Chapter 516: A White Shirt Dancing with the Three Realms
"……what's on your mind?"

Before dinner, Ling prepared dinner in the hall of "Home No Mio", Uesugi Erii prepared the dishes, and Zhuo came to sit on the steps in front of the door.

Zhuo originally thought that she would rest on the sofa like Su Enxi who was eating potato chips and reading a novel, but it didn't seem to be the case. Because Jiude Mai was wearing a skirt and it was difficult for her to raise her head, she couldn't turn around to look.

When she passed by Zhuo, Zhuo took a glance and happened to see her sitting down beside him without any hesitation.

When she sat down, she slid her hands across her hips, and her white dress was gathered into its original shape. She sat down with one leg folded up, and then crossed her hands on her legs. The movement and timing were just right, and the eye-catching (not a typo) whiteness flashed by.

I really doubt if this guy did it on purpose - Zhuo didn't say this out loud. Zhuo seemed to be used to the opposite sex sitting next to him. He didn't respond to her action of sitting down and continued to look out at the street quietly.

"The sadness of a middle school boy. The hero who is worried about the outcome before fighting the boss always has to pretend to be worried."

Zhuo's answer, which came a beat late, was very indifferent, or one could say it lacked momentum.

Even he had to face the arrival of this day - the White King incident.

No matter what, judging from the current timeline, neither humans nor dragons have skipped the end of the world in 2012. The so-called 2012 is the end of everything, the end of all things, and also the beginning. The Lord of Despair 'Nidhoggr' slowly rises from hell with flames of hatred burning in his wings. The bones of his former enemies are hung on his wings, and all humans and dragons will face a reckoning before him.

In order to deal with this day, one of the four great dragon monarchs started the time reversal of 'one of the seven kingdoms of alchemy', resetting the timeline back to a certain day in the past countless times on the eve of 2012 or on 2012, in order to find a way to deal with the Despair Supreme again.

In other words, as long as the timeline does not pass 2012, then 2012 is the end of the world. After all, in the reset timeline, everyone's life trajectory will change drastically due to the butterfly effect. Can you still be yourself in that timeline?

For the Dragon King who can retain his memory, resetting the timeline is just a matter of reloading the file; but for humans, each reset marks the end of their current life.

Of course, this is just Zhuo's personal opinion.

Zhuo feels that if he starts over again, he probably won't meet Ling again, there probably won't be a "Mio family", and he probably won't take the little mute away from home...so that Zhuo can't be said to be the same person as the current Zhuo.

It’s so complicated—Zhuo could only say this to himself.

Back to the point.

He and Zero met in 2005, and now it is December 2010, 12, which means it has only been five years. Although he thinks the process of getting to know each other is equally precious, if the time spent together can be removed, it will only be three years.

Then there is the White King incident. If you survive, you can get a respite, well, a year of respite, and then welcome the end of the world.

Which is more important, the process or the result? Zhuo is just an ordinary human being and cannot come to a conclusion. In fact, he chose three years of peaceful life...

It’s so short.

After a moment of silence, Zhuo pretended that "nothing happened" and told a joke.

"As the person involved, I think it's best to pretend in this regard."

"It's really reassuring."

"It's just a pretense of self-satisfaction. I'm the kind of person who would choose to turn a blind eye if I can avoid it, but it's not good to do this when the time comes."

To be honest, Zhuo is the type of person who will take into account the thought that "if the world is going to be destroyed without me, I might as well end it now" even when the time comes. However, it would be great if the problem could be solved without him having to do anything.

Besides, saving the world was something that didn't suit him. Even if someone told him that the world would end tomorrow, he wouldn't really feel that way. At most, he would just eat up all the snacks in the refrigerator.

It is clear without investigation that Zhuo is now definitely under observation by mixed-bloods all over the world. Even if he is not wanted or hunted, he is definitely not friendly.

When Zhuo thought about the fact that he didn't even have a reason to save the world, he felt guilty at the same time as he blamed himself, thinking "It's not impossible for me to join Nidhogg."

"What should I say? I can't imagine what kind of hatred Hilbert Jean Angers must have to have come to this point. If there is no way out, I really don't want to be involved in such a hopeless event."

"Stop lying. Even if I can't say I understand you, I know Sanwu well enough. What that girl hates most is hopelessness, despair... How could she choose you?"

