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

Yae Sakura was desperately trying to confirm this, nodding incessantly. Holding it with one hand wasn't enough; she also pulled out her other hand and placed it on top, trying to convey all her feelings to it.

That's right.

There's no need to try anymore.

I'm already too tired.

The work of a shrine maiden and the fight against corruption... everything was so exhausting, it felt like a scraper was constantly wearing down her soul.

It feels terrible to feel something that belongs to you being worn down, abandoned, and cut away little by little.

If this continues, one day she—Yae Sakura—will not even be able to maintain the name Yae Sakura and will be lost along with it.

Let me stay here.

Let me stop here.

Yae Sakura almost pleaded as she held those warm hands, hoping to find a reason to stop here, a small respite to rest—in this one and only time in her life that the final outcome was being rewritten.

But Rin shook her head without hesitation, her blue pupils filled with a denial she had almost never witnessed before.

This is not the end.

she says.

"No, sister, you absolutely can't."

……

……

……

got rejected.

He was rejected without hesitation.

Even the last bit of warmth she hoped for after her breakdown was rejected—by her younger sister, who was still speaking at this very moment.

“Your life isn’t over yet. I… have never blamed you, so you can’t stay in the past forever.”

"This place doesn't belong to you, and please stop crying. Sister, you're making me look like a bad person."

"Don't cry, sister...don't cry, sister..." The girl tried her best to hold back the tears that were about to fall from the corners of her eyes, and tried to widen her eyes to keep the tears in her eyes.

The final farewell must be joyful; Rin absolutely cannot have to face a crying, ugly face at her last moment.

but……

but……

"—I killed you with my own hands!"

……

Her gentle voice was torn to the point of almost breaking, and even the last layer of self-preservation collapsed in an instant.

No matter how much she suppressed herself, she would only break down the moment she looked into Rin's eyes. Even though she thought that she and her heart had collapsed beyond repair over a long period of time, she would still realize in that voice that was just like before that there was actually one last, largest fragment that was protected in her palm and held tightly in her hand.

Don't blame me, don't blame me... Do you really not know how heavy those words are?

However, everything was once again suppressed by those eyes that seemed excessively forceful at this moment—

"But sister, you're just a victim too."

"Didn't Brother Jiangcheng say that?"

"Sister, you haven't listened to me yet?!"

I took it to heart—a lie like that could never be uttered.

Even if she had truly memorized it, the momentary forgetfulness she had just displayed was completely undeniable. Therefore, the older sister could only be suppressed by her younger sister's seemingly angry eyes at this moment, and even her tearful pupils were filled with guilt.

This scene, in which he didn't even bother to explain himself, only fueled Rin's dissatisfaction even more.

“I saw it all, I saw it all. Jiang Cheng has been trying so hard to help my sister, how can you not listen to him?”

“That won’t work—people can’t keep running away forever. He wants to save you, not just become your support, which is why he’s so stern.”

I know……

I know……

I know he is different from everyone else.

I know that none of his words were meant to deceive or exploit me. In fact, Jiang Cheng's goodwill was so great that even knowing he would be misunderstood and disliked, he would still say/bear the burden so that I could live a better life and be saved.

He clearly possesses the ability to foresee the future.

Knowing everything and understanding everything.

She could have treated everyone else as playthings, as pawns, to be used and manipulated at will, winning favor in the simplest way, but instead she chose the most difficult method, saying "I'm willing" and "I like it," while actually doing something so gentle.

but……

but……

"—There's absolutely nothing to hesitate about, isn't there?"

The girl, who knew her older sister inside and out, immediately noticed the hesitation on her face.

Continuing from their conversation that evening about Jiangcheng and the future, her voice was sterner than ever before—

"You must live as a living, breathing person who will continue to live, someone who will no longer run away. You absolutely cannot be as careless as before. Do you want to disappoint me and Brother Jiangcheng?"

"He wanted to help you completely, to help you as a human being, which is why he gave you so many choices and so many opportunities. Otherwise, anyone could have easily manipulated you back then."

"Back then, you couldn't wait even a second. You wouldn't even see me for a whole day, and you'd be gone the moment I opened my eyes in the morning. Why are you so hesitant now?"

The girl who was listening suddenly stiffened.

A third person was added to their story.

Do not……

It wasn't that I was added in, but rather that I suddenly went from being a third person to the sole dominant figure in the conversation, becoming the sole topic of discussion.

Before his memories were fully awakened, when he thought he was his past self, he had a conversation with Rin at night.

I can't use the excuse that I wasn't who I was back then—the warmth I feel when I recall it now is not fake. Even now, the time I spent with my former self is enough to make me feel relaxed and comfortable, easier than all the other parts of my life combined, and I can feel my heart beating more.

Yae Sakura could only listen stiffly as the voice continued, the interrogation she herself had inflicted on the boy when she had been too attentive in the past—

"Not only the washbasin, but all sorts of household utensils, even the rice balls I've never seen before. You used to put so much effort into making them for me, doesn't it seem strange that you're acting like this now?"

……

……

but……

Meiyi...

Having witnessed firsthand the changing relationship between the girl who wields lightning and Jiang Cheng, I saw it all unfold. The conflicts arising from their mutual care, and how those conflicts were eventually resolved—Raiden Mei's passionate confession to Jiang Cheng, leaving no room for reconciliation.

