Journey to Find Heroic Spirits

Among them, Shota was probably the weakest, as he was just an ordinary child.

Little Jeanne couldn't play ping pong, but her reflexes were incredibly agile, and her strength was greater than Shota's. Naturally, the outcome was a foregone conclusion, and she won the first match.

Jack, with her E-rank luck, drew Kanna as her opponent.

Kanna had excellent strength and agility. She and Jack played back and forth, but it was clear Jack was at a disadvantage, relying solely on high-speed movement and reflexes to defend passively.

However, on the flip side, among these children, Jack was the least competitive. She was more focused on enjoying the game than on winning.

This back-and-forth battle eventually ended with Kanna's superior skill.

The final group consisted of the remaining two, Gretel and Illya. Illya's agility was a bit lacking, but Gretel wasn't much better. Gretel, who usually acted like a lady, wasn't particularly skilled in sports.

As Gretel wore a look of frustration, Yuxian announced Illya as the winner.

Of the three winners, Yuxian had them draw lots again. Little Jeanne once again drew the top spot, getting a bye.

Yuxian secretly thought, luck is a truly useful stat, an invincible weapon.

The match between Illya and Kanna ended quickly. Illya wasn't actually good at sports; she was only slightly better than Gretel.

The final showdown took place between Little Jeanne and Kanna.

"Kanna-chan, I definitely won't lose to you!" Little Jeanne said confidently.

"Oh!" Kanna's expression also turned serious as she prepared to give her all for this climactic duel.

Pa pa pa pa!

The sound of ping pong balls colliding echoed incessantly. At this moment, Yuxian, the referee, felt rather superfluous. He couldn't even follow the ball flying back and forth between the two, the streaks of afterimages deeply wounding him.

The sport he thought he was good at was nothing compared to these two children.

Since he couldn't see, he had to ask someone who could. Elkoya happened to be beside him, so he quietly asked, "Who has the advantage right now?"

Elkoya touched her chin and replied, "In terms of skill, Kanna should have the edge. But for some reason, Jeanne-chan keeps hitting these lucky shots."

Understood!

A Lancer with A++ luck, what more could you ask for?

Little Jeanne's luck was higher than most people in this world, so a few lucky shots were nothing.

However, in the end, Little Jeanne still didn't win. Luck, after all, couldn't overcome skill. Kanna's talent in sports was truly remarkable.

Yuxian declared Kanna the ultimate winner of the ping pong match. He also privately took out a very cute charm as a prize for Kanna.

Kanna was overjoyed, not just because she won, but because she had a lot of fun this time.

Compared to sports at school, playing with Little Jeanne and the others, where she didn't have to hold back her strength, was what made her happiest.

"Senpai, want to try?" After the children finished, Mash approached Yuxian and asked.

Yuxian quickly waved his hand, "I'll pass."

He had originally planned to show off, but after watching Kanna and Little Jeanne's match, he immediately abandoned that idea. He'd be too embarrassed to even try.

Mash pulled him along, saying, "Come on, Senpai, you should try too."

Yuxian couldn't refuse Mash's kind invitation and stepped forward to play with her.

The ping pong they played was normal ping pong, not relying on physical strength but on skill to control the ball's trajectory.

Although it didn't look as flashy, Yuxian's performance still earned applause from everyone.

Chapter 94 Chapter Thirty-Four: A Sudden Farewell

After everyone had played for a while, it was getting late, so they returned to their rooms to rest.

There were no other distractions here, and the nights were very quiet. Logically, this should be more conducive to sleep.

However, Yuxian found himself unable to sleep, perhaps due to not being used to the environment or feeling anxious about leaving this world soon.

He got out of bed. The children were sleeping in various positions, and it was inevitable that they would kick off their blankets. Yuxian went around and tucked them in, ensuring their blankets were secure.

Looking at their sweet sleeping faces, Yuxian couldn't help but smile. Perhaps this was what happiness was.

