Su Qing'an Was Powerless

We met, yet we didn't know we'd met before.

But compared to this fact, the rest of the current situation is the real culprit behind the sorrow.

Although the boy felt a fleeting surge of joy, he was overwhelmed by a profound sadness.

Aside from calling out the other person's surname directly, Su Qing'an did not reveal any clues or unusual behavior that indicated he knew the other person beforehand.

Satou Yunona herself didn't notice anything amiss.

The reason is that although Su Qing'an was standing on the podium as a teacher, looked very young, her indifferent expression and the distance between them made her a little nervous. As a result, the thoughts of shipping couples and watching the show in her mind slowly disappeared as the other party spoke in the empty classroom.

Even if she later realizes something is wrong with being called by her surname, she will likely attribute it to other reasons.

Satou Yunona introduced herself:

"I'm Satou Yunona Class 5, Grade 1. Nice to meet you."

Su Qing'an naturally had no idea of this person's original motive for coming.

He had no idea that Yuno would be Fu Hua's roommate, let alone dig into the underlying reasons.

In the boy's eyes, the way the girl carried in a bucket of tools showed that she genuinely wanted to study the elective course.

Then I can only focus on my studies.

In fact, Satou Yunona was indeed interested in art electives; otherwise, she would have had little chance of noticing Su Qing'an, who was lurking in the corner.

As a popular elective course, the other art teachers' classes were almost always packed, but the newcomer Su Qing'an was completely unknown, leaving the classroom empty and making the girl secretly regret that she had come today.

In a few days, Teacher Su's appearance will attract a large crowd of onlookers, and satisfying my curiosity then will be much easier than it is now.

But her daydreaming was quickly interrupted; with only one teacher and one student, this one-on-one format was obviously less likely to cause her to lose focus.

Su Qing'an's melodious words seemed to be infused with a mysterious power, and the girl gradually became immersed in the rhythm and meaning of his words, as if a vast ocean was directly enveloping her and pushing her to an unknown distance.

This caused all the lingering thoughts that Satou Yunona had at the beginning to vanish as the course started.

A wonderfully smooth feeling washed over me.

Unconsciously, I followed his thoughts, unconsciously picked up my pen, and unconsciously remembered every word and meaning he said.

Before I knew it, the class was coming to an end.

Satou Yunona had never taken such a strange class before; the passage of time was so silent and imperceptible in the subtle interplay of ink and brush.

This is not due to superior teaching ability or skill, or rather, these are only a small part of the factors.

The real reason lies in that overwhelming personal charisma.

You can't lose focus in front of him; it's as if this isn't a normal art class, but rather a flight to the sea of truth.

No one can choose to refuse to learn on this flight.

This is far more effective than tying you to the top of the Eiffel Tower in the freezing wind, cutting the rope that's holding your entire weight while making you memorize English words.

Because you weren't forced into it, but rather you were fully and naturally engaged.

That would allow them to unleash potential they don't normally possess.

"Get out of class is over, Sato."

The boy's tidying of his lesson plans, mixed with his soft voice, prompted the girl to respond instinctively. Then she saw his back as he walked out the door.

Teacher Su... is surprisingly aloof.

The primary label for Hua's boyfriend has been removed by Satou Yunona, and placed after his identity as a teacher.

The lesson was so memorable that it completely overwhelmed her original curiosity and ulterior motives.

After a moment of stunned silence, the girl began to tidy up the tools that had been accidentally scattered.

After bending down to pick them up, Satou Yunona looked up and saw the original, snow-white canvas.

The image above depicts a girl sitting in what appears to be a café, examining her coffee. Sunlight falls on her beautiful face, only accentuating the melancholy hidden beneath her faint smile.

The painting depicts herself.

Throughout the lesson, Satou Yunona meticulously imitated Su Qing'an's every stroke, resulting in this painting.

Satou Yunona's feelings were complicated, and she whispered:

"Did I draw this?"

She does have a certain level of artistic skill, but she didn't have this level before.

Moreover, this was done without a complete frame of reference or any mental composition, simply by mimicking the other person's brushstrokes.

