Rope looked at the girl in front of him and didn't know what to say. When Sennogi walked up to him with an expectant look on her face, Rope knew he had done something wrong...
"You're back."
Sennogi smiled gently and said happily.
Rope also smiled: "What's got you so happy?"
The golden-red afterglow bathed Sennogi's face, enveloping her in a layer of golden-red gauze.
She was beautiful, truly beautiful. Sennogi was already at the peak of her beauty, and now she had a gentle and innocent personality, without so many thoughts, nor was she the kind of person who relied on no one but Rope.
She was free.
"Because you're back!"
Sennogi's smile grew even brighter. However, Rope could only remain silent. Rope wasn't the type to fall in love with everyone he met. But for some reason, he attracted many women to him.
Sometimes Rope didn't know why the will of the world had given him such a blessing. Although it sounded a bit pretentious, hurting people's feelings was still not good.
Rope steeled his resolve to explain to Sennogi. But when he looked into Sennogi's eyes, he saw the deep-seated anticipation, disappointment, and countless other emotions in her gaze.
Emotions are a complex thing.
But Rope understood that Sennogi understood everything. Some things don't need to be said. Saying them... would only hurt people's hearts even more.
Just looking at him like this was already heartbreaking enough.
Rope could only smile and say, "I said it before, so I will definitely come back."
After saying that, he instinctively reached out to touch Sennogi's head.
When his hand was on Sennogi's head, he suddenly stopped. Some habits can make you do the wrong thing. If you keep doing it, it's wrong. If you don't do it, it feels awkward.
So Rope froze there, unsure of how to react.
As for Celebi, she had already teleported away the moment Sennogi approached. She had no interest in human love and hate.
She didn't even find it interesting to watch Gallade and Gardevoir dating.
Of course, if it were a human and Gardevoir dating, that would be more interesting.
Hmm, a male Gardevoir with a thick stem.
Eevee activated Anticipation, and Eevee trembled.
While Rope was staring blankly, he suddenly felt something rubbing against his hand.
Looking down, Sennogi was rubbing his head against Rope's hand like a kitten.
He closed his eyes and smiled slightly.
Rope opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say. In the end, he could only smile and nod.
"Let's go back and eat. I'm a little hungry."
It's not nonsense. Rope had been running around outside all day because he had a lot to do, and he wasn't in a good mood, so he didn't eat a single meal all day.
He wasn't starving, but the discomfort caused by not eating was the hardest part.
Not doing what he was supposed to do when he was supposed to do it. That was the hardest thing for Rope to bear.
In a sense, it was also a direct manifestation of his desire for control.
Sennogi nodded: "Hmm, let's go. I guessed you wouldn't eat today while you were out."
After saying that, he took Rope's hand and led him toward the village.
Rope tried to break free, but in the end, he didn't.
He let Sennogi hold his hand and lead him away from there.
When they reached the village entrance, Rope naturally saw Takeshi with a displeased expression.
However, he didn't pay attention to Takeshi's expression or his thoughts. To be honest, for Rope, many people weren't worth paying attention to.
Take Takeshi, for example. Takeshi wasn't someone worth Rope's effort. He had initially helped this village to help Sennogi, not anyone else.
And certainly not for the power of the Water Source.
The two simply walked past Takeshi without even acknowledging him, and Sennogi didn't even bother to greet him.
Takeshi watched their departing figures with a gloomy expression, remaining silent for a moment before sighing and shaking his head helplessly.
After taking a deep breath, Takeshi followed their footsteps.
He had a premonition in his heart.
Sennogi… had likely found out as well.
At the dinner table, Celebi was devouring her meal. To be honest, the food at Rope's house was even better than here, but since he wasn't close with Rope at the time, he hadn't been able to eat freely then.
Sennogi's cooking was quite good, only slightly inferior to Rope's. Celebi was naturally enjoying her meal. Although she didn't necessarily need to eat.
But Celebi also had a desire for food, right?
You have to understand that there was really nothing to eat in the time tunnel. Energy was fine, but that kind of pleasure for the taste buds really couldn't be replaced by anything else.
Takeshi ate a lot too. Today's meal was clearly made with great care by Sennogi. The taste was excellent, and the portions were generous. Takeshi also saw a few of his favorite dishes.
But watching Sennogi keep serving Rope food, and seeing Rope with a troubled expression, Takeshi lost his appetite.
It's not that the two were showing off their affection. If they were really showing off, maybe Takeshi could have eaten more heartily.
At least Sennogi's smile wouldn't have that hint of sadness in it.
Takeshi had already prepared himself mentally for the fact that his younger sister would be taken away by an outsider. After all, his younger sister was so outstanding and beautiful that any man with eyes wouldn't let such a girl slip away.
But the one man with eyes closed was now standing right in front of him.
Takeshi didn't know how outstanding the girl Rope was obsessed with was, to the point that Rope couldn't stop thinking about her and even abandoned his own sister.
But Takeshi guessed... Rope couldn't possibly have no feelings for Sennogi.
After all, as long as he's a man who breathes, he's lustful.
Though this kind of love conquered by looks isn't true love. But Takeshi knows better—his sister is absolutely competitive in other aspects as well.
As long as they spend enough time together, Sennogi definitely has a chance...
But...
Takeshi sighed silently to himself.
He had imagined many scenarios. For example, he might find a brother-in-law who was good to him, and he would willingly entrust his sister to him.
