Bengtie, I'm really not a villain!

Those fragments about Changkong City, about the timetable of St. Freya Academy, flowed in like an activated seal.

This body, also named Raiden Mei, also comes from the East, where the tea ceremony, swordsmanship, and etiquette culture of Izumo Province bear a striking resemblance.

Memories flooded back like a tidal wave, pulling her back to that dreamlike world that felt both real and unreal.

Jing Ye had shown her a memory before, never imagining that those scenes would now be vividly appearing before her eyes.

The door to the medical pod suddenly hissed open slowly.

Kiana skipped in, carrying a bunch of snacks. Her hair was still dusty from the battle, but her face beamed with a bright smile.

That smile was like a ray of light, instantly illuminating Raiden Mei's chaotic thoughts.

In a daze, she seemed to see the face of Furibas, her dear friend who had accompanied her in Izumo.

The same eyebrows and eyes, the same expression, even the slightly raised tone of their voices are exactly the same.

"What are you thinking about? Aunt Himeko said you need to eat more sugar!"

Kiana, without a word, shoved a piece of chocolate into Raiden Mei's hand. The sweet, familiar aroma wafted over her, making her feel as if she were back under the cherry blossom trees in Izumo Province.

At that time, she and Furibas practiced in the cherry blossom rain, and shared sweet snacks during breaks, their laughter echoing in the courtyard.

Raiden Mei's fingers trembled slightly as she held the chocolate, her gaze fixed on Kiana, as if trying to find the answer in her eyes.

Raiden Mei was filled with doubt, not understanding why she had come here, or why she had encountered someone so similar to those in her memories.

At the same time, a sense of cherishing also quietly spread in her heart. She was afraid that all of this was just an illusion, and that after waking up, she would fall into endless loneliness and darkness.

As soon as she finished speaking, Raiden Mei's thoughts drifted back to Jingye.

Perhaps from the moment the vast, empty sun devoured everything, she had already fallen into the gentlest cage woven by Jing Ye's memories.

And she was willing to be trapped in this illusory yet warm dream, unwilling to wake up?

Her fingertips gently caressed the wrapper of the chocolate in her hand; the soft rustling sound was like an alarm bell ringing in the quiet space, making her even more awake.

Before me, Kiana was sitting casually on the edge of a bench, swinging her legs around and humming a tune she'd heard somewhere off-key, her voice rising and falling, completely out of tune.

The dust from the battle that clung to the ends of her hair fell in a rustling sound as she shook, scattering at her feet.

The scene seemed familiar, and Raiden Mei's thoughts drifted away instantly. Deep in her memory, Furibas had also stolen her carefully prepared sweets under the corridor of the shrine. When he was discovered, he was just as flustered, with crumbs of pastry stuck to the corners of his mouth, his hair disheveled, looking cute and a little mischievous.

At this moment, Kiana gradually overlapped with the Furibas in her memory, giving Raiden Mei a disorienting feeling of time and space being disoriented.

"Mei, what are you daydreaming about again?"

Kiana's clear voice suddenly rang out, and she leaned closer, instantly closing the distance between them. Raiden Mei could even see the pure and lovely light in Kiana's azure eyes.

The light from the overhead lights shone down, reflecting in Kiana's eyes like two pools of melting, dazzling blue sapphires.

At the same time, that familiar scent rushed towards her, and in an instant, countless images flashed through Raiden Mei's mind. It was under the cherry blossom trees in Izumo Province, and everything was so similar.

Raiden Mei slowly raised her hand, as if drawn by an invisible force, and gently pinched Kiana's chubby cheek.

The moment my fingertips touched that soft skin, the sensation was delicate and warm, exactly like the cheek of Furibas in my memory. It was as if time had been distorted here, and the past and present had blended perfectly.

"Ouch! Murder!"

Kiana immediately let out an exaggerated scream, her head shaking wildly from side to side like a rattle drum, trying to break free, but she didn't push Raiden Mei away, just letting her knead her like that.

