Beng San, I have an unfinished date with her

Yae Sakura just sat in front of the corridor with a cup of tea, watching Takashi's back gradually walking down the stairs.

Normally at this time, she would have extinguished the candles in the lampposts in the corners and along the walk.

Because it is not necessary.

After visiting the shrine at night, she could easily complete the washing and sleep without the symbolic light of the shrine...

But not tonight... because someone needs it, someone needs a light, someone needs a guiding light back.

After she finished everything, she just sat on the edge of the corridor and stared at the exit steps and the sky in the distance, holding it in her hands until the tea in the cup became cold.

"Ah, by the way..." She remembered something, and then she realized that the tea had gone cold and it had been a while.

"You should be back... soon."

She put down the cold tea cup and walked towards the bathroom.

...

"It's strange. The overall Honkai energy concentration is obviously not that small, but why didn't we meet any Honkai beasts along the way... It's not like all the surrounding Honkai energy was absorbed by the giant bear last night... It’s so weird.”

Long has almost completed this tour.

As long as you patrol the village again, you can return to the shrine.

He walked in the village. Most of the residents had fallen asleep soon after dark, and only a few people were still going about their lives or work.

After they saw Long Zhong walking in the village through their own windows, they couldn't help but feel a sense of security and felt much better.

They all know that at this time, the miko-sama is usually on patrol.

Although she is very strong, she is only as powerful as an ordinary person. There is no doubt that she cannot be compared with this samurai. Since he has taken over the patrol at night, the security will be higher than tonight... If It would be nice to do this every night.

But Long was thinking about his own affairs. He crossed his arms, touched his chin with one hand, and whispered to himself: "Is it because he is in the consciousness space of the Herrscher? Just like the fluctuation of Ling's soul? "

"...This will not be conducive to tracing the Honkai Impact."

"Well... let's observe more from now on."

In this way, Takashi wandered around the village under the safe eyes of the villagers who were still awake, and finally headed towards the shrine.

Nothing happened tonight, the villagers slept peacefully.

...

"Hey, isn't Sakura still asleep?"

Takashi walked up the stairs to the walkway on the shrine platform and found that the candles in the lamp posts had not been extinguished. Takashi stepped forward and extinguished the lamp posts to save candle oil.

"Long, you are back. I have boiled hot water and you can take a bath. Come on, take a bath and then go to bed. It will relax your body."

At this time, Yae Sakura also walked out of the side of the room, rolling up her sleeves. It seemed that she had just boiled water and worked hard.

Such a kind gesture, Longlian said thank you and walked towards the bathroom.

Just when Takashi was about to enter the bathroom, Yae Sakura suddenly said: "Takashi, do you need to rub your back? You can do a massage without rubbing your back. I learned my massage technique from my father. It is a relaxing solution for the lower back." It’s good to be tired.”

"Ah? No, no, no, the fog in the bathroom is so heavy. Even if you rub my back, my clothes will get wet. I can just do it myself."

"Oh...."

Takashi looked at Yae Sakura's somewhat disappointed expression, remembered what he had said before, and understood.

"Sakura, did you want to ask me something, so you offered to rub my back?"

"Eh? How do you know, Long... Well, I do have something to ask you."

"Haha, just tell me Sakura. Just ask whatever you want to ask about the little things. I can answer them while I'm taking a bath."

Takashi's way of talking without any pretense and no barriers made Yae Sakura feel the fluctuation of emotions like long-lost friendship and family affection, and she unconsciously raised the corners of her mouth.

She suddenly realized that she was unconscious and raised her hand to touch the corner of her mouth.

It’s only been one day, but I’ve already smiled so many times...

How often will it take for me to laugh in the past four years... Yae Sakura quickly browsed through her somewhat vague memories in the past four years and found that it seemed... as if... probably, she had never laughed?

"Well, Takashi, please take a bath. I'll give you a massage later, and then you can tell me the answer."

"Eh? Sakura?"

When he asked questions, Yae Sakura had already walked away.

"Uh...Okay." Long had no choice but to accept it and entered the big wooden barrel to take a bath.

He doesn't need the usual cleaning work at all. Once the power is activated, it's very simple.

But he still did these things, just like he had lived before, this was to maintain human living habits.

After getting out of the bath, Takashi dried the moisture on his body and hair, and put on the Jitong clothes that Yae Sakura had prepared for him.

Sakura said it belonged to his father. After all, she didn't know how to buy men's clothing and supplies at the shrine, so she had to wear her father's clothes first.

Takashi returned to his bedroom holding the suit with armor blocks and [Sakura] wearing style clothes, and holding two long knives.

Yae Sakura was already waiting in the room, and even the bedding had been laid out for him.

"Ah, thank you Sakura."

"It's a small thing, you're welcome. Come on, I'll let you try my skills."

"Okay, I'll come as soon as I put it away."

Change comes quietly: 145. Chatting during massage

Place the clothing and weapons on the wooden hangers in the corner.

Long lay on the quilt and put a pillow under his chin.

Silently lowering her body strength so that Yae Sakura can perform the attack, otherwise she would feel as uncomfortable as pressing on steel.

"Hmm...well, pretty good."

"My craftsmanship is good, Sakura."

"Huo Luo, I have heard the conclusions of these studies in the past. Many athletes...oh, many soldiers and warriors, after a lot of daily training, they will also have people massage them to help them relax their bodies and muscles. Relax, otherwise it would be much more uncomfortable when you wake up the next day~" Long Po said with some enjoyment.

"As long as you like it. I also learned this from my father. In fact, I haven't pressed it a few times. It's like learning some simple medical skills and medicinal herbs, which can be used when helping the village, but in the village There are also more experienced people so it’s rarely me.”

"By the way, Sakura, what do you want to ask?"

