Honkai Impact 3rd, a simulator of lifelong regret!

It's probably only a ten-minute walk.

Even if it were a product of a decadent era, it couldn't have been too extravagant. The end of the multiple passageways of this building is already approaching.

Walking on the most normal road, the journey that was already halfway through was about to reach its end while Raiden Mei was lost in her own thoughts.

What has arrived once again, or rather what has come before us, is no longer the perfunctory excuse of the past, but the reason why this haunted house has stood the test of time for decades and can still serve as a famous tourist attraction, drawing together some daring or somewhat dim-witted men and women.

--fear.

Deep within the body and soul, curiosity, or what could be called a death wish, is something rooted in human instinct and cannot be rewritten.

The more unknown something is, the more one wants to know it; the more fearful one is, the more one wants to explore it. When these contradictory emotions become excessive, they often lead to recklessness, risking one's life to explore the darkness and the unknown at the cost of almost losing one's rationality.

As the longest night arrives, the already poorly ventilated narrow corridor is completely shrouded in darkness, with only occasional flashes of red light and faint, almost invisible glow guiding the way.

Human instinctual fear is exploited to its fullest extent, an extreme creation by a group of idle people who find pleasure in frightening others.

In that era, there were even creators who spent a large sum of money to design a very niche animation, with every detail meticulously crafted.

Even though this haunted house, the city named Changkong, had not yet shown too much prominence in that era, at least not to the point that it could almost be called the capital now, it is entirely believable that people who have not been ravaged by the continuous decline of the times, whose minds have been worn down by endless involution and meaningless tedious work, and who have not experienced the speed at which the stock market drops faster than jumping off a building could create something.

"Be careful, it seems we've entered a dangerous area."

"We'll be leaving here soon, let's quicken our pace."

……

The boy composed himself, ensuring that the Star Sea Harmony was ready to attack at any time. With a backup plan like that of the girl, Velvi, he took a step forward, intending to block the girl's path.

This time, the concern isn't about employee injuries.

Or rather, there's no need to use an employee's injury to cover up one's true feelings.

This is indeed a protective instinct, which seems to have started from the moment that fat pig was killed, from the moment Raiden Mei was bullied at such close range for the first time, and has multiplied infinitely like a cockroach. By the time the first one was discovered, these disgusting creatures had already spread everywhere.

—This is only the first time we've been this close.

In fact, this wasn't the first time the boy had been harmed at such close range.

As a girl who suffered from the malice of the entire city, during her time at school, she chose to live in seclusion. The boy had actually seen countless people discussing how to bully and hurt Raiden Mei.

However, he never intervened back then, avoiding those people like he was avoiding garbage. Even though those people were all his classmates and all his teachers, it was nothing more than choosing to isolate one person from the whole world.

Since he can't be the one to help Nobita, and the only right option is out of reach, he should at least avoid becoming like Suneo, a cold bystander who mentally harms the girl alongside the bullies.

If you lack the strength, forcing yourself to take the lead will only lead you to a worse situation.

This can be called cowardice, it can be called escapism, it should even be something to be despised, because recklessness is always closer to courage than cowardice.

This is understandable. Temporary compromise is nothing. Even if you were once a captain, you shouldn't force yourself to step forward when you don't have the ability to solve the problem, causing the number of people being hurt to increase from one to two. You might even lose your initiative and be unable to think of solutions from the outside world. Instead, you would be forced to get involved and could potentially be noticed by others.

But now it's different.

I can no longer do the same thing as before.

I can no longer choose to remain a bystander with rationality as I once did.

The reason for taking this step forward and choosing to stand up this time does not seem to be simply because of the courage that comes with strength, but rather something more mysterious, unrelated to power and wisdom.

If they were to encounter bullying like before, even if they were still just ordinary mortals, they might not be able to avoid it as they once did.

Perhaps they still won't choose the worst or most reckless way, but they will definitely try their best to change everything with their own abilities.

Perhaps it can be seen from the fact that even though that fat pig-like guy hadn't done anything wrong, only been somewhat offensive and his words were a bit disrespectful, he still chose to kill him without hesitation.

It doesn’t matter anymore.

This is indeed a troubling emotion.

However, there's no need to care about that now. This is only the first simulation. As long as I adjust my emotions, there will be a second and a third time. One day I will be able to show my complete self without restraint. The Star Harmony I have now is enough to be used as a threatening nuclear bomb.

"Don't be afraid, these are all man-made. Even if there are real people acting as ghosts, they can't really harm us. They're just office workers who are paid to do things. At least... you can try to hold my hand tightly."

……

Do you care about me?

but……

It's unnecessary.

It's really unnecessary.

The girl gently bit her rosy lips, her white teeth seemingly just going through the motions. There was no fear in her deep purple eyes, only a hint of panic, which was probably because she could sense the boy behind her trying to get around her.

did not leave.

He didn't turn around.

They didn't give up their seats either.

—Because it's unnecessary.

In this one matter, the boy has absolutely no need to worry, be nervous, or pay attention to any foolish behavior he might exhibit.

It wasn't about showing off.

It's not that I'm just putting on a brave face.

It's not the same pointless persistence stemming from not wanting to be seen in a vulnerable state, as it was before.

It's like being covered in mud and filthy, yet still having to hide your dirtiest side from the most important person in front of them.

The calmness on her face now has nothing to do with those stubborn insistences that would be ridiculous in the third person, like a clown's persistence. The only thing that is genuine about this girl named Raiden Mei is that she is not easily frightened by anything, no matter how terrifying it is.

