chsdbacks Page 66
Page 66
Simply experience the present and savor the moment. Do what you want without regret, and strive to balance what you love with what you need to do.
Of all things in the world, time is always so excessive. In times of suffering, it slows down drastically, making each day feel like a year in the present swamp. In moments of joy and happiness, it quietly turns the clock, not allowing anyone even a sliver of happiness to be savored.
The sun, which she had always longed for but which always moved slowly, set before the girl even realized it. Before she could even tell how much time had passed, the crimson clouds that symbolized the sunset had already filled the sky.
Despite his long-suppressed spirit not yet being weary and still yearning for communication, the boy had already prematurely handed over the notice of ending the relationship.
"It's getting late. Even if I use gathering herbs or some other excuse, I'll be found out if I don't go home soon."
"Don't forget our true goal as accomplices: to save your sister and end this tragedy."
"The reason I haven't charged in yet is entirely because of you. I trust you to make a choice, and I want to wait until you're ready, so I'm giving you time. We'll deal with it at the latest after the priest... Well, don't worry, I'm strong enough to wipe out an entire village."
……
……
The boy habitually gripped the Jizo Mirror in his left hand, recalling how he drew several sword streaks in the air—in the otherwise colorless air, traces of what appeared to be torn were left behind, crimson scars belonging to heaven and earth.
"So there's no need to be nervous or worried, because I'm very strong. There's probably nothing in this world that I can't get, so there's nothing in you that I crave. Everything I have now comes from my own heart. I came here specifically because I wanted to help and solve this problem."
“I know everything about me seems suspicious, but I have nothing to prove it, and I don’t like to prove anything to the people I’m trying to help, because I’m just wasting my time anyway, and it would be pathetic to have to prove anything.”
"So if I must find any evidence, then I think my own power is the evidence."
The fist is clenched tightly at this moment.
That right hand seemed to be made of steel.
The dark gold bronze gears and cool wiring are still turning, and with each movement, the hydraulic mechanism is activated, producing a thunderous sound that is enough to get anyone's blood pumping.
Just watching—witnessing this scene that transcends worldview, one can't help but want to exclaim at the miracle of creation.
That tightly clenched fist is a more direct and definite proof than anything else or any words.
Although the girl intentionally or unintentionally ignored all of this from beginning to end—the fact that the strange boy who suddenly appeared in front of her was very suspicious.
She was clearly just a shaman from a mountain village.
It was a miracle I had never witnessed before.
Rather than focusing their gaze on the creaking gears that generated power, their eyes were more drawn to the boy's slightly upturned lips—an expression that could only be described as confident.
"I see."
"Don't worry, I'll be ready."
……
……
……
Walking in the twilight of the setting sun, in the last rays of the magnificent sun that resembles a rose in the blazing sun, the girl, whose shadow was stretched long and tinged with the scorching clouds that connected the sky and the edge of the clouds, embarked on her journey home.
and so--
What should we do?
After rescuing Rin.
Yae Sakura never doubted the boy's words about saving her, nor did she question whether she could actually do it. On her way back, all she could think about was what else she needed to do after rescuing Rin.
I don't know how long I've been thinking like this, and it seems that I've finished what I had to do at the end of the day in this absent-minded state.
So when they finally returned to their room, as usual, they sat on their sister's bed. Facing the young girl who had suddenly thrown off the covers and struggled to sit up in bed, her face unusually pale in the sunlight streaming through the half-open window, they still responded with a blank stare.
Until the moment her sister's voice arrived—
"elder sister."
"what are you thinking about?"
It was as if the world was blurred by the last rays of twilight, making everything in sight appear hazy and indistinct, as if the filter of an overexposed photo had finally been broken.
The girl stood up with a cry and turned her head in an exaggerated, almost manga-like manner—the girl named Rin in her line of sight was filled with confusion.
"elder sister?"
Did anything strange happen today?
No……
No.
Subconsciously wanting to deny what she had seen and heard today, to talk about these vague, doubtful things that no one else would believe if she said them out loud—this contradictory expression of having completely believed it herself but not thinking that others would believe it was quickly caught by Rin.
It's really obvious.
It's like someone who's never lied before lying.
His shifty eyes, absent-minded expression, and those hands that were obviously fidgeting... you could tell even without looking at the expression in his eyes.
Those eyes, so identical to her sister's, instantly turned serious, and the gently bitten lower lip revealed the earnestness of the young girl at that moment.
"Don't lie to me, sister."
"Did they bully you again?"
Still unable to commit the act of deception —
She—Yae Sakura—was acutely aware of the truth that she was neither good at nor capable of lying.
So I have no choice but to confess.
Jiang Cheng confessed.
By concealing the less important details—such as the fact that he had been slashed—the final result was that his sister's expression changed again.
"A man who knew a lot and was very strong in combat, carrying an expensive knife, said he was going to save me."
"The reason I didn't rush over and cut down those people who were going to perform the sacrifice was to give you time, sister."
"elder sister……"
You weren't having a wet dream, were you?
Although such cruel words could not be spoken aloud, the emotions contained in those eyes, which were staring intently at Yae Sakura, were quite obvious. In those weak and dim eyes, which had not truly lost the light from the bottom of their hearts, was a slight contempt.
Whether it's combat prowess, knowledge, a wealthy and noble family background, or this inexplicable kindness... those who possess all of these must be talents that only big cities can have.
Not to mention the inexplicable importance she attaches to her older sister, her willingness to spend a lot of time communicating with her, and her willingness to move to the wilderness to wait for her, giving her plenty of time to prepare.
