EP1: The Happiness I Want

Foreword:

Love cannot be expressed in words; it can only be expressed through life, through the entirety of life.

Leo Tolstoy | War and Peace

[Part 1: The Fist of the Living]

Hasben Madison, a serviceman, after making a video call to his fellow disciples to let them know he was safe, was about to undergo a basic elemental test to assess the concentration of Spirit Calamity, surrounded by medical and rescue teams and militia from Forty-One District.

The battle is over, but not entirely. There is still a lot of cleanup work to be done, waiting for the second-line combat teams to analyze and trace the source in order to find the whereabouts of other Immortals.

"The teacher's fist is amazing."

Hasben said this to Robert Tang Ning on the video call.

"I think I understand what you're talking about now."

In the office, Tang Ning, with a flippant grin, said to his somewhat immature junior colleague, who was even a little older than him, "That matter? What matter? You'd better explain yourself clearly!"

Hasben touched his nose, feeling somewhat unconvinced. He seemed to still remember the last time his senior brother tricked him into forcibly kissing the Big Sister, which resulted in him getting shot.

"It's Masha, Masha Stuart."

Robert Tang Ning's expression changed, gradually becoming serious. "Oh."

Hasben recounted his experiences on the trip in detail.

"When I came to Forty-One District, I met many brothers and sisters. They all called themselves students of the gunsmith, and regarded me as their role model and senior."

"When I heard the gunsmith's Summoning Bell, I immediately set off and was the first to arrive at the battlefield, only to almost lose my life."

"I was hung on the wall by the enemy, steel nails were driven into my limbs, and I became a painting."

Robert Tang Ning scoffed, "Their taste is pretty good! They have a real artistic flair!"

"Hey!" Hasben suppressed a laugh, then urged his senior to be more serious, "That's not important. The teacher arrived just in time."

Robert Tang Ning immediately exclaimed, "He's going to wreak havoc!"

"It's not like that," Hasben said, frowning. "He's not as fast and ruthless as before, but he's not much slower either. He's injured—I haven't seen his scars for a long, long time. I mistakenly thought he was a god who didn't bleed."

"Ah," Robert Tang Ning paused for a moment, looking surprised.

In the past two years, the gunsmith has rarely been involved in JoeStar's affairs. He has been busy taking care of his child, fishing, and making weapons. Apart from outrageous special missions like the one in Shinto City, his real record of fighting to the death against cultists is still more than a dozen months ago.

For Tang Ning, her teacher always brought news of victory.

With the existence of this miraculous Universal Elixir, the nameless hero always returned to the station refreshed and radiant. This led people to mistakenly believe that the mission was easy and simple, adding a touch of divinity to the description of the gunsmith.

"Have you seen the mission briefing?" Hasben asked Tang Ning. "What do you know about this kid, Mali Pero?"

Tang Ning immediately became serious. "I've seen them all."

Hasben: "The teacher didn't kill him."

Tang Ning: "Ah"

Hasben: "When he challenged me to a duel, my teacher told me, 'This kid wants to commit suicide; he has a strong urge to self-destruct.'"

Tang Ning: "Most monsters, when they reach a dead end, will have this kind of face and this kind of character."

Hasben: "No, Robert, you weren't there, you can't feel their spiritual pressure, you don't know what happened, you don't have their experience. It's really complicated."

Tang Ning: "Then tell me slowly."

"Under Pellegrini's influence, the boy's parents conspired to kill his younger brother," Hasben recounted, offering his perspective as an observer. "That was his childhood playmate, his blood relative, his closest brother. His childhood dreams were gone, vanished."

"Pellegrini turned him into Blood-giving Monster, manipulated his body, and devoured Yukiko Haruta. This was his youth, the first time he tried to struggle to break free from the chains of fate, to build his own family, and to pursue beautiful love. But it was all gone, vanished."

"To put Pellegrini at ease, he killed Claire Wolf, the dissolute cheerleader of the Zebra Power Team. This was his adulthood; he had come to terms with reality, had a beautiful girlfriend, a job, and considered jousting his passion, unrelated to love or ideals. In the end, that was it too; he disappeared."

"From beginning to end, this little guy only had a few paths to choose from. Like every disillusioned young person, he was being shaped by society, either becoming a lamb or a wolf."

"Mr. Jason Megan pointed out Pellegrini's area of activity to the teacher, but that was far from enough. It only pinpointed the route of the food truck; catching this cunning eagle was far too difficult."

"Mali Pero helped us out with a single, decisive move, sending the teacher to Pellegrini's side and ending this painful and frustrating cat-and-mouse game ahead of time."

