I've already said this isn't a life simulator!

Clearly, the person before her was the "priest" who had changed the entire Twilight Street. He had not only moved all the equipment left behind by the Fire Moth in advance, but also knew in advance when she would arrive. More importantly, Sakura sensed a strange "threat" from him.

It didn't come from him, but... something else.

As expected, the Fire-Chasing Moth's guess was correct; he was indeed an "abnormal" being—Sakura thought to herself.

At the same time, he noticed Sakura's presence, closed the Bible in his hand, lightly landed on the box, and stopped a short distance in front of Sakura.

The positioning was perfect, just right on a line where Sakura wouldn't be overly wary.

"Hello, you who have come with a destiny..."

Xi Wang first grasped the cross pendant wrapped around her hand and gently placed it on her chest, then bowed slightly to Ying as a sign of respect.

Then, she slightly raised her eyelids and looked at the girl in front of her who was slowly exuding a sharp aura. Her strange tricolor eyes, dominated by gold, met her gaze, and then... Xi Wang was stunned.

Sakura's appearance was very similar to a girl he had seen before, especially her similar pink hair... Yes, it was Alicia.

However, when he first met Alicia, he inexplicably felt that he would rather meet a girl with cherry blossom-colored hair... Now it seems that you have met her.

Upon seeing her and confirming it was her, Xi Wang's first reaction was to breathe a sigh of relief, as if he were glad that she was still alive and still in front of him. But soon, when Xi Wang noticed the wariness and slight hostility on her face, he felt a pang of sadness.

Xi Wang was certain this was their first meeting, but everything felt as if he had met her before and they were on good terms... This feeling was inexplicable, just like how Xi Wang had disliked that priest in the past—it all came on suddenly.

But as a devout believer of "Hero," having given everything to "Hero" and dedicated everything to "Hero's" existence, Xi Wang did not show much expression on his face. He simply suppressed those emotions in his heart and spoke in calm and clear words.

“I know your purpose in coming. [He] has also informed me of you and the being behind you. However, the malice and hostility you carry are far too strong, so I have no choice but to temporarily confiscate your equipment... Please rest assured that all equipment will be returned to you after the incident is over.”

"...You're the 'priest' they were talking about?"

Sakura glanced at him briefly, and for some reason, she subconsciously felt that Xi Wang was an easy person to get along with, and that she could temporarily put aside her hostility.

Perhaps it was because his manners were too good? — Sakura thought subconsciously.

However, she then suppressed her further thoughts and asked instead.

"According to you... you already know why I'm here?"

"Yes, [He] has told me your purpose, but your hostility and suspicion are too strong, so [He] sent me to guide you."

Xi Wang nodded, and then spoke slowly.

“I should tell you first that your coming here will bring disaster to us, and your actions are no exception… Therefore, I hope that you will leave now, so that disaster can be avoided and peace can be restored to this place.”

"...Are you kidding me?"

“You have come with a mission, so naturally you will not agree, but... you should know about this matter.”

Xi Wang tightened her grip on the cross pendant in her hand.

"To know something and not report it is a sin."

"........."

“But…you should be able to observe this place and my orders. Therefore, I expect you to temporarily suppress your hostility, rest here for a while, and take everything here into account before making a decision.”

Xi Wang placed the hand with the pendant wrapped around her chest and said softly.

"Come with me."

Immediately, he strode toward Sakura, or rather, toward the path Sakura had taken.

Sakura's body tensed up instinctively. She could still sense a certain threat emanating from Xi Wang, and as Xi Wang got closer and closer, that inexplicable feeling became stronger and stronger, making Sakura subconsciously decide that she should not let him get any closer.

But in the end, even after Xiwang and Ying had passed each other and walked a distance apart, Ying did not make a move. She even turned her back to him for a while. It wasn't until the sound of Xiwang's footsteps behind her stopped that Ying seemed to come back to her senses and turned to look at him.

"Come with me."

Xi Wang didn't say much, but maintained her manners, gesturing slightly with her hand, speaking softly, and then continued walking out.

"........."

Sakura looked down at her hand, which had somehow slipped from the hilt of her sword, and was momentarily surprised.

Logically speaking, given how close Xi Wang had been to her, and the fact that she herself had genuinely sensed a threat... she should have instinctively tightened her grip on the hilt of her knife and slightly drawn it out of its sheath as a warning.