It was as if invisible hands were holding the paintbrush with her, correcting all the crooked paths and tuning them onto the same wavelength.

That's why it flows so smoothly and logically.

The girl wrapped a scarf around most of her face and neck, her lips, hidden inside, moving slightly.

"What an incredible teacher..."

She carefully put the painting away, then picked up her tools and walked to the front of the classroom.

The blackboard had already been pulled back by Su Qing'an, and what came into her view was a huge canvas.

The vibrant and exquisite colors and delicate brushstrokes depict the exact same scene.

The dazzling golden sunlight; the realistic backdrop of the café; the intricate details of the girl's unidentified school uniform; the subtle melancholy hidden in her smile; the color and curve of her lips; the slightly dim emerald eyes beneath her long eyelashes; the purple strands of hair falling onto her slender, fair wrists...

What a nice view.

Perhaps this feeling might seem like self-praise, given that the teacher used herself as a model for the drawing, but it was Satou Yunona's first thought.

In those captivating strokes of her brush, it's as if she's looking at Satou Yunona from another time and space.

Resilient yet fragile, lonely yet sorrowful.

A scene that she instinctively felt matched suddenly flashed through the girl's mind.

In the desolate ruins, her bones were shattered, her blood drained, and she walked towards the gates of hell, treading on thorns and Abyss Flower.

But then someone inexplicably overturned the deepest hell, and so she took the opportunity to reach out and grab that hopeless future.

Thus, they were reborn from the ashes.

This is an intense emotion that cannot be conveyed by a single painting.

That's strange.

Because it was so vivid, the intense empathy left Satou Yunona standing there for a long time, unable to recover.

After she fully regained consciousness, a wistful smile appeared on her face.

Teacher Su is truly a remarkable person.

It's as if there's another version of myself who's very familiar with him.

He was so familiar with the subject that he incorporated all the relevant elements into the painting.

That's... utter nonsense.

Satou Yunona smiled, shook off her thoughts, and chose to leave.

Before leaving, the girl took a picture of the painting with her phone.

She then pulled the blackboard back to its original position, obscuring all the scenery.

To the very end, Satou Yunona failed to notice that her name was clearly written in the lower left corner of the scroll.

Su Qing'an cheated.

From the perspective of the course results, cheating was surprisingly effective.

The boy succeeded for the first time without using "power" as a medium that indirectly utilizes the Soul Essence. Instead, he used the pure Soul Essence to create an atmosphere between himself and Satou Yunona, maximizing his learning efficiency.

The same is true of that painting.

It is not infused with one's own Martial Intent, but with emotions integrated through the bridge of the Soul Essence.

The more Su Qing'an understood Satou Yunona, the more his paintings of Satou Yunona captured her essence.

He himself probably didn't realize that the reason he chose to draw Satou Yunona from that period was partly because he believed that only someone like her was more suited to live in that era.

Su Qing'an saw in her the Satou Yunona before the Honkai.

Every detail of their actions, every word, and every smile conveyed the same warmth.

So... reincarnation really does exist.

After meeting Lin Xinchán and Seele, Su Qing'an gradually became certain that this strange phenomenon was not the only case, but she still couldn't determine the essence of this phenomenon.

Because he wasn't very familiar with Lin Xinchán, and he had never directly met Seele from that era.

Satou Yunona one of Su Qing'an's few friends, and she was the only one he was absolutely certain was the one.

It was not a coincidence, nor was it an accident.

It's not just a matter of similar appearances, nor is it simply a repetition of names.

She was Satou Yunona, whom Su Qing'an had once known.

If everyone's soul possesses a unique aura, then that should explain why Su Qing'an received such an unwavering answer at first glance.

As his Soul Essence grew stronger, he had instinctively memorized these unique auras from his past interactions with those people.

Therefore, Su Qing'an felt sad that even her subconscious doubts did not exist, because the answer was already certain without any verification.

"What should I do?" the boy murmured to himself.

Just like before in Changkong City, he still couldn't save her family.

