Take Care, Goodbye

"..."

Bronya had been smiling because Seele's problem had been resolved, but when she heard Ishiu's words, her smile immediately froze on her face.

No one understood Cocolia better than she did.

Because she often carried out missions under Cocolia, she knew very well that although Cocolia loved the children in the Orphanage, she was also tremendously ambitious.

If she had not possessed such ambition, she would never have become one of Anti-Entropy's leaders.

The value of a Herrscher Core was beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Just think about it: after an ordinary person became a Herrscher, they could obtain the power to destroy heaven and earth. How important could a Herrscher Core, condensed from a Herrscher's power, be to an individual or an organization?

Cocolia had schemed for nearly half a year over the Herrscher Core. Although her goal had been Seele, Bronya dared say that while taking care of Seele, she definitely had her own purposes as well.

So she could not agree with Ishiu's overly optimistic attitude—that Cocolia would stop pursuing the Herrscher Core simply because Seele's problem had been resolved.

"Ishiu... you... forget it." Bronya wanted to explain, but seeing Ishiu's relaxed smile, she swallowed her words.

She truly did not want to undermine Ishiu's confidence. Deep down, she also held a trace of hope. What if Cocolia was persuaded by Ishiu and chose to give up the Herrscher Core? Would they be able to return to their old lives?

"What is it? Bronya, why are you hesitating? That's not like you." Ishiu asked doubtfully.

"It's nothing. Bronya has something to do. Goodbye." With that, Bronya turned and left.

"What a strange Little Pudding." Ishiu watched Bronya's departing back, shrugged, tore open the bread wrapper, and ate as he walked.

"Ishiu-gege, so you were here. Seele has been looking for you forever."

Just as Ishiu reached the second-floor balcony, Seele's soft, gentle voice came from behind him.

"Good morning, Seele." Ishiu turned around and his eyes immediately lit up when he saw Seele walking toward him.

Seele had changed into new clothes today. She wore a pure white dress adorned with several blue bows. Its hem had lace cutwork, while a large dark-blue butterfly brooch decorated the sash at her waist.

On her head was the flower-shaped hairpin he had given her yesterday. Those decorations made her look pure and adorable—far cuter than that white-haired old hag who called herself the cutest in the world!

"Ishiu-gege, why did you come here?" Seele trotted up before him and cast him a slightly resentful glance. She had wanted to look at Ishiu's sleeping face again, preferably pull another little "prank," but by the time she reached his room, it was already empty. She had searched for ages before finally finding him here.

"I was hungry. I wanted to see if there were any leftovers in the kitchen, but I ran into Little Pudding on the way. She gave me a piece of bread," Ishiu answered honestly.

"So that's what happened." Seele glanced at the bread in his hand and smiled. "But one piece of bread probably isn't enough for Ishiu-gege, right? Seele made some pastries just now. If Ishiu-gege doesn't mind, would you like to try them?"

"Pastries? Of course I do!" Ishiu's eyes brightened. He quickly wolfed down the bread in his hand. "I haven't had your pastries in months. I've really missed them. Seele's pastries really are the best!"

"Really?" Seele's smile became even brighter. Sure enough, she held first place in Ishiu-gege's heart. That line on TV about winning a man's heart by first winning his stomach really was right.

"Really. But when it comes to cooking, Mei's is still the best." Ishiu recalled Miss Mei's cooking. It had only been one day since he last ate it, yet he could not help swallowing.

"..."

Seele's smile gradually disappeared.

"Ishiu-gege."

"Hmm?"

"If there's a chance, please make sure to introduce me to that Sister Mei."

"Oh, sure. No problem." Ishiu had no idea what Seele was thinking and happily agreed.

In his eyes, a well-behaved child like Seele and gentle, considerate Miss Mei would definitely become great friends.

Seele led Ishiu to the kitchen while constantly encouraging herself in her heart.

It's okay, Seele. Isn't that Mei just a little better at cooking? Your pastries aren't bad either. And to make these pastries today, you spent nearly two hours. You were completely confident in both their flavor and appearance. Ishiu-gege would definitely be satisfied!

