Can You Watch the Sea with Me? Hua.

The coffee shops near the coastline are unusually lit up with dim lights in the night, and the chilly sea breeze blows the wind chimes on the windows, making a crisp sound.

Leonid sat in a corner of the front desk, a steaming cup of coffee in front of him.

Looking into the cup, the surface was as calm as a windless lake. The slowly rising steam was like the morning mist that veiled the man's downcast face. The marks left by time on his brows were blurred in this brief concealment. His rough fingers quietly and habitually caressed a pendant.

It was a brass ornament, and time, as always, treated it the same as men, its original embellishments worn away by the long years, leaving it with a few mottled colors.

"Click." A soft sound came from some of the old metal parts.

Leonid opened the pendant, revealing an old but still brightly colored family portrait.

The clear portrait captured above vividly captures the passage of time; the man's cold, hard face and solemn features soften in an instant, and he reveals a smile.

Leonid had long since lost everything.

But perhaps, even just eroding the last vestiges of the good old days is enough to give him a little warmth.

Even with this false and empty warmth, Leonid was able to endure the long years on these trivial things.

The fact that he didn't choose suicide early on is clear proof of this.

Are those your family members?

Su Qing'an was wearing a jet-black suit, and the snow-white shirt underneath made his tie and coat look even more somber.

He had been silently grinding the coffee beans; the only noise at that moment was the sound of the beans being crushed bit by bit and the two of them breathing.

The wooden clock hanging on the wall witnessed the passing of time for the two silent men.

At that moment, the boy's words broke the silence.

Leonid said:

"This is my daughter, this is my wife."

The man generously pointed to two faces in the photos at Su Qing'an, his smiling expression clearly tinged with pride.

He was like someone showing off his beautiful wife and lovely daughter to strangers in a small Russian pub.

The sadness that should have been present in Leonid's words was washed away by something.

And what remains after the washing is only this bright and cheerful feeling.

The boy responded with a smile, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He said:

"Yes, Mr. Leonid."

"Your wife and daughter both have beautiful smiles."

Su Qing'an continued to ask:

"I'm curious, how did this academy affect your senses today?"

Leonid recalled what he had seen and heard during the day. This academy was completely different from what he had imagined before he came. Before this, the Valkyrie he thought could shoulder the mission of expelling the Honkai and protecting the world should be perfect warriors with strong will and bravery.

But after touring the academy, all he saw were young children. They walked together like quiet students carrying books in an ordinary academy. The curious gazes they cast were mixed with a sense of bewilderment. Their long hair blowing in the sea breeze and their swaying skirts were the most beautiful things in the world.

Leonid's first reaction was not disappointment or anything else; the first thought that came to mind was that they should not have to bear such heavy responsibilities and missions.

These gifted girls are destined for a fate drastically different from that of ordinary people; they will take up swords and guns to fight against the most terrifying calamities in human history.

On the blood-soaked path of carnage, these girls, barely old enough to be his daughters, must shed countless lives to reach the final destination. Some will inevitably fall along the way, but reality forces the rest to keep going. But where exactly is the end?

The more Leonid knew, the more desperate he became.

These Valkyrie studying at this academy must know more than he does. They understand more tragic examples and histories, they have experienced the true power of the enemy and the endless despair like the Seawater, and they understand the future they will face.

And yet, they continued to forge ahead.

Therefore, the man was not disappointed by the true nature of the academy.

Or rather, compared to these girls who knew everything yet still fearlessly chose to move forward, Leonid felt an unprecedented sense of shame.

During the day, he had spoken with a white-haired girl who must have lived in Russia; her fluent Russian made Leonid feel a sense of familiarity.

Kiana Kaslana.

Leonid remembered the name.

Perhaps it was a strange twist of fate that brought these two people, whose relationship was complex in some ways, together, together and they had a friendly conversation.

"Uncle, just focus on getting better. All this Honkai has nothing to do with you. Leave that to me."

"What they owe you, I will get back to you one day."

This episode may be unknown to anyone, but for Leonid, Kiana's smiling expression when she said those words, and the burning will in her blue eyes, were profound moments that allowed him to see the flame of humanity's future.

Whether or not the Valkyrie can actually achieve it, her determination and the hidden comfort she offers are a balm for Leonid's troubled mind.

He answered Su Qing'an's question with a smile, saying:

"Very good. I see the future here, Mr. Su."

"I'm so glad I met you. If it weren't for you, I would never have had the chance to see these things in my life."

"But time always flies, it's almost 4:15, isn't it?"

Su Qing'an glanced at the clock in silence. With a soft ticking sound, the hour hand struck exactly four in the morning.

As he said, time really does fly.

And this has always been the case throughout history.

The boy took a bottle of vodka from under the counter, and then he said softly:

"Let's go, Mr. Leonid."

"I've said it before, the sea is beautiful."

"Please try your best to hold on until then, so you don't have any regrets."

They came to see the sunrise.

The sunrise at St. Freya Beach usually occurs between 4:15 and 5:00 AM, but occasionally a thin mist in the early morning obscures the sunrise, making it difficult to see the first rays of sunlight.

In truth, Leonid always felt that dying before the sea at dusk wouldn't be so bad, but his lingering body, in the last embers of his life, displayed a stubborn resilience that kept him there.

Leonid had timed his trip to the auction perfectly; even if he didn't suffer any harm along the way, he could only live for three days at most after the auction.

Whether the third day was an hour or four or five hours after midnight, neither of them knew.

Now, perhaps it's time to leave the rest to fate.

The sea breeze gently dampened a strand of hair, and the sight of the surging waves was indistinct in the night, but the sound of the waves, sometimes long and sometimes short, like the breath of the sea, told the whole story.