Being liked and trusted by the children, and seeing them happy and joyful, filled Yuxian with peace and a sense of immense fulfillment.

What the future held was not important.

The only thing he feared was that this was all a dream, that it wasn't real.

Was this a dream?

Of course not.

Yuxian walked out of the room and into the center of the courtyard, where there were open-air tables and chairs for people to relax.

He sat in a chair, quietly gazing up at the sky. The winter night was a bit cold, but the night sky was exceptionally clear. The bright moonlight illuminated the entire land, and even without lights, the visibility in the courtyard was very high.

With the beautiful night sky, his mind emptied. He didn't think about anything, didn't do anything, just sat there quietly, gazing at the deep and beautiful starry sky.

Just then, someone else walked out. It seemed Yuxian wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep; someone else was in the same boat.

Recognizing the person who came out, Yuxian said softly, "Kobayashi can't sleep either."

The person was indeed Kobayashi. She slowly walked to Yuxian's side and sat down, leaning back in her chair, also looking up at the starry sky.

Kobayashi said calmly, "I don't know why I can't sleep. Maybe a life that's too comfortable isn't suitable for an office worker like me."

The two stayed in the courtyard like this, lost in thought without a word.

"Yuxian, do you ever feel troubled?" Kobayashi suddenly asked.

"Troubled? I suppose so. Who doesn't?" Yuxian replied instinctively.

Kobayashi continued, "I don't know when it started, but I've gotten used to living with Tohru and Kanna. When things get quiet, I can't help but think about them being dragons. I wonder if it's a good thing or a bad thing for us to live together."

Kobayashi voiced her worries, an unanswerable question. Compared to dragons, humans were too fragile. Birth, aging, sickness, and death were topics humans could never avoid.

"Yeah, humans really are fragile."

Yuxian thought of himself. He was just an ordinary person, in a similar situation to Kobayashi. One day, he too would grow old and have to face this problem.

"If I get old one day, they'll probably force-feed me strange things to extend my life."

Thinking of such a scene, Yuxian couldn't help but laugh. It would surely be amusing.

"But is that really okay?" Kobayashi didn't doubt Yuxian's words, but she questioned such an outcome.

Yuxian didn't know either. He couldn't give an answer, so he pretended to be carefree and said, "Who knows? Living in the present is what matters most. As long as we're happy every day, maybe there won't be any regrets."

Would there really be no regrets?

Yuxian fell silent. Who wouldn't have regrets? Looking at the wishes of those Heroic Spirits, one would understand that everyone had things they wanted to do but couldn't.

He sighed, "All we can grasp is the present."

This was the truth.

Instead of worrying about an unpredictable future, focusing on the present was the only choice, because only the present was in Yuxian's hands. The future was too distant.

"Only the present..." Kobayashi murmured, repeating Yuxian's words. She understood this too. Compared to an uncertain future, the present was the most real.

Yuxian hadn't known how to say goodbye to Kobayashi. The day of their departure was fast approaching, and this topic had to be faced.

He might as well take advantage of this night, when both of them couldn't sleep, to explain it to her in the courtyard.

Yuxian slowly began, "We're leaving soon. I didn't know how to say goodbye to you."

"Leaving? You're not coming back?" Kobayashi turned to look at Yuxian, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

"It's not that we can't come back, but we can't predict when," Yuxian patiently explained. "For Tohru and Kanna, it might just be a short separation. But for you, Kobayashi, it's different. Human lives are short. Perhaps by the time we meet again, both of us will be old and frail."

Kobayashi fell silent.

After a long while, she sighed, "This is life!"

Soon, she perked up again, comforting herself, "Actually, compared to many people, I'm already very fortunate. To be able to become family with Tohru and Kanna, to see a different side of this world, and to become friends with you all... wanting more would be too greedy."

