chsdbacks Page 38
Page 38
If Jiang Cheng disliked her, if Jiang Cheng, the only one who reached out to her, disliked her, what would become of the being named Raiden Mei... Even Mei herself didn't know.
So much so that the moment she received permission, all communication channels between Kiana and Jiang Cheng were immediately and without hesitation cut off.
The girl, who had just been grieving, looked up and could only see cold, purple eyes, filled with the rage of someone who had stolen something important from her. No matter where she looked, she couldn't find those cherry-colored pupils, and even the boy's figure was largely blocked from view.
Ahhh...
enough.
That's enough.
The care and concern Jiang Cheng received was enough.
Since Siegfried left alone when she was a child, and the girl woke up one morning to find that there was no one in the world she could call out, talk to, or care about, her body, which had never received any care, was now excessively abundant.
If I say any more, I'll inevitably start to have doubts.
A body that is excessively warm will start to act strangely.
and so--
This is enough.
"Okay, I want pizza and hamburger patties."
The girl feigned innocence and glossed over the topic.
With everyone tacitly agreeing to push things forward, this expression of emotion seemed to become insignificant.
In just two more days, or even after this meal, no one should remember that the girl had ever cried.
On the contrary, if someone were to lift Kiana's bangs at this moment, they would see her eyes, which shone like stars, and the light in them, called "Joy," was so dazzling that it seemed to illuminate the whole world.
……
……
……
Outside the window, a one-armed, white-haired middle-aged man silently watched all that was happening. On the pile of corpses, which had been formed into a throne-like structure by the bodies of Honkai Beasts, he watched the girl's weeping in silence.
"Seriously...who taught this guy? His flirting skills are so superb, and he speaks so eloquently."
"The most crucial thing is that they don't even realize that Far East light novels are really realistic literature."
"First, he kept his distance... Then, after comforting Mei who had been giving him the cold shoulder for a few days, he used the technique of 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' to turn all of Mei's resentment and dissatisfaction into goodwill. Then, he immediately went to comfort Kiana, which directly triggered the competitive spirit between Kiana and Mei."
Simply reciting or repeating something is considered an excellent method in fish farming.
It's almost flawless, even the fighting spirit and wingmanship are used to the extreme.
Even the white-haired uncle exuded boundless resentment, and the cracking sound of his tightly clenched fists had to be deliberately concealed.
But this resentment must absolutely not be vented.
—Because they did nothing wrong.
If I hadn't witnessed firsthand how consistent the kid's behavior and beliefs were, it would have been perfectly normal to knock him out with a single punch.
The key lies in the consistency of behavior. The real trouble is that this boy named Jiang Cheng is truly stupid to the point of being utterly foolish in his practice of putting knowledge into action.
He seemed genuinely unaware of the kind of combination that would result from his usual practice of omitting the hamburger patty and deliberately leaving it for Kiana, and his current statement that he also enjoys eating hamburgers.
"This kid, as a born Saint Mark holder and one of the inevitable future powerhouses, actually treats himself like an ordinary person, and even tried to push them out. I wonder what he said to that little brat Cocolia to make her so obedient."
"Since you genuinely intended to help and actually did help Kiana, I won't pursue the matter further. Just realize your mistake as soon as possible, kid."
In the end, all the dissatisfaction and resentment could only turn into a sigh—after looking directly at that harmonious scene that resembled that of a family.
How long has it been since we last saw it?
Kiana's happy smile.
"Ha... I was the one who left Kiana without a word, and I was also the one who left a gap. In the end, what right do I have to criticize others?"
"Forget it, a few more of those machines that call themselves Gray Serpents have arrived. If we don't deal with them soon, Kiana and the others won't have such a leisurely life."
……
……
……
The route changed on the second day. In order to gather more resources and find potential victims, the tallest building in ME, which was not originally the destination, was also included in the location.
With Bronya's help, some hidden paths that even Raiden Mei, the former sole heir, was unaware of could be traversed.
Although Bronya, Raiden Mei, and Jiang Cheng didn't actually want to find the survivors, it was just that Reimu accompanied Kiana in playing a game of finding people.
Ultimately, Jiang Cheng had a sudden inspiration and used the excuse that the higher up in the building would offer a clearer view to skip the search along the way.
Kia VIII Umbrella 0 Rei Saki Rei Witch》VIII Na opened her arms and felt the sky, "The world suddenly became so small, so small... In an instant, it was many times taller than that iron tower."
She suddenly turned to look at Jiang Cheng, "Have you really not paid any attention to me?"
Jiang Cheng nodded.
Besides the ground, what could be seen reflected in those azure pupils was excitement and stimulation... This broken female protagonist was far more adapted to all of this than he had been an ordinary person.
At this moment, she had her hands outstretched, her whole body spread out in a starfish shape, as if she wanted to feel the outside wind. Unfortunately, the building's protection system reduced all external pressure to zero. Kiana raised her hands for a long time, but she did not feel the slightest bit of wind blowing through her body, nor did she feel any coolness or comfort.
I wonder what kind of cutting-edge technology they're using here.
Jiang Cheng remained silent, but couldn't help adding a sentence.
"It's just my understanding of my friends."
"...So Jiang Cheng, you're not such a quiet person after all." She seemed to realize something for the first time.
"I just haven't interacted with others much, so I'm a little socially awkward," Jiang Cheng retorted. "At least not before."
"So you're not socially anxious anymore?" she suddenly asked.
"Because I have friends now..."
The Honkai and what happened with Raiden Mei couldn't be explained in a short time... Jiang Cheng didn't hesitate to take the credit for himself.
part.
At least Mei simply smiled in response, subconsciously referring to herself as a friend.
Kiana made a face, "How vain of me."