"Even if Ming De were here, he wouldn't be able to bear hearing such a story—because Pellegrini, the mastermind, is still alive, so how could it be Mali Pero's turn to go to the underworld to atone for his sins?"

Tang Ning remained silent, but when she heard that the little guy had lost two companions, a look of bewilderment and anxiety, as if she shared his misfortune, appeared on her face.

Hohnheim's metaphysical theory also indirectly confirms a very ambiguous topic: love and sex are inseparable.

--This guy lost his spiritual companion and his physical partner. Once it was passive, once it was active.

The death of Little Groba almost shattered his very soul. For an ordinary person, this would be a psychological shadow that is difficult to shake off for a lifetime. It is an indelible mark engraved in the soul, and this kind of pain will accompany them for life.

"That's why I say, the teacher's fist is magical." Hasben's Chinese vocabulary was pitifully small, so he had to switch to English to communicate with his senior. "When I was hanging on the wall, the teacher gently patted my face, and I immediately fell into a deep sleep—although it was only for a few seconds. It seemed that the teacher also noticed that the Fragrant Dream had worked."

"At that moment, the teacher's appearance suddenly became psychedelic."

Hasben described it awkwardly, his expression turning strange.

"I don't understand how he turned into Glory. I had heard before that Fragrant Dream's superpower was to make people dream, to create the most beautiful dream in the world. This was information that only the Nameless's inner circle knew, but when I saw it with my own eyes, I just felt it was absurd."

"Could it be that deep down, I've always wanted to connect Glory with my mentor? Why would that be?"

"But this Big Sister helped my weak body down from the wall, and I felt warmth, peace, and an indescribable tranquility."

"I never dared to joke with her again; any abrupt proposals or declarations of love were nothing but irrational fantasies."

"A heavy stone had been weighing on my heart for a long time, and it has finally been removed at this moment."

"Since Fragrant Dream are so powerful that they can grant my wishes, why is it this kind of dream?"

"Why doesn't it send me to a church so that Glory and I can be together forever, so that I can have children and hold her tightly in my arms!"

"Why? Why turn the gunsmith teacher into Glory? Why?"

"Later I came to terms with it and realized it wasn't so bad. At least I won't offend her, hurt her, or be hurt by her anymore."

"Later, we repaired our equipment together, healed our wounds, and prepared to clean up the battlefield to continue the pursuit of Pellegrini."

"I immediately felt happy and just wanted to seize every second. My chaotic mind, which had seemed on the verge of death, suddenly cleared up, and I no longer hesitated."

"I finally understand that the teacher's fist has the same effect both in and out of the ring."

"It can bring the dead back to life."

"The teacher's punches are very clean, and his moves are precise and methodical. It always makes me feel that I can gradually adapt and learn, and maybe in the next sparring session, I can defeat him and become a very powerful warrior. I won't give up; there will always be a chance to seize victory."

"The power of Fragrant Dream might really be as Mali Pero said: it can turn monsters into humans— Ming De was once a monster too, as the teacher once said—good cats are more human than Homo sapiens."

"No matter when--"

"To be happy, one must believe that one is capable of achieving happiness!"

Tang Ning: "If I record this, your master's wife will kill you ten or eight times over."

Hasben: "Hahahahahaha."

Tang Ning: "So? What does this have to do with Masha?"

"I've witnessed Maddes's madness," Hasben described. "This candidate for Lord of Cinder has become paranoid and insane, willing to do anything for his servants and his own fantasies. I've heard Jason's story; in the perilous underworld, we can lose the people most important to us at any time—even in the mortal world, Red Sister lost her husband before she even became a passenger."

"My teacher's wife also went through a period of hardship; she was once a criminal. It's truly remarkable that she was able to find happiness with such an upright and honest man as my gunsmith teacher."

"You kept arguing with me, telling me how important Masha Stuart in my dreams was. You were willing to let me get shot a few times and send me to the ICU to prove it."

Tang Ning whistled, pretending to admire the scenery.

Hasben continued, "I think I understand how you feel now. I no longer want to make fun of this so easily—in this life, how many people don't even understand what they want? After seeing Fragrant Dream, I realized how wonderful that feeling is. As for national sentiment and great achievements, they require countless people to accomplish them through the great power of collective karma. Not just for me, for ordinary people, finding a Glory and carrying out a mission with her is already a fantastic experience."

Tang Ning immediately launched into a tasteless joke, "Don't even think about competing with me for a seat in the internet cafe!"

