Honkai Impact 3rd, a simulator of lifelong regret!

-

Her deep purple eyes were fixed on the student ID card she was clutching tightly in her hand. The afterglow of her gaze was the exquisitely sealed restroom. The only sound was the gentle breeze rustling through the grass, softly pressing down and rubbing the tender yet tenacious blades of grass.

Everything was peaceful and natural. There were no sarcastic remarks from others, no piercing gazes, and no desks that had been vandalized.

The girl's heart was in turmoil, her eyes darting about, and even her tall body trembled as if being blown about by the wind.

Oops……

Really bad.

However, this item doesn't need to be delivered in person.

I'll give it to Jiang Cheng tomorrow, or he can come and get it himself after he finds it's missing; it won't take much time.

Raiden Mei bit her lower lip tightly, her flustered fingers tugging at the bottom of her clothes. The school uniform skirt, which should have been tight, kept sliding down due to this unintentional force, revealing her smooth and fair abdomen.

The girl couldn't understand why she was looking for Jiang Cheng in this place, let alone what she was thinking as she knocked on the door.

That's incredibly rude.

No matter what, there's no need to be so eager.

Even if Jiang Cheng doesn't hate himself because of his past, doesn't bully others like others, doesn't put nails in his shoes, scribble on his textbooks, suddenly pour a bucket of water on his head, or throw away all his books, etc.

She would even speak out for her father, rationally and gently pointing out all the problems, appearing suddenly like a god.

Even though Jiang Cheng was the only person in the world who was still willing to chat with him after knowing everything, and even willing to waste several hours of his time on it, instead of immediately frowning and leaving like everyone else.

Even if...

At once……

……

what……

There is nothing more to say.

Unable to find corresponding reasons, unable to find any arguments to refute it, not even sophistry.

Jiang Cheng was the only person who was willing to talk to her after her father's incident, and even the only person in her life who would comfort her instead of just talking to herself and admiring the Thunder Queen like others.

They surrounded her with their own self-righteousness, and then left with their own self-righteousness. From the very beginning, everything was just something they had imagined. No one ever considered, nor would anyone consider, what the girl in question was thinking.

Constantly accepting whatever comes their way, as if anything imposed by others is normal and inevitable and must be accepted.

until……

"—Just because of this one thing, your life has been completely ruined. All the classmates who used to fawn over you have turned into scoundrels who kick you when you're down overnight, and the customers who used to fawn over you are now all treating you coldly."

"—That's right. Since you don't agree with this situation yourself, you shouldn't feel guilty about being bullied by others, right?"

"--A person who acts on emotion without understanding anything is not called justice, but a keyboard warrior. People who seek opportunities to vent their own dissatisfaction were never pursuing justice in the first place, because hurting themselves is the least worthwhile thing for them."

"—What your father did was nothing more than trivial matters. He could start a project at will, and even someone with billions in personal allowance could embezzle a little money and be dismissed... Einstein would probably laugh himself to death if he saw this."

"—Without a doubt, he is the top scientist that humanity can find at present, who has discovered a brand-new use of electromagnetic force. He is also a pragmatist. If he wants money, he only needs to say so and a lot of people will send it to him."

"If you feel something is wrong or unfair, then don't accept it. Hurting others is not a right thing to do, and bystanders are also guilty."

"Even if we ignore everything else, the laws that were used to judge your father have ended, and you have not been convicted of any crime."

It's not some dry consolation, nor is it that one can only be as powerless as the girl herself, and can only choose to win miserably in one's own heart.

It is a true combination of practical reasoning and a description of achievements, making it understandable even to students with the average high school education.

and so……

Isn't the reason already quite clear?

……

146. Raiden Mei: It's a promise, see you tomorrow.

Raiden Mei suddenly recalled the dejection she felt when she saw Jiang Cheng leave. She moved forward without any hesitation, as if she were about to lose him again. Her body went limp involuntarily, and she collapsed to the ground. Only her hands were outstretched unconsciously, as if she wanted to grab his collar and pull him back.

If we break up this time...

We'll probably never have the chance to meet again.

It was a strange and inexplicable emotion, a tiny wisp among countless thoughts that appeared every moment, yet at this instant it crowded out all other thoughts, leaving only the last, which should have been insignificant worry and fear.

Perhaps extreme emotions are the easiest to spot, just like in a group of ordinary people, it is often the people with the most unique appearances who can be recognized at a glance, and only they can be remembered in a very short time in a simple way.

My body was trembling... Just the instinctive thought that I would never see Jiang Cheng again, and that I would have to continue to repeat the same things that were part of my daily routine, sent panic through my nerves from my fingertips back to my heart.

Perhaps she was never the Queen of Thunder, but merely a smug monster hiding in an incubator.

Even monsters deserve help, right?

