ATAPOW Chapter 237

Chapter 237: Switching Frequency

“I don’t have a mom.” Bai Ji muttered in a low voice, seemingly as though she was in a disagreement with someone.

Anna fell into a momentary silence. With a look of doubt, she stretched her hand to feel Bai Ji’s forehead before checking her own.

“You don’t have a fever, so why are you spouting all this gibberish?” A quizzical look on her face, Anna rapped Bai Ji’s head with her knuckle, like how one would knock on a watermelon to test its ripeness. “Is it possible that a vital part of your brain is missing?'”

“But shouldn’t that be expected? The brain structure of vampires is different from humans. It’s only natural for some vital components to be missing as a result.” Bai Ji coldly harrumphed, swatting Anna’s hand away impatiently. This one remark of hers had managed to offend every vampire across the main plane.

“Oh, you’re truly insensible, dear Bai-Bai. Whether you accept it or not, she is your mother through and through.”

‘You expect me to acknowledge that hag as my mother? Haha, dream on.’

Bai Ji turned her head to the side, with a “→_→” expression and a blood bag clutched in her mouth. The perfunctory look on her face made it clear she was not listening to Anna’s words at all.

The mere mention of that individual would always elicit a complex feeling within her. There was aversion, yes – but there was something else mixed into it, something that held her back.

She could not quite explain it; it was a delicate balancing act between holding them at arm’s length while appeasing them.

This conflict was not lost to Anna, who recognized the nuanced dynamics at play in their relationship.

“Alright, since you’re so reluctant to embrace your vampire identity, why did you accept aid from your enemy and take the blood bag they offered? Mr. Knight~” Anna lightly pressed her finger against her cherry-like lips, a mocking smile playing on her face.

With her head turned to the side, Bai Ji’s ahoge stood on end while her hand, clutching the blood bag, trembled faintly. She pretended not to hear anything and continued drinking the blood bag, hoping to charm her way through the situation with her cuteness.

She would never admit the strong sense of security she subconsciously felt when she was around this white-haired girl, whose appearance reminded her of a marshmallow.

‘No, this isn’t right. Darn it… How could I entertain such a dreadful thought? To think that I would feel extremely secure around a vampire… Has my mind been completely fried?’

With her thoughts stopping just shy of being spelled out on her face, Bai Ji naturally stood no chance of concealing them against the discerning eyes of the cunning old granny.

Anna’s lips curled into a smile, but she remained silent on the matter.

“Hey, that reminds me. Have you forgotten something?” After a period of silence, Bai Ji took the initiative to speak.

“Oh? You think I missed something?” Anna tilted her head quizzically, seemingly without any pretense.

“Yup. But it’s hardly an oversight I can fault you for~” Bai Ji licked the remaining fluid from the corners of her mouth and broke into a completely flawless smile. “For an malnourished and underdeveloped body with extremely low estrogen levels, a bra is really dispensable. Whether you wear one or not, it doesn’t change much, so it’s understandable if it slipped your mind over time.”

“You must’ve probably ‘overlooked’ their existence completely while preparing the clothes earlier, didn’t you? But hey, I don’t blame you for that.”

“Tinkle!” The crisp sound of shattering glass came from the cup that Anna was gripping too tightly.

..Oh? H-How can you speak to your Aunt like that? Your Aunt just forgot, that’s all~” Even though Anna’s smile shone brightly, the originally warm room suddenly took on the chill of an icy cave, sending shivers down one’s spine.

“My dear Bai-bai, perhaps you should feel your own chest before deciding if you’re fit to judge others!” Anna’s smile began to crumble as if someone had touched her nerves. “You’re as flat as an airport and yet you have the audacity to speak about Anna? The way you lie through your teeth and blatantly deny reality reminds me so much like your mother when she was younger!”

“At least a runway has its highs and lows and I can get a bit of something with a squeeze. But you? You’re as barren as can be and flatter than a vegetable cutting board!” Bai Ji shot back, determined not to be outdone. The smile that once played on her lips had completely darkened.

“With a figure as flat as a washboard, you wouldn’t really need a suit of armor in battle— since your body is already outfitted with one tailor-made for you. In that regard, I can’t hold a candle to you!”