"I didn't mean that." Hasben rolled his eyes.

So Tang Ning asked seriously, "What do you think will be Mali Pero's ending?"

"This should only be the beginning." The light from the sanatorium shone into Hasben's eyes, illuminating his red hair. "The journey has just begun."

[Part ②: The Long Journey]

The train is heading to a farther place.

--The unfamiliar streetscape of Nagaizumi Town made Mali Pero uneasy.

He watched as Yukiko pushed her luggage, struggling past the Japanese restaurant, and walked to the kindergarten. Just as she started talking about the history of the kindergarten and her own childhood stories, the terrain became steep and rapid. He quickly grabbed Yukiko's suitcase, and the two of them headed towards the old house together.

"My maternal grandmother lives here. My parents would come back to visit her when I was little."

Yukiko held up an umbrella to shield Mali from the sun.

The summer sea breeze blows from the ferry terminal all the way down the long street, carrying a salty smell.

"Now that my grandma is gone, I come back to visit her alone during summer vacation. I don't keep in touch with my elementary school sisters much anymore, and our relationship has faded!"

Mali Pero followed Yukiko as they walked, curiously observing the foreign street scenes, and casually asked a question.

Do you care about these people?

"Of course!" Yukiko exclaimed loudly, like a carefree tomboy. "If we don't keep in touch, aren't we just like strangers? Friends should always look out for each other!"

It was only a few dozen meters away. After passing a law firm, in front of a detached house built on a raised platform, Yukiko asked Mali to help her carry her luggage up the stone platform. It was quite a struggle to get inside.

As she struggled to open the door to the old house, she pushed Mali into the house.

"The most troublesome thing about living in Mishima City is that all the houses have to be built very tall."

Mali crouched down and squeezed into the entryway, deliberately avoiding the small pavilion in the corridor where clothes were dried in the sunlight, afraid that the box would bump into the door frame, and casually asked.

"Why?"

"Hey!" Yukiko patted Mali's head as if he were an idiot. "If we don't build it taller, a typhoon or a tsunami will hit! The whole house will be destroyed!"

Before Mali Pero could even sit down and have a drink of water after putting down his luggage, Yukiko immediately pulled the boy towards the outside.

"It's getting late! Don't sit any longer, let's catch our train!"

"Where to?" Mali closed the door and told Yukiko to pull him out onto the street, where they sped off.

The two ran, sprinting down the steep, rapid slope towards the sea. The sweltering heat made Mali squint, yet he tried desperately to open his eyes and memorize every scene.

Yukiko finally crossed the green light on the seaside road and arrived in Futaba-cho, Numazu. Leaning against the railing by the green belt, she began to gasp for breath.

"Hahahaha! Whoosh! Hahahahahahaha!"

She laughed heartily and nudged Mali's arm with her elbow.

"How was it? Running downhill was exhilarating, wasn't it?! You were so happy, weren't you?! After climbing for so long! Suddenly it felt like... that... that... that..."

Yukiko found it hard to describe, but she remembered that there was a Western-style restaurant next to the factory in Toyama, where a hot spring egg was served by falling from a slide into the soup pot.

"It's like... it just fell in with a plop, like a hot spring egg!"

Mali had absolutely no idea what Yukiko was saying. He understood very little Japanese, and he was completely bewildered. However, he could sense that the girl was very happy, extremely happy.

"Let's go get a ride! Mali! Mr. Mali! The mature, quiet Mr. Mali!" Yukiko took out her phone, turned on the navigation, and pulled Mali onto the tandem bicycle.

It's still early, but if you're going to Toyama City, now is the perfect time to catch the bus.

Following the coastline, and with the low-flying seagulls, we made our way to the nearest station.

When Mali boarded the platform and got into the carriage, Yukiko quickly sat down across from her at the table, took off her straw hat and used it as a fan. She was sweating profusely, breathing heavily through her mouth, and her cheeks were flushed.

"Mali! Mali! How are you? How are you? My home!"

Mali glanced away casually. "I didn't even go inside to take a closer look, so how is it?"

"I don't usually like staying indoors either!" Yukiko replied casually, "This area is full of places I like to go; it's all my home!"

Mali: "It's fine."

Before the words were even finished, the train slowly started moving, and the steel jungle outside the window gradually transformed into fields and oceans, into blades of grass and flying blossoms.

In the far distance, looking towards the horizon along the empty hills, Mount Fuji is there, like a coffee topped with snow.

After a while, seeing that Mali didn't want to talk, Yukiko decided to rest her head on the table and take a nap.