If you put all these things together, isn't that the kind of story that often happens on the western continent where a rich young lady and a fox spirit fall in love with a down-on-his-luck scholar?
Although the girl's Achilles tendon was severed, she was too weak to witness the world firsthand.
However, given their religious heritage, the large number of books in their home still provides a wealth of knowledge.
This has led to her increasingly strange gaze towards her older sister, a girl who had always been gentle in her memory—so strange that even the girl herself found it hard to bear. She couldn't help but lower her head, letting her cherry-colored long hair fall freely to cover her face, which was now as red as the setting sun.
"Anyway, I'll take what you said as true, sister. If you're going to save me... then you definitely have to be prepared to leave the village."
"No matter what method we use, in the end we definitely won't be able to stay in the village any longer."
Rin gracefully ignored the fact that she would become a sacrifice—she adopted a more mature attitude than her sister and began to discuss the future, her still unfocused gaze becoming even more profound.
"Sister, are you ready to go with him?"
……
……
……
PS: Honkai Impact Simulator, but a god-level ordinary person.
Chapter 73 Slapping Yae Sakura's Hand Away
Leave with him...
Leave the village?
The shock of the reality was so great that the girl no longer had the mind to be shy. She suddenly raised her head, and her clear autumn eyes, which were covered by layers of cherry blossoms in spring, were empty, like a pond without a single fish or shrimp—she had never imagined such a thing.
A day has already passed.
We spent two days exchanging ideas.
The girl, who has been fed countless motivational quotes and related information intentionally or unintentionally, still has no understanding of the situation.
"Sure!"
"Sacrifice is a tradition in the village."
Despite being the younger sister, a girl who is paler and weaker, and unable to step out of this room and into the world, she appears particularly strong at this moment.
They were clearly looking up at the sky.
It's clearly the shorter one.
Those eyes, seemingly identical yet imbued with a deeper knowledge, were offering a condescending reminder—
"If we try to stop them, we'll have to make enemies of the whole village. In that case, no matter what method we use, we'll eventually have to leave the village."
"That guy named Jiang Cheng said he was waiting for you, sister, isn't that just waiting for you to prepare to leave?"
"You said he's very strong, so doesn't that mean he could rush over and take me out of the village at any time?"
The village actually has more people and is more vigilant as the sacrificial ceremony approaches. If you simply want to save someone, you should do so when they are most relaxed.
By deliberately delaying for several days and waiting for so long, especially while camping alone in the wild, isn't it obvious that he's waiting for someone to finish what they're doing before leaving together?
Is something as simple as this really that hard to think of?
[选盈球依K弃]丝呜韭斯揪捌姐姐？
The emotions in those eyes were clearly so; even though the remaining words, because they involved insults, were not spoken aloud, the specific meaning had already been silently conveyed through their expressions.
"what……"
Ahhh...
Is that really how it is?
I was even less shy than my sister, and surprised that Jiang Cheng was actually waiting for me—all sorts of messy emotions tangled up the girl's thoughts, like countless colors mixed into a large dye vat. At first glance, you could still vaguely distinguish which part was which color, but by the second second, even looking at it would make your eyes hurt, and your mind would be nauseated and dizzy.
The amount of thoughts a human can use at any given time is finite. The seemingly endless stream of thoughts and ideas also has a fixed limit. Exceeding this limit will cause dizziness, confusion, nausea, and vomiting.
In fact, many people feel disgusted from the bottom of their hearts after working, studying, or engaging in mentally demanding activities for long periods of time.
The expression on their faces at that moment must have been quite something, right?
Unfortunately, only Rin was able to witness this scene.
Unable to step outside, all the girl could do at this moment was to sigh silently in her heart—for her disappointing older sister.
gentle.
She is indeed gentle.
But aside from her seemingly cold demeanor to outsiders, always appearing aloof in her shrine maiden attire or half-armor, yet revealing a gentleness that becomes apparent upon closer approach, Sakura, as the older sister, is far more immature than her younger sister.
Compared to myself, who spends long hours hunched over books, my older sister seems to know very little about this area, only learning the etiquette and swordsmanship that a shrine maiden should learn.
The girl was certain that her older sister's encounter with the man named Jiang Cheng was not as simple as it seemed; at least, judging from their expressions, there was a lot more to it than met the eye.
"So hurry up and get ready, sister."
"Are you really going to let him stay in the wild for so many days?"
“While it’s fine to use this time as a test, laying out just a bed in the wild is a bit too hasty… Why don’t you help him tidy up tomorrow? At least make a temporary place for him to rest.”
Faced with that still somewhat bewildered face, that girl who always kept her lips tightly closed and was aloof and indifferent during ceremonies, now showing a blank expression that blended with the gentle and mild demeanor of a well-bred young lady—Rin almost wanted to push her older sister away.
"Yeah...yes..."
Let him live in that kind of place.
Just thinking about the simple bed made of wooden planks that she saw him lying on when she went there in the morning, with no walls or ceiling, and that it was more like a natural camping spot where he had simply found a soft rock to lie on, made the pink-clad shrine maiden instinctively feel a little uncomfortable.
If I had to put it into words, it would probably be because I, as the one being helped, could lie comfortably in my room while the boy who had abandoned his life, which was definitely not going to be too bad, had to endure an excessive test from someone who, judging from his habits, had absolutely no experience in camping in the wild.
The mere realization of this one thing—the shame brought about by her excellent upbringing—almost overwhelmed the girl.
But they couldn't go out right now, because Rin was clutching her collar and tugging hard at the corner of her skirt.
"If we go out now, Father will scold us."