Honkai Impact 3rd, a simulator of lifelong regret!

There are no lace or cutouts, just the simplest type, and even the color is very ordinary. Among all the styles, only pure white would seem a bit plain. I hope it won't disappoint Jiang Cheng.

Problems and difficulties always come one after another. You make a firm decision to cross a high mountain, thinking that this is the highest mountain range and that you will soon be able to reach a flat grassland, only to find that the previous mountain was just a stepping stone to the next one.

Just like endless mountains, endless staircases, or life itself is like this, an endless journey with no rest.

Having resolved to trample one's own dignity underfoot, the realization that came afterward was not a smooth journey, but rather brought even more problems.

Or perhaps it's just that the perspective has broadened; after crossing the mountain range, we are already higher than before, but standing at a higher point makes us think about even higher mountains.

Desires, like a boulder rolling down a mountain, are difficult to suppress with one's own will, because as you move forward, you will see more and more.

Before, I was just thinking about whether or not to show my panties. After making up my mind, I would worry that the color would not suit my taste.

I should have worn the tie-up style, but then I'd definitely be seen as a cheap woman... There weren't any other suitable styles either.

There's no going back now. We've already come this far, and if we stop now, we'll just end up pleasing neither side, just like before.

As the camera clicked, her slender fingertips simultaneously flickered and lifted the hem of her skirt in different ways, ensuring that each photo showed different aspects of her body rather than the same pose, at least revealing some of the sides that could be captured.

Raiden Mei has become like a model on a stage, doing her best to show everything that should not be shown, in order to be remembered by others.

It's not that they'll give out freebies every time; instead, they'll add something special to a normal photo, like opening a treasure chest where you might win a big prize.

Perhaps it was also a little bit of self-shame at play, thinking there was still a way out, thinking that as long as it was pretended to be unintentional, it would be accepted.

Essentially, it was still an attempt to guess Jiang Cheng's thoughts, and an attempt to project one's own despicable and chaotic will onto him.

To cover up one's actions by saying that one has never worn such clothes before, was not in a cubicle with others, or made a slight mistake in words due to being flustered, as long as one can attribute the problem to one's own unfamiliarity, it is normal to occasionally reveal a corner of what is under the skirt.

Although it is ultimately meaningless, because after making the effort to achieve enlightenment, one will only think about whether the result of one's enlightenment can be maximized.

The rationality of considering a way out is limited to the level of awareness that one should not go so far as to trample on and vent one's entire sacrifice.

Just like the so-called "holding back" versus "attacking with all one's might," if you've already used up all your strength in one punch, how can you have the mind to think about what will happen next?

Looking back at the path one has come from after reaching the top of a mountain is a right unique to climbers; those who are in distress and being chased by wolves and tigers do not deserve this right.

The strange and incomprehensible behavior she exhibits now is simply because the inner conflict is still spiraling out of control. The girl, who has closed her eyes and hidden in the shadows for too long, has even forgotten what she has become in the darkness, to the point that she is not even clear about the logic behind her behavior.

Even though Jiang Cheng had already stopped moving, she still shamelessly leaned against his back.

Even though she had already braced her shoulder against the boy's back, she still turned her head forward, flipping herself over to bring her softness and breath closer to him.

……

—What exactly is Mei doing?

The two people, though standing close together, were thinking about completely different things, as if a single doubt had been divided and evenly distributed between them.

Offer tolerance, offer forbearance, offer your back. Fortunately, the Herrscher's physical condition is already superior to that of ordinary people, so even if you stand alone for half a day, you will not feel tired or shake at all.

Several minutes later, Jiang Cheng could feel that part of the back of his neck had turned red from the heat. The itching from his hair made him wonder if his hair was going to be dyed purple by the girl. His hair, which was originally the color of the sea, was going to be mixed with someone else's color. Only then did Jiang Cheng ask her questions.

"are you ready?"

"If there isn't enough space, I can leave now."

"Don't worry, I will close my eyes and will absolutely not do anything or feel anything. Moreover, I have a special ability to completely shut down my vision and senses."

"Although it's a pretty useless superpower, it seems that in certain special situations, even a useless person can do something very important."

The seemingly calm words, while defusing the last potential minefield, also prepared the couple to leave the cramped cubicle that belonged only to them.

