Still Going.

[Satou Yunona: Get ready! It's a treasure trove containing a horoscope guide, love predictions, and recommendations for the best places to visit around the world. It also comes with a mini coffee machine and a bag of delicious coffee beans (my favorite, hehe).]

Kiana couldn't help but secretly complain that the former did indeed have the gift-giving habits of a modern high school girl, but it was also undoubtedly mixed with the strange personal agenda of a CP leader.

Although the latter aligns with the store manager's preferences, even Yuno parentheses, Yuno could roughly guess what this person was thinking.

--Blatantly going to mooch coffee.

Although usually no reason is needed, this feeling of being justified is probably quite pleasant.

She continued watching the messages that kept popping up.

[Yae Rin: My sister and I made cherry blossom specimens and a jar of salted cherry blossoms. I wonder if my older brother will like them, (·-·*).]

[Yae Sakura: Mr. Su will definitely like it, because it's Rin's heartfelt wish, don't worry.]

Yae Rin is the shop manager's junior. Kiana remembers her as very cute, which left a deep impression on Kiana, who acquired her sensory abilities later in life.

Yae Sakura is the swordsmanship instructor at the St. Freya Academy and also Rin's older sister.

Because the two look very similar and are both beautiful girls, the white fluffy ball's sensors become more sensitive than usual when they stand together.

She typed a reply at that moment:

[Contact me for proxy gacha pulls, 10 pulls for 10 gold: Sure.]

[Raiden Mei: Hmm, giving Su Qing'an a gift is a bit of a dilemma. After all, he seems to have almost nothing and is rather indifferent to worldly desires. Although I've prepared a set of Swiss Diamond kitchenware and an antique sword that I've had for quite some time, I'm not sure if he'll like it.]

Kiana was very familiar with Mei's personality and family background, and the ancient sword that had been kept in Mei's house for a long time was too precious to be a birthday gift.

So, with this thought in mind, she typed and asked:

[Contact me for proxy gacha pulls, 10 pulls for 10 gold: Just wondering, Mei, does the sword you're planning to give away have a name?]

[Raiden Mei: Dōjigiri Yasutsuna.]

My hands trembled slightly as I typed.

Isn't that a bit too highbrow?

Looking at the ellipsis that had been repeated more than ten times in the group chat, Kiana decided not to investigate why the famous sword, which should be a national treasure and kept in the Tokyo National Museum, was in Mei's house.

It might be a fake?

Perhaps.

[Alloy Bronya: Honkai Divine Realm was released a few days ago, and everyone was very happy. I promised everyone in the world chat today that I would wish Xiao Su a happy birthday. Bronya even prepared a new motorcycle for Xiao Su, which will definitely be faster than his old one.]

The beginning part is very much in Bronya's style.

Kiana suspected that she had used the Alloy Armor Cloth Bronya account to bully other guilds.

But a motorcycle even faster than the Kawasaki H2R...

Did you buy a Dodge Tomahawk?

What's the point of having those land-based flying vehicles? There's practically nowhere in Shenzhou where they can operate.

[Seele Fulei: Seele is preparing a cake as a birthday present, and the other present is her promise to be her brother's bridesmaid. Oh, and everyone, don't be late, and remember to keep it a secret from your brother.]

Compared to her, Seele seems perfectly normal; this child truly is an angel.

I'll pick you up and lift you up high later.

[Murata Himeko: The car that came to pick him up today was his birthday present.]

Kiana was starting to suspect that the car she was about to get into would be strange, since Aunt Himeko's hobbies and interests almost always violated traffic regulations.

[Theresa: The Honkai Impact 3rd's Edition Comic Collection, the Most Complete HOMU Merchandise of 2020, Collect the Complete HOMU Badge Box, Hoomsland Centennial Pass from 2020 to 2120.]

The girl glanced at Theresa, who was leisurely putting away her phone. Putting aside the ridiculously overpriced century card and the inexplicably confident tone that the other person would like it, she was now beginning to wonder if Seele's surprise plan was about to fail.

[Nishikujo Sara: Permanent free health check-up package, including medical insurance.]

She glanced wistfully at the School Doctor who was nonchalantly scrolling through her phone. "Why are you like this, Teacher Shara?"

At this moment, Kiana had clearly forgotten one fact.