"Well...actually, I just want to ask Long about your travel anecdotes, as well as the story about the person who is very similar to me I told last time. What is the name of her sister?"

"Oh~ Well, these are small things, things that happen to come from travels, travel notes and the like. They are great and suitable to be told to others. Since Sakura wants to hear them, I will tell them."

"Yeah." Yae Sakura became interested, and while massaging Takashi vigorously, she raised her four ears and listened.

"Hmm...where to start...Okay, let's start with the person who is very similar to you Sakura."

"That person is very similar to you, probably because she is also from the Far East region. Her name is Ying, which means Ying."

"Huh?...Well, yes, there are quite a lot of cherry blossoms, and there are also a lot of people named Sakura." Yae Sakura was surprised when she heard this, but she calmed down in an instant, because cherry blossoms are indeed not uncommon, and there are people with this name. There are quite a few girls.

"Haha, it's true. I've seen more than a hundred girls named Sakura during my journey to the far east."

Takashi put his palms under his chin and said, "Well, keep going. Call that girl Sakura, and her sister is called Suzu."

Yae Sakura's movements suddenly stopped: "Rin?...Rin? Rei?"

"No, it's a bell."

"Oh..." Yae Sakura seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and continued to press hard.

"Well...Sakura and Ling, these two sisters."

"We have many other friends, living together in a powerful country on the other side of the sea called Fire Chaser."

"A Moth Chasing Flame?"

"Well, Fire Chaser, they all joined that country, and Sakura also joined so that her sister could have a good life. But I am a little different. Although I also live, fight, and help in that country, I am not them. People, they can’t control me.”

"Then they..."

"Well... they are all dead." Long stated the facts without any emotion.

Yae Sakura's movements stopped completely. This thing about the Sakura sisters made her couldn't help but reflect it on her own body. Her fingers, which were cooler than Takashi's body temperature, rested on his strong and shapely waist muscles. She didn't know. what to do...

After a few seconds, she adjusted her somewhat gloomy expression before saying, "Was it a long time ago?"

"Ah...it's been a long time, so I can explain it as normal."

"Then, why would they..."

"Well... um... because that country has been destroyed, under the attack of monsters that are getting stronger every time." Long opened his eyes, and there was nothing strange in the dark pupils, and the words were the same. He said while looking at the shadows of the two people on the wall under the candlelight.

In the shadow, there are no long ears of Yae Sakura.

"Are they Long's good friends?"

"Friend, well - that's okay, but I think I'm more of a listener and comrade-in-arms. I actually only met her sister once, and all I know about her sister is Sakura...that Sakura told mine."

"It's okay, I can tell the difference clearly." Yae Sakura chuckled and continued her work.

Takashi continued: "Sakura and Ling are from the Far East. But they moved to the country of Chasing Fire Moth a long time ago to avoid the harm of monsters. Sakura herself is not afraid, she is very strong, and in Chasing Fire Moth There are only a handful of Moth's warriors, only weaker than me and the other two warriors."

"But her sister can't. Her sister is still young and just an ordinary person. She doesn't have the power to protect herself."

"And Sakura needs to go out to do tasks and work for her family. There will always be times when she cannot fully protect Suzu, so she chose to move Suzu to live in the Fire Chaser Moth."

"The days before that were the happiest times for them. At night, Ling would huddle in Sakura's arms, and gradually fall asleep listening to the various strange stories Sakura told as she opened the book under the dim candlelight. .”

"...Ah, it sounds so beautiful." Yae Sakura couldn't help but sigh.

Long also thought of that look, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly: "Well, beautiful days."

But I still have to say it...

Takashi curled his lips: "But the attacks of monsters are getting heavier and more frequent, and even Fire Chaser's own country has been attacked. In order to protect the environment where Suzu lives, Sakura has no choice but to go on missions more and more frequently... Obviously She is fighting for her sister, but she sees less and less of her. Life is such a contradiction..."

"A monster... attack? Like around the village?"

"Well, monsters that are countless times more powerful than any monster you have ever seen kept attacking the Fire Chaser until it was destroyed... In the end, there were only a few warriors as powerful as me left in the entire country. Survive and go your separate ways.”

"..."

"It's unimaginable that a country with powerful warriors like you, Takashi, has been destroyed by monsters... If I were to protect the village and face them, I would definitely not be able to stop them."

"Haha, but don't worry, Sakura. The monsters have subsided, and it will probably be a long time before they become active again."

Yae Sakura began to think divergently and said: "Well... Is this why you travel, Takashi? Because of your unwillingness, you look around, practice better, travel around, and help others deal with monsters?"

"It counts..."

"It counts?"

"Yes, actually my original purpose of coming to the Far East was not to travel."

"why?"

"is for..."

"Huh? Takashi, tell me."

"..."

The look on Long's eyebrows became complicated: "Sakura...my original purpose was..."

"Is...?" Yae Sakura stopped curiously and looked at the back of Takashi's head. She sensed something bad from Takashi's tone.

"To bury their remains..."

Change comes quietly: 146. Favorability UP

"How did they die?" Yae Sakura lowered her head and whispered.

The sweat on her forehead due to the force of the massage no longer continued, as if she had suddenly fallen into an ice cave.

If he was returning home with the remains of his comrades, he wouldn't have to speak in such a tone... Something bad must have happened. Yae Sakura immediately grasped the key point and asked.

Takashi raised his head and looked back at Yae Sakura's expression. It was normal, but she felt a little lost...

almost.

Putting his head on the back of his folded hands, Long closed his eyes and described plainly: "In the long and invisible battle against the monsters, there were constant victories and defeats. The country continued to fall, the soldiers continued to die, and everyone... I feel that my life is not long, the country will be in danger today, and the city will be destroyed tomorrow.”