"Xiu'er..." "Yanran..." Two voices overlapped as Chu Chu jumped down from Tina's back, staggering toward Li Xiu'er, while Ruriko Nana and Lux Lyle walked in unspoken agreement toward Liu Yanran.
"Xiu'er, how's your body? Does it hurt anywhere? Do you feel anything strange?... Cough, cough..." Chu Chu's condition, though better than the others who were injured, was still far from ideal. After running a few steps and speaking too quickly, she couldn't help but cough violently.
"I'm fine." Li Xiu'er, her face still a little pale, raised her right hand and gently caressed Chu Chu's cheek with a faint smile. "Chu Chu, you must take care of yourself too. I'm still waiting for you to keep your promise to me."
"You heard that?" Chu Chu grabbed the hand touching her face, her moist eyes widening in surprise. "Mm, I don't know how, but while I was unconscious, I heard your voice calling to me. Everything you said—I heard it all, loud and clear."
"Mm, that's fine then. Even if you hadn't heard it, I'd still do all that with you later. But since you did, that's even better." Chu Chu's lips curved into a bright smile, joy spilling from her eyes.
"Even if we couldn't see everything during this trip, we'll go together next time..." Li Xiu'er tilted her head slightly, smiling softly. Then, as if remembering something, her face flushed red, and she spoke in a small, shy voice. "Sister Inori, could you let me down? I can walk on my own now."
"Mm." With the aid of Eve's power, Inori could see more clearly than anyone that Li Xiu'er had indeed recovered. Her paleness was only temporary—her body simply hadn't adjusted yet. In time, she'd regain her healthy glow.
Inori bent down, lowering Xiu'er's legs until they touched the ground. Once she was certain the girl could stand and wouldn't fall, she finally released her hold.
Yet the moment Inori let go, Li Xiu'er stumbled forward instinctively—but before she could fall, Chu Chu caught her, pulling her into her arms. The girl's head landed squarely against Chu Chu's chest, sparing her from the fall.
"Xiu'er, are you sure you're alright? Maybe your body hasn't fully recovered yet? Also... how did you suddenly get so strong?" Chu Chu helped her upright carefully, her voice quiet and concerned as she looked at the blushing girl in her arms.
"This... I'll have to start from when I lost consciousness." Ayase hadn't told her to keep the resurrection a secret, but Li Xiu'er still chose to be cautious. If not for Chu Chu being Chu Lian's younger sister—and for the sincere affection she'd shown in her final moments—Xiu'er wouldn't have said anything at all.
Since she'd decided to tell her, she would do it properly. "You must promise me not to tell anyone else." Seeing the seriousness in her expression, Chu Chu immediately nodded with equal solemnity. "I swear I won't say a word. You can trust me, Xiu'er..."
"Everyone's recovered now... but there's still someone in pain," Inori said softly, her eyes drifting past Li Xiu'er and Chu Chu toward Chu Lian and Liu Yanran, who were speaking quietly together.
Without drawing attention, she turned and walked silently toward the grass, kneeling beside the unconscious Kurosaki Satsuki. Watching the girl's brows furrow in pain, she whispered, "This isn't your fault. You don't need to blame yourself. After this experience—and now that you've found your path to strength—you'll never let this happen again."
She extended her arms—one beneath the girl's back, the other under her legs—and gently lifted the white-haired girl, carrying her carefully as she turned and walked back toward Chu Lian.
"That's basically how it happened. Rather than calling it a resurrection, it's more accurate to say that time itself was turned back—to the moment before Yanran was injured." Chu Lian, surrounded by the others, slowly explained the details of Liu Yanran's revival.
Of course, she chose her words carefully. Some details she explained clearly; others she deliberately left vague. But no one doubted her—after all, no matter how she phrased it, she had indeed brought someone back from the dead.
"Chu Lian, thank you..." Lux Lyle looked at Chu Lian's profile. After a moment of hesitation, she lowered her head, resting her hands on her knees as she bowed slightly in gratitude. Her words were sincere—Liu Yanran was one of her few true friends, and seeing her alive and well again filled her with a joy beyond words.
"Chu Lian-chan, even though we initially approached everyone with a purpose, our feelings for Yanran and the others are real. I'm so, so happy that she's back... and I'm truly grateful to you. We don't have many friends, so we cherish the ones we have." Ruriko Nana's tone was even more solemn. She bowed deeply, admitting openly to their original intentions. It seemed that at this point, both of them had decided to drop their pretenses entirely.
Chu Lian looked at the two of them. After a brief silence, she frowned slightly and shook her head, her expression filled with a quiet bitterness. "If not for me, none of you would have been caught up in this. You wouldn't have been injured, Yanran wouldn't have died, and none of this would have happened. It's all my fault. If I didn't exist, you would never have had to experience any of this. If anyone should be giving thanks, it's me—I should be thanking you for not resenting me, not accepting your thanks for reviving Yanran. I... can't accept that kind of gratitude."
Her words weren't aimed at the two girls—they were directed inward, at herself. What weighed on her most was why she had dragged these girls into her problems, forcing them to suffer alongside her.
"Didn't we agree that self-blame isn't allowed?" A pair of soft, gentle hands enveloped her left hand, and Liu Yanran's elegant voice sounded beside her. Chu Lian trembled slightly, tightening her grip around those fingers. "But... this is all my fault..."