She herself was the culprit who initially stirred up the frenzy in the group chat, brought up the topic, and led the trend of people playing on their phones in front of Su Qing'an.

[Lin Xinchán: Bedtime Aromatherapy, <280 Days of Perfect Prenatal Education: 10 Minutes Daily>, Parenting Encyclopedia.]

It's still an advanced process.

... You're just as weird Yuno, junior.

[Shiyu Qiluo: I've prepared a song for Senior Su.]

Kiana recalled the child's performance at the freshman ceremony and felt a headache coming on. She thought it was better to just forget about it.

[Carole: I made an outfit.]

Although I finally received a more normal gift, I don't know why I feel a little uncomfortable with it.

[Kambara Yuu: Based on Sister Yunona's suggestion, I had a Kyo-Yuzen custom-made for Su-kun. He'll definitely look even better in women's clothing next time.]

Kambara Yuu is a first-year student. As a young lady who is even more detached from worldly affairs than Mei, her words are generally filled with innocence and sincerity.

Therefore, Kiana judged that this gift was probably not her own wicked sense of humor, but rather a result of some subtle bias in the external information she received.

The girl was silent for a moment. She unconsciously glanced at Su Qing'an, who was still browsing the couple's space next to her. She felt that the forum's homepage and Yuno's seduction seemed to have ruined his reputation in the outside world and added a lot of popular settings.

Immediately.

[Contact me for proxy gacha pulls, 10 pulls for 10 gold: You did a great job, you did a great job.]

She expressed her complete agreement without hesitation.

Then, while Kambara Yuu herself remained completely unaware of the nature of the gift, a group of group members began a harassing repetition of the lesson.

Clearly, the shopkeeper's cross-dressing faction remains one of the most popular groups at the St. Freya Academy, with only Theresa being the cutest in the world and Theresa's support group being able to rival them.

Kiana, with her sharp eyes, noticed Fu Hua's repetition and retraction in that instant. She thought that the Class President's mental state at that moment must have been extremely complex, probably experiencing intense turmoil, but quickly being swallowed up by her hypocritical mask.

The girl wouldn't allow herself to miss this raw and honest revelation; she wanted Fu Hua to confront her true self and inner self.

Kiana quickly took a screenshot, preserving this strange piece of evidence for future use.

After most of the people in the group chat had finished speaking, everyone started tagging the most crucial Fu Hua.

Unlike the other friends, the gifts given by Fu Hua, who is in a romantic relationship with him, are obviously more noteworthy.

[Fu Hua: I went back to Mount Taixu and picked up something as a gift along the way. Well, it's nothing special, a bit casual compared to everyone else's.]

Kiana instantly understood. "What do you mean, 'by the way'? I don't believe it."

It must have been a gift that was deliberately chosen to be picked up from their hometown; it's definitely something special.

So she skillfully began to stir the fire.

[Contact me for a proxy gacha pull, 10 pulls for 10 gold: Got it, it's part of the dowry.]

[Fu Hua:?]

This simple question mark seemed to contain all the myriad things in the world, making the white-haired ball of fur feel as if it were facing a formidable enemy. Almost instantly, she imagined the horrific scene of her Inch-Punch: Skull Splitter during a martial arts class.

She thought for a long time—meaning half a second—before choosing to follow her heart and pressing the undo button.

Su Qing'an took a picture of Kiana's colorful expressions and posted it in the group chat, which almost immediately received a flood of responses.

The group chat is named [St. Freya Kindergarten], and it's a small group with very few members.

He doesn't participate in group chats much; he's a lurker who's become accustomed to being invisible.

But once he appears, he receives a strangely enthusiastic welcome. By the way, just look at the reaction of Kiana's current group chat to Su Qing'an's birthday, and you can see that he is very popular in various ways at the St. Freya Academy.

He clearly had almost no social circle and very few conversations or interactions with people, yet somehow it turned into this strange situation.

Perhaps this is what they mean by "good looks can overcome anything."

Su Qing'an himself was unaware of this. He ignored the white fur ball next to him whose gaze turned fierce after noticing the group chat, and clicked to save the emoticon that Bronya had made using this photo, feeling somewhat happy.

The boy then stopped reading the trivial words and inexplicable repetitions in the group chat and opened his chat window with Fu Hua.

Then, I discovered that the other person's profile picture was a photo of myself.

