang so the author gonna go this route.)