Anime Crossover: The Small Workshop System's Aggressive Feeding

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She looked at Zhou Ye in front of her, his blood-red pupils filled only with emptiness and despair, as if they had been utterly crushed.

She knew she had no choice.

"I...I'm coming out..."

Her voice was as faint as a whisper.

Chapter 225 I can’t think of the title

"Don't be so scared, I'm not a monster that eats people without spitting out the bones, Gaspar."

Zhou Ye's voice was flat, revealing no emotion.

However, when these words reached Gaspar's ears, they were more terrifying than the most horrifying curse.

She suddenly raised her head, and in her blood-red pupils, Zhou Ye's harmless face was reflected, but fear, like a bone-deep infection, spread from her spine all the way to the top of her head.

Ignore her divine weapon.

By any measure, he is not a kind person.

This man was ten thousand times more terrifying than any legendary monster she knew.

Just then, Zhou Ye snapped his fingers, releasing the invisible oppressive force that had enveloped everything.

hum-

The gray world was instantly restored to color.

When the women came to their senses after the time stop, apart from Rias and Sona who already knew, the others were all jolted, their muscles tensing instantly.

"That was...?" Himejima Akeno's alluring smile vanished, her purple eyes filled with wariness.

Toujou Shiroine immediately entered a battle stance, her small body radiating an oppressive aura completely disproportionate to her size.

Kiba Yuto's hand was already on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

They all clearly felt that, in that instant, their bodies, their consciousness, and even their ability to think had been stripped away by an irresistible force.

Their time has been stolen.

All the alert from the ambulance crew was directed at the trembling silver-haired girl who had just crawled out of the cardboard box.

"Everyone, calm down."

Zhou Ye spoke up to reassure them, taking a step forward and standing squarely between Gaspar and the others.

"Gasper couldn't effectively control the power of her artifact; it wasn't intentional."

He turned his head to look at Rias, whose expression was complicated, and his tone was slightly teasing.

"How should I put it? Rias, you really are a wonderful demon."

“Every member of your subordinates has a story to tell.”

These words caused Himejima Akeno, Toujou Shiroto, and Kiba Yuuto to freeze for a moment.

They fell silent in unison.

Yes.

Each of them had an unhappy childhood that they couldn't tell anyone.

They were pulled out of the mire of despair by Rias one by one.

They know this better than anyone else.

Rias is truly a good master, a good demon.

The tense atmosphere in the activity room was strangely eased by Zhou Ye's half-joking, half-true remark.

Zhou Ye ignored them and turned around to face the vampire girl who was curling up into a ball.

He no longer used that superior, domineering attitude.

Instead, he slowly squatted down so that his line of sight was level with Gaspar, who was sitting on the ground.

This simple movement caused Gaspar's tense body to loosen up slightly.

"My name is Zhou Ye."

"He's your department head, Rias's boyfriend."

Zhou Ye began the conversation in a calm, self-introducing tone.

"So, in a sense, we are family."

"family?"

Gaspar repeated the word timidly; she hadn't heard it in a very long time.

“Yes, they are family.” Zhou Ye nodded. “Look, they are all your companions, your family.”

He pointed at Rias, then at Akeno Himejima and the others.

“Each of them looks a lot like you.”

“Similar?” Gaspar asked, puzzled.

"Yeah, they're all so troublesome," Zhou Ye complained without any politeness.

"Huh?" Gaspar was stunned.

Even Rias and Akeno Himejima voiced their discontented protests.

Zhou Ye completely ignored their reactions and continued speaking to Gaspar: "One of them is a half-human, half-fallen angel who has been hunted down by his family since childhood."

He was referring to Akeno Himejima.

"One of them was a cat demon who almost got executed by his own kind because he lost control of his power."

He was referring to Baiyin from Tacheng.

"There's another one, a failed product of the Holy Sword Project, which was disposed of like trash, and it harbors a deep-seated hatred in its heart."

He was referring to Yuto Kiba.

"As for your minister, Rias, as the sister of Demon King Lucifer, a pure-blooded high-ranking demon, she almost had to marry someone she didn't like because of a doomed engagement."

"See, aren't they all very troublesome?"

Zhou Ye shrugged.

"We've all crawled out of all sorts of hell, so let's not laugh at each other."

"They're just a little braver than you."

"They chose to step out of their boxes, while you still want to hide inside."

Zhou Ye's words were like a scalpel, precisely peeling away the shell that Gaspar had disguised with cowardice and fear, revealing the heart inside that also longed to be understood and accepted.

Gaspar's body stopped trembling.

She stared blankly at Zhou Ye, then looked up at Rias, Himejima Akeno, Toujou Shiroto, and Kiba Yuuto.

She saw silence, empathy, and even a hint of...sympathy on their faces.

So... are we all... the same?

“I…” Gaspar uttered a hoarse syllable, “I…I didn’t mean to…”

"I know." Zhou Ye's tone softened considerably.

"Your power is so great that you're afraid of yourself, so you lock yourself away, right?"

Gaspar nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

"You're afraid of hurting others, and even more afraid that others will hurt you because of your power, right?"

Gaspar's eyes reddened.

"So you built a box and hid yourself inside. You thought that as long as you didn't go out and didn't come into contact with people, you wouldn't get hurt or be hurt."

"Woo..."

Gaspar could no longer hold back and began to sob softly.

This man, whom she had just met, understood her better than anyone else.

“But the box won’t protect you.” Zhou Ye shook his head. “It will only make you more and more lonely and afraid.”

"Do you want to live like this forever? To live in a cardboard box, in darkness, for the rest of your life?"

Gaspar shook his head violently, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"I do not want……"

"Very good." Zhou Ye reached out, not to crush her, but gently placed his hand on her head and ruffled her long, silvery-white hair.

The movements were very light and gentle.

"There will be a performance in three days."

"A grand stage that teaches you how to control your power and how to overcome fear."

"Rias, Akeno, Shiro, Yuto, everyone will participate."

"Are you coming?"

Zhou Ye did not use a commanding tone.

He extended an invitation like a caring and warm older brother.

Gaspar raised his head, his eyes red from crying, and looked at Zhou Ye.

She looked again at Rias, who was extending her hand with an encouraging smile on her face.

She glanced at Toujou Shiroine, who, although still expressionless, was clearly no longer hostile.

And there's Kiba Yuto, who's nodding gently at her.

And, Himejima Akeno, who smiles like a mischievous older sister.

She is no longer alone.

This activity room is not another box of hers.