Chapter 121: Letting Go
Watching the Homu throw pillow flying towards her, Irene smiled, easily caught it, and casually set it aside.
Then, Irene looked at Sirin in front of her. Her cheeks were flushed, a mix of embarrassment and anger, making her look like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on. The helplessness in Irene's heart was gradually replaced by a soft, doting affection.
Like this... is actually really nice.
"Alright, I won't laugh at you anymore." Irene hugged the pillow and sat down beside Sirin, looking around the pink, cute room with a smile. This at least proved that deep down, Sirin was still that young girl.
"Being able to find a way to relax and make yourself happy is a good thing." Irene smiled and pinched Sirin's cheek.
Sirin's hand trembled slightly, as if she wanted to swat Irene's hand away, but after raising her fingers, she put them back down.
"Compared to how you were before... I prefer the you of right now."
Still enjoying the warmth spreading from Irene's fingers, Sirin secretly glanced at Irene upon hearing this. Seeing the sincere smile on her face, Sirin's tense body finally relaxed a little.
She then pulled back slightly, freeing her face from Irene's fingers, and feigned arrogance. "Hmph... as long as you know."
"However," Irene smiled, looking at the Sirin who resembled a little girl. But then, her tone shifted as she gently tapped Sirin's forehead with her finger. "Always staying in the consciousness space, experiencing the world by reading Kiana's memories... there's ultimately a layer of separation."
It was like looking at a landscape through a pane of glass. No matter how beautiful it was, you couldn't smell the flowers or feel the breeze. The scenery in a memory was, after all, only someone else's memory.
Even if you could smell it, see it, and touch it, it ultimately could not compare to the emotional impact of touching it yourself. The significance of the two was completely different.
Sirin froze for a moment, her eyes flickering slightly. These past few days, she had indeed been addicted to these novel things, gradually sinking into that colorful virtual world.
But deep down, there was always an indescribable sense of emptiness. Those smells, textures, and temperatures were all just "simulations" based on Kiana's cognition, not her own "reality."
She wanted to go see the outside world with her own eyes. She wanted to experience games that Kiana hadn't played, and read manga that Kiana hadn't seen.
As she thought about it, Sirin looked at Irene... She also wanted to personally experience real warmth.
"Human, what... are you trying to say?" Sirin's voice was a little lower, carrying an imperceptible trace of anticipation.
Irene looked at her and smiled slightly, tossing out the proposal she had been brewing for a long time. "Do you want to... go out and see for yourself? To fill your memories with real senses."
"In here, you've ultimately just been experiencing Kiana's memories. So, are you interested?"
Sirin's pupils dilated slightly, a glimmer of disbelief flashing through her dark gold eyes. "Go out? But I'm a Herrscher. Is it really okay for me to go out? And this body..."
"If you aren't planning on doing anything bad, I think I can help you." Irene nodded and reached out her hand. The soft light of the Bodhi imprint surfaced on her palm. "A few hours? It shouldn't be a problem."
"So, how about it, Miss Sirin? Are you interested? A first experience of the real world... just for the two of us?"
Well, there will just be a few more companions in my head along for the ride, but it doesn't matter since Sirin won't be able to see them anyway.
As for whether Sirin would suddenly go berserk and start a bloodbath, the few individuals in her mind weren't just sitting around doing nothing. At such close range, Kallen's Judah was the absolute bane of Sirin.
Or, if Lixue swapped in and unleashed a Taixuan Sword God, Sirin would have to lie right back down on the spot. Of course, Irene didn't want to go that far; these were just insurance measures.
Besides, looking at Sirin right now, it probably wouldn't develop to that point anyway.
Listening to Irene's words, Sirin's heartbeat involuntarily sped up. Longing, hesitation, a trace of fear, and immense curiosity... various emotions intertwined in her heart.
She glanced at the "GAME OVER" text on the screen, then looked at Irene, who wore an encouraging smile. In the end, that desire for "reality" overwhelmed everything else.
Sirin nodded vigorously, as if she had made some sort of resolution. "S-since you sincerely invited me, then I'll reluctantly go take a look! It's not like I wanted to go myself!"
Irene looked at Sirin, whose face bore excitement and a slight blush. Ah, this level of tsundere is just too obvious.
