Honkai Impact 3rd, a simulator of lifelong regret!

People always pursue what they lack; the more they lack something, the more they have never had it, and the more they crave it.

Of all the things in the world that humans crave and lack, love is the most desperate and profound.

In fact, everyone will meet certain people in their life and fall in love with them. Some people are met at the right time, like encountering flowers blooming in spring, like a cherry blossom petal suddenly falling in front of you.

Everything will fall into place naturally; they can simply reach out and grasp this spring day, so everything will be fine. They will fall in love, get engaged, get married, and live together. Embracing a peaceful, happy, and undisturbed life, their future happiness was already destined from their very first encounter.

But some people encounter it at the wrong time, like seeing a fish surfacing for air through the ice in winter. So you can only watch, and once the fish has finished breathing, it sinks back down and disappears from sight, with no further developments.

That layer of ice in winter is a barrier thicker than the world, thicker than anything else; no matter how hard a small fish tries, it can never break through it.

Some fish are clever; once they return to the water, they choose to forget that person. Although their lives are full of regrets, they won't let one encounter haunt them to the point of losing their future. All the time that follows is just a repetitive recollection of their first meeting. They will never have him again, and they will live an endless life in a world where he doesn't belong to them.

Perhaps only when forgotten in the moment before death, the regret of being sunk to the bottom of the sea will rise from the surface like a dead person, leaving an unchangeable regret for the final rest, so that even sleep cannot be peaceful.

Some fish are very stupid, really stupid, so stupid that they only remember the first person they met, and never leave them, never remembering the faces of anyone else.

The protagonist of a book I once read, Sakura, was such a clumsy fish, and Raiden Mei was also such a clumsy fish. In the original work, the initial setting was that she fell in love with Kiana because of a hand she reached out on the rooftop and a redemption she received when she was so desperate that she wanted to commit suicide. She even took the initiative to learn how to cook.

The boy didn't offer any real help or solve any problems, but a casual compliment upon first meeting made the silly fish put him in its only spot.

……

The two continued hand in hand forward, even though they were already somewhat regretful. Once inside the haunted house, there was no turning back. The atmosphere had been built up for far too long, so much so that the tension from the first encounter had already made them halfway through the journey. If they turned back now, it would probably take even longer.

If it were two people together, it wouldn't be like before, where one person took the initiative, holding the other's hand and standing at the forefront as the absolute guide and mentor. Instead, Raiden Mei and Jiang Cheng would hold each other's hands.

So even if it's a scary haunted house, then with everyone working together, they'll probably have to give in.

Fear is essentially the result of overthinking. Thoughts themselves are a difficult thing to control, but they will only seek out more interesting things.

It's strange.

It's very morbid.

It is also clear that at this moment, for either the boy or the girl, the person who is right next to them is more likely to capture their attention than the so-called haunted house.

If this haunted house has any emotional intelligence whatsoever, what it would probably do now is minimize its presence and try its best to create an atmosphere.

Unfortunately, it doesn't.

Even though the bodies inside are those of two Herrschers.

Even if anyone could easily crush it.

What is not there remains not there.

Something that lacks even a self can only operate according to a predetermined plan; no matter how much trouble it causes, it is ultimately nothing more than an inanimate object.

The demons and monsters that were prepared long ago could jump out at any time. The classic American bloody horror, combined with the ghosts and monsters inherited from the ancient smog spirit of the concentrated area, was fused into an almost perfect crystallization in the golden age. It is a crystallization that can only be so expensive in the era of extravagance and debauchery.

It is precisely because they are blinded by the ever-increasing value of money and the seemingly effortless growth of wealth—where even a beggar could become rich—that capital, in pursuit of even greater profits, will do things that appear foolish.

Classic American gore, featuring monsters centered around an immortal, terrifying serial killer and objects unique to East Asia, resembling dolls or paper figures, a calm contrast concealing subtle anomalies beneath the surface of normalcy.

Even though it doesn't fit together at all, with a large influx of funds and everyone disregarding the money that can grow naturally, it's enough to make the Frankenstein's monster look like something that's not so bad.

Although this is the only point on which the boy wants to deny his efforts.

—The peace was quickly shattered.

After the first direct experience of terror, the previous atmosphere, which had been used to build up the emotions, had reached its end, and it was time to close the net.

Taking advantage of the brief moment when the boy's composure was broken, Raiden Mei regained the initiative and took back the lead position. She moved forward as if she were changing captains in a game, carefully stepping over the suddenly appearing skeletons, and even took the initiative to start a conversation—using a human voice to replace the eerie sound of the wind in the valley.

"However, this place is indeed quite frightening."

……

"I know, but it's true that something like that suddenly popping out can be quite startling."

For the first time, Jiang Cheng's smile returned to normal. The seemingly calm expression from before was gone, replaced by a gentle nod in response.

When something suddenly appears like this, a keen sense of perception can make one more aware of the problem and more aware of any disharmony in the surrounding atmosphere.

On this point alone, even a young man has to admit that, compared to the power he possesses, his heart is still essentially that of an ordinary person. He is not only indifferent to good and evil, but he can also be frightened.

Perhaps because they haven't fully accepted and become Herrschers, the adaptability of the Herrscher's body doesn't grant them power beyond the limits of human imagination.

Perhaps because there was no prior warning, I always tend to overthink other people's thoughts, and the atmosphere can easily change things.

At least for a moment just now, I was indeed taken aback.

I was thrilled to be in a place I had never been before.

