Seele Feels Like She's Got This / Let's Sleep Together!

"Ishiu-gege isn't well-behaved at all. You're always sweet-talking people. You've made Sister Bronya angry more times than anyone can count, and you often tease Rosaliya and Liliya too. You haven't even spared Mom..." Seele puffed out her cheeks, counting on her fingers as she began listing Ishiu's "crimes."

"But I've never bullied you, have I?" Ishiu smiled as he watched Seele recount every bad thing he had done. Once she finished, he mischievously ruffled her hair, turning her neat hairstyle into a messy tangle.

"Um... I guess that's true." Seele bit her finger and looked at Ishiu in confusion. "Why doesn't Ishiu-gege bully me?"

"Because I can't bear to. Seele is so cute and innocent. If I bullied you and made you cry, that would be terrible. You might even end up hating me."

"Seele would never hate Ishiu-gege." Seele looked at him seriously, her tone firm. "No matter what Ishiu-gege does to Seele, Seele will never hate you, because Seele likes Ishiu-gege the most... and Sister Bronya."

Seele nearly let it slip, but she quickly added Bronya in a moment of panic.

"Mm, I like Seele the most too." Ishiu smiled and pinched Seele's cheek. He truly liked this obedient and adorable little sister. It would have been nice if Bronya could have been this obedient too.

"Ishiu-gege..." Seele wanted to say something else, but at that moment, her figure flickered twice, like a projector with a stuck film reel.

Seele froze for a moment, then revealed a helpless, bitter smile. "Ishiu-gege, it looks like Seele is going into that world again. I don't know when I'll be able to see you next, but don't worry, Ishiu-gege. Seele is safe over there. I just need to stay for a while before I can come back."

"Seele..." Watching Seele's body gradually become transparent, Ishiu knew this was the aftereffect Cocolia had mentioned after Seele entered the Sea of Quantum.

For now, it did not seem to be a major problem. She merely entered another world from time to time. But in Ishiu's eyes, Seele was suffering unimaginable torment.

Because he understood Seele. He understood her better than anyone else. She was a girl afraid of being alone, afraid of loneliness. When she had first arrived at the Orphanage, she had been like a timid little white rabbit, offering everyone nothing but a placating smile.

Because people liked obedient children, she had become more obedient than anyone else.

Back then, Ishiu had been able to make her smile from the bottom of her heart. Now, he could pull her back from that lonely world too!

So please, my eyes, let me "see" that line.

Ishiu slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the ice-blue Mystic Eyes showed him a shattered world.

(PS: Mei: Three years ago, I stood there like an ant. Back then, I swore through tears that I would make everyone see me. I, Raiden Mei, am no longer just a housewife who cooks!)

(PPS: I'm seriously done with this. Mihoyo is getting more and more idiotic. What the hell kind of underworld plot is this latest main story? Did the writer study under The Last of Us 2's writers or something?

They forcibly made Mei go dark and put her on the opposite path from Kiana. Does Mei not know that the more she acts like this, the less likely Kiana is to give up on her?

This writer must have gotten too into Naruto. Mei and Kiana's final battle has such a strong Itachi-and-Sasuke vibe.

Mei: Forgive me, Kiana. This is the last time.

And Benares too. This is way too miserable. She gets beaten up in the main story, beaten up in the Abyss, beaten up in Memorial Arena, and now she just gets beaten to death. I was still waiting for her human form to join the bridge, but instead we got a Bella doll. I'm sick of it.

And Kevin, that guy is really good at getting something for nothing. I don't remember him giving Mei any help at all. He just said a few words. I feel like even without those words, Mei would have still erupted, and then World Serpent got a free executive?)

Seele Felt Like She Had This in the Bag

The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception could see the end of all things. Ishiu knew how much potential these eyes possessed. Without the Death Lines seen by the Dead Apostle Ancestor, he could never have slaughtered the Honkai Beasts so easily.