Yae Sakura could never interfering in such a perfect relationship between the two, and she could never tolerate the continuation of her own emotions.

In particular, we must not, under any circumstances, ruin Jiang Cheng's feelings or hurt Jiang Cheng for such a reason.

"Sister, are you really going to continue like this?"

As the younger sister, Rin understands her own heart far better than Sakura.

Perhaps it's because of our close daily interactions, or perhaps it's because of the connection of blood—the emotions that can be sensed from those pupils that resemble one's own, sometimes even because one wants to hide them, to deceive oneself, to conceal them from oneself, and to pretend that one doesn't know or that they don't exist.

“You can’t keep running away like before. Didn’t you listen to what Brother Jiangcheng said? Running away is useless. He doesn’t hate running away. Running away is a necessary means in many cases, but he also said that sometimes running away will only lead you to your death.”

“You are right next to him—Jiang Cheng—that cannot be denied. Even if you hide, you will be found out, and you will always be here…”

All her earnest advice was met with indifference—even in the end, Sakura remained silent in the face of this pressure.

I know perfectly well that continuing like this will only waste time.

I know perfectly well that the opportunity is precious.

And no matter what, it's impossible to give Rin an answer so easily.

I can grant any request, and I will provide whatever is needed, except when it comes to Jiangcheng... it's just too difficult to answer.

Can we really ignore it?

Can it really be ignored?

I really don't have any feelings for Jiangcheng anymore—after experiencing this for more than a month.

Even this answer cannot be confirmed.

After overcoming one layer of confusion, the girl was met with a new one. The shadows she saw when she looked up made even the pain that had plagued her entire life seem insignificant in comparison.

If we understand those past problems as being due to ignorance, being controlled by others, being unable to think, or lacking the ability to think, then we can understand that with guidance and help from others, we could have overcome those difficulties. The current situation is one of knowing where the problem lies and what the source is, yet still being unable to overcome the confusion.

dare not.

Unwilling.

They can't even face it.

Facing this would definitely cause a lot of problems.

This is something that doesn't even require an instinctive warning.

Interfering in someone else's feelings is wrong no matter what, and even now I can still keenly sense some happiness through my ability to perceive the Holy Mark.

Happiness with Mei.

Happiness belongs to Jiangcheng.

In particular, she had heard about the boy's pursuit of love and witnessed his repeated rejections of Mei, until he finally accepted her after confirming the purity of his love.

So no matter how painful it is, you can only swallow it down; no matter how much you want it, you must suppress it; you must never hurt Jiang Cheng—don't hurt Jiang Cheng for your own selfish reasons.

Even if she desperately wanted to rush out, to pin Jiang Cheng down, to confess her feelings, and to do the same thing as that Miss Mei, she had to endure it, to endure it with all her might, and to suppress all her emotions with all her willpower, no matter how painful or uncomfortable it would be.

We must not harm Jiangcheng.

Absolutely zero profit fin temple dance leek dead leek stop, phosphorus dream right!

So much so that in the end, Sakura could only refuse on this matter, unable to give a definite answer, and could only let her younger sister lower her head in disappointment at the last moment—she sighed helplessly, spread her hands, and shook her head with an old-fashioned look on her tender little face.

"Sigh, sister, you're still the same."

"You have too many morals and bottom lines."

"If this continues, you'll become... what was it again?" Rin thought for a moment, her azure eyes momentarily unfocused, and finally managed a hesitant gesture. "I remember using Rin's words, it should be called a loser or something... If you continue to be so indifferent, you'll definitely become a loser!"

"Anyway, I've done my best for your sister. I hope you won't regret it. Since you're so good at running away, why don't you run into his arms?"

"Even if he loves pure love and is serious about relationships, he can't possibly abandon you, right? At worst, you can strip naked and crawl into his arms, or even be more forceful."

……

……

……

Faced with a situation where neither gentle persuasion nor firmness would work, Rin could only vent her emotions by complaining, just like when she woke up to find that her older sister, who usually took care of her, was gone.

one look.

Oh, so he went to find Jiangcheng.

My own sister went to find a man.

She was left alone in the room, and even the breakfasts she made weren't as carefully prepared as before.

It would be great if he could consistently maintain that level of performance.

At least it's better than running away again.

Even though the love in her heart was burning so intensely that no one could ignore it, she suppressed herself because of this love, and her heart was constantly twisted.

Wanting to get close yet being unable to, the more you like someone and want to touch them, the more you can't touch them because of that liking, which makes you feel like you're being torn apart.

Throughout countless reincarnations, she wasn't completely unaware or ignorant. At least halfway through, she did know how devastated her sister would become after killing her. Although she couldn't interfere at all, she could still witness everything that happened through her ghostly form. In the Sakura Reincarnation arc, she even took the initiative to ask for help from others.

It is precisely because Rin understands Sakura's personality—this confusion that is almost equal to her gentleness, and the essence of emptiness no matter what, that empty heart, and what exactly fills it now, that Rin is urging Yae Sakura, as her older sister, to hurry up now.

As the younger sister, I have absolutely no right to be her support, and Jiang Cheng has truly saved her older sister in the past month or so.