"That's right, so I think she is really amazing, or I'm sorry."

"Hey, don't be like this. Do you need a passionate kiss from a caring elder sister? I'm not trying to comfort or encourage you. I'm just thinking that you worry too much and always want everyone to be well, which adds burden to yourself. Let me tell you about me?"

"Well, can I choose a passionate kiss from onee-sama?"

"Okay~"

"Well, I can't wait to hear the story."

"Puchi——you're just a coward who only talks big."

In fact, Zhuo also had a general impression of the story told by Jiude Mai.

When she was very young, she was taken to a master in the mountains to learn ninjutsu. Shude Mai's master was very strict in accepting disciples. When she was undergoing her first ninja training, her teacher took her to the edge of a cliff.

The teacher said to her: "Just jump down, and I will teach you what you want to learn."

But the teacher did not give her a safety lock and a parachute. There was thick fog and gray fog below the cliff, and nothing could be seen.

She thought she had heard it wrong and looked at the teacher stupidly.

The teacher repeated: "Just jump down, and I will teach you if you jump down. You are so determined to become a ninja, and that means you have great intentions. If your intentions are not strong enough to sacrifice your life, then you can forget about learning this ancient art."

Jiude Mai jumped down.

Determined.

The safety net in the fog caught her, and she smiled happily while lying in the safety net.

The teacher said, 'Why are you laughing? Among the ten people who came to learn, only one jumped down. Every time the one who jumped down escaped, he would cry loudly out of fear.'

Jude Mai said, 'I'm not thinking about anything. I'm just smiling because it's so comfortable lying here, with the clouds flowing up and down me, and I'm looking up at the sky.'

The teacher was silent for a moment, then sighed and said 'It seems that your wish is bigger than I thought. You will become an excellent ninja, but you will die one day because of that huge wish'.

"very impressive."

"I'm not telling you this to be praised. I just think you think too much. Even if you don't say it, I can tell you're a dreamer. No one has to hold you responsible for their life.

"I still think you're amazing."

"……Thank you for the compliment."

"Eh? The intimate big sister part is over so soon?"

"Well, big sister is here, uh hum, ahem! You don't think about others, just yourself. Have you really never fantasized about tearing the Dragon King apart, becoming a savior, or being thrown into the arms of a beautiful woman? Go ahead and do it. I'll help you stop the three-no thing. It doesn't matter even if you ask for potato chips. Big sister supports you."

"Ah! I feel instantly motivated."

"Are you really interested in her chopstick-like figure?!"

"Rich woman!"

To be honest, Zhuo admires Jiude Mai, who is so serious and careful, from the bottom of his heart.

Zhuo knew that this was only one side of her, she also had a cold and dashing side.

Even so, I still admire him, or even more.

"Because you probably guessed it, I have no concept of hatred, so I admire people like you."

"...That's right, handsome boy. You said you don't have any desires, but you quietly influence the people around you. That's quite remarkable. Obviously, I wasn't this kind of person before."

"Because laziness is contagious... Strictly speaking, it's yawning."

"Stop trying to change the subject. With your level of skill, a hundred years of practice in front of your sister would not be enough... Look at how happy Sanwu is!" Zhuo turned around to look at Ling who was busy cooking while taking care of Eri. At some point, he glared at Su Enxi who had made potato chip crumbs everywhere.

Are you happy?
It would be a stretch to say that people who work hard for money and daily necessities are all happy, but that is not entirely true.

Just like extreme athletes who challenge the limits of life and death for dopamine and heart rate, they have no regrets even if they may die at any time. The concept of happiness is difficult to define.

Zhuo's parents, especially his mother, are very optimistic. She is always relaxed at home and is doted on by his father and son. He often hears people say "Mom is so happy" since he was a child. Zhuo may have been spoiled.

Therefore, when Zhuo grew up, he found that he could not put his wife in the same environment, so he was a little strict with himself, and he did not realize whether Ling felt happy or not. It can't be said to be a bad thing.

"That's because you haven't seen what Zero looked like in the past. It's like she was trapped in a space where she was the only one there. In that space, she only talked to herself, and any traces of approach would be erased by her, or even disgusted..."

Come to think of it, it's a bit like when I first noticed Zero.