But he had yet to use these eyes to their fullest extent. Or rather, he had only grasped the barest surface of their power.

After the incident at Senba Academy, Ishiu had learned that if he wanted to unleash the Mystic Eyes' true power, he had to understand death.

So this time, he immersed his mind in his eyes once more.

Gradually, the world before him began to change.

He seemed to become a traveler from another dimension. The world crumbled apart in his eyes, while his consciousness wandered through endless origins. From the perspective of a passerby, he watched world after world perish, his understanding of death being rewritten again and again.

Ishiu felt as though his brain were about to explode. The pain was unbearable, yet he continued watching, as though some invisible force were protecting him.

Only when his understanding of death reached its peak was he thrown out of that mysterious perspective and returned to the real world.

He had no idea how long it had taken in his consciousness, but only a second had passed in reality. Seele had seen Ishiu's solemn expression one moment, then watched him suddenly collapse to his knees the next, drenched in sweat and pale as a sheet. She was instantly terrified.

"Ishiu-gege? What's wrong?!" Seele hurriedly supported Ishiu by the shoulders, looking at him with worry.

Ishiu did not answer. Enduring the waves of agony in his mind, he barely forced his eyes open and looked at Seele.

Seele's body was crisscrossed with countless Death Lines, but that was not what Ishiu wanted to see. He focused his attention and stared at Seele's chest.

Everything in this world would eventually die, whether it was a person, an object, a planet, or even a world.

The only difference was that some things might live longer than others.

At that moment, Ishiu even had the illusion that he could kill this world. But it was only an illusion, a misjudgment caused by witnessing the destruction of too many worlds.

Leaving aside whether he could kill a world, simply trying to see the world's Death Lines would probably overload his brain and burn it out first.

In the end, Seele had become quantumized because she was too deeply entangled with quantum energy. The energy had invaded her body, leaving her unable to control it.

So all he needed to do was kill the line connecting the Sea of Quantum to Seele.

The ice-blue Mystic Eyes flickered with a cold glow beneath the silvery moonlight. Seele was frightened by Ishiu's seemingly emotionless gaze. She instinctively shrank back, just about to ask what was wrong with his eyes, when a dagger suddenly appeared in his hand. A flash of steel followed, and before her stunned eyes, the dagger plunged into her body.

Ishiu-gege wants to kill me?

That was Seele's first reaction in that instant.

Then her body's instinctive desire to survive made her want to retreat, but Seele forcibly stopped herself.

She did not know why Ishiu had suddenly done this, but she knew he would never harm her. Even if he personally drove a dagger into her heart, as long as her consciousness remained, she was willing to believe in Ishiu.

"Huh?"

Seele had already squeezed her eyes shut. She did not want to see herself spraying blood everywhere. But after waiting for a long time, the pain of the dagger entering her body never came, leaving her confused.

Wasn't it supposed to hurt when something got stabbed in? Why did she not feel any pain at all? She even felt a little comfortable. Was it because it was her first time?

With lingering fear, she slowly opened her eyes and looked down. Her chest was completely unharmed. The place where the dagger had entered did not even have a tear in her clothes. If she were not certain that what had just happened was real, she would have suspected she was dreaming.

"Ishiu-gege, what was that... Huh? My body..." Seele had just wanted to ask Ishiu what was going on when she suddenly discovered that her body, which had been gradually becoming transparent, had solidified at once, as though nothing had happened.

"It's fine now, Seele. You'll never enter that lonely world again." Ishiu withdrew the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception and dropped onto the ground, gasping for breath. He was drenched in sweat, looking as though he had just been fished out of water.

"It's fine now... Ishiu-gege, did you save Seele just now?" Seele was not stupid. Seeing Ishiu's bloodless face, she knew he must have done something to stop her from losing control and becoming quantumized.

"More or less. Anyway, you won't have to worry about losing control ever again. Seele, you can live like a normal person again. You won't have to worry about being left all alone." Ishiu grinned at her.