Or he might encounter a scumbag who would take advantage of his sister and then abandon her, in which case he would storm over and kill the bastard, then comfort his sister.
Or many other possibilities.
But he never imagined it would be this situation.
His sister had fallen for… a deity from the future…
The gap between these two couldn't be described as close, but at least it was like heaven and earth.
In this world of faith, if it were a matter of sacrificing Sennogi as the so-called "bride of the deity," Takeshi would have dared to storm the shrine alone and level the entire place.
But when the deity actually descended to the mortal realm, interacted with him, and even demonstrated his power, Takeshi still felt that his sister pairing with Rope was a bit of a stretch.
Although Rope, as someone from the original world of flower arrangers, has far less recognition for deities than for concepts like the unity of heaven and earth, the coexistence of yin and yang, and the compassion of the benevolent.
But the people of this world truly believe in deities.
What kind of woman could be worthy of a deity?
Takeshi doesn't know.
Sennogi doesn't know either.
"What kind of person is the girl you like?"
Sennogi asked curiously.
Rope, who was in the middle of eating, stopped abruptly.
He didn't know what to say.
What kind of person is Cynthia?
"She's an amazing person!"
"She's very powerful, the champion of the Sinnoh region, and one of the top Pokémon trainers in the world."
"She's also an amazing mythologist. But she's still no match for me."
"She's beautiful and gentle, but she can be incredibly tough at times. Like during the Champion Challenge. She doesn't hold back at all."
"Those Elite Four members were all swept aside by her."
"I was watching her battle on TV at the time, and I thought, this woman is amazing! If only I could get closer to her!"
"But I never expected that I would actually meet her. Although it was through an introduction by an elder, our meeting wasn't awkward, but it wasn't particularly joyful either."
"But afterward, we went on an adventure through a temporal rift together. My secret was revealed to her, and she came to know the real me."
"After that, we had countless conversations and confided in each other."
"Finally, after facing the Super Demon Hoopa head-on, we were together."
Rope recounted his story with Cynthia in a gentle and concise manner. In truth, he and Cynthia didn't have many exciting or thrilling stories. Aside from their first encounter in White Poplar Town, their relationship was mostly filled with tender affection and a steady, enduring bond.
The two were like an old married couple. They cared for each other, missed each other, but also worked hard for their own little families.
Cynthia didn't want Rope to feel wronged, so she always made an effort to get along with Daisy, Whitley, Sennogi, and the other girls who appeared around Rope.
But Rope didn't want Cynthia to feel wronged, so even with Daisy, he kept a sufficient distance. A warm distance, but one with a noticeable sense of detachment.
Everyone knew what that meant. Some people left. But more people were waiting for the final blow.
No one wanted to give up easily. Even an ordinary girl would muster up the courage in front of the person she liked. Let alone these women who had risen to the upper echelons—or even the pinnacle—of the most dangerous and greatest profession in this world?
What they loved, they would never give up easily.
If one lacked the will to fight and the courage, what was the point of being a trainer?
Rope was well aware of this, and he was equally clear that Cynthia was the one he absolutely could not give up on. If we're talking about Rope's favorite female character from the original world, it's Yae, also known as Whitley.
But only after meeting Cynthia herself can one understand why so many people love her.
Rope loves her so much that even her rivals can't find anything wrong with Cynthia.
Those minor imperfections, she only shows to Rope. Just like how Rope only shows his little temper tantrums to Cynthia.
Most of the time, this isn't a hardship. It's a situation that arises because you're special.
Rope stopped because he saw Sennogi's surprised expression.
"Uh, what's wrong?"
Rope asked in confusion, "Is there something wrong with what I said?"
Sennogi shook his head, pursed his lips, and shook his head again.
"No, it's fine..."
Rope was even more confused. So he looked over at Takeshi and Celebi on the other side.
Takeshi opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
Celebi, however, had no such reservations.
"Rope, you've been smiling the whole time, and you're still smiling now."
Rope suddenly realized that his lips had unconsciously curled into a bright, happy smile.
"You've been smiling ever since you mentioned her. That smile... I've seen that same expression on another Celebi's face."
By the time Celebi finished speaking, her expression had grown equally complex.
Rope knew exactly which Celebi she was referring to.
It was the Celebi connected to Hoopa.
"Is that so..." Rope's smile grew even brighter.
"That's truly... wonderful."
Sennogi's face bore an unmistakable shadow of gloom.
Sometimes, who you meet matters. The order in which you meet them isn't necessarily the issue, but it's definitely a major challenge.
Just as Cynthia hardly worried about anyone else but always took special care of Daisy.
Daisy was the person who had spent the most time with Rope in the entire world.
The imprint she left on Rope's heart was also the deepest. If Cynthia hadn't taken advantage of Rope's vulnerability at the worst possible moment, the outcome might have been uncertain.
"Sennogi, I'm leaving tomorrow."
Rope's smile faded as he spoke seriously to Sennogi.
Sennogi opened her mouth, but Rope's earlier smile still lingered in her mind, leaving her at a loss for words.
"We will meet again. That is my promise as well."
Rope said earnestly to Sennogi.
"Then... when will we meet again?"
Sennogi tried to calm his emotions and asked the question that concerned him most.
Rope looked at Sennogi, then at Takeshi, and said, "After I leave, Takeshi will tell you when we can meet again."
"But no matter what, I promise."
"Sennogi, when you wake up, I will be the first person you see."
"There may be many unexpected events, but in the long river of time, we will always meet again."