Honkai Impact 3rd, a simulator of lifelong regret!

At this moment, however, it forms a wall of mixed fear and dread.

It's as if taking a step isn't just an adjective, but a real step, stepping onto a cliff with absolutely no way back or room for maneuver.

"If I'm very unhappy with this gift, then for your next birthday, I'll give you something very, very unhappy with."

"As a long-time friend, please don't play any pranks on me."

……

What may seem like harsh words are actually the relatively high emotional intelligence of a boy who, having started his journey with little social experience, tries his best to find answers based on his interactions with Alicia and others.

The essence is to reduce the girl's anxiety and shift the focus of the problem elsewhere.

The only problem is that it seems to have lost its usefulness at this moment.

The act of making a girl realize the problem and let down her guard with just a word on a normal day seemed to have completely lost its magic at this moment.

Vilvi remained tense—she lightly bit her rosy lower lip, her slender fingertips unconsciously intertwining, curling the black silk satin hanging from her dress into a messy ball of yarn, like a cat's.

Her silver-gray eyes were fixed on his fingertips as she watched the boy open the exquisite gift box and adjust the delicate dark gold gears to the right position, leaving red marks on his slender, soft, and well-defined fingers.

—They were clearly extremely nervous.

Even considering the girl's unusual personality, such behavior can be considered abnormal.

—Is there something special about this gift?

Driven by curiosity, Jiang Cheng gently opened the box in his hand.

The interior is quite spacious, unlike before when it was stocked with novel gadgets that were clearly ahead of their time to provide travel assistance and convenience for daily life.

Instead, it was formatted like an invitation, with a dark gold document lying in the middle, on which typical... written in multiple languages.

—An invitation?!

The boy's fingertips gripped the hard edge, and his dark pupils suddenly widened, as if trying to imprint all the information on the card into his eyes.

This is an invitation to work at a place called "Spiral Workshop," and the position isn't even that of an ordinary worker.

If I read correctly...

He is the master.

……

"For the next birthday party, I hope you can host it with me as the owner of Spiral Workshop."

The girl gently pressed her chest, pressing down the light gauze that covered her, causing the slightly overly soft flesh to form white indentations, like waves of fleshy ripples created by the sudden appearance of ripe milk custard rubbing and colliding with each other.

Her voice was shy and hesitant, yet unusually firm.

Like a frog imprisoned at the bottom of a well, it takes its first step towards the truly open world with the help of others, leaving the narrow bottom of the well.

Although it doesn't amount to much.

Although this progress is far too insignificant.

It feels ridiculous and pathetic to use it as something to brag about.

No matter how small.

No matter how ridiculous.

Regardless of how many people will ridicule this progress as incompetence.

This is the first step.

This was the first step taken by a young girl.

This was the first step taken by the girl herself.

It is not pulled by others, nor is it forced forward, nor is it swept forward by the tide—like a lone sail on the sea, unable to control its own direction, only to be arbitrarily kneaded and manipulated by the drifting ocean. Rather, it is truly out of one's own will, truly out of the enlightenment in one's heart.

That's the only thing I'm proud of.

That's the only thing worth telling.

This step is insignificant.

For any ordinary person, this is just a simple story.

The only thing worth praising is that first time.

For the first time, the girl, who was endlessly consumed by self-destructive tendencies and loathed herself to the point of wanting to become someone else, dared to look directly into those dark, mysterious eyes.

Look.

Your efforts were not in vain.

You successfully helped me take a crucial step, and now I can do some small things on my own.

and so……

you can……

Will you stay with me?

Do you want to look at me more, to focus your gaze on me?

……

Not daring to say it aloud, merely thinking about it in her heart and taking even the slightest action had exhausted all of the girl's courage.

But in those bright, sparkling eyes, amidst shyness, bashfulness, and fear, this thought had already broken through all limitations, shining like a star in the dark night, fearful yet resolute.

Even though doing so might mean we can't even be friends anymore.

Even if her only friend were to vanish like a bubble, the girl would undoubtedly fall into an abyss and would not be able to stay as she once had.

Although this is something that should absolutely not be a choice that a bystander, a girl who spends less than a dozen hours a year in close proximity to a boy, should make without any room for regret.

Before her thoughts could fully form, her cherry-colored lips parted, uttering the long-suppressed desire of the young girl.

"please……"

"Leave Alicia."

……

……

……

……

The girl uttered words that were incomprehensible.

Her voice was soft and sweet, yet exceptionally firm.

Very clear.

"Eh?"

Jiang Cheng looked surprised and strange. He subconsciously gripped the card, his fingertips turning white from the pressure, and the hard edges twisted slightly.

His dark eyes stared at the girl's face in confusion, unable to comprehend what had happened.

What is she saying?

Why would you suddenly say something like that?

I've been in a bad mood lately.

Am I hallucinating?

"I said……"

I can't understand it when I see a boy.

The girl let out a deep breath and repeated her words once more.

This time, he spoke slowly and deliberately, enunciating each word clearly.

Very clear.

"I can ask you..."

"Should we stay away from Alicia?"

Perhaps it was because after taking the first step, he realized there was no turning back and he had reached the edge of the precipice. He could no longer choose to escape or hide away when he encountered difficulties, just like before.

—At that moment, the girl gained inexplicable courage.

There are pictures here, which can be viewed after the updated version

There are pictures here, which can be viewed after the updated version

There are pictures here, which can be viewed after the updated version

21. Alicia has never cared about you.

It's like igniting your heart on a barren autumn wind and grassland, igniting a heart as withered as wild grass, and getting a tiny, insignificant spark in return.

It may be a courage that you only have once in your life.

Courage that should almost never be found in a young girl.

When chatting with Jiang Cheng, I only dare to be a little unrestrained when expressing my emotions through characters on a screen.

Even the almost criminal act of spying on teenagers' lives only dared to remain on the fringes, not daring to actually interfere, even if the teenagers didn't notice.

Only this moment, only this moment.

The girl spoke clearly, word by word.

"why?"

Jiang Cheng wasn't hallucinating. The repeated words completely shattered any remaining illusions, and he clearly understood what the girl in front of him wanted to express—a cold and strange atmosphere rose around them, and the oppressive atmosphere prevented the boy from taking his first step.

Why say these things at this time?

Is it...

Even Vilvi.