I Don't Want to Disappoint Them

Walking on the deserted streets, the ground underfoot was covered with thick dust. Each rise and fall of her pace would cause fine gray particles to be thrown into the air.

It was strange, those particles didn't fall as usual after reaching mid-air—if the surrounding buildings were ignored, this place was simply like the moon, the girl thought.

Seele clenched one hand tightly to her chest, holding the pendant Aponia had given her when they said goodbye not long ago. She stretched out her other hand and gently gathered some of the dust. She could even easily knead the dust into a solid clod of earth, but when she let go, the clod still floated in mid-air, without any movement.

"Michael-oni-chan, what kind of pla… cough cough!"

As soon as she opened her mouth, a large amount of dust was inhaled with her breath, choking her and causing her to cough repeatedly. The hand holding the pendant couldn't help but loosen, gently covering her mouth.

The pendant bounced on her chest. Its shape was a bit strange, only half of it, asymmetrical, like a vertical new moon, but without the pointed ends of the crescent moon, but two vertical strokes.

It was as if someone had split a circle in half along its diameter, and the blade light left at the break.

Michael was still holding Seele's hand with one hand, and snapped his fingers with the other. Then the whole world came alive again.

Dust fell to the ground, and was blown up again by the wind from nowhere, dyeing the dilapidated and dead streets into a gray haze.

World bubble, this was a world bubble.

But what exactly was this place? Michael had indeed never paid attention to it. The first time he came in, the Sixth Honkai Eruption was still far away. The second time, he came and went in a hurry, and didn't even have time to say a few words to Ellie.

As for this time, he was here precisely to push the Sixth Honkai Eruption away from its originally set track. There seemed to be no need to know exactly "which place" this was.

So he was silent for a while, unable to answer, and could only lead Seele forward, heading to the base where Mei and Ellie were.

"Whoosh—"

The wind suddenly rose so sharply that Michael almost staggered, making a fool of himself in front of Seele.

"Wooooo—"

The retro-style telephone poles along the road were connected by empty rubber-skinned "wires." Driven by the strong wind, they desperately shook their bodies, like whips cutting through the air, making explosion sounds no different from wailing.

Dust rose again, and the vision was no longer so clear.

Braving the wind, the two turned two more streets and walked onto a long bridge.

The wind suddenly slowed down, and the world returned to silence again at this moment. Only the flat sound of flowing water kept drifting away under their feet, and then returned from afar.

Seele couldn't help but run two steps quickly and趴 [pā - lean over] on the side of the wall, looking at the wrinkled water under the bridge, with a hint of inexplicable smile on her face.

Suddenly, her expression changed slightly.

She quickly took two steps back and carefully examined the patterns carved on the bridge railing.

Even after a long time of wind, rain, and sun exposure, and no maintenance, the edges and corners were gradually smoothed, and the patterns were also out of shape, but Seele still recognized them—

Just as she easily recognized this city.

"What's wrong?"

Michael asked in confusion.

Seele didn't speak first, but instead took Michael's hand back, and led him to a piece of broken walls nearby.

The original appearance of this place could no longer be seen, and it was unknown which battle destroyed it—

Was it the battle between Fire Moth and the Sixth Herrscher a long time ago?

Was it Michael's battle with the Sixth Herrscher?

Or was it Michael's battle with Parvati's avatar?

He couldn't remember anymore.

Just like a dying person covered in wounds, he could no longer distinguish which injury each of his wounds corresponded to.

Couldn't remember, and there was no need, no meaning to remember anymore.

Under Seele's gaze, Michael gently stroked the half-remaining broken wall.

The wall was mottled, and there were still black traces of flame scorching at the base of the wall. Even though the wind had been blowing for so long, this black color hadn't diminished at all.

"This is… ah, that's right, after all, the Sixth Herrscher is…"

Michael muttered a few words in a low voice. Seele tilted her head, not understanding.

"This place… isn't this the department store in Brindisi City we visited two days ago? At that time, Michael-oni-chan, you tied a hair tie and put on a hair clip for Sister Ellie on the bridge… This place… when did it become like this?"

Michael stretched out his index finger and gently tapped her forehead.

"There will be more strange things for you to see soon."

Michael chuckled lightly, his half-closed eyes slightly scanning around. "Okay, they're here."

"Eh!"

Michael cupped Seele's cheeks in his hands. There was a hint of coolness where his palms touched. He gently used force, turning her head around, and looked towards the end of the street.

"Isn't that—Sister Ellie!"

Seele jumped twice and waved her hand.

Michael had already told her that when they arrived, Sister Ellie would be there to accompany her.

