"I... what happened to me?"
Yae Sakura, awakening from her coma, stared blankly at the ceiling, a little confused as to why she was here.
She slowly got up from the bed, but because she pulled at her wound, Yae Sakura's wound began to throb with pain.
"This feeling... could it be that it wasn't a dream?"
Yae Sakura vaguely remembered that Higokumaru, due to resentment and anger, had temporarily seized control of her body.
The person she fought seemed to be Kallen's reincarnation, a Little Girl wearing a miko outfit, just like her.
She touched the wound from the explosion. At that time, her chest was pierced, just like five hundred years ago when Kallen sealed her, also with Kallen piercing her chest.
Although it still throbbed, the wound had already begun to clot. Despite the strong recovery ability of a Pseudo-Herrscher, Inaba Tsukiyo's attack was no ordinary attack.
"You're awake."
The room door opened, and Inaba Tsukiyo entered the room with a steaming bowl, coming to Yae Sakura's side.
"Rest well for now. Although your recovery ability is strong, I severed the link between you and Higokumaru at the time. Although it's only temporary, you're still injured."
All Inaba Tsukiyo could do at the time was temporarily separate Higokumaru's consciousness from Yae Sakura's.
The reason Higokumaru hadn't appeared was simply that it was recuperating within Yae Sakura. It would probably emerge after some time.
"I just made some meat porridge. I don't know if it suits your taste, but I hope you can try it."
"Mm, okay..."
Taking the bowl Inaba Tsukiyo handed over, Yae Sakura ate the porridge in small bites.
A warm feeling continuously rose, and Yae Sakura felt her heart warm, almost unable to hold back tears.
Inaba Tsukiyo said nothing, just sat by the bed, waiting for Yae Sakura to finish the porridge.
Soon, Yae Sakura finished, and after thanking her, returned the bowl to Inaba Tsukiyo.
Just as Inaba Tsukiyo was about to leave with the bowl, Yae Sakura suddenly called out to her.
"Wait! Can you tell me, are you Kallen?"
From the beginning, Yae Sakura had been observing Inaba Tsukiyo, scrutinizing every movement.
Although Inaba Tsukiyo and Kallen were two different people in every aspect, Yae Sakura had a strong premonition that the Little Girl in front of her was Kallen.
...No, I am not Kallen. Sakura. I am just... I have gained a lot, understood a lot, and learned about a person's life.
Placing the bowl aside, Inaba Tsukiyo returned to Yae Sakura's side, reaching out to caress the tears on Yae Sakura's face.
"I know you won't believe me, but I understand your love for Kallen, and I also understand Kallen's love for you. You two... truly loved each other. But I'm sorry, I am not her."
Inaba Tsukiyo took off the upper part of her miko outfit, revealing her slender figure to Yae Sakura.
Yae Sakura looked at Inaba Tsukiyo with some confusion, until Inaba Tsukiyo showed her back to her. Only then did she see the cross-like imprint.
"This... Kallen gave this to me. The reason I know you is because of this."
A Stigmata. Within it lay the memories of the Stigmata itself; everything about Kallen had transformed into this Stigmata. It was precisely because of this Stigmata that Inaba Tsukiyo knew Yae Sakura.
Yae Sakura silently caressed the Stigmata that represented Kallen. Of course, she understood what this Stigmata truly represented.
The oath of judah, this was Kallen's exclusive weapon. The pattern of this Stigmata resembled an inverted, unfurled oath of judah.
Wiping the tears from her eyes, Inaba Tsukiyo had already put her clothes back on. The two sat quietly facing each other, feeling like a couple on their first date, the atmosphere exceptionally awkward.
"Then... can you tell me what happened when Kallen left me?"
"...Because you gained the power of the Honkai Box she held, making you a Pseudo-Herrscher. Although you were eventually sealed, Kallen was also captured by the Schicksal organization. Under everyone's interrogation, she frankly stated that you were innocent and that she had fallen in love with you. Finally, on the day she was to be executed by hanging, a sudden Honkai Beast appeared, causing chaos. She died protecting innocent people at the hands of the Honkai Beast."
Yae Sakura trembled. It seemed the news of Kallen's death made her very sad.
However, this was only natural. Yae Sakura had gained a lifespan far exceeding that of humans through the power of Honkai, while Kallen was merely an ordinary human. Even if she was Schicksal's S-Rank Valkyrie, she couldn't possibly have lived until now.
"I'm truly sorry, Inaba. I... I..."
"I know, Sakura. Because my... most important person also died. I watched her grow old before my eyes, and I... could only live on alone."
"...What... what does that mean? Is Inaba also...?"
"No, I am not a Herrscher. I just have the power of immortality for some unknown reason. To this day, I have lived for hundreds of years."