Ling leaned against the window and stared blankly out. At that time, Zhuo was not able to get close to her, so Ling just silently watched people coming and going on the playground.

Now Zhuo understood what kind of feeling that was. It was when a person living in a lonely world looked at the human world with longing, and when he saw the flow of people, he felt that he was also warmed.

No wonder Ling, who was obviously a young girl at that time, had a smell like snow. Because she had lived in a world of loneliness and felt the most terrible cold in the world, she felt a slight chill even in the scorching sun.

"...I see. Now I understand. My situation is similar."

Zhuo naturally accepted Jiude Mai's statement, but he had no way to give her any feedback.

Zhuo didn't know much about Jiude Mai's affairs, and it was not appropriate for outsiders to interfere in such private matters, so he was cautious and did not go deeper into the topic. Instead, he stood up, walked two steps, and turned to look at her.

"In Japan, Christmas Eve is all about eating Kentucky Fried Chicken, but we don't cook at all. Are you interested in trying a turkey without fire?"

"Of course you can, but ninjas have to strictly control their weight~"

"No, that's okay, just try it."

Jiude Mai showed no reluctance to Zhuo's request. She simply handed her hand to him and stood up with Zhuo's help.

After Jude Mai stood up, she let go of her hand. The two of them looked at each other, pushed open the glass door again and walked into "Home Mio".

"Do you need help? I'd be sad if you said no."

"Yeah, I need it."

"Potato Chips, I regret to inform you that our handsome boy seems to want to take you as his concubine. I have tried my best but it is useless. You...you should eat more."

"what?"

After washing his hands, he recalled with emotion that Ling's state when he was with him was really much softer than it was then. As if he was looking back on the past, he looked at her busy back with nostalgia.

"?"

Halfway through her reminiscing, she noticed Zhuo who was still in a daze. She turned around, tilted her head, and looked up into Zhuo's eyes, as if she had expressed such a meaning.

Zhuo also tilted his head and silently hugged her through her armpits, which made Ling, whose hands were covered with starch, feel a little embarrassed.

She raised her hands and couldn't hug him back. There was no helplessness on Ling's face, but a look of relief.

……

"Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas."

『Santa Claus Brother』

"Merry Christmas!!!"

I feel like there's something strange mixed in. Well, whatever.

"Ah, this is super delicious. Damn it, how come I've lived with you for so many years and never let us try it!?"

"Chicken puree, beans, and eggs..."

Tofu skin chicken egg lucky bag is a dish in which minced meat and eggs are wrapped in fried tofu, then seasoned with a salty and sweet sauce and simmered over low heat. No matter which step it takes, it's troublesome, but Zero doesn't seem to think so.

She agreed in a calm voice, "It's actually not very hard to sit up, and it's worth it."

"The country that ate Kendeji on Christmas Eve is finally destroyed. The capital invasion is too serious."

"Capitalists have no right to say such things!"

"What capitalist? She's just a maid working as an accountant, crying—"

"That's enough, Potato Chips. Stop showing off your outdated and exaggerated acting skills. Sanwu and I have already been sick of it, or is there someone else you want to see?"

"Hey!"

Zhuo looked at the people who were playing and laughing in front of him, Su Enxi who was afraid that Ling would really hit someone because she was framed, Jiude Mai who looked like she was watching the show and adding fuel to the fire, Uesugi Eryi who was holding a cup and watching eagerly, and Ling who was silently watching all this...

Although I don’t know what their fate will be after today, and whether they can all have the final ending.

I don’t know if we can or will always be friends.

At least Zhuo felt that he was happy from the bottom of his heart now.

"Then let's do it in advance, although the main reason is that I think a certain couple is unlikely to continue to want to spend the New Year with us after Christmas... I wish you all a happy new year."

After Su Enxi regained control of her emotions, she raised her glass and said this.

Jiude Mai echoed.

"Business is going well."

"Good health." Ling also raised his glass.

【Happily.】Eri held up the storybook.

"Me too."

"What are you talking about? Start over again."

"Heart--"

"Have a baby soon!!"

"Have a baby soon!!"

【May you have a baby soon! 】

Zhuo, who was stunned, looked at Ling, who was also stunned.

Zhuo smiled bitterly and raised his glass again.

"You too, you too..."

(End of this chapter)