Page 148
In fact, even if an old couple doesn't have to be affectionate every time they go out, it's normal for them to hug each other, but the problem is that the time when Ying insisted on visiting happened to be when Eula took off half of her equipment.
When the crimson-purple lightning descended into the carriage, both Eula and Sora remained stiffly in their original positions - no, to be precise, Eula had entered a "combat readiness state" with her other hand on her vest, and when the tingling sensation throughout her body came over her, she had no time to dodge.
Ying opened her eyes, and the strange sight before her froze her and the person in front of her—
Kong hugged Eula from behind. Eula, the woman, was not polite at all and wore only a half-vest. They were struck stiff by the lightning that Shadow brought with him when he traveled through time. They could only turn to her with their necks making the sound of rusty gears.
...Baalzebub had been isolated in the Pure Land for so many years, and her imagination was limited. Although the outside world that Sora brought her was rich in color, it was only a moment compared to her long period of isolation, and was not enough to make her confused.
She had imagined the worst possible landing scenario, which was just landing in a sea of blood and corpses, blocking a knife attack. She might be seriously injured when she landed, and had to be deported...
But she really didn't expect that the "emergency" that the damn system kept saying needed to be called for reinforcements... would be so "urgent" that Eula would perform a series of god-like stunts in front of her.
"……film!"
She was almost pushed against the wall by Eula. If Eula had really put some pressure on Sora like she had just said to her, the situation would have been even more awkward.
"null."
Ying's face revealed a certain seriousness that only belongs to warriors, but it was this expression that showed no warmth of reunion at all that made Kong's knees go weak and he almost kneeled down to Ying.
"…your system describes your situation in a way that…doesn't match your actual situation."
Hearing Ying's words that were filled with unknown emotions, Sora's knees became even more shaky.
This was not out of fear of being suppressed in terms of power, but fear of being misunderstood by her——
But Eula was holding him up so that his knees couldn't go weak. After nearly half a minute of surprise and embarrassment, Eula reluctantly gave up the food in her mouth, let him go, and let him sit down on the edge of the bed.
"Ying, it's you indeed. We guessed right." The vengeful knight didn't have time to be afraid and greeted his old friend as usual.
But Ying only nodded slightly and continued to stare at Sora, forcing him to explain to Ying, whose face was as cold as ice, in a tone of despair:
"Neither I nor the system lied to you...but it's not the same time as we agreed on...and the timing is wrong...I promise, this is just a coincidence of daily activities--!"
"I have been preparing for this for a long time. My friends are urging me to come here. I admit that it is a bit hasty to come here early..."
Ying's ability in bickering is almost as good as her cooking skills. Her cherry lips are pursed tightly, as if she is suppressing her anger.
And Kong had a premonition that Ying was about to use a big move, and he was so scared that he didn't even try to pick up the shirt he had thrown on the bar, but hurried over to hug her.
He was extremely afraid that the accident just now would hurt Ying.
But he didn't expect Ying to be one step ahead of Sora, and the familiar person embraced him with familiar warmth. The emotions that had accumulated like a volcano surged out in silence, but what drowned Sora was not the lava of anger, but the turbulent torrent of longing.
"...I don't know where you've been for such a long time, and you didn't even reply to my letter. Do you know how long Shenzi and I have been looking for you?"
Her eyelids were almost touching Sora's eyelashes, and her trembling tone carried a hint of relief at having regained something she had lost - no, it would be more appropriate to describe it as relief as if she had survived a disaster.
"Kujo went to Liyue, Coral Palace went to Mondstadt, and Shenzi went to Xumi, all to find any trace of your activities... Your friends invested all the resources and efforts they could to find out where you went, and your sister was even more..."
"I can guess... Ying, but this time leaving without saying goodbye was an accident. I know this is a bit like making excuses for myself, but our reunion... it's not an exaggeration to call it a miracle..."
Kong hugged Ying tightly, telling her not to think about the sad details: "I don't know what to say to you when I see you... forgive me... I can't think of any sweet words..."
Although she did not cry, and in fact her expression became brighter, the movement of her lips still revealed her true thoughts. She gently stroked Kong's back, as if she was afraid that her solemn and angry expression just now would scare Kong, and she tightened her shoulders as if she wanted to rub him into her body.
Everything seemed to have returned to that summer when Kong and he had reconciled their past grudges. The two of them embraced each other in the castle tower, and the boundary between travelers and gods became increasingly blurred.
