Compared to Yu Xuanji, I Preferred Oda Nobunaga.

The boy sat on a stone bench in the woods, surrounded by cherry blossom trees that Kambara Shuichi had specially planted for Kambara Yuu.

A breeze stirred a corner of the books on the stone table, causing pink and white petals to fall softly.

After discussing some details of the ritual yesterday, Kambara Shuichi asked the two of them to spend some time talking with Kambara Yuu.

"Xiao Xi is a child who is used to being alone. Even if you leave her alone, she can look at a cherry blossom or a leaf for a very long time, but I know she will still feel lonely."

"If possible, could you two spend some time chatting with her occasionally? She's very curious about the outside world, and hearing different answers from different people will make her very happy."

Faced with the expression on Kambara Shuichi when he uttered those words, the two had absolutely no room to refuse.

That was a father's concern for his daughter.

Both Su Qing'an and Satou Yunona's experiences and personalities determined that they would not refuse.

So, the current situation is that Satou Yunona went to the shrine where the ritual was held to use her powers to arrange some things, while Su Qing'an, who was free, was talking to Kambara Yuu.

"Who is Ms. Kanbara's favorite poet from Shenzhou?" he asked.

Actually, he could roughly guess Kambara Yuu's answer when he asked the question. Generally, girls only like a few Shenzhou poets.

Because the stories that exist in the past are more moving than poems.

The girl sat upright, seemingly still somewhat uneasy in front of Su Qing'an even after a day together. But upon hearing his question, Kambara Yuu's eyes seemed to brighten, and after a moment's hesitation, she replied:

"... Yu Xuanji."

That expression is so easy to understand.

She has a personality that isn't overly shy when it comes to things she likes.

"Does Ms. Kanbara like stories with a touch of regret?" Su Qing'an asked.

"Huh?" The girl tilted her head, as if confused as to why Su Qing'an would say that.

Someone once said this...

Everyone knows Li Qingzhao, but no one remembers me, Yu Xuanji.

In terms of fame alone, Li Qingzhao is far more famous than Yu Xuanji.

Unlike Li Qingzhao, who came from a prestigious family, Yu Xuanji, being an ordinary person, had such faint traces and clues left by history that she felt a sense of ethereal emptiness.

It's impossible to tell what's true or false, or what's real and what's fake.

All that is known is that the woman left behind an unpleasant and regretful story in this world.

People dislike regrets, and seeing such a life full of regrets naturally evokes feelings of sympathy, so it's normal to develop a liking for her because of it.

"I guess so... Does Su-kun really think there's anything in this world that's perfect? There's always some regret, more or less."

"So regret is never an unacceptable ending, but regret should be beautiful. Even if that poet really died that way, I still think her life wasn't so bad."

Kambara Yuu picked up a petal from the stone table, watching intently as the cherry blossoms swirled and fell, a smile spreading across her face.

This is what the girl, who was imprisoned for ten years and treated like food by Living Doll, said.

Su Qing'an thought to herself, "So all that memorizing three hundred Tang poems was useless? You should have just told me to talk about life and ideals earlier, and I would have bragged to you."

Although I don't like to talk much, if I really wanted to, fooling a 15-year-old girl like you would be a piece of cake, right?

He complained like this, but when Su Qing'an actually tried to speak, he found himself speechless for a moment.

What can you say?

For the girl, Kambara Yuu, even an ending like Yu Xuanji's could be considered a happy ending.

Yu Xuanji gained nothing—nothing but love, nothing else; even her death was not a peaceful passing.

Her life is not recorded in official histories, because she was not an official or prominent figure, and official historical records could not leave behind a single word about her.

Yet, Yu Xuanji ultimately became a legend.

As Kambara Yuu said, perhaps this isn't too bad.

And what about Kambara Yuu Yu?

If Kambara Yuu dies, and if Kambara Shuichi also dies, how many people in this world will still remember her?

Such a blank life.

In this way, one gains nothing and experiences very little of the good things in life.

Su Qing'an thought that if Kambara Yuu died like this, the regret would certainly not be pleasant.

People really are like that—they like things, they hate things, and they regret things.

Just as Su Qing'an was about to awkwardly offer her some comfort, the girl continued:

"Actually, I prefer Oda Nobunaga to Yu Xuanji."

Su Qing'an was stunned. He thought, "Your tastes are way off. From Shenzhou poets to Japanese warlords, the style is completely wrong, okay?"

"Why? Is it because Oda Nobunaga was a hero?" he asked.

"Because Dad likes him a lot, so I like him too."

The reason given by Kambara Yuu was so simple and clear that it was impossible to refute.

Yes, do children need a reason to like something? They only need to know that they want it.

Moreover, liking someone is sometimes an irrefutable reason, and the girl showed such an innocent and adorable side.

She continued:

"My father always said that even a hero like Oda Nobunaga would eventually meet his end, and that's precisely why he's so unforgettable."