Mali thought about it for a very long time, and still couldn't believe it was true.

"--It felt like I had a very, very long dream."

"Huh?" Yukiko looked up. "What? What? What dream?"

"I said," Mali Pero explained, "I felt like I had a very, very long nightmare. A lot of terrible and frightening things happened in the dream."

"Was that scary?" Yukiko teased, "You startled me! I was waiting for my train on the platform, heading home for vacation, and I couldn't reach you at all! Then suddenly—"

"--()! Bang! They appeared right next to me! And even kissed me! The brass bell at the station rang, startling and noisy, and my heart started to ache!"

Mali Pero: "Excuse me. I..."

"What's there to be embarrassed about!" Yukiko gently patted the table. "Did Mali accidentally kiss me while walking?"

Mali stammered, "No... no, no, no, that's not it."

"That means it's very good, very good!" Yukiko's tone shifted, her face darkening. "Does Mali often kiss girls?"

Mali remained silent, momentarily speechless.

"Tell me about that dream?" Yukiko immediately stopped asking questions, thinking to herself—

--A sports star from the Zebra Power Team, he must have quite a few admirers.

"In my dream," Mali Pero described, a cold sweat breaking out on her brow. "You died."

Yukiko casually remarked, "Mmm! Mmm! We should listen to more stories like this in the Great Xia! It'll help us cool down!"

Mali Pero: "I was possessed by a monster, right when we were on our date. I killed you."

"Mmm! Mmm!" Yukiko nodded. "You still need to learn and practice your storytelling methods!"

Asking Mali Pero to recall this story, picking out every detail to recount, is like repeatedly tearing open a bloody hole in her heart.

"I... I don't know how to say it."

"Mali!" Yukiko pouted, staring intently into Mali's eyes with a serious expression.

The scenery outside the car window flashed by, and the cable car heading towards Mount Fuji looked like a tiny kite.

What if this isn't a dream? What if this isn't a dream, but real?

Mali Pero dared not think about it; he was speechless.

Yukiko then became playful and cheerful.

"Hey! This is what a horror story should be like! Doesn't it cool down instantly now?!"

Mali: "Hehe. Hahahaha"

Yukiko squinted, propped her chin up, and tilted her head, lost in thought.

"What if! I mean, what if! Seriously, what if the nightmare came true? Mali, just imagine it!"

Mali clenched his fists involuntarily. "I need to find a way to bring you all back to life."

"Where is there a way to bring the dead back to life!" Yukiko waved her hand, trying to calm Mali down. "If there were, I'd want to bring Grandma back to life!"

Mali shook his head, utterly terrified. "What should we do? What should we do? What should we do?"

"Go on a trip, Mali!" Yukiko said. "Since you believe there's always hope, that you can always find a way, and the world is so big, maybe it really is possible?"

"And another one!" Yukiko changed again, turning sinister and menacing as she said, "You just said 'you all'? Who else is there?"

"Ugh... uh..." Mali was startled again by the horror story.

Yukiko laughed heartily, "Hahahaha! It feels so great to tease people!"

Mali quickly corrected her, "That's not funny! That's terrifying!"

"Then," Yukiko immediately stopped smiling and became obedient, "I'll say Mali."

"Live well. In the park, I thought and thought—you were so cold to me, and I felt so wronged."

"But after I figured it out, I didn't feel so wronged anymore. Because there are many more Mali Pero in my life, but if you keep going like this, there will never be another Yukiko."

"As for this nightmare, just do as you wish! Have you heard the story of Maddes, the Lord of Cinder? The people living in Forty-One District always want a sun in their lives, and can't always borrow that little bit of light from Morning Light County, so we're all watching every candidate for Lord of Cinder with bated breath!"

Mali nodded and said, "This guy killed a lot of people in his attempt to resurrect his servants. He's completely gone mad; he's become a paranoid."

"You knew! So you knew about this too! That makes things easier!" Yukiko clasped her hands together, offering her blessings. "Mali! Go on your journey, no matter the outcome, this is a path you must take."

Without much thought, Mali had exhausted all his strength traveling. Yukiko rested her head on the table and gradually closed her eyes.

Sleepiness was like a contagious disease, pulling him into a deeper dream. He crouched down and peered at the girl's face, only to see a sweet smile.

Yukiko opened her eyes and peeked out, as if she had been waiting for a long time.

She happened to know that Mali was spying on her; it was a fleeting, almost telepathic connection.

When their eyes met, the man and woman pursed their lips, used the scorching hot table as a bed, and fell asleep together.