March 1, 2014, Saturday. Sunny turning to cloudy, north wind level 2-3, suitable for travel.
Qian Yi shared his plan and thoughts with the others.
Upon learning that it might be possible to enter her own mental world and kill Koschei, Talulah became exceptionally excited. She immediately woke up the others, eager to go exploring in the TV world right away.
Koschei! I'm here with my team to kill you! Where the hell are you?!
And Raiden Mei, after finding out that she, like Kiana, had hidden powers, and that she could unlock this power by defeating her other self or reconciling with her, excitedly packed her equipment and got ready to go.
She carried two huge suitcases in her left and right hands, stuffed with all kinds of weapons—tachi, dual blades, pots, pans, and so on—weighing almost as much as she did. She had a cheaply made pot lid shield strapped to her arm and even brought a gas canister, planning to use it as a bomb.
Looking at the fully armed Raiden Mei, Qian Yi was stunned. "What are you doing?"
"Reporting, Captain! I am ready to subjugate the Herrscher of Thunder!" Raiden Mei smiled, revealing a set of pearly white teeth.
"...Have you watched Naruto?"
"Yes, I have. Captain, are you trying to say that I'm like Naruto Uzumaki, with the hidden power of the Nine-Tails (Herrscher) inside me?"
Raiden Mei stared at Qian Yi, her eyes sparkling with excitement, filled with an indescribable joy.
She couldn't wait to crush the Herrscher of Thunder and transform into "Raiden Mei - Herrscher of Thunder Honkai Energy Mode," just like "Naruto - Nine-Tails Chakra Mode"!
Qian Yi fell silent. He really wanted to say that he thought her actions were similar to Danzo stabbing Susanoo with a kunai in the show. If anyone thought they were stupid, they could just look at Raiden Mei, who actually wanted to blow up the Herrscher of Thunder with a gas canister. But seeing Raiden Mei's happy, Don Quixote-like grin as she waited for his reply, he couldn't bring himself to say such cruel words.
"Mmm, Mei, I believe you can change the world just like Naruto. But your situation is a bit special. Compared to violence, it might be better to communicate more with the Herrscher inside you."
"Truth must be established on the edge of a sword!" Raiden Mei said with a serious face. "If I don't beat my other self up first, how will she obediently submit? If I don't have the power to suppress her, how will she listen to my 'talk therapy'?"
"That's true."
"Besides, Captain, don't you think it's super cool to have a showdown with your other self to decide who is the mount and who is the king?"
"Very trendy. That's a good momentum, keep it up. By the way, where are the others?"
Qian Yi looked around the living room and found that only Raiden Mei and Talulah were up. The others were still in their rooms.
Can we gather before 9 o'clock? Qian Yi had his doubts.
His doubts were correct. After Talulah notified them, Utena, Artoria, and Shoko got up, but one of them was clearly in a bad state.
"Hah... hah..." Toyokawa Shoko panted heavily, the fine beads of sweat on her forehead shining with exhaustion. She managed to lift her hand to wipe the sweat from her brow but let it fall limply to her side. Then, she practically crawled towards the sofa and finally collapsed onto it like a limp doll.
Her face was filled with despair, exuding a sentiment of "I have never once been happy participating in the dimensional chat group's activities."
"Shoko, you don't look so good. Did something happen?" Qian Yi got a glass of water and handed it to her.
Shoko grabbed Qian Yi's wrist, her face tired and serious. "I got up today because I have something very important to say. I—want to end the dimensional chat group."
"Why? Did something happen? Or is there a special reason? Could it be because of us?" Qian Yi said.
"No, it's my own problem," Shoko whispered.
If disbanding CRYCHIC was something she was forced to do, then disbanding the dimensional chat group was probably a thought that came from the bottom of her heart, because her teammates were truly on another level.
Kids, I used to be a keyboardist, not a Gundam pilot! Nor was I a core member of the Justice League!
"Is that so? I understand." Qian Yi nodded. "What do the others think?"
"Shoko's strength might not be suitable for participating," Talulah said, understanding Shoko's difficulties.
"I... think playing in the dimensional chat group is fun, so I don't want to disband it," Artoria said quietly from a corner.
Seele, passing by, didn't know what was happening and just kept stuffing her face with cherries from Mei's fridge.
"Shoko, you should quit," Hiiragi Utena said, looking at her gently.
Everyone in the team stopped what they were doing. No one was angry or annoyed by Shoko's sudden selfish statement. There was only comfort and support.
Shoko looked around. There wasn't a trace of blame in her teammates' eyes; instead, they were filled with gentleness. It was clear that everyone couldn't bear to see her continue to suffer here, under such immense pressure.
What's with that look...
Am I... that pitiful?
Shoko was stunned. Her teammates' gazes seemed familiar. In an instant, her thoughts were pulled back to a rainy night.
Through a water-streaked glass window, Shoko's driver opened a large black umbrella over her head. Shoko took off her sandals, and the driver knelt down to help her change into rain boots. Shoko followed the driver, stepping through puddles towards a pure black sedan with two 'M's overlapping to form a mountain shape in a triangular frame on the hood—a Maybach.
Her mother was waiting for her in the car.
On the way, office workers holding briefcases over their heads splashed through the rain, not caring that their pant legs were getting wet, rushing to cross the road and blocking the car's path. She subconsciously frowned, feeling very uncomfortable.
Noticing her expression, her mother stroked her head:
"Little Shoko, why the long face?"
"They look so dirty."
"That's because they are already giving their all just to live. Their lives are already oppressed by endless pressure and hardship, struggling for their livelihood every day. Where would they find the extra energy to maintain so-called decency and dignity? So, Mother hopes you will have a compassionate heart..."
She still remembered her mother's words and the gazes of the people on the roadside. Those people with weary faces stared hard at her through the car window, longing to fly like birds, longing to one day live a life like hers.
What kind of look did her mother and she have at that time?
She didn't know. But right now, her teammates' gazes and tone were exactly the same as her mother's back then. Except, the object of that pitiful gaze had been replaced by herself.
So this is the pity and grace of the upper class? In the eyes of someone who was already doing their best just to live, facing the sympathy and aid showered down from the upper class, their heart was not filled with gratitude, but rather a deep, stabbing pain. That pity was more like merciless shackles, reminding her of how fragile and powerless she was.
Do I... really have to quit?
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