"Yes, yes, yes. It is I who sincerely invited our esteemed Majesty, the Herrscher of the Void." Irene looked at Sirin and smiled gently. Then, she took Sirin's hand. "So, are you ready? Let's go."
The light of the Bodhi imprint enveloped the two, and their figures gradually faded from this consciousness space.
Kiana's Room
The eyelashes of "Kiana," who was lying on the bed, fluttered a few times before she slowly opened her eyes. Those eyes, originally as azure as a clear sky, had now transformed into a profound and majestic dark gold.
Sirin sat up somewhat stiffly. She looked down at her hands, gently clenching them into fists and then releasing them. An incredibly solid sensation, brimming with vitality, surged through her entire body. It was completely different from the perception in the consciousness space, which, although she could do as she pleased, always felt illusory.
The slight chill of the air brushing against her skin, the soft texture of the blanket, and even the steady, powerful beating of her heart... everything was so real.
It felt exactly the same as when she had awakened in that hotel earlier. Except, back then, she was filled with hatred and only thought about quickly retrieving her other half.
She hadn't cared about this feeling at all. But now that her mind was at peace, this sensation was so real... so... warm.
"How does it feel?" Irene's voice sounded from the side.
Sirin turned her head and saw Irene, who had pushed open the bedroom door and was standing in the doorway, smiling at her.
"...Very strange," Sirin answered honestly.
She sniffed lightly. The faint residual fragrance in the room made her feel somewhat novel, and a small smile crept onto her face.
"But... it's not bad."
"That's good." Irene smiled and nodded. Then, she turned her head slightly and pointed outside. "Let's go. The night is still young, I'll take you to stroll around a real city."
The two quietly left the villa. The night at St. Freya Academy was quiet and peaceful, with only the streetlights casting warm halos on the ground.
Sirin looked curiously at everything around her. Those sights, commonplace in Kiana's memories and previously disdained by her, now seemed so precious after shedding the filter of hatred.
Irene didn't choose a conventional method of travel. She held Sirin's hand, bypassed the surveillance, and arrived outside St. Freya Academy. Then, Irene brought Sirin to the side of a small hill.
Subsequently, under Sirin's puzzled gaze, Irene crouched down and took out the small bag she had been carrying on her back since they came out.
"Human, what is this?"
"To make a bit of a disguise for the two of us," Irene smiled. Although her skills still couldn't compare to Pardo's, she could still manage a simple disguise.
After all, the two of them still needed to be a little careful not to be caught by certain individuals. But as long as they wore a bit of a disguise, the probability of being discovered wouldn't be high. After all, they weren't going anywhere important.
Otto couldn't possibly be so idle as to even monitor places like the wet market, right? If he could go to that extent, then Irene could only surrender and admit defeat.
After completing their simple disguises, the two blended like ghosts into the bustling crowd of a city near St. Freya Academy at night.
Sirin was full of curiosity about everything. She was no longer that aloof Herrscher, but rather a child entering the city for the first time, finding everything novel.
Irene led her, like the most ordinary of tourists, weaving through the lively commercial street.
"What's this?" Sirin pointed at a glowing, constantly spinning sign with an enticing illustration of an ice cream cone on it.
"Ice cream. Want to try some?" Irene smiled, bought a double-scoop cone, and handed it to Sirin.
Sirin carefully took it. Feeling the chill emanating from the ice cream, she frowned. She hated the cold, and she hated ice even more.
Because in Sirin's heart, those two things represented Siberia, and that was not a pleasant memory.
But since it was given by Irene, Sirin imitated the passersby next to her, sticking out her pink tongue and taking a tentative lick. In the next moment, a gleam flashed in her eyes again.
Yes, it felt icy cold to eat, just like eating snow, but it was very sweet.
Irene's smile deepened as she watched her. She took out a tissue and naturally wiped away the smudge at the corner of Sirin's mouth. Sirin's body stiffened slightly, but she didn't dodge, only allowing a blush to quietly creep up the tips of her ears.
Next, they visited a roadside oden stall. Sirin was drawn by the steaming, fragrant broth and various skewers.
In the arcade, Sirin clumsily but excitedly tried the claw machine. Although she didn't manage to grab a single one, which angered her so much she almost wanted to use her Herrscher powers.