She shook her head and yelled, "How come Mei is so strong today! If you keep pinching my face, it'll get deformed!"

Her coquettish tone with its heavy nasal accent, and the unconscious wrinkling of her nose when she spoke, were just like how Furibas used to act coquettishly.

Back then, whenever Furibas made a mistake, he would use this expression and tone to beg for forgiveness. Now, all of this was being repeated on Kiana, leaving Raiden Mei completely stunned.

Raiden Mei watched as Kiana covered her cheeks, feigning grievance and muttering "That's so mean," her throat seemingly choked by something, unable to utter a sound.

A complex mix of emotions surged within her. If all of this was an illusion woven by Jing Ye, then this illusion was far too real, far too tender.

Even the girl's stubborn yet slightly roguish reaction when her cheeks were pinched was exactly the same as the person in her memory.

"Perhaps, this is not a dream."

Her lips trembled slightly as she murmured, but her voice was completely drowned out by the sound of Kiana tearing open another snack packaging.

Outside the porthole, sunlight streamed through the glass, casting a soft glow on Kiana's golden hair, making her look even more like the figure in her memory.

Raiden Mei clenched her fists quietly, her nails digging deep into her palms, the piercing pain a clear reminder of the reality of her moment.

If this is not a dream, then is this wondrous reunion across time and memory a precious gift from fate, or the beginning of another cruel trial?

The girl's innocent smile, bathed in the soft glow of the overhead light, resembled a spring flower blooming unrestrainedly, so bright it was almost dazzling. Every curve and every hue exuded vibrant life.

However, at this moment, in Raiden Mei's eyes, all of this seemed to be blocked by a layer of fine yet hazy frosted glass.

As far as she could see, everything around her seemed to have been splashed with a thick layer of ink, its outlines becoming blurred and its lines twisted and chaotic.

Even his own breathing seemed to be tightly enveloped by this invisible yet omnipresent mist, so chaotic and arrhythmic that it felt as heavy as if he were dragging a thousand-pound burden, making each inhale and exhale extremely difficult.

The strong, pungent smell of disinfectant that had filled her nasal cavity and constantly reminded her that she was in the medical ward had quietly faded away like a wisp of smoke, replaced by a damp, slightly earthy smell of moss.

That was the unique scent of the back mountain of the Izumo Shrine. Just a whiff of it instantly struck the softest corner of her heart, causing her heart to tremble violently, like a boulder being thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples.

In an instant, a sharp blade of light, seemingly capable of tearing through space, slashed straight into the depths of her memories without the slightest warning.

That day, even though it wasn't raining, it felt as if a giant hand had overturned a basin of water in Jingye's room, and a torrential downpour began.

Under Jing Ye's seemingly invincible Iaijutsu, she and Furibas were as fragile as willows in a storm, easily overturned to the ground.

The raindrops, as large as beans, were like dense arrows shot from a bowstring at full force, crashing down on the earth with the force of breaking the wind. The ground was instantly pounded into countless small craters, and water quickly spread.

Jing Ye trudged through the puddles, each step and each strike creating a crisp, rhythmic sound.

The scene of Furibas being pressed heavily onto her by a powerful force seemed to flash back in that instant.

Furibas's warm body trembled slightly, like a candle flame flickering in a storm. The fragrance in his hair, mixed with the unique dampness of the rain, rushed into her nostrils like a surging tide.

That familiar scent instantly pulled her into a vortex of complex emotions that were hard to describe in words—tension, embarrassment, and even a hint of fear of the unknown.

Furibas's rapid breathing, the scalding heat contrasting sharply with the icy coldness of the blade, left an indelible mark on her memory, becoming an unforgettable part of her life.

"Mei?" Kiana's clear and sweet voice was like a thunderclap that suddenly pierced through the thick fog in front of Raiden Mei's eyes.

She suddenly came to her senses and realized that she had been gripping the girl's face tightly, like a drowning person grasping at a straw.