But in the end, she unconsciously loosened her grip, even subconsciously moving her hand away from the hilt of the knife, as if instinctively resisting drawing the knife. She also inexplicably felt that "he won't hurt me, so there's no need to be wary"... It was really strange.

Sakura shook her head, and the pair of slender ears on her head twitched, but she quickly snapped back to her senses and straightened them, making them look like a special headdress.

Damn it... what's going on? I should be used to staying still in front of other people by now.

Sakura smoothed her hair with some distress, but dared not touch the ears on her head, worried that Xiwang would discover something... although Xiwang did not turn around.

"……Ugh."

After pondering for a moment, Sakura realized she couldn't understand why she had acted that way just now. She sighed and suppressed all her thoughts and emotions—as a [Sword], she didn't need to think so much; she should focus on the mission.

So she took a step forward and soon caught up with Xi Wang, walking slowly behind him.

However, what she didn't realize was that, compared to similar situations in the past, the distance between her and Xi Wang was slightly closer than when she was with other people.

[...Hehe, so cute]

Faintly, Xi Wang heard His whispers, which puzzled him, but He made no attempt to explain.

Both of them vaguely sensed that the other might be a special person to them, but in the end, they didn't show it for their own reasons... Isn't that both cute and regrettable?

Just like... [last time], it's precisely because the two are too similar in some ways, and because they habitually hide their emotions... that they are not lovers, and will never become lovers.

It wasn't like that before, it won't be like that now, but in the future... well... maybe there will be a chance?

Chapter Thirteen: Father, you... are still so kind (7040)

Under your guidance, Sakura witnessed the true nature of the Twilight Street, a place completely different from the "outside world."

[It's peaceful and serene here, clean and tidy. No one litters, the streets are unbelievably clean, and the shops are open as usual. Although a few shops have "Closed" signs for some reason, the remaining shops are doing a good job. The goods inside are of good quality and inexpensive, and the owners are warm and humble, chatting with customers from time to time.]

[And here, Sakura also witnessed just how respected you are... No matter which shop you pass by, everyone inside, whether owner or customer, greets you, and you respond to each one, even calling out everyone's name accurately, and even specifically pointing out small problems that someone might have overlooked due to carelessness.]

[For example, if someone has finished washing their clothes, you might remind them to go back and hang them out to dry, as the afternoon sun is perfect and they can bring the clothes in by evening. The person who hears your reminder will nod their thanks without hesitation and quickly leave to go home, seemingly trusting your words implicitly... This deep trust surprises Sakura.]

Furthermore, through some simple inquiries, Sakura learned that the people living here all had someone with a similar illness in their families, perhaps due to "Honkai disease" or something else. However, no one here seemed to be struggling to make a living. Although life was somewhat difficult, every family managed to survive.

Moreover, no one here seems dejected; almost everyone's face carries a longing for tomorrow, completely different from the situation outside where people sacrifice everything for survival and to fight against the Honkai, and even then, the higher-ups are not united.

Sakura suddenly understood why the "leaders" described Twilight Street as an "Eden" to their subordinates. Compared to the chaos outside, Twilight Street truly was a warm "Eden." It was filled with a special "human touch," and one could clearly feel the care from others, even if they were not familiar with each other.

Especially at dusk, when the twilight glow shines on the street like a golden stream flowing from the sky and slowly spreading across the entire street, the beautiful scene truly lives up to the name "Twilight Street".

Sakura was momentarily dazed, subconsciously sighing that if the Honkai hadn't broken out and Twilight Street hadn't been such a "chaotic place," it would definitely have become a popular tourist destination.

But these thoughts and feelings ended there, because having witnessed the situation outside, she knew that the peace here was bought with the suffering of many more people outside, and those "leaders" would not hesitate to exploit others.

[And more importantly, she noticed that every "patient" in this household... was suffering from "Honkai disease," people corrupted by Honkai.]

Not just "basic," but "all."

In other words, there are a huge number of "Honkai energy sources" here, and the gathering of so many sources will inevitably lead to Honkai. This is a near-inevitable rule that Moth Chaser has concluded.

[But what Sakura finds strange is... according to the information you gave her, the number of these patients had already reached the number estimated by the Fire Moth two months ago as "the number that would cause a Honkai outbreak." Logically speaking, if a Honkai outbreak were to occur, it should have happened here two months ago.]