Leonid took a deep breath. In fact, walking was already very difficult for him at this point, but the man stubbornly refused to use a cane and refused anyone to help him.

Perhaps in his heart, on his deathbed, he preferred to be closer to the brave man who once fought bears in the snow, rather than the frail middle-aged man whose back was almost hunched over.

Even if the facts don't change according to his wishes, stubbornness itself is an unavoidable behavior.

Su Qing'an and the man sat on the ground, not caring that their clothes might get wet from the spreading tide. They stared ahead, their eyes fixed on the darkness stretching to the indistinct horizon.

Leonid said with a smile:

"The sun hasn't risen yet."

His voice was actually a bit strained, and the tone had been hoarse and unpleasant for a while, but Su Qing'an's good hearing and lip-reading skills allowed her to maintain normal communication with the man.

The boy didn't respond to that statement; instead, he handed over a bottle of wine and said:

"The thing I promised you."

Leonid took the bottle and slowly drank a sip of the water of life, which he hadn't touched in almost ten years. His pale face gradually regained its color.

Drinking 96°C water of life so casually would be enough to burn one's throat and stomach, yet Leonid continued to laugh as if nothing had happened, saying:

"I haven't had this in so long."

"Mr. Su, if my daughter were still alive, she would be about your age."

"If my daughter were alive today, I'd be happy to be your father-in-law."

"Ten brown bears wouldn't be a match for you, and there isn't a single warrior in all of Siberia who can rival you."

The man patted the boy's shoulder, the force so light it was almost imperceptible.

Su Qing'an shook his head and casually chatted and laughed with Leonid. What, for him, was the reason to witness this life-or-death situation before him?

It seemed unnecessary for Su Qing'an to go to such lengths for a stranger; she had never been so kind as to extend a helping hand to just anyone.

But now he not only made the unreasonable request to Himeko and Theresa to allow outsiders to observe the academy, but he even had Nishikujo Sara specifically test how long Leonid could survive.

After calculating that there might be enough time to see the sunrise, he stayed in the coffee shop overnight and asked Himeko to request that if there was fog obscuring the sunrise, she apply for special equipment to manually clear it.

Su Qing'an's rare request was naturally granted by both of them.

If one were to ask Su Qing'an for his reasons, it would be that he might be conducting a rehearsal.

The fate that Leonid faced would also be his fate.

It might be dusk, or sunrise, or perhaps a clear afternoon or a deep, dark night, when the boy's body will be eroded into [Ashes].

It's good to check the sunrise time now. Let's say we can see the sunrise at 4:15 today, then that would be a good time to die.

At least, die now.

He won't be too sad.

Time passed slowly, and it was now 4:20, but darkness still shrouded the sea like a veil.

Leonid sighed and said:

"Looks like... I won't be able to wait."

The man's only remaining right arm was gradually turning gray, not a sign of becoming Zombie, but rather the last rays of sunlight before he was eroded into [Ashes].

He stopped drinking vodka because, in fact, Leonid's sense of taste had been unable to discern the specific flavor of the liquor from the very beginning. That's why Su Qing'an deliberately chose the most difficult-to-drink yet most stimulating "water of life."

But now, even a spirit as potent as the water of life is no different from water to Leonid.

Su Qing'an paused for a moment. He knew he shouldn't be silent at this time, but the boy was also speechless at the almost shared sense of loss.

He didn't know what to say, because any words of comfort would be meaningless.

But in the next second of the silence, the sunlight broke through the clouds, gradually revealing its beautiful radiance from the edges.

The two remained silent, but their inner feelings had already shifted.

The sea was free of fog, as if fate itself had chosen the gentlest way for Leonid to die.

On the gradually shimmering sea, the arc of light refracted and changed into different colors in the rippling waves.

Leonid stared blankly at the scene, and said softly:

"The sea is beautiful, sir."

The boy nodded in response:

"I hope this is as you wish, Mr. Leonid."

The man laughed loudly as he stuffed the pendant, which he had always carried with him and treasured like a precious gem, into the boy's palm. The hands then crumbled into [Ashes] after the exchange.

Su Qing'an gripped the pendant in his hand, staring blankly at the man's smile, and murmured:

"Mr. Leonid..."

There was no time for Su Qing'an to say anything more. In the bright sunlight, Leonid turned into black, fine dust in just a few seconds, his black coat lying empty on the spot.

The boy was all alone; he was dressed in jet-black clothes and sat alone on the shallow sea where the tide was rising and falling.

For Leonid, who had no more ties, Su Qing'an was his only funeral attendant.

Su Qing'an knew that Leonid had said something before he left.

His lips conveyed the final three words.

Thank you.

But the words he couldn't utter in the end received no further response...

Su Qing'an looked at the dust, blown high by the wind and swirling towards the sea, and remained silent for a long time.

The girl walked silently to his side like a ghost. Fu Hua had arrived earlier, perhaps because she wanted to practice her boxing earlier today, or perhaps for some other reason.

Seeing the boy's distraught appearance, Fu Hua's once-still Mind Lake was stirred, and she said softly:

"You wouldn't do this, Su Qing'an."

"This is my promise to you."

Su Qing'an did not respond to the question. He simply stroked the brass pendant gently with his fingers, as if feeling the lingering warmth on it.

He said:

"Would you like to come with me to see the sea?"

"It'll be ready in a minute, hua."

So she quietly sat down beside the boy.

The girl's loose trousers, soaked by the Seawater, outlined the firm curves and lines of her legs and hips, but the fairy, who usually cared about her appearance, paid no attention to these things at this moment. She seemed not to mind the possibility of being seen in a little bit of her spring scenery.

Whether it was out of trust in Su Qing'an or something else, it no longer mattered at this point.

The immortal looked ahead at the dawning light and softly replied:

"Good."