“Oh, what are you saying, silly child? You’ve perfectly inherited your mother’s legendary armor. Even Anna has to bow down to you in that regard~”

At that instant, a faint smell of gunpowder filled the room.

The two silver-haired girls squared off, smiles etched on their faces. Their gazes collided, sending sparks flying in the air.

“Airport Runway!”

“Washing board!”

“Tailor-made armor!”

“Vegetable cutting board!”

“You insolent and hateful brat! It’s you who’s the cutting board! Rather than absorb all the good teachings in your formative years, you’re focused on challenging your elders in every turn. Today, Anna will give you a lesson on behalf of your mom.” Anna was the first to lose her composure. Baring her fangs aggressively, she lunged toward Bai Ji like a hungry tiger attacking its prey and pinned her down to the bed.

“You undeveloped, stinking cutting board. Just because your efforts to pad your bust is still no match for my natural size, you pick a fight? Fine, bring it on, I’m not scared of you!”

“Ahhhh…! Y-You called Anna a cutting board again! You ungrateful wench, I’ll make you regret this!”

On the spacious bed, the two silver-haired girls were momentarily entwined in a tangle, their bodies rolling and twisting as they became fully immersed in their scuffle.

It resembled a see-saw battle that children found delight in. One moment, one of them would take charge, riding atop the other’s body, and then, in the next moment, the tables would turn as the other would press down on the former’s stomach. Their exchanges caused them to tumble back and forth on the bed, like a spinning wheel.

“Ahh~”

“Hey, how dare you bite me, you little rat! It’s against the rules to use your teeth… Darn it, do you think you’re the only one who knows how to bite??”

Abandoning all pretense of grace, the two silver-haired lolis started pinching and tugging at each other’s cheeks. Their petite, pale legs were intertwined with each other, and they even went as far as to use their teeth in their scuffle.

Their stares, charged with great ferocity, clashed against each other, as if the slightest concession would mean defeat for the other party.

“Ahhhh!”

“Hmm!”

Their breath brushed against each other’s face, as they were locked in a standoff. Suddenly, the silence was broken by a series of orderly footsteps outside the door.

“Whaa!?” Embroiled in their tussle, the vampires on the bed were caught off-guard. Before they could react, the footsteps had come to a stop outside the door.

‘This is bad! Why now, of all moments??’

‘Oh no, I mustn’t let anyone see me like this…’

Bai Ji’s pupils narrowed abruptly. In her panic, she acted on instinct without thinking…

…and started shifting back to his male form.

“Creak.” Following the sound of a turning doorknob, the door to the room slowly swung open.

Consequently, Bai Ji, who was hovering on the verge of life and death, promptly returned to her senses. Her brain rapidly whirled into action, allowing her to complete her transformation and gender change right before the door was fully open.

“…” Lin observed the scene laid bare before her eyes and fell into an odd silence.

What she had witnessed inexplicably led her to believe that she was experiencing an hallucination.

In front of Lin was her mother, a figure both deeply nostalgic and unfamiliar to her, while the other person was a human she could barely acknowledge as her classmate.

The two individuals, who were a routine part of her existence, were now joined together in an extremely peculiar arrangement, crafting a scene that felt deeply unusual to her.

Their bodies embarrassingly entangled on a large bed, the woman’s clothing laid in tatters, leaving large swaths of her skin exposed. Meanwhile, the tiny dress on the man’s body had been stretched to the brink, threatening to unravel at its seams as he pinned the girl down, holding her captive by one hand. The other seemed to clutch down on something – a stray piece of lingerie in his grip.

At that moment, as if bound by some invisible accord, both sides found themselves at a loss of words, staring at her with expressions of surprise and shock.

“…” Following a momentary silence, Lin abruptly shut the door, fished out her phone and dialed the dedicated hotline of the discipline department.

“Hello? Is this the discipline department? There’s someone molesting a loli in the Chivalric Head Chambers. There’s no need to interrogate him, I’ve caught him red-handed, so you can just directly execute him… Mhm, there’s no victim. That loli is an adulterer as well, so you can just arrest them both.”