[But surprisingly, nothing has happened. Twilight Street remains peaceful and tranquil. In fact, you and Abonia have received quite a few extra patients in the past two months, yet there has still been no Honkai outbreak here... This is truly bizarre.]

It's like a bug that's been malfunctioning, but it just happens to work, and it runs very smoothly. Nobody else knows how this thing even works.

However, Sakura wouldn't think that much, nor could she. She was merely a "sword" to carry out her mission—she already knew what she had to do.

[But before that, she needs to get out of your sight... After observing you for a while, she has determined that you are negotiable and suitable to bring back the Firemoth. Therefore, she plans to leave your sight, finish the other tasks, and then bring you back.]

[Late at night is a good choice, as everyone will be home resting, including you. Sakura can then use the cover of night to leave and carry out her mission under the cover of darkness. This is the perfect setting for her as an "assassin" and a "blade"... And to deliver death to others in their sleep, sparing them from additional suffering, is perhaps the only mercy she can offer.]

So she calmed down a bit, and having made up her mind, she followed you back to the church, waiting for night to fall.

You seemed completely unaware of her decision, simply offering her a polite rest in the church and quickly preparing dinner for her.

Sakura didn't refuse; she was just curious why you would serve a "Sakura Dumpling" and a bunch of cherry blossoms at the end. She was even a little curious about where you learned to make them and how you got them, since Sakura Dumplings and cherry blossoms were things from her hometown, and they shouldn't be available here.

Your answer surprised her even more... You said that "He" told you that she should like these two things, so you prepared in advance.

This startled Sakura somewhat, since you and she had never met before. However, this seemingly prophetic situation still filled her with dread and made her secretly more wary of you.

[...However, what she didn't tell you was that her first reaction upon receiving these two items was joy, a joy that came from the depths of her heart, as if receiving these two items was something perfectly worthy of happiness and taken for granted...However, precisely because of this inexplicable emotion, Sakura quickly realized what was happening and her wariness towards you increased significantly. Although her facial expression didn't change, you could feel a deep sense of vigilance and suspicion in her eyes as she looked at you.]

[...She seemed to have misunderstood something, but you didn't care because you noticed that when she received these two items, the pair of slender ears disguised as headdresses on her head twitched slightly and unconsciously.]

She should be happy—you think so.

Although you found it strange that you could read her mood from her strange animal ears, you didn't pay much attention to it, as if it were a matter of course... and subconsciously you felt that it was best not to bring up the topic of "ears" with her at this time.

"Do I really know her well?" you wondered, a little puzzled.

However, you suppressed these thoughts for the time being, because the calamity that would destroy this place was imminent, and you needed to do more.

[Pfft... Ha...]

You seem to hear "His" soft laughter again. You are puzzled, but "He" still doesn't seem inclined to explain.

Suppress your doubts for now and wait patiently.

Then, night fell...

--------

slam-la-

Outside, the rain poured down, and the night wind mixed with the rain, making the surroundings cold, while inside it was warm and cozy.

Sakura silently put down and untied the package she was carrying, picked up the knife inside, glanced at the torrential rain outside, and remained silent for a moment.

"What the priest said was actually true...it really did rain heavily that night..."

Sakura muttered to herself unconsciously. It seemed that the people here really did have a point in regarding the priest as a "human weather forecaster." Moreover... after experiencing a day full of strange things, Sakura was no longer surprised by it.

However, the downpour could not stop her. Sakura opened the window, and the rain and night wind rushed into the room. Sakura ignored them, silently took a step, and with a light leap, left through the window. Her figure disappeared into the rain and quickly vanished.

However... when Sakura arrived at her first destination and silently entered the room, she sensed something was amiss—someone was there, and clearly waiting for her.

More importantly, a strange burning sensation came from her body, especially in her legs, where the feeling was particularly intense.

Although she had expected it, the burning sensation came too suddenly and too intensely, causing Sakura to stagger and make a slight sound.

So this is what the "punishment" is like for violating the "rules"... and it even works on fusion warriors. It seems that the abnormality of that priest is more exaggerated than I imagined.

Sakura composed herself and then looked at a man sitting on the ground in a very strange and ungraceful posture not far away.

He wore a strange mask that was somewhat exquisite yet worn, making it impossible to see his expression. However, Sakura could sense the slightly crazed aura and... boundless fighting spirit emanating from him.