'Can time be reversed?'
Jeanne thought helplessly as she looked at Elysia's beautiful sleeping face.
"But since it's happened, there's nothing we can do about it. …"
As she muttered to herself, Jeanne prepared to carry Elysia back to her home...
In front of a two-story detached house similar to Hayashi's, but a fairytale-style stone castle.
Roses bloomed and twined all over the stone walls outside the castle. Standing in front of the magnificent gate, one could see that the garden inside was filled with all kinds of beautiful flowers carefully cultivated by the owner.
Jeanne carried Elysia's petite body in a princess carry, ready to scan her face to enter.
Suddenly, a voice rang out from behind her.
"So that arrow really was shot by Elysia!"
Jeanne recognized the voice immediately. Her beautiful, holy face turned towards it, and she involuntarily called out with a hint of joy:
"Mas...!
Ahem, Mr. Hayashi, what brings you here?"
Jeanne almost called him "masta" or "master" but quickly coughed and changed the subject with a question.
"How could I not come? I was dealing with Tomie when my kill was suddenly stolen!"
Hayashi's gaze shifted from Jeanne's holy and beautiful face to Elysia's sleeping, sweet face, and he spoke with a hint of unspoken speechlessness in his voice.
"Sigh~ Elysia's efficiency... If she had seen Yukino's report earlier... she wouldn't have ended up like this."
Jeanne said with some heartache, her gaze towards Elysia becoming even more tender as she thought of Elysia's earlier statement about sleeping for several years.
"Judging from your expression, Elysia won't be waking up anytime soon?"
As he spoke, Hayashi was not surprised; after all, he knew Elysia as the Herrscher of Origin and the Herrscher of Human.
They possess the ability to make dreams come true and the impossible possible.
But it's not a panacea.
Otherwise, in Honkai Impact 3rd, she wouldn't have sacrificed herself to inscribe humanity for future Herrschers.
Tomie... although not as powerful as the Honkai, she is still a manifestation of desire, and it won't be easy for Elysia to seal her away.
"After she shot the arrow, she said she might need to sleep for a few years..."
Jeanne said with some regret, but not with sadness; after all, Elysia was just asleep, not dead.
"Sleeping for several years? That's too long, Jeanne. Tell me… doesn't Elysia's current situation resemble the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale!?"
As Hayashi took a few steps closer, he could smell the floral fragrance emanating from the girl. Suddenly, he stroked his chin and asked Jeanne with a hint of malice.
"It does look alike, so what?"
Jeanne nodded, and seeing that Hayashi seemed to have something left unsaid, she asked him in a cooperative manner.
"Then tell me, is there something she's lacking right now?"
With a mischievous smirk playing on his lips, Hayashi asked Jeanne.
"What is missing?"
Jeanne was not stupid, although historically she was not very literate and did not know math.
But she was someone who, through her own intelligence, could leave the English bishop who was judging her speechless.
In the end, the other party took advantage of her illiteracy, tricked her into signing a confession, and burned her at the stake as a witch.
So with just a slight turn of her head, she understood what Hayashi wanted to say.
"You mean... you're missing the prince's kiss?"
With a questioning tone, Jeanne looked at Hayashi with a sharper gaze and felt a little angry inside.
The tone was unfriendly.
"This joke isn't funny!"
"I'm not kidding; look at Elysia. Isn't her ability like something out of a fairy tale?"
Hayashi smiled and continued spouting nonsense under Jeanne's piercing gaze.
"That's true, but... that's probably impossible. Besides, Sleeping Beauty was cursed by a witch, which is different from her situation!"
Jeanne stated this with clear logic.
"But why do I feel like Elysia would wake up with just one kiss? Or is it just my imagination?"
Hayashi said, feigning surprise.
"!"
Although Hayashi's act wasn't very convincing, and she easily saw through it, he had spoken his mind, leaving Jeanne uncertain at this moment...
Because she learned that Hayashi and she, as well as Elysia, seemed to have a deep connection in some parallel world.
'Does he really feel that way?'
Jeanne expressed her doubt.
"Perhaps it's just my imagination?"
Hayashi skillfully used the strategy of retreating to advance.
"If you're lying to me! I..."
Jeanne brandished her fists, trying her best to look fierce, but when her gaze actually fell on Hayashi, she couldn't bring herself to hit him...
"I will definitely give you a good scolding!"
You might as well beat me up!
Upon hearing this, Hayashi's lips twitched slightly. To be honest, Jeanne had indeed inadvertently threatened him.
It's not that she hits people, but it's her reprimands and teachings...
With her eloquence, she could lecture you all day long! It's absolutely terrifying!
"Fine, let's try another way!"
A little afraid that Jeanne might actually give him a verbal reprimand, Hayashi stopped teasing Jeanne and instead pulled out a watercolor pen under Jeanne's questioning gaze.
Then, under Jeanne's puzzled gaze...
On Elysia's fairytale princess-like sleeping face—a turtle is drawn on her left cheek, a dog's head on her right cheek, and a cat on her forehead!
"Perfect!"
Hayashi clapped his hands, looking quite satisfied with his masterpiece.
Puff...!
Seeing the usually beautiful Elysia being teased like this, Jeanne, who did not stop Hayashi, couldn't help but chuckle.
But despite the laughter, Jeanne still expressed her concern:
"Will this wake Ellie up?"
"Of course, there's still one step missing!"
Snap!
After Hayashi finished speaking, Jeanne saw him take out his camera and take a picture of Elysia.
"Have you had enough fun?"
Jeanne couldn't help but gently punch Hayashi's shoulder.
"Okay, now tell me where Tomie first appeared."
Somewhat puzzled as to why Hayashi suddenly asked this question, Jeanne didn't hold back and told Hayashi everything about Tomie's whereabouts.
Then, she noticed that Hayashi's life force vanished instantly... as if all his cells had lost their vitality, and he collapsed straight to the ground.
"!!!"
"Dead...dead!"
Jeanne felt her brain freeze instantly, and her clear, sky-like eyes trembled violently.
He was just teasing Elysia a moment ago...
How could this be!
Jeanne couldn't believe it. After confirming it again and again, she realized that Hayashi was completely dead.
Unexpected, I don't understand!
An overwhelming sadness welled up in Jeanne's heart, as if she had suddenly lost the most important person in her life, and tears instantly streamed down her cheeks.
Instinctively, the painted-face Elysia that he was holding fell to the ground.