Chapter 72: I Am the Only One Who Possesses His Heart
“Nee, for you, is this world… just a false world?”
I’m lying on the rooftop of the sky. Miss Rihyo’s words keep echoing in my mind.
I don’t know why I care so much about her words. Perhaps it’s because Miss Rihyo’s expression at the time was too profound, almost etched into my mind. Or maybe it was her pleading, trembling voice that touched my heart.
After confirming the location of the shrine, Miss Rihyo and I returned the way we came. When I finally left, Pure World Glazed Tile didn’t stop me.
She had already confessed her final words to me, entrusting her fate and the fate of this world into my hands.
Three days have passed since I returned. Whenever I’m alone, these words spring to mind, lingering for a long time.
I’m starting to wonder if Miss Rihyo used some kind of spell to carve these words into my mind.
Alright, just kidding. I’m just paying too much attention to these words myself.
A false world…
This has nothing to do with whether it’s a mirror world or a spiritual world. Even if the people and things here aren’t real, if they’re created, this place still holds great significance for me.
But… if I want to leave this world, I can only awaken Xiao An. And the moment Xiao An awakens her true divinity, this world will inevitably be burned to ashes, with no way to avoid it.
…
“Juncheng, are you going to dedicate your ‘remaining life’ to this world?”
So you saw through me long ago, Zi’ai…
You knew I might try to save everyone, and perhaps in the end, I would soften my heart and exhaust my lifespan. That’s why you discussed this issue with me in advance…
Since it’s already at that point, no matter how stupid I am, I won’t deliberately make the same mistake.
Then what am I hesitating about–…
My teeth bit down on my lower lip involuntarily. My mood was utterly terrible.
I was annoyed with my indecisiveness, and annoyed with my inability to make a decision.
It’s like when I see those indecisive, timid male protagonists in harem anime who only play for time when faced with problems, I just want to punch them. Now, I feel like punching myself.
A part of me still clings to the naive thought that there might be a solution that satisfies both sides, that I can achieve anything if I try hard enough. This hinders my decisiveness.
No one is wrong in this situation.
Then where did things go wrong–why must the ending involve someone’s sacrifice?
“Ahhhh… Am I an idiot?”
“Do you know that you’re wearing a skirt?”
Someone walked towards me, blocking the bright moonlight and darkening my vision slightly, but I could still see the scene clearly.
I said speechlessly.
“…I mean, do you know you’re wearing a skirt?”
“…And do you know you’re not wearing bloomers?”
“I know.”
I’ve been so subtle, don’t you understand what I’m pointing out?!
Underwear! Underwear! I saw all of it! And why are you wearing such transparent, hollowed-out, bright white lace underwear?! This is too much!
“I deliberately wore it for you to see. Be grateful to me, hmph hmph hmph!”
This foolish vibe, and that self-important tone… I couldn’t take it anymore!
“Who wants to see the underwear of a brain-dead zombie like you! And don’t just show your underwear to people so easily, do you have any shame? And what’s with this underwear! It doesn’t cover anything!”
In the end, I blurted it out.
It was like a reflex, an instinctual retort.
Then I came to my senses. Li Nai in this world is not a zombie at all and wouldn’t do something so foolish.
Could it be?!
With three parts anticipation and seven parts surprise, I immediately sat up and turned around.
“Is it ‘Li Nai’?!”
Ah….
There’s no title….
Even though it’s not Li Nai herself, she’s still in this world.
Seeing my dazed expression, Li Nai raised an eyebrow and asked with a mocking smile.
“Are you that disappointed?”
“Uh? No, no… no…”
I couldn’t finish my sentence because I felt like negating it now would be a cover-up.
“But seeing your reaction makes me happy. It means you care about the Li Nai from that world.”
For some reason, hearing that, I scratched my head shyly and said.
“I guess…”
Because Li Nai and I are in the same team in the Investigation Department’s Class 6. We always go on missions together. This guy also lives with Qing. She even said I could treat her like an older sister. Although she doesn’t act like one at all, she’s impulsive, acts on whims, and often mooches off my bento meals. Instead, I have to take care of her; she’s truly a troublesome person….
Uh, why am I explaining this to myself in my head…
Then I suddenly thought, since it’s Li Nai from this world, why would she act like the zombie Li Nai from before?
Please stop reading my mind. I feel like I have no privacy at all right now.
“To be clear, I’m not here to guide you. Whatever choice you ultimately make is none of my business.”
She stood there proudly, arms crossed, her eyes without a trace of confusion.
“Juncheng, do you know? I don’t have any family.” “Huh?”
“Zi’ai told me that in the real world, I’m a detached zombie with no past memories. So, when they copied my spiritual body, there was no past to draw upon. Therefore, many parts of me are fabricated. For example, having no family, no past memories, and not even fully understanding myself.”
