I said you are all war criminals

but.

"That seems like a long, long time ago."

Hongxia couldn't help but think of the past.

A long, long time ago.

It’s not the End Band, it’s a band that was even earlier than the End Band, a band consisting of only her and Liang.

although.

A band with only drummer and bass may not be considered a band.

At that time, Hongxia was also playing drums... It was a bit strange to say that her sister, who had led her to the band, was a guitarist, but Hongxia chose to be a drummer in the end. You know, drummers are actually a relatively insignificant role in a band.

Hong Xia took a sip of instant coffee. The bitter taste spread across her tongue, but unexpectedly made her feel a little relieved.

This bitterness seemed to pull her back to the past, back to that small practice room full of sweat and dreams.

"Hey, Hongxia! You're a step behind again!"

Liang frowned, his tone filled with a hint of dissatisfaction, but also with a bit of doting.

"Ah, sorry sorry!"

Hongxia stuck out her tongue and quickly adjusted her rhythm.

At that time, they always argued over a small beat or a subtle note, but they could cooperate tacitly in the next second and blend the music perfectly together.

…That was a long, long time ago.

Hongxia's thoughts lingered on the past. The stifling heat of the practice room, Liang's discontented grumbles, and the excited embrace they'd shared after their first successful duet—mostly Hongxia hugging Liang—all seemed like yesterday. She unconsciously hummed the melody they'd composed together, her fingers drumming on the table, mimicking drumming. The coffee had long since cooled, its bitterness intensifying, yet unexpectedly bringing out the sweetness of the memories.

Suddenly, a sudden ringtone broke the silence. Hongxia picked up her phone and saw an unfamiliar number on the screen, from Tokyo.

"Hello?"

Hong Xia pressed the answer button with a hint of doubt in her tone.

"Hello, is this Ms. Ijichi Hongxia?"

A sweet and formulaic female voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Yes, it's me."

"This is the Happiness and Peace of Mind Committee. We've noticed you've been severely sleep deprived lately. Could you be wondering if something is bothering you? We can provide psychological counseling if needed."

Hong Xia knew about this organization. On the surface, it was a public organization in Japan used to prevent psychological problems. In reality, it was a subordinate organization of the Quincy, used to prevent attacks by Hollows.

In today's society, the chances of psychological problems occurring are practically zero. The only real dangers are attacks by malicious spirits like Hollows. If it were simply a careless physical attack, then the combined forces of Shinigami and Quincy would quickly resolve it... The problem lies in situations beyond that. If a Hollow were to lurk out and quietly absorb the souls of ordinary people, then the Shinigami and Quincy wouldn't be able to respond quickly enough.

At this time, the Happiness and Security Committee needs to appear.

The Happiness and Peace of Mind Committee does not monitor the appearance of Hollows, because no one can detect those Hollows whose spiritual power is so small that it is similar to that of wandering souls, or in other words, no one can distinguish between Hollows and ordinary wandering souls.

After all, people whose souls have been sucked away by the Void will more or less show some...abnormalities.

Insomnia, loss of appetite, low mood, unexplained absences from work or school, and unexplained physical symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, and heart palpitations. These symptoms may appear similar to common psychological or physical illnesses, but they are actually early signs of the soul being eroded by Hollows. Staff from the Happiness and Security Committee will conduct a preliminary screening based on these abnormalities and then arrange for a professional psychologist to conduct further assessment. If the influence of Hollows is confirmed, they will contact local Shinigami and Quincy to conduct a secret elimination operation. Of course, they will publicly claim that they are providing psychological counseling and treatment to avoid causing unnecessary panic.

"Ah, it's like this. The band has been performing a lot lately, and I've been a bit stressed out, and haven't been sleeping well. Thank you for your concern, I'll make sure to adjust."

Hong Xia said in a light tone.

"For the record, your recent band performances haven't increased much compared to last year."

"It's like this. The band has been writing new songs recently. You know, inspiration comes and goes, and we often stay up all night until dawn."

Hong Xia tried to make her voice sound casual and relaxed, as if she was just chatting with a friend. "We're trying a brand new style, adding some... well, how should I put it, psychedelic elements? So it requires a lot of experimentation and adjustment."