The gust from the closing door tousled Ji Bai’s bangs. Had this been a manga, he would have turned into a shade of gray by now.

With his reputation at risk from baseless allegations, he found himself wanting to light a cigarette and ponder over the absurdity of his predicament in a haze of smoke, “How did things come to this point?’¹”

——————————————

Following a comprehensive reconstruction, Border Town was now on the right trajectory. The ruins that once dominated the landscape were now teeming with life once more.

In a certain tea shop.

A silver-haired girl fixed the armored figure across the table with a stare that was both calm and aggressive. The man appeared ready to speak, but ultimately shook his head and stopped himself. He then lifted his teacup and proceeded to pour his tea into the seams of his helmet.

Since he had no words to explain himself, he decided to put on a performance instead— sipping tea through the seams of his helmet.

“Whatever you two are up to is none of my concern.” Lin slightly lowered her eyelids.

“However, can you tell me why you had my lingerie in your hand earlier?” Lin unconsciously tightened the collar of her dress, as she scrutinized Ji Bai with her gaze.

“That seems to be your mom’s handiwork… She has a penchant for amassing unusual things, after all.” Ji Bai thought for a second before speaking with certainty.

“I’m not asking about why it’s there.” Lin knocked her knuckles against the table, seeming dissatisfied with Ji Bai’s response.

“What I’m asking is — What prompted you to rush towards the bed and grab it?”

“…” Ji Bai fell silent.

“No comment.”

“Hmph, I couldn’t care less about your dealings with that woman. However, I won’t stand by and let Ke’er be near a perverted lolicon who is attracted to the young and undeveloped physique of a child.”

“Mr. Ji Bai…” Ke’er obediently sat beside Lin, her expression filled with disappointment and confusion.

Ji Bai was burdened by a sense of guilt.

As Ke’er’s temporary guardian, he could not help but feel that the lofty, positive image he had created in her heart must have crumbled in an instant when this incident occurred. It was understandable why she seemed so disappointed in him.

‘Why did Mr. Ji Bai choose to lay his hands on someone he has no connection to, when the one here at home is readily accessible to him? Could Ke’er be the problem here?…’

A storm of negative emotions welled up in Ke’er’s heart, making her feel deeply hurt and unjustly treated.

“Ke’er, you should stay with big sister for now. This cockroach is currently in a state of arousal, so his emotions are all over the place.” Lin noticed Ke’er’s gloomy mood and feeling a sense of pity for her, gently stroked her forehead.

“Thank you, big sister Lin, but that won’t be necessary. Ke’er still wishes to live with Mr. Ji Bai.” Ke’er shook her head like a rattle drum.

If she did not step up her game, the interloping cheater might swoop in and snatch Mr. Ji Bai away from her.

On the other hand, oblivious to the motivation underlying her actions, Ji Bai felt extremely touched with her gesture.

‘This child… To think that she trusted me this much all along.’

”Alright, in case something comes up, make sure to notify big sister as soon as possible.” Lin opted not to press the issue further. She understood that pressuring Ke’er would not lead to positive results. Moreover, despite her reluctance to admit it, she inwardly believed that Ji Bai was not someone capable of performing such an act.

“I need to use the restroom,” Ji Bai sensed the call of nature from possibly drinking too much tea. With that, he excused himself and headed towards the toilet.

Hidden in plain sight, atop the building’s roof, stood a figure clad in dark silver armor. Chilly blue light radiated out from the seams of its helmet, resembling a sharp sword ready to strike.

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In this paragraph the author has actually used the line “You bastard, how did you-” from the show “Kamen Rider V3”, which was spoken by the antagonist Poison Needle Spider. It occurs after Kamen Rider appears before him in his V3 form, despite being afflicted with mind-control poison. Due to issues with the subtitles, the text failed to disappear after Poison Needle Spider spoke these words. This led some viewers to mistakenly attribute the line to Kamen Rider, causing backlash from fans.

In this case, the author is trying to mirror the absurdity of Ji Bai’s situation, and how he is being wrongfully accused of doing something he never did, just as it was the case with Kamen Rider. I have changed it to something more appropriate, so as to make it more accessible with readers who forego the tl note.