I'm in Morioh, just joined a chat group for cute girls.

When they saw Bronya, a stranger, they all stopped what they were doing and looked at her with curiosity.

Bronya ignored them; her mind was completely occupied with finding Seele.

She walked through the familiar courtyard, each step landing on a point in her memory. She reached the corridor, gazing at the rows of closed doors, and tentatively called out in the softest of voices:

"Xie'er?"

Chapter 88 Bronya and Seele's Reunion.

Are you in there, Seele?

Her voice echoed in the quiet corridor. The children who were playing ran over, surrounded her, and asked her a barrage of questions.

"Big sister, who are you looking for?"

"We don't have anyone named Seele here."

Are you new here?

These faces were all unfamiliar; Bronya didn't recognize a single one. Her heart sank lower and lower.

Could it be... that the detection is faulty?

Just as Bronya began to waver, in the innermost room at the end of the corridor, a petite figure huddled in the corner of the bed suddenly trembled.

Seele slowly raised her head. Her small face, no bigger than a palm, was covered in dust, and her originally sea-blue eyes looked somewhat dull due to long-term fatigue and loneliness.

She was already exhausted and didn't even have the strength to run away again.

"Xie'er?"

That voice... came again.

For the past week, this voice has always rang out when she is at her most desperate, like a gentle curse, making her unable to distinguish between reality and illusion.

Every time she followed the sound, she only saw endless, ever-changing quantum turbulence.

Is it another hallucination...? Bronya... am I... about to give up...?

Seele gave a self-deprecating laugh, tears welling up in her eyes.

She no longer wanted to escape, nor did she want to hold onto any hope.

Desperately and habitually, she raised her head and looked towards the doorway, bracing herself for yet another disappointment.

However, this time, there was a person standing at the door.

A woman with silver, spiral twin tails, petite in stature, and always expressionless, yet she was the one she was willing to give everything to protect.

Sunlight streamed in from behind her, gilding her with a warm golden hue, as familiar as every afternoon they spent in the orphanage.

Seele's breathing stopped.

She blinked hard, afraid that the scene before her would shatter like a bubble.

That's not an illusion.

Bronya saw her too.

When Bronya saw that figure huddled in the corner, disheveled yet still causing her heartache to suffocate, all the strings of "rationality" and "calmness" in her brain snapped instantly.

Her body reacted even faster than her mind.

She dropped the diary in her hand, took a step forward, and rushed towards the figure with all her might.

"Xie'er!"

This call was no longer a gentle probing, but a cry filled with endless longing and joy.

As Seele watched the figure rushing towards her, she could no longer hold back her tears, which rolled down her cheeks like broken pearls.

She opened her mouth, wanting to call out the name etched deep in her soul, but only managed to utter a dissonant sob.

"Bronya...sister..."

Before Seele could react, a warm and familiar embrace pulled her tightly into its hold.

"Very good……"

Bronya buried her face in Seele's neck, hot tears soaking her collar, her body trembling with emotion. "Finally... I found you... Bronya finally found you..."

"Bronya...it really is you..."

Seele reached out her trembling arms and hugged Bronya back, feeling her familiar warmth and heartbeat, and burst into tears, "I thought... I thought I would never see you again... I was so scared... It's so dark here..."

"It's alright, Seele, everything's alright."

Bronya patted her back gently, awkwardly comforting her, "Bronya is here. I'll never leave you alone again."

The two embraced tightly, as if trying to meld each other into their very bones, releasing all the fear, loneliness, and longing they had felt during this time through their tears and their hug.

After crying for a long time, Seele finally calmed down a little.

She raised her red and swollen eyes, looked at Bronya, and said in a thick nasal voice, "Sister Bronya, how did you find me? Here... I can't escape no matter how hard I try..."

"It's Brother Gu Ye."

Bronya wiped away her tears and answered earnestly, "It was he who drove a train called Thousand Worlds One Journey, which took us across the entire Quantum Sea to find this place."

She paused for a moment, then added, "Without him, Bronya might never have found you in her entire life."

"Brother Gu Ye..."

Seele murmured the name, her eyes filled with gratitude, "Why...why did he help us?"

"I do not know either."

Bronya shook her head honestly, but looking at Seele's face, which had been lost and found again, she had already made up her mind. "However, Bronya will spend her whole life repaying this kindness. Seele, we owe him an immeasurable debt of gratitude."

Seele nodded emphatically, took Bronya's hand, and whispered, "Then... Sister Bronya, let's go thank him together. I also want to... thank him in person."

As the gentle beam of light leading to the Thousand Worlds Rift shone again, Seele was holding Bronya's hand tightly as they carefully stepped onto the train's soft carpet, one step at a time.

This was the first time she had stepped onto such solid and warm ground since she began her escape; it felt so real that she was somewhat overwhelmed.