She would make sure Ishiu's stomach retained only memories of her!

However, the confident Seele lost every emotion she had the instant she pushed open the kitchen door.

Because she saw that the pastries she had placed in the insulated box in the kitchen had already been taken out by two people, who were greedily stuffing themselves.

"Liliya, eat slower. I had my eye on that one first."

"Mmph... objection. Rosaliya has already eaten five pieces, while Liliya has only eaten three. Rosaliya should be the one eating slower."

"Mmph... Liliya, these pastries were made by Seele, right? Is it really okay for us to secretly take them out and eat them?"

"It's fine. Rosaliya was the one who followed the smell here, and you were the first one to eat. At most, Liliya is only an accomplice."

"Ah! Liliya!"

Although the pink-haired little girl and green-haired little girl never stopped talking, their mouths did not rest either. They kept cramming pastries inside, and the pastries in the insulated box were about to be completely eaten before Seele finally reacted.

"Rosaliya... Liliya..."

In the small kitchen, a voice that seemed to drift from hell made the two girls who had been greedily eating stiffen all over. Then they slowly turned around like machines and saw Ishiu with a wry smile on his face, and Seele beside him wearing a radiant smile.

"Mmph!"

Whether it was an illusion or not, Liliya and Rosaliya felt that Seele had suddenly become terrifying. Her eyes seemed to have turned red, and an icy aura seeped out from every hair on their bodies.

"Are my pastries... delicious?"

"Waaah...!"

Feeling that invisible pressure, Seele's figure suddenly became as towering as a giant in Rosaliya and Liliya's eyes. The waves of killing intent frightened them into immediately hugging each other and trembling.

Of course, Seele did not actually sacrifice those two gluttons to the heavens in the end. Ishiu was still present, after all. No matter how angry she was, she could not do anything that would damage her well-behaved image.

However, Liliya and Rosaliya had clearly been frightened badly by Seele just now and still had not recovered. Whenever Seele approached, they retreated, eventually shrinking into the kitchen corner, squatting on the floor with their hands over their heads and continuing to shiver.

A simple way to describe them right then was: weak, pitiful, and helpless, but damn good at eating.

"Mmph... there are only two left..." Seeing the mess inside the insulated box and the only two intact pastries remaining, Seele immediately became a little dejected.

"It's fine, two are enough." Ishiu waved it off carelessly, picked up a pastry, and took a bite.

"Mmm~~ Delicious! Just as expected of pastries made by Seele herself."

Seeing Ishiu eat with such satisfaction, Seele finally felt a little better. She pursed her lips and said softly, "If Ishiu-gege likes them, Seele can keep making pastries for you from now on..."

"Mm, then thank you, Seele." Ishiu picked up the final pastry. It was a heart-shaped mung bean cake. Before even taking a bite, its fresh, sweet fragrance already made his mouth water.

"Oh, right, Seele, you haven't eaten any, have you?" Ishiu took a bite of the mung bean cake, then seemed to remember something and asked Seele.

"I already ate breakfast. These pastries were specially made for Ishiu-gege, so it's enough if you eat them," Seele hurriedly said.

"How could that be? You got up early in the morning to make pastries. How can you not try one?" Ishiu said. Ignoring Seele's objection, he brought the mung bean cake with a bite taken out of it to her mouth. "Come on, have a bite too. It's delicious."

"... I-if Ishiu-gege says so..." Seele's face reddened. Looking at the mung bean cake with a missing bite, she hesitated slightly before lowering her head and gently biting the spot Ishiu had bitten, her little face crimson.

"Alright, Seele, go play in the Orphanage for now. I have something to do, so I need to head out first." Ishiu casually tossed the remaining half of the mung bean cake into his mouth, clapped his hands, and prepared to leave.

"Mm, take care, Ishiu-gege. Be careful on the road." While cleaning up the plates and the pastry crumbs Liliya and Rosaliya had scattered everywhere, Seele gave Ishiu a sweet smile.