But it was obvious that Michael had not had time to inform "Elysia."

She came happily, but when she saw Michael, or rather, the person standing next to Michael, she was still a little startled.

"Eh! Th-th… th—"

She pointed at Seele, frantically winking at Michael.

Looking at Ellie's expression, a moment of confusion flashed in Seele's eyes, but only for a moment. She walked to Ellie's side in two or three steps, and familiarly took the other's arm.

"Hello, Sister Ellie, nice to meet you, my name is Seele."

"Nice to meet you…"

Michael opened his mouth slightly, looking at Seele in disbelief.

The latter responded with a smile.

"Michael-oni-chan, Seele is not a silly child, you know!"

......

"Eh, this is—Hello Sister Mei! Nice to meet you, my name is Seele!"

Compared to Ellie, who directly wrote shock on her face, Mei's reaction was much calmer. After seeing Seele's appearance, she just raised her eyebrows slightly, her pupils shook imperceptibly, her gaze refocused from confusion, and stayed on the pendant on Seele's chest.

Then, she looked at Michael hesitantly, quietly waiting for his explanation.

Michael spread his hands, "Mei, I may have to trouble you with one more thing…"

He was a little embarrassed, a little hesitant, and a little embarrassed. Looking at his tangled expression, the corners of Mei's lips curled up slightly, but unexpectedly, Ellie also laughed at the same time.

"Okay, okay, I'll take Seele to find a room to stay first!"

She winked at Michael, and Seele also quite obediently, but with three steps and one回头 [huítóu - look back], followed and left.

"Your main world has gone through the Fifth Honkai Eruption?"

"Mm."

Michael slumped down on her workbench. On the computer screen in front of him, various complex codes and unrecognizable formulas kept flashing.

"This is the compatible body for the Sixth Herrscher? How did you find it… no… she…"

Just from the expressions between the two, Mei was able to glimpse something called truth.

"You don't want her to bear the fate of becoming a Herrscher, so you brought her to the world bubble, trying to cut off her connection with the existence you call the [Imaginary Tree] in this way?"

"Yes… I'm troubling you."

Michael bit his lip lightly, feeling a sting from his lower lip, and then a salty and fishy taste began to dissolve on the tip of his tongue.

"It's not troublesome at all. I said, you made our world survive, so we will naturally provide help when you need it. Besides, this is also a kind of relaxation for me and Ellie—you wouldn't be so heartless as to let Seele also live like we did in the past year or so, living by thinking with our brains alone? Although I don't mind that way of living, I don't enjoy it either. What's more, I also have some ideas to put into practice."

"Then… that's of course. I will use all the authority of the Second Herrscher I can master to strengthen the boundary of the world bubble, and it's not a problem to support the main world for about two years. The only concern is that in this way, in addition to phase shifting, it is almost impossible for me to use the authority of space in battle, but this is not a big problem."

Facing Mei's joke, Michael analyzed with a serious face.

But she didn't appreciate it. Her purple eyes stared at Michael, neither excited nor too gentle.

Therefore, an inexplicable weight pressed on Michael's shoulders.

This was a very strange scene, on one side was a Herrscher who could destroy this world at will, and on the other side was a woman who had long been powerless.

The weak became the pressurer, and the strong had no objection.

"Michael, do you have any other requests? Tell me all at once."

"Hmm…"

Time flowed slowly, and two streams of thought were constantly fighting in Michael's heart.

The drama had already begun, and it was no longer possible to try to withdraw at this time. So where did that hesitation come from?

Perhaps it was due to his personality.

But since there was no turning back, Michael finally mustered up the courage to ask:

"Mei, do you know the specific locations of the [SEELE] organization members? I once infiltrated some departments and warehouses of the United Government with Vill-V's help, and also got some interesting things, but their headquarters are very hidden, and Vill-V, as an outsider, cannot pinpoint their location."

Mei narrowed her eyes, crossed her legs, her expression somewhat playful:

"Michael, since you would ask me this question, it means that you are also confident in getting the answer from the [me] of the main world, right? Then why seek far and wide for what lies close at hand?"

"I…"

Michael's right hand clenched and relaxed, relaxed and clenched again, repeating in such a cycle.

After a while, his voice sounded softly in a world of silence:

"Mei… she really knows most of my plans, but precisely because of this, I… I, don't want her, them, to know this last thing, only this one…"

Mei had already seen the weak side of this man more than a dozen months ago—if her count was correct.

But at that time, she was just observing from afar.

And now, face to face, it was the first time she heard a plea full of fear from the man in front of her…

"I'm afraid, I'm afraid they will be disappointed in me."

He didn't even want Ellie in the world bubble to know.