She paused, as if suddenly remembering something interesting, and her tone became excited. "By the way, have you ever heard of death metal? Our new song has a bit of that vibe, fast and heavy, and super exciting! It's just that the lead singer isn't really used to it and keeps breaking his voice, haha..."

However, the staff on the other end of the phone were not led astray by her.

"Ms. Ijichi, we understand the hard work of creation, but health is equally important. According to our records, your sleep and rest schedule has been very irregular recently, which may have a negative impact on your physical and mental health. We recommend that you go to the hospital for a comprehensive examination in the near future to rule out potential health risks."

"Ah...this..."

Hong Xia was speechless for a moment. She could sense the doubt in the other party's tone. "I'll think about it. Thank you for your concern."

Hong Xia hung up the phone and threw it on the sofa with a muffled sound.

She sighed deeply and rubbed her aching temples. Her mental state had indeed been bad recently, but the reason wasn't the pressure of the band's creation, but the lingering nightmares.

Lately, she's been falling into the same nightmare every night: In it, Ichiri, once a gentle protector of the world, has somehow degenerated into a cruel tyrant. Her eyes, once filled with love, now gleam with an icy light. Under her iron-fisted rule, the world collapses like dominoes, heading for destruction. Hongxia struggles feebly in her dream, unable to stop it. The despair of watching the world's destruction grips her throat, choking her breath.

What's even more terrifying is that at the end of the dream, Hongxia always has to kill Yili with her own hands, piercing her fragile heart with a blood-stained dagger.

Every time she woke up, Hong Xia would be drenched in cold sweat and her heart would beat wildly.

Honestly, Hongxia had always thought she was used to killing those who endangered the world. Ryo, Kita, her sister... and the second time Ryo. Hongxia had thought she wouldn't hesitate this time.

…Now it seems that she was wrong.

Even though the time to kill had not yet come, she had already hesitated.

"So... I'm not suited to saving the world."

Hongxia smiled bitterly.

If he was a true savior, he should have taken action before the world was destroyed. Every time, Hong Xia delayed too late. After the world was desolate and everyone had died, killing the culprit in such a ruin, how could it be considered saving the world?

Hongxia drank another cup of coffee.

The strong bitter taste of coffee spread in her mouth, but it could not dispel the chaos in Hong Xia's mind at all.

Tonight, she couldn't sleep again. To be more precise, she didn't sleep at all. In the hours before dawn, she tossed and turned in her bed like a stranded fish, the afterimages of nightmares clinging to her like maggots on her tarsal bones, unable to be shaken off. Yili's eyes, sometimes gentle, sometimes cold, finally froze at the moment the dagger pierced her heart, filled with unspeakable sorrow and accusation.

Hong Xia scratched her hair in frustration, feeling like a psycho. She'd tried everything to escape this damn nightmare: yoga and meditation, which only made her feel even more insane; running, which made her vomit blood, which also didn't work; reading, but the words twisted into Yili's dying face before her eyes. Finally, she even resorted to sleeping pills, which only made her experience the killing of Yili even more lucid in her nightmares. The touch of blood was even more real than reality.

During the afternoon band practice, Hong Xia was in terrible shape. She played the drums absentmindedly, hitting several simple notes incorrectly.

"Hongxia, are you okay?"

A slightly hoarse voice interrupted the practice. It was the lead singer of their band, Chihaya Aine.

Aiyin has dazzling pink hair and looks full of energy. Unlike Hongxia, who cares more about the performance effect, Aiyin has an almost fanatical pursuit of music and cannot tolerate any flaws.

The two of them met because of Takamatsu Touma. Aine was Touma's best friend and also a member of Touma's band... However, Touma left the band after marrying Hakuno. Aine had no choice but to form a new band with Nijika.

To be honest, Hongxia heard Deng say that Aine actually liked to be in the spotlight... However, now in the entire band, Aine is the one who takes music most seriously.

"Ah, nothing, just a little tired."

Hong Xia answered perfunctorily.

Aine frowned. "Don't lie to me. You haven't been feeling well lately. Is the creative pressure too great?"

Hong Xia chose to conceal it as usual, "Well... sort of. The style of the new song is hard to grasp."

Aine didn't ask any further questions, but simply patted Hongxia's shoulder and said, "Don't push yourself too hard. Creativity requires inspiration, but also relaxation. After practice, shall we go to the movies together? I heard there's a pretty good romantic comedy coming out recently."

