Wrong, my props refresh every day

……

"Leave... the Ishtar clan? Gain true freedom?"

Haruhime showed an expression of disbelief at Hoshimi's suggestion.

"Of course." Xingjian answered firmly.

"I am not qualified..."

Haruhime shook her head, her golden hair shimmering in the moonlight, her fingers unconsciously tightening the hem of her kimono. "I am neither a pure and innocent princess, nor a saint awaiting redemption... I am a whore. Though I am still immature, I have already given myself to many men."

"I have never insisted on protecting my chastity. I only prostituted myself to earn money. Prostitution is when a woman becomes intimate with men who come to her house, allowing them to indulge in a one-night stand. That's what a prostitute is. Such a lowly body... how could a hero come to rescue me?"

Bathed in the pale light of the vast moonlit night, Miss Haruhime always kept smiling.

"To a hero, a prostitute is a symbol of destruction. Lord Hoshimi should also know that ever since I became aware of how filthy I am, I have no right to read those beautiful stories, nor can I harbor longings for them. I am nothing more than a prostitute."

Haruhime did not lament, but smiled and accepted everything calmly.

But the cruelest thing was her expression as she said this: a professional smile on her lips, but a sadness as clear as moonlight in her eyes. This sense of disconnection reminded Xingjian of a broken marionette, its joints covered in wear and tear, yet it still had to continue dancing.

Hoshimi's eyes swept over the corner of the book sticking out from under the bed, and he leaned over to pull out the curled-corner "The Sacred Tale of the Labyrinth". On the yellowed title page was still a child's childish handwriting, "The Treasure of Haruhime Sanjono".

A dried cherry blossom fell between the pages of the book and shattered on the tatami.

"So..." Hoshimi suddenly spoke, her fingers gently stroking the worn words on the spine of the book. She looked into the fox girl's emerald green eyes and whispered, "What about Haruhime, who gazed enviously at the outside world from her cage?"

Haruhime's tail suddenly stiffened, and the silver collar around her neck gleamed in the moonlight, with a tiny Ishtar emblem engraved on the lock.

That is a shackle stronger than any fetters.

"Snapped!"

Hoshimi slammed the book shut, stirring up dust that danced in the light. Then she knelt on one knee in front of Haruhime and turned the storybook over, revealing the silhouette of a sword-wielding warrior on the back cover.

"Haruhime, you got a few things wrong."

Hoshimi's fingertips poked the illustration hard, and a small hole was pierced in the page, right through the warrior's heart.

"First, a true hero never uses 'purity' to determine who he wants to save."

Haruhime's breathing stopped. She saw the emblem of the Hephaestus family appear on the back of Hoshimi's hand, and the red flame totem was glowing and heating.

"second……"

As Xingjian spoke, he suddenly tore open the last page of the book. There was a childish handwriting of a little girl wearing a fox mask, standing on a hillside full of cherry blossoms. Xingjian gently placed the torn page in Haruhime's trembling palm.

"The child who painted this picture deserves freedom more than any god."

"Finally, I'm not some fairy tale hero."

Hoshimi casually rubbed the back of his neck, an action that made him look like a teenager who had succeeded in a prank.

"I just dream of becoming the man with the harem."

Haruhime's tail stiffened instantly, but her ears stood up honestly.

She saw that there was no false pity or condescending charity in Xingjian's eyes, but only a kind of almost wild frankness, just like the ronin warriors in the legends of his hometown who drew their swords against the big demon even though they knew they were going to die.

"So...you want to run away with a man like me who wants to start a harem?"

Haruhime's vision blurred.

She remembered how she wished someone would reach out to her like this when she was pushed out of the vermilion gate at the age of eleven. And now, this young man who spoke nonsense held the freedom that she dared not hope for in his palm.

"Is it really possible for me...?"

The fox girl's fingertips were hanging just inches away, trembling like a spider's silk in the wind.

"It's not a question of whether or not. It's more...are you willing to bet your future on me?"

Chun Ji's trembling fingertips were suspended in the air, and she didn't dare to let them fall, as if this was a dream that was too beautiful and she would wake up if she touched it.

Once upon a time, she also looked at the moon and prayed...