Ishiu casually rubbed Seele's little head, then turned and left the kitchen.

As soon as Ishiu left, Rosaliya and Liliya, who had just begun to recover, suddenly felt the temperature in the kitchen rapidly drop.

Then they saw Seele put down the plates, walk to the kitchen door, and gently close it.

She then turned around and gave the two of them an adorable smile.

"..."

Danger. Rosaliya & Liliya. Danger!

After Ishiu left the Orphanage, he hailed a taxi on a nearby road and spent an hour arriving at the animation company he had visited last time.

This time, however, he did not barge in. He simply waited at the entrance for a while before a young woman came over.

"Hello, Mr. Ishiu. Lady Cocolia asked me to take you to her."

"Mm, lead the way." Ishiu nodded and followed her into the company. They went all the way to the underground parking lot, took the hidden elevator, and descended to the underground factory.

Following the young woman through countless twists and turns, Ishiu walked for quite a while before finally arriving at the door of an office.

"Lady Cocolia is inside. Mr. Ishiu, please go in on your own." After completing her task, the young woman turned and left.

"Whew..." Ishiu took a deep breath and patted his cheeks. He had already adjusted his emotions on the way here. Though he still did not know what expression he should use to face Cocolia, a conversation between mother and son was necessary.

(P.S. The first four-thousand-word chapter is here. There are still two chapters today. Brothers with monthly tickets, throw them over! It's the end of the month, please help keep this new book on the rankings!)

Take Care, Goodbye

Ishiu stopped hesitating. After knocking on the office door and waiting a moment, he grasped the handle and pushed it open.

The moment he entered the office, Ishiu saw Cocolia sitting behind the desk. She looked somewhat exhausted, with faint dark circles under her eyes. He did not know whether she had slept at all last night, and her hair was a little messy.

Their eyes met in midair, and both wore complicated expressions. Cocolia looked somewhat guilty, while Ishiu looked helpless.

Neither spoke, and the office fell into a strange silence.

After a long while, Ishiu was the first to let out a breath. He strode toward Cocolia and, to her surprise, poured her a cup of hot water.

"Mom, have some hot water. You don't look like you're in good shape. Don't tell me you didn't sleep last night?" Ishiu asked with concern.

Although he was furious that Cocolia had plotted against Raiden Mei and caused countless people in Changkong City to lose their homes, his heart could not help softening when he saw her exhausted appearance.

Even if she were the greatest villain in the world, she was still his mother.

So one matter was one matter. He still had to care about Cocolia's health.

"Mm... I was handling Changkong City's affairs last night and worked all night... The remaining residents of Changkong City have all been safely relocated to other cities. The follow-up work is also underway. The government will help these millions of people settle down again as quickly as possible." Cocolia rubbed her brow, took the cup Ishiu had handed her, and took a small sip of hot water. A warm current immediately flowed from her throat through her body, and even her spirits improved somewhat.

"Changkong City..." Hearing that name again, Ishiu's gaze could not help becoming distant. He thought of the married woman who had rented him and Kiana a house. He had met her child, a very adorable little boy who had even called him big brother... Unfortunately, he had not found their family that night...

"Mom, do you regret it?" Ishiu looked at Cocolia and asked word by word.

"Regret it?..." Cocolia was silent for a moment, then shook her head. "I won't regret it. I have never regretted anything I've done, even if it was wrong! The only thing I find regrettable is that I did not handle this matter well enough. I did not expect Raiden Mei to erupt early, which left my preparations insufficient."

"What if I told you that I've already solved Seele's problem?" Ishiu stared intently at Cocolia's face. He wanted to see even a trace of remorse there. Even the slightest bit would prove that his mother was not a completely irredeemable villain.

But unfortunately, he did not see the expression he wanted. There was not even the slightest surprise on Cocolia's face.

"I know. Bronya already told me. You really have grown up, Ishiu..." Cocolia looked at the boy sitting across from her. His face still retained some childishness. At his age, he should have been living a carefree life like the other children in the Orphanage. Yet after only a few months apart, when he appeared before her again, Cocolia realized she could barely recognize her own son.