The warm lights inside the carriage dispelled the last trace of chill from the Sea of ​​Quanta on her body.

Kiana, Mei, Rin Tohsaka... one after another, vivid and friendly faces that Bronya had only heard about in her descriptions came into view. The genuine care in their eyes made Seele nervously clutch Bronya's clothes.

"Welcome back, Bronya, and... Seele."

Mei greeted him with a smile, her voice so gentle it could melt your heart.

However, Bronya's attention was instantly drawn to the person next to Mei.

Gu Ye leaned half his body on Mei Yi's shoulder, his face as pale as a sheet of paper, his eyes tightly closed, and heavy dark circles under his eyes making his delicate face look haggard.

He seemed to have all his strength drained away, and could only stand up with Mei's support.

An ominous premonition instantly gripped Bronya's heart.

"Brother Gu Ye!"

She blurted out, her voice trembling with a nervousness she herself hadn't even realized, "What's wrong with him?"

Seele, who was just immersed in the joy of reunion, now felt her heart leap into her throat.

She could sense that the man before her was weaker than any creature she had ever seen in the Sea of ​​Quanta.

Did he become like this because he was looking for me?

Hearing Bronya's call, Gu Ye seemed to use all his strength to barely lift his heavy eyelids and force a smile that looked more like a grimace. His lips moved, uttering two indistinct syllables.

"……fine."

As soon as he finished speaking, he could no longer hold on. His head lolled to the side, and he completely lost consciousness. His whole body slid down limply.

"Gu Ye!"

"Hey! You guy!"

"Gu Ye!"

There was chaos in the carriage.

Kiana was the first to rush forward, but Mei caught Gu Ye first and held him tightly in her arms.

Rin Tohsaka frowned deeply, while W clicked her tongue impatiently, though her eyes also held a hint of seriousness.

"Please calm down, everyone."

Just as everyone was in a flurry of activity, Rita's calm voice acted like a tranquilizer, instantly quelling the chaos.

She gracefully walked to Mei's side, reached out and gently touched Gu Ye's forehead, then lifted his eyelids to check his pupils.

"Don't worry,"

Rita withdrew her hand, her face regaining its impeccable smile, and explained to everyone, "Lord Gu Ye has fallen into a deep coma due to exhaustion of both his physical and mental strength caused by a week of non-stop high-intensity mental work. This is a self-protective mechanism of the body, and as long as he gets enough rest and nutrition, he will recover quickly."

Upon hearing this conclusion, everyone breathed a long sigh of relief.

"I was so scared, I thought something had happened to him."

Kiana patted her chest, still shaken, and said.

"What a reckless guy."

Rin Tohsaka crossed her arms, complaining, but her furrowed brows relaxed.

"I'll take care of him."

Mei didn't let go; instead, she hugged the person in her arms even tighter.

She looked up at the crowd and said, "Please hand him over to me."

No one raised any objections.

Mei hugged Gu Ye and turned to walk towards the corridor leading to the guest rooms.

The train's guest rooms were far more luxurious than I had imagined. Each room was a private bedroom suite, decorated in an elegant and retro style. The walnut furniture exuded a calming fragrance, and the soft beds were covered with clean white sheets.

Mei carefully placed Gu Ye on the bed, took off his shoes, and covered him with a blanket.

She sat on the edge of the bed, gazing quietly at his sleeping profile.

Under the lamplight, his pale face appeared less aloof and more vulnerable.

Why insist on waiting for Bronya to come back when you're so tired...?

A bittersweet feeling welled up in Mei's heart.

She remembered every promise he made, no matter how difficult it was, he always kept them.

She recalled the scene in Changkong City where he pulled her back from the brink of a Herrscher rampage.

At that time, his figure quietly overlapped with that of the prince on a white horse who saved the princess in the fairy tales he read in his childhood books.

That idiot... he's always like this...

An impulse rose in my heart, almost impossible to suppress.

Mei's cheeks flushed slightly. She leaned down, looked around to make sure no one was there, and like a child who had stolen a candied fruit, quickly and gently pressed her lips to his cool lips.

The soft touch was fleeting.

After doing all this, Mei suddenly straightened up, her heart pounding wildly.

yi ling yi er er ba san ling jiu ba

She covered her burning face, not daring to look any longer, and quickly turned and left the room.

When Mei returned to the hall, everyone was gathered around Bronya and Seele.

"Congratulations, Bronya."

Mei steadied her breathing, walked over to them, and said sincerely, "Your wish has finally come true."

"Ah."

Bronya nodded emphatically, took Seele's hand, and bowed deeply to everyone present. "Thank you all. Bronya will never forget this kindness."

"Thank you... thank you."

Seele bowed as well, her voice soft and full of gratitude.

"Alright, alright, we're all comrades, there's no need to be so formal."