Going shopping together, tasting desserts, listening to Kong telling stories outside the world, and then slowly entering a meditative state, these are all indelible memories, and they are also the "constant" that she hopes to protect, and they are treasures that must never be worn out.
...Seeing Ying's all-embracing look, if Eula was not aware of her nature as a homebody, she would even think that this girl was invincible.
"Sure enough, everyone wants to respond to your call with similar mentality, tsk."
Eula just looked at the pitiful looks of Sora and Ying. She felt sympathy, but also secretly happy. But after all, she and Ying were close friends. Even if she didn't want to share Sora's time with them, she could only let Ying vent her longing for them.
A god who promised travelers eternal friendship, the weight of her promise was something that Eula had to admire - at least in terms of her dedication, Eula believed that Ying was fully qualified to stand by Sora's side.
"You really haven't changed at all... Just looking at that expression just now, I thought you were going to chop Sora to death. How come you calmed down after being hugged?"
Eula followed the curve of Ying's back and moved over to hug her and Sora together.
Although they are competitors, they are also close friends beyond this relationship - close friends that transcend life and death, race, and status. The dozens of fierce battles in the abyss have tempered their comradeship, and there is no possibility of them disliking each other.
Ever since Kong disappeared, she and Ying had been exchanging letters more frequently, and only they could understand each other's anxious feelings.
When we get together here, the anxiety and fear of loss are easily overcome by joy.
"I would never do such a hateful thing, I just thought that you were deliberately irritating me..."
Ying's teardrop mole makes her look particularly gentle when she smiles.
"Tsk... You could have just thrown a tantrum. Wouldn't that make me look immature?"
When Youla heard that chuckle, she seemed to regain some of the comfort she had when they were together in the past.
No matter what, among all of Kong's confidantes, Eula is quite familiar with Ying, and gaining a friendly and familiar face in this different world is the greatest luck.
After she calmed down, she saw that Ying didn't intend to care about the previous offense, but she still felt that she owed Ying an explanation - after all, it was not Kong who took the initiative to do that.
"…I was a little tired just now, and wanted to give him a shot before he went out to work, and you just happened to run into me, so it's not my fault."
The vengeful knight took the initiative to help Kong exonerate himself, and he felt that he had done his best for him and Ying.
"I see. But you all have the leisure to comfort each other. Has the crisis here been successfully resolved?"
Ying was not surprised at all that the two were still corrupt in their predicament. It would be better to say that she was quite familiar with this development - and she didn't mind taking part in it. The entanglement after the battle was as familiar and "constant" as eating and drinking. And on the days when Kong invited them to form a team, taking a bath with Shen Zi, Coral Palace or Kamisato in the Chen Ge pot, playing Seven Saints Summons together in bathrobes, and then eating dessert and falling asleep together, all seemed like yesterday. It was a comfortable and lazy life that could not be imagined in the Pure Land.
After Youla released her arms around them, Ying looked seriously at Sora, whose eyes were slightly red.
In her impression, Kong had never been so emotional that his eyes turned red - as long as she was sure that she was not missing Kong one-sidedly, and that he could not suppress his joy at the reunion, Ying would be extremely satisfied.
"It's still being worked out...but I've gotten to know a lot of people and made a lot of new friends, so overall things are moving in a positive direction."
Sora raised his head and said, "My nose feels a little sore. Sorry."
"Tsk, seeing how you guys are doing, why don't I let you have the good thing at noon, Ying, I'll just go and take a simple shower." Eula looked at Kong's red nose and softened her heart again.
"Eh?"
Baalzebub, who was so heroic when he set out on the expedition, was stunned by Eula's "humility", but she didn't seem to intend to refuse -
"Is it really safe here?"
"…We're on the train—Eula, don't give us any bad ideas yet, Ying will take it seriously. I have to take her to inform Jizi and Pam and prepare a visitor list. Oh, and we have to design a separate room too… Now we're even more pressed for time…"
Without any complaints, Kong squeezed out a large amount of time from his established plan to help Ying integrate into the big family of the train.
"Where's Paimon? How is she? Is she with you?"
"Oh, she's fast asleep now. Don't worry about her. Go and get on board first. I'll explain the situation here to you."
Squeezing Ying's hand, the unnatural trembling of Kong's knuckles proved that his mind had not yet completely calmed down, and Ying could sense his lover's concern from the throbbing of his veins.
"...I will definitely protect you...I will never let you go this time."