He had changed, though not in personality. It was his strength that had changed.

He had become powerful—so powerful that she could scarcely believe it. When she watched Ishiu slaughter his way through enemies on the surveillance feed, she had vaguely felt it then—young birds would eventually fly into the sky.

Ishiu was no longer a child who needed her protection. He had grown enough to solve matters that even she could not handle. In Changkong City, if not for him, the number of people left behind would likely have been at least thirty percent higher.

He had even taken the Herrscher of Thunder from her hands...

Cocolia sighed, suppressed the emotions in her heart, and looked calmly at Ishiu. "Ishiu, I know what you want to say. You came to persuade me to give up Raiden Mei, didn't you?"

"Yes." Ishiu nodded. Plainly speaking, he had no mood to beat around the bush with Cocolia, so he got straight to the point. "Mom, you said your purpose in seeking the Herrscher Core was to save Seele. Now that Seele is fine, can't you just..."

"I'm sorry, Ishiu." Before Ishiu could finish, Cocolia interrupted him.

"...Why?" Ishiu rose from his chair. He had wanted to question Cocolia fiercely, but halfway through standing, he sank back down weakly. His fingers dug into his hair as he scratched his head in frustration, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

"Because I am one of Anti-Entropy's leaders." Cocolia spoke seriously. "Ishiu, do you know what a Herrscher represents? We cannot allow her to remain free outside. No one knows when she might erupt again, so the best solution is to control her and remove the Herrscher Core."

"But you were the one who turned Mei into a Herrscher!!!"

Ishiu finally could not hold back any longer. The emotions he had suppressed since yesterday burst forth. He slammed his fist against the desk, flames seemingly burning in his eyes.

"That's right. I did it. So what?" Cocolia met Ishiu's furious gaze. Though her heart twisted in pain, she did not yield even an inch. "On the road of fighting the Honkai, sacrifice is always indispensable. If there is a way to let more people survive, why not sacrifice that small number of people?"

"Including those who died in Changkong City? And all those people who lost their homes, their family, friends, lovers, classmates, and teachers?" Ishiu revealed a bleak smile.

"I have seen more people die than that on battlefields against the Honkai," Cocolia said calmly. "Ishiu, war is cruel. Even if I had not fanned the flames behind the scenes, when the Honkai descended, they would still have become homeless and been forced from their homeland. If I give up now, then wouldn't their sacrifices have been in vain?"

"Mom, you're wrong. No matter how terrifying the Honkai is, it should never be an excuse for us to hurt humanity." Ishiu looked at Cocolia with growing disappointment. "You say sacrifice is indispensable. I agree with that, but the premise is that the sacrifice must be voluntary. If someone wanted Seele, the others, and me to sacrifice ourselves in exchange for peace in this world, would you be willing?"

"I..." Cocolia's lips trembled, but she had no answer.

People were like this. No matter how eloquently they spoke of grand principles or philosophy, when it fell upon themselves, no one could remain detached.

Raiden Mei and Changkong City had nothing to do with Cocolia, so she could sacrifice them in the name of the "greater good" without even blinking. But Ishiu and the children in the Orphanage were different. They were Cocolia's untouchable reverse scale, and no one was allowed to lay a hand on them!

"Mom, I'm begging you, okay? It's not too late to give up now. I'll help you apologize to Mei, and I'll bear the sins of those who died in Changkong City with you. Even if you fall into the abyss of hell, I'll stand with you." Ishiu pleaded with Cocolia. He truly did not want to watch her continue down the wrong path.

Maybe Cocolia saw farther than he did. Maybe he was short-sighted. But no matter what, the future was still the future. The future could be changed. A thousand years was too long; he would seize the day. It was enough for him to care about the people and things before his eyes.

"..." Looking at Ishiu's hopeful eyes and hearing those heartfelt words, Cocolia's heart trembled violently. She nearly agreed, but at the final moment, she still said nothing.