"Ishiu-gege... Seele... Seele was saved by you again..." Seele bit her lip and looked at Ishiu with mixed emotions. She should have been happy, but she did not feel much joy.

"Seele?" Ishiu blinked in confusion at Seele's seemingly strange expression.

Seele sat down and wrapped her arms around Ishiu's neck again, burying her face against his neck.

"S-Seele? Don't hug me. I'm covered in sweat right now. I smell bad, and I'm all sticky." Feeling that soft, fragrant body pressed against him, Ishiu suddenly felt embarrassed. He pushed at Seele, wanting to move her away. Seele smelled so nice—what if she got his scent on her?

"Not at all. Ishiu-gege smells nice. Seele doesn't think it smells bad at all." Seele spoke softly. Not only did she not move away when Ishiu pushed her, she hugged him even tighter. Her movements were a little too vigorous, causing their bodies to rub closely together.

And after that rubbing, Ishiu immediately did not dare move.

Damn... I never realized Seele had such a figure too.

Although Ishiu could swear to heaven that he had absolutely no unhealthy thoughts about Seele, physical contact triggered a normal physiological response. He really could not help it.

So he did not dare move. He really did not dare move.

If the friction sparked a Shenzhou rocket launch, he would never be able to face Seele again.

Then Seele's quiet voice sounded from his arms.

"Ishiu-gege, Seele doesn't want to be your burden anymore."

"Huh? Seele, why would you say that? When have you ever been my burden?" Ishiu asked in surprise. He had no idea what had gone wrong in this silly girl's head for her to say something like that.

"Ever since before, Ishiu-gege has always been taking care of Seele. Whenever there was something tasty or fun, you would save it for Seele. Whenever there was danger, you would protect Seele without hesitation... Do you remember that time when we were on the mountain and ran into a bear? Seele was so scared back then that she couldn't even walk. Ishiu-gege could have run away, but to protect Seele, you fought that bear."

"Uh... let's not bring up the past. Besides, didn't that bear nearly beat me to death? Good thing Bronya arrived in time, or I would've been dead long ago." Ishiu blushed and scratched his head awkwardly.

"No. If it hadn't been for Seele, Ishiu-gege wouldn't have been hurt." Seele gently shook her head, her voice muffled. "Thinking about it carefully, Seele has never helped Ishiu-gege. Seele has only kept causing you trouble..."

"That's not true..."

"It is true! Seele... Seele is too timid and useless. Seele can't do anything."

"Seele, listen to me. You're not timid at all. On the contrary, you're braver than anyone." Ishiu held Seele by the shoulders and looked directly into her eyes, speaking word by word. "I've never thought you were useless. Maybe you think you've never helped me, but you're wrong. You've helped me a lot."

"Seele... has helped Ishiu-gege?" Seele's eyes were filled with confusion.

"Of course you have. So much that I can't even count it all." Ishiu smiled and began listing them one by one. "For example, Seele often makes snacks for me, and sometimes you even cook separately just for me. You wash my clothes, clean my room, cut my hair, and even clean my ears..."

"But... but those are things Seele should do. How can little things like that count as helping Ishiu-gege?" Hearing Ishiu mention everyday matters, Seele could not help but argue. In her eyes, those were simply her duties. They were not worth bringing up.

"Then protecting you is also something I should do as your brother." Ishiu rubbed Seele's hair and said warmly, "You're my little sister. Maybe these things do not seem important to you, but they make me happy from the bottom of my heart. All those little things in our lives come together to form the bond between us. That's why I would not hesitate to give everything for you, because you are the meaning of my existence in this world."

"Ishiu-gege..."

After hearing Ishiu's heartfelt words, Seele was so moved that she began crying again. She had always been easy to make cry. Whenever her emotions fluctuated too much, her tears would keep falling.

"Alright, stop crying. Look at you—how many times have you cried today already? No matter how beautiful you look when you're 'fresh out of water,' there isn't any fire here for you to put out." Ishiu patted her head, took out a tissue, and wiped away her tears.

