Chapter 110: The Third Song, Gifting Promise

"Aunt, is that... Dad?"

"Um."

"Is that so...Did Dad...leave again?"

"...Well, he went to a place farther than before."

"Then... will Dad... turn into a star and look at Sirin with Mom?"

"Yes, they are...always watching you, kid."

"But, Auntie..."

Sirin slowly turned her head and looked at the proprietress who had taken care of her for a long time.

"Why is Sirin so... sad?"

"The tears... won't stop..."

"I've clearly seen Dad, and he just came home once before. I could have waited for Mom to come back with Dad...but why...Sirin is still so sad..."

"......"

The proprietress opened her mouth but couldn't say anything. Her originally irritable personality now seemed helpless and calm. She could only reach out and gently touch Sirin's head, straighten her gorgeous purple hair, and wipe away her tears, hoping to give Sirin some comfort.

"…I'm sorry, aunt, for making you worry."

After a while, Sirin wiped her tears and smiled to the boss's wife to show that she was fine.

"I...I'm going to go back first. It would be bad if Mom comes back tonight...If Mom comes back tonight, that would be great. I can tell her that Dad is back, and Mom will definitely be very happy!"

"Wait a minute, kid, don't..."

"Goodbye, Auntie. See you tomorrow night."

Before the boss lady could stop her, Sirin ran away quickly. The boss lady didn't dare to chase her out. She could only sigh and go back to take care of her husband...

There was no way. Ever since that incident, her husband fell ill. No one knew what was wrong with that weird guy, but her husband and other injured people all suffered from a strange disease. A strange purple line began to spread from the wound, and the emotions of the injured themselves began to become easily agitated and irritable.

From then on, she had to run the entire restaurant by herself, and also had to take care of her husband... She didn't have much energy to take care of Sirin. It would be better to say that now, thanks to Sirin's help, her pressure is much less.

Although her son said he could take them to the town to treat the strange disease, she and her husband refused.

On the one hand, she felt that there was no need to add burden to her family because of this strange disease. She heard from others that this disease was very strange and there was no treatment, and the only way to treat it was to stay in the hospital for a long time... That would be too expensive. Since she would just be in the hospital to rest anyway, she and her husband thought it would be better to stay at home and save some money.

On the other hand, if they stayed here, they could still take care of Sirin. The child finally got to see her father, but this first meeting turned out to be the last... Even if they lied to the child, she also felt that... Sirin probably already knew the truth of the matter.

As a result, Sirin might also realize that her mother's affairs...

"...sigh."

'What a poor child' the proprietress sighed and could only sigh like this in her heart, feeling helpless and sad.

......

.........

"......"

Returning to the renovated home, Sirin silently closed the door, locked it, walked straight forward, and lit the fireplace with skillful but somewhat dull movements. She looked at the slowly burning fire, hesitated for a while, then stood up and walked towards the room.

But when she put her hand on the door handle, she felt as if she had been electrocuted and subconsciously shrank back, as if she was afraid of something... But in the end, she still put her hand on it and pushed the door open.

Everything in the house returned to its original state, and everything was the same as Sirin remembered, but she just couldn't be happy. Even the tears that she had barely held back before welled up again and lingered in her eyes.

She moved her body bit by bit and changed into home clothes in front of the closet. However, when she was taking off her clothes, the pain in her neck made her pause. She could only endure the strange feeling and quickly changed her clothes. Then she raised her hand and gently touched the extremely light purple lines that had appeared on her neck at some point.

Well, yes. I don't know if it was because Sirin was strangled by that weird guy that she also contracted that strange disease, but the marks were not as obvious as those of others... Plus, Sirin didn't want to make her aunt worry, so when she went to the restaurant to help recently, she deliberately changed into high-necked clothes to cover up the marks on her neck.

"......"

She turned her head silently and looked at the photo frame placed beside the bed... It was a photo of her and her mother. Even though it had been broken once before, it was now replaced with a new frame, making everything look the same as before, without any change.

