Regarding the question of whether one thousand lives are enough to beat Honkai Impact 3rd.

But soon her chest cavity was pierced by the sharp spear of the whaling ship, and her beautiful scales, mixed with her graceful fish tail, were shattered into crimson flesh and blood, and she sank into the sea.

The remaining body was dragged onto the cold deck amidst the jubilant clamor of the humans. She looked up at those faces swelled with filthy desires and felt a pang of sadness.

The pitch-black ocean, as if representing her will, surged forth and overturned everything.

She drifted alone in the endless ocean.

His own wrecked, corpse-like body was finally dragged out of the hopeless deep sea by a pair of hands.

The starlight descended from the sky, enveloping the light in a thin veil, while the fish, like stars chasing the moon, offered gentle comfort...

Sato Yuno snapped out of her reverie, looked out the window at the snow-covered world after the snow had stopped, and sighed, saying:

"After having this dream, I don't dare to take Xiaohua to the swimming pool or the beach in the summer."

What a vivid dream!

She empathized with the agony of being shattered to pieces, the emptiness before life fades away, and the profound sorrow and bewilderment.

But these thoughts were ultimately like sand slipping through her fingers, vanishing as soon as Sato Yuno yawned and officially got out of bed.

She was an optimistic person by nature, and besides, the moment the dream ended, it entered into complete illusion, so naturally there was not much left to explore.

The girl walked barefoot on the wooden floor, her eyes half-closed, and lazily stretched her waist. Her thin, homey undershirt stretched her figure in an alluring way with the movement.

It was strange. Normally, she would tiptoe carefully to find her slippers, but today she felt that the ground was not only not cold, but also a little warm.

This prompted the girl, who was not yet fully awake, to walk directly to the table and check the time on her phone, but she had no intention of finding slippers to put on.

6:30? Isn't that a bit too early for me?

As Sato Yuno passed by the other bed, she noticed that Fu Hua was already awake, as always.

"Hmm, good morning, Xiao Hua."

She rubbed her eyes, greeted Fu Hua, and then casually unbuttoned her clothes and took them off.

Fu Hua's response came belatedly only after all the odds and ends of the clothes had been folded and put into the basket.

Good morning, Yuno.

Sato Yuno covered her fair skin and exposed breasts with a bath towel, then looked at Fu Hua, who politely glanced at her.

She seemed still a little sleepy, curled up by the bed, her slightly narrowed eyes adorned with delicate colors by the dim light falling into the room.

The girl hesitated for a moment and asked:

"By the way, do you want to shower together, Xiaohua?"

Normally, this would be said in a cheerful tone.

But now she has a hint of timidity and cowardice that she herself is unaware of, which makes Fu Hua feel that Sato Yuno is inexplicably cute compared to her previous cunning and lively self.

The young girl glanced at Sato Yuno standing at the bathroom door. She was barefoot and in the center of her vision, her straight and slender legs exposed to the air. A bath towel covered most of the skin above the knees and extended to her soft chest.

Her delicate collarbones and the faintly outlined deep white lines were extremely dangerous, and her subconsciously evasive eyes only intensified the alluring sadistic desires.

Yuno's appearance hasn't changed much, but strangely, she looks exceptionally beautiful at this moment.

but……

She buried her head under the covers, no longer looking in Sato Yuno's direction, and replied righteously:

"I refuse."

I would rather take a bath with Master Su than with Yuno.

She was sure to be sunk in the bathtub by the mocking gazes and teasing, and Sato Yuno successfully used her past impressions to deliver a crushing defeat.

She let out a sob in her heart and reluctantly walked into the bathroom.

Taking a shower after waking up is a habit of hers, but because of that dream today, the girl felt that if she soaked in the bathtub, her legs would turn into a fish tail, which is contrary to the structure of the human body.

Then you'll be dragged into the endless deep sea, far away from delicious things like milk tea, pizza, cream puffs, and small cakes. You won't even have a phone to check your horoscope or what colors bring bad luck. It's a completely different kind of hell on earth.

Moreover, although mermaids and the like sound like fairy tales and beautiful things, I always feel that if I really became like that, I would be all alone for the rest of my life.

She glanced at the bathtub, which could easily fit two of her, and somewhat guiltily chose to refuse.

The bath towel was placed outside the built-in glass door. The girl walked into the frosted glass shower enclosure and turned on the hot water.

Hot water gushed from the showerhead, soaking my entire body. Water droplets followed the curves of my body, gently licking my slender ankles across both steep and smooth surfaces, before falling onto the clean tiles with a soft, pattering sound.

She squeezed out the citrus-scented shower gel, slightly wetted the foaming ball, and then applied the cool liquid, pressing her fingertips against the PE material, feeling the delicate skin as she traced irregular circles.