Compared to his previous perfect control of the distance, the hand holding the girl's delicate fingers now unconsciously tightened its grip, reaching the closest possible distance without causing pain. Skin to skin, even their body temperature seemed to enter a connected internal circulation, as if at this moment, even their most precious blood had achieved a shared feeling.

While seemingly prepared to offer protection, it was clearly Raiden Mei pressing her fingertips against the boy's fingertips, gently stroking the back of his hand, and soothing his heart.

—Even the all-powerful Jiang Cheng would show such an expression?

……

Looking at the boy so close to her, the calm and leisurely demeanor she had maintained earlier had vanished. He walked around like a normal, ordinary person, just like another high school student, an ordinary and unremarkable boy.

He no longer appears omniscient, nor does he have a superficial understanding of everything; even his usual gentle, almost inhuman demeanor is gone.

For the first time, a look of distress appeared in his eyes, and his gaze was wary as he looked around, as if the continuous frights had disturbed his emotions.

That smile, so perfect it seemed otherworldly, so otherworldly, so divine, finally faded from her face, replaced by the distress of any normal person.

what……

For some reason, it seems we've gotten closer.

After losing the appearance of being omnipotent, knowing everything, and never panicking in the face of anything, the boy seemed to be closer to me, more tangible, and more tangible.

It seems as if the original sun, the original stars, and the original gods have transformed into humans, becoming more like ordinary humans.

Just like humans, we experience joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness; just like humans, we experience emotional ups and downs; just like humans, we experience times when we can't do things and times when we are troubled.

Disappointment, sadness, exhilaration, happiness... feelings rise because of what you like, and fall because of sadness. But just as you will also lift your head again when you see hope, dust yourself off, and move forward with renewed vigor.

Only at this moment could he truly feel that the person named Jiang Cheng was indeed an ordinary high school student, almost the same age as himself.

"Don't worry, Jiang Chengjun. Just let me stand in front. I will definitely protect you. Even without weapons, I am very strong. Besides... there are no ghosts in this world, are there?"

……

— Bipolar reversal.

The girl, who should have been the one being protected, has now become the guide leading the way, just like at the beginning, standing at the forefront pointing out the direction to leave and leading the boy to the place he was being led away.

Although the shift in power may make men, who should be the protectors of the opposite sex, seem to have little dignity in a universal sense.

If others saw this, there would undoubtedly be criticisms such as, "He's clearly a man, yet he lets a girl stand in front of him and relies on a weak girl to protect him. This is improper and disgraceful."

It doesn't matter.

At least Jiang Cheng accepted all of this without much hesitation, generously giving the first stage to the insecure girl.

It's extremely rare for someone like Raiden Mei, who suffers from severe depression and low self-esteem, to take the initiative to do something. Even with the only two subjective motivations she has until the very end, the only two behaviors she does on her own are to protect herself and to satisfy herself.

I originally thought that for Raiden Mei to make such a self-change, it would at least have to be at the cost of sacrificing Kiana, like in Elegy of the Sinner.

So, Mei hasn't experienced the despair that caused the Great Collapse yet, so her inner nature hasn't gone to that level of madness and extremism?

In a world where chaos reigns, anyone who would bring up the idea of ​​a man being protected by a girl is simply insane.

It might not sound pleasant, but the boy has actually had a profound experience of being protected by a girl who seems to be the one being protected.

"Not everything from the last century seems to be an antique. The craftsmanship of this piece feels comparable to the original." He calmly pointed out his mistake and offered his praise.

"I have to admit, as a haunted house that I've never set foot in before, I now understand why she didn't bring me here."

"I used to think she might be a little timid, but now it seems that this kind of thing can indeed ignore physical strength and only deal real damage."

……

Is it that unknown woman again?

The light in her pupils dimmed slightly, and her slightly drooping eyebrows and upturned lips revealed the unease in the girl's heart. The sudden appearance of a third person broke the atmosphere between the two of them—this emotion became even more difficult to suppress after seeing the boy's unconscious slight smile as he spoke.

When Jiang Cheng mentioned that person, he was very happy, genuinely happy, as if he were talking about a close family member.

The slight upturn of her lips, unlike that overly flawless, overly perfect smile that borders on fake, was as calm as if she were joking around with a friend.

Even when venting, it's so natural, without any need for restraint, and without worrying about whether venting in front of outsiders will anger her. She's so open that she says whatever she wants to say.

So, it really can't compare in terms of how much they hold in one's heart?

and many more……

Perhaps a girl deep inside couldn't accept such self-pity and took the initiative to touch upon a forgotten and neglected place. The girl, who was stuck in a rut and couldn't get out, suddenly remembered something.

The words he heard before were not just self-criticism, and the smile that appeared on his lips was not just directed at that unknown girl.

The boy's words kept replaying in my mind. I deleted all the irrelevant parts and extracted the most important part.

—'They never brought me here.'

Have you never been here before?

So, does this mean...?

—Am I Jiangcheng's first time?

……

184. You can try holding my hand tightly.

'Now everything should be alright, right?'

Her reverie was interrupted. A girl who hoped that Raiden Mei could live a good life had almost gone to great lengths. Even if it was someone she disliked, she had to flatter Mei to help her overcome her inferiority complex.

To force someone you don't like to fall in love with someone you want to protect, to use that person's favor to escape sadness, or even to deliberately find out details to create the illusion that the other person likes you—even for someone with a deep mind, this is the ultimate insult.

At least the outcome was good. Raiden Mei finished her investigation and stopped thinking about her status and qualifications. She wholeheartedly entered the haunted house for a tour until she reached the end.

The end isn't too far away.