Chapter Ninety-Eight: The Goal of Going Home

Lorita Beast now carried the status of an envoy of the Digital World, so it was best to avoid fighting Digimon whenever possible. If, under the pretext of monitoring humanity, he appeared in the human world and then immediately drew on his fellow Digimon, it could easily arouse suspicion from Samo and the fox guardian Digimon on his shoulder. Therefore Lorita Beast had to appear, or rather pretend to appear, as someone who would not side with either Digimon or humans. That was the most reasonable approach.

Qinfei knew that forcing Lorita Beast to keep its battle-hardened spirit in check was painful, but he had already explained why.

Besides, Qinfei had promised Lolo as well: this would not last long. Not long after this, the first clash between the Digital World and the human world would come, and there would be more than enough fighting for Lorita Beast to vent the frustrations built up during this period.

So for now, they only had to wait.

Elsewhere, under pursuit by Dilo Beast and Black Dilo Beast, and boxed in by Megumi Shirakawa, that single Baru Beast and the Seed Beasts finally transformed into digital eggs one by one. After that, all they needed was to return to DATS command, take those eggs back, and send them home. In the Digital World they would hatch and evolve again.

“...”
“Everyone, come this way! All of you, over here!”
After placing the digital eggs in the trunk, Qinfei noticed Megumi Shirakawa had gathered all the witnesses from the orchard. In their puzzled gaze, she produced a one-way flash wand.
There was a sharp click, and a burst of light.
Apart from Qinfei and Megumi, everyone else wore puzzled expressions. Apparently everyone had forgotten what had just happened.

“Some serious black-tech trickery,” Qinfei muttered, rubbing his chin, wondering how he might ever get one of those things. It might prove useful someday.
“...”
“I told you this mission was simple!”
Seeing the trunk packed neatly with digital eggs, Megumi flashed Qinfei and Lolo a proud smile in the back seat, then remembered the time she had made a fool of herself and blushed. With a tone half warning, half pleading, she said, “What happened with me hanging from the tree—don’t tell anyone about it.”
Qinfei just shrugged. He had no habit of gossiping. Lolo seemed to think there was nothing worth repeating either. Seeing the two unbothered kids in the back seat, Megumi opened her mouth again, then gave up on repeating herself.

They set off for home again. Looking at the bag of apples, Qinfei thought she had really just come along for a bit of sport.

As he watched the scenery through the window, he found himself unexpectedly lighthearted. Since coming to this world, he hadn’t really relaxed and simply admired the view like this. He had been preoccupied all along with how to return to the first world, how to make Digimon evolve successfully, how to face the strongest enemies ahead.

This world was harsher than the Digital World he had known before. Qinfei had seen humans injured or killed by Digimon that invaded the human world. Road accidents caused by Digimon, fires, accidents, tragedies of all kinds—there was no shortage of them.

“What’s wrong, Qinfei? Why that long face? Come on, kid, you should smile more. That’s how you win people over.”
From the rearview mirror, Megumi caught his bewildered expression and gave him a warm smile, as if she thought he was disappointed not to have had a blazing battle after all.
“Thanks, Megumi-senpai. I’m fine. Just thinking about a few trivial things.”
When she saw him pull himself together, Megumi nodded with satisfaction.
“Want some music?”

She switched on the radio. A mellow melody flooded the car at once and chased away some of Qinfei’s gloom. He smiled, pulled four apples from his bag, and also released Dilo Beast and Black Dilo Beast from the digivice. Each beast, one each, sat happily gnawing.

“Honestly, if I were allowed to drive, I’d trade seats with you.”
Watching the two of them in the back seat chewing apples, Megumi released her own strategy Digimon and joined in on the orchard apples as well.

“...
We’re back. See what we brought!”
Returning to the DATS command center, Megumi called out to her colleagues.
“Wonderful. I was supposed to go with him, but you beat me to it.”
A woman with deep violet hair walked over. She gave Qinfei and Megumi a look full of envy, then took two apples and returned to her own console.
“Is it this busy when I’m not here?”
Once Megumi sat back in her dedicated station, she gestured Qinfei and Lolo over.
“This is my close friend—call her Miki-senpai. On missions from now on, she’s got your back, ahah.”
At this carefree newcomer, Qinfei offered a polite smile anyway.

“Alright, enough dawdling. There’s still one more step.”
After giving the apples in her hand to her black strategy Digimon partner, Miki Kurosaki gave Megumi’s shoulder a playful shove.
“Okay, okay… Let’s move. Qinfei, we need to bring the digital eggs outside to the transport machine.”

After opening her friend’s access controls, Megumi called for Qinfei and began placing the Seed and Baru digital eggs onto the Digital World transport machine one by one.
“Done!”
Qinfei stepped back a few paces, watching the eggs on the transporter.
As the power climbed, the machine’s glow grew brighter, almost blinding.
Then, when the light vanished, the platform was once again empty.

“Don’t worry. Those eggs will be just fine in the Digital World. Compared with the human world, it’s really the Digimon who belong there.”
Qinfei stared at the now-empty transport apparatus as if lost in thought. Megumi took it as concern for the eggs.

But he was really thinking of something else: if he changed the program or power settings, could he use this device to send himself back to his original world? Could he see the chosen children again? Or would he instead be thrown into another unfamiliar Digital World?
If there were truly no other way back, Qinfei was willing to try.
This body of his held a deep longing to go home, as if it missed family.
The family of the original owner.
The change had come slowly, almost naturally, like water finding its path. Qinfei understood: although his own soul had replaced the former soul, this fleshly body was still shaping him in return.
The original owner’s temperament, habits, emotions—everything—still lingered inside. He found himself inheriting bonds that had never really belonged to him.

This body wanted to return—back to the original first Digital World, back to his aunt’s side. No matter how dangerous it might be, Qinfei felt no urge to resist, only a quiet, faint expectation.

“Qinfei, today’s mission was handled very well. Even though they were only juvenile-phase baby Digimon, you resolved it quickly.”
Samo’s figure had appeared in the command room without anyone noticing. He gave Qinfei an approving look.
“Mm. Still, I still have a lot to improve. Captain Samo, can I use the training room again this evening?”
A new goal seemed to rise in him all at once. The dull fog in his eyes cleared, replaced by resolve: to grow stronger, then go home and save that Digital World darkened by corruption.
Whether or not the chosen children would eventually succeed, whether or not they were all wrapped in protagonist aura, Qinfei could not afford to drift with the current.
Following the Tama arc, he had already decided that if he could return, he would save that world in his own way.

“...Of course you can.”
Seeing Qinfei’s former brooding fire turn into determined intensity, Samo looked mildly taken aback, as if he were meeting this boy for the first time all over again.