Outside the band, Aine is a good lady.

Compared to Hongxia who is just energetic, Aine is the "lively" one.

"what movie?"

Hong Xia asked.

"'The Ogre's Table' is a love movie starring Chu Hua!"

Aine almost jumped up, "The reviews are super good!"

"...a romance movie with that name?"

Aine excitedly dragged Hongxia towards the cinema, "Oh, it's fun to have strange names! And Chuhua is super cute! You'll know once you see it!"

Hongxia was dragged over without any hope.

——The results are really interesting.

After the movie ended, Hong Xia felt a lot more relaxed. The lingering nightmare scene finally dissipated temporarily.

Aine suggested going out for a midnight snack, and Hongxia happily agreed.

The smoky aroma of street vendors mingled with the sweet smell of barbecue, bringing a long-lost sense of comfort to Hongxia. Aiyin ordered a few skewers of barbecue and two beers, excitedly chatting about the plot of the movie, her saliva practically flying into Hongxia's face.

"I'm telling you, that ogre turned out to be a vegetarian. It made me laugh to death! And, that princess..."

Hong Xia listened intermittently, "Ah, really...", Hong Xia took the Yakitori skewers seriously, "Haha, very interesting..."

After a few beers, Aiyin put down the skewers in her hand and her tone suddenly became serious: "Hongxia, honestly, you've been in really bad shape lately. During band practice, you're always absent-minded and have missed the beat several times. If this continues, let alone the performance, the band will have to disband..."

"I'll adjust as soon as possible."

Hongxia took the grilled bird skewer with green onions seriously.

Aiyin looked at Hongxia, sighed, and raised her beer glass: "Cheers to the band!"

"cheers!"

Hongxia also raised her glass.

The two men clinked their glasses, and the crisp sound echoed briefly in the night sky.

In fact, Aine’s words didn’t make much sense, nor could they help Hongxia get rid of it, but... Aine’s words were really sincere.

Hongxia's gaze fell on Ain. Her long pink hair gleamed under the streetlight, and she was excitedly chatting with the owner of the barbecue stall, a bright smile on her face. Somehow, Hongxia found this scene a bit dazzling, yet also so heartwarming. Ain was always like this, full of energy and enthusiasm for life, illuminating everything around her like a little sun. Even when the band faced difficulties, Ain never gave up hope and always actively sought solutions. Perhaps this was Ain's charm, and the reason why she had always relied on her.

Hong Xia sighed softly and looked away, hiding the complicated emotions in her heart.

Perhaps, she shouldn't continue to think about what will happen ten or a hundred years from now.

"Maybe I should let it go."

Hongxia said this to herself in front of her house.

She told herself, "You should let go of this responsibility... Nine years ago, you thought the Shinigami and the Quincies were going to fight, but Iri handled it. Five years ago, you thought a world war would break out, but Iri handled it. A year ago, you thought the world's resources would be insufficient, but Iri also handled it. If Iri can handle it... she's fine."

After Hongxia finished speaking, she finally felt at ease. She decided to stop caring about the future of the world from now on.

Then she pushed the door open.

——Inside the gate, Goto Ichiri is there.

"Long time no see, Hongxia."

This is what Goto Ichiri said.

159

Chapter 159: Hakuno Ichiri.

Goto Ichiri stood at the door with a calm look in his eyes, as if he was just an ordinary friend visiting.

"How are you?"

She asked, without any abnormality in her tone.

Hong Xia was stunned for a moment. "Not bad, how about you?"

"I am fine too."

Ichiri answered briefly.

She then asked, "That movie is good, isn't it? The girl who is served to the ogre's table, and the vegetarian ogre...it's a B-grade romance movie that makes people feel crazy."

"How could that be? I think that movie is pretty good." Hong Xia tried to make her tone sound more natural.

"Ichiri...what's going on with you today? As the King of the Quincies, you must have a lot more important things to deal with, right?"

Her eyes involuntarily drifted to the kitchen, where the Eternal Spirit Knife was placed.

If you want to kill a mile, that thing is necessary.

Yili shook his head: "Nothing special, I just wanted to come and see you."

Her tone remained calm.

After a brief silence, Yili spoke again: "Have you been in touch with everyone recently?"

"well enough,"

Hong Xia looked away, "I did...write a letter."

During these years, she did write one or two letters to her old friends.