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"The unknown god heard the girl's wish, and the kind and great god lowered his gaze with mercy, allowing the girl to meet her deceased relatives."
“A beautiful and touching story.”
"Like Cinderella in the fairy tale?"
"Do you think there is such a good thing in the world?"
"Can you get something for nothing without paying anything?"
"Do you think you are Cinderella?"
"And the bus you took was a pumpkin-turned-carriage, and I was the coachman who was a mouse?"
"Will someone give you crystal shoes and beautiful clothes next?"
"And finally hug your deceased family members?"
"or..."
"In your eyes, are there really such wonderful things in the world?"
"If thinking like that makes you less scared, that's fine with me."
Sakurai has never cared about such things. He has never had such experience and never has any [fantasies] about these things.
But it does not prevent him from understanding this feeling. Human beings always yearn for beauty.
[Maybe things are not that bad], this thought is worth having for people in difficult situations.
This would be enough to bring them even a little courage.
Beautiful stories and fantasies always bring hope and beauty.
He did not deny such things, but rather, he sometimes felt that this was fine.
"The Cinderella story is not that beautiful."
Now that things have come to this, how could Fumino Furuhashi not understand what Sakurai meant.
With her eyes lowered, Fumino Furuhashi tried hard not to let her tears fall.
She suppressed her fear, her loss and sadness, and the grief of seeing her dream turn into a bubble at the moment of realization.
His body was trembling slightly, his fists were clenched tightly, and he whispered these words.
The brief expectations and fantasies, the unrealistic hopes, were shattered by Sakurai's cold words.
The kind but unfortunate heroine, the death of the heroine's mother, the tragic experience of the heroine's bullying by new family members, the magical power that helps the heroine overcome difficulties and ultimately brings her happiness, and the happy life at the end of the story.
This world is actually not that beautiful.
She is known as a genius in the humanities, the Sleeping Beauty of the Forest of Literature, and she knows this clearly.
She understood that the world would not be as beautiful as she thought.
The world is actually both real and cruel.
At the end of the bus ride, she no longer held out hope that she would be able to see her mother when she reached the terminal.
Even if I saw her, she probably wouldn't look like the mother I remembered.
In other words, is the mother in her memory really her real mother?
Rather than an illusion beautified by her memory?
She wasn't sure and didn't dare to think about it any further.
She has become accustomed to looking up at the night sky every night and searching for the star that belongs to her mother. It has long become a part of her life.
but--
Sakurai has said this so far, and she has already accepted the reality.
"Excuse me, what should I do, please..."
"help me."
After accepting the current situation, Fumino Furuhashi was finally able to think normally. She looked at Sakurai sincerely and asked him...
Can save yourself.
After the beautiful fairy tale is shattered, all that remains is the bloody reality.
Under the cloak of a fairy tale is a cruel and desperate nightmare.
She would die. She would die just like that after the bus reached the terminal.
Furukawa Fumino was clearly aware of this.
Now, the only one who can save her is this boy who had sat next to her at some point in time.
"I'll try, but I may not be able to make it in time."
Sakurai gave his answer to the girl's request.
He now doesn't know what is waiting for him in the end, nor does he know what the scene will be like in the end.
Even if he ate the [piece], he had no way of predicting what the final result would be. The only thing he could be sure of was that he would win.
The rest, there is no guarantee.
Therefore, what he hates most is the commission to save people.
There are too many variables, and the success rate is too low compared to other types of missions.
Even for him, there are people who cannot be saved no matter what.
he--
Not a god, just an outlier that is not so ordinary.
64. This world is beautiful and gentle
Fumino Furuhashi, who was sitting next to Sakurai, secretly raised her head and looked at the boy's face, which showed no extreme emotion. There was no panic, no fear, only a calmness that seemed to know everything well.
It seems that he has had this expression from the beginning to now.
An expression of having everything under control, full of confidence and assurance.
and...
Will you try it?
Not a rejection, nor an agreement, just a try?
This is enough.
Compared to the promise made with confidence, the words "Let's give it a try" gave Fumino Furuhashi an unprecedented sense of security.
She silently memorized this face in her heart.
If she could survive, she would find this boy no matter what and express her gratitude and thanks to him.
Before that, she could only pray silently in her heart.
I hope I will be safe and that this boy will be able to survive the unknown dangers that may come my way.
"Thank you, that's enough."
"Thank you so much."
Wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, Fumino Furuhashi smiled and expressed her gratitude sincerely.
Thank him for not giving up on himself in this situation.
Thank him for being willing to try to save me in danger.
Thanks for asking for help, I'll try it.
This world is cruel, so cruel that it can't even allow a girl's innocent fantasy.
But this world is also very gentle, at least when the girl is still in her prime and when she is in danger.
Someone was willing to try to protect her.
For girls, this is enough.
"Very good, this expression is not bad."
"I think your chances of surviving to the end are a little better."
Compared to those brainless guys who lost their minds in the paranormal environment, this girl...
It is worth being saved.
No matter how dumb a guy is, he will not deliberately harm him as long as it does not get in his way.
But sure enough, he felt better if the smarter guy survived.
After all, Sakurai's principle is that non-human creatures are never allowed to attack humans.
absolute! ! !
Well...
I seem to understand a little bit why teachers like good students.
It is indeed quite reassuring.
There was no conversation along the way. Sakurai sat there with his back straight and motionless, looking straight ahead, while Furukawa Fumino was well aware of the fact that the role she played in this incident was a "burden", so she sat there obediently.
Apart from occasionally looking up to peek at Sakurai who was actually sitting next to her, Furukawa Fumino confirmed that she was not alone.
There were no unnecessary movements throughout the process.
She even lowered her breathing to a minimum in order to prevent herself from interfering with Sakurai's thinking and causing the incident to develop in an inevitable direction.
Apart from the rapid heartbeat due to nervousness and the unknown, and the slightly trembling body, there was not even the slightest extra sound.
It plays its role as a pendant very well.
Unfortunately, Furukawa Fumino's understanding was completely in vain.
It seemed to her that Sakurai was thinking about something, but in fact he was just silently emptying his mind.