"That's also because of the regret."

"Did Ms. Kanbara go to festivals when she was a child?"

Su Qing'an abruptly steered the conversation in another direction. He thought to himself that he was really bad at conversation, managing to make a heavy conversation about historical figures with a young girl.

"I've been there. That mother is still there; our whole family went together."

"The goldfish were cute, and the fireworks were beautiful, but my mom said that children shouldn't eat too much candy or their teeth would rot, so she wouldn't let me eat konpeito (Japanese candy), which made me a little unhappy at the time."

Damn it. Why do I always seem to make a mistake with the things I casually suggest?

Su Qing'an suddenly realized that it was a mistake for Kambara Shuichi to ask her to chat, as her own chatting skills were really terrible.

This kind of thing is better left to Mei or Himeko.

But Kambara Yuu's memory is just too good. That was at least five years ago, so why can she still easily recall the details of that day ten years later?

It's as if this girl is desperately clinging to the few remaining moments in her memory, whether it's her mother's smiling face or the fireworks that day; she's extremely unwilling to forget them.

And she really didn't forget.

The way she said this was like a child counting their few toys, so joyful and innocent.

Su Qing'an felt a pang of sadness. He thought that Kambara Yuu was trapped in this cage, but wasn't he, brought to this world by the gods, also trapped in one? So he suddenly wanted to make this girl happier, and he said:

"What I mean is, soon Mr. Kambara will be able to take you to festivals again. You can go to Tokyo Tower, Sky Tree, the zoo, the aquarium, and visit the former residences of poets in Shenzhou. The outside world is wonderful, with many things better than fireworks."

Kambara Yuu placed the petal she had picked up in her palm, letting it drift away on the wind. The girl smiled as she looked at the petals dancing in the air and said to Su Qing'an:

"I know, the day after tomorrow is the Day of Sacrifice."

"... Do you know why Yuno and I came here?"

Su Qing'an realized what Kambara Yuu meant by those words.

He and Satou Yunona had always subconsciously assumed that such an innocent girl would know nothing, but the truth was quite the opposite.

"Yes, apart from the reason for the Living Doll, Dad won't bring anyone else to the house." Kambara Yuu glanced at him and nodded as if it were a matter of course.

"When I was five years old and trapped at home, my father told me that the fate of the Kambara Family had always been like this. But he would stroke my hair to reassure me and say that fate was something that was meant to be trampled underfoot."

This is really quite childish, like a hot-blooded protagonist from an anime, but Su Qing'an could clearly imagine the Kambara Shuichi when he said this, and it would definitely not be a funny expression.

"Even Living Doll can't hurt me before it steps over its own corpse," he said sadly. "Grandpa's death will be the last. If Kambara Family has to die, it will only be him."

"So from that day on, I thought I would cherish every day I spent with him. But ten years really goes by so fast, and now that day is not far away."

Su Qing'an listened to the girl's slow narration in silence.

He realized he had underestimated the man's determination. From the very beginning, Kambara Shuichi understood how difficult it was to defeat the Living Doll. He knew he was likely to die that day, so he told Kambara Yuu the truth directly.

While loving his daughter, Kambara Shuichi also respected her. If his death was unavoidable, rather than letting the fairy tale be shattered by the reality of that day, he would rather tell her the truth from the beginning.

And Kambara Yuu did not disappoint Kambara Shuichi's expectations.

For the past ten years, she has been silently counting down the days of her own and her father's lives almost every day. No one can imagine how deeply ingrained the fear she felt when facing the pressure of life and death must have been.

But she spoke of these things with such nonchalance, as if nothing of it mattered.

But in Su Qing'an's eyes, this seemed more like a stubborn and proud statement that as a father, Kambara Shuichi such a resilient man, how could she, as his daughter, show any fear?

"We will kill the Living Doll for you and Mr. Shinbara; it's an agreement," Su Qing'an said.

"Yes, thank you, Su-kun." Kambara Yuu smiled as she looked at the boy who spoke so lightly amidst the swirling cherry blossoms.

Only those who truly know the boy will understand the weight of this promise.

This means that when necessary, Su Qing'an would not hesitate to accelerate the burning of his life force to control the Stigmata and elevate his combat power to a level he had never set foot in before.

The way the father and daughter, Kambara Yuu and Kambara Shuichi, suppressed their fear and struggled with all their might while calmly accepting their fate made Su Qing'an want to help them break free from that so-called destiny.

Fate?

Perhaps, as Kambara Shuichi said, these kinds of things are born to be trampled underfoot.

This time, Su Qing'an finally saw the cherry blossoms in April, and it was indeed a very beautiful sight.

He should thank Kambara Shuichi.

Therefore, before he has accumulated enough power to break free from the shackles binding him, it is not bad that he can also help the Kambara Family sever the fate that binds them.