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

Alicia spoke lightly, her tone carrying a similar cheerfulness to Xiwang's... In a sense, the two of them were quite alike, almost always smiling, their cheerful mood never fading.

However, this time, Alicia came with a mission, so after a brief greeting, she put on a more serious expression... well, relatively speaking.

"I've come here on a mission... Now..."

"Ok, I know."

"Eh?"

Before Alicia could finish speaking, Xiwang nodded slightly, and Alicia was briefly taken aback.

"I already know."

Xi Wang said this.

“I will help... Rather, I am already very grateful that so many people are supporting me at this time.”

A gentle breeze, seemingly from nowhere, softly lifted the tips of their hair.

"Oh, and... please don't tell anyone about me secretly singing just now, okay? Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll have to write another self-criticism..."

As if suddenly remembering something, Xi Wang smoothed her soft, flowing hair with a hint of embarrassment, while changing the subject.

"...Don't worry~ It won't happen~ Besides, I really enjoy listening to you sing~ You know, I'm your fan~?"

"Thank you so much!"

"Humph~?"

Alicia squinted her eyes happily, gently shook her head, and her pink hair rose and fell in the air like flying flowers.

"Then... let's go?"

"Okay~ but where should I go?"

"Oh dear, look, silly Alicia forgot about that... Come on, let's go, I'll take you there?"

"Alicia... it's not okay to deliberately act cute, okay?"

"No, I'm naturally cute, aren't I?"

"really."

"Hmph~? Xi Wang can be quite honest and straightforward sometimes~?"

"What's wrong?"

"No~ In fact, this is probably for the best~?"

"That couldn't be better."

"........."

Alicia sensed that Xiwang wasn't very interested in chatting, so she stopped trying to find topics to talk about, and the two fell silent for a while.

"Alicia, do you like rainy days?"

Suddenly, Xiwang asked this question.

"I love it! I love all kinds of weather—whether it's the cool rain falling from the sky or the gentle sunshine, I love it all!"

"Oh, that's wonderful... that's perfect."

Xi Wang subconsciously touched her long hair, the strands flowing through her fingertips, gradually transitioning from a dark color like the night sky to a white color like waves.

"Compared to that, I prefer rainy days... Alicia, do you think if I become a [Herrscher], it will be related to rainy days? Or perhaps to music? If the two could be combined... that would be wonderful, I think I would be very happy."

"...You're not a Herrscher."

"Yes, but at least right now I'm the prime suspect, aren't I?"

Xi Wang's gaze shifted to the rain outside the window. Even through the glass, Xi Wang could still sense the emotions conveyed by the rain... He could feel that he was getting closer and closer to the water, and strange, fragmented images would appear in his mind.

What are those things? Are they hallucinations? Is the collapse affecting him? Or... the past?

"I've really been inconveniencing Dr. Mebius lately... She's helped me so much... and you all too, thank you so much for helping me."

"But... if that's really the case... I hope you won't hold back and will thoroughly [punish] me."

"After all, it's all for humanity, isn't it?"

"........."

For some reason, when Xi Wang uttered those words, his voice seemed to carry a hint of sadness. This emotion was fleeting, like an illusion... but Alicia sensed it, and her breath hitched. It was as if someone had suddenly squeezed her heart, making her feel a wave of sadness.

What's going on... this feeling of guilt... it's as if I did something to hurt him... How could I have done such a thing? I really like him, don't I? — Alicia was puzzled.

However, Xi Wang quickly returned to his normal tone and changed the subject, making Alicia lose interest in the issue.

"Alicia, do you think there might be a Herrscher who is friendly to humans? Maybe that could change everyone's opinion a little... Maybe everyone could get along better?"

"some."

Alicia answered like this.

"Of course there is."

Her tone was firm.

"...Yes, that's what I think too."

Xi Wang blinked, then smiled and said.

"Besides... even if I don't, isn't it enough to just be that one? Even if it's the only one~"

"...You definitely won't be the only one, and...you're not a [Herrscher] anymore, so don't say such discouraging things~?"

"Sorry, sorry~ I always end up saying a lot without realizing it at times like this..."

"In this respect, you're quite like Eden, aren't you?"

"Yes, Eden becomes more talkative after drinking, and eventually she even starts singing... She's like that even when she's drunk, right? Oh, and at that time, Eden also likes to talk to others about her collection, like gems and stuff... After she's finished talking, she'll just give them to you, right? She's so cute every time she pulls me aside to talk about these things."

