Thinking

Coming here again wasn't really a problem.

Aside from her head swaying a little, she could still do many things.

"Compared to you disappearing completely before my eyes, this little failure is nothing more than an appetizer—"

Qian Huanyue crossed her arms over her chest. Her violet eyes blinked calmly, without frustration or impatience, as she merely turned to look at Rinne.

"Sorry, Huanyue-chan. Right now, I... am powerless in these matters..."

Even now, Rinne was caught in a tangle of surprise and contradiction. She wanted to be with Huanyue, yet at the same time, she did not want to be with her.

The way she was now, she would only bring Huanyue this kind of trouble.

Making her rush into this dangerous place again and again.

Making her get hurt, making her grow tired, making her do things she should never have had to do.

Of course, what she least wanted was to be separated from everyone.

She loved the time she spent with everyone. It was incomparably precious, a real kind of happiness. But compared with leaving everyone in Eden, in this false world—

Suppressing her impulses and desires, and returning everyone to reality, was the only correct answer.

"...Huh? Idiot."

Huanyue tugged at the corner of her mouth. She seemed to see the emotions revealed in Rinne's eyes, and her tone rose for an instant. Yet the moment that spark of anger surfaced, she suppressed it again.

She muttered softly, her voice muffled, sounding like a complaint laced with a little coquettishness. "You said you wanted to make me happy, but you always push me away—hmph. You're absolutely terrible at this, Rinne."

"Huh? Sorry... Huanyue-chan." Rinne froze for a moment and apologized reflexively.

"So—"

Qian Huanyue raised a hand somewhat dissatisfiedly and flicked Rinne on the forehead,