I feel inexplicably ashamed.

Fortunately, he naturally has a rather indifferent expression, so Himeko, who is very close to him, is not easily noticed.

Su Qing'an's profile picture is a photo of Fu Hua.

She crouched on the ground, holding a cat, only half of her face visible in the camera's view. Her blue eyes, filled with a smile, gazed at the camera, appearing serene in the sunlight, like a forest reflected in a lake.

Did he take the photo?

The boy searched his memory for this moment before belatedly realizing that it happened on a day when she came to the coffee shop looking for him in the morning.

The details in my memory are becoming clearer, like a plank slowly floating up from the deep sea.

The cat was a stray that lived nearby. It seemed to have gotten used to coming here at fixed times to freeload, and the owner would even pick it up and give it a bath when he was bored.

Every word spoken that day, the intertwined breaths and warmth while petting the cat, the delicate curve of her fingers sinking into the fur, the sunflower in the center of her hoodie, the dappled sunlight at the bar—it all seems like it happened just yesterday.

Compared to this clarity, the previous vagueness of memory seems like a non-existent illusion.

He typed and sent the message:

Are you still on Mount Taixu?

She responded:

We'll arrive in Canghai City today.

Su Qing'an glanced at the teachers nearby and continued to ask:

Should I come pick you up?

Fu Hua said:

[Need not.]

Okay, see you then.

[Good.]

The dialogue is complete, and the exchange has ended.

Their communication was always concise and to the point. If Fu Hua and Su Qing'an had actually formed a romantic relationship in the previous timeline, this would have been the atmosphere and way they communicated.

Fu Hua Previous Civilization.

The Shenzhou Immortal Chi Yuan, who had survived the Finality battle, slept for ten thousand years, and had always protected the people of China, would naturally become habitually indifferent and aloof.

Therefore, compared to the Young Hua and innocent Immortal Chi Yuan directly would quickly lead to a bland and uneventful relationship, like that of an old married couple.

The Fu Hua in the dream is somewhere in between, possessing an extremely girlish and naive quality while also having a very calm personality.

The illusion pieced together by the Herrscher of Consciousness was entirely genuine. It was essentially a result naturally shaped from the boy's subconscious and memories, further enhanced and corrected by his powers. Everything was so real that it was as if he had truly arrived in this world where Honkai did not exist.

Compared to the illusion he experienced in the initial Changkong City when he was caught up in the creation of the Pseudo-Herrscher, this illusion is far more dangerous, capable of overturning one's understanding and life itself.

If one remains trapped in this state for a long time, the consciousness that governs the Soul Essence will gradually perish, causing the soul's light to dissipate and life to end.

Just as Su Muxi had thought at the time.

Su Qing'an was already very, very tired. The reason he had fallen to the point where his sword heart was barely maintained was not only due to the heavy blows themselves, but also because of the frequency of wear and tear he suffered.

The burdens of reality and repeated unexpected events always return after a short rest. The scars in one's heart never fully heal but instead accumulate new cracks and despair, which will naturally lead to this kind of ending in the long run.

Time is a great healer; at the very least, it can gradually make the pain less vivid and less unbearable to look at.

Perhaps... taking a break here is a good option.

But whether one can be pulled out of such a beautiful dream seems to be no easy task.

At least, even if all the true memories that belong to oneself are restored.

What kind of ending someone who has experienced such suffering will ultimately choose remains to be seen.

This is true for Su Qing'an, and even more so for the general public who have been filtered out by Honkai multiple times.

For most people, there is no hope or future in such a world.

Is it a choice to struggle in the fear and despair of dying unexpectedly at any moment, or to indulge in a long and beautiful dream, or even a question that can be answered without much thought?

This may seem ridiculous, but when you consider the ending of the original timeline, the latter truly represents the most illusory yet most beautiful happiness and death that most humans can grasp.

Reality is just that absurd and ridiculous.

The path of resistance is destined to be filled with choices and perseverance.

Time passed second by second in the outside world, and countless people, including the boy, were immersed in this grand dream, peacefully falling into the boundless realm.

Only those humans who are truly like Moth to Fire are still desperately searching for ways to cope with the current dire situation.

Prayer is useless.

He will eventually have to take up his own sword and knife to face the long night when the campfire has gone out.

Step by step, we walk toward divinity.