They're Here. (Continued)

"Whoa!"

"Thump!"

The seemingly walkable water surface on the ground didn't appear to be the main one. Before she knew it, Xi had fallen into the water with a strange scream!

The warm water enveloped her almost instantly, but it brought not only warmth but also a suffocating feeling of being squeezed, which terrified Xi so much that she started waving her hands wildly.

"Coo coo coo..."

Her haphazard swinging of her arms did not give her any upward lift; instead, it made her look even more pathetic.

Fortunately, her commotion attracted the attention of the true owner of the place.

Maria reached out, her cool arm gently grasping her shoulder, and pulled her out of the water.

Wow!

After being lifted up, Xi gasped for breath, her face contorted in discomfort, while Maria stood by, curious.

What are you doing here?

"I..."

Xi stammered for a moment.

Right in front of her, a slender and beautiful figure appeared so openly, her delicate and slightly aloof face leaving her speechless for a long time.

At that moment, she was like a little toy being held up by Maria...

"Um?"

Maria looked at Xi, and then at the long sword in her hand, and immediately understood why she had come here.

"You're... here to deliver weapons?"

"Um."

Hearing Maria's question again, Xi finally came to her senses.

She looked at Maria with slight embarrassment, forcing herself to turn her head away.

Her rapidly beating heart made it difficult for her to breathe.

"Why aren't you wearing any clothes?"

"Clothing?"

Now it was Maria's turn to be puzzled.

She tilted her head and looked around.

"Because... this is the bathroom?"

"..."

Xi was stunned.

Her face began to heat up rapidly, and after a brief silence, she subconsciously twisted her body.

"I... I have to go."

"Um?"

Maria found it strange.

But she didn't let Xi leave immediately. After thinking for a moment, she shook her head slightly.

Your clothes are already wet...

"It's okay, it's just a drawing anyway..."

"Doll dry you out... Before that, why don't you rest here for a while?"

"..."

Xi didn't speak, but after a pause, she slightly turned her head away.

There was neither agreement nor refusal.

Of course, Maria was also aware of the other party's awkward personality, so after a brief arrangement, Yu also took off her clothes, and the two of them quietly relaxed in the pool.

Maria leaned back comfortably, her face calm, while Xi, on the other hand, was stiff and reserved, her legs together, her hands resting on her thighs, her head bowed, trying her best to protect herself.

However, the two were still too close, and Xi could still sense Maria's presence from time to time.

The slightly tense atmosphere around her made her eager to find a topic to talk about.

"Um... do you still like taking baths?"

"... Yes and no."

Maria's answer was vague; after a brief pause, she continued, "Just this way, I can temporarily put aside some unnecessary things."

Maria's life was actually quite monotonous.

Generally speaking, it is divided into only three parts.

Eating, killing, and on the way to killing.

Clearly, this kind of life is no longer suitable for Maria... Doll doesn't want Maria to continue living in this world in that manner either.

Although the entire Yharnam Bathhouse was created because the Doll were jealous of Maria and Madam Sicily's bathing experience, it must be said that after a few times, Maria actually quite enjoyed this relaxing activity.

Here, she can completely shut down all her senses, temporarily emptying her mind and avoiding getting caught up in other complex issues.

Of course, such actions would inevitably affect Maria's perception of the outside world. In fact, if Xi hadn't called her, she wouldn't have even sensed Xi's arrival, which would be absolutely impossible in the outside world.

As for shutting down one's senses like this... there are certainly dangers, but this place is the core area of Yharnam. If this place is captured, then Maria will not have the opportunity to enjoy such a bathing life.

There's no need to worry.

"I see."

Xi lowered her head, remained silent for a few moments, and then said nothing more.

Clearly, Xi had absolutely no experience in keeping up with conversations... In the past, when she was with Nian and the others, Nian was always in charge of this task, and she never let the conversation fizzle out.