At least Raiden Mei once accidentally read a novel in which there was a person who called himself a monster, and she met her own Sakura.

Although the ending wasn't very good.

Although Mr. Cherry Blossom did not carry his courage through to the end.

It has nothing to do with how long you've spent together. People who have been shrouded in darkness for a long time will do everything in their power to pursue even a fleeting glimpse of light.

There is no difference between waiting for a day and waiting for a month; the only difference is that you can utilize more factors when searching and find the light more quickly.

Because humans are creatures of memory, they need to know all knowledge and common sense. It is only when they see the light that they realize they were in darkness, and only when others enlighten them that they realize they have been experiencing injustice.

But sometimes not knowing is better than knowing.

At least I now know the fear that follows...

It is truly the real deal.

Like a monster in some myths and legends that only attacks when discovered, their past life was ordinary, even considered normal. Only after realizing that everything was wrong did they finally reveal their sharp fangs.

It was as if everything from the past hadn't left, but was just being suppressed, waiting for the right moment to unsheathe a gleaming knife and stab her.

It wasn't until I saw the student ID card lying on the ground that I realized Jiang Cheng was there. His expression was serious, like a puppet, and I couldn't see any emotion in it.

Unlike the talkative and erudite boy I had seen in person before, the boy in the film seemed like a tool or machine that had lost all emotion and dreams.

The date shown above indicates that Jiang Cheng had already arrived at the school before that date; the previous claim of him being a freshman was a complete lie from beginning to end.

Jiang Cheng already knew what kind of person she was.

Jiang Cheng knew everything that had happened to her.

This was not a decision made on a whim.

Raiden Mei inexplicably did something impolite—picking up the student ID and following Jiang Cheng's footsteps all the way here, then reaching out to knock on the toilet door, which slightly eased her emotions.

What happens next doesn't matter anymore.

It doesn't matter if my heart is racing.

It didn't matter that his instinctive worry about offending Jiang Cheng too much made him unhappy.

Whether she's considered not like a proper young lady or something else, it doesn't matter anymore.

She just wanted to wait here, waiting for external factors to break this stagnant life. If she wanted to have emotions, she would at least have to wait until the chains were removed.

……

"It's alright, I wasn't using the restroom, and my clothes are perfectly clean. Someone just sent me a message. Don't worry about hygiene; this place isn't usually used as a restroom. As a prestigious academy, Chiyu Academy is at least not bad in this regard, although for students, behavior and morality are more important."

Jiang Cheng unlocked the lock on the door and gently pulled the toilet door open a crack, leaving just enough space for a finger to stick in.

Perhaps because he had just experienced a tragedy that was ultimately unavoidable due to insufficient communication, he subconsciously explained every possible misunderstanding, even the slightest one, in one go.

"what……"

She's still so gentle and considerate.

It's gentler than before.

What exactly happened to Jiang Cheng in that short period of time?

It doesn’t matter anymore…

Raiden Mei slowly exhaled, pulled the student ID card from between her stockings and thigh, and gently handed the scented card through the gap, her right hand disappearing into the darkness along with it.

Perhaps it's because when people focus on something, their sensitivity increases. The mere bump of skin against the door frame feels like being licked by an animal's saliva-filled tongue, sending a chill down your spine and all the way to the top of your head.

That was proof that stagnant waters had been shaken; that was the only manifestation of something new and never experienced before, something that was actively entered into for the first time.

Even her sleeves were lifted up a bit, revealing her straight, perfectly proportioned arms and fair skin under the light.

Only when her hand reached as far as it could go, to the point where it would leave dust on her clothes, and still couldn't touch anything, did the girl sigh silently and stop this unprecedented act.

This somewhat excessive distance was enough to show the card in his hand that led into the bedroom without any reservation.

—It's a student ID.

Jiang Cheng could see his own picture printed on it. Because he was new to the place and had just been turned into mincemeat by the Gundam, he was still in a state of complete shock and was so terrified that he couldn't muster any extra emotions.

Perhaps it was because they left in too much of a hurry. After all, a student ID is nothing compared to a simulation, and even the school itself can't be compared to a cheat code. It's normal to be in a rush.

Before, I was just an ordinary person. I hadn't undergone any special enhancements before the revival competition. I was still a mortal with some wisdom, and the results hadn't even been completed yet.

In short, these are all trivial matters. Even if I really lose it, I can simply spend some time going to the registrar's office tomorrow to get a new certificate.

“Jiang Cheng, it might be a bit presumptuous of me to say this so suddenly. You mentioned you just arrived at this school. If needed, I can…”

"Can……"

"I can show you around this school!"

……

—It's simply a miracle.

As a well-mannered Japanese woman raised in a region influenced by Confucianism's subtle culture, she engaged in such behavior from a young age.