His gait had changed, his toes pointing in the direction of departure. After all, he had to bear the weight of the pillars and walls, supporting the girl's forward-leaning body, which was why he hadn't chosen to leave the room immediately.

Although Jiang Cheng had absolutely no experience in maintaining boundaries and a sense of distance, he used to be alone in one place, go to school alone, eat alone, go home alone, sleep alone, eat hot pot alone, watch movies alone, and go to the hospital alone.

He's either with Alicia or Velvet. One has extreme social anxiety and doesn't know the meaning of distance at all. The other is a girl who will come to his side like a puppy and hug him tightly even if he leaves for a second.

But given the atmosphere, being in such a small place with a girl felt very strange no matter how you looked at it. Even if it was a little strange, the girl's earlier panic and helplessness were definitely not fake.

While providing a sense of security, we cannot completely occupy the girl's safe zone; at least we must wait until she voluntarily steps out of it.

Just like with Vilvi, only when a girl with low self-esteem believes that he is absolutely safe and trustworthy can the transition to the safe zone be completed.

Things like evil spirits hiding in the room or sneaking into the blankets are absolutely forbidden. No matter how desperate or cruel the world or time may be, you must be absolutely safe when you cover your head with the blankets.

"Ah...it's okay, it's already taken care of."

"Mei."

He softly called to the girl, whose soul was heavy with sorrow. A fleeting look of understanding flashed in the depths of his dark eyes. Now was not the time to delve deeper.

"If there's anything, you can just tell me. Although it might sound a bit boastful, you don't need to treat me like an ordinary high school student and think I can't solve problems."

"You've probably read light novels, right? I'm probably similar to those overpowered male protagonists in light novels, possessing knowledge that's beyond my age and even beyond that of normal people, enough to solve most of the world's problems."

"This may be offensive, but please don't take things to heart. If you consider me a friend, then let's face the problems together."

"I don't want to explore with you why I consider you a friend. Such abstract and emotional things cannot be described rationally at all."

"Eh?"

Before the stunned girl could even process these comforting words, some cool fingers touched her right shoulder, the part that was pressed against the boy's body. Jiang Cheng still kept his back turned, giving her some space, but he tried to turn over and press his hand down on the girl, gently patting her shoulder as if stroking her hair.

Raiden Mei stammered, hesitated, and gasped for breath, as if she had suddenly done intense anaerobic exercise, her heart trembling.

Although the fingers were clearly cold, it felt as if a warm current flowed from the fingertips into the body, along the blood vessels to the heart, and then from the heart throughout the whole body.

She clearly didn't want to appear unreliable in front of Jiang Cheng.

They had clearly made up their minds to hide those things.

For some reason, her body suddenly became uncontrollable, and she leaned her head against his back, her sorrowful breaths soaking her clothes.

Jiang Cheng's body was very straight, like a mountain range. When you leaned against him, you couldn't feel much of a normal person's body temperature. It was really like a calm sea, or gazing at the starry sky at night, giving you a subtle, inhuman feeling.

But at this moment, this boy, who should have been as distant and untouchable as the stars, was right in front of her, right there, letting her lean against him, casually touching him.

The stars are ancient, but they are different from a companion who will cover you with a blanket. When the cold wind blows, you can't pay attention to your feet when you look up at the sky. If you accept a blanket from a friend, you can't quietly enjoy the night sky.

The two are mutually exclusive, clearly distinct, and there is absolutely no possibility of them being combined. What was originally a truth has become invalid at this moment.

The boy who suddenly streaked across the sky and entered her world like a shooting star was right beside her, covering her with a blanket and asking about her well-being.

It was like a dream, so wonderful that I couldn't even imagine that I was qualified to experience it, or that I was qualified to be treated like this.

It's as if the best of both worlds have been combined, merging the comforting companion with the stars in the sky to create a warm, distant, untouchable sun that gives itself light and heat.

The girl suddenly remembered a sentence... The sun is the sun, it is so great. Even in winter, the sun still shines on all things in the world, and even the shadowy corners are selflessly bathed in its light.

……

"There was once a famous book that said that fire is fire, and you can't weigh it by weight. Only someone who is as sensible as the common goods in a grocery store would try to weigh genius with a broken scale for weighing cheese."