But Sirin knew that this was not the case...

She walked forward, gently stroked the carefully preserved photo, then held it in her arms, and carried it to the living room along with the bedding her mother left for her.

I found a chair, moved it to the window, wrapped myself in the quilt left by my mother, poured a cup of hot water and placed it on the windowsill, hugged the photo left by my mother, and slowly sat down.

"......"

It was a bit cold... The fireplace had been lit, she had wrapped herself in the quilt left by her mother as usual, and she had drunk the warm water as usual, but Sirin still felt a bit cold.

She could even faintly smell a faint smell of blood from the bedding... That was the blood left by her father. It was the only thing her father left behind to protect her.

Tears began to fill up again, and her eyes could no longer hold them and were about to overflow... But Sirin quickly buried her head in the quilt and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

She is a well-behaved child, she is a sensible child, so... don't let everyone worry too much.

'Mom and Dad wouldn't want to see Sirin like this, hmm' Sirin thought so in her heart.

"It seems... Dad brought me something..."

Sirin tilted her head and thought for a moment, then gently stood up from the chair, slowly moved to the table wrapped in the quilt, took out a package from the corner, and then sat back down by the window.

"It seems to be the song given by Brother Nozomi..."

She muttered to herself as she unpacked the package, and finally discovered that there were several things scattered inside.

Two small terminals, a matching headset, a bright yellow gemstone with a beautiful color, like gold, a framed decorative flower with light pink flowers, and two letters.

The first one was from Nozomi. He first asked how Sirin was in the letter, and said that his song had come to her as promised along with the shooting star. In addition, he also included some other songs, hoping that she would like them... He also said that the decorative flowers were made for Sirin by a friend of his, and hoped that she would accept them.

The second letter was from a woman who claimed to be Nozomi's friend. She learned about Sirin from Nozomi and decided to give her a few songs, hence the second terminal... Of course, because it was a self-request, a gem was added as a "greeting gift." Although they had not met yet, the necessary etiquette was still required.

At the same time, she heard that what impressed Nozomi most about Sirin was her gorgeous purple hair and golden pupils, so she hesitated for a long time between amethyst and citrine and finally chose her favorite citrine. After all, she also had the same golden eyes as Sirin, so she hoped that Sirin would like this gift.

"......"

After learning about the situation, Sirin opened her mouth and was so surprised that she was speechless... Because even though she didn't know the price of the gem, she could feel the preciousness of the gem from the bright color and beautiful shape of the citrine.

'It seems that if we meet again in the future, I must thank Brother Nozomi and his friends very much' Sirin thought so.

Then, she hesitated for a while before picking up the terminal that Nozomi described, put on headphones, connected them to the terminal, and then played the first song stored in it - according to Nozomi it was the song he wrote for Sirin.

First, a soft, somewhat brisk piano sound reached her ears. Sirin was very familiar with that feeling, and she was sure that it must be Nozomi's song, because the music that Nozomi played in the house was like this, brisk, and filled with joy.

Then, at a certain beat, the sounds of other instruments came in, bringing out the beat and the emotion.

It was a feeling of gentleness in lightness, and softness in warmth, just like... someone was comforting me by my side.

"I have a gift for you~?"

From the first line of the lyrics, Sirin was a little stunned because the voice... sounded a bit like Nozomi's, but it was different from the voice he had hummed before. However, according to the name written above, it was indeed Nozomi who was singing, which made Sirin a little confused for a moment.

Obviously, for Sirin, who had never heard of Nozomi's other songs, this varied voice still shocked her a little.

But soon, she was attracted by the meaning of the lyrics.

'"Gift"... is this song?' Sirin thought so.

"That was on a lonely night~"

"It will still shine brightly in the distance~"

"A sky full of stars~"

Sirin was a little dazed. She tilted her head slightly and looked out the window at the night sky.