"It's not your fault. No one could have known those people would be so utterly insane. Anyone who interacts with you too closely becomes a target for them. You only brought us together to protect us, to keep us safe. How could that be wrong? If anything, the fault lies with us. We were too weak, and not only became a burden but also gave them an opening." Liu Yanran smiled faintly. Though she had been terrified at the moment of her death, she had never once felt resentment.
In truth, when Chu Lian had appeared the instant the woman's hand closed around her throat, Yanran had burned her image—the entirety of her being—into her heart. There was nothing but a strange, warm affection there, no trace of negativity.
After her resurrection, that feeling had deepened into something more—something akin to what Cai Ya had once felt for Chu Lian. There was a gentle, magnetic force about her that made Yanran want to rely on her, to stay close.
Death had been terrifying, but what came after—the experience of drifting between life and death, that mysterious transition from nothingness back into being—was wondrous and strange. The awe of that sensation had erased much of her fear, leaving behind only a faint sense of fragile gratitude for surviving.
Besides, she and Chu Lian had promised—no self-blame. Yet here she was, breaking that promise again, and Yanran couldn't help but feel both frustration and a deep, aching tenderness.
Why must you always take everything upon yourself? Why must you shoulder every burden until you're torn apart—until it hurts just to watch you? Do you have to break before you realize that this isn't your fault?
We're together—a team, a family. Even if you are our center, that doesn't mean everything wrong is your fault. Why can't you understand that, just a little?
Perhaps her emotions were too strong, or perhaps she and Chu Lian truly shared a connection, but somehow, that feeling passed through the point where their hands touched—straight into Chu Lian's heart.
For a moment, Chu Lian froze. Then, as she heard those silent thoughts, her lips curved into a small, relieved smile. "You're right. Since it's all over now, there's no point in dwelling on it. As for you two," she looked at Ruriko and Lux, "I'll help you. Just promise me that, for now, you'll put aside all thoughts about your family's mission and focus on living among us. That's all I ask."
"Yes!" "We're deeply grateful..." Ruriko Nana and Lux Lyle exchanged a startled glance before breaking into smiles, joy lighting up their faces.
At that moment, Inori approached, still carrying the white-haired girl in her arms. "This one's injuries are severe. If we don't treat her soon, she won't last much longer."
"Mm..." The moment Chu Lian heard Inori's words, the calm she had just regained vanished once again. Her brows furrowed slightly as she focused on the faint breaths of the white-haired girl in Inori's arms. Placing her hand gently on the girl's chest, she infused a stream of spiritual power to probe within—and what she found made her expression turn grim.
The girl's organs were on the verge of complete failure. Her life was being held together only by a thin strand of black energy—an unstable force barely sustaining her existence.
Taking a deep breath, Chu Lian knew that only Hare Menjou—or the system—could save her now. And time was critical. If she hesitated for even a moment longer, the girl would die before any help could reach her.
Closing her eyes, Chu Lian entered her mental space and called out to Ayase, who was resting on the sofa. "Ayase, after using [Throne's Left Side], Hare falls into slumber. Is there any way to awaken her? Her ability note says 'cannot be awakened,' but there must be a way to remove that restriction, right?"
"I'm sorry, but there isn't." Ayase shook her head gently. "That state isn't determined by the system—it's inherent to her ability. Once she activates it, the sleep that follows is inevitable and irreversible. At least, with the system as it is now, neither it nor I can change that."
"Then what should I do? Satsuki can't hold on much longer. If this continues, she'll die—just like Yanran did..." Chu Lian's face turned pale. She didn't think she could endure another death—not so soon, not again. It would shatter her.
Fortunately, the others had chosen not to tell her about what had happened with Li Xiu'er earlier. If she had known, she wouldn't have been able to smile and talk so calmly just moments ago. The truth was, her friends' protection of her often went far deeper than she realized.
"Exchange it," Ayase said with a small smile, seeing her distress. "There's an item under the [Dream] category that can save her—bring her back to full health." She raised her hand, and with a wave, a rectangular screen about a meter wide appeared before them.
Displayed upon it was an item Chu Lian instantly recognized—a card she had seen countless times before. On it was an odd green cross with a circular head. Below the illustration, lines of glowing text read:
"[Resurrection of the Dead]: Originating from the world of [Yu-Gi-Oh!], this is a magical artifact capable of reviving the dead. However, in reality, it is bound by natural laws—it cannot resurrect those whose conditions do not qualify as 'eligible.' It can, however, preserve the life of one on the verge of death and, after one hour, completely heal all injuries and ailments. Cost: 25,000 Dream Points."
Reading the description, Chu Lian's eyes grew resolute. Although this exchange would consume nearly all the Dream Points she had accumulated, such things were insignificant when compared to a living person's life.
"Exchange for the magic card—[Resurrection of the Dead]!"
A flash of white light engulfed her. Her Dream Points, which had just exceeded 25,000, instantly dropped to a mere 12.
"Ayase, get some rest. We made a promise—to walk this path together," Chu Lian said softly before leaving.
"I know. Go, quickly. Any more delay, and that little girl won't make it," Ayase replied, momentarily stunned before smiling warmly.
"Mm..." A shimmer of faint light enveloped Chu Lian, and her figure vanished from the system space.
As she disappeared, Ayase suddenly pressed a hand to her lips. Between her slender fingers, a streak of vivid red bloomed—blood, bright and startling against her pale skin.