"That's still better than you being dishonest." Jiang Cheng walked to the door, turned around, and waved to her. "Don't waste your time here; only you like burnt pizza, you know."
"Know it"
The girl's voice seemed to draw out especially long in the golden sunlight streaming through the window.
……
……
……
A few more days passed by casually, and the events of that day seemed to have been truly forgotten in a corner of memory. Neither Kiana nor Jiang Cheng tacitly mentioned it—why he knew about the girl's private dietary preferences.
The essence of life is to muddle through; most people approach each day with a muddled, opportunistic attitude, and only a very few are truly willing to live with clear understanding.
The only one still clinging to the events of that day is Raiden Mei, who was also comforted and praised on that day.
After the initial excitement subsided, what lingered in my mind was the question of why Jiang Cheng had said those things.
Why insist on the suspension bridge reaction? Why insist on describing everything now as a negligible fraction of the future? Why, after stating all this, still emphasize that Kiana and Bronya are her important partners, while ignoring her own existence?
This is absolutely not something that can be ignored just because one assumes they will always be by her side.
Relying solely on her feelings and intuition, the young girl could sense that something was amiss beneath the comfort she received that day.
In fact, what came out of Jiang Cheng's mouth was highly targeted, more like motivational quotes or conveying his own thoughts than words of comfort.
Unfortunately, the girl still hasn't figured it out.
Perhaps they are unwilling to come to a conclusion.
At least for now, life goes on, continuing in the way I once dreamed of. Even if I can no longer share a room with Jiang Cheng, we are still in the same building. All I have to do is wake up in the morning, knock on the door, and I can see that familiar figure.
This is a sense of peace from the bottom of my heart—a certainty that no matter what, I will definitely see Jiangcheng. No matter what happens, the important people are by my side. So there is no need to worry.
These things, which young girls could never have dreamed of having, have now unknowingly permeated every aspect of life.
Reimu! First release: Compared to depravity, humans are naturally more adaptable to warm, happy, and wonderful lives than to worse environments.
Fortunately, if something called pressure exists, then even in warm times, humans will try their best to do something, just like Jiang Cheng, who saw the friendship between Kiana and Mei but didn't make much progress despite his and Bronya's full assistance.
The two have remained chef and diner since the beginning, and even the relationship between the boy and Kiana has changed more.
Jiang Cheng initially stepped in because Bronya couldn't perfectly intersect between the two, intending to act as a bridge for communication—by exposing some of their past to each other, so that they could empathize with each other.
As a result, because of his strong empathy, every time he spoke, he was able to accurately touch the feelings of the person involved, and even more clearly than the person involved felt.
Previously, the little help I offered silently, or the unintentional actions such as leaving the hamburger patties or asking Mei to make some things Kiana liked... were originally intended to strengthen the relationship between the two of them, but now it seems to have backfired.
At least now Kiana has completely lost her vigilance and has degenerated into a paramecium in front of the boy.
If this continues, Theresa will be here soon.
Even if someone is incompetent, they shouldn't drag this out for half a month.
Jiang Cheng finally couldn't stand it anymore and made a request—that is, more places that could increase goodwill.
"After the rain stops, we should go for a walk around the neighborhood. We can't just stay cooped up in one place in this post-apocalyptic wasteland city forever."
“Bronya is going to Houmu Paradise.” The first person to respond is naturally the boy’s chief tool.
Although the speed at which he raised his hand was remarkable, and the flicker in his eyes was still visible even though his face was devoid of emotion.
It's hard not to doubt the girl's sincerity.
Fortunately, the efficiency is still sufficient.
The vote was essentially pointless. Most of the time, the people who had come together for various reasons would agree to any opinion, even if only one person raised it, unless Kiana requested it. Therefore, the speed at which opinions were agreed upon was naturally very fast.
For example, someone who used to be the first to raise their hand in agreement and vote has now been forced to become the second-place insect because they were a fraction of a second slower.
Using the search for supplies as an excuse—at least Kiana these days can find a reason to do something.
"They said it was supplies."
"Actually, the paramecium just wants more hamburger meat."
Bronya, who had unknowingly degenerated from a human into a paramecium, could no longer think of any reason why this girl could be the protagonist.
And it's the core one.
She's even more important than Mei-neechan.
This dismissive expression naturally drew Kiana's immediate and unwavering rejection.
"None of your business, you malnourished little one."
They once again found themselves in the familiar bickering phase.
This is also a part of Jiangcheng's memories of the two of them.
Under the constant provocation of Bronya, an epic-level tool who would actively seek out the whip even without being whipped, the insects, who are not good at using force against those around them and have not actually been ridiculed in a truly meaningful way, can only resort to bickering with each other.
Despite possessing formidable fighting skills, he has nowhere to unleash them, and instead, he is driven half to death by the indifferent tone of a girl who always maintains a poker face.
This scenario, where the boy approves but doesn't actually agree, naturally requires the last person to stop it.
Jiang Cheng couldn't come in person, so he could only focus his attention on the girl who was lost in thought from time to time.
By physically interrupting Raiden Mei's recollection of her reaction to the suspension bridge from that day, the girl, regaining her senses, took only one step forward. Before she could even speak, both sides fell silent as if they had met their parents.
"That……"
"Okay."
The girl, who was always hesitant, eventually succumbed to the demands of the majority—and importantly, even Jiang Cheng did not object.
After a routine devoid of any excitement or drama, the tasks for the new day after the rain stopped were decided so simply and perfunctorily, and so the story continued.
Under the boy's watchful eye, Bronya, who had been transformed from Cocolia's tool into his tool, began another day of her daily life.
"Stupid paramecium..."
"You little dwarf, are you looking for trouble?"