Cui Ciyou fell silent for a moment.
First, he nodded. Then he shook his head vehemently.
"I do think of my hometown sometimes."
"But I've never, ever regretted meeting you, Roxy!"
"And rather than regret, what I feel is... gratitude!"
"It's just... mostly, I wonder whether my appearance here was a good thing or a bad thing for this world, and for all of you."
"My presence has sent so many things off the paths they were 'originally' supposed to follow."
"Alice, for instance. Sylphy, Lilia, and Aisha... and even you, Roxy."
Cui Ciyou's gaze grew distant, and a little... sad.
He seemed to look through the warm, flickering flames before him into another hazy world, at once familiar and utterly foreign-the original story's timeline of Rudeus:
"I wonder... if I'd never come to this world, or if I hadn't appeared at that particular time and place..."
"What would your life have been like, Roxy...?"
Roxy was slightly taken aback by Cui Ciyou's question, so full of hypotheticals and uncertainty.
She set down the thick, ancient book in her hands.
Her aqua-blue eyes turned toward the tirelessly dancing flames in the fireplace as she gave it serious thought.
At first, a trace of bewilderment flickered in Roxy's eyes.
But clear reason soon replaced it.
"If... I hadn't met you, Ciyou..."
Roxy spoke softly, almost to herself, describing the path she "should" have taken.
"I think, after failing to get the position as House Boreas's private tutor in Roa City, I probably would have accepted the long-term commission the Adventurers' Guild recommended to me in Buena Village."
"I would have become the private tutor of Mr. Paul and Mrs. Zenith's son-Rudeus Greyrat."
"Then... perhaps, like my own teacher once did, I would have passed on all my knowledge and experience without