Kiana tilted her head, her face flushed red from Raiden Mei's unconscious grip on her hand, but her clear blue eyes were filled with undisguised worry.

"Your hands are so cold! Are you thinking about strange things again?"

In that instant, memory and reality collided with overwhelming force, like a surging, destructive tide.

The vibrant young girl before me was a perfect mirror image of the disheveled, soaking wet figure from my memory.

Raiden Mei slowly released her grip, the lingering warmth in her palm instantly transforming into a raging inferno, burning fiercely within her heart.

If everything in Izumo is just an illusory dream, why is even the scabbard of Kageya's sword so real, as if it were right next to my nose, and I could clearly sense it with just a gentle sniff?

If this is indeed an illusion, then why are the tiny crumbs of snacks clinging to Kiana's eyelashes so clear that you could almost count them all, and see the shape and color of each one clearly?

Caught between memory and reality, she finally uttered, trembling, the name that had been burning in her heart: "Do you... know Jing Ye?"

"Jing Ye?"

Kiana's hand, which was rubbing her cheek, suddenly froze, and a ripple of doubt welled up in her sapphire-like eyes.

Why are you suddenly bringing up this name? I've never heard of it before.

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly gasped, her fingertips trembling as she pointed at Raiden Mei, as if she had discovered some earth-shattering secret.

"Wait! Could it be... that you've been seeing other men behind my back?!"

The air inside the medical pod froze instantly. Kiana's wide eyes almost popped out of their sockets, and her mouth was agape in an exaggerated "O" shape, making her look like a goldfish that had just been pulled ashore.

She lunged forward, gripping Raiden Mei's shoulders tightly with both hands, her nails almost digging into her flesh, and shook her violently.

"No! Absolutely not! Mei belongs to me alone! No one is allowed to covet her. If any man dares to defile her, I'll smash him to dust with a flying kick!"

Raiden Mei was so dazzled that she saw stars, and a strange blush rose on her pale cheeks.

She stared at Kiana's shocked expression, as if the sky had fallen, and let out a broken sob.

"No... it's not what you think..."

Her voice was barely audible, but it was completely drowned out by Kiana's barrage of questions.

The girl's screams echoed between the metal bulkheads, but Raiden Mei felt herself sinking deeper into the fog—if Jingye was really just a phantom in her memory, how could she prove her existence?

Raiden Mei's gaze wandered, her thoughts drifting far away, back to the land of Izumo ravaged by war and nothingness.

Jing Ye's figure appeared like a ghost. The knife in his hand, gleaming with a cold, eerie light, had changed the course of her fate countless times. And when he looked at her, the complex emotions contained in his deep eyes were like a fog, always elusive and hard to fathom.

Jingye, the person who caused Raiden Mei extreme conflict, was so strict as to be almost cruel. He used her and Furibas as live targets to hone their Iaijutsu skills.

Countless times, she was mercilessly struck down by that sharp blade, the blade whistling past her ears, leaving stinging wounds, while his cold rebukes still echoed in her ears, rebuking her for her weakness and hesitation in battle.

What Raiden Mei found most unbearable was that he was not only cruel to her, but also to her family and friends, and to the family and friends she had sworn to protect with her truest love.

Raiden Mei still vividly remembers the nightmares of being treated like dogs outside with her mother, Furibas, and Himeko-sensei, crawling on the ground and being tormented by Kageya's iaido.

But when faced with a truly insurmountable crisis, especially when the Void Sun descends and the world changes color, Raiden Mei finally understands Jingye's good intentions.

Chapter 140 Green Hat Kiana

But when faced with a truly insurmountable crisis, especially when the Void Sun descends and the world changes color, Raiden Mei finally understands Jingye's good intentions.

Even though Jing Ye helped her overcome other difficulties, the power of nothingness was still powerless.

As all things were engulfed in the abyss of destruction by that terrifying power, it was he again, his hidden mind like a fine yet resilient spiderweb, that at the critical moment carefully gathered her fading consciousness, desperately protecting her soul.

