...
The fire burned and burned, until Himeko opened her eyes.
Everything around her was dim. The teammates she knew so well were nowhere to be seen.
"What... is happening..."
Countless questions crowded the edges of her mind.
Many days passed.
Still, she saw nothing.
The most terrifying suspicion lingered in her heart.
"To leave just like this... is still a bit regrettable..."
Which chapter was she headed to?
A pink puppy flipped open a new book.
"No, no, no, the story shouldn't be written like this, let me change it up a bit~"
The flame sparked and sparked, and Himeko opened her eyes.
...
"Huh... am I still alive?"
Looking at her surroundings, this was clearly the base.
The familiar lights, the familiar scene.
Just what was going on... Had she become confused?
Suddenly, fragments of unfamiliar memories flooded her mind.
Everything that red-haired figure—'she'—had done.
"So I became a Herrscher..."
'How laughable, Himeko.'
'In the end, you still died just like that...'
Could this even be considered a form of release?
More memories surged forth. From childhood to adulthood, studying, living...
Her mother left early, and then her father had his accident.
So she abandoned her field of study...
And everything that followed...
Himeko laughed, as if she had suddenly recognized some ridiculous truth...
Then what was she now? A ghost? She had never believed in such things.
"Um... Himeko, what are you laughing about?"
Himeko froze, and the laughter on her face froze with it...
She naturally knew whose voice this was.
She just didn't dare to look.
"Himeko, are you listening?"
Vya waved her hand.
Himeko finally snapped back to reality.
She crouched down.
She looked at Vya, somewhat surprised.
She waved her hand. "Vya, can you see me?"
"Himeko, what are you talking about? Of course I can see you."
Only, something was different.
Vya didn't say it out loud.
The light around Himeko could no longer be described as faint.
It flickered on the verge of extinguishing, between brightness and darkness.
But right now, Himeko was thinking of something else...
'There's a saying in Shenzhou that children can see unusual things. I never thought it was actually true.'
"Himeko, why are you here?"
"To be honest, I'm not really sure either..."
That was right. She didn't even know why she had appeared here.
"Vya doesn't know either. I remember Himeko was clearly with Vill-V..."
Vill-V? The Deep End?
Himeko thought to herself.
She naturally knew that place. The prison.
Very secure. For both those inside and those outside.
"Vya, how are Hua and the others?"
Himeko's voice was somewhat ethereal.
"Sister Hua hasn't seemed in a good mood lately. Sister Carole got hurt and is still lying in bed. Sister Hua goes to see her often."
Vya answered truthfully.
"I see..."
"If Himeko is back, aren't you going to see them?"
Himeko forced a smile. "Haha, you're right. I'll go look for them."
"Mhm, bye, Himeko!"
"Okay, bye, Vya."
Himeko looked at her somewhat transparent hand and hurriedly left.
Vya left too, but she was puzzled. Although she always believed only what she saw and what her sisters told her, when exactly had Himeko returned?
Her sister had clearly said she still needed to sleep for a while longer.
And why was the light around Himeko so weak...
Vya didn't understand.
...
...Her body passed effortlessly through the door.
This feeling of being able to phase through walls at will was a first for Himeko.
After passing through several wards, she finally found Carole.
Had she... no, or rather, had 'she' still held back?
But this wasn't exactly a light touch either.
Her gaze fell on another figure in the room.
Hua stood there, her eyes looking out the window.
Her expression was calm, but who knew what turbulent emotions lay hidden beneath...
"Alright, Hua, don't just stand there. Come keep me company for a bit."
Carole said, taking a bite of the apple in her hand.
It was one Elly had brought her not long ago.
Hua turned and looked at Carole.
"I... What do you think we can still do?"
Hua looked at Carole and asked that question once more. The last time she'd asked it had been in front of Himeko.
"..."
Himeko stood between the two, but their gazes passed right through her... met, and then settled on each other.
"Sigh, speak of the devil. I was worried you'd be like this."
Carole sighed.
There were some things she still wanted to say directly. After all, she was Hua's best friend...
"Carole, I'm sorry."
"It's alright, it's alright. I know. Because I feel a bit..."
"Ahh..."
For a moment, she even lost her appetite for the apple.
Himeko looked at these two girls she had once fought alongside, and infinite compassion welled up in her heart.
'If you ask me, you both deserve more free and wonderful lives. Go and do the things you want to do.'
She murmured it quietly.
…
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