The stars remain.

The singing continues, transitioning to the next section following the beat and melody.

"Even though we have nothing in our hands~"

"But they can hold each other tightly because of this~"

"Please don't get lost when you are alone~"

"Because I will never let go~"

Sirin subconsciously curled up her body, huddled down on the chair, wrapped herself in the quilt, and held tightly in her arms the only remaining photo and the terminal that was playing music.

Her gaze remained outside the window, on the starry sky, never moving away.

'Is this an illusion? I always feel that... I can see the stars of my parents. I always feel that I can feel that they are looking at me in the sky, from a faraway place, looking at me through the stars.'

A gentle interlude sounded, with some soft harmonies, like a slowly burning fireplace beside her, radiating warmth, like a blanket wrapped around her body, soothing her heart.

The familiar and intimate scent seems to reappear, gentle, it is the scent of the mother.

A strange yet familiar scent quietly rises again, sweet, it's the scent of the Father.

"......"

Sirin blinked her eyes, her vision clearly became blurry, her vision clearly was filled with tears, and she clearly... should have been a good child and not cried, but this time, Sirin did not wipe away her tears.

Unexpectedly, I didn't feel very sad... just warm, and a little bit happy and cheerful.

Because...she seemed to have found her parents' star.

Because...she seemed to be able to feel her parents.

They were right beside me, hugging me, gently and tenderly, and whispering soothing words in my ears.

Tears flowed quietly, slid across the face, leaving some warm and moist traces, and fell silently on the bedding, adding some water stains.

"Even though we have nothing in our hands~"

"But they can hold each other tightly because of this~"

"Please don't get lost when you are alone~"

"Because I will never let go~"

The song continued, and Nozomi's gentle voice continued, as if he was right beside her, humming this gentle song softly.

But Sirin's gaze was still fixed on the stars outside the window, never moving away.

Because she found the star she was looking forward to.

It was a shining, bright star next to another equally shining star.

"I have a gift for you~"

In the headphones, Nozomi's voice was like water and wind, flowing gently into his ears.

"That was on a lonely night~"

"It will still shine brightly in the distance~"

"A sky full of stars~"

Just at this moment, as if it were a gift from heaven, the two stars that Sirin found in the night sky, representing her parents, gently passed by, leaving a faint tail in the darkness. Soon, they disappeared in a flash but were still captured by Sirin.

"...Thanks."

In the final melody and gentle harmony of the song, Sirin smiled gently, tears streaming down her face, and hid her face in the quilt, carefully feeling the things and breath left by her parents surrounding her.

They...are by my side.

"Thank you, this gift...I like it the most."

She whispered this again as if this could convey her gratitude to Nozomi.

Immediately, she gently adjusted the terminal and played the song again, and then again, over and over again.

She...likes this song.

Finally, beside the warm fireplace, in the gentle music, under the gaze of the stars, Sirin was embraced by her parents, closed her eyes, and gradually fell asleep.

She... could finally fall asleep peacefully and happily at night.

.............

[On the second day, Sirin gave the yellow gem to her aunt and hoped that she could take her uncle to the city hospital for recuperation... After all, her uncle's condition had become more and more serious, and it would be better to recuperate in the hospital. As for money... Selling the yellow gem could always cover most of the expenses.]

[The lady boss was a little suspicious, but after Sirin's explanation, she still accepted the yellow gem... There was no other way, her husband's condition was really getting worse, and he needed to go to the hospital for a check-up... But she still remembered to bring Sirin with her, hoping that Sirin could go to the town with her.]

[Sirin refused and said that she could live well here alone... and her parents' stars had already fallen, they would be back soon, Sirin would wait here for them to come home.]

[The boss lady couldn't persuade her, so she said that she would come back to visit Sirin from time to time to check on Sirin's living conditions... Sirin was very happy and readily agreed.]