But when Xi had to face these problems on her own, she was somewhat at a loss.

The atmosphere grew cold once more, and white steam slowly wafted around the two of them...

Xi felt the atmosphere was getting increasingly awkward... If she could, she would even like to go straight back to her own painting world!

But at that moment, Maria glanced at the girl beside her and spoke.

"Shu told me some things..."

"Splash--!"

Upon hearing Maria's words, Xi almost instinctively stood up.

It was only then that she realized she might have been tricked by Sister Shu...

She deliberately sent me to deliver the knife to Maria!

She simply wanted to have a face-to-face conversation with Maria!

This almost made Xi want to die.

But Maria wasn't in a hurry; she just watched the girl's back.

"Don't you want to talk?"

"..."

Xi was silent for a moment, then turned to look at Maria.

The water continued to flow into the pool, the quiet sound of it splashing against the surface becoming the only melody here.

Xi turned her head, and after a moment, returned to her side and sat down quietly...

But she was no longer as reserved as before; instead, she spoke with a slightly tired expression.

What do you want to talk about?

"You seem to have some other kind of feeling towards me?"

Unlike Xi, Maria didn't feel ashamed; on the contrary, she could openly express her inner thoughts.

This made Xi's hands even more tangled and intertwined.

"... yes."

She didn't deny it, like a child whose secret crush had been exposed, feeling like she wanted to disappear into a crack in the ground.

She never expected that her sister would see through her thoughts, and she never expected that Shu would tell Maria about it directly!

"Is that really the case?"

Maria blinked and continued, "Our communication is far from enough to support this feeling... This feeling probably didn't form on your own... It's something that Sui left you with."

Maria spoke frankly, and Xi heard that long-lost name from Maria's lips.

"So, you do know Sui?"

"... Didn't Shu tell you?"

Maria turned her head and looked at Xi.

"... No."

Xi lowered her head and gave a response.

Millet didn't tell her sisters much about Maria, as if it were a secret between Maria and Millet, and they had no right to know...

"I see."

Maria found it a little strange, but she didn't dwell on it too much. After a moment's thought, she continued to speak.

"Shu told me about this. She said you've been struggling with these things... She hopes I can give you some advice."

Maria's voice remained calm, but the words she uttered caused Xi some pain.

She spoke with a hint of self-abandonment.

"My feelings come from within myself! They have nothing to do with age!"

"... But you were indeed differentiated from Sui, weren't you?"

Maria was not angry when faced with Xi, who was like a child. Instead, she spoke slowly and rationally, presenting the facts.

Xi kept saying that her feelings originated entirely from herself, but... they really did grow from Sui.

"If you're just using these words to encourage yourself, then I'll support you. But I also hope you can understand the facts... You don't have a normal human growth process. From the moment you're born, you're growing up based on the memories of your first year."

Maria spoke slowly, each word stimulating Xi Na's already sensitive nerves.

Maria's next words ignited a powder keg within Xi.

"Furthermore, compared to your siblings, you are clearly most deeply affected by the emotions of age..."

Maria whispered, revealing what she had seen.

At least, among the people in the Sui Family, Maria feels that Xi is the closest to 20.

Although Nian's fiery personality and 20's outgoing nature are somewhat similar, in terms of inner qualities, Xi's stubbornness, her unwavering principles, and her childlike temper are more genuine.

But... Xi clearly cannot accept this.

She couldn't help but stand up abruptly, glaring at Maria!

"I don't!"

Their eyes met; Xi's gaze was filled with indignation and resentment, while her expression towards Maria was also irritated.

Maria, however, watched this scene calmly, without any excitement or reaction.

Then...

Xi's body slowly sank...

"Coo coo coo!"

Bubbles rose from the water's surface.

"Well..."

Maria watched helplessly as the stubborn girl slowly sank into the water. She reached out and pulled the girl, who was still trying to maintain her dignity even as she drowned, out of the water and placed her aside.