Chapter 361: Your Children Would Never Be Close to You
The perception of time flows differently for everyone. For Courage, who was eagerly awaiting the next day, each second seemed to stretch into an eternity.
But for Jinx and Ichihara Yuko, time had never felt so fleeting. Jinx had declared she was off to pull one last "big job" before she would even consider settling down. Yuko, on the other hand, needed to return to her own world one final time to settle her affairs, lest an unbreakable thread continue to bind her to her past.
Both were set to depart that very night. Neither of them brought up the idea of linking their home worlds to this one. Ren understood Yuko's reasoning perfectly; she had already cast aside her former existence to live here under her true name. This was her final choice.
Jinx, true to form, had a much simpler explanation. "There's nothin' fun over on my side," she'd said with a dismissive wave. "Just a whole lotta explosions and chaos. And if you guys aren't into that, then it's just... boring." She then leaned in, a conspiratorial glint in her eyes. "Especially you, Chef~ You bullied that uptight Sheriff until she was practically crying. She's not gonna let that go~ See? I told you, if you were on my team, I'd protect ya~"
She paused, tapping a finger to her chin. "Then again, if Cupcake brings Fathands along to hunt you down, even I can't help ya~ I mean, I'm pretty sure you could take 'em, but they do have guns~"
Jinx completely avoided looking at Lucifer and the others as she spoke. For a girl whose entire being was an exercise in chaos, her memory was surprisingly selective. It was obvious she simply didn't want her new family to witness the sin and turmoil of her home. The lie was so transparent it was almost charming, but no one called her out on it.
After a brief rest, Courage was back on her feet and bustling about. With Nakiri Mana and the others arriving tomorrow, she had her hands full. The moment the last person ignorant of the other worlds had left, the atmosphere in the room shifted, growing heavy with unspoken thoughts.
Lucifer sat poised on a chair, arms crossed, her gaze fixed on Yuko, who was perched beside Ren, nursing a small glass of wine. "Yuko," Lucifer began, her voice a low murmur, "are you certain you don't need my assistance?"
Yuko drained the last of her wine in a single, elegant motion and set the glass down with a soft click. She let out a long, weary sigh. "In this world, there is only inevitability, never coincidence. My arrival here was an inevitability. By that same token, dealing with the mess that black-hearted mage left for me in that other world... that, too, is an inevitability I must face. It is my fate... and the final burial of my past."
She turned her gaze towards the fallen angel. "No dimension in that world can bear my existence any longer. It follows, then, that it could bear yours even less. The moment Ichihara Yuko appeared in this world, that other one lost its anchor. The world I created has already collapsed, and there is no need to rebuild it. Lucifer, are you reluctant to see me go?"
A soft sigh escaped Lucifer's lips. "No... I am simply concerned. Given your current personality, I worry you'll make a mess of things. Your power is still formidable over there, after all. Who knows what might happen~"
"Uh..."
Kasugano Sora, sitting nearby, added in a timid whisper, "And... Sister Yuko seems very lazy now... I'm worried she might get distracted because she wants to go play, or she'll just be too lazy to move... If that happens, it'll be a long, long time before she comes back..."
Cerberus nodded with an expression of deep understanding. "Yuko might even get halfway through the job and just stubbornly quit... I feel sorry for your old world. It's in for a miserable time..."
A muscle in Yuko's cheek twitched. Good heavens, were these really her family members? Only those closest to you could speak with such brutal honesty. 'Give me back the sentimental reluctance and emotional farewell I was expecting!'she screamed internally.'This is just cruel!'
Yuko shot a glare at the trio before turning directly to Ren, her voice taking on a wounded tone. "Ren~ They're teasing me again!"
Lucifer sighed. Yuko truly was becoming more and more uninhibited. Ren simply chuckled, reaching out to casually pinch her cheek. "Yuko~ To be honest, their worries are my worries too. Besides, what exactly are you going back to do this time?"
The question gave Lucifer and the others pause. They didn't actually know the specifics of her mission. Yuko gently removed Ren's hand and rubbed her cheek. "Oh, that... Let me see..."
She stared into the middle distance for a moment. "That black-hearted mage's plans are all in disarray, so he'll probably take Mokona with him... I don't know what he's planning, but even though he's 'dead,' he's certainly not gone for good. I don't need to worry about Mokona... My primary objective is still to deal with Fei-Wang..."
"And find an heir for my shop~" she continued, a thoughtful look on her face. "There are quite a few anomalies over there, so there are bound to be some interesting existences. It would be nice to have someone to entertain me when I feel like visiting... This time, I won't be bringing Duo Lu along... As for the rest... my presence probably won't be needed..."
Lucifer tilted her head. "So, Yuko, you're just going back to handle Fei-Wang? That sounds rather difficult."
"Fei-Wang has always wished for my true revival," Yuko explained, her voice taking on a distant, philosophical quality. "But I am already alive now, and I have abandoned everything from my past. My fate has been rewritten. Therefore, Fei-Wang's very existence should have become blurred, uncertain... but he most definitely will not have retained his sanity..."
Kasugano Sora looked confused. "But, Sister Yuko, you're already alive. The entire meaning of Fei-Wang's existence was to revive you. In that case, with you here, shouldn't his reason for being vanish... and he would just disappear?"
Yuko sighed again, a hint of her old, melancholic wisdom surfacing. "If only it were that simple. A name, especially a true name, is a vessel for fate. 'Fate'itself has many interpretations: destiny, life, numerology. Within that,'number'has its own distinctions: fixed constants, calamities, variables... By abandoning my past, I altered my own fate. I am no longer the'me' I once was. From that perspective, Fei-Wang will continue to exist."
"And from a purely material standpoint," she went on, her words weaving a complex web of logic, "though time has been reset, I am still myself. My resurrection here will still ripple back and affect him. Thus, his existence will only become indistinct, bewildered. He may lose his mind, but he will not disappear."
"The rejection from all dimensions signifies a rejection by the world itself, so my essence no longer belongs to that reality. However, the calamity I left behind remains. This means I still possess a connection, a thread that Fei-Wang can sense."
"And then..."
"Stop!" Kasugano Sora suddenly cried out, her hands flying to her head. "Sister Yuko! Please don't say any more! I can't understand a single word!"
Lucifer was also rubbing her temples. "Yuko... honestly... If you ever had children, they would have a very difficult time... You've always been a master of ideological education..."
"Eh? Really? Am I that good?"
"Which is why your children would definitely never be close to you."
"That's just mean! Why would you say that! I'm very easygoing, you know! Wait... Why are we even talking about me having children?!"
"Hiss..."
"Don't you dare change the subject!"
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