Honkai Impact 3rd, a simulator of lifelong regret!

Despicable or not.

Methods aside.

Shamelessness is acceptable.

What I have to give up is completely irrelevant.

Even if the cost is heavy, it is still a victory!

As long as it leaves a mark in your heart.

Even the slightest bit is a victory for me!!!

However, the dizzy girl, who was so embarrassed by her own words that she almost melted, waited until she felt like she was suffocating, and even though the overly heavy atmosphere caused her to inhale and exhale at least dozens of times.

The scene she had imagined—a boy blushing, flustered, panicked, and helplessly wringing his hands and stamping his feet—did not materialize.

What I faced was still a cold, indifferent, and silent room. All the electrical appliances were turned off, and there was almost no sound or sign of life in the room.

Until all the self-righteous enthusiasm dissipated, until even someone deep inside could no longer stand this self-deception.

He has already abandoned you.

What are you still pretending for?

'Raiden Mei.'

'This is his home now, and you can't find him here. You have no chance. Jiang Cheng... just left.'

……

Will not……

Will not……

Jiangcheng...

Jiang Cheng must have gone out beforehand.

Maybe they're just taking out the trash or going to the bathroom; they'll be back in a few minutes.

The girl's carefully constructed strength was easily shattered from the inside out by something called the truth, and she finally couldn't hold back any longer.

He was just struggling desperately, just as he had just imagined the boy was shy, trying to find a way to survive.

Even the chance to catch her breath, even the last glimmer of hope, was something that someone absolutely refused to let the girl grasp, relentlessly pursuing her.

'Don't you feel like a clown?'

'You're not going to keep telling yourself you've gone to the wrong place, are you?'

'This is his home, this is Jiangcheng's home, a home that is not fake at all.'

……

The voice seemed to mock, condescendingly scoffing at the girl's foolishness, yet it suddenly felt like a lifeline, a thorny, sharp object that offered the only anchor point to grasp in the darkness.

Yes.

This is Jiangcheng's home.

There is nothing false, nothing untrue; it is simply the place where he once lived, the only place he ever resided in this city.

Whether he is here or not, whether he has left or not, and no matter what happens, the traces of his life here cannot be erased.

At least this was indeed his room; the atmosphere inside, including the clothes scattered haphazardly on the shelf next to him, was full of youthful energy.

I did arrive at Jiangcheng's room. If I stay here a little longer, he will definitely come back. This is his only home.

The deep purple pupils trembled, like a lens that had been struck to the brink of shattering, yet still managed to maintain its last shred of integrity, even as countless fine lines appeared on its surface.

Unable to bear the consequences, they must go against their inner voice no matter what.

I will definitely... I will definitely come back.

We just need to wait a little longer for Jiangcheng.

Raiden Mei had already subconsciously begun to deceive herself. She didn't even take off her shoes, and her rudeness was so extreme that it seemed as if she had thrown all her past manners into the trash can. Her matching purple high heels lightly stepped on the solid wood floor, reflecting a purple hue on the smooth, mirror-like floor.

Upon entering the living room, the ceiling lights were already on, illuminating every nook and cranny. Apart from the somewhat messy arrangement of items, everything was remarkably clean, as if it had been thoroughly cleaned by gravity.

There was nothing worth stopping for, so he strode into the boy's room and saw the unmade blankets and clothes that had just been thrown on the bed. He could even spot a small, square piece of fabric.

It hasn't been organized at all.

Then...

Let me help you.

Her slender fingertips deftly and skillfully found the square piece of fabric among the clothes. She gently lifted it, her purple pupils carefully observing and searching for any possible dirt. She patiently examined every nook and cranny, even actively touching and trying to find it with her hands.

It's a bit dirty.

It needs to be thoroughly cleaned.

Subconsciously adopting the perspective of a virtuous wife and loving mother, the girl judged whether there were areas in the room that she needed to clean or help with, using this shameful method to offset her inner unease and fear.