"I don't want to continue praising you, but I just hope you understand one thing: this country is very sick. The more talented, lovable, and gifted you are, the easier it is for others to isolate you, because they don't look at whether an individual is good or bad, but at the ridiculous standard of whether they fit in."

"Most people are a mob, and conforming means that you also become mediocre and become part of the mob. At least in the light novels I've read about this place, they are basically stories about various geniuses being rejected by others."

"You have very powerful swordsmanship and a lovely face. Even if you have nothing left, you can still live a very comfortable life just by challenging other schools. There is no need for you to care about those other nonsense."

……

173. Father... Mei has disappointed you.

"Even if you don't want to tell me, you can handle most things on your own. There's no need, really no need to think it's your fault."

"If they want to cause you trouble, just draw your knife. Don't even think about legal matters. The fact that they dare to bully you means they are not afraid of the law."

After all, the city is now in the hands of others, and the branch in charge of the Far East is completely... well, you can't count on them.

Rather than trusting the law and expecting official assistance, it's better to resolve the issue directly with force, since we've already been treated like inhumanely.

Don't worry about being disliked even more because of this. You'll encounter bullying and harm all the time anyway. You're used to it, so why would you be afraid of being bullied?

Goncolia wanted to create a Herrscher, and all she needed to do was meet the conditions for the Herrscher's birth. Her former title was Witch, not some kind of ○ girl.

In other words, Cocolia will only do things that meet the standards of a Herrscher, and she won't be too bad. There is no upper limit and no lower limit. In the end, she was once a kind person and is not a pervert who likes to torture others.

Compared to another person who, out of fear of his subordinates' power, used a Honkai fusion bomb to destroy them, then claimed that he had eliminated the enemy with the Honkai fusion bomb, and showed no remorse when his subordinates returned, but continued to exploit them, using his daughter, who was not even ten years old, for human experiments.

The direction of the experiment was to defeat the enemy with all her might, and even prevent the enemy from escaping. After blowing up her daughter, she raised her subordinate's daughter like a villain in a classic story. Cocolia still has quite a few bottom lines.

Both groups disregard ordinary people and treat the lives of normal people as cheap as weeds, but at least there is a difference in the severity of their actions.

Perhaps it's due to a lack of ability, or perhaps both of them are inherently evil, but for now, Cocolia is the one who is less of a concern.

Since you'll be treated the same way no matter what, why not give yourself a little pleasure? Why not fight back?

"At most, retaliating will result in a charge of mutual assault, which is just another reason for punishment. It's as if they have no reason not to retaliate. Even if more charges are derived from this, the treatment you receive will not change."

"If someone really wants to cause trouble for others, then no matter how you try to avoid it, they will find a way to expose you. You can't guard against a thief for a thousand days if you're a thief for a thousand days."

Jiang Cheng continued speaking, his calm yet persuasive voice echoing in the small cubicle, like a divine decree coming from all directions.

Each word is spoken carefully, each detail observed meticulously, just as it has always been; the act of comfort must be interspersed with one's own authenticity and understanding.

When normal comforting words are simply "Don't cry," Jiang Cheng insists on finding every good quality in the girl, pointing them out, and then comparing them.

It seemed as if they wanted to break everything down and dissect it for her, afraid that there might be a part that she wouldn't understand, afraid that there might be any doubts that might get in front of her.

Yes.

Raiden Mei lowered her eyebrows slightly, hiding her emotions in the blind spot of her vision, finally able to reveal everything in her heart without reservation.

A rat is a rat, and a fly is a fly. No matter how perfect a fly is, it can't emit light; it can't even produce the faint glow of a firefly.

Jiang Cheng cares about me, and he still cares about my dejection just now. Even though I was rejected and denied, he still kept our relationship to himself. But I... I wanted to use despicable means to win his favor.

Different topics, one forward, one backward, yet they struck a chord with the delicate heart once more, barging in with great fanfare and stepping on fragments.

Feelings of inferiority, self-pity, and those clinging emotions resurfaced, and despite the boy's repeated attacks and attempts to stop them, he was unable to overcome them.

Or, if we were to use a single word to explain this "if," it would be more accurate to call it one's own incompetence rather than someone else's fault.

Even though I know I shouldn't, I still feel inferior.

Unfortunately, the young girl could neither complain nor should she complain.

Because it's not anyone else's fault, the only person to blame is yourself.