Su Qing'an would witness firsthand the growing despair in her eyes after seeing the world's broken state.

At that time, the unventable hatred in the girl's chest will be the greatest torment of the rest of her life.

How long did the total war between the Previous Civilization and the Honkai last in the original timeline?

According to records at the St. Freya Academy, it is highly likely that after the complete outbreak of the Third Honkai Outbreak, humanity will be utterly defeated in less than twenty years, leaving the only hope of victory to be placed on the next civilization.

Su Qing'an gripped the pendant in her pocket tightly, her gaze icy.

Perhaps dying early from Honkai Infection is the easiest fate.

Having the talent to survive but lacking the qualifications to seek revenge against the Honkai —this state of being suspended in mid-air, empty and powerless, is the most painful and desperate.

He himself knows this best.

Even if Satou Yunona could become Pseudo-Herrscher like her 55,000 years later, and even be able to perfectly control this power, the despair and sorrow she experienced would not be reduced in the slightest.

At that time, she was accepted by the St. Freya Academy, which had the best atmosphere, and the six months that allowed her to heal her inner wounds stabilized the resentment that remained in her temperament.

However, in Previous Civilization, there would be absolutely no room for maneuver.

"The result is... there's nothing we can do but temporarily pin our hopes on the fact that she won't be chosen by the Will of Honkai to become Pseudo-Herrscher this time."

Su Qing'an couldn't guarantee whether Satou Yunona could withstand the erosion of the Will of Honkai again, and if things progressed to an irreversible point...

His hand, resting on the doorknob, trembled slightly; even his usually composed State of Still Water seemed unable to suppress the shudder caused by the fear that emanated from his very being.

Finally, Su Qing'an closed her eyes.

The boy suppressed his turbulent emotions and silently arrived at the only answer.

By then, Satou Yunona would no longer be Satou Yunona.

He could only...

Those three seemingly light words struck my heart like a heavy hammer.

He stood helplessly at his doorstep, remaining silent for a long time.

Take a deep breath, Sword Heart Technique.

All those things that had once made Su Qing'an so successful and allowed her to control her emotions time and time again had lost their effectiveness.

Even now, he still displays indecisiveness and foolishness in matters like these.

What finally pulled Su Qing'an out of this state was the door that was opened from the inside.

It's Seele.

Her expression was indifferent, with only a hint of worry visible in her dark blue eyes.

The little girl didn't say a word; she simply tugged at the boy's sleeve and pulled him into the living room.

Su Qing'an watched the way the small, delicate hand was twisting the fabric, and then noticed Seele's reaction.

The gloom on the boy's face dissipated, and he revealed a faint smile.

I'm fine.

He was just about to say that.

"Don't tell me you're fine," she glanced at him, interrupting Su Qing'an's prepared words.

Seele gestured for the boy to take off his shoes, and then handed him a pair of slippers after he obediently did so.

How long Su Qing'an stood outside the door? She stood on tiptoe and looked through the peephole for just as long.

However, Seele didn't want to say these things directly. She felt embarrassed to have been watching Su Qing'an so foolishly for so long and then revealing them to others.

There's only one reason why they let him stand there for so long.

That is, Seele felt that Su Qing'an needed time to calm down and be alone. In her mind, this was the same as when she was a child and had a lot of blood drawn from her, and she would cry silently in her blanket.

Everyone needs their own space to vent, but when she was little, Seele chose to vent by crying quietly, while Su Qing'an chose to stand still and remain silent.

But Seele broke his silence because his condition hadn't improved over time; in fact, it seemed worse.

The boy placed the lesson plan on the living room table, thought for a moment, but still didn't say anything.

It is selfish to confide your worries and stress to this child.

Having just escaped that world, Su Qing'an has always strived to maintain a state of silence, avoiding any topics that might bring up those issues.

Bearing all the mental burdens alone is something the boy is used to doing; back in his time at the St. Freya Academy, he hid everything very well.

This time, however, luck wasn't on their side.

But it's okay, just like before.

Su Qing'an was still able to face all of this on her own.