Because the fear has long been exhausted, and the endless bullying is constantly being hurt in ways they call "surprises," if a person is frightened every day, even if they encounter something terrifying, they will absolutely not feel any fear at all.

Sweet and refreshing spring water will eventually dry up, and even if a cow doesn't eat grass, it will never be able to produce fresh and nutritious milk.

Fear has long been an extremely luxurious emotion, and it is absolutely impossible for it to arise in this type of situation.

This kind of thing can be called reality, a reality that precisely wears down everyone, only the degree of wear and tear varies depending on family background.

This reminded the girl of a book she had once read, which she felt was too profound and she couldn't understand it or see the problems.

Reality is the thing that blocks the realization of your will after you project it onto it. As long as it cannot be overcome, it can be called reality.

Reality is different for everyone; it may manifest as an angry glare, a distance in time and space, a string of deep-rooted prejudices or traumas, a cold iron chain, or an indifferent way of life in a group...

In this sense, the part of me that is dissatisfied with the status quo and the part of me that is content with sinking into depravity repel each other, thus creating each other's reality. When all of me slides to one extreme, "who I am" becomes a bubble, and everything ultimately vanishes like a dream.

Essentially, dreams can be understood as one's own safe haven, while the world is full of raging winds mixed with sand. If one cannot enter one's own dreams, cannot enter one's safe haven, then one's ego will be attacked by the raging winds and constantly worn down and damaged.

When excessive blows are piled up to the limit, the so-called self will collapse, just like a stone that has been weathered for a long time will one day shatter.

This wear and tear did not come without warning. Even though the description is somewhat abstract, one can clearly feel that something is being lost every moment.

My sense of self has become increasingly numb. I am unable to express my emotions. All joy, anger, sorrow and happiness have disappeared. Every day, all that remains is a kind of aimless laziness. I feel tired and powerless even when I do nothing. I lose interest in everything and just lie in bed staring blankly at the end of the day.

Even when they occasionally have free time, they don't use it to enrich themselves, improve themselves, or find things they like. Instead, they sit on their beds and watch videos all day long until they've exhausted all their free time, and then continue with the same unchanging daily routine.

This kind of wear and tear has nothing to do with talent. Even the most outstanding geniuses will be worn down to nothing and can only squander their remaining talent.

Although this doesn't actually cause much interference, at least in daily life it doesn't mean that the person who is worn out is unable to live a normal life.

It's simply a difference in how it's presented.

It's just that there are some differences.

A girl's resistance to fear and numbness to the shadows do not mean that she must ignore the true meaning of haunted houses being open to couples, nor should she allow her beautiful face to feign a blush of fear.

……

"Well……"

"As expected... Mei still doesn't feel comfortable here."

"Ghosts and such are really scary. I don't know why anyone would like haunted houses."

Her eyes, devoid of fear, blinked deliberately, forcibly brewing up glistening tears, and her delicate voice trembled as if she were frightened.

She took a small step back, letting her soft body rest against the boy's chest. Her seemingly panicked and helpless behavior actually hindered her forward steps. She pretended to be frightened by the fear in front of her. At this moment, her memory was open to the extreme, searching through endless memories and the past for fragments that could make her feel fear and her body tremble.

If it's not there this year, then look for last year; if it's not there last year, then look for five years; if it's still not there within five years, then search through all your memories until you find something that makes you tremble with fear.

Guilt is not enough to quell the thirst for love.

Guilt is nothing more than adding a thorny loop to the path forward.

Those who choose to stop or halt their progress simply because of their guilt or because of a little pain are nothing but failures. To obtain what one must obtain and pursue, one must move forward barefoot, step by step, even if there are burning coals beneath one's feet.

If you can't even be prepared to make such a sacrifice, to become a villain, then you're not qualified to have what you want from the very beginning.

pain.

Every step I take hurts.

Feet treading on sharp thorns, head adorned with brambles.

The burning charcoal seared his body, and the sharp spikes hidden within pierced his delicate feet, leaving one bloody hole after another. His fair skin was burned black, and blood from the cuts on his head flowed into his eyes, obscuring his vision. Everything he saw was crimson. His strength was drained along with his life, and his entire body was wracked with excruciating pain that could drive anyone mad. Even living had become pure torture.

But this pain is insignificant compared to a person's despair, the unease in the darkness, and the possibility of losing the last candlelight at any moment.

No matter how much it hurts, as long as you can still see the candlelight you want to pursue and the sun you want to find, then you just need to move forward.

The girl had already endured the world's malice, everyone's dislike, the darkness of having no one to help her, countless scornful eyes, and the shadow of loneliness, so how could she possibly be afraid of the future that already had a clear goal?

It's simply about moving forward. Just keep moving forward. No matter what blocks your way, no matter what disasters you face, all you need to do is move forward, chasing that light until you can fully touch that warmth.

……

185. Is it really right to use one's looks to please others?

Jiang Cheng's body stiffened slightly, as if she had never imagined things would turn out this way—Raiden Mei not only didn't move aside, but instead leaned against her like an ordinary girl who had been frightened, her slightly turned face revealing her delicate profile.

Her beautiful, smooth, deep purple hair, like a waterfall formed from molten lightning, swept over the boy's hard chest behind her, carrying a sweet and alluring fragrance. Her hazy silver eyes were moist and soft, as if they were about to drip water, and her tender, creamy cheeks were as red as ripe strawberries.

At least in the boy's view, Raiden Mei's swan-like, long, and delicate pink neck was clearly visible, a view that was much clearer than before.

For the first time, her delicate skin, once hidden by the back of her school uniform collar, her high ponytail, and her long purple hair, was fully exposed to the air.