They even slipped into a plaza where a street band was performing. Sirin, like any little girl, squeezed into the crowd and swayed along with everyone else.
Sirin silently took in all of this: the laughter of the people, the sounds of conversations, the music, the aroma of food, the colors of the neon lights, the cool night breeze...
This was starkly different from the world of pain, betrayal, and cold experiments in her memories. It was also completely different from the "scenery" separated by a layer that she had seen through Kiana's memories.
It was... very warm here.
Finally, Sirin sat on a park bench, hugging a giant plushie Irene had won for her. It was almost 4 AM now; they should be heading back.
"How was it coming out to play this time?" Irene patted Sirin's head. "Are you happy? Using your real senses to experience everything outside, how does it feel?"
Sirin opened her mouth, looking up at the glittering city before her, recalling everything she had just seen. Ice cream, which was freezing not to harm the skin, but to bring people sweetness.
Oden, where every piece could be eaten warm. A somewhat noisy city, a somewhat noisy human society—this was the first phrase that popped into Sirin's mind.
But this kind of noise was very gentle. She... really liked it.
Right at that moment, a small kitten suddenly bounded over and jumped into Sirin's lap. It nuzzled against her and then meowed a few times, as if asking for food.
Sirin looked at the kitten in her lap and subconsciously raised her hand to start petting it. The kitten didn't resist, because most people in this park would pet it before giving it food.
"Irene," Sirin called out softly, turning to look at Irene while stroking the kitten.
"Hmm?" Irene met Sirin's eyes. "Is there something you want to say?"
"I think... I understand a little bit now." Sirin's voice was very soft, carrying an unprecedented calmness. "What you said... might... be right."
She paused, her gaze returning to that heartwarming scene, and murmured, "This world... truly is more than just the Tower of Babylon."
To Sirin, the hatred for the Tower of Babylon could never fade. That was the ultimate tragedy that had molded her into what she was today.
Those scars would always exist and could never be erased. But now, that hatred no longer seemed to be everything, just as Irene had said.
This was her second chance. If possible, she shouldn't let this life be trapped once again in the abyss scorched by rage and hatred.
"If you can figure it out, then that's really wonderful." Irene stroked Sirin's head. "It seems coming out this time really yielded quite a harvest."
"Is accompanying me out to play considered 'quite a harvest'? Human, you really are easy to satisfy." Sirin looked at Irene, her tone seemingly reverting to its previous arrogance.
But to Irene, Sirin now looked exactly like a little kitten. So Irene directly reached out and patted Sirin's head. "Mhm, because I'm just an easily satisfied human like that. Is that a bad thing?"
Changing the most painful tragedy in her heart, and all the ensuing tragedies born from it—for Irene, what could possibly be more gratifying than this?
"Well, since that's the case, I'll make this human even happier then." Sirin held up the plushie in her arms, showing it to Irene, conveniently using it to bump away the hand Irene was using to pet her.
"I can't possibly bring this plushie back anyway, so you hold onto it for me for now."
Irene smiled as she looked at the plushie Sirin handed over. She took it and hugged it in her arms. "Mhm, of course. Just consider it me holding onto it for you temporarily."
"Perhaps one day you'll come and take it back with your own hands. Until then, I'll keep it safe."
Just as Irene accepted the plushie, the System in her mind suddenly let out a 'ding', and the System panel appeared before her.
[Hidden Quest: Redemption]
[Description: Save the Herrscher of the Void, Sirin, who has sunk deep into the abyss of hatred.]
[Note: A planted seed will eventually grow into two twin trunks. Originally, only one should have remained, but why can't a life given a second chance survive alongside the other?]
[Status: Completed]
[Distributing Quest Rewards...]
[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining: Burst Lattice, Mirror Sync, Role Card: Wind of Emergence · Breath of the Gale · Wendy.]
____
________________________________________
🌸 Help Love Bloom!
Our girls need a little push... and you can help!
💖 Gift for Everyone: Once we hit 100 Powerstones, I'll release +1 bonus chapter to warm your hearts.
🚀 Community Reward: If we reach 20 supporting members, we'll have a +5 chapter marathon across all stories! The romance won't stop.
👻 Come to our secret corner: Search for GirlsLove on (P). You know that's where the magic happens... 😉