Seele obediently lifted her little face. Only after Ishiu had wiped away every tear stain did she mumble, "Then... then Ishiu-gege won't dislike Seele, right?"

The reason she had thought that way just now was because she was afraid Ishiu would come to dislike her. After all, she knew that if someone only gave and received nothing in return, anyone would eventually grow tired of it.

But Ishiu had just said she was not a useless child. On the contrary, she had helped him many times. That made Seele very happy.

"Of course not. I don't even have enough time to like you—how could I dislike you?" Ishiu said seriously. "If I ever dislike Seele one day, then my brain must have gotten caught in a door. When that happens, remember to dump a bucket of cold water on me and wake me up."

"Pfft—no! Seele couldn't bear to splash cold water on Ishiu-gege." Seele immediately broke into a smile through her tears.

"Haha."

After resolving the knot in her heart, Seele became more lively. She told Ishiu everything that had happened over the past few months, while Ishiu listened attentively.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot." As they spoke, Ishiu suddenly slapped his forehead. How had he forgotten that?

"What is it, Ishiu-gege?" Seele asked in confusion.

"I brought gifts back for everyone this time, and yours is the only one I haven't given out yet." As Ishiu spoke, he took an exquisite little box out of his pocket.

"A gift? What is it?" Seele blinked, both happy and expectant about the unknown.

"You'll know when you open it." Ishiu smiled and handed her the box. Seele accepted it and lowered her head to look at the delicate little box. For some reason, a scene she had seen on television suddenly came to mind: the male lead proposing to the female lead...

Will Ishiu-gege give Seele a ring?

Though she knew it was unlikely, Seele could not stop herself from looking forward to it. Her little heart pounded wildly as she slowly opened the box.

When the box opened, the item inside entered Seele's view. It was indeed not a ring.

Seele felt a little disappointed, but only a little. The surprise of receiving the gift quickly swept it away.

"Wow! Such a beautiful hair clip!"

Inside the small box lay an exquisite flower-shaped hair clip. It was about as large as Seele's palm, its petals evenly spread and unfurled, like a real lily.

"Do you like it?" Seeing Seele's delighted expression, Ishiu immediately felt those hundreds of thousands had been well spent.

As long as Seele liked it, forget hundreds of thousands—he would have spent every last cent he had!

"Mm! Seele really likes it!" Seele carefully picked up the hair clip and kept examining it beneath the moonlight. The corners of her mouth lifted on her adorable little face, her eyes curving into crescent moons.

"Ishiu-gege, can you help Seele put it on?" After a while, Seele spoke softly. Like a little white rabbit, she looked at Ishiu timidly, her eyes filled with both expectation and unease.

"Of course." Ishiu agreed without a second thought. It was just helping her put on a hair clip. What was the big deal?

"Thank you, Ishiu-gege!" Seele immediately smiled. She handed the hair clip to Ishiu and obediently leaned her head toward him.

Even if it was not a ring, having him put on her hair clip was nice too.

(PS: Brothers, there are still two days left for the bounty~ Don't hold back any monthly tickets, blades, or anything else. Hurry up and throw them all at me~)

Let's Sleep Together!

Ishiu held the hair clip against Seele's head for a moment before finally choosing to place it on the left side of her hair.

"D-Does it look good?" Seele touched the hair clip on her head and asked shyly.

"It looks super good!" Ishiu gave her a thumbs-up without hesitation.

"Hehe... hehehe..." Receiving his praise, Seele could not contain her joy. She giggled foolishly, her little face filled with unconcealable happiness.

"Alright, it's getting late, Seele. We should go to sleep. Oh, and I need to take a shower too. I feel awful being all sticky." Ishiu sniffed himself. The dried sweat on his body gave off a sour smell, making him frown in disgust.

"Mm, then Seele will go draw bathwater for Ishiu-gege."

"No need. It's already so late, so there's no need for a bath. I'll just rinse off quickly." Ishiu refused.