[After bidding farewell to her uncle and aunt, Sirin stayed at home quietly, even going out less often. She just liked to wrap herself in the quilt, sit by the window, listen to the song Nozomi wrote for her, look up at the stars, and then gradually fall asleep under the shining of the stars.]

[Unconsciously, the purple lines on her neck...became more and more obvious, and gradually spread to her entire body.]

[But Sirin didn't care at all. She... would be reunited with her parents soon.]

[Another day, Sirin fell asleep surrounded by stars. When the morning sun shone on her face, she seemed to realize something in a daze... In a trance, she could see the twinkling stars and her parents reaching out to her.]

[In the blur, Sirin smiled and stretched out her hand to them... Then, an inexplicable force surged, enveloping everything around her. After a while of space transformation, her slender figure fell into the pure white snow.]

[Pure white snowflakes fell, and the gorgeous purple hair intertwined with the snow, but Sirin did not feel cold... Her mother's blanket was on her body, her father's breath was beside her, she hugged the photos they left behind in her arms, and gentle tunes lingered in her ears.]

[Sirin is...very happy.]

[Immediately... there was a strange energy surge, and countless "monsters" began to emerge out of thin air, but their bodies were soon torn apart as the space changed, along with the surrounding snow, trees, and even the falling snowflakes.]

[She... no, it, except for a few things around it, everything around it was torn apart, the space became broken, and then reassembled, just to eliminate the noisy sounds.]

[It seems that it is just to create a quiet place, a place where it can sleep peacefully, that's all.]

[At the same time, an alarm sounded in a place called "Fire Moth."]

[The "Second Great Collapse" has appeared.]

————————

"Oh my... what a sleepy little girl~"

A girl with long pink hair similar to Sakura stood at the edge and slowly retracted the bow in her hand.

Her name is Elysia, a girl as beautiful as a flying flower. Now... she is a soldier.

"But... even an unconscious action can make others helpless. You are really amazing~?"

Elysia stepped on the snow and slowly approached it, approaching the "Second Herrscher"... The existence that controls the power of "space" has troubled the Fire Moth for a long time. After all, any existence that approaches will tear the space together, and attacks at the edge will be constantly disturbed, and finally, it will be impossible to hit the "Herrscher" itself. But fortunately, she is a very powerful existence. Although it took a little effort, she still helped the Fire Moth solve this crisis~

Then again… although the "Second Herrscher" caused widespread Honkai eruption, it erupted in an uninhabited snowfield and did not cause too many casualties. Compared to the chaos and casualties caused by the "First Herrscher," this "Second Herrscher" can be called a different kind of "harmless."

Although it is very confusing why this "Herrscher" would appear in the depths of the snowfield, but... never mind. People's research on [Honkai Impact] is still very superficial, and there is no way to study this strange situation. In any case, it is fortunate that no large-scale casualties were caused.

However, when Elysia came to it and looked at the things around it, she was stunned again.

It was a photo frame that was deliberately protected and a small terminal that was held tightly in the palm of the hand. One could even feel the residual energy fluctuations around the two objects.

It was obvious that this "Herrscher" was still subconsciously protecting these two things when it was attacked just now.

"...sigh."

Looking at the photo preserved in the frame, Elysia sighed helplessly... It was obviously a photo of the girl and her mother. It was something she had always cherished, and it could be seen. It was also because of this that Elysia felt helpless and regretful.

But what is the other small terminal?

Out of curiosity and the desire to preserve important things, Elysia picked it up and kept it, intending to discuss with the researchers of the Fire Moth to see if these two things had any impact on the "Second Herrscher," causing it to become so "harmless."

At this point, the "Second Great Honkai Eruption" ended. Compared with the "First Great Eruption," the casualties caused during this operation were only in the double digits. The environment was destroyed on a large scale, but most of it existed only in the depths of the snowfield and did not cause obvious losses.

More importantly, the number of civilian casualties directly caused by this "Great Honkai Eruption" was - zero.