Raiden Mei didn't know why she woke up here, but she clearly remembered that if it weren't for Jingye's help, she would probably have vanished in the void.

"How could this be..." Raiden Mei murmured softly, her voice as light as a wisp of smoke in the wind, a bitter taste rising in her throat.

She slowly shifted her gaze back to what was in front of her, and when she tentatively mentioned the name Jing Ye, Kiana's smile instantly froze, replaced by a blank expression, as if she were hearing a completely unfamiliar word she had never heard before.

Raiden Mei's heart sank. She suddenly realized clearly that Jing Ye, who had left a deep mark on her life, both ruthlessly trampling on her dignity and giving her crucial protection, might truly only exist in the world of her memories.

In this brand new world, which seems familiar yet is utterly strange, not a single trace has ever been left.

Raiden Mei's expression grew increasingly forlorn and lonely. A complex mix of emotions welled up within her, a deep sense of loss for her past experiences, a feeling of bewilderment at not knowing where to go in this new environment, and a lingering sense of resentment.

If Jing Ye had never appeared here, then what would have been the unforgettable pain and invaluable help he had given me?

Was all of this just a hallucination she conjured up in her despair as she teetered on the brink of collapse?

But how do we explain the pain that actually happened, and the resilience and growth we learned under the pressure of the blade?

Raiden Mei instinctively hugged her arms tightly, trying to draw a sense of security from her own body heat, but this meager warmth seemed so insignificant in the face of this cold reality.

In this world that is both strange and familiar, she felt like a lonely stranger, carrying a wealth of secrets and confusion.

Like a lone boat lost at sea, adrift and searching for an answer that may never exist, the road ahead is long and the end is unknown.

Raiden Mei seemed to have lost her soul, her mind filled with images of Jing Ye and the intertwined scenes of Izumo and the present world.

Her gaze was blank as she stared into the distance, completely oblivious to Kiana's strange behavior beside her.

At this moment, Kiana was like a delicate flower suddenly attacked by a storm. Her eyes, which were originally as bright and radiant as the warm spring sun, instantly became dull and lifeless, as if they had been soaked in thick ink and lost their former brilliance.

Her lips trembled slightly, like two leaves shivering in the cold wind. With each opening and closing, a thousand words seemed to be about to be uttered, but they were blocked deep in her throat by an invisible force, only able to swirl around on the tip of her tongue.

"Mei... You didn't even argue back!" Kiana, who had been holding back for a long time, finally burst out with a shrill wail like a flood breaking through a dam.

The voice, filled with endless grievance, echoed back and forth between the metal walls of the medical pod, making one's eardrums ache.

Immediately afterwards, she lunged at Raiden Mei, her arms gripping her tightly like a vise.

"You really met another man behind my back?"

Her voice was filled with heavy sobs, and she rubbed her head restlessly against Mei's shoulder, looking exactly like a little animal that had been cruelly abandoned by its owner and was full of grievances. Her pitiful appearance was heartbreaking to see.

Kiana reluctantly released her grip on Raiden Mei, then placed her hands on her hips.

Like a wild beast trapped in a small cage, she began pacing back and forth in the confined space, muttering to herself, as if she were sulking with herself.

"No, Mei is the most important person to me, and she absolutely cannot be taken away by another man... But if you two are truly in love, I can't be so selfish as to only think about keeping Mei by my side..."

Her steps were sometimes fast, sometimes slow, her brows were tightly furrowed, and fine beads of sweat even appeared on her forehead, revealing her inner turmoil.

Suddenly, Kiana seemed to be struck by lightning; her previously dim eyes instantly lit up.

The light, like a blazing fire suddenly igniting in the darkness, was dazzling and brilliant, clearly indicating that someone had come up with a brilliant idea.

"That's it!" She clapped her hands excitedly, her clear and loud voice echoing throughout the cabin.