The time was so long that she herself barely remembered the very first memories, but she clearly understood the pain of her loved one dying before her eyes.
Especially the fact that she couldn't personally witness her pain while she was alive had tormented Inaba Tsukiyo for a long time.
So Inaba Tsukiyo understood Yae Sakura's current feelings very well, knowing that her beloved was no longer in this world, and only she herself was still alive; there was nothing sadder than this.
Inaba Tsukiyo quietly left the room. She knew Yae Sakura needed some time to calm down alone.
Yae Sakura had been unconscious for over a day. After the Hyperion left Changkong City, Changkong City fell back into peace.
Regarding Yae Sakura and Kallen's relationship, she had no right to interfere. All she could do was tell Yae Sakura that Kallen had passed away.
Sitting alone in the living room, dark red energy suddenly gathered into a breathing form and appeared there.
Compared to the previous warning, this one was significantly smaller. It seemed it hadn't fully recovered.
"What was with your move earlier? Why could you cut the link between me and Sakura?"
"Who would tell their trump card to an enemy, Mr. Fox... no, I should call you Ms. Fox. Really, why choose a name like Higokumaru? Wouldn't Higanbana be better?"
Suddenly remembering something, Inaba Tsukiyo stood up, scurried to the kitchen, busied herself for a bit, and came to the living room with a plate.
"Hmm? This... this is...!"
Higokumaru looked at the food on the plate, her eyes brightening, almost rushing forward.
"aburaage... this family happened to have some, so I made a little. I just don't know if you want to eat it."
Feeling Higokumaru's emotional fluctuations, Inaba Tsukiyo couldn't help but smile.
She made this based on Nero's memories. In Nero's memories, Tamamo-no-Mae also liked aburaage, and since Higokumaru was also a fox, she should really like aburaage.
"Hmph! You, are you looking down on me, human! I tell you, I, Higokumaru, even if I starve to death! Even if I jump from here! I will absolutely not eat your aburaage!"
Seemingly provoked by Inaba Tsukiyo's laughter, Higokumaru shouted at Inaba Tsukiyo with killing intent.
One minute later... "So good."
To properly savor the aburaage, Higokumaru specifically transformed herself to the size of a pet dog, almost burying her head in the plate.
Although she was happy that Higokumaru liked her cooking, this fellow had an expression of absolute refusal just a minute ago. How could she go back on her word so quickly?
Inaba Tsukiyo was a bit confused. Fortunately, this family had a lot of tofu, and there were plenty of ingredients for aburaage. Inaba Tsukiyo went back to the kitchen and made a lot more aburaage.
Half an hour later, Higokumaru lay contentedly on the sofa. Her small form rubbed her slightly bloated belly and let out a satisfied sigh.
"Not bad, not bad, human. I am very satisfied with your offering. I shall spare your life."
"Then I am very grateful for your understanding, Lady Higokumaru. Really, do all foxes like aburaage? The amount you just ate was enough for a dozen adults."
"And, isn't your body made of Honkai Energy? Why can you still eat?"
"Why can't I eat? Even if I don't have a need to eat, I still want to eat things I like."
Higokumaru rolled over, finding a more comfortable position to look at Inaba Tsukiyo.
To be precise, she was looking at Inaba Tsukiyo's eyes.
She still remembered that Inaba Tsukiyo's eyes were very strange during the battle last night.
She vaguely remembered that when Inaba Tsukiyo finally pierced Yae Sakura's heart, she said "I see it" before launching the attack, cutting off the link between her and Yae Sakura.
But... since just now, Inaba Tsukiyo had been keeping her eyes closed, and not just squinting, but completely closed. What was that about?
"Hey, why don't you open your eyes? Are you cultivating?"
"It's not cultivation. It's just that my eyes can't see anything. Since I can't see anything, why bother opening them?"
"Oh~ your eyes can't see anything... no wonder you keep them closed... Wait! You said you can't see anything?"
Higokumaru, who hadn't thought much of it initially, suddenly realized something and looked at Inaba Tsukiyo as if she had seen a ghost.
"Yes, since birth, my eyes have never been able to see anything. However, my ears are very sensitive, so I can hear even small movements. Is there a problem?"
Is there a problem? Of course there's a problem, and a big one at that.
Someone who can't see anything can actually fight an expert like Yae Sakura, and even suppress her. That's too terrifying.
"You're not a Herrscher, are you?"
"Of course not."
Yae Sakura in the room quietly opened the door and looked at Inaba Tsukiyo, who was 'friendly' chatting with Higokumaru, tilting her head in a strange way.
How did she feel? Inaba Tsukiyo seemed to be getting along very well with Higokumaru. What was going on?
"Could it be… they became friends when I wasn't looking?"
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