"Eden's little secret revealed~?"

"And Sakura too? But she rarely gets drunk; most of the time, Eden gets her drunk... After a few times, Sakura stopped drinking with Eden. Even when she does, it's only low-alcohol drinks. But Eden really likes Sakura's cherry blossom brew... Sakura also often makes some snacks, which are delicious!"

"Xi Wang's tone was so obvious~ But you really do like sweets~?"

"Sweetness can bring happiness~ I think Alicia likes it too, right?"

"Of course! And after becoming a Fusion Warrior, you don't need to maintain your figure anymore, so you can enjoy whatever food you like!"

"That's great...other girls must be so envious, right?"

"Hehe~ I usually don't tell them, let's keep this as a little secret between us~ okay?"

"Okay."

Their conversation returned to normal, as relaxed and pleasant as ever.

…………

………………

"It is a great pleasure to see you well, Xiwang."

"There's no need for such a respectful address, Aponia... But you're back from the 'Deepest Place,' are you alright? Is it dangerous there?"

"Thank you for your concern, but... it's alright, the people over there are all very kind. Under the constraints of the [Precepts], any darkness and evil will be restrained."

"There's no need to say that to everyone. Many people ended up in there because of failed surgeries... If I had discovered my [power] earlier, maybe they could have fought normally and become our comrades?"

"There's no need to take the blame upon yourself. You didn't undergo surgery at the time, so there's no point in talking about [power]... But your wishes have already reached their ears along with your [song]. They... are also grateful to you for being so understanding of them, for giving them some peace in their frenzy, and for giving them some light in the darkness."

"I hope I can help them~ But unfortunately, my song is having some problems right now... Hmm, I'll have to apologize to everyone properly later~"

"You don't have to take the blame for the incident, nor do you have to pin the blame on yourself..."

"But isn't Aponia herself just like that?"

"........."

Aponia paused for a moment, her gaze instinctively rising to look at the [threads] that only she could see, but soon, the gentle voice drew her gaze back to Xiwang.

"Look at me, Sister..."

He said this in a soft voice.

"Although you can be a bit eccentric at times, especially after the surgery, you must want to help others, right? Just like before."

“You always show sadness when you see someone get hurt or things go wrong… You often talk about fate and destiny, yet you never stop moving forward or helping others.”

"You must want to change something, right? But in the end, that 'destined' thing you mentioned came back again, without the slightest deviation... So you're always very sad, always feeling that you haven't done enough... I can hear the weariness in your voice."

"Ah... I'm sorry, it's our habit to interpret other people's emotions through their words, I hope you don't mind, but... at least this time, please don't worry."

"Although I can't see the world through your eyes, this time... at least this time, things will change."

He said so.

"…………Um."

"Why don't you take a little more rest after you've finished dealing with this?"

"……it is good."

Aponia remained silent, looking at the smile on Xiwang's face and the [threads] surrounding him, and nodded gently.

Although the end is still far away, everything is about to change. Things have already changed, though only slightly, just a little bit, but that is enough.

She watched Xi Wang's figure slowly walk towards that [final outcome].

"Sigh... Sometimes I feel like we're just superfluous, don't you think, Dobia?"

"I feel like we're getting in their way a bit. Sigh... You two should really be more mindful of yourselves."

Alicia and Desdobia, who were standing to the side, said with a helpless expression, but soon Desdobia smiled and looked at Xiwang.

"But thank you anyway, big star. Aponia was always running around doing strange things... Although I know Aponia meant well, the final result was somewhat... not so good, which left everyone feeling helpless."

"Like this time, in order to prevent others from falling asleep during the [Song], Aponia arbitrarily imposed [Disciplines] on quite a few people, causing some trouble for those above..."

"Feel sorry……"

"It's alright. Although the [Precepts] have caused them quite a bit of trouble, it's better than falling into a coma, right? It wouldn't be good if they didn't wake up... As for the [Precepts], we can undo them together after this matter is resolved."

Desdobia waved her hand. After all, everyone knew that Aponia had a good heart and had helped many people resolve their inner conflicts after joining the "Firemoth". It was just that her kindness would make her do some things that seemed strange to others, especially after becoming a Fusion Warrior, but these were not big problems.