Honkai Impact 3rd, what should an ordinary player do at the start?

"And it was already dark by then."

It was precisely because it was dark that she couldn't bear to leave him alone outside—she simply couldn't bring herself to say such things; looking directly into her sister's eyes, she couldn't bring herself to utter those words so naturally.

The warmth or worry in those blue eyes had faded; they now held a deeper sense of helplessness.

"It's not right for a man and a woman to be out alone together. If you really can't accept this, then you should start preparing for what you need to do tomorrow."

My favorability rating is just too high.

I was reminded and then I decided to run away.

The girl, feeling helpless at the fact that her usually caring older sister had suddenly become like this, could only try to stop it manually.

Why did it turn out like this?

Normally, older sisters are at least very good at taking care of people.

How could I possibly need to remind her at such a crucial moment? What happened yesterday that made my sister completely oblivious to these things she should have noticed immediately? And what happened that made her realize what she had overlooked and then try to run away regardless of the time of day and her father's presence?

oops.

When exactly did the two of them meet?

Isn't this level of familiarity a bit too much? Even if there's some kind of past favor involved, it still feels a bit off.

……

At this moment, the only thing the girl, who could no longer even stand on her own two feet, could do was watch with worry as her sister completed some necessary preparations, and then urge her to go to sleep, or at least not stay up late anymore, so that she could be in good spirits to meet the man she had not yet met.

Who could possibly have turned my sister into this?

I simply cannot understand this.

According to her own calculations, even if the villagers wanted to get close to her sister, it would take a long time of persistent persuasion to gradually infiltrate their lives.

For strangers she's never even met, the only kindness her sister would show would be offering a few words of advice or helping someone if they were lost. Otherwise, she would just put on a cold demeanor. When she's not speaking, she really does look icy.

Unless it was an unusual encounter with that guy named Jiang Cheng from the very beginning, like the life-saving grace recorded in those books, or a chance meeting on a rainy or snowy day that created an environment where they had to stay together.

Even so, it's impossible for him to enter his sister's life so easily, right?

Could it be because of something really explosive?

How explosive could an encounter really be?

Unable to imagine what kind of shocking event could shatter her sister's indifference towards strangers in an instant, Rin still couldn't understand it until the moment she closed her eyes and was swept away by drowsiness. She couldn't possibly know how sharp Jiang Cheng's slash was, sharp enough to tear open the girl's heart—in a physical way.

The girl, who had just opened her eyes the next day and was about to say good morning, saw her sister who had disappeared and the neatly folded and arranged bedding.

what……

Can't you even wait a second?

Does having outsiders mean you don't even want your sister anymore?

Alone in the empty room, Rin could only slowly get out of bed.

but……

Is my sister still unwilling to leave?

……

……

……

On the other side, Yae Sakura and the boy met at the same place—a crudely built bed that could hardly be called a home or a sanctuary. Even the time was the same as yesterday; she woke up naturally again and was immediately greeted by a splash of pink.

This time, not even the treetops swaying in the wind, nor the sliver of sunlight obscured by the layers of leaves, could be seen.

Even the birds, busy preparing food at dawn near noon, couldn't match the girl's diligence in the slightest.

The boy, who had just gotten out of bed, hadn't even stretched or yawned, bumped into a shrine maiden carrying a full set of tools the moment he opened his eyes.

Before I could even ask what was wrong, or simply say good morning, I was silenced by a barrage of words.

what……

Please help me find a place to stay.

I'm not saying I won't stay at your place...

what?

When you said you'd help me prepare, did you mean to build one here?

The arm that was raised in the air suddenly felt stiff and difficult to lower. The bent back seemed to tremble from the words that were like a cold wind. Jiang Cheng almost thought that the girl was joking with him. If the color in the eyes he saw was not so firm, it would be comparable to thunder in the sky.

It's hard to imagine how a girl could carry a bunch of tools in both hands and a bunch of random things on her back, and still have such a clear and distinct expression even when her face was almost completely obscured by shadows and clutter, leaving only her eyes visible.

"Yes."

"I can't just leave you here alone."

The reason you're here is because of my situation.

It was because of my problem/mistake that you, whose skin looks like you haven't been exposed to the sun much, were forced to sleep alone in the wilderness.

He completely followed the advice of his younger sister, Rin.

At this moment, right now, now.

The girl named Yae Sakura is utterly sincere.

So you can't just slap someone when they smile at you.

The boy once again realized how insufficient his ruthlessness was, and how severe the aftereffects of modern, virtuous education were.

Even if one has some understanding of the nature of the world and knows what is the best course of action, it is still difficult—at least difficult—to deny the actions of those who want to help them.

So now they can only team up with the girl to tidy up the surroundings, using the tools to cut down trees and create a very rough framework.

It took several hours just to finish this task, and then it was lunchtime again, when the homemade bento box was once again handed to me.

"Please...try it."

Her slender waist was bent, and her head was lowered as well. Only her hands were stretched forward as far as they could, carefully holding the box. She only dared to secretly watch the expression on the boy's face through the gaps in the flawless pink cherry blossoms hidden by her hair. The girl's posture at this moment could almost be described as humble.

I had no choice but to accept it.

We have to accept it.

So in the end, what happened today was no different from yesterday, except that the simple chatting while being together became a chat with interactive behavior.

Essentially a priestess and warrior, and also a noblewoman and religious figure, the girl seemed to have nothing to do every day. The daily work was never thrown at her, and she never showed the slightest bit of distress because she would be out for half a day. It was hard to imagine how the girl had been passing the time in such a boring situation.