But in the hazy light of moonlight and tears, she vaguely saw Xingjian reaching out to her. It was not the caress of a benefactor, nor the charity of a god, but—

A hero's invitation.

Haruhime's tears finally burst out.

Those sobs disciplined by etiquette, those cries that were swallowed when abandoned by her father, those moans that pretended to be happy when receiving customers (which were her own fantasies in her dreams...), all the bitterness that she swallowed alone in the middle of the night, completely destroyed the exquisite puppet shell of "Sanjouno Haruhime".

"Master Hoshimi..." Haruhime's emerald eyes were like a thawing spring lake, a light that had been dormant for three years shimmering within them. "Please take me away... to the vast world, to a place with cherry blossoms and chirping cicadas!"

When the fox girl's fingertips finally fell into that warm palm, she seemed to see her eleven-year-old self traveling through time.

The little girl in the furisode kimono finally completed the action of bravely reaching out her hand, which she had not been able to do that year.

"Actually... it's better to leave a family like that." Xing Jian suddenly tightened his fingers and gently pulled her back from her dream.

"Master... do you really think so?" Chun Ji's tail unconsciously wrapped around his wrist, as if she was afraid that the answer would suddenly disappear.

"of course."

Xingjian suddenly smiled, with an inexplicably gentle curve in the corners of her eyes. She then raised their clasped hands, letting the bright moonlight shine through their fingers.

"Everything is the result of Steins;Gate's decision. That's why we met in this city. Seeking encounters in Orario is never a mistake."

Chun Ji suddenly looked up, and the moonlight and the light of the magic stone merged into a dazzling sea of ​​stars in her eyes. This sentence "clicked" like a key that opened the shackles deep in her soul, and the scars accumulated over the years suddenly became light.

In an instant, the entire Japanese-style room seemed to be filled with sunlight.

Haruhime's tail swung loosely, and the tears she shed were no longer salty despair, but a kind of crystal-clear hope. She placed Hoshimi's hand on her still-burning cheek, and for the first time, she smiled a smile that truly belonged to "Haruhime," not "whore."

"It's great to meet the master..."

Before I knew it, the night had passed.

Outside the window, the morning sun finally completely jumped out of the horizon.

The morning light gave the two people a golden outline, casting closely connected shadows on the floor. The "Fox Story" on the table was blown by the breeze and turned to the last page.

That page depicts an illustration of a young fox breaking free from the hunter's shackles and running towards the bright moon on the mountaintop.

In a certain invisible dimension, the trajectory of fate is quietly changing...

"The time has come."

Chun Ji suddenly turned to the window. The morning light cast a light golden outline on her profile. The lights in the corridor that had been on all night were gradually going out, just like the life she was about to say goodbye to.

"This period..." Haruhime straightened the collar of her dress that had been wrinkled by Hoshimi, her fingertips lingering on the fabric longer than necessary, "It was the happiest time of my life in the past three years."

Hoshimi silently fastened his luggage, the leather straps making a slight "click" sound in the silence.

Haruhime held up the lantern-shaped magic stone lamp, and the crimson light and shadow outlined the overlapping figures of the two people on the wall, like some kind of ancient shadow play.

They walked through the maze-like corridors of the brothel, and every corner hid the secrets that Haruhime had memorized over the past three years.

As the rusty iron hinges of the back door groaned, Xingjian smelled a dewy morning breeze that was different from the scent of powder.

"The road ahead is connected to Daedalus Road. Follow the signs and you'll soon reach..." Haruhime's tail pointed to the intricate alleys. The halo of the magic stone lamp cast a fox-shaped shadow on the wall.

Her voice suddenly choked.

Xingjian saw that under the light, the silver collar wrapped around her neck was emitting a cold curse-like light. It was the shackles imposed by Ishtar himself. Unless the god returned to heaven or removed it personally, no mortal iron could cut it.

Not yet...

As Xingjian took the lantern, his fingertips deliberately brushed against her wrist.

Haruhime shuddered slightly as if she had been electrocuted, but she did not retract her hand.

The two men were deadlocked at the entrance of the alley until the shouts of Amazon warriors were heard in the distance.

"Master, hurry up. Before the dawn arrives..."

Haruhime suddenly pushed Hoshimi, the force was very light, but with a determination that could not be refused.

Xingjian walked backwards into the shadow of the maze street, the halo of the magic stone lamp swaying with his steps.

Three steps later, Hoshimi saw Haruhime still standing there, her furisode kimono fluttering in the draft like a red bird with broken wings.

The fox girl slowly performed a standard farewell ceremony for a prostitute, but a lively smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, which was inconsistent with etiquette.

wait for me……

Hoshimi mouthed the words, forming the flame emblem of the Hephaestus Familia with her fingers on her chest.

Haruhime's fox ears moved sharply, and her emerald eyes suddenly became startlingly bright.

When the first ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds, Xingjian turned and disappeared into the mist of Daedalus Road. The light in his hand gradually faded away, but it was like a star that never went out...

This is by no means an escape, but a call to arms.

Next time, he will carry the flames of the God of Forging and crush this golden cage with dignity.

Next time, he would let the entire Orario witness what a true “marriage” was.

Haruhime, who was standing at the corner of the alley, slowly stood up until she could no longer see the lights.

The fox girl stroked the collar around her neck and suddenly chuckled.

For the first time in three years, the silver ring that symbolized bondage took on a whole new meaning on her finger...

This is the evidence of the oath waiting to be cut off!

Haruhime stood in the morning breeze at the entrance of the alley, the warmth of Hoshimi's palm still lingering on her fingertips, her emerald eyes gazing at the deep alleys of Daedalus Road until the faint light completely disappeared in the mist.

"looking at what?"

The sudden voice behind her made Chun Ji tremble all over. The fox girl turned around suddenly, and all the hair on her fox tail exploded, just meeting Aisha's sharp brown eyes.

"Ah, Sister Aisha..." Chun Ji subconsciously hid her hands in her sleeves, as if this could cover up the evidence of the handshake just now.

The tall figure of the Amazon warrior stood against the morning light. She squinted her eyes, her gaze sweeping from Haruhime's messy collar to the slightly red corners of her eyes.

"The morning dew is heavy. You'll catch a cold."

Haruhime was stunned.

"……Let's go back."

Chun Ji responded softly and followed Aisha's footsteps obediently.

But at the corner, she couldn't help but look back again——

In the direction of Daedalus Road, a ray of morning light is piercing through the fog.

Chun Ji's fingertips gently touched the silver ring around her neck, and a small flame ignited in the depths of her emerald eyes.

Master, I'll wait for you...

The fox girl whispered in her heart, then she tightened her cloak that was stained with the scent of Xingjian and walked towards the golden cage. Aisha's back paused slightly in front of her, but she did not look back.

----

In the fog of Daedalus Road, Xingjian suddenly stopped.

The halo of the magic stone lamp pierced through the morning mist, illuminating a familiar green figure.

Liu Liang stood at the entrance of the alley, holding a wooden sword. The pointed ears unique to the elves trembled slightly between his hair. The moment he saw Xing Jian, his lake blue eyes turned from the coldness of winter to boiling lava.

"Ryu? Why are you here?"

"Mr. Hoshimi."

The elf girl's voice was terrifyingly soft, her green hair moved without wind, and magical light fragments flew around her. Behind her was the panting Chloe, and the black cat girl had her ears completely flat on her head, and she was desperately making a throat-slitting gesture to Hoshimi.

"If I remember correctly... this alley seems to be connected to Happy Street. May I ask why Mr. Hoshimi ended up here? And why did he even come back after a whole night?"

Liu took a step forward, his boot heels crushing the gravel on the ground, and moved closer to Xingjian. The elf's nostrils twitched slightly, and then his pupils suddenly shrank.

"The scent of Amazon women, not just one... but a group of them. Wait... and the body scent of a fox man?!"

"Wait! I can explain!"

Xingjian stepped back hastily, his back hitting the damp brick wall.

Finished...finished!?

-

Chapter 106 I said I went to a brothel and chatted all night and did nothing else. Do you believe it?

"It's not what you think!"

Xingjian frantically searched his pockets and pulled out the deadly scarlet potion.