If they can continue to persist like this, relying on their self-deceiving obsession, they can use the lingering scent of the boy's clothes to distract themselves.

Even if we can hold on until tomorrow.

It should be enough to last until the morning of the next day.

If Raiden Mei hadn't walked into the back hall on the right, hadn't accidentally turned her head, and hadn't seen that exquisitely wrapped gift.

—There are no ifs.

On a semi-transparent glass coffee table, a gift box, exquisitely wrapped in purple silk and meticulously crafted down to the smallest detail, lay quietly.

Under the light, every detail was clearly illuminated, making it impossible to even try to blur one's perspective.

……

……

It's my gift...

what……

what……

what……

You're not even willing to open it?

Even if you take it home, you just throw it aside.

They won't even give you a second glance; do they only deserve to be placed on the table?

Her teeth were trembling, her rosy tongue instinctively curled up, suppressing the pain and collapse, and crystal tears swirled in her eyes, trying her best to hold back. Her heart, built of building blocks, was torn to shreds in the sudden storm—because it was the most ridiculous accumulation to begin with.

Using laughable materials and holding laughable fragments, it doesn't need any extra effort; a simple push will cause it to collapse in a sorry state.

It felt as if my internal organs were twisting, my heart was being gripped and broken, and the pain was so intense it felt like I was about to burst, a twisting sensation coming from the deepest part of my body.

I felt like I was about to collapse all over my body. I hadn't been hurt by anyone or had any wounds, but it hurt even more than if I had been beaten or injured by others, or if everyone had thrown stones at me.

It felt like the fall I had experienced before, but it was even more painful than the darkest despair, because it wasn't an empty fall, but a painful collapse.

……

……

'Now you know what Jiangcheng is, right?'

'What other ways do you deceive yourself?'

'Raiden Mei, what else can you say?'

Her affected, pretentious, and condescending voice relentlessly pursued the girl, whose purple and scarlet eyes, like sparks of electromagnetic radiation, stared at her pathetic and laughable, like a rat living in the gutter whose last cookie had been snatched from her hand.

They've been pushed to the point where there's no turning back, no room even for self-deception. What kind of response can they possibly make?

Is it really necessary to make such a fuss over just one city like Jiangcheng?

Is it really necessary to deceive yourself like this and belittle yourself like this?

The Thunder Queen was becoming increasingly impatient; her pent-up emotions and excessive Honkai energy were almost ready to explode at any moment.

'The truth is laid bare before you, the gift is right in front of you, can you still find a reason why he might not be so bad?'

……

what……

—Jiangcheng must have done a good job of packaging it after watching it, right?

……

214. Raiden Mei doesn't want to be abandoned.

Jiang Cheng was clearly happy when he first received the gift. He shouldn't be the kind of person who would just accept a gift and then carelessly throw it aside, right?

I guess so?

Maybe?

Maybe?

Even self-deception couldn't provide an accurate answer; even the fingers covering his eyes trembled, causing them to tilt slightly.

Even in the darkness that one has cast upon oneself, one can still see a glimmer of light, a truth so cruel it is almost like staring directly at the sun—a despairing truth.

In fact, they should have realized it by now, realized the falseness of their lies, realized the boy's departure, because when deceiving themselves, they can only use the word "should," not the firm "absolute" or "certain," and in their hearts, they can't declare without hesitation that the boy would never be like that.

Perhaps out of self-preservation, this body still wants to live. The girl named Raiden Mei is still struggling, still unwilling to give up, like a gambler who has lost everything frantically searching through his chips for something that can help him turn the tide—which is actually just a pile of useless garbage that has been proven to be useless.

……

Since I couldn't get through to his phone at first, I pinned my hopes on the dormitory. I stood at the door, waiting for the boy to open it. After entering, I comforted myself that the boy had just gone out. I could even deceive myself by seeing the gift I had given him.