The time frame is not just the first day, because even in a day, only one-third of the work can be completed. Even if they all possess superhuman combat power that is unimaginable to ordinary people, the Sakura's stigma is a special characteristic that Yae Sakura was born with.

Even for the two holders of the Stigmata, it was impossible to solve such a tedious task in one go, so the boy still faced the same scenery when he woke up the next day.

The girl, who seemed to be carrying even more—she was already holding a huge pile in her arms and carrying a huge pile on her back, so much so that at a glance, it was hard to find much of her figure.

Even the shadows cast on the grass are strange shapes, representing the messy things being carried.

So much so that even when the spring breeze blows, her long pink hair doesn't flutter and dance like falling cherry blossoms.

"Shouldn't you make preparations regarding your sister?"

Jiang Cheng could no longer suppress his doubts.

……

……

The temporary residence—a place I chose myself—is definitely quite secluded and safe. I had scouted the surrounding area after the girl returned home, and we had discussed how to leave the old forest in our conversations yesterday and the day before.

Therefore, they knew that their residence was quite far from the village, and even with the physical abilities of a Saint Mark holder, it would take at least an hour to walk there.

It's understandable that Yae Sakura has a lot of free time, after all, she had a set of samurai armor/Flame Eight in that era, which at least meant she belonged to the samurai class.

The problem is that every time he wakes up naturally, he can see the girl waiting there right on time. Obviously, the girl arrives earlier than he wakes up, and no matter how much he sleeps in, he can't wake up later than 10 o'clock, which means that the girl must have left home at least at 8 o'clock.

She arrives so punctually every day to wait for me—if it weren't for the passionate training I received from Raiden Mei, I'd probably be moved to tears by now.

I guess so.

Definitely.

Without the crisis of survival or the pressure of life and death, and since they won't die suddenly no matter what, even if they fail, they can just spend their whole lives in Paradise. They can freely release their inner feelings and emotions... and therefore, they can better appreciate these touching things.

I also need to thank Mei for her enthusiasm, for waiting at the door almost every day. Otherwise, I wouldn't have realized the real problem while I was so touched and immersed in the warm daily routine.

That is—what will Rin do now that Yae Sakura, who should be taking care of her younger sister, is wasting all her time on herself?

Ahhh...

How...how should I put it?

What should I say? What should I explain?

What could be done at this moment to distract the boy's gaze—those questioning, cherry-colored eyes that were fixed on him?

Since it's about oneself, one should start by explaining based on the information one already knows, just like solving a math problem where you only need to fill in the blanks and calculate the answer.

The girl, now facing this math problem, chooses to look up at the questioner's expression, not taking the result of adding and multiplying the numbers as the final answer, but hoping that others can provide a solution that will put the boy at ease—the girl, who has only met him for less than five days, has already reached an indescribable level of sorrow. Perhaps this is the price of gentleness/repression.

Just as he would continue to act according to others' demands even after killing Rin, he probably would never have had the chance to take revenge if it weren't for the result of the corruption.

To some extent, the girls, who share the same lineage in awakening their souls, even face problems and others in the same way—in a way that they cannot even take revenge without external help.

"Rin said... we can't let you, who wanted to help us, just wander in the wild like this."

"I had already prepared everything I needed to do for the day before I came, and all I had to do was build the house..."

Jiang Cheng's face darkened suddenly in response to the hesitant girl, and his eyes seemed to freeze in a daze.

With a slap, he sent the bento box he was holding flying, along with the already cut wooden board, crashing to the ground and stomping on it with a creaking sound.

The merciless boy then finished the sentence he hadn't uttered—

"Once it's built, I can stay here and join your cozy life."

"is it?"

"Have you ever considered that our goal is to save Rin?"

what……

Staring blankly at his reddened palm, the carefully prepared rice ball now lying on the ground covered in mud, the white rice grains now filthy, even the wooden board he and the boy had worked so hard to create, now had countless cracks on its smooth surface, and the mournful sound of destruction was deeply etched into his heart.

Unforgettable.

Can't forget.

It's impossible to forget.

However, what is even more unforgettable is the boy's eyes at that moment, looking at him questioningly. There was no longer any fluttering, no longer any cherry blossoms that would be blown away by the wind, no longer radiating their brilliant beauty in the sunlight. The emotion contained within them must be, must be... and could only be utter disappointment.

Why would anyone want to continue living like this? Even a young girl wouldn't understand such a messy situation.

For some reason, I didn't want to experience any changes, I didn't want to leave the village, and I didn't want to disrupt the life that was starting to improve.

It seems that the idea that any change would inevitably lead to a bad situation is etched in my heart. The education I received from childhood and my past of never leaving the village made leaving a thing I had never heard of or thought about. The life that is finally showing some sunshine now is a sight I never saw in the past. I never imagined that one day even that place could shine with dazzling light in that gloomy sky.

But at this moment, the light that I so desperately hoped would continue, that would continue with everything that had remained unchanged since time immemorial, suddenly revealed its true nature—it was the prelude to a torrential downpour, the vanguard of dark clouds, and also the blinding, endless flashing thunder, a silver serpent soaring across the sky.

No sound can be made.

It was clearly attacked.

I was clearly hurt.

His body, however, was completely immobile, as if he were dead.

I'm clearly very sad.

She was on the verge of crying.

Yae Sakura felt a chilling unease throughout her entire body.

I don't know what to do, and I don't know what to say.

She only knows one thing.

Yae Sakura, a girl who had never been understood in her past life, understood that what was about to happen was definitely not a happy thing because of the repression she had experienced for so long.

"Three days."