Large amounts of white foam swept over the area above the sacrum and on both sides where the lumbar vertebrae connect, then moved upwards to cover the symmetrical shoulder blades on the back...

The girl hummed an ancient folk song from an eastern island nation. As the melody echoed melodiously in the enclosed room, her lonely mood was somewhat soothed.

Mermaids are not human; even with beautiful faces and pure hearts, they will still be rejected, feared, and...

Kill.

So Yuno Sato doesn't want to become a mermaid.

She doesn't want to be alone.

But perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if it turned out that way?

Yuno Sato recalled the hands that pulled her out of the deep sea when she was sinking in her dream.

All the wounds and sorrow on my body melted away in the strength and warmth of the other person's hand. An unprecedented sense of security overwhelmed the pain and confusion, and suddenly I was no longer afraid of that future.

The foam was washed onto the ground by the water flow and slowly disappeared into the drain.

The tune the girl hummed gradually faded as the showerhead stopped spraying water, until it stopped completely.

Her emotions had completely calmed down, and the warmth of those hands seemed to be giving her immense comfort even from a dream.

The songs hummed on one's lips are also one of the factors that bring peace of mind.

This is a song my mother likes; she enjoys humming the same melody while cooking for herself.

Over time, Sato Yuno memorized the tune, and just humming it made her feel at ease.

It felt like... your mother was watching you from the side, and you unconsciously gained courage that you didn't usually have.

The girl rubbed her long, wet hair with a bath towel, and in a daze, she remembered the gift her father had said he would give her, and murmured:

"The fireworks display? That's still a long way off."

Sato Yuno smiled.

That summer will surely bring the grandest fireworks display and the chirping of cicadas.

That also happened to be the girl's 16th birthday.

……

……

Sunday.

The elective course quotas were completed yesterday afternoon, which meant that Su Qing'an could enjoy a leisurely day away from the cycle of being a corporate slave.

The snowdrifts on the road had been cleared away by robots by early morning, and the two-tone granite pavement contrasted sharply with the snow-white greenery on both sides.

The library in the distance, which used to have red eaves, now blends almost into the sky.

The branches next to the balcony were bent over by the heavy snow and fell onto the railing. The snow that fell in accumulated in several flower pots, and it was clear that they could not survive.

He stood on the balcony, wearing slippers and thin pajamas, tending to the few sickly potted flowers.

Yesterday's heavy snow cast a shadow of death over these flowers; after a night in such temperatures, they were almost beyond saving.

Su Qing'an's actions now can only be considered a leisurely endeavor of doing one's best and leaving the rest to fate.

These flowerpots seem to be remnants left behind by previous generations who didn't clean them up properly, so he doesn't have much of an impression of them.

If it weren't for Xi'er's incident, Su Qing'an might have remembered to bring those flowerpots back to the air-conditioned room.

But after returning, the boy, who had experienced a huge amount of information, was only concerned with Seele's mental state and the three of them having dinner, so these trivial details were naturally forgotten.

It is 7:30 in the morning.

Seele is still sleeping in, but Hua should have woken up by now.

Although he hoped she could have a happy school life, the boy regretted that he couldn't interfere with the girls' outings.

After all, her current identity is that of a teacher whose popularity at the academy is gradually returning to normal. If Hua's friends see that she is very familiar with him, she will probably feel troubled.

Su Qing'an pinched the wilted petals. Whenever he saw this plant, he couldn't help but think of Sato Yuno's convenient powers.

Even such power is only a pseudo-Herrscher. If a true Herrscher possessed this power, would they be able to resurrect the dead?

Even the most incredible things can become perfectly reasonable under the unreasonable setting of power.

Su Qing'an whispered:

"Herrscher..."

I will face that kind of existence sooner or later.

Whether I can fight against an opponent of that level at that time is perhaps a question I should be considering now.

"————".

Su Qing'an glanced at the communicator's interface; it was an unknown video call.

It wasn't Fu Xiuran, nor was it Fu Hua, and Xi'er was sleeping in her room.

Given what happened yesterday, it can only be the relevant personnel involved.

What is the purpose? Is it a test or a threat? Is it to win someone over or to persuade them?

The boy didn't keep the other party waiting long before answering the call.

The communicator projected a clear interface, showing a woman leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. Apart from a long, black dress, she wore no other adornments.

This image, though only occupying a corner of the video, exuded a strong presence, leaving Su Qing'an speechless.

Her familiar face possessed a captivating charm that cut straight to the heart, and her vibrant red hair, as beautiful as a rose, swept over one's eyes, causing the tides of the past to surge forth.

The boy lowered his eyes and murmured to himself:

"Sister Himeko."

Himeko didn't hear Su Qing'an's murmurs. She observed the other person's appearance and said: