"You're saying you want to leave?" Li Xuan was a bit surprised. The few strands of instant noodles on his wooden chopsticks fell back into the bowl.
"...Yes," Yae Sakura said softly, her head bowed as she slowly ate her noodles. The reason she had followed Li Xuan before was because of the strange Honkai energy fluctuations from his body and a mysterious sense of familiarity. But now...
"Oh, I see," Li Xuan fell silent. After all, Yae Sakura was his savior. Although he was reluctant to see her go, he couldn't just demand that she stay. Besides, their relationship wasn't that close yet. He had no right to interfere with her decisions.
What a shame. It's not easy to find such an obedient and powerful cute girl, Li Xuan sighed, feeling a bit troubled. Hearing Li Xuan's inexplicable sigh, Yae Sakura looked up at him, puzzled.
Those large, watery, star-like eyes, the two long animal ears, the traces of noodle soup at the corner of her mouth. Under the sunlight, Li Xuan looked at Yae Sakura's adorable appearance, took a sharp breath, and his heart traitorously started to beat faster. He quickly lowered his head, and his face, turned towards the noodle bowl, became as red as a tomato.
"...Why is your heart beating so fast?" Yae Sakura asked strangely. Her fox ears were not just for show; she could hear surrounding sounds with great clarity.
"I-it's nothing," Li Xuan replied, his face still red as he pressed his left hand against his heart. "What are you leaving to do?" he asked, clearly trying to change the subject.
"...To find someone," Yae Sakura replied.
"A man or a woman?" Li Xuan's heart skipped a beat. He didn't know why he asked that. "...A woman," Yae Sakura said flatly.
Li Xuan instantly let out a sigh of relief.
"Her name is Kallen," Yae Sakura continued softly, but a hint of confusion flashed in her azure eyes. She paused and said, "She is my benefactor, the person I want to protect, although I don't quite remember why I want to do this."
For some reason, Yae Sakura seemed to have opened up her heart and began to tell Li Xuan about her past, a past that had been sealed for hundreds of years.
When Yae Sakura was young, she lived in Yae Village and had a younger sister, Yae Rin. They spent a happy time together, but because the village wanted to pray for rain, her sister was killed as a sacrifice by the head of the Yae family. Yae Sakura, who had watched her sister die before her eyes, developed a void in her heart. The events that followed seemed to be shrouded in darkness, and she couldn't remember them clearly.
And now, having accidentally seen that golden cross, 'Judah's Oath,' she had recalled some of her almost-forgotten memories. Although she hadn't remembered everything, she did remember that pure white figure. And with that came the desire to find her old friend.
Under the moonlight, Li Xuan quietly listened to the fox-eared girl in front of him tell her story, his eyes filled with pity. He couldn't help but reach out and gently stroke Yae Sakura's hair, saying, "Go then, Sakura." Li Xuan added, "Be careful." After all, the outside was full of Honkai Zombies and Honkai Beasts.
"But, before you go, you have to help me with something..." Li Xuan said with a sly smile. Now that he knew Sakura was a good person, of course he had to ask her for a favor. He figured she wouldn't refuse.
As expected, Yae Sakura readily agreed.
Two days later, Li Xuan and Yae Sakura teamed up and cleared out a large number of Honkai Zombies and Honkai Beasts around the house they were staying in. With Li Xuan's powerful shield and Yae Sakura's terrifying attack power, they were naturally unstoppable. This also made Li Xuan a small fortune; his ring was now filled with a pile of Honkai Crystals waiting for him to find time to use them.
At the same time, the moment of their separation had arrived. The two stood on the street that had been cleared of Honkai Zombies.
"Goodbye, Yae Sakura," Li Xuan said, giving her a light hug, a bit reluctantly.
"Goodbye, Li Xuan-kun." Yae Sakura gave him a slight bow and turned to leave. Although she liked being around Li Xuan and found him very familiar, she wanted to see the person she loved even more, even if she couldn't remember her face clearly. In fact, Yae Sakura had no idea that the reason she felt a sense of familiarity was because of the red mark—the Stigmata—that Li Xuan still kept hidden under a bandage on the back of his hand.
"Don't die! Stay alive!" Li Xuan shouted at Yae Sakura's departing figure. Yae Sakura turned her head and waved.
Li Xuan watched as the cherry-blossom-like girl disappeared from his sight. He felt a sense of having lost something important, a strange sadness. Li Xuan gently patted his face. How could that be? We'll meet again.
He turned around and went back into the house alone.
Indeed, they would meet again. But that would also be the time of their parting.
(End of Chapter)