There’s such a thing?
Yes… Li Nai has no previous memories. She has no idea what she was like when she was alive. You could say that ‘when alive, she was…’
Then this Li Nai… Hey, no way…
“In other words, I can’t even be considered ‘Li Nai’. I’m just a counterfeit, a shoddy imitation that can’t even be called fake.”
“How… how could this be…”
“I’ve known for a long time that this world is false. Because I’m the best example to prove it. I used to wonder why such a world should even exist?”
So Li Nai has had this idea for a long time… I couldn’t tell at all before. This is the first time she’s revealing her true feelings to me.
“Then, not long ago, I learned from Zi’ai that in the real world, I’m a zombie. And I’m not even a copy of her… Then what am I? Why was I created?”
She frankly expressed her thoughts.
Li Nai closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. After calming herself, she opened her eyes and said to me.
“Well, that’s what I still think.”
“Cough cough-”
Hey, this turn of events is wrong. Shouldn’t there be a twist next?
Shouldn’t she suddenly realize that even though she’s false, she still exists in this world, and then yearn for a better life… or something like that?
Are you sure having this world-destroying villainous idea is okay?
Novel
“But this is just my personal thought, and it ‘has nothing to do with you’.” “Huh?”
“You don’t need to worry about me, and you don’t need to worry about others, understand?”
“In the end, even if this world is destroyed, what does it have to do with you? You’re not of this world…” That’s all I wanted to say. It’s going to be windy tonight, so you should go inside soon.
After finishing her monologue, Li Nai turned and left.
I stared blankly at her back… Just then, a gust of wind blew, lifting her short skirt.
Li Nai flusteredly pulled down her skirt, then turned and glared at me, her cheeks already flushed red… She’s not shy.
So, you weren’t here to guide me after all. You tsundere Li Nai.
But…
“Thank you.”
“Lanhua, you… what kind of shameless underwear is that! It’s almost completely transparent and hollowed out!”
“But you still wore it, didn’t you?”
“…I don’t know! Anyway, I’ve said what I wanted to say. Whatever he decides in the end is possible… Is that okay?”
“Hehe, it’s okay. Everything is completely stable now. Juncheng trusts Nana very much, you know? Even more so than me and some ice. Only Little Xueqing can compare to you.”
“But I’m not… I’m just ‘someone else’ who looks very similar to her…”
“No, you are Li Nai. Don’t doubt it.”
“Hoo… Anyway, it should be fine. Now, we just need to wait for the final act.”
“But what about that Young Miss, she definitely will…”
“No, the one who will make him ‘soften his heart’ in the end will not appear. I should say, she will never appear before Juncheng again, hehehe.”
“You’re smiling so forcefully.”
Really? I thought I was smiling like a villainous woman who finally drove away the main wife…
…Indeed, you’re also an idiot.
book.SFA
“Young Miss, aren’t you going?”
O SF Light Novel
“Go where?”
“To bring Young Master Juncheng back.”
“…Why should I look for a heartless man who abandoned me?”
“You don’t need to say such insincere things in front of me. I see how much you want to keep Young Master Juncheng by your side.”
“The surveillance maids have sent word. Tomorrow is the last chance. You…”
“…I can’t go.” “Can’t?”
“If I were there, Juncheng would definitely keep this world.”
“What’s wrong with that? Isn’t that what you’ve been hoping for? Isn’t it good for Young Master Juncheng to stay in this world forever?”
“I really want to do that… but I can’t, hehe… I understand Juncheng very well. He’s determined to return to the real world, to be with the other me. And that requires awakening the god of this world, and then this spiritual world will turn to ashes…”
“But Young Master Juncheng will definitely preserve this world for you.”
“Yes, I know he will do that… That’s why I ‘can’t’ let him do it. It would consume immense Destiny Power and burn his lifespan.”
“Did Miss Lanhua tell you this?” “Mm.”
“How can you be sure she’s not lying to you?”
“Hehe… I know Lanhua very well. Just as she knows me, I know her. So, I know she’s not lying. Only when it comes to Juncheng does she have no reason to lie to me.”
“If I didn’t know this, I would definitely go to his side. But now that I ‘know’, I can’t appear there. If Juncheng knew that I, who have merged with the spiritual body of this world, would also disappear with this world, he would definitely spare no expense to preserve it. But he doesn’t ‘know’ yet, so I can’t appear before him.”
“Moreover, the other me has long since faced her feelings. I have no need to exist anymore… I’m just a weakness that can make him ‘soften his heart’.”
“…I will stay by your side until the end.”
“Mm, thank you, Shirley. But alas, I don’t regret it. The days I spent with him were my most precious and happiest experiences. And…”
“And?”
“In the end, I was the only one who possessed his heart, you know? Hehehe~”