The gentle eyes began to glow purple - in a place where Sora could neither see nor hear, Ying emphasized his words several times in his heart, almost like a curse.
……
When the woman with purple pigtails, whose beauty was like a bolt of thunder striking into one's heart, appeared in front of him, Ji Zi felt a little numb.
They rested for less than half an hour before Kong "drew" out a beautiful woman from some other dimension.
There is a kind of heroism and nobility in Ying that cannot be ignored. It is not the financial strength like Estelle, nor the arrogance like Black Tower, but it is all-round - the power from her family to her personal control can give her the confidence that gives rise to such an outstanding temperament.
That's right, power - Ji Zi could feel a powerful force from Ying that was far beyond anything she had ever encountered before - unlike the previous travelers who had no obvious power, this woman was at least a very "favored" messenger. Just by sitting there, Ji Zi seemed to be able to see the air behind her flickering with static electricity, which was still conspicuous under the soft light of the virtual whalebone lamp. I just don't know which star god blessed her.
And such a stunning beauty was now sitting next to Kong, and she seemed to want to tie herself to Kong, with her legs together and leaning against him, not caring at all about her seemingly dignified posture, which actually left no social space for each other.
"Sora...wouldn't you like to introduce this...lady first?"
After confirming that the static light passing behind Ying was not an illusion, Ji Zi picked up the coffee cup that Befa had prepared for them, appearing calm but actually feeling extremely helpless.
"Sorry, Himeko, I'm too excited... This is Ying, her full name is Baalzebub, but there's no need to call her by her full name - she's my love, and like Eula, she's from Teyvat, and she's also the current supreme ruler of the Inazuma Kingdom."
When he heard the word "lover", Ying moved even closer to Sora, even leaning his head slightly towards him, and he was completely unaware of this subconscious approach.
"…The Supreme Ruler…"
A few drops of Jizi's coffee spilled.
If Lao Yang hadn't been lifting weights to exercise, she really wanted to tie up Walter as well to face this damn helplessness together.
The Envoy of Intellect, the daughter of a business empire, the president of the Astrology Association, the captain of the Knights, as expected, the identities of every woman who is on good terms with him are rather outrageous - if it were any other man, it would be quite outrageous, but Kong... Himeko has begun to get used to it.
So, if you are so capable, why don’t you go and make some friends to open everyone’s eyes?
If Ji Zi's gaze could convey information as accurately as the psychic frequency band, Sora would probably nod immediately - no problem, dear.
"But regarding governance... Ying doesn't intend to try any management position. Her most important identity is still a 'samurai', and she is competent for the guard duty of the train. Jizi, you see... She is very interested in the way of pioneering, and she is guaranteed to get along harmoniously with everyone..."
Kong Jianji's eyes widened, and I thought she was observing Ying's character -
"Please give me your guidance, Miss Himeko."
If we ignore the hellish scene of thunder and lightning behind her shadow, her smile is gentle enough to give people an electric shock, and the innate good impression she gives people is not low.
She was in a very good mood at the moment, so naturally she didn't have the persistence she had when scrambling for a spot at a gathering with old friends, nor did she show any aggression towards Ji Zi. For a moment, Ji Zi actually forgot about the "supernatural phenomenon" she was carrying.
"...It's really too much of a stretch to have only Danheng as our guard... Captain, what do you think? I think Ms. Ying is a good candidate."
"Okay, passenger, is there enough living space in your compartment? Do you need me to clean up a room for passenger Ying?"
Hearing Pam talking about the wing room in a worried tone, Kong hurriedly said, "For now...it's enough."
226. Shadow's Tenderness
"I killed them all in this wave! Hehe, what do you think, Silver Wolf!"
"It's okay. If Xiaoxin hadn't used his ultimate skill on you, you would have been trapped."
"Can't you praise me more..."
"Okay, okay, you're the best. If you want to gain my approval, why not get the MVP award this time?"
While on the phone, Sanyue was holding her phone and preparing to go to the kitchen to get some fries and juice, but just as she leaned out to look at the way, she saw the profile of Ying walking away at the end of the corridor, and was immediately shocked by her beauty - Kong and Jizi followed closely behind, talking and laughing, and seemed to be very familiar with each other.
“Eh?”
"What's wrong? There was such a sudden noise——"
"... Just now, a very cool sister passed by! But she didn't look like someone from Yalilo, could it be -"
Sora brought in another old lover?