Yuxian also laughed, saying self-deprecatingly, "Yeah, we really are a bit too greedy. We're already so lucky, yet here we are lamenting the spring and autumn. It's a bit sentimental."

Thinking of the junior who had always silently supported him, thinking of how much the children depended on him, thinking of how much everyone at Chaldea trusted him, what more could he be unsatisfied with?

Traveling in different worlds and meeting all sorts of people, such a life could be called wonderful.

"Mom, aren't you sleeping?" Jack rubbed her eyes as she walked out of the room.

She instinctively started looking for Yuxian when she found he wasn't by her side in the middle of the night.

The small figure in thin pajamas walked towards Yuxian. The winter night was very cold, and a slight breeze would make one shiver. Yuxian was worried she would catch a cold by walking out like this.

Yuxian immediately got up and walked over, picking Jack up and holding her close to his body, shielding her from the cold night wind.

In that moment, he forgot that Jack couldn't catch a cold at all.

In his heart, children were just children, needing care and love. He wouldn't treat them differently just because they were Heroic Spirits.

"Kobayashi, you should get some rest too," Yuxian waved to Kobayashi and quickly walked back inside with Jack in his arms.

The night was deep, and it was time to go back to his room to sleep.

Kobayashi watched Yuxian leave. After a moment of stunned silence, she also returned to her room. Seeing Kanna and Tohru sleeping soundly, Kobayashi tucked them in, a smile of relief on her face.

She gently lay down in her bed and soon fell asleep.

ps: After watching Abby's interlude, my soul has left my body!

Section 95 Chapter 35: Become a Meteor!

The hot spring trip ended amidst everyone's joyous clamor. Happy times always passed quickly.

Everyone reluctantly left the wonderful place and returned to their normal work and lives.

Yuxian had already told Kobayashi about his departure beforehand, so he decided to inform everyone, giving them time to prepare themselves mentally.

As soon as Georgios arrived, Yuxian and the others would leave this place and return to Chaldea.

The children took this opportunity to say goodbye to their friends at school. Yuxian went to explain to the school teachers, fabricating a story that the whole family was going abroad and had to leave the school.

After learning about this, the adults didn't show any particular sadness. They would bury such emotions deep in their hearts, but children were different.

Kanna was in low spirits for a long time. During this period, she had gotten along very well with her little friends and had a lot of fun playing together. Suddenly learning that they had to part made her very sad.

Kobayashi had to do a lot of convincing before Kanna's mood improved.

For the next few days, she practically lived at Yuxian's house, spending time with everyone and cherishing their final moments together.

After his photography exhibition concluded, Georgios announced his withdrawal from the public eye, causing a huge stir in the media.

He called Yuxian and said he needed to return to Britannia to handle some personal matters, and he would come over afterward.

The melancholy of parting hung over everyone, and it was hard for them not to feel down.

However, at this time, something else happened that made everyone feel even worse.

Tohru was called home by her father, The End Emperor, and left this world.

Kobayashi was in a terrible mood, and Yuxian comforted her, saying, "Tohru will definitely come back. Don't worry, she's not the type to leave without saying goodbye. Trust her."

"Mm," Kobayashi nodded mechanically. The incident had hit her hard. After spending so long with Tohru, she had grown accustomed to a world with her in it.

Kanna had been staying at Yuxian's house these days, saving Kobayashi the trouble of looking after her. Kobayashi, busy with work, found it difficult to manage taking care of Kanna.

A few more days passed like this.

Tohru reappeared. She had returned.

Upon seeing Kobayashi, Tohru rushed forward and hugged her tightly. Only she herself knew how agonizing the days without Kobayashi had been.

The End Emperor followed Tohru, expressing his displeasure at her running away from home again. His words were somewhat hurtful.

"Human lives are short. You will watch them grow old and die in pain. Can you truly bear such an outcome, Tohru?"

The End Emperor's words struck Tohru's heart like a blow. This was a reality she had always been unwilling to face.